Business owner Eric Lupton shares his insight into how his business serves a unique purpose.
What is your experience and how has that helped you out with your business?
My parents founded Life Saver in 1987, when I was five, and I started working in the office in the summertime around the age of 15. I started my professional career doing copywriting and web design, but even then Life Saver was a client. I started here full-time in 1999, and took over as President in 2005 when my father retired. So, this business and the industry has been absorbing into me for almost my entire life. I think this gives me a unique perspective on how we approach things, and guides me on the proper way to move forward. My stint doing marketing and web design has given us an edge in these areas. I still design and manage our web site myself.
Why did you start your business?
My parents started the company back in 1987 because they had two small children, and had trouble trying to find someone to professionally childproof their home and their pool. The business initially started as a childproofing service, but given the staggering number of fatal drownings that occur each year, the focus shifted toward preventing those sorts of tragedies.
What makes your business unique?
Quality and a commitment to drowning prevention. We've made the decision to focus entirely on quality. Everything has to be “better”. From the actual products we manufacture, to our literature, to the web site, to even the shirts our salespeople wear, everything about the brand conveys high quality. We also pride ourselves as thought leaders in pool safety. We are designated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as a Pool Safely Campaign Safety leader, have written extensively on the topic of pool safety, and our Facebook page (with over 15,000 followers) actively promotes drowning prevention. In addition, through our Save a Life Program, we donate pool fences to families who have had a fatal or non-fatal drowning incident.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners?
Done is better than perfect. Don't keep tinkering trying to get it just right: make sure it's quality, get it going, and then improve as needed. A really good something is better than a perfect nothing. Evaluate your strengths, be honest with yourself, and hire for your weaknesses. If the job gets done (properly), whether it was by you or an employee, the business still benefits. Focus on what you're good at, and delegate the rest.
