Meet The Inventors: Kimberly-Clark’s Becky Mohr On How To Go From Idea To Launch

Do not be afraid to ask questions. It is easy to be shy or think others do not have time for you. Too much time is wasted because we are afraid of embarrassment.

As a part of our series called “Meet The Inventors”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Becky Mohr.

Becky Mohr is a Research Technical Strategist for Kimberly-Clark working in the Adult & Feminine Care Research and Engineering Department. For nearly three decades, she has worked in product development, dedicated to understanding and translating consumer needs into innovation solutions for global brands. She has led the development of innovative products, materials and technologies that have resulted in new product launches, 8 patents, 1 publication, and several compelling advertising claims.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

I grew up in the village of Kimberly, Wisconsin. The village originally came about thanks to Kimberly-Clark. Around 150 years ago, Kimberly-Clark started as a paper company and the first mill was built along a big river that runs through Fox Valley. Another mill was later built around 100 years ago, and houses were built around it which led to the creation of the village of Kimberly.

As far as family goes, I am the third oldest of eight kids — five sisters and two brothers. As you can imagine, it was a loud, active home, but we were never lonely. I attended the Kimberly School district which is the same district that my children attended. I always enjoyed school with a passion for learning — especially math and science. Back then, STEM didn‘t exist, but I would have loved those courses.

I went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a BS in Chemistry. Today, I still love learning. I love to read and I also love number puzzles, like Kenken and Sudoku. (And yes, I still get an actual print paper on Sunday.)

Looking back on my passions when I was younger, it makes sense that I was drawn to product development as a career. Product developers create products that solve problems to make lives better.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Maya Angelou quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I am an empath, and I am very cognizant of how I make people feel. For those that I respect, love, appreciate and am grateful for, I want to make sure they know that and feel just how much I care for them. Nobody can make it through this world on their own, for those that make the journey easier or more enjoyable for me, I let them know that.

I have always lived by the idea that no matter where you are, what position you hold, be nice to everyone. This is especially true in my own career, whether it’s technicians that work in the labs, working through project plans with team members or making presentations to senior leaders, everyone has a role and deserves to be respected.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. What was the catalyst that inspired you to invent your product? Can you share the story of your “ah ha” moment with us?

I have collaborated with many great minds at Kimberly-Clark throughout my 28 years with the company. Together we have forged impactful product innovations across Kimberly-Clark brands that have led to the development of new products as well as cutting edge innovations to tried and true products that consumers love.

One of my more recent “ah ha” moments came when I started working on Poise four years ago. The Poise brand provides bladder leak solutions to the 1 in 3 women that experience bladder leaks. I had previously worked on brands in our Family Care and Baby & Child Care Sectors and this was my first time directly working on one of Kimberly-Clark’s Adult & Feminine Care brands.

Upon joining, I realized the importance of the adult care industry and value in educating women that there are ways to manage and thrive — despite issues like bladder leaks. I’m proud to bring the science behind product development to make a meaningful impact on the daily quality of life for women and help support women’s confidence.

There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How did you overcome this challenge?

Understanding the role your idea and eventual product will play in consumers’ lives is very important. Analyzing consumer need and demand as well as what they might not expect but will benefit them is how a good idea becomes a success.

Keeping an eye out on what is working across various industries, what consumers are expressing a need for, as well as how consumer buying and spending is trending is a great starting point.

Kimberly-Clark puts great effort into staying on top of research and development efforts across each brand. In my role, it is crucial to be aware of what is working, what can be improved and how the landscape of feminine care is evolving.

Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?

Identifying an unmet or an area of need that is under supported is always an important step in product development. Consumer and product research is a critical first step in the innovation process once you have a product idea.

For newer inventors, your best resources are online and social media monitoring tools to identify what may exist within your product landscape. I would also recommend searching patents and determining if your idea is truly new in your targeted industry.

It is important to remember that no matter how great or small your idea might be, it is worth looking into. You never know what might evolve from your idea and the lives it could positively impact.

Did you have a role model or a person who inspired you to persevere despite the hardships involved in taking the risk of selling a new product?

It is hard to pick just one, there are so many people that I have worked with over the years that have been an inspiration. I am blessed to work with so many brilliant people, who are not only smart but also very generous with their time.

There is one person who stands out as particularly igniting my passion for product development. He was on my team when I first started at Kimberly-Clark. I was so green, having just graduated from college. He was a seasoned product developer with plenty of years of experience. He was just a genuinely nice person and took me under his wing and sought out opportunities for me to get different learning experiences such as teaching me different prototyping techniques and giving me the opportunity to participate in consumer research. He was also a great storyteller and he shared plenty of past mistakes and failures that helped guide me throughout my career.

Consumer research is what really got me hooked on product development. When I was able to actually hear from the consumer and better understand their frustrations and their delights, it really inspired me. For every one consumer we talk to, we know she is representing a thousand other women with the same needs. It is so satisfying when we hear from consumers about how well our products work. Nothing matches that feeling of seeing a product on the store shelf that I helped bring to market.

For the benefit of our readers, can you share the story, and outline the steps that you went through, from when you thought of the idea, until it finally landed on the store shelves? In particular we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.

Supporting the Poise brand, we work closely with the brand team to identify areas of opportunity within the market, with our consumer needs as the foundation for every product we create.

When we are tasked with a new product, our Research and Engineering team works in our lab to identify and test materials needed to deliver the desired product results to our target audience. Some products are in development for several years. In fact, some projects that teams are currently working on are 5+ years from going to market.

Whether it be updating an existing product or launching a new product, it takes time to develop the idea, get a prototype made, figure out how to manufacture it, gauge consumer interest through focus groups and other consumer research to complete a consumer launch with the support of our distribution partners.

Our newest product, the Poise Ultra Thin Pads with Wings is one of our most recent product developments and launched just this past April through major retailers and online.

Wings are an important feature that were introduced to feminine care pads in the 80’s. There are some women, where wings are a must for their pads. There is a whole generation of women using pads who have grown up with wings being an option for them. When developing products, we take into account the needs and desires of consumers and that helps us determine what features, such as wings, that we add to specific products.

One challenge that we have is some women believe that all pads are the same…that a pad is a pad, and that period pads will work as well as bladder leakage pads. From a product developer’s perspective, we want to emphasize to consumers that the fluids that go into the two types of pads are very different. Pads are specifically designed for the products fluids they are absorbing.

Many women opt to use feminine care pads to handle bladder leaks because they are handy (in the house), some women are also embarrassed about their condition and do not want to go down the incontinence aisle. They think those products are for older people. Many women don’t realize how common bladder leakage is. In fact, 1 in 3 women, of all ages, experience bladder leakage.

Pads designed for feminine care do not work well for bladder leaks. Even if the feminine care pad is absorbent, light bladder leakage might be absorbed but she’s giving up dryness and odor control. Period pads and bladder leak pads are constructed differently using different materials. Period pads do not have a special material to keep her feeling dry from bladder leaks, and they are not nearly as absorbent, so the pad might leak or may need to be changed frequently and feminine pads don’t lock up urine odor. On the contrary, bladder leakage pads are designed to tackle all of this while feminine care pads are not up to the task.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

A recent experience that comes to mind is how we continued to do product development during work-from-home during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was so impressed with the different test methods that my team developed to assess products at home.

One entertaining example was a zoom meeting where my team was collaborating on how to assess how well the pad adhesive was working and how to best show the pads staying in place. We were all on camera with tons of pads and underwear (newly purchased, not our own). You can imagine the funny reactions from our families.

The early days of the pandemic were particularly challenging because there were government stay-at-home orders, so we did not have access to our normal lab equipment.

Product developers are natural problem solvers, so we improvised tools from our kitchen and throughout our homes. One funny (or at least long-lasting!) mistake was when a team member stuck a pad to her table and when she removed it, the adhesive took the finish off the table. She now has a pad-shaped varnish-less imprint on her coffee table.

The early stages must have been challenging. Are you able to identify a “tipping point” after making your invention, when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

I first started at Kimberly-Clark as a material developer, which led to my interest in products and consumers. Along the way I learned about just how important the materials that go into products are, especially in the feminine care industry.

It’s my job to stay on top of the latest advancements and materials out there so that we can stay on top of the market and continue to provide consumers with the best, most updated product options that provide real solutions for their needs.

Getting to see firsthand the positive impact that our products have on our consumers’ lives is so meaningful to me. I have heard some really touching stories from women who would avoid doing so many activities, really missing out on life, because of their bladder leakage and when they have tried our products, how grateful they are to have a product that allows them to enjoy time with their kids, start exercising again, or just getting back to their regular lives.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Invented My Product” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

The top 5 things that I wish someone had told me before starting my career are:

• Inspiration can come from anywhere. Look at analogous categories and even things that do not relate. What problem are you trying to solve and how has another industry solved it?
• Do not get discouraged when things do not work or have “failed.” Thomas Edison quote: “I have not failed; I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.
• Write things down — document your work with detail. I used to rely on my “great memory” and found that I could not always answer very detailed questions. Details matter, especially when writing patent applications. Writing things down can help prevent having to repeat work.
• Do your research before you go too far. I have definitely wasted time working on things only to find out the learning is already out there.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions. It is easy to be shy or think others do not have time for you. Too much time is wasted because we are afraid of embarrassment.

Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

In my experience, passion is one of the strongest motivators. I would first recommend evaluating the market and competitive landscape to pinpoint how your idea could offer a solution not already available. You need to understand who you are helping with this solution — also known as your “target audience.” To best serve your audience, you need to understand the problem they are facing and how you can genuinely provide a solution. Each Kimberly-Clark brand started from an idea developed to address a family or personal care need and evolved into brands that so many consumers rely on daily.

There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

I would advise new inventors to build a team of trusted experts from a variety of relevant fields to bring a new product to life. As a research technical leader, I have the privilege to oversee and assist so many smart developers at Kimberly-Clark, and it truly is one of my favorite things to collaborate and build ideas together.

Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

My work as a product developer for the Poise brand has been incredibly meaningful when I get to see the impact of the products on the daily lives of women. Based on a survey of moms, we know nearly half of all moms with bladder leaks admit to skipping or leaving an event because of bladder leak worry. This is unacceptable, and we have the power to change this through our Poise products.

Over the past several years, I’ve supported the Poise brand in educating women that they are not alone in experiencing leaks and that there are products to effectively manage these leaks. We have been able to provide so many women of all ages and life stages — who range from young women to postpartum mothers to women experiencing menopause (and everywhere in between) — pads designed so they can be their true selves without worrying about bladder leaks.

You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

One of the primary things that I strive for through my work is to not only provide women with the solutions to live their fullest lives, but also to empower them to feel confident in who they are and what their bodies experience at the various stages of their lives. Women are amazing, their bodies can do amazing things! I would love for women to celebrate their bodies and never be ashamed. And for those women who do experience bladder leakage, I want them to know they are not alone. The adult personal care industry has come a long way in normalizing the conversation of incontinence, but it is still somewhat taboo, and I hope that over time that will change.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.