Inventor Spring Faussett & the Story of Tiger Tail

I’ve been inventing products since I was 12 years old. I studied engineering, physics, chemistry, biology and marketing in college. I’ve successfully brought patents to market. Some of my inventions include SoundFlips Acoustic Ear Warmers and the ZooKeeper Pet Barrier.

Everyone asks why did I create Tiger Tail? Am I a physical therapist? A massage therapist? The fact is I'm neither. I'm an athlete who had a whole lot of pain from all the sports I chose to play. I've played soccer for more than thirty years, including Division 1 Varsity at Washington State University.

I always had a need for Tiger Tail, I just didn’t know it. One year I tore my ACL and opted to harvest my own hamstring to do the repair. Wow! Little did I know the piercing pain that would come along with that decision. My therapist recommended a foam roller or a rolling pin to help reduce the pain and heal the scar tissue. I could not get on the ground to use the foam roller and the rolling pin didn’t work.

Then one day, I wondered what would happen if I crossed a rolling pin with a foam roller. So I did.

The Blood, Sweat and (sometimes) Tears.

The story of Tiger Tail started in my garage with $250. I created my first prototype with supplies bought at The Home Depot and online.

My gut told me I had an interesting product, but based on my first product launch experience, I seriously doubted how something so simple could be successful. But – I went with my gut – and as an inventor with experience, I kept my new “baby” under wraps. I decided to make 125 of them, created a sales sheet and I took them to the Seattle International Bicycle Expo. When I sold out of them, I thought I might be on to something.

I wasn’t completely convinced. So, I built another 150 and took them to another show. Sold those and did the same. Build. Sell. Repeat. Build enough to sell. Pay for inventory. Repeat along the way. I continued to do this until I could no longer keep up, ultimately making the first 20,000 in my own garage – one by one.

Now, my manufacturing team keeps up with the demand my thousands of customers have helped create (Thank You!). To this day, Tiger Tail products are still made in the USA and each Tiger Tail goes through my original production process to ensure the highest quality. I am most proud to say that to date, Tiger Tail has made millions of muscles happy.

Tiger Tail USA Careers — Kent, WA

Tiger Tail USA

Industries

People