Where It Began

A few years ago, I had a friend who carried pills with her everywhere she went. It was something she needed to keep close throughout the day. As I learned more about her experience, I started noticing similar patterns in my own life.

I realized I wanted a simple, discreet way to carry the small things that helped me feel prepared throughout the day. Something I could keep close without thinking about it.

But everything I found felt off. Most options were bulky, plastic, or overly medical. They didn’t match how I lived or what I wanted to carry every day. I didn’t want a giant cylinder hanging from my keys. I wanted something small. Minimal. Discreet. Something that felt intentional, like it belonged with my everyday carry, not like an afterthought.

I’ve also always loved magnets. One day, the idea clicked.

What if a pill case opened with a magnetic slide instead of a twist?

From Idea to First Prototype

I had no background in product design, but I opened Tinkercad and started experimenting anyway. It was software I had only used for simple shapes, but it was enough to get started.

When I printed the first prototype on my small 3D printer, it wasn’t perfect. Not even close. But it was real. Something that had lived in my head was suddenly in my hands. That moment changed everything.

Over the next year, I kept iterating. Print. Test. Redesign. Repeat. I carried the prototype everywhere. Friends noticed it and asked for their own. Then their friends asked. When someone suggested I sell it, I laughed, but I also couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Eventually, I listed the first Pill Pod on Etsy.

Three days later, I made my first sale.

The product still had visible 3D-print lines. It was rough. Imperfect. But the review was thoughtful and encouraging. It confirmed that the idea mattered, even in its earliest form.

Not long after, I received a message that stuck with me. Someone shared how they were much more comfortable leaving the house because of my product.

That was the moment I understood Pill Pod wasn’t just about storage. It was about creating something small that helped people feel prepared without drawing attention.

The Journey of Refinement

I kept going.

I refined the design again and again, more than fifty versions in total. I upgraded from a single printer to a full lineup running nearly nonstop. Along the way, I learned about manufacturing, materials, packaging, trademarks, and customer experience.

I also learned patience. How to listen to feedback. How to separate myself from the opinions. How much care it takes to build something meaningful.

Eventually, demand outgrew what I could produce on my own. I took a leap and partnered with a manufacturer who could bring the design to a level far beyond what home printing allowed.

In 2024, my first shipment of professionally manufactured Pill Pods arrived. They were exactly what I had hoped for.

Where Pill Pod Is Today

Today, nearly three years after that first rough prototype, Pill Pod has grown into something I’m incredibly proud of. Tens of thousands of people now use Pill Pod as part of their everyday carry. They use it to keep small essentials close and move through their day feeling prepared.

It’s been a journey filled with uncertainty, late nights, small wins, and constant learning. It has shaped not just the product, but me as well.

What Pill Pod Stands For

Pill Pod is built on a simple idea.

• Everyone deserves to feel prepared.
• Everyone deserves objects that are both functional and thoughtfully designed.
• Everyone deserves a way to carry essentials that feels natural, discreet, and intentional.

Thank you for being here and for making Pill Pod part of your everyday life. I’m excited to keep building what comes next.

Tanner Hill
Founder, Pill Pod
Pill Pod® is owned and operated by TH Creative LLC, a small business based in Orem, Utah, USA.