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AMA: New Supplement Biz, Profitable in Month 1

Ask me anything!

benhebert

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Hey fastlaners,

I've been posting here for a while on blogging and internet marketing strategies, but I just launched my new business @ naturalstacks.com and after less than one month we are profitable and are clearing XX,XXX this month. It's enough to buy a ton of MacBooks.

As an entrepreneur, I'm always looking for ways to stay focused and work smarter. We created products that we can use without the compromise. All-natural, zero synthetics and manufactured in America.

What is it?

NaturalStacks.com has released the world's first an only CILTEP nootropic. CILTEP is theorized to improve memory, retention and motivation and has been mentioned by famous entrepreneurs like Tim Ferriss. Tim said that CILTEP is "more effective than modafinil" a statement that we proudly tote.

We're also at war with the supplement industry and have decided to go completely transparent with our labeling and ingredients. Most people hide behind fake "proprietary formulas", we don't.

Keys to early profitability

Established credibility early: We were able to bring in the stack's creator and have him personally formulate CILTEP for us. He perfected the stack and made it even better. Through our partnership he has gone on to promote the stack and it has given us credibility in the market.

Pick the right partners: Our marketing has been extremely limited but we did make a few appearances on podcasts like this one at SMARTDRUGSMARTS. With a new product, it's important to get the word out to the hardcore / early adopters first. These people will become champions for your brands.

Offer a great deal: When you don't have the trust of the market yet, you need to help convince them to buy. By creating credibility through the right type of partnerships, we were able to offer an outstanding buy.

You too can get in on the deal (expiring today):
Buy CILTEP and get SMART CAFFEINE for free.

Smart Caffeine is caffeine + l-theanine the natural calming agent found in green tea. It's an awesome energy boost that's way cheaper than coffee or redbull and cleaner as well. No jitters or anxious feelings.

Additional notes:
- website is built on shopify
- hired a developer for additional customizations (highly recommended)
- working on installing office autopilot and integrating w/ shopify
- entered the shopify build a business contest

ASK AWAY​
 
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Eskil

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Looks nice, and congrats to your early success.

Have you considered offering sample packs of this? Certainly the type of product that would lend itself well to the sample model, as people could really feel the effect and then want more.
 
G

Guest12120

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Congrats on your success!

Here are my questions:

How did you figure out what type of product to sell?

How long did it take to formulate the stack?

Do you sell only through the website or you use other distribution channels?

What was the initial investment in the business?
 

Jimbo

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Thanks for doing this mate! Congrats on your success thus far!

What would you say is the key factor that has allowed you to scale to this point so quickly?

Also what are your opinions on Shopify? Is it a platform that has allowed you to provide all of the functionality that you needed/wanted? Can it scale comfortably along with the business?
 
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benhebert

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Have you considered offering sample packs of this? Certainly the type of product that would lend itself well to the sample model, as people could really feel the effect and then want more.

We've considered doing sample packs, but since we're self funded we didn't think it was the best idea to put a bunch of capital into something that we wouldn't make money from.

We'll get into smaller sizes soon for distribution at college campuses and startup incubators soon though.
 

benhebert

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How did you figure out what type of product to sell?

How long did it take to formulate the stack?

Do you sell only through the website or you use other distribution channels?

What was the initial investment in the business?

The product had been discussed about in multiple forums and podcasts. We just put it all together into one easy pill for people to take.

We formulated the stack based off of existing research, but it was upgraded with Abelard Lindsay's research. All of the information is available online and if you'd like you can make the stack by buying each ingredient individually.

We sell through the website and other wholesalers just like most retailers.

The original investment wasn't as much as you'd need to develop an APP, but still required that I wipe out my savings account. Like anything else the higher production run you go on the cheaper the product will be, so we invested a lot knowing that the product would sell.
 

benhebert

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What would you say is the key factor that has allowed you to scale to this point so quickly?

Also what are your opinions on Shopify? Is it a platform that has allowed you to provide all of the functionality that you needed/wanted? Can it scale comfortably along with the business?

We provided something that the market needed. We were constantly in the forums and everything before, so we saw an opportunity and moved quick on it. The product came out a little bit later than expected, but the delays have all lead to big partnerships and developments which have put us in this position for success.

Shopify...

I've used a custom built e-commerce solution when I was the first employee at GiftCardRescue.com, I've dabbled with volusion (absolutely hated it) and also Woocommerce.

Shopify is by far the best out of them and the apps that they have on the platform make it so easy to do. What I recommend however is finding a front end developer who can make it all work and tweak the theme so it's more personal and custom. The current shopify themes available are all pretty basic and don't meet the needs for websites that require more than just a few pictures and a line of text to sell something.
 
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Mbc

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How did you get customers? Paid advertising, affiliates?
Do you take it yourself or other nootropics?
Congrats on progress.
 

benhebert

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How did you get customers? Paid advertising, affiliates?
Do you take it yourself or other nootropics?

We did a podcast and some other small advertising on forums. Not a lot of paid stuff.

I have been taking CILTEP for over three months and would say it's very different than Modafinil or Adderall. It's more like mental clarity and focus, there's no excess energy. It puts you in the state to work.
 
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benhebert

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Do you think the $xx,xxx is sustainable or just an initial pop because of the forum interest?

Growth is just getting started. We expect to expand significantly over the next few months and have aligned ourselves with the right partners. There are a lot of people excited about this space... oh and we got invited to meet someone at Google.

Proof:

1380640_10153341646110416_370097552_n.jpg
 
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Mbc

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We did a podcast and some other small advertising on forums. Not a lot of paid stuff.

I have been taking CILTEP for over three months and would say it's very different than Modafinil or Adderall. It's more like mental clarity and focus, there's no excess energy. It puts you in the state to work.

I've never tried modafinil, it's hard to order prescription pills into Canada. I'm also worried whether things like that will decrease your natural ability to focus in the long term. Kind of like roids decreasing your body's natural production of testosterone, or opiates decreasing your body's natural production of dopamine.
Have you noticed any side effects from CILTEP? Or any decrease in focus if you stop taking it for a few days?

Is this your first time developing a supplement or product?
When you say this is the first CILTEP nootropic, you're saying it has never been done before? How did you even come across CILTEP than?
 

exige

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How does your CILTEP stack compare to the *racetams, sulbutiamine, etc? Is it possible to build up a tolerance like phenylpiracetam and do you cycle it, or does it stay effective over time?

How fast was the turnaround with your manufacturer from quote to receiving your product, how long was the lead time before your first month of sales? Were you able to speed up the process by buying a larger initial production run?
 

benhebert

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Have you noticed any side effects from CILTEP? Or any decrease in focus if you stop taking it for a few days?



Is this your first time developing a supplement or product?
When you say this is the first CILTEP nootropic, you're saying it has never been done before? How did you even come across CILTEP than?

I have not noticed any side effects and typically use the stack 4-5 days per week. I'll use it everyday if it's absolutely necessary, but no I don't think its mandatory.

After using adderall a lot during college, it became impossible to study without it. Part of my desire to get away from synthetics like that lead to developing CILTEP.

It's the first CILTEP nootropic ever created and sold. You can view more information on the timeline here.
 
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benhebert

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How fast was the turnaround with your manufacturer from quote to receiving your product, how long was the lead time before your first month of sales? Were you able to speed up the process by buying a larger initial production run?

What we've found from this industry and just like any others is that no two suppliers are the same and you have to constantly negotiate to find the best deal possible. Launching with two products may have given us a little bit of leeway, but my business partner was able to constantly put us in the right situation to make a deal that made sense for the business.

Lead time will vary considerably and really you have to find the right manufacturer that fits your timeline. A lot of this business is about timing.
 

Bercha

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How long was the research time to develope this product?
Did you have to go through any FDA type tests?
Can you ship to customers outside USA?
Do you need to announce the product in EU countries, to ship to that EU country?

Thanks a lot for doing this, speed added :)
 

benhebert

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How long was the research time to develope this product?
Did you have to go through any FDA type tests?
Can you ship to customers outside USA?
Do you need to announce the product in EU countries, to ship to that EU country?

We researched significantly, but were lucky to bring aboard the stack's creator who modified our original formula. The guy is a freaking GENIUS (not understating that at all) and we will be helping him share his knowledge with the world.

Dietary supplements do not require FDA approval, but all of our ingredients are on their GRaS (generally regarded as safe) list and we manufacture in a GMP facility in the United States.

Yes, we ship internationally and have even gotten orders from most places!

We didn't announce anything yet, but may want to look into foreign distribution in the future as the product becomes more popular.

No problem... happy to help!
 
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yahdmon

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I live in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
You make me proud... wishing you good success.
You strike me as a person of excellence and I can see you will go far.
Besides this venture, are you involved in any other or have plans to in the future or are you just going to stick with this. I say that to say I feel that I would read what you write.
Any plans for book in your future?
 

benhebert

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You make me proud... wishing you good success.
You strike me as a person of excellence and I can see you will go far.
Besides this venture, are you involved in any other or have plans to in the future or are you just going to stick with this. I say that to say I feel that I would read what you write.
Any plans for book in your future?

Thank you for the positive feedback, it truly means a lot.

Future ventures: We'll see what happens next. There are a lot of things in the works with this company and I think that we can make it a multi-million dollar venture. It's going to take a lot of work, but that's something that I'm not afraid of. I like companies where we can create value in the world... so whatever I do next will be something along those lines. The ethos behind NaturalStacks is very much like Apple, we make the best products in the world. You can find others out there and for cheaper, but they will never be the same quality.

Note: I also am the founder at WhiteRaverRafting.com an electronic dance music blog. It's medium sized as we did around 650,000 pageviews last month. I run an editorial team of about 15 individuals there and spend a lot of time going to music festivals. I can also answer any monetization questions when it comes to blogging, display advertising and ad-sales.

On writing: I occasionally blog at my website and I have considered writing a book, but I don't know what it would be about. I feel like I have to accomplish something truly great, before I have something to share. Even then, I don't want it to be another business book that's basically just a remix of the one that came before it. I recommend following the James Altucher way and just read things that you enjoy. Don't be an a**hole.
 

eqttrdr

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where are you selling your naturalstacks products? only on your website?
 

Lagron

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What are your travel capabilities? Can you get to Woonsocket, RI?

Who is leading your sales, and pitching?
What is your supply ability?
Margins?
You should really have investor relations on the site somewhere.
You should really have a more business oriented section.

Hmm ... how about CVS?
Get in contact with me in a few months, when you can show me 3 month prior steady sales growth.

Thanks bud.
 
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Phillipbro

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I've used Adderall XR for the first time this month to study for my mid-terms. It is honestly amazing but I wont be using it again because of the heavy crash and my fear of becoming dependent on the drug.

How does this stack compare to Adderall? I know this has to be a safer alternative.
I'm going to be purchasing the stack very soon, are you a regular user of the stack?
 
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Daniel A

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I am almost sold on the CILTEP, nice work man haha.

In order to start selling pills/capsules to people, what kind of legal (or other) certification did you have to get, or did you not need any?

Before learning about your product there was another one I was already planning to buy (if you want I can post it but I won't for now).

Do you know if it would be healthy for me to take both of them? Your website says to take 2-3 capsules daily (and no more), but could I take one of yours and one of the other nootropic? (do you need more detail?)

This is perfect timing because I'm about to take on more activity for 2014, I'll need all the help :D

PS: I just wanted to add that I told my brother about CILTEP right after reading about it here. He ended up checking out your website and bought one bottle within 1-2 hours. I think that when he saw the quote from Dave Asprey he was sold already haha (he's a fan of him).

Social proof...it worked.
 
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Solus

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How are you monetizing your blog and selling ads/ad space? Have you looked in to sponsorships with specific advertisers relevant to the content? This is what I'm most interested in right now.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Get in contact with me in a few months, when you can show me 3 month prior steady sales growth.

I'm sorry... why should he get in contact with you? Why must he prove to you 3 months of steady growth? Who are you?
 

Lagron

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I am not anyone others here would know. I am no one special.

I only see an opportunity. People see diet formulas, and weight loss pills, or perhaps even work for the manufacturers of such. But they don't see beyond that. With some work, and proper connections couldn't just about "anyone" get their product in large chains around the USA?

There is no reason to stick to earning through online sales.
 

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