This startup has a bothersome problem by the hair! * Who does not know him? The clogged drain in the household. According to statistics, the consumer then likes to use the chemistry.
A revolution in the market
This has an end, because the startup «TwistOut» has been revolutionizing the drain cleaner market in a highly ecological way for quite some time. The spiral drainpipe, which is new in the trade, pulls the blockage out of the drains in the twinkling of an eye. Without chemistry, without plastic and without harming the environment. Necessity is the mother of invention! The inventor Jutta Jertrum from southern Germany had to fight even with a clogged shower drain. “At first I saw the problem quite relaxed. But all available products have not achieved a good solution. My drain continued to run poorly, which annoyed me every day. “The ingenious and simple idea came to her carpenter’s workshop. “A long wooden stick, similar to a corkscrew, that could work”. It can not be done!
Facts that motivate ideas
The result is a rough, spirally milled beechwood stick, which has then also grabbed their problem in the blink of an eye by the hair. The application is simple. You turn the rod in the drain around its own axis until the residues have wound up. The drainpipe is then pulled out and disposed of. The actual trigger for the patent application and the market launch of the drainpipe was but a clogged hotel shower the skilled hotel expert, who was already working as a housekeeper in a luxury hotel. “A maid can not tell when cleaning, if the water runs well. The guest only notices this when he stands in the shower water after two minutes. This is unpleasant for the guest and bad for the host. But I had a perfect and hygienic solution to the problem and was highly motivated to implement my idea”.
Everything starts with a thought: A vision for startups
Yes, that’s how TwistOut’s story began. With an idea and a thought to the implementation. But Jutta Jertrum also addresses the thoughts that are omnipresent in this phase. “We, startups, start with great ideas and clear visions. We are motivated, enthusiastic and full of energy. Now we just have to dare to do what we have already realized. It is often not the ideas that are crucial to success. It is the courage that brings us forward. Get out of the comfort zone and into the unknown. Take a positive pat on the back and avoid doubters. At this point we already have enough of our own doubts and fears, so there is no need for external support from outside. So now we have to know that you can fail even with your back straight. Then the first big hurdle would be done. After a little breather, we continue with the voices in our environment, which warn us of our own steps. Will we stop? Are we running back? Do we crawl cautiously or do we run because we do not want to be confused? * If someone says to you, “That will not work!”
Always remember: Believe in your idea
“My vision has dominated my thoughts. I believed in my idea and I believed, at least mostly, in myself. I really wanted to try it. Come what may. So I started running!”.
Not only is it enough to have pork, you also have to know how to make the roast. “Well, the first hurdles are over. Here we go. Entry into the commercial register, patent, trademark protection, homepage, pictures, online shop …. looking for producers, creating packaging, clarifying logistics and warehouses, calculating prices, setting up bookkeeping, payroll accounting? Well, I really do not need payroll accounting. It also has clear advantages when there is no money for wages.
Think positive!
The prototype is constantly evolving to the marketable product. Then finally the time has come, it can start. We young entrepreneurs sit in starting position at the desk or dining table, and dare to trade: “Great, innovative product… may I…. yes, I’ll be happy to call you again in two months. We all know such phone calls and it takes a lot of self-confidence and love for your own product to not lose heart. By the way, that’s great about working in a team. Then you knock each other on the shoulder, which makes the terrible startup soul unspeakably good. Everyone else who works alone, like me, has to bother their best friend at least three times a day on such days to get their pats to survive. Then he is finally here. The day of the first listing. By the way, it does not matter where and who lists you. It’s your first listing and will always be remembered like the first kiss. Full of pride we proclaim the good news to God and the world”.
“The child is born”
If you are lucky you get congratulations. But it can also happen that you get to hear the following: “But you had pig there!” I beg your pardon? Had a pig? I do not hear it right? No, success does not happen on the sofa in front of the TV. Good results are usually achieved with a lot of work, diligence and discipline. Anyone who has a tendency to believe what they have heard in such a situation can only do one thing …. to run again! I had a lot of support, otherwise I would not have done it alone. But I also ran a few times to avoid being unnecessarily negatively influenced.
How does TwistOut get to your consumers today?
The customer feedback usually begins with the words: “I never thought that would work so well”. When talking, there are always questions: “How can this be done, the staff is not flexible?” No, but he firmly and firmly grips the beginning of the blockage from the bottom of the siphon and simply pulls the rest of the sticky residue behind him. “Customer feedback is so important to start-ups. Especially in the first few months, these have motivated me to continue and I also clearly indicated the direction
In April TwistOut is two years on the market
In Germany you can find the innovative household helper in the largest German drugstore, in hardware stores and in unpacked shops. Jutta Jertrum is particularly pleased that many unpackaged shops have their ecological drainage pipe in their range. There you can buy the bars individually, which is very well received by the customers. This has also discovered a sustainable chain of stores and offers the drainpipes in the Netherlands and Belgium in their shops. It’s no wonder that TwistOut has been nominated for the Green Product Award, and this year it is still running for the German Innovation Award and for the German Federal Ecodesign Award.
Sustainability follows functionality
The main focus was always on problem solving. “So I am all the more pleased that sustainability followed in a completely natural way. “In order to harmonize the ecological cycle, the bars will be manufactured in the Czech Republic and soon in Germany and packaged plastic-free in a German facility for people with disabilities”.
“My goal is to make a lasting difference with TwistOut and to grow healthily. The last few months have shown me that I am in the right direction. I will continue on this path, sometimes directly and certainly on detours. Where my journey brings me, will show. It is an exciting journey and I am looking forward to what lies ahead”.
TwistOut has hit the nerve of the moment and the sustainable alternative to drain cleaning is certainly not in the slight here.
Also published on Medium.