So imagine this. You have a product that you know really helps people but you are a small company competing with huge corporations. And then one day you get an email saying…
“I love your product. I am a cancer patient. A new chemo made my lips react with cracking and dryness. My dermatologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute recommended ChopSaver. It is the only product that helped! Also, after many years of using different lip balms, this is the only one that seems to HEAL. Thanks so much for creating this.”
Beth Andrews
What a humbling feeling to know that our little product is making a difference in the life of that beautiful, courageous woman who took the time to write to us. Thank you, Beth!
Messages like that keep us going here at ChopSaver. It reminds me of what I always tell people who come to me saying they have a great idea but don’t know what to do next. I say the next steps are usually pretty obvious (consult with a friend, do some research online, make a simple prototype) and yes, some steps are bigger than others. But here is the thing – you will never know what might grow out of your initial inspiration if you don’t start – and keep going.
My first idea was a lip balm for brass players. During the formulation process, I realized woodwind players and even harmonic players could benefit from ChopSaver. And after we had been selling to musicians for a couple of years, a dermatologist reached out and explained that ChopSaver was helping his patients who were using a certain acne fighting drug that caused severe dry lips. And now, we are hearing from cancer patients like Beth and others who take drugs that cause lip dryness. And the snow ball effect continues as we know our fans use ChopSaver for burns, bites, stings, rashes, cracked fingers, sore noses – you name it! ChopSaver is making a real difference in people’s lives – musician or otherwise. Now imagine this. What if I had never pursued my first idea?
The celebrated Scotch mountaineer W.H. Murray put it this way:
“Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.”
Or, to paraphrase a great tag line, “Just Start It!”