Interview With Toilets.com Founder Earl Braxton – The Don of Porta John®
I would like to thank Earl Braxton for giving this interview. Mr. Braxton has an amazing history and after talking with him I know his future plans are just as big and just as amazing. Mr. Braxton owns the Porta John® portable toilet company. Notice I said ‘The’ and not ‘a’ Porta John® company. The next time you hear someone going to the Porta John you will know that is a brand that Earl Braxton built and owns. Mr. Braxton owns and runs the website Toilets.com.
Earl Braxton is also the president of the Michigan-based Pharmaceuticals.org where he, with no formal research training, developed a system to recover medicines from waste and preventing them from entering our water systems, a patented process that can easily isolate many over-the-counter and prescription drugs from urine. Mr. Braxton seen the need and a business opportunity for such a process back in 1991 simply by watching a doctor dispose of a needle.
Interview with Earl Braxton, Porta John’s founder and president of Porta John Systems.
(EE): You own the brand ‘Porta John®‘ which, according to Google, is searched for 1300 times a month. Your site, Toilets.com is at the number one position in the search results. How were you able build such a strong brand that the name in itself became the industry standard?
(Earl Braxton): “We average 21,000 page views per day.”
(EE): It looks as if you have owned the domain Toilets.com since 1997. Were you the first to register that remarkable domain or did you purchase it.
(Earl Braxton): “We were the first to register this and many other related domains.”
(EE): I understand you own well over a thousand domains acquired as far back as the nineties. How did you have the insight to build your domain portfolio?
(Earl Braxton): “Yes, we do own many domain names. We will use these Internet Addresses in the preparation to franchise and license our business model.”
(EE): There is a rumor that you had a little run in with the late Johnny Carson, TV talk show host. Would you care to elaborate?
(Earl Braxton): “We were sued by John W. Carson regarding our trademark “Here’s Johnny” and lost on the right to publicity claim by the late Mr. Carson.”
“Mr. Carson subsequently abandoned all “Here’s Johnny” trademarks for use on portable sanitation units and we applied and received the trademark, “Here’s Johnny” from the United States patent office. The Estate of John W. Carson has opposed the issuance of the Trademark to me. I am currently awaiting the decision of the Trademark Office.”
(EE): What forms of online advertising do you use, if any, to drive traffic to your site and what do you find is most effective?
(Earl Braxton): “We have been receiving E-mails and phone calls from all over the world for more than ten years at a rate that is very gratifying. We are now preparing to expand our manufacturing plant to meet the demand for our new proprietary Comfort Station products.”
(EE): You have run roadside billboards with the single word ‘Toilets.com’ as the entire ad. This has been coined a “marketing masterpiece”. What gave you the idea to use such a simplistic approach for that campaign and what were the results?
(Earl Braxton): “My good fortune was to have been alive and in business during the onset of the Internet Era. This is a marketing gift of titanic proportions. If any business can take advantage of this phenomenon and fails to do so “Shame on Them”.”
(EE): Most men of your generation have never been online or have used a computer. You are using up to four computers at a time in any given moment. Have you always been open to changes and new trends.
(Earl Braxton): “My good fortune was to be blessed with a wife, friends, co-workers and family members who let me do my own thing from the very beginning.”
(EE): Your portable toilet company ships worldwide. I understand you have shipped hundreds of portable toilets to Iraq. How difficult was it to break into the global market?
(Earl Braxton): “Until the advent of the Internet it was very difficult. Now it is much easier if you make products that meet the customers’ requirements.”
“Since 12/01/06 we have sold products in all 50 States, 3 Commonwealth Territories and 33 countries.”
(EE): You have many registered trademarks and patents. What advice would you give up and coming entrepreneurs in regard to obtaining their first patent or registering a trademark?
(Earl Braxton): “Make sure your concept satisfies a need. The best person to get your money from is your customer because you don’t have to pay it back.”
(EE): One last question. You have had the foresight to recognize new trends and the confidence to act on them. What do you see coming next? What’s the next big trend we should watch for?
(Earl Braxton): “There is a trend toward eliminating portable toilets for safer and cleaner sanitation stalls. Thus we have received patent #6721697 for our Comfort Station that has no waste storage in the lavatory stall, no chemicals and no steps for greater handicapped accessibility.”
“Time may be running out for the ubiquitous portable toilet. Our latest E-mail exchange with the Center For Disease Control can be seen here.“
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David from WeddingPhotographerNottingham on November 2nd, 2009
Excellent interview. Its fascinating to hear about other businesses.
[Reply]
Brian D. Hawkins Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:29 am
Thanks David, Mr. Braxton is an interesting businessman.
[Reply]