Market Research

Tomorrow we're heading up to a local Sno-Park to see if we can get some video of what parents go through when taking their little ones to play in the snow. We have been asked by the underwriter for the SEDC business loan we've applied for to put something visual together to show the board. I'll post something on Monday because I have no doubt we'll get plenty of material.

I Got The Call!

Oh my gosh! I got a call from the producer for Amilya's new show. I was a little nervous about throwing my hat in the ring because you never know what kind of spin will be put on a reality show AND the application was really long.

Actually, the whole process has infused me with new enthusiasm for my product and business. The application reminded me how much I love my new venture, made me think of some new angles, and in general reignited my passion.

The call from the producer made me think the Law of Attraction is alive and well. I got excited submitting and when the call came, he said he could feel my excitement for my business/ product. I know there are no guarantees, it was just a screening call, but hey, it was a call! My application was read! Whoo-Hoo!

If you haven't already, go for it! You have nothing to lose! http://www.zipperbackgloves.com/

On Fire!

Oh my goodness, you would not believe the amazing week we had selling gloves in Truckee. UN-FLIPPING-BELIEVABLE! I have so much follow up to do this week. I took a 72 piece (6-dozen pair) order at my first stop and it all snowballed from there. People are so excited, and only bummed that we didn't have stock to sell out of our car for the weekend.

I put the new protos on Mason for a day of learning how to ski (he's a rock star, by the way!), and his hands stayed warm and dry all day. He wore them again the next day for sledding and they got wet inside due to the deep, new snow and the fact that he was in it- deep- for hours. When we got back to the house, I tossed them in the washer and dryer and they came out great. He put them back on (by himself at this point) and was back out in the snow for God knows how long. When he came in, we opened them up, left them on the table and within a few hours, they were dry (moist only from likely sweating)...unlike the rest of us with conventional gloves that were still wet inside from the day before.

All good news. I have so much work to do. I'm hoping to get the letter of understanding back this week. Off and running, again! But smiling really big!

Starting My Sales Efforts

We are off to Truckee for a week and I plan to hit as many resort shops as I can to sell gloves to.

I feel strongly that our kids gloves are the best on the market today and I can take orders now even though I don't have my finished samples in hand. I'll let you know how it went when I get back on the 17th!

I'll Do Both

I keep flip-flopping on how I want to create this blog and I think what I'm going to do is put my log online as the history of this blog, in addition to moving forward with references to the past. I have milestones of this journey written on my other blogs but this blog will serve as the official ZipperBack Glove journey. It may take me some time to do the data entry from the last year, but I'll get it done.

Do you have an idea for a needed product? If it's really a good idea, there isn't any reason why you can't do it. Heck, if I can do it, anyone can do it. Let me know if I can help, I'm happy to share any information I have.

My Intentions

I created this blog specifically to document my journey of bringing a product to market. I'm not sure if I want to post my inventor's log by going back and doing all the data entry, or telling the story as it happened from this point forward with updates in between. I'll ponder this and figure it out by Friday.

Our ZipperBack Team

Alice, Mike, Mason, Kathy, and Dave

SIA 09

A ZBG Update

Before you forget, please click the "Vote For Us" button to your right. Thank you!

We went to Las Vegas and had more success than we could have ever imagined! Our meeting with Saranac provided answers to our many questions and in a nutshell here is what we know. They love our product. They feel confident it will sell and believe in our ability to sell it. We made contacts with numerous buyers from all over the united states and the feedback was all amazing. Even a few who said they had no interest in a children's product, got excited when they saw the gloves. The quote that summed it all up for me was when Saranac said, "You have an amazing product. It's smart, innovative, and much needed. You have virtually no competition. There isn't a single reason why you shouldn't succeed."

Our fourth prototype is great. We will tweak it with finishing touches and be ready to go into production. We have orders with several retailers and will have inventory for sale via our website as early as September of this year! Pretty exciting, huh?