Gmit students win prestigious best emerging business award
GMIT business students Lorraine Sotoparra, from Foxford, and Laura Williams, Castlebar, have won the ‘best emerging business’ award at the recent Enterprise Ireland National Student Enterprise competition for their product called Mr Wee.
Lorraine, a mum of three boys, created and produced the product, which addresses the problem of poor bathroom etiquette among boys and men.
“Any parents whose boys have not formed the good habit of raising the toilet seat may find this product very effective,” she explains.
Mr Wee comes in a variety of fun designs and is a solution to a worldwide domestic problem. It is a device which forces males to lift the toilet seat to urinate and can be used as a training device for younger boys.
It's fixed to the toilet seat upper rim, creating a barrier across the seat. It is easy to install and clean, as well as safe to use and hygienic.
Lorraine, a mature student, is in second year of a Bachelor of Business programme and Laura is in second year of a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting & Financial Management programme at GMIT’s Mayo campus in Castlebar.
The product is currently being used in some local pre-schools as this is the prefect age to train young boys to lift the toilet seat, and a smaller version is being produced for children’s toilets in pre-schools, says Laura.
She added: “A number of complementary products are being designed and developed that will be based around the theme of children's hygiene etiquette.”
Lorraine and Laura won a €5,000 cash prize and mentoring support from Grant Thornton in Dublin to help them grow their business further. They were runners-up at a separate event, the GMIT Student Enterprise Awards finals, which took place in GMIT Mayo in April.
Mr Wee is currently being sold online through www.pleaselifttheseat.com, www.mykidstime.ie and www.amazon.com. It is stocked in some local stores such as Totally Toys, Castlebar, Little Angels stores, local Toymasters outlets and local Gala stores. The price of the product is €5. The business team is hoping to see the product on the shelves of some of the larger retailers in the near future.