Brian Kirk was vacationing with his family at the beach when he was hit with a wave of inspiration. Lying down with a towel twisted awkwardly underneath him as a makeshift pillow, he wondered: ”Is there such a thing as a beach pillow?” After thirty minutes of searching online, he realized there was a gap in the market—one he suddenly felt compelled to fill himself.
Following a year of research and development, the Atlanta-based inventor turned that moment of enlightenment into a prototype for the Ballast Beach Pillow, a water- and stain-resistant inflatable neck rest with a built-in pocket that can be filled with sand to prevent it from blowing away in the wind.
“When you’re gifted an idea that has real merit, I feel it’s your responsibility to bring that idea to life,” said Kirk, who started selling the product in the Amazon store in 2020. “The most realistic way to do that is by creating a business.”
The first-of-its-kind product presented a unique challenge for Kirk, who struggled with getting the pillow in front of an audience who didn’t know they needed it in their lives. Selling through retail stores required a network of sales reps that Kirk didn’t have and going it alone meant spending large sums directing potential customers to a website they might not trust to give their credit card information.
“It’s kind of like setting up a store in the middle of the woods,” he joked. Amazon not only gave him immediate access to a ready-built customer network, but a range of resources that streamlined the process of breaking into the market with a never-been-done product. Kirk, whose background is in advertising, was particularly impressed with Amazon A+ Content, which gave him the ability to tell a more robust brand story by uploading video and user-generated content with his product listings.
“Amazon’s resources allowed me to tell Ballast’s story in a really compelling and comprehensive way. That’s something you don’t really find with a lot of other retailers,” he said.
A tipping point for the brand was when he joined Amazon Launchpad, a program that offers support for start-ups and emerging businesses. Through Launchpad, he received a $10,000 Innovation Grant, which he said was invaluable to helping his fledgling business get off the ground.
The level of support he’s received from Amazon, he said, has been the biggest surprise of selling in the store.
“I can’t believe the degree to which Amazon has actually been a real partner. I thought it was a huge company and that it would be a very impersonal relationship, when really that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Another program that helped give Ballast the exposure to become a best-seller was Amazon Creator Connections, which helped Kirk connect to a network of influencers to market his products. The program eventually put the Ballast Beach Pillow on the radar of actor and television host Mario Lopez, who included the product in a Father’s Day gift guide. The level of support he’s received from Amazon, said Kirk, has been a major confidence-booster.
“The fact that Amazon has taken such an interest in Ballast provides validation that we really do have something truly innovative here.”
Ballast’s Amazon sales have doubled year-over-year, launching the beach pillow into the top five sellers in the camping pillow category. Revenue from sales has enabled Kirk to expand his product line, which now includes front-lying pillows with a massage-table-like hole for breathability, as well as cooling gel packs to bring the temperature down on hot days.
Some of these upgrades, said Kirk, came from reading the Amazon customer reviews on his products, which he equates to being “like a focus group you don’t have to pay for.”
In addition to improving his product line, Ballast’s success has enabled Kirk to give back to the environment that first inspired him. He is currently exploring how Ballast can become a steward to beaches and neighboring marine life.
“The coastline is one of the most precious and cherished settings we have,” he said. “At Ballast, we want to be a company that sustains these majestic places.”