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WowTowel: The Beach Towel of the Future?
After losing his job a few years ago, Todd Moore decided to pursue an inventor's life. He's hoping his creation, the WowTowel, will change beachgoing forever.
Posted 6/ 2 10 at 3:30 PM | The Next Big Idea?, Sales, Leadership, Starting a Business, International Business, Consumer Products & Services, Travel, Inventions & Innovations, The Next Big Idea?
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Don't you hate it when a good beach day goes awry? Whether it's too much sun, unwanted sand in the craw, or a skimpy towel that blows away in the wind, one niggling detail can ruin a perfectly nice afternoon.Todd Moore, 46, of Albrightsville, Pa., wants beachgoers to know that those days are over, thanks to his invention, the WowTowel. His creation is a huge beach blanket with a hole in the middle for an umbrella, pockets in all four corners for personal belongings (which help weigh it down against the wind), and four pastel colors to match any oceanic tastes.
About 10 years ago, while lounging at the beach in Robert Moses State Park, Moore fought a losing battle against an umbrella and wondered why there wasn't a center aperture to ensure shade all day long. At the time, he was working in the brokerage division at Prudential in New York, so he didn't do anything with the idea. Fast-forward to 2007: The stock market was headed for a crash, Moore's division was shut down, and he decided to step out on his own and revisit his beachcomber's revelation.
He attended a "Be Your Own Boss" seminar, where he met an angel investor who ponied up $20,000 to get WowTowel off the ground. Moore had three basic specifications that he wanted the towel to meet: It had to be large, convenient to carry, and able to keep sand from coming through the middle hole. The WowTowel is more than 50 square feet (big enough for an entire family), weighs only seven pounds, and wraps around the pole to keep it free from sand.
As they say on TV, But wait, there's more! The WowTowel is made of thick terry "loop" cloth like bath towels, so it actually absorbs water when swimmers need to dry off. It's a relatively simple innovation, but the WowTowel represents globalization in action -- Moore purchases the cotton from a U.S. farm and has the towels made in Malaysia.
Moore says the WowTowel is just the beginning of his three-year plan to create a one-stop "awesome beaching experience," which will eventually include his own line of umbrellas. The first run of 500 WowTowels sold for $70; the next generation will be a bit more, but will also feature a double loop and theoretically be twice as plush. For now, the WowTowels are only available on the company's website and from a few vendors such as BeachTowels4U.com, but Moore dreams of the day they will be on the shelves at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Moore is hoping to have a large shipment of WowTowels ready by summer, but needs more funding. He's trying to raise $1 million to do a run of 50,000 (he's in talks with an angel investor) and believes a busy sales season could take WowTowel to the next level. "I think this could be a $100 million company," he says. "There's hardly been any innovation in the beach industry in years, so there's no competition."
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Comments (Page 1 of 6)
This is an awesome product and I am so glad that Todd thought of it. I think I was even there with the family at Robert Moses when the identifying incident (the wind and the umbrella) happened. Much luck and love, Robyn Stuart (LaRubia)
Its a great idea for a beach towel. Great thing to bring with during summer vacations.
Http://www.summervacationsecrets.com
As they say on TV, But wait, there's more! The WowTowel is made of thick terry "loop" cloth like bath towels, so it actually absorbs water when swimmers need to dry off. It's a relatively simple innovation, but the WowTowel represents globalization in action -- Moore purchases the cotton from a U.S. farm and has the towels made in Malaysia.My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He is eight years older than me, lol. We met online at Agelesscupi d.c om a nice and free place for younger women and older men, or older women and younger men, to interact with each other. Maybe you wanna check out or tell your friends.
Nice beach towel but how do you wring the BP oil out of it ?
Simple concept -- great idea! W_O_W! The spirit of entrepreneurship has NOT left the USA! I hope he sells millions...and that his story is made into a movie, to inspire others! Kudos!
Amazing! This product is what the beach goer today absolutely needs and wants. No more sand in your sandwich - its protected! No more arguing between the kids because each can have their own pocket. If you single, you have plenty of room for guests or to simply lay in any direction you want. The umbrella is the icing on the cake. Great job Todd! I love my WowTowel.
John, I am so happy to hear that you love your WowTowel. We aim to please.
Sounds like an interesting product. When the price comes down some, I'd consider it over regular towels.
Hi Ron, I am addressing your comments because I share your exact same feelings. I did thorough research and WANTED it all to be made here in the USA. Here is the problem: USA Labor translates into RAW cost of $75.00 per towel. That does NOT include shipping and moving of the product. Just based on this alone, would you pay $125-$150 a WowTowel because it was made in the USA? Honestly?
Malaysia is NOT China. Not by a long shot. In fact, we are the only U.S. customer of this factory despite the fact that the deal in nothing but USA cotton. And the RAW cost is 1/3 the price. 66% savings passed on to the consumer.
Ron, ideally, I understand what you are saying, but business practical sense said that I cannot do this entirely in the USA.
Now, that being said, I will have a future specific WowTowel that may come back to America for coloring at a factory located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. That will create jobs here.
And finally, did I tell you that for each WowTowel we sell, we are donating that money to an entrepreneur fund to grow jobs in this country?
Please rethink after what I have told you. Thank you for your poignant concern and I hope that I have addressed them in an intelligent and honest way.
I really like the whole concept. I would only make one suggestion and that is to include a plastic spike at each corner of the wow towel to better anchor it into the sand. For those times you don't have enough personal items for the pockets in the corners.
Thanks for clarifying for that. I believe that people really don't understand how much it costs to make products here. Unless a person lives on a farm and built their home entirely of stuff that was on that farm, and utilizes only items that they have their for gas, electricity basically energy and make their own clothes by needles they only made they are buying something that makes the economy run. To be more successful we need to manufacture more stuff and until we can work together to have automated factories here that can do things at the lower cost we will not be able to succeed as a manufacturing giant. To make money we need to make things. That being said I commend you for at least buying the cotton here and doing the research to see the feasibility of the product. Perhaps eventually someone here can event something that makes the costs to produce lower here. It sounds like a great idea and I hope it catches on for you here and other markets.
Sounds like a nice idea....the big turnoff for me is that he is having these made in Malaysia! I'd be more impressed (and more inclined to purchase) if he got his materials in the US AND has US Labor make the towels! So many 'entrepreneurs' simply consider the bottom line only....not the long-term picture. It is a testament to our declining economy that so many US companies, even the small ones like the one in the story, don't bat an eye when deciding to go overseas in order to get the labor reduced to nothing. Yet, they will sell their new products for a premium price to make a lot of money. Greed is simply destroying America....wake up, People! Or better yet: learn Chinese--it may be the dominant language in the USA in about 20 years or less!!!! :(
True - but a sheet doesn't have the pockets around the edge that help weigh down the thing and a sheet is so slight it woudln't stay down without help on it's own, OR be absorbent. It woudln't be quite the same.
I agree about companys being greedy and sendng the work over seas..I wouldn't but this thing unless it's made in america, I rather a guy from anther country come up with the ideal and paid usa labors to make it and sell it ...
You know,you can just take an old sheet and punch a hole in the middle for the pole.......at no cost what so ever.
Has anyone thought about washing 7 lbs of towel on a regular basis?
Get to the beach nice and early and you won't have an issue.
Hi DiDi, not only to I "think" about it, I actually wash them. I beta test them. I put them out in howling winds to see how they will hold up as a divider so the pulling and tugging that would be brutal by a person. The WowTowel is of high quality and will not come undone.
the beaches where I go I barely can fit myself in it,never mind about that enormeous towel,I'ts never gonna work in places like Hampton beach It is too crowd
From here on the coast of the Carolinas.............this has to be the dumbest thin g I ever heard of.......