Innovator: Dr. Stephen Lee and Ziivaa

Chiropractor Dr. Stephen Lee didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. He just wanted to design a product to help alleviate menstrual pain after realizing that compression reduced cramping. So eight years ago he headed out to Home Depot, bought some materials and made a prototype adjustable belt. A few years later, convinced of its value, he partnered with local design firm ROBRADY to perfect the product and develop a business model.

After thousands of trial runs, Lee and ROBRADY released a final version this fall. Called the Ziivaa (pronounced ZEE-va) Belt, it also helped launch ROBRADY’s capital division, which creates new companies and shepherds their products from the idea stage through sales. The Ziivaa Belt is being marketed through a smart website (ziivaa.com), TV and a global ambassador program and is building a local presence by sponsoring events like the Sarasota Chalk Festival and the Sarasota Open tennis tournament. The potential market is halfthe world.

“It’s amazing how this is changing lives,” Lee says.

As the company grows, Lee may scale back his private practice to focus on Ziivaa, but he plans to continue working as the chiropractor for MacDill Air Force Base. Lee also started Greater Good Enterprises, which he hopes will be a resource for other innovators trying to improve lives with new ideas.

 

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