Kickfurther Merchant of the Week: Mirage Pet Products

This week's Kickfurther Merchant of the Week is Mirage Pet Products.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Kickfuther, it is an online investment platform through which ordinary people can help businesses finance inventory purchases.  Instead of lending money to businesses, the Kickfurther model is a "consignment sales agreement".  Basically, investors pre-purchase the inventory and then give it back to the business to sell on consignment.  As the inventory sells, investors are repaid, with a profit.  Mirage Pet Products is one of those businesses.

Q:  Tell us a little bit about Mirage Pet Products. Where is the company based?

A:  We are based in Aurora, Mo

Q:  When was it founded? Your website mentions a legacy of six generations in the pet industry. Tell us about that.

A:  My great, great grandmother was a dog groomer back in the heyday of the Standard Poodle and fancy cuts. My grandfather worked in a belt factory that transitioned into a dog collar factory over the years. He bought it in El Monte, California, and moved it out to Missouri. My great-grandmother worked in the factory, helping her son and daughter-in-law for decades before retiring.

In 2004, with my husband fresh off of active duty from Operation Iraqi Freedom, we started Mirage. We were 19 years old and just knew that working for ourselves was what we wanted to do. We were inexperienced and crazy but here we are still today! We had a lot of mentoring and help from my grandparents and great uncle. After so many years in the industry, they were able to guide us through quite a few changes in the economy (including the 2008 recession) and changes in demand. I will always cherish their assistance.

Q:  It is wonderful to have family support behind you, and thank your husband for his service.  Your website says that most of your products are manufactured in the US. Where are they made? Do you have your own manufacturing facility or do you buy from manufacturers?

A:  Most of our products are made here in Aurora, MO. We have a tight knit production crew working for us, they are amazing.

Q:   I'll be the first to admit I'm not a pet person and that I don't keep up with the latest in pet fashions or needs. However, I have noticed more and more pets wearing clothes, particularly in the winter. Are clothes for the pet or for the owner?

A:  It really depends on the breed of animal! A lot of owners dress their short-haired dogs for outside adventures to keep them more comfortable during the winter. For the most part though, clothes are fun and for the owner :-)

Q:  I notice you have a lot of Mardi Gras wear for dogs. I live in the New Orleans area and wish to compliment you on your good taste. Do you sell much of that line to people outside the New Orleans/Louisiana/Gulf Coast area?

A:  We do! Mardi Gras is becoming a larger holiday nationally and we are definitely seeing this trend reflected in our sales!

Q:   Do sell wholesale, retail, or both from your website?

A:  Both now.

Q:  Your dog treats are adorable! If I want custom colors or designs to match my party, are they available?

A:  Absolutely! We can custom make treats with anything on them!

Q:  How did you learn about Kickfurther and why did you decide to use them?

A:   I don't remember who it was but one of the KickFurther staffers sent us an email invitation and we decided to sign on! I'm so glad that we did, it's been a great experience!

Q:  As an investor, I'm glad you feel that way.   You finished your first Kickfurther offer ahead of schedule, and your second a little behind schedule. What was the difference?

A:   The second one included us pre-selling merchandise and offering customers long-term credit which really did not work in our favor over the slower summer months.

Q:  From your perspective, how does Kickfurther compare to other sources of financing. Put another way, you are now on your third offer; why do you keep coming back?

A:  We love the community!

Q:  To what type of business would you recommend Kickfurther?

A:   Because KickFurther has made some disappointing changes to their platform (at this point we won't be back for a fourth round) we won't be recommending KickFurther going forward. We used to recommend it to every business owner we talked with about funding/financing issues.

Q:  You must mean Kickfurther's decision to only finance businesses that have purchase orders for their products.  I can see how that could be disappointing to a company that fulfilled its promises on prior consignment sales agreements.  However, enough businesses were not meeting their obligations such that many if not most investors have lost money at this point.  I know I have.  From the message they sent investors, I think they will re-open the platform to businesses like yours once they re-tool some of their contracts and vetting procedures. 

 Have you tried Kickfurther from the investor side? Would you recommend that friends or family invest via Kickfurther?

A:   I would've before the changes! I haven't had a chance to use it from the other side.

Q:   Do you have a giveaway for us?

A:  Yes! We've got two gift certificates for $25 each.

Q:  Thanks.  I'm sure two of my readers will enjoy them! They can buy something cute like a sparkly dress and a new seasonal collar.   Anything else you'd like to tell us?

A:  Thank you to those who have invested in us, it's been a pleasure to work with you!!

It has been a pleasure getting to know you!  Mirage Pet Products can be found on Amazon or on their website.   You can follow them on facebook or on Pinterest.   Now, on to the giveaway!

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Kickfurther Merchant of the Week: IKO, LLC

My Kickfurther Merchant of the Week is IKO, LLC and I'm interviewing Mike Wong, the founder.

Q:  Can you give me a short conception and birth story of IKOS?

A:  IKOS, which is slang for "Icosahedron on a sphere", was born out of a high school program which gives students hands on experience in the field of their choosing.  In this case, I was the Engineering mentor who promised to show 3 students how to take an idea and make it a real / physical product.  I showed them a design, that was pioneered by one of my mentors, Peter Roberts.  The goal was to spread the idea that spheres are more efficient structures than our current square buildings and storage devices.  We decided to create a "toy" called IKOS to spread this concept through fun and play.

Q: I had to look up "Icosahedron" to see what that meant.  According to Wikipedia, it is a polyhedron with 20 faces, and since it has been a long time since I took geometry, I decided to look up "polyhedron", to confirm that it was a solid in three dimensions with flat polygonal faces, straight edges and sharp corners or vertices.  Are you saying that twenty of your pieces, snapped together make a sphere?

A:  Yes, 20 IKO pieces will form a complete sphere. 

Q: Your website says that you and your two co-founders got together when you want back to your high school to help with their CAPS program.  Can you tell us a little about CAPS?  Do you still work with it?

A:  CAPS, Center for Advance Professional Studies, gives any junior or senior the opportunity to learn about future careers through hands-on experience.  They partner students up with mentors and companies in the community to work on real world projects or learn about aspects of various businesses.  My old physics professor, Charlie Matthews, asked me to come back and be a mentor in the engineering department.

Three students, Mina, Paige, and Gates wanted to work with me on this project.  I walked them through the whole process of setting up an LLC, prototyping, 3D modeling, crowdfunding, filing patents, and then launching IKOS.  All 3 of the co-founders are listed on the patent applications and own a piece of the company.

Q:  That's really neat.  One thing I've heard people say about science people is that they have great ideas but don't know (or they don't  think about) how to protect themselves legally or about marketing.  It sounds like you gave those young people the whole package.

You tout that IKOS is made in the USA.  Where?  How many people do you employ?

A:  IKOS is injection molded in Utah, out of recycled HDPE, #2 plastic. Silicone Plastics is our injection molding partner and they are based in Milville, Utah.  I told the students that the only way we'd bring a new product to market was if it was made in the USA and out of a sustainable or recycled material. 

The main fulfillment and warehouse center is my garage and living room.  We don't have room for employees; technically, I'm the only one.  All three students are in college, but two have chosen to stay very involved through email and I keep them in the loop on what's going on, and solicit their advice and help whenever I can.

We have partnered with the refugee agency in Salt Lake City. These are families who don't have access to transportation, or their English skills are not great. I bring them raw product to package at their own house at their leisure.  We pay them as private contractors and they can make around $20 an hour. I'm really proud that we can provide work that pays well for people.

Q:  I think that's great.  It sounds like a win for you and a win for them, which is what I think any good business deal should be.  What do you see as the advantages to manufacturing in the US versus in China, Mexico or the other places "everyone" is using these days?

A:  The main advantage I see to manufacturing in the USA is that we are providing jobs that benefit people in our community.  We are also keeping our environmental footprint smaller by not having to ship overseas.  By producing in the USA, we have more control over our material stream, and ultimately doing what's best for the planet.

Q:  How hard it is to snap the pieces of IKOS together?  In other words, what is the lowest recommended age for this toy?

A:  We've tested IKOS with a lot of kindergarten classes (ages 5 - 6) and we've found that half of the kids have the dexterity to construct with IKOS.  We recommend ages 6+

Q:  Do you have any plans to make similar systems in different shapes?

A:  Yes, but we are taking it slow until we raise some more funds for the tooling and marketing.  I'm learning more about what it takes to bring another product line to market.

Q:  Tell us about some of the interesting things you've seen made from IKOS.  What's the biggest and how many sets did it take?

A:  Light fixtures, such as chandeliers.  Jewelry holders.  A lot of cool sculptures.  It's been funny, middle school and high school kids make some really interesting creations, but they are hesitant to share on their personal social media sites because they fear they won't get enough "likes" from their peers. Social media can be a double edged sword when it comes to sharing.  

Q:  Does it hurt if you step on an IKOS piece if you aren't wearing shoes?  If I step on one, or one two or three that have been snapped together, am I going to break them?

A:  It depends on which direction they are facing regarding stepping on them.  They are made out of HDPE #2 plastic so they are very durable.  

Q:  How did you hear about Kickfurther, and why did you decide to use them?

A:  My friend has a company called Panda Poles.  He had a great experience and I wanted to test out crowd financing.  I wanted to get a feel for the community and give back to people who were willing to support us.

Q:  Oh, I interviewed Tanner about a year ago.  He successfully finished his first Kickfurther offer, and recently started another.  What has been your impression so far?

A:  Great, a smooth process and very thankful for the support.

Q:  Would you recommend Kickfurther to other businesses?  Why or why not?

A:  Yes.  There are other ways to get financing at a lower interest rate, but typically you are making payments to a larger corporation vs real people who want you to succeed. 

Q:  I don't suppose any bank offered to blog about you.  Have you tried Kickfurther from the investor side?  Why or why not?  Would you recommend it to friends or family?  Why or why not?

A:  I have not tried it from the investor side.  By the time I heard about it,  all my money was tied up in IKOS.  Yes I'd recommend it to friends and family.

Q:  Anything else you'd like to tell us?

A:  Yes, I have two sons, a 3 year old and 11 month old.  I'm half awake, so please pardon spelling, grammar....

Q:  Hopefully I cleaned all that up for you.  I guess in a couple of years you'll find out if IKOS pieces hurt when you step on them barefoot in the dark.

Do you  have a giveaway for us?

A:  Sure.  I'm going to give three of your readers one of our Creator sets, which are valued at $19.99 each.  

 

Thanks.  I enjoyed visiting with you and learning about IKOS.  You can follow them on facebook and Instagram. and learn more about the company on their website.   You can purchase them via Amazon and if you use my link, I get a small commission.

For those who don't know, Kickfurther is a crowdfunding platform where ordinary people can back businesses.  I'm an investor in IKO.  My money and that of other investors will help them manufacture these toys.  When the toys sell, IKO repays us, with a profit.  If IKO is unable to sell the toys Kickfurther can repossess them, but that hopefully won't happen; these look like great fun.  If you would like to back interesting new products and hopefully earn a profit, use this link and you get $5.00 toward your first investment.  If you have a business that sells tangible inventory, Kickfurther may be a source of financing for you.  Use this link and I get referral credit.

Now, on to the giveaway!


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