To eliminate this concern, she created a pouch out of an old apron, which attached to her walker, so she’d always be within reach of her phone and other necessities. She was sure that others would find her pouch as useful as she did, so she began researching production costs, using her own model as a prototype.

She was surprised to find that no hospital supply catalogs carried an item like it- the idea was simple and effective, they would be inexpensive to produce and sell, and they could provide an immediate value-add to companies selling walkers and wheelchairs.

Helen began production on her WalkerAlls in 1995, and in 6 years has grown her product line to contain 8 different aids. The original WalkerAll has 6 to 8 pouches of varying sizes, comes in colors for both men and women, and attaches to any standard walker.

She has also developed a line of Pediatric Pockets in festive colors, designed specifically for pediatric walkers and wheelchairs. For customers who are confined to hospital beds, she developed Side Rail Saddlebags, which attach to the patient’s bed.

All of Helen’s aids are designed to be practical, affordable aids for daily living. She has many repeat sales, and her customer base includes schools and retirement communities, who can choose to have their logo or other marketing imprint silk-screened on the items for visual impact.

But perhaps the most impressive thing about WalkerAlls is the fact that Helen has accomplished this without using print advertising.

Although running ads in medical equipment and hospital supply magazines seemed like an obvious choice for publicity, Helen found that they were expensive, and yielded an unimpressive response. She began surveying her other options: "My original idea was to market through direct mail, but it wasn’t worth it,” she explained.

Ultimately, she abandoned her plans for traditional marketing and turned to the Internet. "The web site has been of more value to me than anything else I’ve done.”

The WalkerAlls site went live in 1997, and it serves as both a brochure and a point of sale. The most immediate benefits of the website were that it shortened the sales cycle and brought customers to her, rather than forcing her to go out in search of them.

Consumers can simply browse the on-line catalog and order on the spot, or contact her directly with questions. "The valuable thing is having customers call and ask me for information. I’ve sent out many, many brochures as a result of the website.”

But there’s still something to be said for plain and simple word-of –mouth. My Great-Grandmother, Ophelia Ellis (pictured above), is an outspoken fan of WalkerAlls, and she speaks highly of the quality of Helen’s product, quality which has been the cornerstone of WalkerAlls’ success. At 102, energy is a precious commodity, and having the ability to keep items like keys, medications, or eyeglasses at arm’s length eliminates unnecessary and exhausting trips to retrieve them.

While we often look to the younger generation to teach us the value of new technologies, we’ll always look to the older generations to remind us that a satisfied customer is every bit as powerful, and important to our business, as the newest technology.