Yary Kidz produce the Yarykidz potty trainer
Please introduce yourself and your startup Yary Kidz to our readers!
My name is Aaron McGill, inventor and owner of the Yary Kidz GmbH. The Yarykidz potty trainer includes a patented innovative integrated clip that attached to all toilet types in a snap. This allows for easy mounting and removal of the seat for travel. I was born in Liberia, and now live in the beautiful city of Bern, Switzerland for the past 23 years.
How did you get the idea of Yary Kidz?
The idea was born like most ideas out of necessity. My little daughter was learning to go to the toilet all by herself and she would have gone by herself if not because of the existing potty trainers which you have to always mount and remove. So I have to always help with the mounting and removing. Means that she will never be able to use the toilet alone without our (Parents) help. And the size of the adult toilet seat scared her. Despite trying the potty trainers available on the market, they didn’t help, as they all have the same concept of mounting removing, needed storage, and in the way of adults.
My idea of the ideal potty trainer was one that first was safe and flexible. It also needed to support the independence of the child, as well as space and time saving.Finally, a trainer that could be easily taken away and used on holiday without a fuss.Given there wasn’t a trainer that fulfilled the above criteria, I developed one myself.
Why did you decide to start with Yarykidz?
It took me years to develop the product, a process that started with patent application. In the meantime, I realized other parents were having the same problem at home, daycare centers, hospitals and handicap homes….
But by the time I finished the product, my daughter was already potty trained. However, I knew there were many kids out there that could benefit from this idea. This is when I decided to create Yarykidz!
What is the vision behind Yarykidz?
To make Yarykidz a household name in Europe and the world. I know this sounds ambitious, but there are kids everywhere who need to be potty trained. This is why I am sure Yarykidz will conquer country after country.
How difficult was the process and what challenges did you have to overcome?
To this day, I still have challenges to overcome. The most difficult one though was the technical aspect:How to attach and remove a potty trainer safely in few seconds without tools on a normal toilet seat.
This was resolved through my patented flexible clip.
The second challenge was finding investors, who were reluctant. I was told by people in the industry that it wasn’t possible to achieve what I envisioned without screws or tools. Despite the above, I just kept going. Nothing could have stopped me except God or poor health. A combination of passion, persistence and hard work got me to where Yarykidz is now: Selling in three European countries, and shipping to others through my online shop yarykidz.com.
I also recently had a successful pitch in the first episode of the Shark Tank of Switzerland (Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz)-The Dark clouds are slowly moving away.
Who is your target audience?
My target audience are parents, children hospitals, family hotels, children care centers. 4 babies are born in Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria and England – every second! So, if you were to consider the rest of Europe and the world one can see the market potential is endless.
What is the USP of your startup?
First, the ability to attach the potty trainer to an existing adult toilet seat without tools in a few seconds. Secondly, that it can be used at home as well as on holidays – the child has the same comfort as adults and most of all the Independency of the child. Third, the fact you don’t have to change your existing toilet seat to use my innovation.
Can you describe your typical workday ?
Currently, production takes place overseas, and due to timezone differences of 6 to 7 hours, I usually get up at 4am to reslove any teething issues.Due to operating a B2B and B2C model, I send out lots of emails, as well as doing a lot of packaging and shipping.Depending on the location and need of a client I sometime deliver personally or visit existing distributors.
I also pitch to new distributors in and outside of Switzerland.The end of my day is marked at about midnight, but I am enjoying every minute of it. I am also thus in the process of developing the Step Stool, which would certainly not mark the end of my product line. Passion rekindled, I hope to do more.
Where do you see yourself and your startup Yary Kidz in five years?
In 5 years, Yarykidz will be synonymous with innovative potty training for kids. It will help thousands of families around the world. And Yarykidz STEP STOOL which is currently in the final phase of development will only enhance my mission in making children independent, thus saving parents and care takers time and money.
At the moment, I carry all the weight myself: marketing, PR, customer care and so on. In 5 years, hoping to have a team around me to support the mission.
What three tips would you give to founders?
1. Passion: The ONLY thing that will carry you across the finish line. If you are not passionate to tell anyone that your product/ service is the best or passionate enough to invest the last dollar in your product, then it may be better to stop.
2. Don’t do it for the money, because money won’t come anytime soon. But the VALUE! Why your product or service is better than the rest? The value preposition should be the core of your product or service.
3. Embrace failure. You will have more coming your way, but they will only get you closer to your goal. Don’t take them personally and don’t see your critics as enemies. On the contrary, keep them closer, because they could be an assert somewhere down the road.
More information you will find here
Thank you Aaron McGill for the Interview
Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.
