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[Progress] Human Longevity Business

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

John F.

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Here it goes…

I started a Human Longevity business. The short term goal is to provide information and products to assist people with living healthier for longer. The first products are going to be supplements. Before this goes any further, I have heard/read just about every challenge there is about going into the supplements space. I don’t care. I’m not in the supplement business. I’m in the aging business and I will just happen to sell certain supplements as part of that. The supplements are just the first step in building revenue streams to support the larger goals.

Long term the goal is to own a research lab equipped to study human biology and what makes us age. There are several people out there already doing this, but that will not deter me. Being able to contribute to ALL of humanity by trying to figure out what makes us age, what damages our cells, what makes us breakdown over time, and HOW to correct it is what is driving me.

Now onto the progress part:

Goals

I have the short term and long term goals splatter on whiteboards in my office. Everything from areas of science that I need a better understanding of to legal matters I need to look into in order to comply with what I am working towards.

Manufacturers chosen

I have vetted manufacturers for my first supplement offering and will be placing an order once I have the branding to a point that I like. This process took quite some time. I don’t have the initial investment to start with the product I wanted to. Oh well. Just make an adjustment and move on with a different product that I had on my list that I can source and have manufactured in a way that allows me to get to market with it.

Business Stuff

I have the business structure already in place, URLs purchased (yes I have multiple for growth and expansion purposes).

I need to find an accountant and attorney to help me as I go through adventure. That will come as I work through initial launch of the website and product. I know there are always going to be issues with supplements and I want to make sure that what I am going to be selling is legal as well as ethical.

Market research

The market for products, services, and breakthroughs in the human longevity space has plenty of room for those that are willing to work for it. Even if we can’t make people live to be 200 years old (which is my ultimate goal) we can at the very least help people live healthier in their later years so that they are not wasted in hospitals and nursing homes. Lots of people age very poorly and the market for changing that is growing substantially.

What I suck at

Branding is a huge problem area for me. This is something that I may have to have done by a third party that knows what they are doing.

Marketing is also a huge gap for me. I am putting time into learning marketing strategies in whatever time I have not being spent on initial product launch.

Summary

This is a massive life-long endeavor that I am embarking on. This forum has helped me in countless ways already. Getting started without knowing all of the information and having everything perfect was a huge step for me and the information in this forum is what helped push me over my perfectionist issues.


I will update regularly as things happen and challenges arise. I know this is going to be a beast. I also know it’s one step at a time. I have a long term view that I can always go back to when things start getting challenging in the short term.


I hope that in the coming days/weeks/years of this thread, I can provide some kind of value to someone trying to do something big without knowing the entire landscape of what they are getting into.
 
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John F.

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Update:

The company logo, marketing materials, and web design are all in motion. I am using a local graphic designer to work on the materials I need. I prefer working with someone in person for anything brand and marketing related.

Funding seems to be a bit of a challenge, but I will have enough to get going and hopefully sustain any mild growth that happens.

First product should be ready and in my office within the month. Things are moving along quite well at this point.

Once I have product in hand and have it tested, i'll begin selling on multiple channels. I have set aside a decent chunk of change for a marketing budget to get the word out there. Facebook and Google ads seem to be the best first choice for advertising to the target market to begin with. I'll be working on those skills very soon.
 

John F.

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Update:

Spoke with a local graphic designer late last week and he was able to create some initial logo designs for me to review. The guy did a great job getting the design elements I wanted in there. We are in the final adjustments phase right now (color and shading) and should have that ready to go before the end of the week.

Once the logo is done I can send that off to have the label for the first product created and slapped on some bottles that are ready to go once the label is done.

Plan for this week is to research various markets to do target some Facebook and Google ads. Also need to learn a little more about Amazon PPC and how to tune that properly once I get some stock int here to sell.
 

John F.

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Update:
Logo is done and it is perfect. So glad I went with a local designer that I could sit down and have coffee with and talk about what the mission of the business is and what I am looking to accomplish with the business. He was able to get a more accurate picture of my personality and what I was looking for. Human face-to-face interaction is an amazing thing. Hard to get personal on fiverr.

Now that the log is done, the label creation is off and running. I am having the supplier create the logo just to see how well they do it. If they can get it right, that will be fantastic.

Once the label is done (roughly 1 week lead time) Product should be 2 weeks behind it.

The one thing I am having trouble with is finding a lab to do third party testing on my first supplement to make sure it is what the supplier says it is.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a third party supplement tester?
 
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John F.

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Update:

Label creation is taking a little longer than I thought it would. We are getting close, but having to work with someone that is a couple time zones away and probably busy with other work and clients is not ideal for getting things done. I am leaning more and more towards either doing it myself or having the company that did my logo come in and do it.

I probably could have just accepted something simple, but the supplement business is quite competitive and I know I will need to do everything I can to differentiate the product, not just with it's quality, but with it's visual appeal.

My company and brand is about so much more than supplements and that story needs to be told in everything the company does. Even if it's just a product label.

Amazon is going to be the first channel I sell on, but I am not going to be doing FBA right away. I will be selling from my own site eventually and will need to have a process developed for shipping the product. Why not just do that now while I sell on Amazon. I see a lot more companies going that route. FBA is probably great, but the storage and other fees are starting to creep higher and higher while competition for products on there is pushing prices lower and lower. Seems like a bad idea right now to get involved in that.

Still looking for a good third-party supplement testing company. Recommendations welcome.
 

John F.

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John F.

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Update:

It's been quite a while since my last update. Forward progress is still happening, just not at the speed I would like.

Product 1 Label:
Product label for first supplement is finally complete. That took WAY longer than expected. Designer went on vacation and I got super picky. In the end, it turned out fantastic and it is a template I can use on just about all of my products going forward. Worth the effort and time for sure. I just need to get UPCs. Those are a cost I failed to account for. It's going to be between $750 and $1000 just for that since I need to get the GS1 company prefix first, then the codes... Lesson learned on that one.

Website:
Yeah this one is taking quite a bit longer than expected as well. My day job that funds this adventure got super busy and sucked away a lot of my free time. Still making progress though. I'm considering just paying someone to finish it. The cost should not be an issue at this point.

Product:
Supplement 1 is ready to go. I have product testers just waiting for it. I'm going to test it with several people for about 30 days to ensure there are no issues with side effects. Products 2 and 3 are already in the works and will be ready before the end of July. Once I have the first shipment in hand, I can get the product photography going.

Product Photography:
I am going to use the same company that designed my logo to do the product photography. This is not their specialty, but something they are trying to get into. I figure if they can't deliver on this the way I need them to, there is no cost to me other than time. I can handle that. I will also get a massive discount for letting them get their feet wet. If it works out, I will have a local partner for photography, which is a huge bonus in my mind.

Summary:
I'm discovering that things take way longer to complete than I anticipate. I will work on my estimating skills based on recent experiences.

Progress every day, not matter how little, is still progress.
 

Tiago

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Subbed. Love this space, and it has so much potential for growth. My own goal is to life to be 160.

One question though, how are you planning on selling these supplements? What will be your channel and and how will you create your first sale?
 

John F.

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Subbed. Love this space, and it has so much potential for growth. My own goal is to life to be 160.

One question though, how are you planning on selling these supplements? What will be your channel and and how will you create your first sale?
First channels will be Amazon, my own site, and local in store. First sales are already lined up. Traffic will be driven through brand marketing and awareness. Digital, social media, and local. Marketing will not be product focused. The brand and the name will be the focus. Product sales will follow.
 
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Walter Hay

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Sorry if I am late to the party. Your thread title didn't appeal, but now that I am here I might be able to offer help.

For a big lesson in maintaining good health I can recommend: www.doctoryourself.com. The doctor has a thorough knowledge of the subject of orthomolecular medicine. The ideas might be a shock to your system but as someone whose miserably short life expectancy prognoses given many years ago have been doubled, and I am still remarkably fit, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this regime. People I meet are surprised when they learn my age.
Marketing will not be product focused. The brand and the name will be the focus. Product sales will follow.
You certainly need to build a brand. I hope your marketing is aimed at appealing to the emotions of your audience. Your story should not be front and center.

Think about why people would want to buy your product. Although facts can have some influence, facts don't sell anywhere near as effectively as emotional appeal does.
we can at the very least help people live healthier in their later years so that they are not wasted in hospitals and nursing homes. Lots of people age very poorly and the market for changing that is growing substantially.
In your position I would target the massive market which is quality of life for the elderly. Most elderly people are thinking of that rather than wanting to live longer.

Walter
 

Siddhartha

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Watching this thread;

I've been following P.D. Mangan (rogue health and fitness) for a long time, it's going to be interesting seeing someone enter the same space but through nutrition supplements and not information products which can (and were) just typed up and popped onto amazon and advertised through a mail list.
 

John F.

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Sorry if I am late to the party. Your thread title didn't appeal, but now that I am here I might be able to offer help.

For a big lesson in maintaining good health I can recommend: www.doctoryourself.com. The doctor has a thorough knowledge of the subject of orthomolecular medicine. The ideas might be a shock to your system but as someone whose miserably short life expectancy prognoses given many years ago have been doubled, and I am still remarkably fit, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this regime. People I meet are surprised when they learn my age.

You certainly need to build a brand. I hope your marketing is aimed at appealing to the emotions of your audience. Your story should not be front and center.

Think about why people would want to buy your product. Although facts can have some influence, facts don't sell anywhere near as effectively as emotional appeal does.

In your position I would target the massive market which is quality of life for the elderly. Most elderly people are thinking of that rather than wanting to live longer.

Walter
Thanks for all of the insight! I really appreciate it.

When it comes to marketing, there will be different aspects of the business targeted at different segments. As it grows, I will be able to offer different types of products for people in different stages of life. Products in this field are not a one size fits all so to speak.

Appealing to the emotions is great advice. I am a very facts and science based person and that might not get the message out the way that it needs to. Not really interested in using my story as a marketing tool. I have come to realize that nobody cares about my story. They care about their own.

I have noticed that many people seem to care less and less about facts and data. I'll need to put some work in on understanding marketing to emotions.

I'll check out that link and do some learning. There is a ton of great information out there and I need to learn as much as I can.
 
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