Navigating the challenges of building a brand - with Zoe Chapman, Kiddiwhizz

What does inventing a product really look like behind the scenes?

In this episode, I’m joined by Zoe Chapman, inventor of The Whizzer, the world’s first compact, unisex portable toilet. Zoe shares how a very real parenting problem turned into inventing a product that’s now used by families, campers, travellers and adults with medical needs.

We talk openly about the realities of building a product based business, from manufacturing and protecting your idea, to appearing on Dragon’s Den, selling on Amazon, and managing growth without big budgets or a team.

This is a friendly, honest conversation for anyone thinking about inventing a product, or already building one and wondering if what they’re experiencing is normal.

In this episode, we cover

1. How Zoe went from an idea on paper to inventing a product people genuinely need
2. Knowing when there’s enough demand to take a product to market
3. What manufacturing really involves when you don’t have funding
4. The reality of Dragon’s Den, before filming and after it airs
5. Selling on Amazon, visibility, margins and learning as you go
6. Burnout, resilience and why your why matters more than anything

If you’re building a product business and feeling overwhelmed, this episode will help you feel reassured, informed and far less alone.

Find Zoe here

www.whizzer.co.uk

Instagram handles @kiddiwhizz @whizzer_world

Facebook: Kiddiwhizz

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-a-chapman

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and meeting Zoe

03:00 The problem that led to inventing a product

08:40 Validating the idea and understanding demand

13:00 Manufacturing, factories and protecting your product

20:10 Behind the scenes of Dragon’s Den

25:00 What happens after the show airs

35:00 Selling on Amazon and managing margins

50:00 Lessons learned, burnout and resilience

01:03:15 Final advice for product based founders

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