Celebrity Net Worth reports that Poo-Pourri inventor Suzi Batiz had filed for bankruptcy twice before becoming a millionaire with a successful business.
Batiz’s first bankruptcy stemmed from her desire to have financial freedom and success due to her impoverished childhood. At 19, Batiz bought a bridal shop in Arkansas. Unfortunately, her business went under due to no one wanting to buy the outdated bridal dress designs that she had purchased from the previous owner. She then had to file for bankruptcy before even turning 21 years old.
Bankruptcy number 2 came from her idea for a recruiting website that matched candidates with employers based on company culture. She heavily invested her own money into this idea. She also had several investors that told her they’d give her $5 million, but then backed out. The 2001 stock market crash left Batiz unable to pay off both her business and personal debt. She then filed for bankruptcy for the second time.
With two bankruptcies under her belt by 35, Batiz promised herself she would never take on debt or start another business again. Lucky for her, just 4 years later she broke that promise to herself. Now, she is one of the wealthiest self-made women in America after inventing the Poo-Pourri toilet spray.
In 2006, she came up with the idea of Poo-Pourri after someone stunk up the bathroom at a party she was at. In 2007, Poo-Pourri was officially ready to be sold in stores. A boutique owner in Dallas took a chance on Batiz’s product and asked if she could sell it in her store. By the end of her first year in business, Batiz had sold a quarter of a million bottles and was selling Pou-Pourri in small stores, and had a $1 million in revenue.
From The Article:
“Then, in 2013, she realized she needed to do something to shake things up. The company had been in business for seven years and had $8 million in revenue the previous year. Competitors were popping up. She couldn’t afford a TV ad, but she could do an online video. She wanted to make fun of her product. “Girls Don’t Poop” was filmed for $25,000 and uploaded to YouTube in September 2013. She paid $650,000 to have it promoted on YouTube and Facebook. Within two weeks, the video had over 10 million views. Within a week she had $4 million worth of back orders for Poo-Pourri. Sales increased 80% to $27 million in 2014, the year after the video went viral. The video also paved the way for Poo-Pourri to be on the shelves of Bed, Bath & Beyond. So far in 2019, the company has a 108% year over year increase in first quarter sales to more than $16.5 million.”
Driven by her entrepreneurial mindset & creativity, Batiz didn’t let her failed businesses or bankruptcies stop her. She used them to learn from her mistakes and become one of the wealthiest self-made women in the United States.