Growing my business

About a year and a half ago, I was walking my Yellow Labrador ( Kramer ), and decided that there must be a easier and cleaner way to pick up his waste. My previous experiences consisted of using plastic bags to reach down and pick it up with my hand, and then I purchased a typical pooper scooper which avoided the hand contact but required cleaning and never really removed all the waste from grass, streets, or sidewalks, As all dog owners know, pet waste is somethimes soft or very soft, and the pooper scooper just wasn't getting the job done. That's when I decided that the waste should never be permitted to hit the ground. Going back to my workshop, I built my first prototype and and proceeded to use it for the next six months. It seemed to work great and when several of my neighbors questioned me about where they could buy the product I was using, I decided to patent my idea. After ten months, my patent arrived and I began to merchandise my POOP HOOP. Currently I have recieved several articles in local newspapers, created a website, produced a brochure, advertised in three pet publications, produced a 30 sec. TV spot, and aired it on local cable channels. I follow up all my phone sales, and internet sales with a phone call ( whenever possible ), to get a reaction to my product. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially after I created my latest video.

Advice for others

My product requires customers to believe that their dog will be able to use the POOP HOOP. Therefore, print promotion must project the visual of the product in use to reconfirm that idea. Video has been very useful for this purpose also.