I was thrilled — and just a little annoyed — when a Home Depot sales assistant (yes, they exist) recommended the “Zip-It” drain cleaner to use on a couple of backed up/slow-running drains in my home.

zip_itThe $1.99 device — essentially, a long piece of plastic with attached barbs — works every bit as well as advertised (the culprit in at least one case:  Barbie doll haircuts performed by my 9 year-old daughter cum hair stylist).

Head Slapper

So, what was the annoyance about?

Why didn’t I invent that??  (I’m sure I share that sentiment with a couple other million people out there).

In fact, the inventor is a Minnesotan (from Duluth) who came up with the idea about a decade ago.

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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