In 2013, I took on investors to help grow Fodeez® Reusable Adhesive Frames. These investors are friends and family, and I knew we had something great to sell. But I didn't realize how difficult it would be to have the products manufactured to my standards.
I wanted products that would:
- Be durable and long-lasting
- Look good
- Made in the USA
- Not damage surfaces
- Provide great value
As simple as Fodeez® Reusable Adhesive Frames appear, they're very difficult to make. It took four years (and $40,000) to receive the patent in 2017. But we still hadn't found a manufacturer that could consistently product the products with high quality and on time.
We were selling ok, but I wasn't pushing sales because manufacturing wasn't reliable. I didn't want to advertise products that either didn't arrive timely or that had issues for my customers. I didn't want to make a promise that I couldn't deliver.
That changed in November 2022. After months of working with a US manufacturer, they were able to produce Fodeez® Reusable Adhesive Frames that I am proud to put our name on. And they deliver when they say they will deliver.
Last year we also worked with another manufacturer to deliver the same great quality. So now we have two manufacturers in the US that can deliver high-quality products and meet our deadlines.
So in January of 2023, I had no excuses as to why we couldn't grow our sales. Plus, I read a book Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. If you haven't read this book, pick it up today. David Goggins had an incredibly horrible childhood, yet he managed to become a Navy Seal along with numerous other accomplishments and is today a best-selling author.
So if he could accomplish so much with a bad start in life, what was my excuse?
I got to work, but I knew I didn't know how to sell $1 million, so I looked for resources that could help.
To this day, I don't remember how I found Merchant Mastery, but I did. Merchant Mastery (MM) is a business started by Scott Cunningham and Simon Trafford. These guys are expert e-commerce marketers, and they've assembled a team of coaches that are unequaled.
I spent hours/weeks learning from their online modules, and daily zooms for coaching. Yes, it was a lot of work to learn website design, email marketing, social media marketing, Facebook ads, etc. .... but the work paid off.
And, of course, the feedback and suggestions from our Fodeez® Friends has been amazing. You guys are the reason we exist, and we love the emails, post comments and constant feedback we receive as to how our handy little products have made a difference in your lives.
So let's ban together and see what we can accomplish together in 2024! Let us know in the comments what your goals are for the year. If you make your goals public, you are that much more likely to acheive them.
If you'd like to opt in to receive 1-2 emails each week during January with tips to each your goals, click here to be added to our list. Let's make things happen!