Everybody’s gotta poop. Here's your chance to leave a 7-figure tread mark in an industry nobody will call shitty.
What goes on behind closed stalls is between you and your intestines. But going number two is something all creatures have in common. Everybody poops, even insanely hot actors and drop-dead-gorgeous supermodels. And as an entrepreneur, there has never been a better time to leave lasting tread marks in the poop products' market.
Poop is somewhat uncharted territory in the personal care industry. There are a few well-known players, but there is plenty of room for new brands to make their bathroom debut. According to Statista, revenue in the personal care sector should reach $35,088 million this year, and a CAGR of 6.49% means it could surpass $45 million by 2025.
Not all poop-related products fall in the personal care category. Others may belong to the air freshener market (expected to reach $13,279.1 million by 2025) or the bathroom accessory industry (US market revenues forecasted to exceed $5.63 billion by 2025). The sector you select depends on the products you ultimately choose to market.
Poo is a hot commodity. And no matter your desired niche, it's possible to turn a seemingly simple idea into a huge money-maker. Ready to tackle one of these shitty markets?
The Science Behind Poo
Before you forcefully push your way into the turd business, you need to understand why all creatures defecate (obviously!). Feces is the more scientific and politically correct term for solid waste. It comes in an array of neutral hues, from brown to green to yellow. (But if your poop is black or red, seek medical help.) You may even find leftover pieces of last night's dinner stuck inside. And fun fact: the bigger the animal, the faster and larger they poop. Humans defecate at a rate of around two centimeters per second. TMI?
Feces is just undigested food that the body discharges through the large intestine. Why does poo smell so bad? It contains loads of stinky bacteria. And a person's diet may also affect how bad their turds smell.
Why does any of this matter? Pooping is a bit of a taboo subject. Most people don't want others to know when they drop the kids off at the pool. And many will pay a pretty penny to keep any sounds or smells at bay.
Don't believe us? Check out these poop-related products that made a splash in bathrooms across the world.
Stop Smells Before You Go
Poo sometimes smells bad, like really, really bad. There's nothing worse than dropping a stink bomb in a shared bathroom. In the past, private poopers would spray the room with overly floral air fresheners in an attempt to cover their tread marks. The result? A nose-tickling, eye-watering infusion of gardenias and feces. Yuck!
But how do you get rid of human poop smell? That was the million-dollar (more like billion-dollar) question. Suzy Batiz decided to assess the "shituation," and she came up with a product like nothing else on the market, a before-you-go toilet spray.
Poo-Pourri garnered the attention of both confident and closeted poopers. Suzy's secret? She uploaded hysterical, shit-yourself-silly ads on social media. Her "Girls Don't Poop" commercial has over 43 million views on YouTube alone.
Clever ads may help sell a product initially, but they won't create rabid fans. Luckily for Suzy, the product actually works. The proprietary Poo-Pourri recipe features a blend of various essential oils that trap smells under the water. Suzy started with a single toilet spray, but there are now Poo-Pourri scents for all noses, including Original Citrus, Trap-A-Crap, and Royal Flush.
What is the best poop spray? Poo-Pourri gets to sit on the throne as the aroma-eliminating winner. Today, Poo-Pourri is a $500+ million empire.
Do the Royal Squat with These Notable Poo Brands
Some people don't care if their turds stink or not—they just want to be able to go! Pooping is a favorite pastime for many. Where else can you catch up on your emails or binge YouTube videos in peace? But for those who suffer from constipation, dropping a deuce is a rare event.
Thankfully, a few entrepreneurs decided to own this problem, and they came up with proven solutions. There are now several unique products designed to help you paint the bowl brown without any straining. The most well-known are Perfect P.O.O.P. and the Squatty Potty.
Dr. Rosenfeld is a board-certified proctologist and the mastermind behind Perfect P.O.O.P. As a doctor, he realized his patients were too shy to talk about their pooping problems. Instead, they suffered in silence. The Perfect P.O.O.P. supplement is a discreet way for patients to treat bouts of constipation.
The Perfect P.O.O.P no wipe claim is a huge selling point. It softens stool without making it mushy. Therefore, turds come out in one clean push, and users don't need to use as much toilet paper. People across the world can purchase Perfect P.O.O.P. on Amazon.
Another poop-positive brand is Squatty Potty. The brand launched with a mission to "improve bathroom health around the world." Judy Edwards suffered from constipation, but she realized pooping in a squatting position helped things move along. Bill and Bobby Edwards (Judy's husband and son, respectively) decided to take matters into their own hands.
The family invented a footstool that mimicked the traditional hole-in-the-ground toilets in China. Pooping in a squatting position straightens the colon, making it easier to release hard, stubborn turds. After appearing on Shark Tank, the Squatty Potty sold over $1 million worth of stools in a few days. By 2019, sales surpassed $164 million.
Ready to Make Lasting Tread Marks in the Poop Industry?
The success of popular poop-related products only proves people want to improve their digestive health. While defecating is still a hush-hush action, it's a necessary function. And many people struggle to poop freely. Others just want to pretend they never go number two at all.
As an entrepreneur, it's your job to narrow down your audience and determine how to solve their pain points. And no, you don't have to come up with the next Shark Tank success story (although it doesn't hurt to try). However, you do need to market your brand in a way that makes your stall stand out from the rest.
Who Needs Poop Products?
Everyone poops. (Hopefully, they do it regularly.) But marketing to everyone isn't the best tactic, at least not at first. It's better to narrow down your audience and determine who needs your brand the most.
These poopers may be a lucrative place to start:
- Pregnant women and new moms
- Women who always leave the room to pass gas
- Guys who never miss an opportunity to crack a bathroom joke
- People who just want to defecate without pain
- Vegans or even Keto diet followers
While we don't have time to discuss ideas for each group, let's dissect the first category: pregnant women and new moms.
After childbirth, whether vaginally or cesarean, women often develop a genuine fear of pooping. The intestines slow down temporarily, and many new moms find themselves dealing with severe constipation. And when you have stitches in very personal places, the mere thought of dropping a rock-hard log sounds incredibly painful.
Creating a poop gift basket for pregnant women and new moms could turn into a top-seller. Be sure to include products to celebrate the first poop after childbirth to help ease any concerns.
Consider these items:
- Stool softener pills - Source for $2 per unit and sell for $7.98 each (recurring).
- Toilet stool - Source for $1.77 each and sell for $16.49 (one-time purchase).
- Tailbone pillow - Source for $1 apiece and list for $38.95 (one-time purchase).
- Hemorrhoid cream - Source for $0.70 a tube and sell for $5.98 (recurring).
- Odor-eliminating poop drops - Buy bulk essential oils for $0.89 a bottle, mix the product, and sell a 5ml bottle for $11.99 (recurring).
Of course, adding a bit of humor is always welcome, too. And while you could white label these products, ideally, you'll make something even better.
You have to go outside the box—or bathroom—to develop a successful poop-related business. The next time you sit on the throne, brainstorm the products you believe would make pooping more enjoyable and make them come to life.
More Poop Jokes, Please!
Building a poop-loving audience means getting creative. It doesn't matter how old you are; toilet humor is always funny. (Admit it, you giggled the last time someone farted in public.) Comedic advertisements seem to have a better ROI than serious ads. And when you work in the turd sector, it's best to make your brand the butt of the jokes.
No time for a crappy audience? Try these tips to increase engagement:
• Film both long and short commercials that feature a memorable, zany, and willing-to-say-anything spokesperson. Most companies purchase Facebook and Instagram ads to reach their target audience. However, you can save money by uploading these videos for free to YouTube.
• Post funny bathroom memes on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. If you want to grow a following quickly, be sure to post at least once or twice per day.
• Respond to comments! If you want your audience to interact with your brand, you need to interact with your audience. Engagement a two-way street. When replying to comments, be sure to remain in character. Your brand should maintain a consistent image at all times.
• Make a few new friends. Influencers are the best way to build traction for a new brand. Who wants to talk about poop-related products? It depends on your target audience. If your brand focuses on stool health, consider teaming up with popular medical influencers, like Doctor Mike. While connecting with creators who have millions of followers may sound like the best plan, they may not have the most engaged audience. Instead, reach out to popular influencers with channels of varying sizes.
It is important to note that bathroom humor works best with a younger audience, including Gen-Zers, Millennials, and cool Gen-Xers. If you want to reach an older sector, you may want to tone down your ads and keep your shitty jokes to a minimum. Identifying your audience is always the first step!
The Takeaway
All jokes aside, poop is a hot commodity. As body acceptance and health awareness become the norm, talking about fecal matters will no longer be taboo. Everybody poops, and now is the time to shout it from the rooftops. There's plenty of room for new products in this growing micro-niche.
Think you have what it takes to build a successful poop-focused brand? While the idea may sound bizarre at first, multiple startups have already built 7-figure empires in this smelly industry.
If they can do it, why not you? Flush those apprehensions down the toilet and get started. Your first step? Watch this free video series.
