Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hi,

Hi Terel :-) Welcome to the community.

Consider something like YouTube, which began as a simple idea and didn`t cost a whole lot of money to develop. With luck, marketing, and a good idea, the concept caught on. Then Google bought it.

Using the music industry for analogies, consider the way a band becomes famous. Today, the seemingly "typical" way is that the band records a demo, sends it to a Big Corporate recording company and hopes for a contract.

If the Big Corporate recording company takes the band, they make that band famous with marketing, promotion, concerts, and so forth.

But the other way that used to be the only way was for a band to go out and play. Anywhere! They`d play high schools, clubs, picnics, county fairs, or wherever else they could play. When they had enough money, they recorded a single record with 2 songs, one on each side. They sold that "single" direct to the public.

Many of those bands developed a tremendous following, and the recording companies then saw a clear and proven concept. Only at that point did the Big Corporate record companies come gathering around, offering contracts.

Technology is different from music, particularly with regard to patents and trade secrets. It`s also different in the amount of initial investment, making prototypes, and developing quantity inventories. But to address your question, I think it`s possible to sell direct to the public, even with technology.

If you really do have a great product, and there really is a market for it, then that`s why venture capitalists and outside investors exist.

Thanks so much for the encouraging words Craig, and it`s strange you should use the old music industry formula as an example.  One of the business strategies I`m considering is to go back in time and use some old but proven methods, start small, manufacture locally, sell locally, and build to a bigger market.  Not that I`m against progress, but as the recent economy has demonstrated, we can progress in the wrong direction.

Dear Terel, 

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Virginia Louise Lawrence

Hi Terel,

Here`s a success story from the book publishing industry.  Most publishers (all for practical purposes) will not publish a book by an unknown author.  You first have to be an established author, but you have to get published to get established.  It`s the old catch 22. 

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The older we get, the more excuses we make for not chasing after our dreams. But truth is, goals are attainable at any age.

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The older we get, the more excuses we make for not chasing after our dreams. But truth is, goals are attainable at any age.

I only do free ecademy because I can not afford the costs .. and free ecademy has been very benificial to me .. I do not try to bring in new people because I really have not tried to ever get to know that many people before n my life; but online it is easier and different .. but I have gotten to have and know a few people from ecademy since and the experiences have been very good .. and helpful .. some have freely helped me in ways more than in just words words words .. actions have spoken louder than words .. I also help freely in return as best I can .. and provide services that are benificial and useful as they also try to aid me in my endeavors .. Ecademy has been an overall good experience .. I reccomend free ecademy very much .. 

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Virginia Louise Lawrence

Another major success story from the publishing industry is Vince Flynn. He too had a book that nobody would touch. He had hundreds of rejections because he was an unknown.

So he took his manuscript around to friends and family, had them read it, and then asked for some investment money to self publish. Taking that, he wrote to his latest potential publisher and asked them sincerely if they would please reject his book as soon as possible. :-) And of course they did.

Taking the money he`d put together, he self-published I think 2,000 copies...maybe more...of "Term Limits," that first book. He released it in the Minneapolis area, and it quickly became a local best-seller

Given the sudden notoriety and local new reports, a number of publishers suddenly got interested. From there, he took a contract and re-released "Term Limits." That went on to sell well, and he wrote the next book.

Vince Flynn is now approaching super-stardom, having sold the film rights to his Mitch Rapp character.