Steve Hengsperger knows dirty. He knows danger. Working as a chemical engineer he was handling dangerous and harmful materials all day, every day. He was constantly required to wear gloves, goggles and other equipment in order to protect himself. Soon enough, he began to realize that the very same agents he handled in the lab were also found in most household cleaning products.
It seemed to him that these cleaning agents walked a fine line: killing harmful germs in order to keep homes and kitchens sanitary, but also containing harmful chemicals. Everyone’s seen the warning “Keep out of reach of children” on almost every bottle you keep under the kitchen sink. As a father of two, Steve was worried that regular exposure could be dangerous for his children… That's when he got his Big Idea.
Then Steve got wind of an electrical process used in expensive hospital sanitizing devices that can temporarily alter the chemical properties of normal water, not only purifying it, but exponentially increasing its cleaning potential.
Eventually, after four years of research and development, Steve unveiled the Tersano line of products, which utilizes the same electric process. TIME Magazine declared the Lotus Cleaning System one of the best new inventions of 2006!
Here's how it works...
Tersano's Lotus Cleaning System super-oxygenates water by transforming O2 into O3 (Also known as Ozone), which gives normal, everyday tap water a cleaning power that is stronger than Bleach, but just as safe as normal water. According to the company, this super-water kills 99.99% of bacteria without leaving a harmful residue.
During Steve’s April debut onThe Big Idea, he was all-smiles: bursting at the seams with all the enthusiasm in the world. He reported total sales upwards of $5 Million and had high hopes for Tersano. However, at that time the Lotus System could only be found at Sharper Image in the US, Canadian Tire in Canada, and the Tersano website was only getting an average of 200 visitors per day.
And then, The Big Idea Effectkicked in. Since Steve’s first appearance on The Big Idea, Tersano’s affiliate program grew 10-fold. The company’s sales are expected to grow between
$15-20 Million a year, per year, and the Lotus system will be featured on HSN in upcoming months. Not to mention the Web traffic - it’s skyrocketed to more than 4,000 unique visitors per day!
In addition, numerous major retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Sam’s Club, Linens N Things, and Target are entering deals to put Tersano on their shelves! Steve reports that many of these retailers actually contacted him, noting that they discovered Tersano after seeing the segment on The Big Idea!
In a semi-prophetic fashion, Donny realized Tersano's huge potential and remarked during their April conversation: “You’re gonna sell from this show!” He was right.
Steve says it best himself: “Donny brings out the best in all of us. With a product like ours, there are seemingly just as many down days as there are up days. My appearance on The Big Idea has enormously contributed to the current success we have had with the Lotus Sanitizing System. Our experience with Donny has been phenomenal!”
The Big Idea Effect strikes again… laying the groundwork for the Takeoff of Tersano!
Written By Paul Toscano
Questions? Comments? Email us: donny@cnbc.com.