Having a mission, concept, goals and a name for your product are all good things. Having an actual product is critical. So how do we evolve the idea to a marketable product that supports the mission? Interesting story.

I thought the story, idea, mission and product were all good ideas. But if I was the only one, I would not have accomplished much. The first step was to identify the advertising and sales channel for the product. Brick and mortar locations are expensive and difficult to get in a moments notice. The internet offers a public stream of information that can quickly advertise your idea and product and offer you the opportunity to sell and ship without having to secure office or warehouse space. Here is the story of how we went about gauging public response to the idea of the Official Vick Dog Chew Toy.

First, you have to have a domain name. A quick search found that others had a similar idea as I did based upon the domains that were already secured. Domains such as, dogslovevick.com, dogsbitevick.com, and vickdog.com were already secured. The individuals that secured these names are called, “Squatters”. These are people that search the internet for interesting stories, stories that they feel are going to be big topics, then secure domain names based on what the media is sharing. Most squatters never build an actual website with their new domain name. They secure the name for the purpose of selling their newly acquired domain name to others that are interested in creating a website. Squatters buy the domain name for little money and then sell the name to you for hundreds of dollars. There is a very real marketplace for squatters and you might even call them “day traders”. As a domain squatter, you have to be on your game and be constantly informed and act quickly to turn a buck.

The ultimate goal is to outsmart these squatters. That is exactly what I was able to do. A quick check for vickdogchewtoy.com and I found that it was available. I grabbed it immediately. A mistake that I will regret and will detail in future blog entries.

So, you have a domain name. No one ever succeeded in business with just a domain name. What next? An INCREDIBLE burst of activity and very high level attention. Oh, and sales as well! That story is next.

I appreciate your interest in my story.