David Patrick tells how he went from furniture salesman to entrepreneur

Business Today: Give us some background on your invention. What is it, and how did you come up with the idea?

David Patrick: As a young man I had a pet peeve with unruly toilet paper flying off the roll, leaving a mess and causing waste. After many years of trying different materials to create a prototype, God gave me a vision of the perfect thing to use to take control of that runaway white roll. I named the product Bathroom Brake. The B-R-A-K-E, however, has transformed to Roll it Rite. This transformation took place as a result of feedback we received from local consumers and buyers, retailers and distributors at the trade shows we have attended this past year. Roll it Rite is a foam insert that is designed to help families better manage their paper towel and toilet paper usage and eliminate waste. Roll-it-Rite works by controlling or slowing down the speed of the roll as the paper is being dispensed.

BT: What about you -- you were originally in the furniture business, right? How did you make this career switch?

DP: I have always been in the furniture business. But after God gave me a vision for Roll it Rite, he also gave me a provision to turn my passion from the furniture business to Roll it Rite. He sent me a buyer for Slumberland.

I thought it was wise to work with a consulting firm to get me off on the right foot. I worked closely with Missouri Enterprises for several months until I got to a point I felt I could fly on my own.

BT: What did you have to go through to get your invention on the market? How are you marketing the product now?

DP: The most important thing to do if you have invented a product is to secure a utility patent on it, both national and international if you intend to sell worldwide. Then I knew I needed a top-notch marketing director. I was very fortunate to have had a business relationship with a former account executive, Kathryn King. After approaching Kathryn about the business, we had several meetings and I soon realized that we would complement each other in this new venture. Kathryn was able to bring to the table a variety of skills from years of experience in sales and marketing. Together, we decided that we would wholesale Roll-it-Rite to grocery, chain drug, hardware and pet stores, along with natural product retailers. There are trade shows for each of these industries that we attend throughout the year to gain exposure and sell our product. Our goal is to also sell to hotels, hospitals and government entities.

To get Roll-it-Rite from drawing board to the store shelves, we worked with various manufacturers, packaging companies and designers, web designers and producers. The foam is die cut and sent to us bulk. We then employ Teen Challenge of Mid-America in Cape Girardeau to assemble our product. Teen Challenge men administrate the fragrance, place the adhesives on the product, bag it and then put it in the product packaging.

BT: Lots of people offhandedly say they should invent something but never do. Why should they go for it? Why did you go for it?

DP: If you believe you have a great idea that should be invented and patented, my advice would be to pray about it. As my pastor, Gary Brothers, says, "If it's God, it will grow, and if not, it will go."

BT: What are your future plans for Bathroom Brake? Do you have any other ideas or products in the works?

DP: Our future plans are to just keep growing!