Kimberly Grigg welcomes inventor Korri Wright to the show to talk about the products she invented to make life easier. Korri explains the genesis of both Blade Butler and Unlimiscent, how she brought her ideas from conception to market, and why she’s a fan of tasks made easy.

 

Kimberly digs into how Korri Wright came up with the idea for the Blade Butler - a unique invention that cleans ceiling fan blades without requiring a ladder or spreading dust onto the objects below - and Unlimiscent - a universal fragrance emitter. Korri admits she was simply frustrated with cleaning the fans in her own Atlanta home and searched for a product to make the job easier. When she didn’t find one, she created her own. With Unlimiscent, she took aim at solving the issue of too many different brand fragrance emitters and not being able to remember which one was at home when buying new scent inserts. 

 

Kimberly and Korri share how both their families - Kimberly has six kids and Korri has four - inspire and encourage their creative and professional growth. Korri says her kids have been involved with the whole process of her inventions, in one way or another, and says she hopes they are inspired to follow their own paths in turn. Korri also details how asking questions is the key component in getting a product to market, while the biggest obstacle is cost. Learn how Blade Butler and Unlimiscent came to be and how they can make your own home more beautiful with ease.

About Korri Wright:

 

Korri Wright is a CEO, inventor and busy mom of four. She needed a better, faster way to clean her dirty ceiling fans and hated the hassle of trying to remember what brand of fragrances she could buy to match the fragrance emitters she previously purchased. Together with her business partner, Karen Spencer, Korri realized there was a substantial market for both ideas. They worked together to develop an efficient ceiling fan cleaning product that’s easy to use and eco-friendly: the Blade Butler. Then they worked together to develop the efficient, hassle-free product universal fragrance emitter: Unlimiscent.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Korri Wright on LinkedIn
• Blade Butler
• Unlimiscent

 

-- 

 

Contact Me:

Email me at [email protected]

Visit my website: www.kimberlygriggdesigns.com

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest

Check out my Youtube channel

You can find the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

 

Transcription

 

Kimberly Grigg  00:00

Watching a mom work teaches values in a way that you can't just spit out at them.

 

Kimberly Grigg  00:07

Welcome to Decorate Like A Design Boss, a podcast for design lovers who want to create beautiful spaces in their very own homes. My name is Kimberly Grigg, and I'm a professional interior designer who teaches design lovers like yourselves how to decorate. And when I say decorate, I mean decorate like a design boss. If you're ready to create a space that your family loves, and your neighbors can't stop raving about, well, buckle up honey, because it's time to design.

 

Kimberly Grigg  00:41

Well, hello design lovers and design enthusiasts. I have news! I am so excited to tell you that this is Episode 52. Which means this podcast is officially one year old. Hard for me to believe. And I have you, my dear listeners, to thank. This podcast, I'm told, is performing really well. And, well, I'm sort of proud of it. This was kind of just a labor of love, and no epidural. And to be fair, podcasts are not the easiest things to do. But for some reason, I really kind of love this medium. And I'm deep down in it now. So thank you for tuning in each week and I appreciate all the great reviews. And it always makes me feel good when you share this with someone who you think will benefit. So now I ask please leave me a comment, a review, or even an email and let me know what you might like to hear about in the upcoming year. Any topic that you would like to explore about design, or design products, or even other designers you'd like to hear from? I'd love to know so I can be bringing you what you might like to hear. And now let's dive in to Episode 52. And I have something really special. Today I'm talking to Korri Wright. And, well, I'm excited to learn about this gal, and about a couple of inventions that she has created that are perfect for the home. And, well, without further ado, let's just introduce Korri right now. Welcome, Korri.

 

Korri Wright  02:36

Thank you. Thank you so much. And congratulations on your one year success. Very exciting.

 

Kimberly Grigg  02:42

Hard to believe, hard to believe. So tell me, since we're talking about years, how long have these products been on the market before we even get into the products?

 

Korri Wright  02:51

We actually just launched them. So we got the Blade Butler, which is the ceiling fan blade cleaner. We started preselling that in November, and we actually received product in December. And then Unlimiscent, the fragrance holder, we actually didn't get that until end of January, February. So we're just starting to launch these products and getting them out and...

 

Kimberly Grigg  03:16

Wow, well congratulations. And I hope that my listeners will take advantage. I can't wait. Because, first of all, I guess let's just back up and share with the audience. What are these products?

 

Korri Wright  03:32

So the Blade Butler is a ceiling fan blade cleaner. It's on a pole that's 69 inches long, and it has a removable washable bag. So when the mouth, per se, of the Blade Butler opens, it closes down on the blade, and then as you pull that bag towards you, it seals and grabs all of the dust and debris into the bag. So it doesn't fall on your, you know, bed, floor, face, all of those things. Keeps the allergens contained. And then you just machine wash it when you're done. It's super quick, super easy. So that's the Blade Butler.

 

Kimberly Grigg  04:12

That is so incredible. Wow. Like, what a great idea for a, like, a need. So to me, I love it when function and form come together. But let's face it, we all live in our homes. And even though we don't want dust to be flying, it does. And, you know, you look up at  that ceiling fan and you're like, oh my god, and then you don't want to clean it because then the dust flies all over the sofa and everywhere else and it's, like, whoa, crazy. And I just gotta tell you, I hope you're marketing this to restaurants too, because there is nothing more of a bigger turn off than when I look around in restaurants and I see dust everywhere. And I know they're all focused on the kitchen and what the food tastes like, and all that stuff, and they forget these little areas like blinds or a ceiling fan. And like, ew, gross.

 

Korri Wright  05:15

Well, my biggest thing is, you know, living in Arizona, we have fans all over our houses. I, in my old house, I had them in my kitchen. And I would clean the entire kitchen and then I would look up and I would have forgotten to clean the fans. And it literally was a whole nother process of cleaning them again, or, you know, you change the sheets on your bed and you look up and go UGH, you know? So it just really eases the process and you just don't have a mess when you're done. So.

 

Kimberly Grigg  05:43

And this sounds like it's really easy to use.

 

Korri Wright  05:47

Super easy. Yeah, super easy. It just has, just a sliding mechanism that opens the mouth, you clamp it on, close it down, and pull it off. It's super fast, super easy. My dad loves it, keeps people off ladders. So, you know, it really just eases the process.

 

Kimberly Grigg  06:04

Wow. So Korri, how did you think of this?

 

Korri Wright  06:09

Well, you know what, I actually, like I said, a few years back had a house that had the ceiling fans in the kitchen and I had cleaned my entire kitchen and I just thought there's got to be a better way. You know, I would put sheets down, I would get all the cleaning supplies out, the ladder... and so I went on this mad hunt to find what I was envisioning. And it just didn't exist. So I went to Walmart and I got trash bag picker uppers and vacuum bags, and I zip tied them together. And I was like, this is what we need to have on the markets, it just traps it, makes it fast and easy. And it just didn't exist. So from that point forward, it kind of sat on the shelf table for a few years and then as my life, you know, progressed in another direction I was able to focus on it and work on it and get it to market along with my business partner, Karen Spencer. So we're super excited.

 

Kimberly Grigg  07:06

Yeah, so like, did you, like, as a kid think that you'd ever invent a product?

 

Korri Wright  07:12

No, no, I didn't. I didn't. But through the years, you know, I thought of things and then later, seeing them in magazines or, you know, things like that, and I thought oh that did exist. But now, you know, with the internet being so spiffy and being able to just look things up so quickly, if I have something that comes to mind, I'm able to, you know, move forward on it, which is what kind of brings us to Unlimiscent.

 

Kimberly Grigg  07:39

Yeah, tell me about Unlimiscent.

 

Korri Wright  07:41

So I was getting ready to sell my house and my boss had told me, go to the store and get this particular scent of a fragrance plugin. And I literally have bags, Ziploc bags, full of these, you know, the pocket holders, fragrance holders...

 

Kimberly Grigg  07:57

Me too! Me too.

 

Korri Wright  08:00

Every one. Multiple, for all over the house.

 

Kimberly Grigg  08:03

What, Glade and Air Wick? There's the one, what's the one - the fabric, where you spray the fabric?

 

Korri Wright  08:10

Febreze.

 

Kimberly Grigg  08:10

They all have one.

 

Korri Wright  08:13

Yeah, Air Wick, Bath and Body, and none of them are universal. So I went and I bought a bazillion of these, the fragrances, knowing that I had the holders and I came back and I had like one. And so, it was so frustrating. So of course I went straight to the internet and looked for a universal holder because I was so, just, annoyed with it. And again it didn't exist. So I went to my patent attorney that I had used for the Blade Butler and said can you do a quick search and see if there's anything like this on the market. He came back and said nope, feel free. So we moved forward and designed a universal fragrance holder, so you can just buy whatever you want now.

 

Kimberly Grigg  08:57

I so love this. Like, I was literally in... I have a condo that is my personal condo that we kind of use as a guest house, and I have a bunch of kids, and so my house has a lot of bedrooms but I never know which kid's going to be there or not be there. They're all grown now, but still, they they do boomerang back. And so I keep this little condo and I was renovating it and I have guests coming this weekend and I was at Walmart and I picked up Air Glade thinking I know - or Air Wick - I know that I have, like, Air Wick stuff, so I'll just get the fragrance for Air Wick. Well, guess what? I couldn't find an Air Wick and then now I've got the fragrance and I've got no holder, same story different day. And, like, when I started reading about your product, and I'm like, oh my gosh, like, I can buy any fragrance. Plus, there's certain fragrances within the different brands that I like more than others. And so I want to be able to just kind of not worry about what my holder is. And this solves that problem. It is ingenious.

 

Korri Wright  09:00

Thank you.

 

Kimberly Grigg  09:29

I love it.

 

Korri Wright  10:14

Thank you so much. It really just, you know, one little stress we can take out of our life.

 

Kimberly Grigg  10:21

I had a builder tell me one time, what did he call it? It was something like 'little bitty aggravators'. And, you know, and it's the truth, it's like they're just little bitty things that that aggravate you, and you don't even realize why until you're standing in that situation. Or until someone like you comes along and solves the problem for us. Both of these products are amazing, amazing. I can't say enough great things about them. So tell the listener. Like, how much does something like - each of these products - how much does it cost?

 

Korri Wright  11:02

To buy them currently, the Blade Butler is $69.95 and Unlimiscents are $9.95 each.

 

Kimberly Grigg  11:09

Wow, what a bargain. That is such a bargain. And when you think about how many uses you're going to get out of the 9.95 gadget, like, whoa. And when you think about what this is going to save you - your Blade Butler - is going to save you in time... like you, how many times have I made the bed, and everything is spick and span and clean, and then I looked at that ceiling fan and I'm like, no, not today, because I don't want to mess up my good work of everything else that's clean. But now I have an option, and I think is so important. So I have to know, because I have that curious brain, like, how do you get a product from conception to market? Like that must entail a lot.

 

Korri Wright  11:59

Yeah, it's a lot of asking a ton of questions. That's really what kind of got us through. Obviously, the Blade Butler is what we did first. And so I worked with the patent attorney, I had a friend who had another product he happened to be taking kind of to market, but was further along than me, so he directed me to an engineer. And then I asked questions with him, directed me to another engineer. So some of it was a little bit of trial and error. You know, we went to people that maybe didn't work with our sort of product. But were super kind. I think when you're in that sort of industry, you have, you know, knowledge of other people, you have a network base, you have people that I think this person might might work good for you. So we were so fortunate, we worked with a lot of great people that were eager to help, wanted to help, and just kind of steered us in the right direction. The Blade Butler did take years to bring to market. We ended up landing with a company called IVP. They're out of Irvine. They have helped us with the manufacturing, they have the connections, the products are made in China, for the manufacturing and the shipping, and have really helped us along there. We've worked with numerous companies along the way, pipelines and Phoenix, but it's just questions. It's just, once I kind of got the ball rolling, I asked a lot of questions. And, like I said, people were just so eager to help. I wouldn't be here today, if I wasn't fortunate enough to just work with really great, kind, willing people.

 

Kimberly Grigg  13:34

Yeah, there's knowledge out there for the curious mind.

 

Korri Wright  13:37

There is! There is and, you know, I did a ton of research. Karen and I both did. We're constantly on the internet seeking out resources, just information, you know, how do you move from A to B. And then once Blade Butler was going, Unlimiscent I started probably about two and a half years ago. So it was really quick to bring to market. But having done it once, we kind of had a great pipeline of people and resources and were able to get it here rather quickly. So, like I've told everybody that's ever asked me that, if you know of anybody that's trying to bring something to market or has an idea, I'm all about helping. Anything I can do to have anyone else, you know, bring their idea to fruition. It's amazing.

 

Kimberly Grigg  14:23

Which I think is the power now, of social media, the internet, like, you know, if you can keep it in perspective, and again, I have six kids and, of course you know, their phones are attached to, like, their fingers. And they will even occasionally say things like, you know, kind of slammed the use of the phone and I was very, like, not at the table and once we're home we're, like, a family, all those things. But if you use the internet and social media wisely, it can be your best friend in terms of gaining knowledge. And, again, you have to have a curious brain to make that happen. But if you do, then you can about teach yourself anything. And since I teach interior design, you know, I really studied that, because I thought, is it possible? And yes, it is - just like you're saying - it's possible to learn how to do these things, and one connection will lead to the next connection, typically. Which I think is so fabulous. So how is the supply chain for you? Like getting a product now, considering all this, like, in my industry, the supply chain is so clogged, it's a nightmare. But have you had issues with that?

 

Korri Wright  15:48

Our biggest issue really was getting them here. The cost of production went up, obviously, there were, you know, shortages with all sorts of materials. So the cost to make them went up, which was tough, you know, because we really had this budget of what we thought they were going to cost, and then ended up being, you know, quite a bit more. And then we got them shipped here, and then they sat in Long Beach, so it was like 'they're coming, they're coming, they're coming' with really no idea when they were gonna get unloaded. And, you know, and then just the cost to ship them here was, you know, three or four times what we had initially been quoted. So that was our biggest obstacle - or is, just trying to keep the price down, keep it reasonable for the consumer - but really, the cost, just the cost of getting it here and manufacturing it. So we didn't run into any shortages of actually building the product, maybe a little bit of delays, but it really is just the cost. So that's our biggest obstacle.

 

Kimberly Grigg  16:51

Do you have a business background? I mean, this is a business.

 

Korri Wright  16:55

Yes, it is. So, well, in my former life, as I call it, my ex-husband and I did have a business. I did the books and things like that, sales, you know, hit the ground running and try to get that going. And it did, you know, we did have a good business with that. Afterwards, I... well, even when I was married, I got my real estate license. So I sold real estate for many years. And then, again, worked it full time. So, yeah, I mean, I think I've always had that in me to want to push forward, you know, work hard. And, you know, my biggest thing, one of them, is my kids have known about this, and they've seen it, and so it's so inspirational for me for them to see that you really can accomplish it. You just keep  moving forward and work hard, and, you know, it's a great thing. It's been a really great process, I think, for all of us.

 

Kimberly Grigg  18:00

Sure. And, so how many kids do you have?

 

Korri Wright  18:02

I have four kids.

 

Kimberly Grigg  18:04

Whoa. What are the ages?

 

Korri Wright  18:07

Well, you win. You win.

 

Kimberly Grigg  18:10

Well, it's not for everybody to have this size family, but it works for me, busy brain. But what are the ages, Korri?

 

Korri Wright  18:19

So my oldest is a senior in high school. And then I have twins that are in eighth grade. And then my son is in third. So, yeah.

 

Kimberly Grigg  18:31

You run the gamut. Is anybody showing interest in the business?

 

Korri Wright  18:36

You know what, I think they all like it. It's funny, my oldest - she goes away to college next year - and she wants to be in kind of the green earth part of, you know, that sort of movement, which I think is exciting. And so she always says 'I'm gonna invent something, I'm gonna invent something for our future, and how we can keep, you know, the planet more clean'. And I'm just like, keep thinking keep thinking. You know.

 

Kimberly Grigg  19:01

I love it. Sounds like the apple doesn't fall far.

 

Korri Wright  19:05

So it's exciting to watch, you know, I hope that she does, she gets her brain going, and kind of goes off, you know, how I used to. And so yeah, so it's exciting. But with everything else, I mean, they've helped unload boxes and print labels and do all kinds of stuff. So it's definitely a family affair, for sure.

 

Kimberly Grigg  19:23

And it's so nice that you can... like, for me, with my children, I felt guilty a lot because I worked a lot when they were younger, mainly because my business takes a lot of effort and energy and it is also very hands on. And I just couldn't always get it done in a day. Each one of them, however, has either worked in the business, been in it, been involved in it in some way, even if it was observing what I was doing. And all of them, over time, have said 'mom I'm so proud of you, and I'm so happy that you showed us work ethic'. And versus, like, in my brain, I'm like, oh my god, am I being neglectful? Oh my gosh, am I doing everything I can possibly do? And you know, in the end, I was. I just wouldn't accept it necessarily until I got validation from them that watching a mom work teaches values in a way that you can't just spit out at them.

 

Korri Wright  20:28

Yeah, that's true.

 

Kimberly Grigg  20:29

They see it and I'm sure that your children are proud of you. It's a huge accomplishment. So hat's off and clap clap.

 

Korri Wright  20:39

Thank you!

 

Kimberly Grigg  20:40

I'm looking at your beautiful background behind you, and you have a gorgeous wooden beaded chandelier and beautiful, looks like piece of art, on one of the walls. And so obviously, when you create products for the home, beauty is important to you. Looks like you like to be surrounded by beautiful things and things that function. So why is beauty important, Korri?

 

Korri Wright  21:08

You know what, I think anything aesthetically pleasing and calming for me and my own personal home. In this house, I tried to make it comfortable. Clean. Cleanliness is a big thing for me, you know, I have the white counters and the - I just like everything to be comfortable. For Unlimitscent, that design is just, it's just a very basic, I didn't want anything to stand out too much, just kind of blends in nicely, you know, to any home. With Blade Butler, I just like everything to be clean. It's important to me, that when people come in my home, they feel that. You know, I hope that I have accomplished just that for other people, too. And made it easier! So.

 

Kimberly Grigg  21:52

So what is your - obviously, scent and how a home feels is important to you, so what's your favorite scent?

 

Korri Wright  22:01

So my favorite scent, interesting enough, is a eucalyptus-based scent. I think it feels, you know, calming and fresh. It kind of gives you a fresh, breath of fresh air. But my daughter, a few years back, my oldest, had to have a spinal tap. And when she did, she came home - and I happened to have that scent in the house - and so it makes her feel very queasy. So I can no longer.

 

Kimberly Grigg  22:26

Oh wow.

 

Korri Wright  22:26

Yeah, I can't have that scent. Every once in a while I try to sneak one in and she's like, no. Not doing it. Now I think we lean towards a lot of, like, lavenders. In the kitchen I like lemon. So I kind of just buy whatever I'm feeling, you know, around the holidays it's always cinnamon apple. You know, makes you feel warm and fuzzy. So now I just buy kind of whatever I'm feeling that day.

 

Kimberly Grigg  22:53

What is great is you can, because it will all work.

 

Korri Wright  22:57

It will all work. I take the kids and they buy whichever brand, whatever scent they want, and put them in their rooms. And they're all unique. You know? So the one room is super perfumey and girly, so yeah.

 

Kimberly Grigg  23:11

So how often do you use your Blade Butler? Is this a constant thing, or?

 

Korri Wright  23:17

I use it now that, you know, they're clean. They're super clean, obviously, you know, I'll send the kids out. I'll be like 'clean the fans' and they run and grab it. Because it only takes just a matter of minutes. So I use it probably one or two times a month, just as I normally dust and clean my house. I grab it, clean the blades, and wash it, and then put it away. So I think once you tackle the chore - because it is kind of a mind over matter thing with ceiling fans, you know, it's like, oh, just keep them on, then we don't have to look at the dust - but once you get them clean, it's super easy. Fast and simple, honestly. Yeah.

 

Kimberly Grigg  23:57

What does the future hold? Do you have some more ideas up your sleeve?

 

Korri Wright  24:01

You know what? I do have a little bit of other things kind of rocking around in there. But I think for right now I need to just hone in and focus on these. We have some exciting avenues that we're kind of looking at with them. We'll be on Amazon. We just got all of that process approved. So that's quite the feat getting on there. But we'll be on there, hopefully within the next couple of weeks we'll be up, running, and have everything live. So I'm not sure. I just, I'm liking the path that we're on. Everything is positive. Our whole team of people are amazing. We work well together. And I'm not sure but I'm excited. I mean, I think it's--

 

Kimberly Grigg  24:43

I'm excited for you. I mean, I love an idea. And I love to figure out things like, how do you market it? How do you distribute it? How do you get it from here to here? In fact, I'm also an artist and my daughter said - and I started selling my art pretty intensively - and my daughter said, Mom, why do you do this? You should be kicking back and like, just like, enjoying time away from business stuff. And I'm like, have you met me? I'm not gonna kick back, this is what I do, I have to figure out how to get it to market, how to make it work, how to process it, all those things. So I'm gonna be for sure keeping my eye on you, because I am pulling for you girls, I think this is an incredible, incredible product. And, both of them.

 

Korri Wright  25:32

Thank you.

 

Kimberly Grigg  25:33

And I see so many, like, needs for it. And I will throw in that I often have clients say to me, they're not wired to have a chandelier come down, so that you can clean it. But wow. Like, if you could figure out how to clean chandeliers, I get it all the time. And I think that there's some merit there. Because you've got to get up on a ladder, it's a pain, it's similar to your ceiling fan situation. And again, not everyone can afford, or has their house wired if they have a really tall ceiling, they don't have a way to get that chandelier down. Some people have cranks for them. And if we're building a house with somebody with tall, tall ceilings, we'll have a motor installed so that chandelier can go up and down. But again, that is not for the average bear. The average bear wants their chandelier cleaned, and they can't get it done. And, so, in any... I'm just putting that little bug in your ear.

 

Korri Wright  26:43

Interesting!

 

Kimberly Grigg  26:44

If you come up with something I want to hear about it.

 

Korri Wright  26:49

You know, that is interesting. And what I hear from the commercial side of it, and cleaning companies and things like that, is it's such a liability to have their employees up on these ladders and step stools, reaching out trying to clean these things. If they slip and fall and, you know, and everything else. So there's that element to it, too.

 

Kimberly Grigg  27:11

So anyway, I already see your wheels turning. I see it happening. You were born an inventor.

 

Korri Wright  27:21

You know what, it's just, it keeps me going. It's like you - it's constant movement and progression. And just, let's see, it's exciting. It's fun.

 

Kimberly Grigg  27:31

So I have a signature question that I love to ask. And it's, if you had a hashtag that really explained your legacy, what would it be?

 

Korri Wright  27:46

Oh, gosh. Hashtag: Make Life Easier.

 

Kimberly Grigg  27:51

Perfect! You know, I always throw people off with that question. Not intentionally. It's a hard question. I think I would answer it probably different every day. But I love what you said. Because that is what you're standing for. And you are doing it. And I think it's, you know, it's obviously important to you. And it's important to the world. Because if you can live easier, then you can, in the end, live more beautifully. And I think that the two go hand in hand.

 

Korri Wright  28:26

Yeah.

 

Kimberly Grigg  28:26

So as we wrap up today, tell us - I know you're going to be on Amazon - but are there other avenues? Or how do people buy your products? Where do, where did they go?

 

Korri Wright  28:37

So right now, it's BladeButler.com. You can buy it straight off the website. And then Unlimiscent.com. So just both websites is where they currently are. And then, like I said, look for us on Amazon, we should be there anytime.

 

Kimberly Grigg  28:53

I'm just so excited for you guys. And I'm so excited for this product. And I know my listeners are gonna want to take advantage of this. Like what a dream, two dream products for your home, that will make life easier. So Korri, thank you so much for being with me today and sharing all about these products. I really appreciate you. I appreciate what you and your partner are doing and what you're accomplishing. And so I say to the listener, check them out. And don't forget to take a look on Amazon coming up. And go to the websites, read all about this, because this really is unique and wonderful. And, you know what I like to say, today is a great day to decorate. I'll see you next week, everyone! Thank you for getting me to the 52 mark. I appreciate it. Love you and bye for now.

 

Kimberly Grigg  29:51

Thanks for listening to Decorate Like A Design Boss. If you want more info on how to decorate your space like a pro, visit KimberlyGriggDesigns.com. See you next week.