Super Potty Trainer Before Shark Tank
Judy Abrahams created the Super Potty Trainer. Like many parents, she experienced trouble potty training her daughter, who was scared of falling in. The entire situation was so frustrating that Judy eventually quit her paralegal job to stay home- and it was then that she came up with a solution to the problem.
She eventually invented the Super Potty Trainer, a training tool that comes with an adjustable back support, for her daughter. Made of silicone, the tool is placed on the toilet rim after it’s lifted up and will help prevent movement. Not only will it not slip, but it’s also designed to grow with your child as the back support is fully adjustable.
A huge success, it made the potty training process a breeze.
Fast forward several years and she decided to bring the product to the market. Investing her own money, she began the production process in 2015 with 400 units, 383 of which were sold. However, the business eventually slowed down for a few years. In the end, it wasn’t until she moved to New Hampshire, that things started to pick up again.
For one thing, that’s where she met her local business partner Christopher Guerrera. An experienced entrepreneur, he has worked with several Shark Tank businesses, including Drop Stop, Squatty Potty, ReadeRest, and Scrub Daddy. Given that, it’s not surprising to know that he helped land them a spot on Shark Tank.
Their goal? To land an offer with a shark, who will hopefully help them amp up their sales.
Super Potty Trainer On Shark Tank
Judy and Chris surprise everyone by entering the tank in royal gowns- they even have crowns on their heads. The former introduces herself as “The Queen of Potty Training” while the latter describes himself as “The King of Manufacturing.” He lets the sharks know that they’re seeking $300,000 in exchange for 10 percent of their company, the Super Potty Trainer.
Chris then begins their pitch by saying that potty training can be a stressful and messy experience for both the parent and the child. Holding up a couple of traditional potty training tools, he says they’re no good and introduces the Super Potty Trainer instead.
The camera zooms out of their display as he tells the sharks it’s “the perfect training device to quickly and safely potty train your child.”
Demonstrating how it works, Judy holds up a blue Super Potty Trainer and places it on their demo toilet after lifting up the seat. She then puts the seat back down. Continuing, she explains that the training device has a steady back support that allows the child to sit directly on the toilet. She also adds that it has nonskid pads that make the entire thing adjustable.
She eventually finishes their pitch by saying that it will help parents potty train their child in no time, With that, the two take off their royal gowns to reveal their Super Potty Trainer t-shirts.
Robert immediately says it’s a great idea. Judy is noticeably excited at his comment. He then asks whether or not the baby’s back will push the training tool back. Judy says no and reiterates the fact that the training device has nonskid pads. Walking back over to the demo, she slides the Super Potty Trainer forward on the toilet and emphasizes the fact that it doesn’t move. She also adds that it grows with the child as it’s adjustable.
Daymond also says it’s a cool idea. Mark agrees.
Lori goes on to ask how she came up with the product. Judy explains that she was trying to potty train her young daughter back in 2012 and that she had left her job to do so. The sharks are shocked. Continuing, Judy says that her daughter was scared of falling into the toilet, which prevented her from going.
Robert says he understands the struggle. He tells her his young daughter is deathly afraid of the same thing and agrees that the entire process can be very stressful. Judy nods and says that when young children are afraid, they end up holding it in. Robert reveals that’s what happened to his daughter.
Judy also reveals that her daughter told her she would sit on the toilet if she sat on the toilet with her. Sitting down on the demo toilet, she says she ended up sitting on the toilet with her daughter sitting in front of her so that her stomach became her back support and that it had proved to be successful.
Kevin asks if it worked because she was there with her daughter. Judy says yes, but tells them that she acknowledged the fact that she can’t be on the toilet with her the entire day. The sharks laugh. Explaining that she’s a legal assistant, Judy says she did all the legal research and eventually filed for a patent, which she actually brought into the tank with her.
Seconds later, Lori asks Chris about his background. He explains “he’s a guy that came out of corporate America” who has patents for Ford Motor Company and ran BMW plants. Continuing, he tells the sharks that he helps the company on the manufacturing side and emphasizes the fact that they can do everything in the United States. He also reveals that their cost for the product is $2.30.
Lori is impressed. Chris also reveals that they can get it to below $2 with a higher volume.
Kevin asks them about their sales. Chris tells him they launched this March and that they’ve had “lots of good sales volume with a big, big box.” Asked who it is, he reveals that they’ve been selling the Super Potty Trainer at Walmart. With further prompting from Kevin, he reveals that they did 65,000 in sales within six months.
Mark asks how many stores they are in. Chris tells him just under 400. The sharks seem disappointed. Robert even remarks that “that’s not exciting.”
Lori wonders what their packaging looks like and asks to see it. Chris tells her that the Super Potty Trainer comes in a display box. Kevin, however, reminds him to stay with the numbers. He also tells them they’re not worth $3 million.
Chris and Judy immediately defend themselves by saying that they’re not done telling them the numbers yet. Continuing, Chris tells them that Walmart has agreed to carry them through next spring and that they have made a commitment to put the product in 4,800 stores, which he explains, is a P.O. of $1.1 million. He also tells them that Menards has made a commitment to them to put the product in 350 stores across the country.
Daymond confirms whether or not they have a $1.1 million purchase order. Chris says they are in the talks of it.
The sharks are concerned about the lack of actual sales, which prompts Kevin to once again disagree with the company’s valuation.
Robert asks about Walmart’s commitment. Chris tells him that everyone’s sales were flat completely for two months due to the pandemic. Kevin disagrees and says many online businesses thrived during that time.
Chris reveals the terms of Walmart’s commitment and says they agreed to carry their products in all of their stores into the new year if sales continue to grow the way they’re growing. Kevin asks if the deal is still in discussion or if it’s finalized. Chris says that “it’s real” but Kevin notes that the P.O. isn’t.
Daymond asks about the sellthrough for Walmart and Chris tells him 356 stores, which is 600 units a month. Daymond is immediately concerned as that translates to two units a month. Daymond notes that it’s an incredibly lower number and questions whether or not there is an issue with their advertising.
As if on cue, the camera turns to their display, which shows a toddler using the Super Potty Trainer while reading a book. Daymond remarks that he’s never seen a child do that before on the toilet. The rest of the sharks burst out in laughter. Lori notes that it’s cute and Daymond agrees but he feels that it may send a confusing message to potential customers.
Chris tells them that the customer feedback “has been pretty strong.”
Mark likes the product idea and admits that potty training his son was difficult. However, he’s concerned with the valuation they gave the company as they’ve only been on the market for a short period with minimal sales. Noting that it will be a challenge for them, he goes out.
Kevin tells Chris to explain the situation to him again as he’s baffled why they’re pricing the product on potential commitments from Walmart. He tells them their valuation is “nuts” and that they’re never going to agree on the number and also goes out.
Kevin feels the same way. He tells them they came into the tank too early and are asking too much and for that reason also goes out.
Daymond questions whether or not they did their homework as their valuation is too off. Judy says they did but it doesn’t convince Daymond as they literally have no sales. While he believes it’s a great product, he feels “they’re charging them for the future”. Judy asks him to make them an offer, but Daymond disagrees as he feels it would insult their valuation. He subsequently asks about their inventory numbers. Chris tells him they currently have 3,500. Daymond immediately points out that it’s a problem as it implies they weren’t able to market those in the months after COVID.
He tells them he may decide to go in with Lori aka “The Queen of Poo” if she decides to make them an offer.
Lor asks if he really means that and suggests they go in 50/50. Continuing, she says she will only feel comfortable doing it for 50 percent of the company. Daymond agrees.
Kevin advises them to take their offer as it’s “better than nothing.” Robert agrees that it’s a great offer.
Lori reiterates their deal and says they can help them with the licensing aspects.
Judy and Chris agree seconds later. The rest of the sharks congratulate them. Lori jokes that they’ve now made Daymond the “King of Poo”.
Judy is overwhelmed with emotions as she exits the tank. She reveals that she has struggled financially for a long time and that their $300,000 investment will help immensely with their company.
Super Potty Trainer Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
As far as we can tell, the deal with Daymond and Lori never closed. Being in the tank, however, did give them a bit of exposure, which helped with their sales, though the exact figures have not been released.
Fast forward to 2024 and the Super Potty Trainer is still in business. Currently, it goes for $12.98 on their official website and is available in several different colors including blue, lilac, and pink. It’s worth noting, however, that they only ship to the contiguous United States (shipping and taxes are calculated upon checkout).
Despite what Chris said on the show, however, there are no mentions of Walmart’s commitment anywhere on their site.
Having said that, the product does have positive ratings on Amazon, where it was sold for a short period (it’s no longer available on the site as of this post). For example, many parents praised the Super Potty Trainer for being safe and easy to use. Several people have also commented that the training device is stable and doesn’t move on the toilet. Not only that, but many customers are happy that the product is made in the USA.
Some people, however, have had issues where the training device doesn’t fit their toilet properly, which leaves a gap. In response, the company created a compatibility page on its website, which explains what types of toilets can be used with the Super Potty Trainer.
For those who are interested in getting the Super Potty Trainer, you can make an order on their official website at superpottytrainer.com.
