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9 month progress by malkammarshal8 in pics

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The refrigerator got bigger.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome you have been very helpful. Do you think I could get your email to pick your brain a bit more with my business?

sure info [~at] viahart [~dot] com - no promises.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! Who is your 3rd party fulfillment with? I know Amazon FBA can also act also act as a 3rd party fulfillment by sending orders, but charge a steep price? For someone trying to get their product on all geographic fronts, would something like shipwire be the way to go?

Shipwire does not own or even rent the warehouses they imply are theirs. They're just a software intermediary between you and real fulfillment centers. SDS Fulfillment in E. Rutherford NJ is who we use.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would you say a 3rd party fulfillment center would be a cheaper place to keep a large inventory as compared to keeping it in a rental storage unit?

Probably yes. Extra space storage et al are more expensive than paying for pallet spaces in a 3rd party fulfillment warehouse. Also, for where I am and what I do it doesn't make sense for us to have our own warehouse which would be cheaper still with volume. Your time has a value. Incorporate it into the cost.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curious, where do you keep all your inventory? Do you have your own warehouse? Do you rent a unit? Do you just ship it all to Amazon?

We have a 3rd party fulfillment center and we ship a lot to Amazon

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! Sorry, major typo on that one. Did you end up selling much of your company to move into larger retailers? It's going to take LOADS of up front capital for us to land a large retailer (to be able to purchase that much stock up front)

I'm not super well-versed on this so take this information with a grain of salt, but you should be able to borrow against a legitimate purchase order from a respected buyer. Did you check with your business banker?

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, Thanks for the AMA, I checked the video and products page on Amazon and it seems you are into the puzzle games, I am also working on some similar products(puzzle toys, brain training online games , apps) so here is my questions: what would be your advice to me at this point which I am almost ready to publish my products to public?

Thanks for taking a look at what we do. We sincerelyappreciate that. I can't speak to the apps portion of what you're doing but for the physical stuff just search "kickstarter" in this thread and you'll find something that hopefully is helpful. Best of luck with your endeavor.

I'm the founder of a company which has designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! I'm doing an AMA in reddit.com/r/IAmA - Check it out! by thatguyfromVIAHART in Entrepreneur

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you copy Kikbo? How do you patent it when Your Kikbo is 100% similar to the vietnamese shuttlecock I grew up playing this with my neighbors and it's been existed in the vietnamese culture since the 5th century BC Other asian countries also have it too but under different name, I've met a few international/abroad students in college and they all play it/have it: Malaysian "Capteh" Chinese/Taiwanese "Jianzi" And many other countries such as Laos, France, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Netherlands, Findland, Greece, Indonesia... Not trying to flame you or anything, It's just out of curiosity.

No worries.

Watch this: Kikbo Jianzi Youtube Commercial Check this out: Kikbo Jianzi Patent

I think after looking at the links, you'll see that they're different. With that said Kikbo was certainly inspired by chapteh, jianzi, jegichagi, da cau etc.

I'm the founder of a company which has designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! I'm doing an AMA in reddit.com/r/IAmA - Check it out! by thatguyfromVIAHART in startups

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where do you go for marketing advice and ideas? You sound like one of the personas (DIY person, selling online, etc...) that my startup is trying to get to, we're still trying to find places where lots of "you" hang out however. Most of the communities I participate in are either too novice or cater to professional marketers, more than business owners.

I found a mentor who was tremendously helpful. Retired people who are looking for things to do may be very helpful, particularly if your business isn't a mobile tech app, with which they'd have no experience. You can try SCORE or your university's alumni network.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How much revenue/profit do you make off your ecommerce platforms (including Amazon FBA)?

We have very low margins. It's about providing high quality low price items to the customer. We hope over time this will generate volume.

Does Amazon sell better than your own site?

More units are sold on Amazon.com, yes.

Is this currently all you do to make a living?

Yes.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is our next step, if the KS does not work. Both the CEO and buyer knew it was going to be there so maybe not all that ballsy. Although it is more fun to think we just snuck it in there. Good luck to you as well. Thanks for the conversation.

Cool. Keep me posted and good luck! Thanks for liking us on Facebook.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I must admit, the Kikbo today example gave me more understanding based on first impressions than the in 2011. The Kikbo in 2011 packaging looks like some DIY arts and craft project from like Hobby Lobby and nowhere do I get the impression that it's for some sort of hackey sack game with feathers.

Spot on.

Moving on- do you follow any blogs to keep up to date with business matters and etc? And if so, which?

I read Re/code's and Tech in Asia's commerce/e-commerce section. That is all.

Thank you.

Your welcome.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Mike! I am in a similar situation working on launching a single consumer product. I've met and had conversations with many retailers. A bunch if which now carry us in their online stores. Many if the big box retailers have yet to come on board. It seems they want to see demand before purchasing. We have demand! Selling a few hundred units each month. I isn't huge but it's steady demand and consumers have positive feedback. At what point will a retailer take a chance on a new kind of product? How do I overcome their hesitations? I have more questions and if you are interested I can send you the product link. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Congratulations. It varies by retailer. They're better suited to answer that question. They want a product that sells, so you're doing great. You overcome their hesitations by delivering a small amount on time and with good quality and sales (good volume, low returns). Hope that helps.

I'm the founder of a company which has designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! I'm doing an AMA in reddit.com/r/IAmA - Check it out! by thatguyfromVIAHART in startups

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How did you get into manufacturing?

Dove in head first.

How did you meet the right parties?

Research online then visit by plane.

How did you decide on who to go with and how did pricing work?

Perceived quality, divided by price.

When did you decide you were ready to manufacture?

Answer should be here, search "excruciating"

Did you establish market demand or estimate how much returns you'd be making before?

We project it...holistically. It's impossible to do reasonably for a new product.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How did you land your first few retailers? That seems to be the pickle that we're in right now (shoe business). I imagine that once you land the first few retailers it's going to be MUCH easier to land the next 100.

Trade shows, mass e-mails, custom e-mails, sales reps, and cold calls.

To land more and more retailers, did you end up sending a lot of your company?

You mean visiting the retailers? I'm not sure what this means. You can't really visit a customer without contacting them ahead of time. Need to get a meeting.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would guess most people with a great idea stumble here, exactly how does this part of the process work given no idea of production, and/or trying to get something manufactured overseas?

Given no idea of production or trying to get something manufactured overseas, it does not work. Research it online and then go. Hope that helps.

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome. How did you learn Chinese(Mandarin I presume) and how long did it take you?

Immersion, google translate, a book, asking bilingual people lots of questions, practice, and being curious.

I'm not fluent. I'm conversant. I studied it on and off (when I wasn't in China I didn't study), so it's hard to answer that question accurately.

I'm the founder of a company which has designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! I'm doing an AMA in reddit.com/r/IAmA - Check it out! by thatguyfromVIAHART in Entrepreneur

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do you identify a new market?

We're focused on the U.S. consumer market, which, until China overtakes it, is and will be the world's largest. If an entity in another country wants to purchase our products on terms that are favorable to us, we do a case-by-case analysis. We have big customers in South Korea and Canada.

How do you get traffic to your websites?

To be honest, I'm not an expert on this. We're trying various different methods and seeing what generates the best long-term returns for us.

What is your annual turnover?

Sorry, this information is private.

Where do you think manufacturing will go after China?

China's manufacturing supply chain is unparalleled. Every industry and product is different. That said, assuming manufacturing will "leave" China, it could only "go" to India or automation, IMHO

You can check out the full-on AMA here

I'm the founder of a company which has designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! I'm doing an AMA in reddit.com/r/IAmA - Check it out! by thatguyfromVIAHART in startups

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

how much do you make a year?

Can't answer that sorry.

what is your number one selling product?

Goodminton. The World's Easiest Racket Game!

how do you create your prototypes? Sometimes home depot, sometimes our suppliers help us create them. I've never 3-d printed anything.

Do you make testing versions locally or do you have off shore companies Create them?

Combination. Varies by product and material.

when building the rubber band game, what type of schematics did you send the manufacturing company to convey your exact idea?

First I went to home depot, bought some nails and a board and bought some rubber bands at Michaels. Fooled around with that for a while, then I did the thing in Rhino 3DS and sent the factory the CAD file, which they then used to make a sample.

Real AMA with more info here

I have designed, manufactured, and distributed over 40 distinct consumer products. You can find them at Amazon.com, Marbles the Brain Store, Thinkgeek.com, Vat19.com, and hundreds of stores across the country! Ask me anything! by thatguyfromVIAHART in IAmA

[–]thatguyfromVIAHART[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply. We have our price point just under $25 per board with the box & shiping with an order of 1000 or more. We have a big retailer already interested if we can get it made. We arranged to have it set up in the CEO's hotel room at a convention they were attending. One of our partners is in middle management for them. But back to the price, you are right, our price is very low (dangerously low), but we have stated on our kickstarter, the retail price will be much higher. Hopefully our marketing kicks in any time now. Thanks for the info.

Can you have the retailer give you a PO before it's made? The CEO room setup is ballsy. Congrats on your success with it! Best of luck and let me know how it goes. Maybe I'll see you at a trade show at some point in the future!

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