How a Single Mom Turned Ants Into an Invention
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How did ants eating backyard dog food spark an invention?
I noticed ants were in my dog's food. So I began the process of looking for a solution and I was throwing food away like crazy. I decided it was what I call an inspiration. It became my mission to actually find something and there just wasn't anything on the market. So one day I took that next step. I started with my napkin drawing. Then I went to a wonderful group of men. They basically said I really didn't have a plan and it probably wasn't worth pursuing. The next step for me was what do I do from here?
Laura Custer is an innovative, resilient, and purpose-driven entrepreneur, inventor, and the CEO of Reliable Pet Solutions. Best known as the patented inventor of the feeding friend, she turned a simple idea into a practical solution for pet owners.
That's, I think, why I've gotten to where I am today is because I didn't think of the big picture and how I was going to get there. I just kept taking a step.
Never even thought about being an entrepreneur or any of that. It was just an idea. Just an idea. An invention.
Solving a problem.
All right.
And then I got excited because I thought, well, this could help so many other people. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.
What early DIY fixes did Laura try before inventing the Feeding Friend?
It's not over until I win. The Living Your Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy.
That's extraordinary. The impossible. Oh, that is sensational. Open. Chicago is the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet.
How did a napkin drawing become a prototype idea?
You can live your dreams.
Hi, everyone. Welcome again to another episode of Legacy Makers Podcast. And I'm here with a wonderful guest that came all the way from Oregon today. She said it's 50 degrees. But can you introduce yourself?
My name is Laura Custer. I was born in Bakersfield, California, and now I've moved to Oregon to be with my son, his wife, and my two-year-old granddaughter, which is a true blessing for me.
Yeah.
Plus, I love the cold. And I am the CEO of Reliable Pet Solutions. I invented a pet food and water dish.
You invented a pet food and a water dish?
Yes, I did.
Okay. So are they like a pet food and then a water? So you invented two things.
It's one thing that does two things.
Okay, so please explain.
Well, I've always been a single mother with my son. I had two large dogs and worked.
What kind of dog? We got a lot of dog people. I'm a dog person. You know, when you say dog, I think pug. That's what I used to have, right?
What feedback did SCORE and advisors give Laura about her idea?
Well, I had a Boxer Mix and a Black Lab, Lucky and Pismo. All right. And we had a huge backyard, so they got to roam freely. And this was in Bakersfield.
In Bakersfield, okay.
So working all day, I would come home. Of course, single mother got to cook. And there came a time when I noticed ants were in my dog's food. So I began the process of looking for a solution. I'm sure everybody's tried the floating it, the food in water.
And the ants are coming through the house into your dog's food? No, they were in the backyard. Okay, okay.
Yeah, so when they were in the home, they had other food, but when I was gone, they liked the backyard, lots of trees and shade and room to roam.
Yeah.
So... I could not find a solution and I was throwing food away like crazy.
Because you don't want to use chemicals near the dog food. What was the testing process like? A little barrier, were you building walls?
I was looking everything up online, putting chalk around the food. That didn't work.
Oh, yeah. Because like if you're the ants, they have like a little memory path and you can just like put a line with your finger, right? And that would disrupt their path. Okay. So a line of chalk, you would think that that'd be like,
And then I tried canola oil around the food, floating it in a big swimming pool where my dogs could still get to the thing. The problem was the food would migrate to the edge and the next thing I knew there were ants. So I got frustrated and- Ants are the smartest thing. The little brown ones, they call them sugar ants. They're just crazy. So I decided it was what I call an inspiration. It became my mission to actually find something. And there just wasn't anything on the market.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
How did ants eating backyard dog food spark an invention?
0:00–1:24
2
What early DIY fixes did Laura try before inventing the Feeding Friend?
1:24–1:48
3
How did a napkin drawing become a prototype idea?
1:48–3:06
4
What feedback did SCORE and advisors give Laura about her idea?
3:06–5:36
5
How was the first additive resin prototype created and tested?
5:36–8:39
6
What is the Feeding Friend design and how does it keep ants out?
8:39–17:34
7
Why did Laura pursue utility and design patents despite warnings?
17:34–19:40
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Living Your Legacy
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