Journey of starting a hobby speaker company!

[hg]

Any constructive comments would be appreciated.

The website looks like it will be fine when finished. The business needs a website and it should avoid giving a negative impression (e.g. like the unfinished blogs section currently does) but I doubt the difference between a competent site and a superb site will generate extra sales.

What is likely to generate sales is positive messages on external websites and publications. If I understand the setup correctly, your are purchasing kits from IPL, subcontracting a local carpenter to assemble the cabinets and then finishing the cabinets yourself. You are currently not competent at finishing speaker cabinets and are advertising the fact on this site. I don't think this is a wise thing to be doing because these posts are not going to go away. Perhaps another reason to consider a name change when things have settled down. The problem you are currently having more typically shows up after a month or a year. How would you handle this and what might it do to the profile of the business? I would suggest getting on top of this sort of thing might be more important than the website. Here is an example of a small recently started speaker business coping with some of the consequences of poor finish in a few of their early products.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Wow cheers guys. Before i go off sanding.. hg blog removed i didnt realise it was there! mucking about with Wix for Mac's Music site a 1 and a few beers Friday night. First the name, IPL Pro Build was first choice Ivan at IPL asked me to change as would seem afiliated with IPL, that was my intention, and to become the "official" builder of his kits. That may come when he see the quaility and how I look after customers. They will only ever be beautifully made IPL kits and not my own Product.

Finishing, Veneer will be done bt the cabinet maker, i have seen the furniture he has done and its amazing. High gloss finish is being done at my Car shop sprayers. The issues we are having are to do with sealing the MDF and is a learning curve one i think i now know the answer to. The idea behind shareing this journey is, a) Its a hobby b) Im just building kits c) I dont have an advertising budget, as people buy into my journey as you guys have you feel part of thet journey and spread the word in return i give you information warts and all. It also says i wont be satisfird with a sub standard finish. If i can not achieve the finish ill stop.

Regarding Vapor wow they look stunning! The guy has poured his heart out in a superb post. I would buy from him in the blink of eye. He comes across as a very decent person. His issues would seem to come from 2 people possibly competition trying to trash his name. I was a design engineer at Jaguar yesterday, you would not belive what goes on in that industry certainly eye opening. Any way im off to sand and fill. website later. And again that you for your interest and consructive coments, but please try and tempor those with the fact that this is just a little hobby I'm not trying to take on Kef!

 

[steve_1979]

You are being very open and honest about your 'journey'. Your first build attempt, while not perfect, was still up to a very high standard. You are still at the beginning of this journey and there is bound to a bit of a learning curve on how to make these up to the very high standard that you and customers desire.

If you document your initial teething problems at this prototype stage and how you resolve them then later saying you have perfected your build technique I would have every faith in buying a pair of speakers from you. If however you gave the impression that the build was 100% perfect first time I would be more sceptical.

 

[Vladimir]

The business needs a website and it should avoid giving a negative impression (e.g. like the unfinished blogs section currently does) but I doubt the difference between a competent site and a superb site will generate extra sales.

It directly increases product percieved value and brand image. This helps for charging more per product. The website indirectly affects sales.

 

[iQ Speakers]

You are being very open and honest about your 'journey'. Your first build attempt, while not perfect, was still up to a very high standard. You are still at the beginning of this journey and there is bound to a bit of a learning curve on how to make these up to the very high standard that you and customers desire.

If you document your initial teething problems at this prototype stage and how you resolve them then later saying you have perfected your build technique I would have every faith in buying a pair of speakers from you. If however you gave the impression that the build was 100% perfect first time I would be more sceptical.

Exactly, bingo Steve, if they are not perfect i will knock it on the head. Although my speakers look good in the photos there is no way i would ever try to sell them as a comercial product! I love them you would not! The photos I take will be very close up an expandable so everbody can see the finish. I have just rubbed them down there is no line at all! even when i wet them, so either its sorted or the glue is contracting in the spray oven leaving a faint line. The jointing compound should solve this completly in the next pair, i have spoken to a friend of a friend who runs a spray shop for a furniture company. And has been very helpful. By the way did you take a look at the Vapor website utterly amazing!! Cheers HG

 

[iQ Speakers]

The business needs a website and it should avoid giving a negative impression (e.g. like the unfinished blogs section currently does) but I doubt the difference between a competent site and a superb site will generate extra sales.

It directly increases product percieved value and brand image. This helps for charging more per product. The website indirectly affects sales.

I Know!! take a look at my main businesshttp://www.smallcarcompany.co.uk we entered the market in Cheltenham 13 years ago with out a showroom, nobady had car websites then, I did with 3 photos of good quality (in relation to the time and speed i had to do them) We are now one of the leading independent Car sales garage in Gloucestershire selling 30-40 cars every month.

 

[iQ Speakers]

OK i had a quick play with colours and made a duplicat site http://sales2609.wix.com/new-colour-iq

Its a very quick go and yes i can edit the hex code for colours, are that brings back horible memories of my first site editing HTML!!

I think for now i will leave it as it is i have lots of other things to get right and so little time! 20 people had a look at the site yesterday cheers to you all.

 

[iQ Speakers]

OK had a play with the layout and think i have a better balanced look, Looking at the speaker page I agree the purple looks a little heavy, mortuary like so i will change it. Cheers chaps a fresh pair of eyes is always useful.

 

[hg]

Finishing, Veneer will be done bt the cabinet maker, i have seen the furniture he has done and its amazing. High gloss finish is being done at my Car shop sprayers. The issues we are having are to do with sealing the MDF and is a learning curve one i think i now know the answer to.

Think? What happens if you ship speakers and the edges become visible in a month or year as often happens with painted DIY speakers? Do you have the margins to sort it out? This appears to have been one of the pressures on Vapor Audio who initially sold their products for a price that did not look financially viable.

The idea behind shareing this journey is, a) Its a hobby b) Im just building kits c) I dont have an advertising budget, as people buy into my journey as you guys have you feel part of thet journey and spread the word in return i give you information warts and all.

The time you spend posting is a substantial marketing cost. If you want to be successful then you have no choice but to give sufficient resources to the marketing. I can see a good case for not behaving like, say, AVI, although the approach does appear to have been not wholly unsuccessful!, but I can also see a good case for not permanently recording that you did not know the basics of painting speakers. It is not that you are having problems and overcoming them which is fine but that you are permanently recording you lacked basic knowledge which is less so.

Regarding Vapor wow they look stunning! The guy has poured his heart out in a superb post. I would buy from him in the blink of eye. He comes across as a very decent person. His issues would seem to come from 2 people possibly competition trying to trash his name.

Hmmm... Your response is interesting in that the author seems to have successfully got across what he wanted to get across although if you choose to read further you are likely to get a clearer idea of what happened. I found it rather instructive about the potential costs of mishandling issues with substandard products.

And again that you for your interest and consructive coments, but please try and tempor those with the fact that this is just a little hobby I'm not trying to take on Kef!

I doubt the rules for success are significantly different for yourself or KEF. If your product is not perceived as being superior to similarly priced KEF products in some respects you are going to have problems getting people to buy them.

 

[iQ Speakers]

I remember siting in the office of an Accountant when forming a company called Reologie to collect, refurb and dispose of corporate end of life computer. My fellow director was concerned over T&C's and law. The accountant turned around and said if you get hung up to much on that you wont collect refurb and sell computers.

Once I get the edges right first time, and i now know how to do this now, they wont go anyware, they will not show again. Should there be a problem i will take them back and re work them period.

Im doing this beacuse I enjoy it. May i ask if you have every started a company? (thats not suposed to sound confrantational) Every item you take for granted day to day, pens telephone, computer, supplier relations, production, marketing and credibility are a total challange and you have to face them all in one go. If you stoped and thought about every issue you just would not get on and do it. In this case building speakers, then trying to get people to listen to them, and then to sell them. I have got this far in 5 weeks.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Good luck to you. One day I will drop buy Cheltenham if I can afford wifes shopping. May have to wait till you go 5.1 tho!

Site looks very satisfactory to me. Bit surprised you go with gloss straight away when (I would guess) the veneer is an easier option until your future customers hound u for black.

Cheers

 

[hg]

Im doing this beacuse I enjoy it. May i ask if you have every started a company? (thats not suposed to sound confrantational)

Yes I have started my own company and am currently preparing to do so again in the future. It is partly why your issues and Vapor Audio's issues hold interest. I have also designed and manufactured speakers as a hobby off and on since the 70s and so am familiar with the basics of what you are trying to do although not necessarily some of the finer details.

Your old accountant seems quite sensible and his advice on T&Cs would seem to mirror my own to some extent concerning the relative unimportance of the website compared to the quality of manufacturer and the information you choose to put on the web that you do not control. Of course what your knowledge and experience suggests is important or unimportant will no doubt differ to mine.

Once I get the edges right first time, and i now know how to do this now, they wont go anyware, they will not show again. Should there be a problem i will take them back and re work them period.

The people behind Vapor Audio will have said, and almost certainly believed, exactly the same when they started. But it is not what happened when the problems and pressures of running their business in the real world kicked in. As a modest venture on the side your problems and pressures are unlikely to be as strong but they will no doubt be present and at times nudging you in directions you do not want to go.

 

[Vladimir]

OK i had a quick play with colours and made a duplicat site http://sales2609.wix.com/new-colour-iq

Its a very quick go and yes i can edit the hex code for colours, are that brings back horible memories of my first site editing HTML!!

I think for now i will leave it as it is i have lots of other things to get right and so little time! 20 people had a look at the site yesterday cheers to you all.

Time for some website sanding. *biggrin*

Try switching your original site color scheme with this one:

#8794A7 >> #F5F5F5

#615D7B >> #D03E25

#8C88A7 >> #FFFFFF

#36324F >> #333333

#B2D2CB >> #D03E25

#FFFFFF >> #808080

Main menu horizontal separator lines >> #CCCCCC.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Well you know then, why did you stop? The Vapor Speakers are in a different league in construction, very complicated shapes to make and finish, mine are a a square box easy ish. I have to take my hat off to him, no wonder he had problems with finish they do look very impressive though.

Enough sanding of any kind today im off to enjoy a beer and my speakers and new amp. Cheers guys have a good evening. Vlad do you run an run Audio blog? I came across it the other day.

 

[Vladimir]

I don't recall running an audio blog. *scratch_one-s_head*

 

[iQ Speakers]

Not you then, just lots of pics of inside amps and i know thats yours and mine fetish!

 

[Vladimir]

All hi-fi nudies make me happy. *blush*

 

[iQ Speakers]

here you go then

 

[Vladimir]

 

[Vladimir]

Have you contemplated about makers mark yet? Something simple like these.

 

[iQ Speakers]

I have I down loaded Illustrator huge and I didn't know where to start. I really like those, did you do them? I liked the Abrahamsen one you did could I buy one?

 

[iQ Speakers]

I also want a profiled badge. Build a reputation for quality to protect and maintain resale value. All to come and will offer retrospectively. I also want to do a hand polished aluminium driver surround. Engraved with one of those logos would look very good.

 

[Vladimir]

Yeah. Just pick cool fonts and play with shapes. You don't need gigabytes of software for a simple logotype. You can do it even in Microsoft Word or in Paint.

Source with free fonts.

I used ITC Bauhaus, CODE Pro Light and Century Schoolbook.

 

[Vladimir]

Download and upack with WinRAR to try the fonts I used.

 

[steve_1979]

The website looks much better now with the new colour scheme and all the other alterations.

Great job!