Any Lawn and Garden Inventors?

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Anyone here invent a lawn & garden product and were successful in getting it known across the USA?

 

[Smart Red]

I once invented a way to double the size of my lawn, but rather than spread the method, DH threatened to shoot the tractor mower... and the driver. S.S.S.? I quit.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Not unless you include using cattail stalks instead of bamboo for bean poles!

 

[baymule]

You should try to get on Shark Tank. We love that show. Sometimes people get a good offer, but won't take it because they don't want to give up a bigger percentage of their company. Sometimes people have something so cool, the sharks fight each other over it. Your product would be a good one to license. That way, another company does all the work and you (and the shark that sponsers you and helps you) get mailbox money.

There was a guy from Florida on Shark Tank not long ago. He invented Tree Tee-Pees and he got a deal.

http://treetpee.com/

http://sharktankblog.com/business/tree-t-pee/

 

[Sprinkler Buddy]

I know the Shark Tank well, we watch it also. I also know of Johnny, with the Tree Tee Pee, I have spoken with him on facebook. They are still trying to get his product in a big box store. It's a great product he has but I think his market is mostly limited to growers/tree farms. He's on a road trip to CA for some expo as we speake.
I submitted my product twice to Shark Tank and was rejected within a few minutes both times. It's all computer responses when you submit a product to them I believe. I have no doubt a real person actually never looked at what I had.
I also submitted my product to all the sprinkler head manufactures, I quickly learned it's a conflict of interest for them. They are in the business of selling sprinkler heads, not making them last longer.
That's what has lead me to take it to market myself, its been a long hard road. Slowly but surely I'm getting my message out, I'll keep on pushing along. If it doesn't happen in my lifetime maybe it will in my boys.

 

[baymule]

Maybe you could take a direct marketing approach yourself, beyond the retail outlets you already have. Go after Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply. But be sure you can meet the demand if you should get a contract. Maybe you could do a regional supply in your area to test the market. Cold calling, find out who is the top dog to talk to-somebody in one of those companies needs to be your friend and just doesn't know it yet. Or have you already done this?

 

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Maybe you could take a direct marketing approach yourself, beyond the retail outlets you already have. Go after Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply. But be sure you can meet the demand if you should get a contract. Maybe you could do a regional supply in your area to test the market. Cold calling, find out who is the top dog to talk to-somebody in one of those companies needs to be your friend and just doesn't know it yet. Or have you already done this?

I have been in Lowe's as a SOS item, a Lowe's store manager found me at my first Home & Garden Expo. Sales were GREAT!!! Unfortunately, once I left the store for the day, my product had to go with me because Sprinkler Buddy wasn't a stock item. After traveling, lodging, food, etc... I was burning through my inventory and just breaking even selling out of one store location at a time. Not to mention, losing my voice. So I decided to go online and hope one day Lowe's or Home Depot will one day realize they need to make Sprinkler Buddy a stock item. I believe corporate wouldn't give me the time of day because I'm a single product company and a new one at that. I'm happy to have had the experience with Lowe's, it showed me this has huge potential and to never give up on it. As sales continue to grow each year, I'm starting to think selling retail myself is a lot less headaches. lol The big box stores wait to long, I may refuse their offer when it comes. Thanks for taking me down memory lane, gets me excited thinking about it.

It was tough finding a picture without people in it. This one was either taken when the store just opened or was about to close for the night. The three months I spent in Lowe's is something I'll never forget.

 

[baymule]

Way to go! Also, big stores typically wait 90 days or more to pay their invoices which is hard on a small vendor. What about marketing to other landscape companies?

http://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/

 

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Home owners I have found to be my target market for the most part. Most landscape companies make a lot of money on repairs. As a lawn care professional, I usually repaired them if I were the one that had broken them free of charge. That's not the norm, I guess that's why the idea of Sprinkler Buddy came to me. That's not all true, a few weeks before I thought of Sprinkler Buddy, I prayed to invent something that would help bring my family financial freedom. I forgot to pray for when!Gods timing is always on time, I'll wait!

Way to go! Also, big stores typically wait 90 days or more to pay their invoices which is hard on a small vendor. What about marketing to other landscape companies?

http://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/

 

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Looks like a deal is close at hand for Johnny and his Tree Tee Pee.