Toilet Targets: My First Business
Some of the best ideas come from just talking with family. That's exactly what happened with my first business. We were having a typical Sunday afternoon chat at my parents' house, laughing about how my brother and I used to make a total mess of the bathroom when we were little kids learning to use the toilet. Little did I know this conversation would lead to something that would help thousands of families.
How It All Started
Back then, I was a college student at BYU studying Information Systems. I had just gotten married and was living in my parents' small house while watching YouTube videos about making money online and selling on Amazon. When that family conversation about potty training struggles happened, something clicked. I thought, "What if we could make potty training fun and help moms keep their bathrooms clean?" After searching all over the internet, I couldn't find anything like what I had in mind - a small, dissolvable target that would make potty training more like a game.
Starting in the Basement
I launched Toilet Targets in March 2020, right when COVID hit, with a total $1,400 of inventory. By then, we had moved into my in-laws' basement. The early days were pretty basic - I ordered some expensive dissolvable paper, drew kid-friendly animal designs, and started cutting out targets with scissors. Each package had 50 targets in a small plastic bag with a homemade label and barcode.
Growing Step by Step
My "factory" went through three main stages:
- First, it was just me and some scissors (yeah, really!)
- Then I bought a $200 Cricut machine - which might have caused a small fight with my wife! I ended up returning it anyway
- Finally, I found a hand crank machine that could cut through 25 pages at once, with nine targets on each page
Even with the hand crank machine, we were still making thousands of units each month by hand. I turned it into a family affair, hiring my sisters (especially Emma, who became my most reliable employee) and my wife's sister with her high school friends. We'd all stand in the unfinished basement with music playing, working our assembly line. I paid them $20 an hour, and honestly, those times were some of my favorite memories from the whole experience.
The Reviews That Made It All Worth It
The best part wasn't making money - it was seeing how our simple product helped families. Here's one review that really stuck with me:
"My son is on the spectrum and he did not want to learn to stand up to go to the bathroom. As soon as I showed him this it was a go! Solved my problem." - Bri S.
Another mom wrote:
"We were so very pleased with this product. It is easy to use, child friendly and extremely motivating for our son who is diagnosed with Autism and has had significant challenges with toilet training." - Stephanie Mendes
Reading reviews like these made all those long nights in the basement worth it.
What I Learned
Eventually, I had to stop making Toilet Targets. Chinese companies started copying my product (I should have gotten a patent!), and making them by hand wasn't the most profitable way to run a business. But man, did I learn a lot:
- Sometimes the best ideas come from everyday problems
- You don't need fancy equipment to start
- Making mistakes is okay
- The most important thing isn't always making money - it's helping people and having an impact
Looking back, I'll never forget how excited I was when I got my first eight sales in one day. It felt like Christmas morning to my 24-year-old self! While Toilet Targets isn't around anymore, the lessons I learned and the families we helped make it one of the best experiences of my life.
I never would have thought that a funny conversation about bathroom messes would turn into a business that helped thousands of kids, parents, and grandparents acrosse the country. Sometimes the best ideas come from the most unexpected places.
