www.startupnation.com

by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs

• Join - It's Free!
• Log in

My StartupNation

Selling manufacturing services to retailers - Q & A

Dale calls from Denver to ask the Sloans how to get other retailers in the same niche interested in using his manufacturing service.

Rich Sloan: We have Dale out of Denver, Colorado, the mile-high city.  Welcome, Dale.

Dale:  Hey guys.  I have a company, it's called Rocky Mountain Naturals, and we manufacture natural bar soaps, liquids, bath salts and so on and so forth.  And my question is --

Rich Sloan: Very hot niche.  Love it.

Dale:  Yeah, exactly.  We've been doing it about ten years now.  My question is, is how do we effectively reach out to the persons that are presently making their own products and basically offer them our manufacturing capabilities?  And I say that because I've met a lot of people that try to do it all themselves, but the chances are that they're, at some point, are going to need a professional manufacturer to actually grow their business.

Rich Sloan: So, you've got a product line.  You've got a brand.  You have --

Dale:  We do ourselves but we also -- basically we're a private-label manufacturer.

Rich Sloan: I was just going to say.               

Dale:  Yeah.

Rich Sloan: You have a manufacturing capability.

Dale:  Correct.

Rich Sloan: And the people who you're referring to who want to make their own products, you're saying these are people who want to actually make for commercial sale their own innovative products.

Dale:  And they currently do, but the point being is, let's say, for instance, the woman is making her products out of the house and she's got a little business going, things are starting to pick up for her.  At some point, she's going to outgrow that kitchen or that little warehouse or something.

Rich Sloan:  Right.

Dale:  And because at some point her marketing is going to consume her, she will probably -- he or she will probably need someone to take up the manufacturing.  Actually, to make their products cheaper for them because of our capabilities.

Rich Sloan: Economies of scale.

Dale:   Exactly.

Jeff Sloan:  Have you ever thought about getting listed with the Thomas Register?

Dale:  I believe we're in there.

Jeff Sloan:  Yeah.  I mean, that seems like a pretty good resource.  What about trade associations?  Are there any trades -- any associations you can belong to?

Dale:   You know, I don't know.  That's why I was talking to -- it might be.  But I don't know if I'm in the manufacturing trade magazine, again, there seems to be perhaps a disconnect between me and the small people out Rich Sloan: You know what, Jeff, what comes to mind, just feeding off your question there, Jeff, I would say, what if he went to the trade shows where, you know, there are healthcare products being sold or perhaps natural healthcare products being sold?

Dale:  Sure.

Rich Sloan: And got a booth there, or at least walked the halls with business cards, you know, trying to identify products that look hot and that they --

Dale:  Sure.

Rich Sloan: -- will go to the next stage.  And start pressing the flesh.

Dale:  Exactly.  That's a good idea.

Jeff Sloan:  I think that's a great idea.  You know, it's the kind of thing where a lot of grass roots marketing needs to be put to work here.  Probably a lot of pressing the flesh, a lot of creativity involved.  I'm not sure there's any way to kind of blanket that community through a single source.  So, you'll probably have to take a multi-approach. Tomas Register is a good idea.  Trade show is a good idea.

Rich Sloan: I'll give you one other idea, Dale, in the coming month or so, we're going to be launching a really cool thing at the StartupNation.com community section, where we're going to actually provide key resources.

Dale:  You know, I'm glad you're saying that because I was thinking, I was wondering why you didn't do that.  So, that's great.

Rich Sloan: Yeah.  It's coming.  It's coming.  Don't worry.  And you'll be able to list yourself as a resource there so that when people have that ah-hah moment and they know they need to kick it up to the next level, they're going to be giving you an email.

Dale:  That's a great suggestion.  I appreciate it very much.

Rich Sloan: All right, Dale, good luck to you.

Dale:  Thank you buddies.

Rich Sloan: All right.  Right on.  We're going to go back to the Nation, 866-55-START, 866-557-8278.