I’m Lisa Lane, a Shark Tank junkie who never dreamed I’d make millions from my idea, but I turned a shower cleaning business into the successful Rinseroo and became president of New Jersey-based Lane Innovations.
Key statistics:
- Niche: e-commerce
- Product: hand shower attachments
- Income: $400,000 per month
- Founder: 1
- Started: 2019
What is your backstory and how did you come up with the idea for Rinseroo?
I never intended to be an inventor, or even an entrepreneur. That was until I had an ‘aha’ moment in the shower.
I was cleaning my shower the slow way, filling a cup over and over again to rinse it off. It was messy and time-consuming, and I thought, “There has to be a better way.”
I had no idea where to start; I knew nothing about how to make a product or how to market one, but I knew my idea was one for the masses. Potentially anyone with a shower could find a use for this product and that was a huge number.
I decided to work on my idea part-time in the evenings after I got home from my pharmaceutical sales job. After two years of research, my gut told me that I would rather try and fail than not bring the product to life.
So I quit my job, invested some of my hard-earned money, and the Rinseroo, a product that makes cleaning shower walls and bathing pets quick and easy, was born.
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Can you describe the process of making the Rinseroo?
I had no experience with inventing, but I figured it out. I read a book called “The Mom Inventor’s Handbook…How to turn your big idea into the next big thing” by Tara Mosonoff.
That book taught me everything I needed to know to get the ball rolling. I found my engineer through the book and that engineer connected me with a reputable manufacturer.
While the product was being created, I got to work creating a website and learned everything I needed to know from online research.
I knew my product would be great for Amazon and I learned how to create a seller account, how to list the product and got ready to launch.
What steps did you take to launch Rinseroo as an online business?
It took a lot of time and research. I knew I had a great problem-solving product and I didn’t want to screw things up, so I did everything I could to get it right. I would say it took 2 years from concept to realization.
First I tested the product with a rough prototype and asked friends and family what they thought. When I knew I had something valuable, I had it manufactured.
When I got it, I sent a few to Amazon and prayed it would sell. It was slow at first, the key on Amazon is to rank and prove that you have something people want and convert into sales.
Once that happened, I scored well and the sales started coming in.
Since launching Rinseroo, what strategies have been most effective in attracting and retaining customers?
My business is primarily e-commerce, so the key was getting it to the big players, Amazon, Walmart, Chewy, Lowes.com.
I attended trade shows, reached out to buyers on LinkedIn, and when the product went live on those websites, I invested in running ads on Amazon.
I also worked hard to get the message out on social media. I quickly discovered that the company would pivot from social media to selling on the websites where the Rinseroo was listed.
How is Rinseroo doing today and what are your plans for the future of the company?
I launched in 2019 and have added several new products in cleaning, bathing and pets. The Rinseroo has certainly grown from a product to a brand.
My goal is to continue adding line extensions in the cleaning and bath space, in hopes that the Rinseroo brand will soon become a household name.
What tools and resources do you use?
I love TikTok for helping us grow the business. It’s truly amazing how many eyes you can get on your videos if you do it right.
We also work with influencers who like our products and we encourage them to create their own videos and share them on their social channels.
We also like to get in touch with our customers. We send every customer an email to thank them for their business and check in to make sure they are happy with our products. A large part of our success comes from word of mouth.
Satisfied customers tell two friends, and so on, and that turns out to be a recipe for success.
What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs?
My best advice would be to know that the key to a successful ecommerce business is to come up with a better mousetrap.
If something already exists in that space, find a way to make it even better. Know that success is earned and the key to success is to do your homework.
Do everything you can to learn everything you can about the business you are starting. A great way to learn the ropes is to reach out to someone who already knows the ropes and who has been there and done that.
I have noticed that most entrepreneurs are willing to help others. We learn so much from each other and in the end everyone wins.
Website: Rinseroo
Instagram: Official flusheroo
Amazon: Rinseroo store