filling in some holes

Pardon me if I drift off topic. I was laying out the past few years. So I developed a product which I believed would be well received. I figured I needed to make a video and when the world saw my boat all hell would break loose. (It still might.) Yes it was simplistic thinking and I knew it probably would not be that easy but I am in uncharted waters so I just don't know for sure.

I made more videos and got a little traffic on my website but the website needed to be easier to use. I spent some more money and got a nice shopping cart feature added. It helped and I sold some boats.

I am still making videos. I never cared much for photography, I didn't like to see the world through a viewfinder. My Sony Handycam has made it easier, I can view a little screen and still glance up to see firsthand whats going on.

I am only making simple videos to convey simple concepts. I think abouit producing something more complex perhaps with a plot and maybe even a script. Tell a story about a corogami adventure.

In the testing process I have had a few adventures. I wrapped a kayak around a partially submerged tree in a creek (happy ending: the boat popped back into shape save for a small crease and I was back to paddling in no time). I also got caught by a freaky summer pop-up thunderstorm while out on carlyle lake. I was glad I had my PFD (lifevest) on.

So now I'm up and running. I still work to make my boats better. I am designing new products made with the technology I have developed and advancing that technology. I still don't hire out much. I like to understand things well and nothing generates understanding like doing it yourself. I hope to find others who want to be a part of this adventure to help grow this thing.

I've heard that overnight success only takes 10 to 15 years. That's a pretty big adventure.

A new direction

I am three years into my journey but just getting started with the blogging. Let me recap.... I was moderately successful in the copier business. I made ok money enjoyed my work and loved my customers. Whats not to like? I felt trapped by the comfortableness of my life. I had always wanted to invent, to create, to make something that says to the world "I was here!".  And I wanted a life which supported that.

I am doing it mainly for myself  but I hope others will benefit as well. What am I doing? Well right now I am manufacturing and selling a unique boat, a kayak (so designated because you sit in the bottom). It folds up into a compact shape for ease of transport and it weighs less than 12 pounds. Can be seen on youtube ( just type in "corogami" ) and on my website www.corogami.com or  http://corogami.net/ 

The boats are lots of fun and easy to tote. They are designed for one adult occupant up to 250 pounds. The beauty of the design lies in the folds. When people first got a look at it they called it an origami boat.

I have spent the last few years refining the design and testing testing testing. My first model the Dragonfly was available for sale in 2009. I was on my way! yayyy! But The internet marketing thing was new to me. Still is.

What? They haven't beaten a path to my door?  Of course not.  I have sold a few but not enough. I would like to sell enough to ramp up production and bring down the price so more people can enjoy my boats.

A business is like a tree. Organically it starts as almost nothing, an idea, the seed. If the seed is nurtured, it sprouts and grows. As it grows it sends out roots and branches building on the growth which has come before. The business has seasons and cycles. Eventually the tree/business reaches a point where it can create more seeds to grow more trees and on and on.  Its a beautiful thing.