Black History:  Special Delivery!!

  juppy baby walker

African American inventor, Jeffrey Nash was inspired to invent the Juppy Baby Walker at the age of 56.  Nash had a long career in sales of various products. A gifted salesman, he made millions for his employers and in doing so, always thought about how he could also achieve greater independence and financial freedom for himself.

Nash’s opportunity came in 2008.  While at his granddaughters soccer game, he saw a woman teaching her child how to walk.  In particular, he noticed that the young mother was hunched over and seemed to be uncomfortable.  He also noticed that in trying to help the child walk; the mother was pulling on the child’s arms which could have resulted in injury to the child.  These observations served as a catalyst for the invention of the Juppy Baby Walker.  Upon returning home to Las Vegas after the soccer game, Nash immediately began to work on developing a prototype design of what would become, the Juppy Baby Walker. After 4 attempts, Nash completed the final product design.

 

At same time, he was launching his new product, the economy was also doing very poorly.  Nash was notified by his employer that his pay was being cut, due to the economic downturn.  He took this as a sign that it was time for him launch his own business and that’s exactly what he did.  He began testing his new invention on the children of customers in the retail store where he was working.  Based on their feedback he further refined the product design.  He then hired a patent attorney and secured a manufacturing company to begin production.  Nash took 3 weeks off from work and began marketing the product in Nevada and California.  After 3 weeks, he had sold $12,000 worth of product. Encouraged by the positive response, Nash emptied his 401k, sold his home and car in order to invest in his business.  He has since become a successful entrepreneur.  Nash received his patent for the Jumpy Baby Walker in 2015.   He is still working hard to grow the business.  His product is currently available at major retailers such as Walmart, Sears, and Amazon, etc.

Check out his website for more info:  https://www.thejuppy.com/

Another interesting fact about Jeffrey Nash is that his daughter is married to actor Forrest Whittaker.  In launching his company he has not sought endorsement or financial investment in the product from the couple.  He feels the product is strong enough to be successful without celebrity endorsement.

Keisha whittaker

Keisha Whitaker & Forest Whitaker

Sources:

https://www.thejuppy.com/

http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/29/smallbusiness/baby-walker/index.htm