Yup, I agree, I would wipe it clean and leave it blank for client’s to customize.

At this point though, I’ll likely leave it be and try to get the thing licensed. Because I figure the licensee would probably have some revisions to it anyways, either generic design changes or customization of their logo/brand etc.

Then again, it would like nice and pretty to submit a customized product to a potential licensee.

hmmm….

If you have a single tooling design with a flat “logo area,” you could offer printing or imprinting (as a post process heat stamp) at different costs.

Inventing and production were a piece of cake. Licensing will be the real challenge.

Greg: Thanks, I haven’t overlooked Roger. I’m going through a lot of his(among other gurus as well) old posts and suggestions and using all that I can.

Andrew: Thanks again, I was thinking along the same plane. I think with a display/example setup at the register, these things would sell with ease.

I also like your idea of customizing them with the companies name/logo. It was something I had considered and am now rethinking since so many people have suggested soliciting promotional companies. It would require a large order though because to have the plastic injection mold custom made costs about $4500, I could also opt however to use stamping(ink), rather than actual embossing. The stamping being much cheaper and offering more choices on color and detail.

= )

Tim, I love anything that help ‘de-clutter’, so I think the product is great! I picture this product sitting in a small display (or bucket) at the cash register at Staples/OfficeMax/Best Buy…this display would have the product only with no additional packaging (keep your costs down!). It would be a great impulse purchase at about a $1 – $2 price point. The retailer could also have one hanging from their POS terminal with a disk to further ‘show’ the product. I can also picture that printed on the product in Large letters is their website – So you offer to put BESTBUY.COM on the side of the product as to further your relationship with that retailer….just my 2 cents…

Don’t overlook the modestly skipped resource on licensing:
http://www.rogerbrown.net

The absolute best way is to be referred to them by someone they work with, someone that they know and trust. Give them the name of the person that you were referred by. My products will be licensed to a company that does business with a major distributor (if we agree to the licensing agreement terms), the major distributor turned me down. Two years later they referred me to the smaller company when I talked with the original buyer. Get to a trade show, let buyers see your product and generate interest. They are approaching you then, you are giving them the opportunity to buy as opposed to you showing up on their doorstep trying to sell. That always seems to work better for me.

Tim,

Try these below. Use the search feasture above and out in Pitching, License, find companies, cold call, to get some of the threads to show up.

How to Submit Ideas to Companies Think Before You Send
http://www.inventorsdigest.com/archives/6674

12- Step Program Sealing a Licensing Deal for Under $100
http://www.inventorsdigest.com/archives/5042

http://www.edisonnation.com/forums/market-resea...

http://www.edisonnation.com/forums/creativity/t...

http://www.edisonnation.com/forums/other/topics...

Great feedback guys, thanks

Peter: I agree, all the more reason for me to move quick on this. Cd’s are being used less and less, however they will hold their place for a while until there is a more effective method of piracy prevention than current software licensing protocols

Betsy: Thanks and CONGRATULATIONS!

Ralf: I wasn’t retreating to a smaller core market, perhaps you read me wrong.

thanks for your input but you’re looking way to deep into this. It solves an everyday problem, it’s simple, it’s effective, done. It doesn’t need to be glamorous to be successful. I’ve already sold close to a hundred of these without any marketing, people have been buying just off of a picture and description because to many consumers, they just make sense.

I don’t pretend to be a marketing wizard, when I have one, I’ll see to it that his first task is to knock your socks off ; )

Scott: I had considered using them in the car too but didn’t really develop that idea much. Seeing that it came up here again tells me it’s something that needs to be reconsidered.

I have a buddy of mine, like you said, fresh out of video/marketing school who is going to get this video done for me.

I’ve been scouring Kickstarter since I discovered it on here last week. I want to be sure to put together a good presentation for them so I’m taking notes from the successful projects and piecing together mine.

I really like the 3 pack idea, I’ll send out your check soon as I get my first licensing deal!

Does anyone have a link to a thread on approaching companies for potential licensing opportunities. I tried the sites search function but the results it brought up were a bit confusing and unrelated for the most.

Thanks Again All!

Thanks Margaret. Tim, here is another suggestion. An “amatuerish” (is that a word?) video can also be you incredibly valuable, especially at this stage. Take this over to Kickstarter (with video in hand) so to speak, to get your financing and test this idea. At this pont they will probably accept you to submit for funding. By going any further, packaging, retailers, or online sales will prevent you from submitting. Their concept is to help get you started. Perhaps even say that the sample is “rapid prototyped” to emphasize that you are just starting and need help. They will not support your project if you are fully committed and in business already.

Since I am in business they would not help me. Literally, I am working out of my garage and have been for 4 years, but because I made the impression that I am bigger than I am (and with sales) Kickstarter felt I was beyond the start up stage.

Also, consider offering 3 (in different colors) of your product per package for your lowest price. Get help establishing your pricing if you do not know how to do this (this can make or break your business). But, in my opinion, by offering three you can better match up to a car interior with the variety, have the second go to a computer station, and the third be gifted to a friend or second vehicle. People will then have your brand right on their dash for others to see.

I like that idea Scott. Would definitely use it in the car.

Oh, you forgot one market, also. Many people are changing CD’s in cars pretty regularly. Attach this to the dash so that they can return the CD to it’s case later, when it’s a little safer than when driving. Now you got some sizzle! Just send me a check. OK!

Tim, I really hope you do well by licensing it to someone that can and will distribute (like Intuit). Ralph does have a good point, this product doesn’t have a great deal of sizzle, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a market. My products have no sizzle either, the sizzle comes from the problem it solves. Your marketing campaign needs to do the same. Video sells. Ebay, Amazon, and your website sells and creates awareness. Use tools that create awareness without breaking the bank. Packaging is no big when selling on the internet. Show the problem and the solution. You got the profit margins to have a viable product and you made the initial investment in tooling. A few more days creating a video and listing it on Ebay and Amazon may prove the market and at no great expense.

List it using keywords like “CD DVD Storage” there’s a huge market. If it starts selling, then any pessimist can be proven wrong. Do the best you can to create a professional looking video first. Editing the video is key, and it might be a good idea to hire a college kid looking to fill a resume.

No comments on the product. One thing on website design, you have different content on different animation sets. There is a very fast transition after all the elements of a screen are put together and makes it hard to catch the message that each builds to. I tend to leave websites when I encounter that deux ex machina content change-up.

Yes as Betsy alluded to, there are no bad ideas, only bad marketing campaigns. Sell me on the sizzle. You’re already retreating back to a smaller market of usefulness for gamers. But how would I, as a regular person, not be able to live without these. If you can’t sell me on the sizzle, then you shouldn’t continue.

I thought the Website and the presentation were EXCELLENT! Really professional! I like the look of the product too!

Tim… I like the concept very much.
I have to admit that I find myself handling discs less and less these days, though. The only discs I handle on a regular basis are about a half dozen writable DVDs that I use for regular backups and offloading of computer files. But even there… I’m using external hard drives more and more for data backup and storage.

For movies and music I’ve always kept discs together with their case and liner notes, and even there, once a disc is digitally ‘ripped’ I rarely handle it. I’m not a pc or console gamer so no experience to offer on that front.

My feeling is that I probably wouldn’t buy this… (unless maybe perhaps as an impulse buy at the checkout register for $3.00 or less?) However… As Roger mentions below… if I was ever given this as a promotional item (at a trade show for instance) … then I’d most definitely make use of it. I’d probable find some way to tack it to my desk’s wall, and place the 4 or 5 backup discs I currently keep in one of those small writable cd stack cases.

Much luck and success to ya!!

Hi Tim. I like it. I’d put one on the shelf under the TV for discs my son watches over and over and one on the shelf next to the stored DVD’s, so we could find them easily when we had time to put them away. 2/$5.00 and I wouldn’t think twice about grabbing a pack. honestly! This would be better than my son’s current method of piling them anywhere. Looks like an Office Depot or Best Buy item to go near the check-out. Best of luck to you!

I hope you find success with them. Good Luck. : )

Roger, got your email, you are the man…you’ve got a boatload of karma working for you

Tim, check your email I sent you some companies you can try.

Scott:

Thanks bud, that’s why I didn’t jump on packaging yet, bc knowing I’m new to this, I probably would make something that was changed anyways by a licensee. Although I did feel it would have a better presentation “feel” with some nice packaging. Now what’s that website again where thousands of eager, high rolling licensee’s are waiting?!? lol

Ralf:

Great, this is what I was looking for…

It’s better than a covered cd stack because it looks better than a hump of cd’s lying around. Plus you can have one of these on/near each of your appliances that you frequently use, providing a cleaner, smaller profile, better looking and more convenient (slide off frequently used discs, select and slide back on). It’s better than having 4-5 cd hubs throughout your house OR a cluttered aggregations of cd’s that slide around and get scratched on desks, etc

These are intended for commonly/frequently used discs, which do not typically sit around and collect dust. If you want the utmost protection and clean discs, store them in cases(which break and cost more than a CD Holster). If you use a number of discs often and would like easy access to them…enter my CDHolsters

Even if you were a fan, you wouldn’t have to mount a CD Holster to your pc, you could mount it to your desk (right on top or on a vertical support, either completely hidden on the inside or on the outside) you could also put one on the wall, in a cubby, behind the monitor, on/in/under a shelf, or anywhere convenient that works out for YOU…but let’s not forget, whenever you did need one, you would have to crawl to insert your new disc into your pc.

Car visor things are not made for mounting with the ease like my holsters are, although they could be modified easy enough. They do however take up more space, cost more, wear/tear/break quicker and in my opinion; wouldn’t look half as aesthetic.

You could use a coat hanger, that would look great.

These allow you to put them out of sight, without putting them away. You grab the cd stack off the holster, find the one you’re looking for and slide them back on, easily done without fingerprinting or scratching the disc.

I need to make a video further illustrating how these work, but nonetheless, I appreciate your criticism, value your opinion and recognize that these are not/will not be for everybody(how many products are wanted by every consumer in the world???). My initial target market was gaming enthusiasts, but expanded when I realized I’d be selling myself short by not addressing a much larger consumer base.

So while you are not a fan, do you feel these would be a waste of my time and money to pursue?

Thanks Again All

Tim I don’t understand how this solves any of the problems with CDs or how it’s even better than stacking your CDs in a covered blank CD stack. How do you find the CD you want without rummaging through the stack and scrating them as you do. Even if I was a fan of stacking CDs, why would I stack them uncovered and collecting dust. My PC is under my desk, why would I want to stack my cds where I’d have to crawl to get at them. If stacking my cds at the side of my PC is a good idea, why wouldn’t I attach one of those car visor cd wallets so at least I could take out each cd individually. Why wouldn’t I just bend a coat hanger to do the same thing (if I liked the idea and it will appeal to some because every idea has fans). As I look around my clutter, I do see that there is a need to put them out of sight but it needs to be done where I can have easy access to each individual cd so as to minimize fingerprints and scratching at the same time. This is not the solution unless you get Vince to sell it with ASOTV creative camera work that makes it look like magic.

PS I don’t believe in sugar coated encouragement because that’s just cruel and harmful to one’s pocketbook and blinds people to seeing ways how to improve their products.

Nice idea Tim. A few things that you need to do. First is to put “Patent Pending” on your website. It tells everyone to back off if they want to copy you, and second it tells everyone this is “THEE” only place to get it if you want it.

The costs to distribute this on a national level are pretty minimal, but I think $5 retail is too high. At that price people would think twice about it if they really need it that bad. It’s a “want” item, not a “need”. I think stores would want to retail around $2.99. If it didn’t sell they, they can half price close out, rather than return. Retail pricing is tricky with something like this. Package design can be done yourself, and the people that build your packaging will help.

From my experience, unless you have a large budget to manufacture and distribute to the major retailers. It is best to license to someone that has the financial resources and the contacts in place. To show this to a major retailer and not be able to fulfil an order can do more harm than good. I’d say the product has a good chance. Leave the packaging up to your licensee if you don’t pursue this solo. Your profit margins will be minimal if going retail. To make a few cents off each one doesn’t seem to be worthwhile, but it does if you sell large numbers of them.

Like it was mentioned, as a promo item with branding might be the way to license out. “Intuit” for example might love this since they sell an incredible number of CD’s and this could be “added value” or sold as a stand alone product.

Carol:

Thank you! you posted while I was responding …

Alright, thanks for the responses thus far, keep them coming, I want to hear from anyone out there (I see a lot more views than responses!)

Andrea:

Yes, you could use it on the back side of a Mac screen. The adhesive will adhere to nearly any surface and the plastic has a good degree of flex to it. In fact I have customers who have actually mounted their holster on the back side of their big screen tv for quick access to their dvd’s without disrupting the feng shui of their media center.

Margaret:

Thanks! I know these won’t be for everyone, ie: some kids or folks who are very good about keeping their compact discs in cases. $5 was my target price, so good to know that you’d be willing to pay that.

I have thought about entering it on the ASOTV search but wasn’t yet sure if it would be a good fit and stand a chance against the competition.

Roger:

As just mentioned, I was intending normal pricing to be $5, with that I could afford to include shipping free and still manage to profit a few dollars, but that is prior to any product packaging costs. I have room reserved in my pricing model for packaging, but haven’t found solid numbers yet. That being said, I know I won’t make any real money with these until they are either licensed or in significant retail placement. Selling them one at a time is just my attempt at getting them out into market.

I am manufacturing them (plastic injection molding) here in the U.S.. which I would love to maintain manufacture here in the states, but I’m sure they could be done overseas much cheaper.

I will look into your suggestions and thank you for the link, that’s a great/helpful post I hadn’t yet come across.

Linda:

I did too, that’s how I came up with this thing.

Thanks Again All = )

Great idea Tim.

I like this idea. I have bunches of dvd’s all over the place.

Tim, I like the idea. It is simple but provides a service.

Here are some suggestions and questions:

You have it as free, just cover the $2.99 for shipping. How much do you plan to sell it for plus shipping to make a profit?

Are you making them in the US or overseas?

Consider contacting promotional companies, computer and CD online websites to get sales.

Look at this thread I started on getting free media attention http://www.edisonnation.com/forums/selling/topi...

Tim,

I really like it. I’m not sure I would store my Wii games or DVD movies that way, but I love it for keeping restore, installation and backup discs next to the pc (you know, the discs you can never find when you need them. :) ) The reason I wouldn’t store the other discs is that we just have too many of them and the kids would have to go through them all (insert fingerprints, scratches, and sticky goo here) to get to the one they want. Also, I can see the kids pulling all the dvd’s off to find the one and then leaving them scattered anyway. I prefer to have the cases or a book so they are protected and easily found in a way that I can store them out of site. I would buy your product for my pc though. It definitely fills a need for me there. I would pay $3-$5 for one.

Have you thought about entering it in to the As Seen on TV search through Edison Nation?

I happen to really like this idea, cleaver…how would this work on a Mac (I don’t have a tower), could it be used on the back side?