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After eight years of plodding along, Bill Johnson finally has some sales success to support his invention, a device that can tan a person's feet with a proprietary mix of UV lights.
Now Johnson, of Sarasota-based Solafeet, is knee-deep in the next phase of his business plan — to recruit an investor or equity partner who will put in at least $500,000 into the operation. That quest is another challenge entirely.
“We're doing good,” Johnson tells Coffee Talk, “but we haven't been able to attract an investor who can support advertising.”
Johnson says the third run of the products, also called Solafeet, will ship in early May. He sold out the past two runs, 400 units, mostly at $229 apiece over the last two years. The bulk of the sales are from Internet searches, says Johnson.
In fact, the only advertising Johnson has done so far has been a Christmastime ad in the SkyMall catalog found on airplanes. That campaign cost $15,000, says Johnson, and broke even on sales.
Johnson invented the Solafeet ST-400 Foot Tanner in 2003, when he ran a cultured marble company in Sarasota. He initially attempted to buy a foot tanner for his wife, a recreational tennis player who sought the same tan for her feet she had on her ankles. When Johnson couldn't find a device or a patent on the market, he invented one in his garage with a cardboard box, a ballast and light bulbs. (See Business Review, May 28, 2009.)
Johnson says a survey of recent Solafeet buyers was positive and he hopes to capitalize on the good feedback soon with an advertising blitz. But first he needs an investor to back him. He's in early talks with a group of potential investors, but is still scouring the area for support.
“We have a product that can really sell,” says Johnson. “We just need a little push.”
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