www.incontinentsupport.org

So, I understand that many in this forum have had negative experiences with KC products. But from my point of view, Depends work very well for guys who have mild to moderate incontinence, as I do. There is a reason that this product is available in every Target, Walmart, and pharmacy in the U.S. For many men, it works pretty well.

There are other reasons they're on the shelf in every one of those stores. KC is a huge producer of a wide variety of products. They already have distribution services and contacts with these stores for a wide variety of other things. Regardless of what they produce for the incontinence market, they're going to shelf space. They also have a huge marketing budget, and the average consumer (remember that a lot of the consumers are actually caregivers, and not users) and stock manager doesn't know what the other products or options are. KC also have the ability to produce at lower relative prices because of the volumes they deal in.

The power of the parent company gives those products a huge advantage, regardless of how effective they are. That said, I recognize they work for a lot of people. I also training that how popular they are is not proportional to how effective they are.

There are youth diapers out there. I have a special needs son that used to wear Abena brand youth products. They’re just not sold in most stores. You have to order them from pharmacies or online retailers because the market may not be large enough for grocery stores and such to carry them. It has to be economical and make financial sense to the retailer to carry said products on their shelves. The Store manager will ask herself/himself if they carry the larger products for older youth as described if they’ll be able to move enough product to justify the means. Or will the inventory sit on the shelf and rot. Excess inventory is expensive to carry. The algorithm’s for demand planning can be rather complicated and there are many questions that need to be answered before a retailer goes all in. Losing money is bad for business. Also, there are many diaperbanks out there. I think I read on north shores blog once that they frequently donate to them. Also, if you come up with an idea that has not yet been fulfilled, apply for a patent. Then you own it. I don’t believe you can do this with youth diapers as you’d have to find something that sets your idea apart from every other manufacturer. What makes your product/idea different? Otherwise, as noted above, other companies can capitalize off your ideas. I can understand where KC is coming from. It may not be in their models to offer such product. If they feel that niche is not something they want to get involved in then so be it. Their general target market seems to be centered around lighter incontinence products that they can sell cheap to as wide a population as possible. And they’re pretty good at it and move a billion dollar business. Their name is synonymous with adult incontinence products. Depends. Instantly recognizable. That’s exactly what they want. They essentially own their market. They are not out to compete with companies like Abena. Abena, Molicare...all the brands many of us rely on are a whole different target. Different niche. People who suffer from major continence issues and heavy bladder and bowel leakage probably aren’t looking to KC. That’s not the way the company appears to be going. There are other companies that are more interested in the products we rely on and for the most part meet our needs. You just generally have to purchase them from other vendors than your local grocery store here in the states.

I think your cause is noble. It would be good if you could pull it off. I just have some things for you to think about. And there are many more. You want to start a diaper company that specializes in only youth pull-ups of a limited size. Your eggs are all in one basket. Your risks are incredible. Are you selling your pull-ups? Non-profit? Where does the money go? Are you giving away your inventory to needy families? That would be great but how would you pay your bills? To run a manufacturing facility capable of supplying U.S. stores, even regionally would be a massive logistical operation. Companies like that take a while to build if you’re really good at what you do. It won’t happen overnight. Where are you going to get your capital from? Banks? Their going to ask you all these questions and a hundred more before they even think of investing in you. To start a manufacturing company capable of creating enough product to meet demand would be pretty intense. And expensive. You can’t grow money. You’ll have some serious bills to pay. You’ll need employees. Are their paychecks guaranteed? Are you relying on donations to operate your firm? That too would be a massive undertaking. Also, shelf space in stores is at a premium. Store managers probably won’t want to carry your product if they think by chance they won’t be reimbursed by donations. Not when they can put something in its place they can make a guaranteed profit from. The goal of a business is to make money and satisfy stakeholders. Non-profits have operating costs too. You have to be able to support your firm and answer all the questions you’ll face. There will be lots. If you don’t have a solid plan, your firm won’t make it. You have to plan for everything. Be flexible. Is it possible? Potentially, but the risks are huge. Your investors (like banks unless you have the cash to operate this endeavor), will want to know how you’re going to handle all the challenges that come your way. They don’t want to risk losing money. Even with your assets as collateral, all that depreciates. If your non-profit doesn’t make it, banks won’t get all their money back. They will protect themselves. Like I said, I’m not knocking your idea. I think it’s great. But it is incredibly risky.