Rightline Gear Moki Door Step: Ingenious Product, All-American Success Story

Every once in a while, a product pops up on your radar and you say to yourself, “Huh, that is so clever and so simple. Why can’t I ever think of these things?!” The Rightline Gear Moki Door Step is one of those products.

Invented by a paramedic firefighter Zach Brown and his wife Alyssa, the Moki Door Step, like most great innovations, was born of necessity. Simply put: Alyssa is petite. Standing roughly 5-feet tall, she struggled to reach the rooftop gear that she and her husband needed for their outdoor adventures. And when Zach was pulling 12-hour shifts at the fire station, that meant Alyssa’s easy means of reaching things on top of the car was also pulling a 12-hour shift.

So how does this lead to product development?

As a first responder, Zach has experience prying open cars during emergency rescues. Over time, he learned that the car door striker is exceptionally strong—capable of holding over 2,000 pounds. A few prototypes later, and voilà: The Browns had invented the Moki Door Step, named after the rock-carved footholds used by the ancient cliff-dwelling Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest.

The product truly is blissfully simple. Constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum, the roughly 9-inch x 3-inch Moki Step hooks over the u-shaped latch in your car door and serves as a strong and comfortable step allowing you to easily reach the vehicle’s roof. Throw in a universal fit and easy-to-stow design, and it’s no wonder the product garnered over $100,000 on Kickstarter.

So how does that then lead to Rightline Gear?

The Browns’ successful Kickstarter campaign caught the eye of Loran Evans, CEO of Rightline Gear. He realized the Moki Door Step would serve as a great complementary product to his company’s current lineup and contacted the couple. Soon after, came an eight-year North American licensing agreement plus some tweaks to the design. Evans helped them patent a version wide enough for two feet, as well as adding rubber bumpers to protect the vehicles.

What happened next though, is pretty special.

Interested in taking their product global, the Browns pitched their product to the entrepreneurs on ABC’s Shark Tank, a reality show that pairs business owners with potential millionaire investors. The “Sharks” were impressed by the Browns’ product, as well as their Kickstarter success and partnership with Rightline Gear.

Though the Browns sought a $150,000 investment for a 5 percent stake in their company, Daymond John (best known as the founder, president, and CEO of FUBU) offered them $450,000 for 20 percent equity. Concerned with offering up that much stake in their company, Zach Brown countered by telling the Sharks that he’d be better off simply selling the whole thing.

Which is exactly what he did.

In a rare move on the show, John offered the couple a cool $3 million (which was based upon a valuation during the Rightline Gear deal) and the Browns accepted!

“The producers loved his story and the fact he’s a paramedic firefighter and his wife is an emergency room nurse, sort of an America’s couple thing,” Rightline’s Evans told the Asheville Citizen-Times. “He’s an amazing guy. He has natural sales ability, and he was excellent in our booth [at SEMA]. I would give him a job.”

Ultimately, Zach and Alyssa announced that while they enjoyed running the company, they really love their jobs helping people. And with a second child on the way, it seemed like the right time to take the deal.

(If you want to watch the Browns become instant millionaires, check out the highlights in the video below.)

“Our mission to provide innovative and accessible solutions in the sporting, outdoor, and automotive aftermarket industries aligns perfectly with Zach’s creation,” Evans told THE SHOP Magazine. “Combining our production and industry knowledge with his original design allows opportunity not only for his product to be available to a vast retail market, but also for him to return to doing what he loves: serving the community as a first responder and focusing on his growing family. I couldn’t think of a better partnership.”

Lucky for us, the Rightline Gear Moki Door Step is readily available throughout the continent. And hopefully, thanks to some Shark-infused investments, it will be found worldwide! Click here for purchasing information.