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

[Steele Concept]

Try again PatrickP, I may have been working on her when you checked. As the latest tweet says:

"New website complete. Customers can pay via Credit Card or Dwolla. We always offer fast, free and discreet shipping. Units in stock

I just signed up for twitter and it's a great tool for business updates. I always thought it was silly for personal use IE one is eating, what movie someone is watching, blablabla who cares lol.

My favorite part is how the integrated OSX client makes a bird sound, hehe.

I know as an undergraduate I had found a crucial SPSS OSX update through the businesses twitter of all things!

Let me know what you guys think.

 

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[TheTruth]

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.

 

[biophase]

I couldn't stand looking at those white speckles on your photos so I picmonkey'd this image for you.

Take some time and clean that thing before you take photos. Also, toss them into a photo editting program and make them pop!

After


Before

 

[Steele Concept]

Thanks for the suggestions guys...

I don't know how familiar some of you are with this industry. Generally products like this have 0 information, they are just displayed at headshops.

On the tech specs page click on the cube for the gallery. Click on the flight manual picture to read how the device works. If the consumer isn't familiar with water pipes, it's not like they would purchase this piece anyway.

I believe the speckles are dust particles. I didnt think it was a big deal but i can have some different photos taken if it is. I will have a professional video up soon that shows exactly how the device works. That should eliminate any ambiguity.

Thanks

 

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[JAJT]

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]

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.

 

[biophase]

check out Magic-Flight.com - Official Home of the Launch Box Vaporizer

That is a pretty kick a$$ site.

 

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[miked_d]

I like your idea. How are sales?

I am going to try to give some constructive criticism.

I would have really liked to see this shot on the main page. Also, that picture should be renamed for SEO purposes.

I just went back to the site and got the 404. Fix that. Maybe you need to have the 404 redirect to the front page.

Is the age verification necessary? Is the Google spider able to get past it?

The menu is strange. When I hover on tech-specs, there is a drop down for the gallery. Why the drop-down?

The glycerin cubes - are you SURE there is glycerin in them? Have you checked?

If it is indestructibly is there a lifetime warranty?

I can't really tell from the pics but how is the weld quality on the stem and the base? Is it nice and even like this or poor like this?

 

[Steele Concept]

Miked:

Sales have been fantastic.

I'll put up the full shot pic on the first page. I like that better too. I'll rename the images as well.

The google spider can get past the age check... As for it being necessary, well I can take it off but it's a little peace of mind.

I can change the menu and the cubes do indeed contain glycerin, why would I lie?

As for the welds they are the cleanest in the business from a CNC machinist with 25+ years experience.

No warranty and none needed. Products of this nature cant have them for obvious return reasons.

As for the flight thing... Ever heard of Curren$y or Wiz Khalifa? JETS. Not high school bullshit. Culture.

MFLB has killed it for a while, solid product. Look out for Pax by Ploom...

The video will be coming soon

 

[Mr.Dietsch]

I would add a lifetime refund and then just make it difficult for a refund in the fine print or something if you want to be mean about things. You would be surprised on the up sell of giving a lifetime guarantee. That is if the bong is as indestructible as you say it is.

 

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[miked_d]

the cubes do indeed contain glycerin, why would I lie?

I don't think you would lie but your suppliers may.

 

[Steele Concept]

The cubes are food safe drink chillers like the ones you can buy in Brookstone. I specifically asked my supplier what the nontoxic gel was and she confirmed glycerin.

Safety was priority #1. Safety and smoothness both in usage and in aesthetics.

One should always double check on everything though. Particularly if you are manufacturing something that will be on or in someone's body!

 

[Steele Concept]

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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[miked_d]

I will make other comments tomorrow while at at the 9-5.

Was NM the distributor you were trying for?

 

[Steele Concept]

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.

 

[miked_d]

There is a free magazine in the LA area called 420 or something similar. It has ads from a lot a lot of co-ops and other stuff. If you are interested in it, I can find out more info or send you one. There is an expo in October for the 420 "scene" advertised in there.

 

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[miked_d]

I will make other comments tomorrow while at at the 9-5.

Or a week later...

Make the full product shot smaller so that it is seen above the fold.

 

[Steele Concept]

Thanks for the offer mike, I already have advertising avenues in mind. We will see what the response is to the High Times ad and then I have some industry specific stuff I may do as well.

 

[NateGeli]

Hey Steele, congrats on your success. Fellow BJJ/MMA guy here, so figured I have to throw you some love.

 

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[Steele Concept]

Hey Steele, congrats on your success. Fellow BJJ/MMA guy here, so figured I have to throw you some love.

Much love, arm bars, triangle chokes and omoplatas your way my man

 

[Steele Concept]

Finally, my High Times December ad will be on shelves this coming week. I also will have an ad in Hotbreath which is an industry specific mag that 1000's of retailers get. So High Times for the consumer advertising and Hotbreath for the retailer stuff. There's another one called B.I.G. Industry that I may check out in the near future.

It's tough starting out with advertising as you have to be conservative with cash and see what the best advertising routes are. When word of mouth gets out and cash flow increases, so do options. We will see...

 

[JAJT]

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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[Steele Concept]

Thanks JAJT. I read though a lot of it.

I can really see what the inventor meant that it's all about design, build, test and test test test.

Building a perfect unit takes time.

 

[sambreaker20]

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!

 

[Hong King Kong]

I used to live in Vancouver BC, and I can tell you right now... TONS of people will buy from you in BC alone. Great product, props!

 

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[Steele Concept]

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

 

[Steele Concept]

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.

 

[MichelleCheri]

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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[Steele Concept]

Thanks Michelle.

I spoke with a NORML affiliated attorney before I began, I also spoke with several online retailers. I only ship to the USA and I do not ship to PA or Iowa as a result. If you click on the Dealers section of the website you can see where my brick and mortar retailers are located. We are expanding and getting in more stores every week.

Once I have sufficient funds I plan on attending various trade shows which are great networking events and I hear they are very fun . I have some new high quality material coming in the next few days. As I tell all my retailers, my quality will remain the same or go up and my costs will go down as economy of scale increases.

 

[GregMG]

Just have to say that Ive known a few people over the years that would buy this, your definitely onto something! If this is successful theres many more types of pipes that could be made indestructible, take one thing at a time but dont stop here!