Making progress...

This weekend I spent time developing my marketing plan. (Big thanks go out to Shaina M. for all the help and advice!) From price to promotions and advertising to affiliate programs, I think I have a handle on everything. A lot of work remains to be done, but, at least, I have a plan of attack.

One key centerpiece of my marketing plan is, of course, the logo for Springheel Jack, Inc. Kyle and I are making progress on the design. We have decided that it will most likely be a silhouette of Jack. Kyle has some really great ideas, and I can't wait to reveal the finished product. Here are some of the rough sketches he has put together.

The first is of Jack's face.

The second is of Jack... well, jumping.

Kyle quickly moved on to this drawing of Jack jumping away, revealing his spring heel.

Last but not least, Kyle came up with this inventive design to incorporate the spring heel with the name of the company.

Once we finalize the logo, I can go to the tag manufacturer and have shirt tags made with my logo and web address on them. The tags will eventually be sewn into the shirts to add some sophistication to my products. And, of course, images of Jack will be sent to the Web Designer so that Jack can properly move into his new home at http://springheeljack.net.

So, as you can see, we are making a lot of progress around here.

Until we meet again...

Oh, by the way, this is the first time I have used the image inserting feature of blogger. I have to say, I really like it. Expect to see more photos in the future.

What the?!?

I have decided on a name for my little venture. Yesterday, I filed my articles of incorporation with the State of Florida for Springheel Jack, Inc. Tomorrow, I am sure the fine folks at the University of Chicago will come demanding my MBA back. Obviously, I can't handle the responsibility.

The name for the company comes from a contemporary of Jack the Ripper who was known for jumping over tall walls and belching blue and white flames. Serious. To say the least, he was a enigmatic character, which is in keeping with the esoteric vision I have for the shirts.

Once I my papers are approved by the State, I can file for a federal tax ID number, which will allow me to open a bank account and do things all proper like.

One issue that still troubles me slightly is where the design ideas for the shirts will come from. Kyle and I have talked briefly about having him do a few designs, so that's once source. I have a few ideas for designs, as well. I also have a lot of contacts for designers who do silk screening for concert posters, so there's another source. If anyone out there has an idea for a t-shirt that is burning a hole in their head, or knows a graphic designer who might be willing to contribute to this little experiment, please let me know.

One idea I had for shirts is find old drawings from the revolutionary period, or turn of the 20th century, scan them into the computer and put them on the shirts. Another idea I had was to scan contemporary photos, increase the contrast to the point where they are basically two-toned and put them on shirts.

Those ideas might work, right?

Sharpening the Saw

Ok, as time goes on I keep refining my idea. My first idea was to have a site that caters to metrosexuals. That became a site dedicated to urban males. The ideas has morphed once again, and this time I think I've got it.

In my last post, I talked about offering esoteric t-shirts as my first product with more high-end products to follow. Well, now I have decided to ditch the high-end products entirely.

One principle of business is to do one thing and to do it very well. I know I can make and sell t-shirts. Even after a few weeks of thinking about selling high-end products, I still don't know how I would even begin to purchase and sell those items. So, it seems to make sense to me to focus on the one thing I know I can make money at.

I know people who will do silk screening. I know people who sell high quality t-shirts. I know people who do graphic design work. AND, I know there is a market for this kind of shirt. I can sell them on the web. I can sell them locally in shops. I can try to go after large accounts like Hot Topic or Spencers. I can even sell them out of a duffel bag because I know people will always by inexpensive, high quality t-shirts with cool designs.

Now, this latest revelation has made me realize that I was kinda going off half-cocked; whereas, I know it is better to go off fully-cocked. So, I am going to take a few days and develop a full business plan before I spend any (more) money.

I am also going to hire a local IT consultant to advise me as to how I can cheaply sell my products over the web. In looking at the fee structure of the software I wanted to use, I realized that once I committed to using their software that they basically had me over a barrel, where they could then do all manner of unsavory things to me. And, really, my wallet is not that much of a slut.

So, the saga continues...

What the hell are you?!?

Go see "Batman Begins". No disrespect to Tim Burton, but it is what a Batman movie should be. To be sure, the movie has its share of flaws, but it is also very engaging, dark and realistic (in a comic book sort of way). I highly recommend it.

Day Three of OPL went smoothly. I have made a decision about the shopping cart software. I will be using StoreFront with a DreamWeaver frontend. If that means anything to anyone, you really need to get out more.

I also decided that I am going to start my venture small. The first products I plan to sell will be esoteric t-shirts. I have a line on this (anyone remember the Super Bowl shirts?), and it should be fairly easy and inexpensive to procure a few different designs.

There are a few benefits to starting slowly. First, I can work the bugs out of the system before going to market with a larger offering. Second, I won't have to spend huge sums of cash up front on inventory, and I can take my time in getting to know the fashion industry before jumping in. Finally, it might allow me the time to do a survey, or two, to better understand my target market. All good things, I'm sure.

I still haven't decided on a name for the company. Kyle is helping me with that, and we hope to have something by the end of this week.

Tomorrow, I need to contact an accountant and ask him all manner of unsavory questions related to skimming from Uncle Sam. It should be a blast. Really.

I'll see you tomorrow, faithful chum. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Day Two - Epilogue

Today was brightened by a conversation I had with my buddy, Dave. Dave has his own consulting business, which he started with not much more than his energy and enthusiasm. He reminded me that it is necessary to take risks, but to do so in a planned way. His words have given me hope.

Instead of putting all of my eggs in one basket, I am going to go to market with a smaller product catalog. I am going to try to find the best combination of a few items that I think will sell. This will tie up less cash in inventory. So it shall be.

Good night. See you in the morning.

Operation Pigeon Lust: Day Two

Day One was great. I committed to the idea of running an e-retail site. I was encouraged by several offerings of support from friends (both emotionally and work-related). I learned several keys to building a successful e-retail site. Things, overall, were off to a good start.

Day Two has been more sobering. It was not all bad, however. A few good things were accomplished. I deposited the cash that will fund this fledgling company and keep it alive for the next few months. Another positive, I was contacted by the software company that makes the shopping cart software I am thinking about using for my site. Their sales rep reached out to me and explained all the benefits of the software. Given the price tag and all the software's great benefits, this seems like one decision that will be easy to make.

On the downside, it looks like I will have to tie up more cash in inventory than I would have liked. In order to get wholesale pricing from vendors, I will have to purchase in large quantities. Perhaps it was naive, but I thought I might be able to offer their products without actually holding inventory by drop shipping. Though I have not confirmed this, I suspect that I won't even get the benefit of credit terms because my company is new and has no credit history. Based on some rough guestimates, I might have to use up to half of my available cash on holding inventory. This is not good news.

I also came to realize that there will be more startup costs than I first anticipated. For example, in order to run the website software, I need to have either Dreamweaver or FrontPage. This should have been obvious, but I overlooked it. So, there's another $200 - $400 I need to spend. I know this is the nature of business, so I am not entirely surprised. It just stings a little.

Overall, while today was tough in terms of the lessons learned, the picture is still fairly bright. I have enough money to get up and running; however, I won't have as large a cushion as I initially thought I would.

Did Someone Get the Number of that Blue Haired?

Woah. What hit me? Last thing I knew, I was employed by a Fortune 200 company with stock options and career mobility. Where did this detour come from? Oh well, no matter.

Despite the still present ringing in my ears, it's time to take stock of the situation. Financial: more than enough money to get by for a few months, enough capital to fund a small start-up and a nest egg to fall back on if I should fail. Excellent. Health: good and still young enough to put in long hours towards desired goals. Excellent. Mental attitude: chip firmly on shoulder. Perfect!

Good, good. Everything seems to be in order. So, what's next?

Well, for this would-be captain of industry, it's taking a shot at ontrepreneurship. (That's being an entrepreneur who's online.) My apologies to Al, who add hoped I would join the alligator tour guide industry. I have decided that I will be starting an online shop for urban males, or metrosexuals.

The idea was born out of the fact that I have never been able to find a "one-stop" place for my particular demographic: urban male. I feel I can offer both products and information to create an online community that is the recognized leader in serving the needs of urban males.

I am setting a deadline for myself of being up and running by July 1st. If you would like to contribute ideas or your services for a website dedicated to serving the urban male, please feel free to contact me at ctrosejr@yahoo.com.

More details to follow, of course.

If you would like to keep in contact, or just drop me a line, while I go through this transition, my contact information is:

208 Villa Circle
Boynton Beach, FL 33435
H: (561) 736-1585
C: (972) 965-9355
Email: ctrosejr@yahoo.com