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I read MJ's book and started my business :)

Steele Concept

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Wow, it has been a while since I have updated this thread. We have been busy as hell working on the updated Steele Concept. Here are some recently sold Steele Concepts with new powder coated colors. Our engineer does all the machine work in house so we were able to save a substantial amount of money and pass that on to our consumers/retailers.

It feels real nice to have the MSRP $198... A far cry from $399.99 when the SC first launched around this time last year. A lot can happen in a year. Started off slingin units locally, now we are national and international. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed by any means but a person of reasonable intelligence who reads MJ's book and hustles can make shit happen. Pretty soon I will reveal my new venture on these forums which of course is in a related industry :coolgleamA:

Sales have been nice and people are happy.

job9o6a.jpg8S81c9q.jpgrdbrGOk.jpg
 
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Rawr

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Jesus, does the guy have to cure cancer to get some props around here?

Good going man, good luck. Seconded Bio's comment - you need both pictures to look better. Play with the angles, get the whole thing, zoomed in, all in high res, you could probably get by with iphone 4 camera.

Also figure out if you are going to use "I" or "we" - I'd like to hear opinions of some other members on this, but in my experience "we" is more credible, although I am not sure if you are going for the younger audience or the people who can afford to drop $300 on a pipe.

A little too clustered with menu options up to. Do you really need "cart"?

Cheers
 

Steele Concept

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Here she is... Hot Product hell yea. High Times covering counter culture since before most of us were born :)

615077_145164308964441_772042918_o.jpg

The text reads:

Tough Bong

$319.99
steeleconcept.com

If you're as clumsy as we are, you'll aprreciate the idea of a smoking device that's impossible to break. Enter the Steele Concept indestructible water-pipe, a heavyweight contender that simply refuses to go down. Made in the USA using polycarbonate, and stainless steel, this sthing is built to last (and last ... and last). In fact, it might just be the last puffing tool you'll ever need to buy.
 
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Steele Concept

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Hi guys,

My name is Steve Steele and I just finished my Masters degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology last August. This means that pretty much I can say I have a Masters degree and owe a boatload of money lol... I have some B2B Sales experience along with retail sales experience. I've been building and repairing computers for 10 years so I have that skill set as well.

I always wanted to start a business and I knew I had to launch Steele Concept LLC when an idea for an indestructible designer water pipe popped into my head some months ago. Since then it's been 7 days of work a week and I made my first sale on my 25th birthday. If you want to check it out you can do so at Steele Concept | Indestructible Designer Water Pipe - I'm into homebrewing beer and wrote a free ebook available at Best Way To Brew - Home as well.

Please note I'm all sold out currently and not trying to sell you anything, just show you my product. You can't buy my product even if you try :cool:

DSC_9589_HDR-1024x677.jpg

I wanted to start out by saying thanks for MJ for writing such an incredible book. It was truly the icing on the cake that launched my a$$ into action!

I originally wanted to start my own brewery or do contract brewing at a local microbrewery I worked/interned at while attending graduate school. I made sure to pick the owners brain and ask him plenty of business questions while I was there. I found out that the beer market for micro/nano breweries has been quite saturated since the 90's and even though I have a killer recipe I was best off pursuing another venture.

I have never had so much fun working in my life. Even though currently I work 7 days a week it is highly enjoyable. It is very tough to invent and begin patenting and manufacturing a product but when I see peoples reactions after they see and handle my pipe it is so worth it. I've had many "wows!" handshakes and congratulations that really make me feel warm inside.

My goal is to establish a dealer network in New England composed of 20-25 dealers, maintain my own personal eCommerce site and leverage a distribution network to get my product to the rest of the U.S./world

My dealer network should be established by month end, my eCommerce site will be ready by the end of the week and I have nice offers from distributors coming in.

My mission statement is "To provide the highest quality indestructible water pipe on the market. It will be constructed of borosilicate glass, 304 stainless steel and polycarbonate."

Like MJ's book states... If you provide the quality and value, they will come. I'm working on impacting millions.

Look for my ad in the December issue of High Times.

In my free time I like to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, swing Kettlebells, run, enjoy the outdoors and read, write and play with computers.

So basically I like choking people, swinging hunks of metal around and being a nerd.

You can call me weird, or interesting, whatever you'd prefer. I'm damn proud to be here.
 
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Steele Concept

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Hi guys,

Some great news! My product design/intellectual property has been acquired by a company called Transformer Tubes. We worked out a nice deal and I will serve as a part time sales contractor for them while I pursue another venture that I am starting :) I will sell my product and their stuff for a solid commission structure we worked out.

I am very happy because I am really a sales and marketing guy at heart, whereas the two founders of this company are an engineer and financial accounting kinda guy. They are young entrepreneurs as well and compliment my weak areas. It will be great to have manufacture, marketing, advertising etc. covered by an existing company with solid relationships with national and international distribution.

I've learned so much and know it will help me in my brand new venture which is in related industry... I've been working hard on that lately and I will reveal what it is soon enough. Thanks for stopping by this thread and checking the progress.

Oh almost forgot... You can see the 2013 Transformer Tube Spring Catalog at:

http://www.steeleconcept.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/TT-Spring-2013-Catalog.pdf

The official TT website is Transformer Tubes

Thanks for taking a look! TT definitely has some innovative stuff and our products will sell nicely together.
 

Atown512

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Hey man, don't get discouraged. I think you have one hell of a product, and the steel freezer cubes are brilliant! I think most of the people posting here don't have any idea how big of a market you are in. I have a few friends from college that are in the "tobacco" industry, and it is WAY bigger than I thought.

With a product like a bong, I cant help but think you are not taking being an entrepreneur very seriously. At first I thought you created an indestructible plumbing pipe for homes. FYI most weed smokers are poor good luck with that target market.

I don't understand this statement at all. It is a lot like saying an entrepreneur that is making millions in the porn industry isn't taking it very seriously. As far as weed smokers being poor, you guys would be shocked at how much money people spend on smoking devices. $300 is actually a pretty reasonable price IMO. It solves the problem of fragile glass, and makes the ice feature more convenient.
 

Steele Concept

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The Steele Concept has a really nice video review out now from The Herbal Review. It really highlights the product and it's functionality, it's great to include in sales emails so people know what the product is and how it works.

[video=youtube;5ZHw-aBAea0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZHw-aBAea0[/video]
 

PatrickP

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Have you thought about the possibility that you could be sending an illegal product and put yourself at risk for arrest?

'water pipes' are illegal in some counties and possibly even some states. Each to his own I don't understand putting the sort of time effort and energy into to something which is at best quasi legal.
 
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Steele Concept

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While I respect everyone's opinion... I don't know If some of you know this industry all that well. I consulted with a VERY good attorney who is an expert in the area. I have spoken with many owners and former owners of large multimillion dollar companies. I am in 100% compliance and will stay that way.

This is an honest and viable business venture in a rapidly growing industry. I invented a product that has recieved a lot of praise and I have every intention to provide value to a demographic in need of some innovation.

Expensive designer water pipes break. Mine doesn't and it is extremely smooth and modern. Need fulfilled.

This is a passion of mine and I am providing a much needed service.

For those who don't know, people usually pay $200-$500 for a nice pipe in the industry.
 

Mr.Dietsch

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Marijuana is a bigger industry then most people realize. Your neighbor probably smokes everyday, and you would never know. Why? its Taboo, just like porn, and so many people love it! Props to this guy, he will be seeing the money roll in very soon, that is a promise. Obviously anyone commenting that this is not a good idea has never accidentally dropped a glass pipe. It happens all the time. The only competition really is the double glass pipes that are virtually unbreakable as well.
 
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JAJT

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I have a couple suggestions:

- I'd like to see the product front and center right on the home page. Right now I have to start a video or click an image gallery to see it. I'd love a big fat interest-capturing image. The size of the product in the video is also a bit small IMHO.

- On my screen I have to scroll down to see "the gallery" at the bottom. I see like the top 30% of the images, I'd prefer them above the fold.

- The picture picture of "whole unit" should be the side shot that shows the spout. Right now the first image make it look like an odd tube.

- Look into updating your video. Get a mic to eliminate room echo, don't do it in your bedroom (or wherever you are), turn up the brightness in the room and do a few more run-throughs of your script.

I think you have a great potential product. Keep sharing your story as you go!

(By the way - are those gel cubes off-the-shelf from someplace or did you have them manufactured? I was looking for something very similar not too long ago)
 
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TheTruth

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Interesting idea,


I am also getting the page not found error, but I still went through your website.


- The gallery needs to be much better and so does the copy (I had a really hard time figuring out what the product does or what it is used for) -> and I still don't know what the cube or the flight manual have to do with your product?

- why is the "about" section actually about yourself? I wan't to know about the product your company provides, as a consumer I couldn't care less about your degree or what you do with your free time (are you building a brand or promoting yourself?)

- The section that say's "about the steele concept" doesn't say anything about the actual product. It talks about how you wrote down an idea at 4 in the morning. Cool... you had an epiphany-so what does the product do again?


- In the dealers section, the site say's that you won't ship me your product if I live in New England because your dealers are setup there. OK, what if I don't want to leave my house and want you to ship it to me? Why do I as the consumer have to go out of my way to get your product because it's more convenient for your business?


I wrote all that from a customers point of view. Hope it helps.
 

JAJT

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If the consumer isn't familiar with water pipes, it's not like they would purchase this piece anyway.

Based on what? At one point I didn't know what a water pipe was. I had to look it up.

If I found the best information on the subject AND that same place had one for sale, it would be an easy decision.

More criticism :

- Your tech spec page and gallery menu is confusing. Drop-down menus should NEVER have the heading be a clickable link. I only ever expect the drop-down items to be clickable.

- Clean up the "flight manual" into a blog post or information page about the product. Downloading a PDF to get the benefits and FAQ is a little odd.

- I personally don't care for the "flight manual" title. I've hung around enough pot smokers to know that they wouldn't either. Mature smokers would be turned off by this title. It's high-school level cannabis culture lingo. I'd personally take a position of mature authority and not play to the lingo and stereotypes. Your call but IMHO it feels out of place.

If you want to see a company in your field killing it, check out Magic-Flight.com - Official Home of the Launch Box Vaporizer . They offer a single premium product, like yourself, and have a HUGE following. A non-smoker fresh out of "sheltered-ville" would get everything they needed to know in minutes from their pages. Just a thought.

Please note - I do love the look and idea of your product. It could easily be a "shelf piece" for smokers. I dislike your website though. Just my 2 cents.
 

TheTruth

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Me and JAJT are on the same page on this one.


Our main point is that as consumers, we don't want to have to know about the industry to go on your site.

We want you to make it EXTREMELY easy for us when we get to your site.

what if i am not that familiar with the industry but still want a pipe?

what if i don't care about the pipe but if I saw it and wanted to send a link to my friends that do?


etc. etc.


let's see how that video comes out though :)

p.s. the magic-flight website is a very good example.
 

JAJT

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If you want to see a company in your field killing it, check out Magic-Flight.com - Official Home of the Launch Box Vaporizer .

I just stumbled into the inventor of this product's AMA on reddit while looking for threads on "flights":

I am the inventor of the Magic-Flight Launch Box, AMA. : trees

I haven't read through it but wanted to point you in it's direction if you were interested.
 
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evlttwin

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Great looking product! I know a few people with alot of disposable income that would buy this in a second if they knew about it. I'm in Southern California and pretty much everyone here has a medical marijuana card. It's hilarious how there are still people out there who think that the only people who smoke weed are losers and can't afford this type of thing.

Ex: I was at in customers house who lived on top of a mountain in a private community. He was a multi millionaire from the stock market. Ferraris and an Audi R8 in the garage. He had some type of cancer and was doing some chemo, which killed his appetite as well as gave him body aches. Cannabis GREATLY helped both of these as it increases appetite and kills pain.

Another is a friend who owns his own equestrian service and bee keeping service, two strange niches that make him a TON of money. He plans to retire for good in 5 years. He smokes daily.

Of course you have stoners who get high all day and do nothing, but those people would be worthless anyway.
 
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Yussef

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I don't want to sound slow but dude is that a Bong?::smxF::
 

biophase

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Thank you, i appreciate it. The 304 Stainless Steel cubes are filled with glycerin. Glycerine is a safe substance used in food and the pharmaceutical industry. Glycerin has a particularly low freezing point and will gel when the cube is frozen.

You freeze the cubes in the freezer prior to use and then add them to the tube prior to use. They stay cold for a LONG time. The water percolation through the frozen column of steel provides for a massive heatsink thereby making the smoke/vapor exhale as light as air.

It took me a while to design this as it looks simple but there were a lot of variables at hand. Design and manufacture is half the battle whilst distribution seems to be the other half.

I'm a sales/marketing guy by nature so this is the fun part for me. Well I won't lie both parts have been fun but I poured my heart and soul into this product and when I see the smiles or hear how people like it, it just lights up my day :D

Get any of your friends who has a dslr and make a lightbox and take a good product shot of it. The current one you have is not good enough for a $300 product.
 

JAJT

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Have you thought about the possibility that you could be sending an illegal product and put yourself at risk for arrest?

He needs to understand the laws VERY thoroughly - like hire a lawyer thoroughly, but I don't think this is much of a barrier - I know I've seen bongs for sale practically everywhere I've ever gone in North America. Should be easy to figure out what the "do" and "do not" actions are in this field since it is a HOT topic right now.

FYI most weed smokers are poor

Because they tend to spend their money on weed and accessories. It's a very captive audience. I've known a few weed smokers in my time and they all spent "too much" money in head shops. Even the cheapest glass bongs are north of $60 - and I don't know anyone who hasn't broken a few in their time who smoke from them. They also buy this stuff for their friends since it is usually a pretty easy "hobby" to buy for.

Look at weed vaporizers (google Volcano) - they are expensive (like $500+) and they sell just fine - and that is a small niche within a niche.

This may be controversial but it by no means excludes him from the "entrepreneur" category.

Not wanting to burn your lungs while smoking is a pretty big NEED. This fills that need. Makes perfect sense to me.
 
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Sowster

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Amazing.
This is a product I would buy and there are definitely a lot of people that I know would buy this, not to mention the possibility of distribution to every head shop around the country and around the world.
Keep going!! this is something that hasn't been done and there is a definitely NEED for it.
 
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biophase

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Steele Concept

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Website updated.

Most recommendations were taken. Video coming within a week or two. My product advertisement is currently in High Times December if any of you guys are readers, I believe a retailer told me P. 63 if I can recall correctly.

I like the Flight Manual as a .PDF because then users can throw it on their iPad or print it out if they like.

I don't ship to New England as that's where my local dealers I setup are located. It's a bit like stepping on their toes, bad business to setup local dealers and then compete with them. New England has just 1/20th of the population of the U.S. it's really small potatoes. If I can offer better dealer pricing in the future then I may ship everywhere if that's fair to my dealers. Also, it's New England... Most people don't have to drive very far to get to a retailer.

Major states in this biz are the high pop states like Cali, New York, Texas, Florida etc. and those mostly west coast states that have progressive laws like Cali, OR, WA, CO, HI, AK, MI, MT, etc.

Take 'er easy.
 
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Steele Concept

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The huge one actually turned out to be not a great fit for me ATM. Things could change in the future though.

NM and this other one I am speaking with now are what I want. Distribution is just one aspect of the game here. I realize at this stage it's probably best to work with smaller distributors that can grow with my business rather than trying to churn out a massive amount of units per month with a single or exclusive distributor.

Slow and steady growth was part of my 1 page business plan.

I have 20-25 of my own retailers and my ecommerce site so distribution is one aspect. This month we should see what the interest really is as it gets national exposure and word gets out.
 

sambreaker20

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The only bong I have seen is my grandpa smoking out of is a bamboo bong but damn yours look awesome, even though I dont smoke myself, hope you have great success!
 

Steele Concept

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Thanks guys, I appreciate it... Currently there's only so many calls I can personally make a day. That's when advertising helps. Growing slowly but surely :cool:
 

Steele Concept

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I've got a buddy who is going to help me make sales calls and maybe I'll get another. I am calling Michigan lately, it's real tough out there with the economy. Not all places but in general MI took a beating.
 

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First of all, Congrats. You found inspiration, researched and followed through on your idea, and designed an innovative product. That's a huge accomplishment that you should be proud of.

That said, the assertion that shipping a water pipe directly to a customer could cause some legal issues isn't too far off base. Since you're on hold inventory-wise anyways, I'd recommend that you do some extensive research on where you can/can't ship smoking paraphernalia in the U.S. and abroad, and "black out" those regions where things like that are prohibited.

But beyond that, why not use existing online and brick-and-mortar retailers to do some/all of the heavy lifting for you? With your B2B experience, I'm sure you could get your product into a lot of stores, websites and dispensaries. And I'm sure you've already thought of this, but attending appropriate conventions and growing competitions could put your product in front of a lot of people in a very short time.

Best of luck!
 
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