Need an extra hand try using a Tailhand. How to get the most use out of your work truck with CEO Suzie

If you use your truck everyday on the jobsite this episode was made for you!

Safety and schedule are two important aspects to any construction site no matter how big or small. Tailhand is an accessory for tailgates that improves the functionality to allow for your truck to become almost a second hand helper. 

I loved joking around with Suzie about all the ways I'd use Tailhand to make a volleyball court or an umbrella at the beach. 

In this episode we also discuss the accelerator program that Suzie and her husband went through to get Tailhand off the ground. If you have an idea of a product to bring to the construction space this is a great episode to learn how others have done it. 

Currently they are taking pre-orders with 30% off through this link!

The other day on my walk I actually saw someone with a makeshift version of this that they had made. I really do think that this product could change the way that people use their tailgates to increase use and accessibility.

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Transcript

Hey guys, could you turn it down a little? Kinda in the middle of a podcast? Oh, Here we go... Sorry about all that noise. Welcome to the podcast Doin Girly Things, a podcast focused on making construction, working the field, wearing a hard hat, a girly thing to do. Every other Monday, a new episode will be released. If you're interested in supporting the podcast, please see the show notes for how to get involved.

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Thank you all for joining the podcast. We are on season three and today I am super excited for our guest. Our guest is Suzie and she has actually one of the first products that we are going to talk about on the podcast. So product is called Tail Hand. I will of course link it below to show you guys a YouTube video of how to use it, but it's transforming the way that people are using their tailgate. And today I'm excited to ask her about how they came up with the idea to develop it, creating a prototype and how they see it being useful in construction and for contractors as a mobile workstation. So Suzie, your LinkedIn is super awesome and it shows that you are really involved in the medical industry before this. But let's start off this conversation with kind of like a verbal description of what tail hand is for the listeners so they know what we're talking about.

Suzie

Yeah, absolutely. And thanks so much for having me. So excited to kind of be one of the first products that you've showcased. So I think you started touching on it. That tail hand is really meant to transform your tailgate into a highly versatile, customizable workstation that lets you basically work more safely, more efficiently and with precision from anywhere. We know that people that own pickup trucks are working from their trucks. It's just how you operate when you have a truck and you shouldn't have to sacrifice safety or precision or efficiency. When you're doing that. So that's what Tail Hand does. It installs directly into your tailgate. It's compatible with almost every single truck, make, and model, and the platform itself, along with a series of accessories that we've designed, really let you meet basically every need that you might have, whether you're in the construction field or you're just a home DIY'er. We're so excited about it.

Megan

And what I think is really cool from watching the YouTube videos is, is that it really isn't just tailored towards somebody that, you know, is trying to cut wood on the back of their tailgate. What you can even do is because it has like these peg bass basically turns your tailgate into pegs. And what I was noticing for somebody like myself that moves a lot is, is that you could use it to tie things down.

So I saw somebody basically put a strap across the back there where they were able to hold down a bunch of five gallon buckets. So they weren't going everywhere. And so I think that it's pretty cool, too, that it can be used for so many different types of activities.

Suzie

Yeah, exactly. One of the things that we wanted to make sure was that using the tail hand, you could use it both in the down position and the upright position. So you're getting more versatility from your truck. So we did design the platform itself with just standard size t tracks and dog holes. So people that already have tools that they use and rely on that have those features, they can actually use them directly with the tail hand. In addition to the accessories that we've designed. So it really is kind of like open to your imagination. And that's kind of one of the fun things that we've really seen is as soon as we start talking with somebody, like the moment they see it, they start imagining all the different ways that they can use it themselves, that we've got really great ideas from people that have have got their hands on it and played around with it.

Megan

Like I kind of mentioned before, it looks like you were part of the medical industry and you were focused in quality 

Suzie

Yeah. 

Megan

How did you go from being in there into creating an accessory for a tailgate?

Suzie

Yeah, it's not a very obvious connection. Well, it's actually kind of the the origin story of Tail Hand. My husband Michael and I have 32 acres of beautiful property up in northern Wisconsin, and we spend a lot of weekends just kind of poking around, managing our tree stand, and doing projects, and building duck houses, and all sorts of things. And my husband was up there one weekend by himself and he was, and I always laugh thinking about this because I'm sure there's so many other people who have done this, he was trying to cut logs from the tailgate with a chainsaw, obviously not the most ideal scenario. And everything slipped and the chainsaw hit him in the leg. And luckily it got caught up in his jeans and didn't hurt him, but obviously scared him. And he came home that night and was like, I've got to find something that I can just put on the truck so that I can keep working by myself. But I don't kill myself in the process. And we could not find anything and were shocked by that. So we literally sat in our living room and started kind of doodling on scrap paper and coming up with the idea. And that's really where it came from. Just out of our own personal necessity. So my professional background has very little to do with it, but our personal background is really what drove it.

Megan

But what I thought was kind of cool though, is it sounds like you were in quality in your background. And so whenever I say you look at this product though, in my mind, what installing something that makes it safer and easier for you do your job is a part of quality and safety is a big factor in that. And so do you think that some of what you did before helped you to do better product development?

Suzie

Oh, for sure. I laugh that there's really no connection between the two, but there definitely is. I think that background in kind of continuous improvement has been really helpful for us as a team. And safety really is the first thing that led us to develop the product. But that continuous improvement and quality perspective is what kind of pushed us to not just settle with the first product that we came up with and really push it to be as safe as it can be, as easy to install, as reliable. So we've always insisted, even since the very beginning that it's so stable and reliable that if you're working off of the Tail Hand, the only thing that is going to move is the truck itself. I do think that that perspective was really important for the team.

Megan

So most engineers like myself, we have this idea of creating a product, taking it to market and like getting rich. Like that's how you get famous as an engineer. And one thing that I wonder, though, like you said, you and your husband were just sitting down. How many different prototypes did it take you to create and what was that process like?

Suzie

Yeah, it went through a lot of different iterations to get where it is today, and I'm sure it will continue to change and adjust as we continue getting feedback from people one of the things when Michael and I decided to really just dive headfirst into developing the product was that we recognized we had gaps in knowledge and expertise that we needed to bring people onboard that could fill those gaps. So we actually have a team of eight other people who have been working on this product with us. And one of those is a product engineer. We also have an industrial designer. So it was really working with the team together to develop something that was ready for prototyping and was actually a manufacturable product rather than what we had sketched on our notebook paper. We did a couple of prototypes before we got to the point where we are now, which is just about ready to start full manufacturing. And it was so interesting because the first prototype within 5 minutes of us taking it out of the box and starting to try to install it on our own tailgate, we learned so much within 5 minutes and like we made so many dramatic changes to it. And I guess I underestimated how critical prototyping was, and I'm so glad that we did that. It was definitely a lesson for us and getting your hands on it is so different than just seeing it on paper or in solid works.

Megan

Did you guys work with a manufacturer like a one on one, or how do you even get to getting your prototype from paper to in your hands?

Suzie

So we've used a couple of different scenarios, so we do have an incredible manufacturing partner named Shooty Metals in central Wisconsin, and they have been absolutely phenomenal in partnering with us and really working on the design and making sure that it's something that's manufacturable and reduces costs without compromising quality but we started the actual Tail Hand organization in March of 2020, so I'm sure that doesn't come as a surprise that when Covid hit and everybody had a lot of time, that's when we decided to just go full boat. So we started working on it in March of 2020 and we actually had a prototype, our very first prototype, built in I think June the next year. So 2020 was really the, the planning and preparation and just getting the basics down on paper. And then we worked with a prototyper that was just kind of a personal connection with a member on our team and they were able to put something together for us but at this point we rely on our manufacturer to provide us prototypes, which has been phenomenal because they have so much expertise to offer.

Megan

That is really cool. Also to understand that whenever you do need to start outsourcing and that you can't do everything because I think that, whenever I read a lot of business books, a lot of it is, is identifying what you can and can't outsource. So how soon into starting this did you guys start to add on other teammates?

Suzie

We actually did immediately. So in March of 2020 when we decided, yeah, we actually took an approach where we bring people on as equity share partners basically. So people who they see what tail hand can be and will be, they have some skin in the game, they believe in it and they're willing to put the time and energy into it with no pay out front, knowing that when it succeeds they'll reap the benefits through equity. So we started pulling those people together in March of 2020 and we've steadily built on the team as we've gone. But right out of the gate, I think just recognizing that we did not know anything about manufacturing, neither of us are engineers by even like a stretch of the imagination. We knew that we would just delay everything and it would take so much longer if we didn't have experts on board with us.

Megan

That is really cool to understand that you had this idea and getting experts involved. So most people tend to think that they need to do it all by themselves. But I actually think that that really cool that as a business, you guys understood that getting a team together is how you get this product to market.

Suzie

Yeah, absolutely. It's kind of the core value of us as a company, but humility really is kind of where everybody comes from. But it's really not about me and Michael making everything happen and being like the heroes of the story. It really is a team effort, and everybody provides just immeasurable value to the product and to the brand. So I think it's really just kind of part of who we are in particular, Michael, that ego has just never really played into it. It helps to start from that spot I think. 

Megan

Though most people find the construction industry by accident, like most people I've interviewed, they somehow just stumble upon it where someone just mentions it. But what I wonder from you is what's it like advertising and reaching out to contractors in comparison to being in the medical industry? Do they work the same way or just like, what is it like trying to navigate the construction industry?

Suzie

It is different, and I think what's really different from probably a lot of the guests that maybe we had that offer a service is that because it's a product and that group of people, just by nature of what they do, they want to touch and like get their hands on something and see how it's going to function and like really kind of play around with it. So I think that's been one of the challenges that we've had is because we're in such early days and we're not selling in a store that somebody can go and take a look at the product we're really focusing on developing a lot of video content so that people in that construction industry who want to touch and feel and play around can at least see it in action. So that's one hurdle. But I will say that the construction community as a whole, as we've reached out to them and we've really engaged on social media and Facebook groups and Instagram, they've been so welcoming even to a group that like this is not what we do on a day to day basis. None of us have a background in construction per se, but because I think we're genuinely coming with what we believe is a great solution to a lot of problems, they've been so open armed and willing to provide great feedback and suggestions and have a lot of enthusiasm and just really want to see it come to market. So that they can buy it.

Megan

And I think that is so true about the construction industry, about the needing the videos and seeing that visual, because whenever I was researching this, I was like, I need to find the YouTube video on it. We want to see how other people use it because like we were saying, the beginning was everyone can use it differently, but the way construction works is you watch how somebody else does it and you see if you can do it differently or better than that.

Suzie

Right?! I think that is what's been so fun is everybody sees something different when they look at it. You might talk to like five builders and they all have a different idea in their head about how it's going to save their team money and time and safety and efficiency. It's just really fun to see people's brains just start working and start imagining the things that they can accomplish with it. The other piece of it is we worked really hard to make sure that esthetically it looked really engaging and interesting. We all check out each other's trucks. We wanted people to like look across the job site and see it and be like, Oh, what's that? I got to check that out. So it's just been really fun working with this group of people. And I think on top of that is people that work in construction and use their trucks for work, they also use them when they play. You might be a contractor and have a very specific need in mind and that Tail Hand will solve that. But you're also thinking about how you're going to use that when you're tailgating over the weekend and like when you go camping or off roading. So it's there to offer solutions to so many different things.

Megan

I'm just curious, what is the most creative way you've seen it be use like funny, I guess, because there is whenever I think of it like you're saying, you can use it on the weekends. Like I'm thinking like Beach Day, somehow somebody could do something pretty funny on like creating it as like half of a volleyball court.

Suzie

That's a great idea. Yeah. You know, the funny thing, I guess because we're so early and there's actually very few of them out there it's a small group of us that are actually using them and getting to play around. But talking about Beach Day, we have an umbrella mount. So I mean, even on the construction site now, like offering a little bit of shade on those really hot days and then on the weekends flipping over and having your football teams flag in the umbrella mount coming as you're going to the football games.

Megan

Yeah, it's really cool because too, like I worked in Las Vegas for a little bit and that is an area where like if you leave anything on your tailgate and it's out in the sun, it's going to get upwards of like 150 degrees sometimes.

Suzie

Oh my gosh!

Megan

And just because that the sun is just so piercing and so I think the like what you're saying is, it is versatile and people are using their trucks for work and play.

Suzie

Mm hmm. Exactly. And you know, we want to provide them a solution for both of those and not just a solution to problems, but kind of open it up for anything that people can come up with and imagine and I know that once we have it out there and people start using it, they're going to have so many great ideas that they're going to share with us that we'll be able to continue building accessories that just make it more and more valuable.

Megan

I'm like almost thinking you guys need to do a contest of who can be the most creative.

Suzie

Oh my, definitely.

Megan

If you had a piece of advice for someone that had a great idea and they'd love to take it to market, what would be the number one piece of advice you'd give to somebody?

Suzie

I think the number one piece of advice is to don't feel like you have to or can only do it on your own. Look for input from others, seek out partners who are real believers in it, and feel the same sense of passion for it that you do and just know that you're going to mess up. You're going to run into roadblocks, you're going to run into things that feel like you can't overcome them, but you can, and you just have to stick with it.

Megan

Did you guys do any accelerator programs or anything?

Suzie

We didn't. No. We've actually been really, really blessed that it's kind of moved forward all on its own just by excitement and word of mouth. We had a small angel investment at the beginning, in late 2020, and that's all we've had. So we stretched that an incredible distance. But we were also really, really lucky that we were actually selected as a Top Ten finalist in SEMA's Launchpad competition last year out of 200 competitors. So SEMA, for those that might not know, is the Specialty Equipment Market Association. So it's entirely focused on the automotive industry there's a lot of focus on light truck accessories and aftermarket accessories, things like that. So we actually went to Las Vegas and competed in this launch pad and actually I think it's going to be a one hour special on the History Channel in January or February. So people will be able to see us compete in that. And that just gave us so much exposure and got us in front of so many amazing people who really got what we were doing and really supported us. That was a really big motivator and kind of validation from the market that we were on the right track.

Megan

Did you have to present it like Shark Tank too where you go out there? You give your idea kind of show how to use it too?

Suzie

Yeah, so Michael was elected as our lucky representative and so yeah, he was the one that got to go in front. So the first round with the top 15 finalists were just the person like you had no product. You went in front of the judges and had like 2 minutes to pitch the idea. And then from there they cut it down to the top ten, which we made it to the top ten. And that's when you could bring the product in and actually go through the product itself and some of the features and demonstrate which that was with our very first prototype which weighed about 55 lbs and looks very different now. And it's funny to think about how far we've come in such a short amount of time.

Megan

And how did you find out about that? Was it just through word of mouth? Somebody was saying, you know, there's this program or... Well, I think is really cool about like what you're saying. If your specialty is it's niche and I think that sometimes people are too scared to go niche. For my example, like whenever I first made this podcast, I was nervous that if I made it focused on women in construction there wouldn't be enough women in construction to even listen to the podcast. And I found out through Instagram and everyone that I met that I was totally wrong. People wanted a podcast actually just for women in construction. But when you go niche, you actually start to find the people that want to use your product. And so how did you find your niche without being too worried that you'd made your product so specific?

Suzie

Yeah, yeah, that's a great point. I mean, it is scary to narrow your audience down so much that you feel like no one's going to be left. I think we found SEMA really early on. More is just a resource for information for us. They compile so much data and so much information around the truck market that we were just aware of them and using them for our own market research. And that's really how we found out about the launch pad competition. But I think you make a really good point. It's really important to get super, super dialed in on who your target audience is because at the end of the day, how you talk to them and what your marketing looks like and how you even develop the product. If you can make it so specific to that group and really solve a problem that they have, it's just going to be so successful and you're just going to dilute that if you try and solve everything for everyone. It's a great point that you are going to see more success if you get really, really dialed in on who you're talking to.

Megan

And when you guys first started, did you guys know that you would be targeting contractors in the construction industry, or did you guys think that it might be a totally different group that would be using it?

Suzie

I think we always knew that that group was going to be a really critical group, but I think we probably started bigger than that like that group was part of a larger group. But as we talked with people and as we designed the accessories and we thought about how we would use it ourselves, it really bubbled to the surface that, yeah, you know what, the people who are going to get this first and foremost and who are really going to be able to use it and put it to work are people in the construction business, people who are skilled tradesmen, people who are working from their truck to make their livelihood. And we just thought, you know, that's the group that we we need to really focus on because I think they get it.

Megan

And safety is, it's important with a lot of people, because if there anything like a lot of the contractors I know, it's the I do it by myself, I don't need anybody's help, but I remember also being the little kid and always having to be out there helping my dad so I know it from both sides where you don't always want to admit that you need help. But it is nice to have it, especially like you were saying with the chainsaw and being able to be outdoors and not having to have somebody help you hold something. So looking forward, let's just say like five years from now, you've talked a little bit about accessories. What all do you see for Tail Hand as if you were like, look in a crystal ball for the next five years.

Suzie

Oh, there's so much stuff we have to kind of like hold ourselves back sometimes. I think continuing to develop more accessories as we hear from people so that their Tail Hand just becomes so much more valuable and just part of everything that they do. But we've also been talking about is there also a market for expanding to a TV or a UTV size? You know, we've talked to a lot of ranchers. They work really similarly to the construction business and that they're out there, they're in different spots. They're having to kind of make do with what they have available to them. But they have a lot of land to cover, so they typically use ATVs to work around the ranch. So looking at different vehicles like that, expanding into recreation, like we said that, you know, accessories that let people expand the tail hand into their play life instead of just work life. So I think that's really where we see we just would love to see a tail hand on every truck and people just getting stuff done.

Megan

And I like the idea of the ATVs because those are also generally single person riders. So even more so where a truck I mean, you can definitely fit more than one person in the most trucks unless you use it like I sometimes do in the passenger seat becomes the spot for spare water bottles. But with ATVs, it's even more of a need almost because most those people are doing stuff by themselves exclusively.

Suzie

That's exactly right. And like you described, everybody needs an extra hand at some point. So having a product that really gives you an extra hand could go a long way for a lot of people.

Megan

And I am very fair skinned. And so having a product that can also be an umbrella the same time because I'm always packing my umbrella wherever I go, on the beach, vacations...

Suzie

You know, I love that. Even just having a place to sit and have a drink when you're in the middle of a hard day's work is so nice.

Megan

And where I'm at in Southern California, I actually drive on the beach and so everyone's on the beach. So my brain's like twirling with ideas of how people could start using it out here. It's such a cool product. And so how successful have you guys been so far with getting it out or have you seen it be used across the country? Where all are you seeing it be used right now?

Suzie

So right now we're actually right before our full production manufacturing so it's actually not even out there yet. Anybody listening is getting kind of the inside sneak peak and can go to TailHand.com sign up for our newsletter so that you know the moment it's available, but we're just on the cusp of getting it out there. So I'm so excited to see what happens with it once we do get it out there ready for sale.

Megan

And one thing I want to note for everyone listening too is that if you go to the Web site right now and preorder it, there is 30% off of retail. And so I think it's also a pretty cool to, one to support a new business that is coming up that will change how people use their tailgate but also it comes with a discount. So a lot of you listening would be able to even write this off on your taxes.

Suzie

Totally.

Megan

And that's that's the thing that I think is interesting too, is it's a market that likes to invest in their trucks and their companies allow for them. And so where are you guys working at your first orders in.

Suzie

So we are targeting May... kind of coming down to the final few months. So if you still get in on the preorder now, you can get the 30% off and don't have to wait too long for it. So we're working hard with our manufacturer to get that in full production by May.

Megan

So cool. But thank you for coming on. I want to wrap up the podcast with the best self questions and so on today I picked two different categories. I picked self awareness or life lessons.

Suzie

Let's do self-awareness.  

Megan

Self awareness.OK, in what ways are you like your parents?

Suzie

Oh my goodness. That is a really interesting question. I used to think that I was not like my parents in any way whatsoever. But as I get older, I can definitely see that I am a lot like my mom in that I am a good combination of logical and emotional, and I don't push the emotion down and pretend like it's not there. But I do try very hard to refocus on the logic so that I'm making decisions that are smart and based on data, based on information not just on my gut. So I think I'm a lot like her in that way. But I'm also a lot like my dad in that at the end of the day, it's really all about people and the relationships that you have with people, and that really has to drive how you operate your life, whether it's personal or business. And that's what you need to put your energy and your focus into is just treating people well, doing the right thing, caring about who they are and being genuine. So I'm happy to say that I'm like my parents in that way.

Megan

I love that. Like most people used to think I never looked like my mom. And now whenever I have photos taken, Google photos will sometimes do the face recognition and think I am my mom. So I love that answer. And so thank you so much for coming on the podcast and I really hope that everyone does take a look at the link that I have below to show you guys the YouTube video on how to use it. If you have any cool ideas of how to use it and you want me to reach out to Suzie, feel free to contact me or I will put Tail Hand Instagram in the bio below.

Suzie

Megan, this has been awesome. Thanks so much for having me on. It's just been so fun to talk about it and hear about your perspective, and I'd love to hear from the people that listen to you and follow us on social media. We have a lot of engagement and we'd love to connect with people.

Megan

Well also, and I can't wait till May till it starts coming to market and seeing everyone else will be on their truck. Thank you Susie.

Suzie

Thanks, Megan.