With her son’s help, this mom found a way to cure her constant constipation
Together they created a “poop” empire worth $175 million
Over 6,197 billion people do it this way on a regular basis.
And for them it’s the only way to do it.
In fact it’s something that started mostly in Asian countries such as Japan, China, India, and Indonesia.
And people having been doing it this way for some time too. Experts say in Japan it can be traced back to the years 794-1185 (also known as the Heian period.)
Not surprisingly, in the U.S. it dates back some 800 years to the Havasupai people, an American Indian tribe who once lived in the Grand Canyon area until 1882.
That’s when the Federal government forced them out of the area, taking over millions of acres of land.
And although Asian countries and American Indians do it a little differently, we all do it … at least three times a day.
What am I talking about?
Toilets … and to be even more specific the way you make #2.
Toilets of the Gods
First build in the 1930’s, Meguro Gajoen started out as a restaurant. Then as Tokyo competed against Shanghai for the “Paris of the East” title, it was transformed into a banquet, wedding, and prestigious ceremonial hall.
In essence it became Japan’s first wedding complex.
But as more couples were choosing to get married here, fancy guests rooms and suites were added. Then it morphed into the famous Hotel Gajoen Tokyo. Known for its extravagant wedding hall, fancy artwork, and lavish surroundings, the people of Japan nicknamed it the Palace of the Dragon God.
The hotel is a mix of remnants of the old 1930’s buildings with modern architecture added over the years.
But within this giant complex is an 80-year old room that remains untouched. Tucked away under the 100-step staircase, the room is 24 feet long.
The single window runs the length of the room. And right next to the window is a single toilet. But it’s not your ordinary toilet.
No, it’s more like a big round hole in the floor, with the edges coated in white ceramic.
When you’re ready to go poop, you simply squat right over the hole and do your thing.
It won’t take long either because squatting while pooping makes everything flow faster. You wind up with a …
Smooth Poo
What better party conversation starter than to ask people “Excuse me do you squat or sit when going poo”?
Believe it or not, Dr. Peter Stanich, an assistant professor of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine says he gets ask this very question an awful lot … especially during social gatherings.
To answer this question once and for all, he decided to do a research study on whether it’s better to sit or squat while making #2.
So he had 52 medical residents at Ohio State and their partners take an initial survey about their bowel movements and bathroom habits, as well as provide a detailed log of every bowel movement they had for two weeks.
Even though all of the people in the study were fairly healthy, the results showed that significant numbers had issues including straining, blood in their stool and “incomplete emptying,”—a feeling that often goes along with constipation.
Next, he provided everyone with a special stool-like device that allowed participants to squat over the toilet. People tracked their bowel movements for another two weeks, then completed a survey about their experience.
After sorting through descriptions of more than 1,000 bowel movements, Dr. Stanich along with his team of researchers found that 90% of people who used the device strained less, and 71% had faster bowel movements. Fewer users also reported feeling like they still had to go after using the bathroom.
You’re Not so Full Of Sh@%
What device did Dr. Stanich give people participating the research?
A Squatty Potty. Never heard of one.
That’s ok, Dear Reader because I’m going to tell you all about it.
The Squatty Potty story begins at the home of the Edwards Family — Bill, Judy, and their son Bobby.
Although the family had always been very health conscious, Judy was dealing with “bathroom issues” that most people are too embarrassed to discuss — constipation and hemorrhoids.
In 2010, in search of relief, Judy Edwards consulted a therapist, who suggested that squatting might improve her condition by helping to relax her colon.
Desperate to try anything, Judy was ready to squat away. Except there was one problem … her home in southern Utah was equipped with a modern, western-style toilet.
You know … the kind you sit on while making #2. So she had to improvise by making a kind of step stool made up of books stacked one on top of one another.
While it did help her medical condition, the “made up step stool” was very awkward and uncomfortable to use.
Short of strapping on stilts, Judy tried everything to place herself in the proper position to ease her discomfort — using different items such as kitchen step stools, buckets, and other easily found household items.
But just like Goldilocks and the three bears … one was too high, another was too low, and none of them felt just right.
Fortunately, her son Bobby Edwards, who was a successful designer and contractor stepped into help. Working in the family’s garage, Bobby built several prototypes of different foot stool-like devices.
One of his first attempts was a stool made out of wood. It hugged the toilet nicely and had a slanted shelf for her to put her feet on, which kind of mimicked squatting. Yet it was big and bulky.
Eventually the wood was replaced with plastic. It was much lighter and had the optimal width for assuming the squatting position, plus was U-shaped, which fit the base of the toilet perfectly. And it was easy enough to tuck conveniently out of the way when not in use.
The device worked so well, Bobby built several more to give to friends and family as Christmas gifts. While receiving a homemade gift is considered a kind gesture, this one was met with some skepticism. But once they tried it out … well everyone loved their footstool designed specifically for toilets.
Because the feedback was so good, in 2011, Bobby launched a website and started selling the product online, which the family named Squatty Potty. The early days of those online sales were an incredible success, grossing over $1 million in its first year.
In that same year, the Edwards had shipped their product to every state in the U.S. along with 17 other countries.
In 2012, shortly after moving production from their garage to a local warehouse, the “Dr. Oz” show called. But when Bill Edwards answered the phone, he thought it was a prank call from one of his kids.
But after a few minutes of talking, he soon realized that the call was legit, and he shipped a Squatty Potty to the studio, so they could film the segment. When the segment aired, orders started pouring in.
Sales exploded …. They doubled, then tripled, quadrupled, quintupled, and even sextupled! The Edwards scrambled to ramp up production to meet demands.
By year’s end, the two-year-old company had racked up $2.7 million in sales. Then in 2015, radio host Howard Stern started talking up the product after first using it himself. And sales took off yet again.
Then, Squatty Potty was featured on season 6 of Shark Tank with the Edwards accepting a $350,000 investment in exchange for a 10% stake in the company from Lori Greiner. Sales after the show aired where the highest of any product in Shark Tank history, with $1 million in sales the first night and $3 million just three weeks later.
In the autumn of 2015, the company released a video that featured a unicorn squatting to poop out rainbow soft-serve ice cream. The video went viral with over 50 million views on Facebook and YouTube, and the company ended the year with over $15 million in sales.
Today, Squatty Potty sales are well over $175 million, which have allowed the Edwards to create one of the largest “poop” empires.
And to think Dear Reader, it all started because Judy was trying to find a way to relief constipation. You never know where a good idea will come from … sometimes they simply come from necessity.
Awesome Quotes by Awesome People
“To launch a business means successfully solving problems. Solving problems means listening”— Sir Richard Branson