Published March 25, 2021
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — Who hasn’t watched Shark Tank and thought: “That’s a great product. I could have invented that!” or “Hey, why didn’t I think of that?”
But have you ever taken that next step to actually create a useful product desired by a mass audience or even a niche market? Truthfully, not many of us have done so.
Step aside, day-dreaming channel surfers – and make room for a sister and brother teenage duo from right here in North Reading who are on their way to realizing their dream.
After two years of research, planning, designing and re-imagining their patent-pending invention – Squeaky Clean Feet – Ava Carter, 15, and her brother Trevor, 13, have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the next leg of their journey.
“We used to watch Shark Tank a lot. That is where we got the idea. We always thought it was really cool how kids came up with their own business ideas,” said Ava, a ninth-grader at Austin Preparatory School in Reading. “We decided to do something with feet because a lot of people can’t wash their feet, perhaps because they’re elderly and it’s hard for them to stand on one foot to scrub the bottom of their feet.”
So who came up with the idea for Squeaky Clean Feet?
“We all came up with it collectively because we were all looking for a product that would be useful to most people,” added Trevor, an eighth-grader at North Reading Middle School.
Through lots of research, Trevor explained, “We found out most people don’t wash their feet that much or don’t thoroughly wash their feet, and most of the elderly can’t get down and wash their feet.”
They of course have the full backing and support of their parents, Greg and Joanne Carter.
Asked how he factored into their children’s pursuit of this idea, Greg said his professional background of dealing with “a lot of startups, supply chain and off-shore manufacturing companies” has proven beneficial because these people “know how to take their ideas and fabricate them into a product.”
But Greg quickly adds that it has been a two-way street because his kids have enlightened him in other areas, such as the powerful potential of marketing through social media.
“So all the bumps and bruises along the way that I have experienced hopefully they won’t have to deal with,” he said, “But there are a bunch of little life lessons here…I’m not familiar with TikTok or different ways to market nowadays, such as ‘influencers,’ because it wasn’t around when I came up. They’ve shared different channels of marketing that I’m not familiar with.”
Greg and Joanne see their role as mentors to their kids. “As a family we’re trying to guide them a little bit, especially when it comes to the heavier lifts such as ‘how do you take an idea and actually make a physical embodiment of it?’ But really it is theirs to go through, and we give them a little motivation and different angles to look at, but they’ve got to come back with hard work.”
So how does Squeaky Clean Feet work? Picture, if you will, one unisex sandal with suction cups on the bottom to keep it from slipping. It can fit either the left or the right foot. The base is made out of the same E.V.A. material as Crocs but the inside is filled with soft silicone fingers that move easily back and forth as you slide your foot inside the sandal to scrub it clean. As an added bonus, the footbed was designed by a reflexologist so you not only clean your feet you get a massage too.
Joanne gets credit for the addition of an exfoliator on the heel. And they added a soap well on the instep to enable liquid soft soap to flow through the holes and reach the silicone fingers.
And lastly, Squeaky Clean Feet are infused with an antimicrobial agent, and a color-coded hanging loop so all family members can have their own without mixing it up and it can hang to dry.
Phew. That’s a lot of details to consider.
Designing the inside material has been the hardest part of their project, admits Greg. “You don’t want it too hard but you don’t want it not to do its job, so we are trying to figure out the right stiffness of silicone so it’s nice and soft. That has been one of the biggest challenges. We keep trying to make it softer and softer so it is enjoyable to put your foot in without tickling!”
So how did they come up with the name?
“‘Squeaky clean’ means you’re 100% clean,” Trevor said, and since their product is designed to make your foot “fully clean” it was a natural fit because everyone knows what it means.
They chose the two-toned blue colors because it reminded them of water, Ava said, and they designed their logo in a heart shape to remind their future customers to love their feet!
Trevor and Ava work on their project about an hour every day. They’ve found working separately helps to double their efforts, such as when they are searching for influencers, then they collaborate and discuss their progress. They had 3,000 followers interested in the product before launching the Kickstarter.
Other skills they’ve learned in addition to negotiating with international manufacturers include web design, photography and learning how to research and apply for patents.
“They did a patent search and then they did a utility patent — essentially how it’s used –– and a design patent, which is essentially how it looks,” Greg said. Because they did this, their idea is protected.
With a successful Kickstarter campaign they are looking forward to getting their first shipment in hand. The campaign had already made over $2,500 toward their $10,000 goal in its first few days, with 33 days remaining at press time,
“We would like to have four of these for the Sharks to use so they can interact with them,” Ava said. “Then we would need to come up with a script to get on Shark Tank,” she added.
Through all the research and the months-long waits between finding a manufacturer to create their prototype and making adjustments, both Trevor and Ava agree that the best part about this experience has been doing it together as a family and seeing their ideas come to fruition. They both envision working together in business as adults. Ava is leaning towards the marketing and design field and Trevor is interested in engineering.
For those interested in learning more about their journey or how to support their Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, go to www.kickstarter.com and search for Squeaky Clean Feet.
