Good Afternoon Everyone,
I knew that coming up with a product that I can manufacture and sell would not be the easiest road. It also does not help that patience has never been my best virtue. My idea was to create a volleyball boundary line (30' x 60' rectangle) out of a weather resistant LED rope. I was very excited about this because I have not seen this ANYWHERE.
I reached out to multiple manufacturers and designers and did not get very far. I finally got on the phone with someone who could make a custom designed LED rope that I could use. The man was willing to help and even took about 5-10 minutes on the phone inputting data into his computer to see what the cost would be to create this size rope and how I could power it.
This is where the disappointment kicked in. The price to create such a rope would be $450.00 (just for the LED rope), and to make matters worse I found that in order to charge these LED lines I would need to fuel it with a 12-V_36-Amp battery. Soooo pretty much this thing...
This battery costs about $400.00 (these lines currently run rom $30.00 to $50.00 a piece). So, just to create a prototype of this item it is going to cost me about $900.00. On top of that, in order to get this up and running, I would need to drag a giant car battery down to the beach. I am not sure about you, but I cannot see this product making it to market and becoming the next sensational summer sale. I will continue to look into possibilities, and if you know much about this topic please drop a comment. I would love to hear from you.
Even though I do not believe I will be able to make a light-up volleyball court, I do believe I have found a use my LED strips. Ever since I bought my first LED strip I have been obsessed with the quality of colors and how bright they can be. This product I am researching is a much simpler and cheaper design than the boundary lines. The best part is that I can create a prototype right at home and I have the products I need in order to get it up and running.
I have also reached out to an older gentleman who owns his own factory. This man has been very successful in business due to his innovations with manufacturing equipment. I am excited to say that we have a lunch date this Wednesday. I plan on showing him my prototype to get his input. I also plan on speaking with him about how he got started and ask if he can give me any advice. Worst case scenario this man thinks I am an idiot and does not want to see me again. Best case scenario is that we talk, have a great discussion and he offers to be a kind of mentor to me while I start out.
I have realized that my main goal is not to have the best product, but to have a product and get going with sales. I feel like it is my first day ever in a weight lifting gym. I have no clue what to do. I see tools all over the place that I think would be useful, but I don't yet know how to use any of them. I know this is going to be a learning curve and I hope that like with the gym, I start to explore and find that I love every second of learning each new tool.
I am disappointed that I am not pushing a product that is sports related right away, but I am so excited to be able to create a prototype and meet with someone older than me that currently manufacturers and sells his own creations for a living. I will keep you all posted as to what happens next along this journey.
As always, please leave me a comment regarding my writing, I would love to hear your thoughts as to what you would like more of and what you would like less of. Also, if you have any ideas regarding a volleyball product I would be so interested in hearing from you.
Until next time,
Stephen S.