Making it better: A snuggie analogy

[Dwight Schrute]

Hey guys.

While browsing around the net, I found a cool product.
It's innovative, cheap to produce, and quite simple.

Half of the comments read like "I wanna have one!", while the other half is like
"Wow. Why didn't I think of it?"
Those were also the exact two thoughts that ran through my head.
So I searched for it, and couldn't find a place that offers it. Not even one shop or offer.



Nothing.
Great idea, nonexistent execution.
6 out of 7 feedbacks for this thing were good. People want it.
The posts are from 3 years ago, yet just weeks ago someone asked
in the comments where to buy it.



Made a few notices, added my own twist to the design, and already have a catchy name.
A few minutes later I've found a company that produces simillar things for reselling.
So I've just kicked the part of my head that says "B-b-but what if..." in the neck
and sent them a mail.



That's ten minutes of "work", and I consider the manufacturing process as halfway done,
because it's so simple and easy to produce.



Now the hard thing.....distribution.
How do I get it in front of million faces?
That's the not so easy part.
Yeah, Internet & TV. Sure.
I have zero experience in that department.

Until the company replies, I will educate myself about that little problem,
but if you already know how to solve it or have some hints, please let me know.



I think if this becomes a success, there would be no reason to not disclose what this is about.

 

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[Damage Inc.]

Have you considered Facebook ads or Adwords for starters?

 

[DrkSide]

For starters I would go with either an ecommerce website or Amazon.

Your own site you have all the control but lack traffic.

Amazon you have tons of traffic but you lack control.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Have you considered Facebook ads or Adwords for starters?

No haven't considered that.
I'm an innovator, but an untalented marketer.

Thanks for your reply, I will look into it.

I think for the start it would be sufficient to get about 50-100 products and do a testrun on ebay.

 

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[The-J]

I'm anxious to see what you make of this.

You could, say, start selling on the major market places: Amazon, eBay, Rakuten before going into paid traffic.

Branding, branding, BRANDING. Emphasize your USP.

Is your product a sufficient enough improvement to patent? If you think so, you might want to talk to an attorney and get a provisional.

Good luck.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

For starters I would go with either an ecommerce website or Amazon.

Your own site you have all the control but lack traffic.

Amazon you have tons of traffic but you lack control.

Yeah, thought of that.
Do you think that just offering it on amazon with a nice picture and a good description will suffice for traffic?

I don't want to just put it out there and hope for the best.

 

[DrkSide]

Yeah, thought of that.
Do you think that just offering it on amazon with a nice picture and a good description will suffice for traffic?

I don't want to just put it out there and hope for the best.

Product launching on Amazon is easy (comparatively) and can get you in front of traffic that is ready to buy. However, if the product skyrockets in sales you will have knockoffs of it. This is absolutely not a reason not to do it but see below.

Is your product a sufficient enough improvement to patent? If you think so, you might want to talk to an attorney and get a provisional.

This is also great advice. A provisional patent is only ~$100 and can protect you for up to a year while you decide if a patent is needed/possible.

 

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[Damage Inc.]

Keep in mind that you could list on ebay or amazon and drive some additional traffic to the listing via paid ads. A few hundred bucks on facebook ads targeted to your demographic might put you in front of a lot of faces and give you some good insight. A facebook ad linking to your ebay listing would be fairly quick and easy to set up. Might be a good way to test, and you don't need to worry about ranking on amazon right away.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Wow, thanks for the replies so far.
Looks like I've got a mission.

Ok, so:

• start small, then scale up
• avoid knockoffs - talk to attorney (thats no problem, already know one who can do free patent research for me)
• BRANDING & USP - make it clear to the customer why he should buy this product
• learn more about traffic and advertising

And before I dream too much: Wait for the manufacturer to reply.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Soooo...
the company replied yesterday.

In the morning they were like
"Yes, we can do that. How much do you need?"

but in the afternoon they were like
"Sooo sorry, we can make it look like you want, but without the performance you wish."

Then they offered me a very expensive manufacturing process which would be the total overkill.
But hey, just found out they don't only produce, but also resell.

So I'm gonna do a little social engineering to find out their supplier (ASIA) who can probably produce
it like I want and for little money.

I'm gonna keep you updated.

 

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[amp0193]

Then they offered me a very expensive manufacturing process which would be the total overkill.
But hey, just found out they don't only produce, but also resell.

So I'm gonna do a little social engineering to find out their supplier (ASIA) who can probably produce
it like I want and for little money.

I ran into this looking for a supplier for a new product. I can't get it from China, and I've been trying to reach other international manufacturers with no luck. The only person I was able to establish communication with with was someone in the U.S. and it became quickly apparent that she was just a middle man between me and the overseas factory. I led her on and got as much info as I could about the sourcing process and quality of materials, then ditched her, and now I'm on my own now to find a place that can do it.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

I ran into this looking for a supplier for a new product. I can't get it from China, and I've been trying to reach other international manufacturers with no luck. The only person I was able to establish communication with with was someone in the U.S. and it became quickly apparent that she was just a middle man between me and the overseas factory. I led her on and got as much info as I could about the sourcing process and quality of materials, then ditched her, and now I'm on my own now to find a place that can do it.

Yep ditch the middle men, I want to get my stuff directly from Heisenberg and not Tuco.

Found out the contact details from the far eastern company,
and just found a friendly woman who offers to handcraft me one example for a few bucks.

Plus: She lives just a few minutes away from my place and also offers crafting courses in her workshop.
So I can watch her while she works and learn something in the process.

Next step would be to visit the lawyer.
I definately want a provisional patent before getting involved with China.

 

[RogueInnovation]

It all seems deceptively easy, but don't be easily fooled.
Producing a product is a straight forward process, doing all the other work is what soaks into your time.

Really sit down and think through this, thats what turns a flimsy concept into serious business.
THOUGHT.

I've been churning through my "simple on the surface" business for a while,
Don't jump the gun, do the thought work.
Be VEEEEEERY sceptical.

 

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[Dwight Schrute]

It all seems deceptively easy, but don't be easily fooled.
Producing a product is a straight forward process, doing all the other work is what soaks into your time.

Really sit down and think through this, thats what turns a flimsy concept into serious business.
THOUGHT.

Too late, I already fooled myself.

Instead of diving headfirst into marketing and learning it step by step, I opened this thread and asked for a magic recipe.

Instead of asking the 5 big companies in my country that would probably be happy to help me and provide good quality,
I thought of cheap production in China.

I was motivated by the possible event, but overlooked the process like the beginner I am.


From now on, this will be a personal conspiracy, until I can provide you with some kind of success or problem I encountered.

First goal: One Sale.

This is the new agenda:

Work hard, I will.

 

[db7903915]

Any updates? Really excited to see what you make of this!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Any updates? Really excited to see what you make of this!

Yes! Not a huge success, but a few steps forward in the process.

I got one example manufactured, and it works as intended. Nice
Got the OK from the lawyer, the papers for the provisorial patent filled out and brought them to the patent office.
Now waiting for the office to confirm it and to send me the bill.

In the meantime, I'll finish Stephen Key's book One Simple Idea, which twisted my original strategy around a little bit.
Already collected more than a handful company's that could use this and maybe want a licence to produce it.
This IS just a simple idea, so I'll probably follow the method layed out in the book to keep my financial risk at a minimum.

 

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[David Young]

Yes! Not a huge success, but a few steps forward in the process.

I got one example manufactured, and it works as intended. Nice
Got the OK from the lawyer, the papers for the provisorial patent filled out and brought them to the patent office.
Now waiting for the office to confirm it and to send me the bill.

In the meantime, I'll finish Stephen Key's book One Simple Idea, which twisted my original strategy around a little bit.
Already collected more than a handful company's that could use this and maybe want a licence to produce it.
This IS just a simple idea, so I'll probably follow the method layed out in the book to keep my financial risk at a minimum.

New to this forum so please excuse any poor etiquette. Getting a patent will help in the USA/Europe if needed. However, it wont stop a Chinese manufacturer copying a great product and would prove very difficult/ expensive to enforce. I have seen this first hand. Exported from Europe to Chine for a few years until a local company produced a cheap copy - even with the same brand name. The only real option was to walk away. Branding, quality and product support is more valued in the west in my opinion and should therefore be part of any product spec.