How we started out buidling our business
In 2006 Steve and I experienced our first Detox while on vacation. We were given a brief explanation of what the Detox process does, and a brochure with a color chart giving a description of what the colors in the water meant. When we returned home we found a local company who offered Detox footbath sessions at $30.00 a session or $200.00 for 10 sessions. We paid our $400.00 and started our sessions.
After about the 3rd session we felt we were not getting a full Detox. The person ahead of us had absolutely black water while ours were at best pail yellow or green and we could still see our feet in the water.
Steve then began researching the technology and decided he could build a Detox footbath that would work a hundred times better and we could use it in the comfort of our own home. So we built the first one for ourselves, and let family and friends try it out. Our family and friends wanted their own and before we knew it, we formed a partnership with our Daughter Tamera and Son-In-Law Greg and started manufacturing and selling our footbaths as a family owned and operated business.
Initially Greg and Steve spent many hours finding suppliers for our business needs. Because of Greg’s background in purchasing he was able to strike some really great deals with our suppliers so our company could make affordable products to keep the cost down and pass that savings onto our customers. The best deal he made was with the machine shop who cuts our steel rods and aluminum bars which is where the bulk of the cost is in making our footbaths.
One month after we sold our first footbath “Ionic Detox Footbath Model I” we decided we could improve on its design. Our development team came out with the Ionic Oasis® Rejuvenating Footbath Spa Models II and Pro. Over the course of the next 6 months we had requests from returning customers for a smaller version of our products. In July 2007 we released the Ionic Oasis® MiniOne Footbath, then within the next 2 months we released the Ionic Oasis® MiniTwo and Ionic Oasis® MiniPro Footbaths.
Because of the increased volume of products we had to divide up our production process. We now have 2 locations: Lincoln and Beatrice NE. The Lincoln location is run by Steven and Sherry Haase, and the Beatrice location is run by Greg and Tamera Holle. We are the four owners of the company, and from time to time we hire other family members to come in and help when the work load is heavier.
Initially we were only going to run our business as a partnership but as the business exploded within the first 2 months of operation, we found the need to establish a Limitied Liability Corporation, filed for 2 utility patents, a registered trade name, buying software to maintain customer data and tax records, and in essence, building a company from the ground floor up. Needless to say, it has keep us very busy.
