All you need is a ‘pet rock’

Most entrepreneurs are constantly thinking ahead to future projects and products, trying to decide what might be the next great idea or invention that will make the most money and especially attract the entire world population to seek out and buy whatever off the shelves.

After all, some of the weirdest ideas have made people incredibly wealthy, as it was with the ‘Pet Rock’! If you aren’t old enough to remember the “rock”, let me give you a little insight. In 1975 a man named Gary Dahl decided…in the bar one night, to market the invention of a “Pet Rock”!

The final product was literally a rock tucked neatly inside a cardboard carrying case on some wood shavings, accompanied by an instruction manual about how to care for your now very special rock!

The entire item was a ridiculous joke which had people lined up to purchase the silly gimmick to the tune of $4.00 each. He sold one million in less than 6 months and became rich almost overnight!

For years the product had been on my mind with the thought … if only! To my surprise a cousin came to me with a new thought for a product to cover a trailer hitch ball. It was an animal head inserted over the ball of a trailer hitch to protect it from rust. The idea was just funky enough and laughable…could it be the one!

When you drove up behind a vehicle that had a duck or turkey or deer head looking at you from the trailer hitch it made you laugh out loud or at least put a huge smile on your face. Being consumed with hunting and my hunting guy friends, it seemed like one of the crazy ideas that might just be MY PET ROCK!

About that time my import/export business was getting off the ground and it seemed like perfect timing to take a chance and introduce a plastic head to the world!

Good at rhyming and jingles, mom and I made up a catchy song for “a plastic cover for your trailer hitch” and went around singing it constantly. We laughed at the thought of being a TV commercial singing our jingle with animal heads on each finger!

I ordered hundreds of different heads to be manufactured (taking weeks to arrive) and a bright red kid’s convertible sports car, installed a trailer hitch on the tail end and took off to the local famous flea market in Grand Prairie to introduce the “head” to Texas.

What an amusing and laughable day as I walked around singing the jingle and literally pulling people in to check out the product! By the end of the day there had been about 5 of the 100’s sold and had been hundreds of offers on the red kid convertible! To offset the losses of the day, I sold the car!!! Obviously, the head wasn’t the ‘pet rock’ it was hoped to be but it still makes me laugh to this day remembering the catchy tune and the jingle.

Nevertheless, the little bit of money made from the sales of the hitch head covers was enough to start my international import-export company called Suzanne International, which grew exponentially over that year. In fact, the company grew so fast it was recognized as the NUMBER 4 company in “The Top 40 Fastest Growing Companies in the Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex” for the first year in business. It was the ONLY woman-owned company in the entire 40 bunch!

A true once in a lifetime event followed by an “Honoree Luncheon” hosted by President Ford. We were told to be at one of the fancy downtown hotels at a certain time and be checked in before going into the great hall for lunch. We were each honored, given a crystal engraved trophy and the opportunity to visit with President Ford as he personally greeted each entrepreneur and asked our individual stories relative to our successes.

Wandering around the floor waiting for my time to visit with the President, I met some important men that had started or taken over large companies and made unbelievable increases in profits.

My increase in profit was from “0” as the company was brand new and had had a phenomenal year, shipping products all over the world! The President walked toward me and we greeted each other.

The cameras were flashing from all directions as we began to talk. In the picture you can see that I was handing him a newly bagged trailer hitch cover and telling him how the company started with the crazy idea of a duck head. I wanted him to have one of the first ones!

All of a sudden, I was surrounded by men…there were men on both of my sides, grabbing my arms, pulling me back as a man pushed his way in front of me …between the President and me. WOW….what the h… just happened?? The guys were Secret Service men and jerked the hitch headcover out of my hands asking questions…”What’s this?” “Where did this come from?”, “How did you get in here with this?” I was totally flabbergasted and for Apparently “the duck” should have been scanned when he and I came in the front door!

Once the Secret Service had decided the plastic duck wasn’t something harmful, they handed it back to me, and President Ford and I continued talking…as he took his gift! The President absolutely loved the idea and was stunned to learn that a duck head had put me into the TOP 40!

At the end of the conversation and visit he asked that I keep in touch with him and share the hopeful future growth of the corporation and the duck! Everyone has 15 minutes of fame in a lifetime and this day was no doubt my 15 minutes of not only fame but unforgettable excitement!

From Pet Rocks to Fidget Spinners (another million-dollar idea) to Duck Heads!! The entrepreneur is always looking out for the next fluke product that is an overnight success. Always thinking, there are a couple of inventions in my mind right now, which YOU haven’t seen on any market as of yet! One of them just might be my “Pet Rock”….stay tuned!