In my 20s I played basketball every week with two girls and a bunch of big guys. Banging into those big guys under the basket I injured my lower back which causes me some pain if I overdue it with heavy lifting or long periods of sitting. I can tell you I have thought about the Lifter Hamper every time my "20-something sports injury" acts up lately and I have to do laundry.
Let me start with a little story about the creator of the Lifter Hamper. Once upon a time I had a little cousin. To put it lightly, at age three he was a hellion in every sense of the word. Lucky for him, he was also very cute and blessed with fantastic sense of humor. Thankfully, with the passing of time, he grew up to be a perfectly delightful young man. He went on to become a great student, high school and college football success and then made it to the NFL.
The smartest thing he did was to make plans for a life after the NFL. Actually it was his career in the NFL that lead to his post-NFL career, when a back injury got him thinking. I though it would be fun to do an interview with him about the product and how it came to be. Hope you enjoy.
kalanicut: Tell readers a little about your background: college, football experience, etc. How did your background encourage you to be an entrepreneur and create this product?
Marvin: I attended UC Berkeley and played football there for 4 years and was drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. My first three years in the NFL I interned at a commercial real estate company (in the off season) to prepare myself for life after football. So I was able to learn from well respected individuals in their trade. The one thing I learned from my experiences in football, school and my internship was to think outside the box.
kalanicut: What inspired you to create the Lifter Hamper?
Marvin: In my second year in the NFL I sustained a back injury that put me out for a while. Not only was I unable to participate in football but other simple things became difficult for me to do. Simple things like hauling clothes from one room to another, and bending over to pick up clothes from the bottom of the hamper became very difficult. So I looked everywhere to try to find a product that help ease the pain that I was feeling at that time, but to no avail. So I took out a notebook and began to draw.
kalanicut: Tell us about the Lifter Hamper?
Marvin: The Lifter Hamper is a bungee, spring loaded clothing hamper that lifts your clothes from the bottom of the hamper to the top.
kalanicut: How does it work?
Marvin: With the bottom already at the top, the weight of the clothing will drop the liner to the bottom as the load gets heavier. And as it gets lighter the clothes begins to rise, preventing the person from having to bend over to retrieve clothing form the bottom, and always picking from the top.
kalanicut: How did you go about creating it?
Marvin: The first thing I did was file a provisional patent on my idea. Then I got together with an engineer to start developing the product.
kalanicut: Who can benefit from a Lifter Hamper?
Marvin: The Lifter Hamper is very helpful for those who suffer from back problems, women who are pregnant, the elderly and anyone who wants to make laundry time easier.
kalanicut: Where can readers learn more about The Lifter Hamper? Where can we buy a Lifter Hamper? Do you have special deals going right now?
Marvin: www.lifterhamper.com We are holding a pre-sale on the website that ends April 10th. Pre-sale price is $25 plus free shipping. Regular price is $34.99 + shipping.
kalanicut: Anything else you want tell readers about The Lifter Hamper?
Marvin: Check out our website for updates and information, and order one today.
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