Selling My First Grypmat- I Almost Quit
My Trade Show Booth Setup:
- A display made from chopping up a door of my house and painting it black
- A curved whiteboard I found while dumpster-diving in college
- A table borrowed from the Airbnb
- A table cover—actually my bedsheet from home
- For sale: 600 Grypmats
- Experience in sales: Selling hotdogs when I was 8
I had no clue what I was doing.
EAA Oshkosh is the world’s largest air show. Over 10,000 planes fly in each year, turning a small town of 60,000 citizens into 500,000. It’s a place where you might casually run into CEOs of Boeing and American Airlines—or even Harrison Ford.
And this was where I decided to launch my invention, the Grypmat.
I had done my research. I knew that the homebuilders—people who build entire airplanes in their garages—would be my best audience. I had visited the year before and received great feedback. This was it. This was my moment.
So, I loaded up a truck and trailer with Grypmats. Completely full. Boxes stacked so high I couldn’t see out the passenger window. I drove eight hours straight from Ohio to Wisconsin without stopping.
This was going to be huge.
Oshkosh – Day 1
This show lasts seven days. Based on my feedback from last year, I was confident I’d sell out in two, maybe three days.
Worst case? I could drive back to Michigan overnight, pick up more, and return.
I handed out flyers. No one wanted them. They were too big and ugly.
End of Day 1 Sales:
17 Grypmat Sold.
That night, I called the girl I was dating at the time.
"It’s not going to be as big as I thought."
It had taken me 30 months to get Grypmat into production, and this was my first time selling it. I lay in bed, on the edge of crying myself to sleep.
Then, something hit me. A feeling of resilience. A fire inside me that I couldn’t put into words at the time, but the message was clear:
I have six more days. The least I could do was show up.
Relentless Action
For the next week, I put the pedal to the metal. I was the first one in and the last one out. I stayed until the security guard kicked me out and I would try to sell him a Grypmat in the process. I crashed after-parties with my dumpster-made display—(also, great way to get free food).
Then, momentum started rolling.
People ran to my booth saying: 📢 "My buddy Frank bought one, and I HAVE to get one!" 📢 "I think I saw you last night at the XYZ party, this is a great idea!"
Sales grew each day.
- Day 2: 30
- Day 3: 42
- Day 4: 53
- Day 5: 57
- Day 6: 64
Day 7: The Final Push
People told me, “Sunday is the worst sales day.” Many booths don’t even show up. Attendance is half of what it was during the week.
I didn’t care.
I screamed in my truck the entire drive to the show: "I WILL SELL 100 GRYPMATS! I WILL SELL 100 GRYPMATS!"
I get to my booth five minutes late. Normally, I’m an hour early. But today, I needed to bring the trailer to load up the extra Grypmats I didn't sell.
I rush in—and see a crowd around my booth.
People were leaving town, but before they left, they wanted one thing: Grypmats.
I refused to discount them. You want a deal? Buy a whole case. People were in a hurry. They didn’t have time to negotiate.
They pulled out cash, handed me money, and grabbed entire boxes. I had been there five minutes and sold over 40 Grypmats.
For the rest of the day, if someone was in the building, there was a 50% chance they were looking for me.
At the end of the show, I am behind the booth counting how many I sold.
Its the highest day...
Total sales:
101 Grypmats.
I had hit my goal!
Tears started welling in my eyes.
Then, the guy at the booth across from me called my name.
“Have you ever sold in the automotive industry?”
I shook my head. “No, this is my first show.”
He and his partner sell tools for car mechanics and were here selling to test the aviation market.
They had been shocked at how much I was selling—especially on the slowest day.
Then, he made an offer:
“We have a warehouse 30 minutes away. We’ll buy every Grypmat you have left.”
We agreed on a price per unit. I loaded up the rest of my inventory in their truck. Drove to their warehouse.
And they handed me a check for $10,240.
I hadn’t just hit my goal—I sold everything.
I took a picture because I thought it was fake.
The Lesson I Almost Missed
For years, I had been forcing my goals. I was willing to do whatever it took. Rain or shine. No matter what.
And I crossed the finish line.
But looking back, I realized something:
💡 When you operate from your intuition, you don’t need to force anything.
You listen. You take action. You give it everything you’ve got. But you let it unfold.
Listening to your intuition is like going to the chiropractor. You don’t force the adjustment—you let it happen.
The more you force, the harder it gets.
I did a great job listening to my intuition in the beginning. But along the way? I battled with doubt, struggle, and resistance.
When you are with your intuition, success doesn't need to be a struggle.
Have a great day!
- Tom
If you like this story, I would love for you to check out a podcast I was on this week talking about my story with Grypmat. Take a look and leave a comment!
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