Hey guys, so last October I introduced a new business here on WSO that I started with my cousin and his best friend that manufactures cool bluetooth ammo can speakers.
The production / operations have been steadily building capacity and we are starting to produce them at a pretty good clip, with some great press already.
Some quotes from a Military.com review:
The AmmoCan X is incredible…Nothing else on the market is as tastefully designed...an A+ product.
Here’s the fact: you can’t buy another wireless speaker that matches the feel and build quality of the AmmoCan X at any price. What you’re getting is a hand-built product made by guys who built something they wanted to own themselves.
We also have early indications from Military Arms Channel on YouTube that they want to do a review of the AmmoCan X as well, and their audience is huge (330,000 subscribers)....
So while we are ramping / prepping for that big press, I wanted to give it a shout out on here to see if any of you would like a unit before we are tapped out from all the orders once that review hits :-)
You can check it out right here: www.ammoaudio.com
Thanks guys,
Patrick
ps - as always, I welcome your comments / feedback, constructive criticism, etc...I'm new to the manufacturing of physical goods, so I'm learning a lot about sourcing and inventory management.
forgot to mention, thanks cztrader heister @Going Concern" Janglejuice thebrofessor MBA_Junkie grosse GoldenCinderblock for all of your constructive feedback the first time around!
We're very excited about the next 3-6 months...confident we can get to the next level with all the press coming :-)
If I never see an ammo can ever again, that will be far too soon -_-" The personalised badges are a nice touch, though. Ever have to turn down any requests for... unusual badges?
One tiny thing that confused me for a sec - the line that reads "Most of the AmmoCan Bluetooth speakers out there are manufactured abroad to save on cost" made me think that you were panning your own product, heh.
thanks, good point... :-)
Introducing the Ammo Can X (Originally Posted: 10/09/2014)
Fellow Primates, so I just started this side business with my cousin and his buddy to build and sell these awesome military inspired Bluetooth speakers.
We just started accepting orders, but rather than try to pimp it out here right away, would first love your feedback on if it's something you think you or a friend would enjoy.
Site still needs some work to polish it up, but thought I'd throw it out there on here since I think there are some really smart business people on here that could help us with strategy and getting the word out.
Here it is: http://www.ammoaudio.com/
Thanks for your feedback as always guys! Patrick
Kickstarter, Yes. It's marketing that pays you. Why would you not do it.
Price point that is entirely dependent on the market you are looking at targeting. I personally would suggest you target a niche market with a higher price point. It is far easier to sustain a business like this in a niche market with a more expensive product than it is to try to generate mass appeal because that won't happen with design ascetics like in the picture. Also this allows you to really target your advertising.
The 299 price point is in my view low. It is a good price point however it is on the low end for individual hand made products. It gives off a mass hand made vibe. I think 350 to 399 provides more of a "hey these guys really took the time to make this just for me" vibe. I mean you can get boes or those piece of shit beats headphones for 299.
Advertising, going along the lines of what I was saying above you need to target the marketing at specific groups. The issue you are going to have is that most war history buffs are older people who likely don't know how and just plain don't use Bluetooth as well as younger people do. So you would likely have to market it towards people who like industrial design. This leads to another problem. That is a crowded space, maybe not so much in the Bluetooth speaker market but in the overall design space. I would market it at military, adventure lifestyle, and industrial design people.
Since you are going to be targeting a high price point you are going to have to use quality components. I would say at minimum you should use JBL cones and drivers. This is at the very minimum. Personally Boston Acoustics of Klipsch would be preferable. If these look great and sound like shit, they aren't going to sell well.
.... because it is NOT marketing that pays you - at least it is not that simple.
I do not know the nuances of fundraising on kickstarter but I do know that you need to promise something in return for the original investment. Assuming that investors on kickstarter are rational (likely not - but if they are), the return must compensate them for the initial investment, associated risk and the time taken to generate returns. If you do not need the money why would you go down that road?
If you are positioning this as a premium product, getting testimonials from actual professionals (DJs, etc), as suggested by @"thebrofessor", appears to be a good plan to me.
I am definitely a buyer. I think there is a MAJOR market for these, especially through a distribution network that goes to gun shows. I live in PA and there are shows at the expo centers on a monthly basis, thousands of tables and lots of buyers. Also I think the younger crowd would be a buyer, as a lot of firearm enthusiasts are in there late 20's and early 30's with disposable income. I would market it in a way similar to the Otterbox phone cases or Panasonic ToughBook laptop. That market will spend the extra $$ for the build quality + the look. I would say a $299 price is spot on, but you may still be ok slightly above that. The only addition that I could see would be an LED white light, inside, that illuminates the switches and wording. That way when you are out in the middle of nowhere at night you can still see the controls. Also, I would personally be happy to be your PA rep at the local shows :)
CZtrader, cool idea, thanks for the feedback...will run it by the guys (one concern i have is if you etch through the aluminum face which looks awesome now, how will it look in normal daylight). Agree with your assessment on the market. We'd definitely be open to having reps, but think that is jumping the gun a bit for us. We want to keep the first few runs small to learn from them. Shipping, what people love, feedback, etc... I think by end of November we may be willing to ramp more aggressively and start hitting the shows...can you reach out to me then? [email protected]
Thanks man! Patrick
I'd change "military inspired" to "military grade."
Could there be a lower end version?
How much of your COGS are the speakers (which sound high-end by the specs, but I have no clue)? What about the sealed wood enclosure?
I just bought a crappy bluetooth speaker for $20. As you point out, this is something to take camping or when you go to the beach. My gut tells me there isn't a big market for a $300/$350 bluetooth speaker.
This is "9 Rugged Bluetooth Speakers for travel and outdoor use" - all $100 to $200 http://www.macworld.com/article/2032172/review-rugged-bluetooth-speaker…
Other than aesthetics how is this better than Bose Soundlink? Which is 299 by the way. Personally I'm not a big fan of buying products that aren't well established unless there is some serious upside, such as significantly better sound, much lighter, or much much cheaper. Unless it's a specialized product with a small but very vocal following.
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/digital_music_systems/b…
Generally because among audio people, Bose is considered a shit product. In other words a lot of brand price. In most cases going with less established companies actually gets you more or better quality for your money. Since well known consumer brand companies have to a much larger than average percentage of their budget to advertising to keep their place as a top consumer brand that it erodes their larger discounts they get on their raw materials.
The first question should be "who is your target market?" I recommend doing at least some research, focus groups and surveys to find out what kind of people actually would buy the product. What is your marketing strategy? you got the product, now you will have to find out where to sell it (place) how much it would be (price) and how you will promote it. Kickstarter could be a good idea to get some initial exposure. Some other questions to think about:
Personally, I think there should be an "it" factor that makes the product stand out / more competitive / innovative. I recommend asking a lot of questions to yourself and also other people, brainstorm and do a lot of research. that way even if you don't come up with answers, you will learn a lot.
Also check out the recently most successful speaker/cooler on kickstarter for insights. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryangrepper/coolest-cooler-21st-ce…
Molestias accusantium perspiciatis veniam quam. Natus et iste sit placeat fugiat dolores. Commodi ea quia qui ut culpa dolorem.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...