Student invents small shelf, earns 2 million USD/year

Matt Williams

In 2008, while a student at Villanova,Pennsylvania (USA),Matt Williams stopped by a bar to hang out.When he went to the toilet, because he had brought a glass of beer with him, he had to place it on the urinal, and dirty water splashed onto the glass when he pressed the flush button.

He noticed other people in the restroom also trying to balance their beer glasses by either placing them on the sink, on the floor, in their pockets, or holding them between their teeth.

"I walked out and saw everyone carrying beer, and women carrying their purses when they went to the bathroom. I thoughtThis is crazy. Why isn't there a thing for this in the bathroom?"," he recalled.

So he imagined a simple shelf placed next to the toilet or urinal, where he could safely place a beer glass, phone, or book.

Then he had a second idea. While in the bathroom, he noticed a newspaper stuffed on the urinal, and he read it while in there, attentively.

He needed a shelf for his beer. He also needed something to look at while he went to the bathroom. “How can we combine the two?” he wondered. What if he created a shelf that displayed advertising?

Williams returned to his seat outside the bar, wrote the idea down on a napkin, then left the bar immediately, afraid he would forget it if he got too drunk.

Over the next few months, the idea lingered in his mind. He had been entrepreneurial since he was a child. At age 10, he was buying shoes from local stores and reselling them on eBay for a profit. At 16, he was working on patenting a scratch-resistant CD. He was the type of person who saw a problem that needed a solution.

Williams took out a $65,000 line of credit and borrowed more from his father and two other investors. He used the money to hire an engineering firm to develop a prototype, and called his product the LavCup.

Matt Williams' LavCup product.

The LavCup is a small shelf with a non-stick rubber mat and antibacterial silver ion. There is a slot for storing advertising, which is locked to prevent theft.

He started marketing his products in 2013 at sports-related conferences.

The first person he met was Peter McLoughlin, president of the Seattle Seahawks football team in the American Football League.But things did not start off smoothly.

"He was going down the escalator, and I called after him.Peter! Peter! I have to show you this. You'll like it.He repliedI'm busy, I have to get on the plane now.", Williams recalled.

But Williams persisted in following "I just need 30 seconds, and I showed him the product on my iPad.This is something I just invented.He was no longer angry and saidGod, this is awesome!".

Within 10 weeks, LavCup received its first big order: 1,200 for CenturyLink Field, where the Seahawks play.

LavCup now has more than 21,000 installed in 26 venues across major sports leagues. Another 35 venues are awaiting approval.

His business has raised $600,000 from 10 investors, and he said his 2017 revenue hit $2 million. He is also looking to expand into new areas like movie theaters and cruise ships.

Reporter next to LavCup product.

And here's how his business works: LavCups aren't sold, they're given away for free to stadiums and venues, and his company creates and sells advertising on those shelves, splitting the revenue with the venue that agrees to install the shelves.

For example, LavCup was paid to promote a product related to a Katy Perry concert at a certain stadium.

Williams is a big believer in simple, low-tech products. He built a business distributing more than 100 million cookies a month to 10,000 Chinese restaurants, selling advertising space and coupons on the back of the boxes.

This success is very meaningful to him because he has been close to failure many times. Now, with 2 million USD in revenue, he has admirers.

"When they found out I was the inventor of the LavCup, they said,We have a compliment for youI just sayOh my god, it's no big deal. I'm not solving any of the world's biggest problems.. However, people appreciate LavCup, and that's all I can say," he proudly shared.

Qinghai