Posts Tagged ‘hidbin’
The Entrepreneur Show
What a weekend, last Friday and Saturday and the Entrepreneur show. As a first time event it was a real success and congratulations to entrepreneur, Darren O’Toole who created and executed the show.
The exhibitors I spoke to were all quite pleased with the show but I thought there were far too many talks going on. It has to decide for the future is it a conference or an exhibition?
Too Many Talks
For those of you who didn’t get to the show it was in the main Hall 8 of Simmonscourt, so it was a very large exhibition space, larger than the Ideal Homes the previous weekend. On top of that you had four very large arenas for speakers like myself and my fellow Dragons and some Dragons from the BBC.
Why four arenas? It meant the crowd was being divided by five all the time, i.e. the four arenas and the exhibition hall. It would have been so much better to have just one arena or theatre with half hour talks. But as in business you have got to start somewhere and this was a brilliant start. I look forward to Darren and his team doing it next year.
New Ideas
At the show, everywhere I went, people came up to me with business ideas. I was only too delighted to stop and chat. We have enjoyed a great season of Dragons’ Den on TV and the Irish public have been so supportive so I, and my fellow Dragons, were keen to give a little back. I actually did see a few ideas with real potential. A anti burglar device for sliding patio doors, a gift wrap alternative and a new twist on a scissors.
But coming up with a prototype for a good idea is so long away from an actual successful product. Through the Dragons’ Den people have seen that I am a marketing person who can take a product from an idea to mass market and fast. Becuase it is on TV I actually pay to do that. I invest in the company.
But I assure you the real investment is my time. To bring the Toilet Pipe Cover, the HidBin or TanOrganic to mass market success requires a huge time commitment.
I am very fortunate that the very large Corporations will pay large fees to retain me to advise them on their strategy and launch of new products or brand extensions. But this leaves me with hardly anytime to look at ideas other than those I have invested in on Dragons’ Den.
The Cost of Going to Market
What I am saying is if somebody came up to me with a brilliant idea I can tell you to get it to a ploace where people are aware of it and are looking to buy it in a shop takes at least €250,000 on marketing. And with marketing you need the very best advisors so as little of that spend is wasted.
Look what I am saying is, a good idea is only the very start. Imagine where TanOrganic would be now if Noelle O’Connor had not been brave enough to go on Dragons’ Den. I still believe Noelle is such a trooper that she would have got the product to market but it wouldn’t be the household name it is going to be by the end of 2010.
All the creativity that goes into inventing something is fantastic but you need to spend more time thinking about how are we going to get people to buy this product?
It all begins and ends with Marketing and Sales.
Finally – Best Speakers
Doug Richards who resigned from the BBC version of Dragons’ Den after two seasons to go off and manage one of the world’s big venture capital funds was at the show and was a great contributer. He is an expert in Technology but was alos great fun.
The speaker that impressed me most was Ian McDonald of weedle. Ian was one of the team behind Perlico and he has taken the money he made from its sale to Vodafone to now have a go at a skills version of Linkedin.
I didn’t get to hear it myself as I was speaking in the various arenas all day but Rachel Elnaugh’s talk was considered by many to very inspiring.
Keep it touch with my blog, next Blog Friday.
Great Weekend at Ideal Homes Show
There is nothing like putting your product in front of customers to find out its true potential. And this was the weekend. A first, the Spring Ideal Homes Show, was staged at the RDS by my good friend, Sean Lemass. Everyone was surprised by the huge turnout. I estimate over 50,000 people attended.
Great that consumers are back looking to shop.
There were still a lot of tyre kickers but the fact that consumers were out looking to shop has to be an encouraging sign for retailers.
As you know I was supposed to be away with my fellow Dragons on the slopes for late ski-ing in Zermatt but we got “volcanoed”. So I was at the show on Saturday. (I couldn’t be there Sunday as I had two nephews playing in the 85th Leinster Rugby Towns Cup Final. They play for Boyne who retained the title in a close fought battle against a gallant Tullamore with my nepew, Bevan Duffy, scoring the winning try with an intercept.)
“The Dream Team”
The Dragons’ Den Dream Team, that’s what they called themselves, of Noelle O’Connor, TanOrganic, Mark O’Loughlin of HidBin and Herbie Porsche of Toilet Pipe Cover were all there on one stand which created a big impact in the hall. It was by far the busiest stand at the show from what I could see.
A Few Learning Points.
Having said that, as people are following this blog to get some marketing and sales insights I would have a few criticisms of the stand. There was no video. People don’t walk straight up to a stand. They stay outside what we call the “grab-zone”. They observe you first from about 20 feet. That’s why you need 50″ screens showing them your product and announcing a special show offer and anything for “FREE”. Your stand has cost you thousands but using video you have quadrupled the square meterage. The video shouldn’t depend on audio but must have clear legible graphics spelling out your offer and invite. (Also some shows don’t allow audio.)
I can’t believe that my three colleagues who have been on Dragons’ Den did not have one bit of footage from the show playing on their stand. Now as it turns out they were busy enough anyway but there is great room for improvement.
Herbie needs to brush up on his sales technique, Mark missed an opportunity and Noelle underestimated the demand.
My good friend Herbie’s sales technique needs brushing up. On a few occasions I heard him say to a potential customer, “yes check it out on line”. That is sending a customer away. Even if somebody says my toilet goes into the wall not the floor, you do two things. “MayI have your name and address so we can tell you when the wall mounting is available?” And then ask them, “Surely you have a friend who’d you love to buy this for them it is only a fiver here at the show?” At another trade event I attended with Herbie a man told us he never, ever orders at such shows but only when he goes home. But I managed to get on his wavelength and he placed a large order there and then. Selling is about turning objections into opportunities and closing the sale.
The HidBin not having before and after footage on a 50″ screen – well what can I say? Missed opportunity.
Noelle running out of product on the last day of the show. Yes that is great news and proves the demand for TanOrganic but it also means we lost sales opportunities.
Am I just a whinging old you know what. No I hope not. I always like to encourage but I just like things to be done to their maximum potential.
Next Blog; Friday Morning.
Young Entrepreneurs – Brilliant!
Late call for Late Late
I was supposed to be away but got “volcanoed” with no flights. I had been asked to do The Late Late Show a couple of weeks back but we, the Dragons, had planned an end of series party, and I wasn’t going to miss it.
Then they started chasing me yesterday afternoon. It was only then I got talking to John, a researcher, from the show. Orlaith, my wife, and I had all the baby sitting arrangements in place so we were planning on just heading to a hotel and chilling out for the weekend. But Sean Gallagher then phoned and asked me to come on with him – “it will be better crack if we do it as a two hander” he coaxed. So I agreed. It was the best way to do it. I hadn’t been thinking about it all week. I just got time to go home get changed and head to the studio.
Behind the scenes of the longest running chat show in the world.
Got there at about 9pm and was brought to the green room. Had a quick drink and a sambo, I was starving and soon after Sean and Trish arrived. She really is a beautiful woman with the most gorgeous eyes and a warm smile, then I look at Sean and wonder????
Down to make up. Where I see on the list Sean and I are on first thing and following us is the Green Party leader John Gormley. We are sworn enemies. I love meat and he is campaigning for a meatless society. I don’t want to be vegan but that’s the way the Greens want to world to end up in the next generation or two. But we are polite to one another.
The make-up artists ask when will TanOrganic be in the shops?
I explain late May it will be in all the pharmacies. Interestingly they all call it by name – “TanOrganic” – it is already a regognisable brand name. Another asks me about Herbie and Minister Gormley’s driver wants to buy a HidBin.
Meet the Four Young Entrepreneurs.
I am slagging Sean that there seems to be a demand for my products. At 9:20 we meet the four young entrepreneurs who will be on the show with us. I’d like to get their names and a brief but their Mams and Teachers want photos of their big night so we pose for a few shots. I note it is the poor Dads who take the pics – always the same the Dads are there to record the moment but be not in it. So I make a mock big fuss and say I am not doing the show until I get photos with the Dads.
Wow we’ll be on any minute!
I can see in the background there’s a TV and the news is over. I am clearly not going to be told anything about what we are going to talk about.
Stephen, who shepherds the guests, takes us to studio 4 and we are taken to the back of the set. I can hear Ryan the far side of the curtain saying to the audience right guys we’ve one minute.
He then appears through the curtain – “Guys great of you to come enjoy the show. Gavin you go here….” I say ”No put Sean beside you first and come to him before me because I have no idea what we are doing.”
Then the theme music explodes – Ryan runs up the back of the stairs and the show is on. Sean is beside himself laughing that absolutely no one has told me what I am doing and keeps saying “you’ll be grand” and next thing we hear, …Sean Gallagher and Gavin Duffy and we are on.
“Go guys – good luck”
But genuinely Ryan is fantastic to be on with. He is such good fun and Sean and I hang around together so much it it like being in his living room in Blackrock, County Louth, except his room has a higher ceiling. It has, what the Yanks call, “a cathedral ceiling”. The room has magnificent views of the beach and sea.
The item is a brilliant one. I haven’t seen it back yet. I don’t look at shows I am on, including Dragons’ Den. It is the four finalists is the Young Entrepreneur show. Rather than go through it here check it out for yourself on the RTE Player.
But it really was uplifting and inspirational to see these young people make their pitches. The ideas were really, really very good.
TanOrganic
Ryan asked me about TanOrganic and was it going to be the really big breakthrough international product from Dragons’ Den. So I explained how it is 100% natural and organic and revealed about the interest we have had from the international market. But he was wanting to move along so I only got to mention Herbie’s Toilet Pipe Cover and the HidBin and that all three are at the Ideal Homes Show this weekend in the RDS.
After about 25 minutes it was all over and during the commercial break we slipped out of studio. More photos with the young entrepreneurs and then back to the Green Room. To my horror two boobs. I forgot to wish luck to Boyne against Tullamore in the Towns Cups Final this Sunday. I have two nephews, Prop, Cillian Duffy and centre, Bevan Duffy on the Boyne team. And for one of the items I said that Vodafone and O2 should be involved. Of course I should have mentioned Meteor where my brother in law works. He gave me an awful slagging later on the phone.
We just chilled out. The other guests were just sitting around. Riad and Siobhán two young gays were lovely as were their families. John Gormley came back in and spoke to Sean. We exchanged pleasantries. Michael Colgan appeared a cold fish. Michael Gambon just carries that bemused look about him always so why force a conversation with them so we just had our own crack. Orlaith and Trish had great fun with all the texts Trish was getting asking her was she pregnant? Apparently as Sean was mentioning the Pregnancy Show he is promoting I said “Yes Ryan Sean has even got pregnant for the event.” So I have started another false rumour.
“It all started on The Late late Show.”
After a while we split and headed home. Final comment about The Late Late Show. People forget long before Dragons’ Den there was an enterprise slot on the Late Late with Gaybo. Stira, the attic stairs, and John Concannon’s amazing multinational JFC Plastics all started on the Late Late.
I came away thinking last night the show is still brilliant, top of the ratings, so professional and with Ryan and Executive Producer, Jim Jennings, in good hands.
Next Blog - Monday.
Any Marketing Geniuses out there?
Good morning what a fantastic Monday morning.
If you have just caught up with us recently, I blog twice a week. Thursday nights, 11:15pm, after Dragons’ Den is broadcast and Monday mornings. They are two definite updates but of course as you have seen I will also go in and update from time to time.
Looking for Great Marketing Ideas
There are now thousands of people following this blog. I am flattered especially by so many overseas friends from around the globe. This is a big resource and I want to use it.
So please check out www.TanOrganic.com and www.Hidbin.ie
I want your advice on how we should best market these two products. Gives us your views on both or which ever one takes your fancy.
Let me give you a bit of a steer. For Tanorganic, the 100% natural, organic, anti-aging, healthy, sunless tan-lotion I am looking to really grab the Irish public’s attention when it is launched mid to late May. I am thinking of billboards around the cities of Ireland and a large prize for the most beautiful tanned woman to appear actually live on the billboard and wave at people as they go by. Please don’t involve yourself if you think it is sexist or demeaning of women etc. It is a beauty product aimed at women and also it is a bit of summer fun. If you can’t get your head around that you are wasting your own and our time. Don’t restrict yourself. Let your imagination runawy with itself. Please submit your ideas for this one to info@tanorganic.com Now don’t restrict them to the billboard concept I just want you to know what I am thinking.
Hidbin, as you know is a synthetic screen hedging that neatly hides your ugly wheeliebins. “Making the unsightly unseen.” It costs €99 for a one bin unit and €179 for a two bin unit. Can you think of any guerrilla marketing tactics for this concept. Please send your best ideas to info@hidbin.ie
Our Last Show This Thursday
Thursday’s show is the last in the series and I genuinely believed they have saved the best to last. I am actually going to be out of the country with all the Dragons, well actually Sean can’t make it now. We are going on a late season ski trip to Zermatt. It is all down to Sarah’s great generosity. I am not the facebook type but I will ask Sarah for her permission to report from there and her wonderful chalet, www.chaletgrace.comI am told it is literally out of this world, so Bobby, Niall and myself are really looking forward to a few days ski-ing and crack with the hostess with the mostess.
Great Ideas and a number of Investments
The show on Thursday, and I will be blogging at 11:15pm directly after the show, features some really interesting pitches including an Irish developed, I-Phone App’ and you will also get to see just how bad Sean Gallagher is at hurling. If you are a Dragons’ Den regular and you followed last year’s first series I’d like to know why you think this was even better? I say it is better because the ratings are even higher. During the series the programme had a bigger audience than the main evening 9 o’clock news (Programme 6). That’s a large audience for 10:15pm and the viewers stay right until the end until well after 11pm.
Desperate Housewives twinned with Dragons’ Den
Also we are informed there was a very large number of female viewers. In fact the programme was “diaried” and “twinned”, we are told by the media buyers in the advertising agencies. That means about 125,000 women had two favourite shows per week, that they definitely would NOT miss. Desperate Housewives on Tuesday and Dragons’ Den on Thursday. Sean says he knows why, he claims it is his sex appeal. I argue his most endearing quality is his modesty. But if anything, I believe, it is down to the humour. Niall O’Farrell was just so funny at times this year. For example when he held up the Feel Good energy boost cocoa ball and said “It looks like something you’d find behind the couch,” I cracked up. Bobby can be so brilliant at giving fantastic advice to the point and succinctly and then the next minute he can crack a great joke. And all the audience research tells us women are fascinated by our Sarah. I feel privileged to be in such great talented company.
Eugenia Cooney Producer
Sadly not coming away on our little Dragons’ Den trip, though we did everything to twist their arms, are Larry Bass and Eugenia Cooney. Larry, the Executive Producer, is at the TV festival in Cannes this week. By the way that’s where he bumped into Mark Burnett in a lift in 2004 and that led to him acquiring the rights to both the Apprentice and Dragons’ Den. Both were invented by the genius of Burnett.
But the genius behind our Dragons’ Den is, Producer, Eugenia. She and hubby Ed’ are attending a family wedding this weekend and couldn’t join us. I would have dropped my family to go to Chalet Grace but Eugenia is a good Dundalk woman and they value family not like us south Louth, Drogheda types who eat their young, well that’s what they say about us in Dundalk.
600,000 Viewers
The success of the programme, and the almost 600,000 viewers a week is down to Eugenia who takes it from people applying to come on, vetting them, accepting a fraction to come to studio, recordings for weeks, editing down 120 hours to about 7 hours in total for the full eight shows of the series and she is across every item until the last credits roll this Thursday night.
We have been honoured to work with such a great leader.
I will talk to you on Thursday night.
Bye for now.
Mark O’Loughlin’s HidBin story
What is the ugliest and most unsightly thing in your home?
You and your family use it every day and it’s a necessary evil that we all suffer.
Imagine making it disappear but it’s still there when needed.
The offending article is of course your wheelie bin and my new product, the hidbin, does exactly what the name suggests. See it on www.hidbin.ie ……From Unsightly to Unseen!
I brought my new invention onto the Dragon’s Den this week and explained how it banishes the blight of your wheelie bins. It went down amazingly well and I walked out a happy man with my investment.
My name is Mark O’Loughlin and the hidbin, as pictured here, camouflages a garden eyesore turning it into a nice, neat, natural looking hedge. It’s simply a synthetic hedge on a steel frame, complete with lid and doors and for only €99.95 (incl vat) you too can turn the unsightly into the unseen!
For those who didn’t catch the Dragon’s Den this week (I’m acutely aware that it clashed with both ‘Lost’ and the Masters Golf), I marched up the stairs, removed the black cloth revealing an early prototype of the hidbin.
Then I turned to face the Dragons and nearly had a heart attack. It’s a daunting challenge but my firm passion and belief in the hidbin solution carried me through the next 45 minutes or so of intense questioning.
Memorised 2 minute pitch over, there followed an unnerving and rather long silence which I wish someone had warned me about. Richard Curran’s voiceover summarised things nicely, ‘it’s a simple aesthetically sound solution to an everyday problem’. Once the questions started I was away in a hack.
Clearly all the Dragons were enthusiastic. Niall O’Farrell, a bit of a design guru himself, said ‘it’s great and is definitely gonna work. ’ His constructive criticism has since contributed to perfecting the new and improved hidbin design. Even Sarah Newman exclaimed it was a pretty neat idea. She bowed out, however, on the grounds that some people can’t even afford their bin charges these days. My polite retort, sadly edited out, was that since the property crash the focus of people’s spending is very much on home improvement. Besides, with 27 million homes in the UK alone, the potential export market for hidbin is huge. 7 million of these are terraced houses, (we have 300,000 in Ireland) many of whom are forced to keep their bins out front by necessity. The hidbin gives all of us the convenience of keeping our bins out of sight and in whatever location suits best.
Nowadays most of us are lumbered with 2 or even 3 large wheelie bins. One hidbin unit comfortably covers a standard 240litre bin – 2 units together hides up to 3 bins as illustrated {on the right}.
Bobby Kerr loved the idea too but was worried I wouldn’t dedicate sufficient time and energy to the promotion of hidbin given my other successful business. Balderdash ! My retort, also not aired, was to point out that I certainly wasn’t the only person in that room with more than one business and it did not seem to have hampered their success. For the record, I also run SanctuarySynthetics.ie, – Ireland’s specialists in supplying and installing artificial child and pet friendly garden grass for the domestic and childcare market.
It was a rollercoaster experience. At one point I thought that they’d all want a stake. As Richard Curran said ‘there was a lot of love in the room for the big man from Kildare’. In the end I was delighted to team up with Gavin Duffy and am honoured to have such a respected mentor on board to help launch and establish the hidbin as a household brand.
Now for the blatant plug – we appreciate that this is a product people will want to see, touch and feel. Thus we are exhibiting at the Spring Ideal Home & Garden Show in the RDS next weekend where the hidbin will be displayed in a garden context. Along side will be 2 other successful Dragon’s Den entrepreneurs, Noelle O Connor with Tanorganics ( remember the girl in the bikini that Sarah Newman sent away halfway through the pitch ) and Herbie Porsche with his toilet pipe cover ( the guy wanted ‘money for Herbie’ ) – the Dragon’s Den dream team! You can also come to investigate and buy your very own hidbin at Bloom in the Phoenix Park on the June Bank Holiday weekend.
Last week in this column Kate Carmody of Beal Organic Cheese made a very cogent argument about Ireland inc and how we should maximise our resources, whether they be the natural grassland of the Golden Vale or our innate passion, innovation and ingenuity to create value added products which we can trade and export. Well done to both RTE and the Sunday Independent for giving the hidbin and other great ideas the invaluable oxygen of publicity, particularly given all time low national morale.
Finally, a sincere thanks to all my family and friends for their support and belief in my enterprise. Demand since the show has been hugely gratifying. By the way, the hidbin doesn’t just cunningly disguise your bins, a less obvious use can be seen by searching for hidbin on YouTube!
For more information call us on 045 579100 or visit www.hidbin.ie