From Hostel Beds to Million-Dollar Sales: SplayTray
Los Angeles, April 10, 2025, (AP) — In the summer of 2017, while hopping between cramped hostels throughout Southeast Asia, a UC Davis design graduate repeatedly found herself in a familiar predicament: limited counter space forcing her to spread toiletries across her bed, only to repack everything moments later.
This everyday traveler’s frustration sparked an idea that would eventually transform into a patented bag that converts into a surface tray, allowing users to easily access contents without removing items. The invention has reached over $1 million in sales and has been shipped to 175 countries.
“I started envisioning a bag that would open out so you could see everything without needing to remove all of the items,” said the creator, who began developing prototypes immediately upon returning to the United States.
The development journey from concept to market-ready product took approximately two years. It started with a rudimentary manila envelope model and progressed through several iterations. The founder created a fabric prototype on her mother’s sewing machine before enlisting professional help to finalize a design suitable for manufacturing.
By December 2018, she had secured a manufacturer and launched a Kickstarter campaign that reached its funding goal the following month. The initial production run of 500 units arrived in June 2019, marking the official market debut of the SplayTray.
What separates the product from traditional travel accessories is its dual functionality. Strong magnets enable the bag to maintain its shape while allowing users to quickly transform it into a flat surface that displays all contents simultaneously.
“The beauty of SplayTray is that it functions perfectly in either form — it is durable and attractive as a bag, while providing a sturdy surface as a tray,” the inventor explained during the interview.
Material selection was crucial to the product’s functionality. The interior uses faux leather for easy cleaning with antibacterial spray, while the exterior features stain-resistant polyester with faux leather accents for a minimalist, high-end appearance that accommodates various color options.
Despite creating the product primarily for makeup and toiletries, consumer feedback revealed unexpected versatility. Users have adapted the SplayTray for everything from picnic supplies and crafting materials to more specialized applications.
“I’ve had customers say they use their SplayTrays for scrapbooking materials, jewelry making supplies, fly-fishing gear, fountain pen collections, crochet tools, medications, and even Dungeons and Dragons dice,” she noted.
The business experienced a pivotal moment in November 2020 when promotional content on TikTok went viral. The surge in demand depleted inventory within 24 hours and established social media as the brand’s most effective marketing channel.
“TikTok has been the most valuable marketing platform,” the founder said. “I realized that people love following the journey of SplayTray so my strategy became posting as authentically as possible and being transparent about the challenges that come with running a business.”
This approach helped the founder connect with customers beyond the product itself. While women between 18–45 represent the primary demographic, she reports a substantial male customer base, often purchasing as gifts for female friends and family members.
The accessibility of the SplayTray reflects core brand values. Setting an affordable price point was deliberate, ensuring broad availability across consumer segments. Sustainability considerations also influenced design decisions, including shipping in reusable dust covers rather than disposable plastic packaging.
The product has made a particular impact among travelers with special requirements. One testimonial came from a young woman named Makayla who experienced paralysis from a cheerleading accident. With limited mobility from her chest down, she found the SplayTray exceptionally easy to use during travel.
Another customer living in a recreational vehicle described the product as “life-changing” for daily makeup application in confined quarters.
Before SplayTray’s creation, the founder’s professional path included non-design positions that ultimately provided complementary skills for product development and marketing. After graduating from UC Davis with a design degree, she worked in Florence, Italy, gaining firsthand experience with travel challenges. Later, a tech sales role in San Francisco taught her essential business skills.
“Every job I had over those 4 years helped me develop skills that I would end up applying to the creation of SplayTray,” she reflected.
The journey wasn’t without challenges. Finding a manufacturer capable of consistently producing high-quality units with properly calibrated magnets required significant trial and error. While the founder’s belief in the product never wavered, she acknowledges a period when SplayTray became a secondary focus while working full-time elsewhere to self-fund production.
“When Covid hit, it put things in perspective and I realized I had neglected the product that I was so passionate about,” she said. “I quit my job to invest all of my time and energy in SplayTray because I knew it had so much potential.”
That decision proved pivotal, leading to the viral TikTok exposure and subsequent growth. The product’s legal protection includes both a utility patent and a trademark.
Initial financial backing came from a modest $2,000 investment from friends and family, followed by Kickstarter funding for the first production run. Since the 2020 viral success, the business has been self-sustainable, reinvesting sales revenue into inventory expansion.
Looking toward 2025, the company aims to diversify beyond its TikTok success by implementing new marketing strategies targeting broader demographics. Potential collaborations with established brands are under consideration, alongside product enhancements and expansion into new colors and materials.
Reflecting on the entrepreneurial journey, the founder emphasized lessons in resilience and self-education. “As a business owner without a business degree, I’ve learned that I’m capable of teaching myself so much of what I need to know with a bit of googling, hard-work, and determination,” she said.
Family support proved vital throughout the process. Parents and sisters provided advice, operational assistance, and moral support. A friend named Taryn, for whom the founder had previously worked, shared valuable small business expertise that continues to inform business decisions.
Beyond commercial success, the creator hopes the SplayTray’s impact extends to improving travel experiences worldwide. “I hope it can ease some of the stress and frustration that comes with traveling,” she said. “I want people to be able to spend their time on more important things than digging through their bags.”
When asked if she had advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly in the saturated travel market, she emphasized the importance of differentiation and genuine value addition. “There are so many travel products on the market, so the most important aspects to consider are how your product adds value to the travel experience and what’s unique about your product that differentiates it from your competitors.”
The SplayTray’s evolution from simple hostel frustration to international success story exemplifies how identifying and solving everyday problems can lead to innovation with broad appeal.
Originally published at https://www.newsbreak.com.