Kickfurther Merchant of the Week: Noodle Mon

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Susan Laudwig, one of the founders of Noodle Mon, a company that had inventory funded by Kickfurther.

As my regular readers know, Kickfurther allows ordinary investors to help companies that sell tangible products buy those products.  Instead of the investors lending money to the companies, the investors purchase the inventory and then return it to the company to sell on consignment.  As the inventory sells, the companies re-pay the investors, with a profit to the investors.  If the products sell more quickly than anticipated, the investors are supposed to be paid more quickly than anticipated.  If the products take longer to manufacture than planned, or if they do not sell as quickly as planned, the companies are only obligated to repay the investors for the products sold, and the investors do not receive additional compensation for the additional time.

Q:  Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your company.  Where are you located?  When did it start?

A:  Noodle Mon was started the in 2011 by Steve and Susan Laudwig, it is located in Osage Beach, Missouri @ the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks.  Steve had been in manufacturing for 30 years and had sold his company.  Susan Laudwig had been an entrepreneur for 15 years and had recently sold her marketing company.  They both had wanted to live at the lake and had wanted to start a business so that they could live full time at the lake.  Steve felt he could manufacture a better water toy than was offered on the market and Susan could provide the sales and marketing to take the product to the market so the CHILLraft was born!

The company was named Noodle Mon after an tale of a Jamaican Captain that was chartering a boat full of young & fun college kids boating to Party Cove.  A random guy had ended up on the boat ride back and was being overly obnoxious.  The girls had requested the Captain drop this guy off at the next dock as they wanted him removed from the boat.  However, the Captain, pulled the boat right over in the main channel and asked the guy to get off the boat, leaving him swimming.  As the boat pulled away, the young girls were upset that the Captain had just left him in the main channel.  The Captain said, "What?  I gave him a Noodle Mon.”

Q:  This picture shows kids standing on a CHILLraft.  Did the photographer get them just before they landed in the water or are these mats that stable?  How many people can use one raft at a time?

A:  Kids and some coordinated adults can run and stand on the CHILLraft all day long and it isn’t hard.  They hold over 1000 lbs so they can support a lot of weight.  These mats are stable in the water but if you are running down them, you are likely to eventually fall or jump in the water as they are in constant movement.

Q:  If a raft is used every weekend, but cared for properly, how long will it last?  What is proper care?

A:  The raft can last 5-7 years if taken care of properly.  The main thing is keeping it in the shade when not in use.  It has UV protection but the sun can dry out the foam over time.  Also, don't jump on the raft from a boat or dock.  You can run on it or step down onto it, but bigger kids and adults that jump from another object onto the center can risk ripping it.  However, the CHILLrafts come with lifetime repair and rips can be fixed.

Q:  Can you pull a CHILLraft behind a boat with a passenger on the raft?

A:  No.  CHILLrafts are not meant to be towed.  The inflatables work much better than foam for that.

Q:  Your website has a form potential customers can fill out and get information about dealers near them.  In general, can most people find a dealer near them? 

A:  We do not have dealers in all the states.  We are in 15 states but we do offer free shipping some of the year for those customers who do not have dealers close to them.

Q:  How did you first hear about Kickfurther and why did you choose to use them?

A: I found them via an internet search and they had good reviews.

Q: You are right on target, having paid back about 2/3 of the offer.  So far, what has been your impression of Kickfurther?  Do you think you will use them again?

A:  No, I will not be using them again as long as their payback plan is the same.  Also, they never set up my payback schedule correctly which made all my investors question us and why we weren’t providing that information.  I prefer just equal payments rather than paying as you sell your product as that can be an accounting nightmare since some units are sold at retail price and others sold wholesale.  Also, customer payment terms and what funds were used for what shipments just makes it difficult to pay the way Kickfurther wants us pay.

Q: Have you tried Kickfurther from the investor side?  Knowing what you know, would you recommend it to family and friends looking to invest money?  Why or why not?

A:  I have not tried it from an investor side.  I would recommend it to investors that are able to have riskier investments for decent returns.

Q:  Do you have a giveaway for us?

A:  We will offer two winners $40.00 coupons  from our sister company, The Water Soul Nautical Apparel Company.

Thank you!  That will allow them to buy some of these cute items;

You can learn more about Noodle Mon  and Watersoul on their website or by liking them on facebook.  You can also follow them on Twitter.

If you would like to help companies like Susan's, and possibly earn a profit for yourself, use this link and you get $5.00 toward your first investment. If you have a company that needs help purchasing inventory, use this link to learn about Kickfurther and whether it is for you.

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