Vienna Woman Uses Injury As Motivation For New Business

VIENNA, VA—It was New Year's Day 2012 when Vienna resident Day Martin's life changed drastically in a car accident. She was lucky to return to her normal routine, only it wasn't so normal anymore. She dealt with persistent back pain, and sitting at a desk all day became too painful. She began looking into solutions, and she discovered the option of a standing desk. The problem was, the options were in the thousands.

That's when she got the idea to make them herself.

She looked into creating her own line of easy-to-assemble standing desks at lower prices. It started with testing cardboard models, and the excitement began to build as other colleagues with back pain expressed interest.

"I thought, 'I can do this. I can find a way to make this a business,'" she told Patch.

Martin's father-in-law, a home builder, created a prototype, and it took off from there. She decided to set up as a seller called "Stand Steady" on Amazon, from a $30 portable desk to the best seller $200 adjustable portable desk.

She has a team of six working in her Dunn Loring office, but the products are made elsewhere and shipped directly to Amazon to be delivered to customers through Fulfillment by Amazon. Through this process, Martin has been able to see her multi-million dollar business double in revenue year by year.

Martin has learned plenty of lessons along the way, including taking steps to protect her intellectual property from fraudulent sellers. "I'm glad I didn't know how much work had to be done because I wouldn't have done it," she said.

There's no doubt it's paid off. Today, she spends her time finding ways to improve products and customer service. Soon she'll be gearing up for the busiest time of year: Christmas and New Years for those "getting healthy" resolutions. Her husband also owns a business nearby, and she has two kids. The family has lived in Vienna for 11 years.

Check out her products here.

Do you have an idea for a business spotlight? Email the Vienna Patch editor at emily.leayman@patch.com.

Images courtesy of Day Martin