02.21.2017 - By Kevin Mako of Mako Design + Invent
Jay DeMerit is a former professional soccer player for the US Men's National team with a background in product design. After retirement from the sport, Jay started Portmanteau Stereo Co. designing one-of-kind stereos made from vintage suitcases and reclaimed wood from the forests of British Columbia.
In this episode, we learn about
* Jay's inspiration for creating RockIt and how he found the raw material for his speakers
* How he tuned the sound of his speakers without direct experience in sound engineering
* Testing the different components and manufacturing method
* The acoustic and manufacturing properties of different woods
* Other design factors that Jay had to consider
* Testing the speaker components and selecting the right manufacturer
* How Jay tested the market to make sure customers would buy, and how he iterated the design
* The initial prototypes and designs that Jay sold, some of the issues the team uncovered, and optimizing the design
* Earning trust from customers so they will buy
* Discovering their new problem: shipping large, heavy products, and focusing on local customers
* Figuring out what kind of company you want to be, when you grow up
* The times when things didn't go to plan - giving customers too much choice
* Growing their Kickstarter audience and their tips for success
* Things that worked, and didn't, in their marketing campaign (including celebrity influencers and video)
* How Jay's experience as in professional soccer prepared him to launch a product (and how it didn't!)
Links and resources mentioned in this episode
* Website: portmanteaustereo.com
* Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/1185030532
* Social Media
* Twitter: @PortmanteauCo
* Facebook: facebook.com/PortmanteauStereo
* Instagram: instagram.com/portmanteaustereo