Newsletters!
The Big Gulp
Seasoned Greetings!
Wow, is it already newsletter time again? We've had a couple big things happen in the last month that have been rather distracting, so I almost forgot that it was time to send out an update!
Last month we jetted off to Chicago for the International Home and Housewares Show. Since we do not have product available yet, we were not there to exhibit. Instead, our goal was to scope things out and learn anything that might help us when we're ready to participate in trade shows. This event was B-I-G... acres and acres of things you never knew you needed. We kept our eyes open for any new products that would be direct competitors to what we're developing, and fortunately it appears that we still have a unique system! We also spent a lot of time simply looking at the various display booths other companies had built to learn what does and does not work (and more important, what not to spend money on).
Next month we're off to the Gourmet Houseware Show in Las Vegas. Dedicated readers will remember that this is the show at which we were originally planning to debut our product. But since things aren't ready yet, we'll be attending just to do more surveying and learning.
So, what's up with the title of this month's newsletter? Well, it's simply the best way to describe the moment when we wired off money to our manufacturer in Hong Kong! Of all the tasks and milestones we've had over the past year, this is perhaps the most significant as we are now fully committed to moving forward. This monetary deposit kicks off the tooling process, where they carve the various molds out of steel. It's expected to take about two months, after which they can actually begin making our product. Many people have been asking exactly when we're going to have things available to sell, and right now the best answer we can give is mid-summer. There are, of course, numerous variables that could change that, so we'll have to refine that estimate as time goes on.
Best regards,
Carol and David Peterman