Since The SHOWER SHIRT Co. was finally out of debt, it was time to focus on proactive strategy, research and development. It felt I had essentially lived the last four years in reactive mode, versus a proactive mind set. After introducing the Shower Shirt garment to the US market more than three years earlier, my team and I had constantly been reacting to issues and more often, roadblocks absolutely out of our control. Whether it was our manufacturer increasing our order from 675 to 2,000 units, or the US Government stating The SHOWER SHIRT™ was a convenience and not a medical necessity; and then the US Patent & Trademark office deeming our product as un-patentable and then immediately patentable. Either way, it seemed we had been absolutely beholden to others and their decisions as to where our product was going, or not going for that matter. With our recent ‘out of debt’ status, we finally, felt we had a small amount of control on the future outcome of this product and ultimate direction of the company.
With that said it was time to concentrate our newfound freedom and roll out a new sizePlus option for surgery patients. Since the products debut in spring 2011, we knew we were required to create a plus size and been constantly asked by customers to do so. With every patient who stated they needed larger than a Large/X-large, I held my breath hoping our largest unit would actually fit. Luckily, we found a way to manipulate the size perimeters for additional sizing, but ultimately still needed to design a proper plus size for the population in need.
Through only a small amount of research, we were able to find a manufacturer who was willing to supply a minimum order of 200 units. We forwarded the plus size dimensions to the manufacturer, and quickly received our sample prototype. How cool, within a month’s timeframe, we were on our way to rolling out our fifth Shower Shirt product. Only a fraction of time, in compared to the year and a half it took to bring the initial products to market the first time around.
Wow, it felt great to be somewhat proactively in control after several years of uncontrollable reactivity.
Stay Tuned,
Lisa F. Crites
The Shower Shirt Co., Founder/Inventor
Health/Medical Print Journalist & Guest Columnist