Before Spinbrush became the top selling toothbrush in the U.S—and before Procter & Gamble paid $475M for it—John Osher was a teenager selling earrings for $4.99.&nbsp;In this episode, John walks through the strange, scrappy, but disciplined path that led to one of the fastest consumer-product breakouts ever: from a six-year stint in a commune (where he learned plumbing and carpentry), to selling baby products and battery-powered spinning lollipops. Finally, the big bet: a $5 electric toothbrush that was cheap enough to compete with manual brushes, and good enough to become a best-seller.You’ll hear the make-or-break moment that many founders can’t survive: the decision to scrap 400,000 defective brushes before they hit the shelves. And then, the stealth move that turned a “licensing pitch” into a buyout —with one perfectly timed bluff.What you’ll learn:<ul><li>Why pricing is about what the market will pay, not what your product costs</li><li>The hidden power of packaging (How “Try Me” changed everything)</li><li>How to recover from “entrepreneurial terror”&nbsp;</li><li>Why scrapping inventory can be the most important decision you’ll ever make</li><li>The acquisition formula: you get a lot more money when they want to buy… than when you want to sell</li></ul>Timestamps:&nbsp;07:01 - A pricing lesson that John used forever: The 19-cent earrings that sold for $4.99.12:04 - Six years in a commune and the unexpected skill stack: plumbing and construction.22:09 - “Entrepreneurial terror” and a lifeline from Toys R Us&nbsp;29:11 - Spinning lollipops lead to a $166 million Hasbro exit.35:54 - What’s the real competition: $80 electric toothbrushes, or cheap manual ones?38:42 - The design breakthrough: fixed + oscillating bristles.55:43 - P&G admits: “We’ve bought three companies like yours… and ruined them all.”58:07 - The earnout problem: What happens when Spinbrush performs much better than expected?&nbsp;&nbsp;Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth?Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, a previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.So—give us a call. We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher, with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei.It was edited by Neva Grant, with research by Rommel Wood.&nbsp;Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee.&nbsp;See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

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Spinbrush: John Osher. The Electric Toothbrush That Sold for $475M

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