The survey is going great and we can’t wait to do a fun drawing for the winner of the iTouch on the 19th.  Heather and I plan to film the kids doing the drawing and post it to our YouTube link so make sure you visit on the 19th to see who the big winner is!

To everyone, thanks so much for helping us spread the word about The Last Straw.  We really appreciate all of your nice comments and emails.  Let’s keep it going and make the whole map green by year end!

Thanks again,

Robert and Heather

The real push can now begin.  Heather and I can now tell all of our wonderful friends and business associates to go ahead and spread the word.  Everyone is so enthusiastic and willing to help so this should be where the fun begins!

I knew that many critical factors would impact the design of a better straw such as safety, price, performance, volume, simplicity, etc., and so I began to sketch. This went on for months. (Yes, I’m type A to the max. Just ask Heather.) It hasn’t been easy to create a no-spill straw and meet the multitude of requirements that would influence a company’s decision to adopt such a product. After the sketching process, I moved to the creation of very rough prototypes with found materials around the house and sure enough, some of those prototypes worked reasonably well.

And that’s how this idea first started to take shape. In this space, I’ll take you through all of the interesting twists and turns we’ve experience since the inception of the idea back in 2003…the patents, the people, the tests, the partners, the decisions that have lead us to this point in the evolution of the Last Straw. By documenting and sharing this process with you, I hope we can learn from each other and I hope my story inspires you to turn your spark of an idea into a real solution.

Who knows, Heather and I might make it to the finish line with this one. Does anyone know where that is? We do believe that we will need support from people like you.

My opinion on great ideas and inventions next…not exactly what people may expect….

Thanks.

I’ve been chasing this crazy entrepreneur-approach for about 26 years and while successful at times, nothing I can do in my business/financial life can compare to what I have at home. All the bigger corporations I’ve come in contact with lately all use the term “team” – our team, your team, etc. along with several other acronyms that take me forever to figure out, unless I just ask and look stupid.

Well here is my TEAM! I am one lucky man; I have a wonderful wife, Heather, and three great, happy and healthy children – two girls and one boy, Jess 12, Em 7 & The Man 4. I love them all dearly. This is where I pull from when times get tough. Heather and I make a perfect pair. I’m out there with all my business ideas and she is a calm, down-to-earth sounding board. There was a time earlier in my life when I thought that this was unachievable and not in my cards. But I count my blessings daily and enjoy my family day by day. My father always told me and my three siblings that when the times get tough we “circle the wagons” – referring to family. I am so glad that Heather and I could add some more wagons to our family circle.

I look forward to writing more about my family as I tell the story of The Last Straw. They have all contributed along the way with their own unique style and input.

Thanks for taking time…

This is my first ever blog. Who knew that I would run into Stephanie of ListenShare at a kids school function and that she would/could ever convince me to begin writing about my entrepreneur and invention experiences? “Social Media” what is that? After a great deal of consideration and reading I have decided to put it all out there… hopefully it will benefit others as well as me, my family and business friends.

To start, I’ve never had what I consider a job.

In my twenties I started a landscape company in Atlanta, Georgia where I was born and raised. At that age, what could be better than getting to be outside working with your hands, for yourself, in such a beautiful city?

In my thirties I started a waste management/recycling company based on my first invention. I still own and operate this company and will provide more detail if people would like to hear more. Oh the pains of getting that one started…it about broke and killed me!

In my forties (early)…A business based on a straw for a JuiceBox or Pouch that doesn’t leak or squirt? Yep, and it is one hell of a story…

Heather and I shall try our best to tell an interesting story from all perspectives, mom/wife, father/husband and entrepreneur.

Thank you for visiting our blog. We look forward to sharing our journey with you.