How a Single Mom Turned Ants Into an Invention

Summary

Living Your Legacy Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: How a Single Mom Turned Ants Into an Invention
Host: Rudy Mawer
Guest: Laura Custer, CEO of Reliable Pet Solutions
Release Date: July 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Living Your Legacy" features an inspiring conversation with Laura Custer, a single mother turned inventor and CEO. Sparked by a personal challenge—ants infiltrating her dogs’ food—Laura designed a unique pet food and water feeder called the Feeding Friend. She shares the journey from napkin sketch to patent, all while overcoming skepticism, financial hurdles, and her lack of business background. This candid dialogue offers not just entrepreneurial insights, but also life lessons on resilience, happiness, and following inspiration.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Inspiration: Ants Spark an Innovative Idea

• Personal Need Drives Innovation:
  • Laura recounts coming home from work, dealing with ants in her dogs’ food, and her failed attempts to keep them out using chalk, canola oil, and even floating the food dish.
    • “I noticed ants were in my dog's food...I began the process of looking for a solution. And I was throwing food away like crazy.” (00:00–00:53)
• From Problem to ‘Inspiration’:
  • “It became my mission to actually find something and there just wasn't anything on the market. So one day I took that next step. I started with my napkin drawing.” (00:31–01:00)
• A Simple Idea Ignites a Purpose:
  • “I never even thought about being an entrepreneur or any of that. It was just an idea. Invention, solving a problem.” (01:00–01:04)

2. From Napkin to Prototype: Pursuing the Solution

• Initial Skepticism from Mentors:
  • Laura approached SCORE (retired business professionals for advice). They liked her idea but doubted her resources:
    • “They basically said I really didn't have a plan and it probably wasn't worth pursuing.” (00:36–00:44, 06:10–06:32)
• Persistence Despite Doubt:
  • She pushes forward, finding a CAD artist to create a prototype:
    • “It worked beautifully. And then I thought, well, great. I've got this prototype.” (07:31–07:45)

3. The Feeding Friend: What It Is and How It Works

• Explaining the Invention:
  • “The base of the feeder has is a moat of water...the moat, in the middle is a column that has a food dish. The food dish can adjust any direction...And then I did recently invent a portion control and timer so that food can be released in certain quantities and at certain times.” (07:48–08:17)
• Ant-Proof by Design:
  • “To keep the ants out, it’s just drinking water. The ants can't get to the column that leads to the food. And that's what it is. A simple design.” (08:17–08:41)

4. Overcoming Obstacles—Legal, Financial, and Emotional

• Patent Hurdles:
  • Laura’s attorney discouraged the process, suggesting her idea lacked novelty and was unlikely to receive a patent:
    • “I don't see how you think you'll get a patent.” (10:03–10:16)
  • But Laura persisted, borrowing from her 401k to fund the patent process:
    • “It was all the money I had, plus I borrowed some from my 401.” (10:25–10:39)
• Relentless Determination:
  • “You don't have fear of losing when you really know that there's no way you can lose. You can only succeed by trying.” (14:19–14:33)

5. Personal Story—A Childhood of Simplicity and Adaptation

• Life in a Converted Milk Truck:
  • “My father was a milkman...he took this old 1950s Carnation milk truck...converted it...we grew up in that. We were so young, we didn't really know different, so it was wonderful.” (11:33–12:27)
  • Learning on the road, homeschooled, and visiting historical sites informed her worldview and sense of resourcefulness.
• Resilience through Simplicity:
  • “You can literally have nothing and be happy...Live off the land.” (13:24–13:44)

6. The Dog Industry and Community Reception

• Broad Feedback and Impact:
  • Laura explains how the Feeding Friend, available in multiple sizes, is appreciated by pet and farm animal owners for its reliability:
    • “The large one...has the float valve system and the hose keeps the water constant...I've had people say, yeah, I want my goats or my farm animals. This is perfect.” (17:04–17:16)
• Recognition and Market Validation:
  • “We just got back from a big international pet show in Chicago last week, and we did win best of show—national and international.” (17:36–17:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Unstoppable Inspiration:
  • “It's inspired. It's in you. And those are important things to pay attention to in life. I've learned.” (05:45)
• On Advice and Limits:
  • Podcast Host: “So it's even worse. It's like, we love the idea. It's you. It's like, oh, it's your situation.” (07:01)
• Childhood Wisdom:
  • “The biggest takeaway for me was you can literally have nothing and be happy.” (13:24)
• Defining Success:
  • “You don't have fear of losing when you really know that there's no way you can lose. You can only succeed by trying.” (14:19–14:33)
• On Community Response:
  • “The biggest thing I do here is we can finally go away for an overnight trip. I don't have to worry so much. It's giving a lot of people peace of mind.” (18:27–18:49)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:08: Laura describes the initial ant problem and invention inspiration.
• 02:04–03:10: Introduction to Laura’s background, family, and relocation to Oregon.
• 03:29–05:10: Describing failed attempts to solve the ant problem and the ‘napkin moment’.
• 06:09–07:01: Rejection from SCORE advisors and its impact.
• 07:09–08:41: Prototype development and Feeding Friend functionality.
• 09:10–10:39: Facing legal and financial obstacles in patent pursuit.
• 11:33–13:24: Laura recounts growing up in a milk truck and lessons of happiness and resilience.
• 17:03–18:15: Pet industry feedback and trade show recognition.
• 18:27–19:20: Customer stories and impact of Feeding Friend in pet owners’ lives.

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Conclusion

This episode showcases how a simple need led a determined single mom to become an inventor and entrepreneur—despite limited resources and repeated discouragement. Through resilience, resourcefulness, and intuition, Laura not only built a practical product but also fostered a sense of empowerment and happiness independent of material success. Her journey, as shared in her own voice and in engaging back-and-forth with Rudy Mawer, offers both inspiration and practical wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone seeking purpose-driven innovation.

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Transcript

[Laura Custer]

I noticed ants were in my dog's food.

[Podcast Host]

Oh.

[Laura Custer]

So I began the process of looking for a solution. And I was throwing food away like crazy. I decided it was what I call an inspiration. It became my mission to actually find something and there just wasn't anything on the market. So one day I took that next step. I started with my napkin drawing. Then I went to a wonderful group of men. They basically said I really didn't have a plan.

[Podcast Promo Voice]

And.

[Laura Custer]

And it probably wasn't worth pursuing. The next step for me was, what do I do from here?

[Narrator/Announcer]

Laura Custer is an innovative, resilient and purpose driven entrepreneur, inventor, and the CEO of Reliable Pet Solutions. Best known as the patented inventor of the feeding friend. She turned a simple idea into a practical solution for pet owners.

[Laura Custer]

That's, I think why I've gotten to where I am today is because I didn't think of the big picture and how I was going to get there. I just kept taking a step, but

[Podcast Host]

never even thought about being an entrepreneur or any of that. It was just an idea.

[Laura Custer]

Just an idea. Invention, solving a problem.

[Podcast Host]

All right.

[Laura Custer]

And then I got excited because I thought, well, this could help so many other people.

[Podcast Host]

It spans the globe like a super high Internet. Elvis Presley. Today, Apple is going to reinvent.

[Podcast Promo Voice]

It's not over until I win. The Living youg Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan Open Chicago. With the lead, Usain Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream.

[Podcast Host]

Hi, everyone. Welcome again to another episode of Legacy Makers Podcast. And I'm here with a wonderful guest that came all the way from Oregon today. She said it's 50 degrees, but can you introduce yourself?

[Laura Custer]

My name is Laura Custer. I was born in Bakersfield, California, and now I've moved to Oregon to be with my son, his wife and my two year old granddaughter.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

Which is a true blessing for me. Plus, I love the cold. And I am the CEO of Reliable Pet Solutions and I invented a pet food and water dish that.

[Podcast Host]

You invented a pet food and a water dish?

[Laura Custer]

Yes, I do.

[Podcast Host]

Okay. So are they like a pet food and then a water. So you invented two things.

[Laura Custer]

It's one thing. It's one thing that does two things.

[Podcast Host]

Okay. So, yeah, please, please explain.

[Laura Custer]

Well, I've always been a single mother with my son and I had two large dogs and worked.

[Podcast Host]

What kind of dog? We got a lot of dog people. I'm a dog person. You know, when you say dog, I think Pug, that's what I used to have.

[Laura Custer]

Well, I had a boxer mix and a black lab.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

Lucky and pismo.

[Podcast Host]

All right.

[Laura Custer]

And we had a huge backyard, so they got to roam freely. And this was in Bakersfield.

[Podcast Host]

In Bakersfield. Okay.

[Laura Custer]

So working all day, I. I would come home, of course. Single mother, gotta cook. And there came a time when I noticed ants were in my dog's food.

[Podcast Host]

Oh.

[Laura Custer]

So I began the process of looking for a solution.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

I'm sure everybody's tried the floating it. The food in.

[Podcast Host]

And the ants are coming through the house into your dogs.

[Laura Custer]

They were in the backyard.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

Okay. Yeah. So when they were in the home, they had other food, but when I was gone, they liked the backyard. Lots of trees and shade and room to roam.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

So I could not find a solution. And I was throwing food away like

[Podcast Host]

crazy because you don't want to use chemicals, you know, near the dog food you don't like. What was the testing process like? You know, like a little barrier. Were you building walls?

[Laura Custer]

Like, I was looking everything up online. Putting chalk around the food. That didn't.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah. Because, like, if the ants, they have, like, a little memory path, and you can just like, put a line with your finger. Right. And that would disrupt their. Their path. Okay. So a line of chalk, you would think that that'd be like.

[Podcast Promo Voice]

Oh.

[Laura Custer]

And then I tried canola oil around the food, floating it in a big swimming pool where my do could still

[Podcast Host]

get to the thing.

[Laura Custer]

The problem was the food would migrate to the edge, and the next thing I knew, there were ants.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

So I got frustrated, and ants are the smartest thing. The little brown ones, they call them sugar ants. They're just crazy. So I decided it was what I call an inspiration. It became my mission to actually find something. And there just wasn't anything on the market.

[Podcast Host]

Okay. And then.

[Laura Custer]

So one day, I took that next step. I drew out.

[Podcast Host]

You had the aha moment.

[Laura Custer]

I just decided to draw it out on a napkin.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

And I'm not an artist.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

Show it to my family and ask them what their thoughts were. And they were all very positive. So from there, I had no idea where to start with this. But when you're inspired and you keep thinking about something, you just know. At least I knew I couldn't let it go.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. It's like the. How my friend would say, the unquenchable thirst. You know, you gotta. Or the unscratchable itch. You have to get it.

[Laura Custer]

It's inspired. It's in you. And those are important things. To pay attention to in life. I've learned. So, long story short, I started with my napkin drawing, and then I went to a wonderful group of men in a place. It's called Score, and it's actually retired businessmen that will listen to your idea and give you advice.

[Podcast Host]

Hey, nice.

[Laura Custer]

So I decided, hey, I'm going to go see if they have any ideas for me. And because what I was doing was unique, there really wasn't a lot of advice. None of them had made any prototypes or had much idea for me. And they basically said I really didn't have a plan and it probably wasn't worth pursuing.

[Podcast Host]

Uh. Oh, okay.

[Laura Custer]

And I walked away from there feeling, gosh,

[Podcast Host]

you gotta hate that.

[Laura Custer]

I did. I felt a little like.

[Podcast Host]

I know. It's like the doctors saying you can't walk. It's the people saying that your idea sucks. It's. It's. Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

Oh, no, they loved the idea. They just said that I wasn't in a position to be able to, you know, financially pursue it. Yeah, I had a great idea, but that was all I got. And they said, you're not gonna.

[Podcast Host]

So it's even worse. It's like, we love the idea. It's you. It's like, oh, it's your situation.

[Laura Custer]

Okay. Well, I couldn't stop. It kept at me. And I finally got ahold of a cad artist in teleria and he. He helped me put together my idea and actually made what's called an additive resin prototype. So he made something I could actually take home and test.

[Podcast Host]

Wow, Nice.

[Laura Custer]

I did. I had a blast with it. I put it in a bunch of ants for days, just to check. It worked beautifully. And then I thought, well, great. I've got this prototype.

[Podcast Host]

What is it?

[Laura Custer]

The feeding friend. The base of the feeder has is a moat of water.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

And it has the ability, either through a bottle or a hose, to replenish water as the animal drinks.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

Down and from the moat, in the middle is a column that has a food dish. The food dish can adjust any direction. Yeah. So that you can feed multiple animals at a time. And the hopper sits on top of that.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

So the hopper holds the kibble. And then I did recently invent a portion control and timer so that food can be released in certain quantities and at certain times. Wow. So basically, to keep the ants out, it's just drinking water. The ants can't get to the column that leads to the food. And that's what it is. A simple design.

[Podcast Host]

Humans outsmarted the ants. We win.

[Laura Custer]

I've Tested it all over. So the next step for me was what do I do from here? Well, I just.

[Podcast Host]

So many steps, as in attorney.

[Laura Custer]

And that, that's, I think why I've gotten to where I am today is because I didn't think of the big picture and how I was going to get there. I just kept taking a step.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

Okay, well, what's next? Let's see what's next.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And because you had no business background, you never thought, never even thought about being an entrepreneur or any of that. It was just an idea, just invention, solving a problem. All right.

[Laura Custer]

And then I got excited because I thought, well, this could help so many other people. They could go away for the weekend and not worry about their animals being fed and watered.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

I just got inspired. Not just for myself, because I had one for myself. It was, how can I get this out there for other people? And so the feeding friend was born.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So it was the attorney that made you think of the big picture.

[Laura Custer]

I know. He actually told me not to even try for the patent.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

My attorney love him very process.

[Podcast Host]

It's an expensive. It's very daunting on itself.

[Laura Custer]

And if you don't get the patent, you don't get your money back.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

So I went to him with it and he said, I don't suggest it. It's already been invented. There's already a water with replenishment. There's already like gravity fed and portion control food.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

So I don't see how you think you'll get a patent.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So you're coming to all kinds of blockades here and there and there I did. Okay. Wow.

[Laura Custer]

I. And he, and I said, I still want to go for it. I want to go for the, the utility patent and the design patent. Yeah, go for it. And it was all the money I had, plus I borrowed some from my 401.

[Podcast Host]

But we did it take you taking the leap. So we're, we haven't shot the episode yet and we're going to shoot. I'm looking forward to shooting the episode and learning all about this because it's so interest when you come to so many, you know, the people saying you can't do it and the people saying that, you know, you don't have the money for it and not the big vision and then you. It's expensive here, there, there. There's just so many no's and. Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

And.

[Podcast Host]

And this is just a preview of our episode. So. But let's, let's talk a bit, a little bit about. I Guess a little bit about your life. I did read that you were living in a milk truck. Right. So these days it's like, oh, yeah, milk truck. That's amazing. Because this whole van life, and then they think, okay, you can convert it into like, whatever, you know. But I don't think you were talking about Van life.

[Laura Custer]

No. My father was a milkman for Carnation back in the 60s.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

And for whatever reason, when I was six years old, he decided to sell the house, take all of our money, and give it to a missionary fund.

[Podcast Host]

Whoa.

[Laura Custer]

Everything. He just decided that's it. So he took this old 1950s Carnation milk truck, and they looked like a big Beetle. And then just so he converted it so we could sleep on an. On the top and then luggage underneath. Mom and dad drove, and it was myself and my two brothers.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Laura Custer]

So I was six. Michael, my youngest brother, was only six months old.

[Podcast Host]

So he's like the Van Life pioneer. That was like the OG Original Van Lifer. That is amazing.

[Laura Custer]

Yeah. His crib in there was a toilet paper box. So we set him in there and he. He'd look out over the box. It was precious.

[Podcast Host]

Wow. All right.

[Laura Custer]

So we grew up in that. We were so young, we didn't really know different, so it was wonderful. And my father was a history teacher before that, so we got to travel and see all of the historic landmarks. Monticello, Gettysburg, Alamo.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

My mother homeschooled us as we traveled.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Well, you could see how it's grown into this whole huge culture of van lifeing because of the freedom and the traveling and the different experiences.

[Laura Custer]

It was a fabulous experience. I don't really know what it's like to grow up going to school, really, from kindergarten on. I didn't enter back into the school system until I was 11. But we learned so much. And when we did enter back into the system, we were several grades ahead of our age group.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, whoa.

[Laura Custer]

So being self taught and all the things we had learned in the world and through my parents was a huge benefit to me. But the biggest takeaway for me was you can literally have nothing and be happy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Okay.

[Laura Custer]

Literally, you know, no refrigerators. Live off the land.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

Eat acorn.

[Podcast Host]

No. It's an important thing to learn, you know, like, I used to lead trips in Southeast Asia to a lot of, you know, pretty well off high school students at some of the best prep schools in America. And yeah, you send out your kids to third wheel country countries to see, you know, the. The hill tribes and realize that they're all much happier than all these rich kids. And they don't have much. They're in their bamboo homes farming and. But it's an important lesson to learn, you know. It really is.

[Laura Custer]

Yeah, it's great for me, it's been wonderful. Because you're not. You don't have fear of losing when you really know that there's no way you can lose. You can only succeed by trying.

[Podcast Host]

We get lost in this capitalist mindset and society and that simple thing of what is happiness? You know, you can be happy without all this stuff. It's just the brainwashing, you know, that kind of makes you think that's what you need.

[Laura Custer]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

But let's talk about a little bit about the dog industry. Because if you are a dog owner, it's like almost like there's two kinds of people in this world, dog owners and non dog owners. But it's a wonderful industry, you know, having pets, having a dog. I remember my first dog, I was in Thailand and I saw this. My wife, she used to. She's half Thai, half Italian, and she used to be a pup breeder and competitions and all this stuff. And she's had a ton of different dogs. And then, I mean, she was really young. This was like, you know, before high school. And then she had. And she. Yeah, really young, right. Doing this.

[Laura Custer]

Wow, very impressive.

[Podcast Host]

Into high school. And. And she realized, okay, where do some of these dogs go? And all that stuff, and started asking questions, you know, and then realized it wasn't for her. Right. But she got me into dogs and then brought me to one of the kennels. And then, because I had seen this video of a Thug Pug on YouTube. Right? And it was a. It was a. Excuse me. It was a pug with a hoodie on and it was playing hip hop music. And I was like, oh my God, this thing's so cute. And so we went to the kettle and I picked out the most rambunctious one. I was like, oh, this one's cool. And we took him home and what we got to name him. I was like, okay, I'm in Thailand and I think a thug pug is cool and he's going to be a thug pug. So let's name him Thai. Like Thai, like Thailand. And we name him Tyrone.

[Laura Custer]

You know, I love it. Perfect for a thug.

[Podcast Host]

Perfect for a thug plug, right? In Thailand.

[Laura Custer]

Yes.

[Podcast Host]

So. But it shows you how much personality they have. How you said you were a single parent, but having two dogs, that's not a single parent. You know, that's like, you know, being a mom to two dogs is a huge undertaking. Right. So, yeah. Now that you're in the kind of business of the whole doggy world. Right. How's it. How's it been?

[Laura Custer]

It's been exciting. I get a lot of feedback. So I've made my feeders in small, medium, and large.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Laura Custer]

And the large one, it's a lot of fun because that one has the float valve system and the hose keeps the water constant. I've had people say, yeah, I want my. My goats or my farm animals. This is perfect, because then I don't have to worry about them running out of water. I've been embraced. And we just got back from a big international pet show in Chicago last week, and we did win best of show.

[Podcast Promo Voice]

Hey.

[Laura Custer]

National and international.

[Podcast Promo Voice]

Wow.

[Laura Custer]

That. That has really. It allowed people to actually hold the feeder. You feel the feeder. You know, the buyers of these big retail stores and Canada and European buyers, as well as our own, they loved it and they loved the idea. It's just getting people to know it's available. That that's, you know, there's so many products out there.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Laura Custer]

So I'm excited to roll this out and that everybody embraced the feeder, the feeding friend. And I'm excited.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And I'm sure all the. All of your clients are excited, too, and you get great feedback from it. And dog owner, parents are the best, you know. So I'm sure your clients and your customers are amazing.

[Laura Custer]

Well, and, you know, the biggest thing I do here is we can finally go away for an overnight trip.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Laura Custer]

I don't have to worry so much. It's giving a lot of people peace of mind. When they're late, they can't get home in time. They know that that portion is going to be doled out or that the water will be replenished if they're not.

[Podcast Host]

So the food that you made is that it's a special food that gets put in the dish.

[Laura Custer]

It's just any kibble, any normal kibble. So it's hard. Some people use the soft, but they just put it in the dish because they like the water moat for the ants. But it's designed to hold several pounds of kibble. The big One holds almost 20 pounds of kibble, and it's very simple, very effective, and it's turning out to be a real blessing for a lot of people.

[Podcast Host]

Amazing. Well, I'm excited to get into it, and I'm sure a lot of people out there are going to be excited to get into it and hear your story because there's a lot of lessons to be learned. So thank you for joining us again, and I can't wait to spend some more time with you. Thank you, but that's all for now.