Seeking Products for New Venture...

[Repsol Robert]

Hello Repsol Forum Brothers and Sisters,

As I build on my "Out of the Box" Franchise and Brand, the next venture will be the launch of Out of the Box Products, a web-based eCommerce venture where many categories of products will be sold, but all of them potential hits in the consumer markets they will enter...

The first phase of this company's efforts will be focused on sourcing, licensing and creating new products or improvements to existing products that will challenge the status quo in their category...and generate some strong revenue and profit during the process.

The reason I'm posting this here is I want to give this group of very intelligent and resourceful people the chance to be part of this new venture in the form of product submissions. It doesn't matter if the product is already in existence and just needs the marketing and sales push it's never had, if it is a product where you have an overseas connection and it has never been imported or licensed in the United States, or if it is an invention that you are passionate about and want to see turned into something real.

What qualifies me to be the one to partner with on this venture? I have a long history in the eCommerce space, helping large companies turn eBusiness dreams into reality following nearly 20 years in high tech sales and marketing. I have also been deeply involved in the DRTV business where infomercials rule the day, working with the man who had the first mega-hit on TV, earning $80 million in sales on his first product and becoming a leading consultant in the business, who I later partnered with to put the eCommerce piece into his tool belt. I also have offshore resources for manufacturing under the right conditions.

As you know I moved my real estate business from investor to consultant last year, and while this is still my primary focus entering 2008, it will be months before the market returns to a place where I will be busy enough to actually make a living, or need more than 2-3 hours per day to run. This new venture will create rapid cashflow, and is being built to run on autopilot through outsourcing of key operational elements so that my time can be focused on selecting and marketing great products with the many tools and methodologies I learned over the past 10+ years.

Here is what I'm looking for more specifically...

Products that would retail between $75 & $250...
Products that would cost 1/8 to 1/10 of sales price to source/license/build...
Products where I have a reasonable chance of exclusivity...
Products in the following categories are highest priority:
Consumer Electronics (Computer, Navigation, Entertainment etc.)
Green Products (Renewable Energy, Energy Saving, Bio-related, etc.)
Information Products (DVD, Printed, How-To, Experts, Self Improvement, etc.)
Consumable Products (Herbal, Energy, Health Improvement, Not Multi-Level related please)
Apparel (Unique, Trendy, Importable...European, Russian, Exotic)
Motorcycle Related Products (Sports, Cruiser, Dirt)
Rodeo Related Products (Bull-Riding, Bronc Riding, be creative)
Corvette Related Products
Mustang Related Products
New Inventions (Any Category, including those not mentioned above)

I look forward to hearing from those of you that have been waiting for that great idea or product to have the right marketing partner to make it a reality.


Cheers and Happy New Year,
Robert

[TX Repsol]

Just out of curiosity, what's in it for the person that gives you his/her brilliant idea?

There's got to be something in it for us.

I have an idea that I would love to see made reality, but I'm not going to give it to someone and watch them get rich while I continue working my day job and hoping to hit it big some day... ;)

[Repsol Robert]

Just out of curiosity, what's in it for the person that gives you his/her brilliant idea?

There's got to be something in it for us.

I have an idea that I would love to see made reality, but I'm not going to give it to someone and watch them get rich while I continue working my day job and hoping to hit it big some day... ;)

It's really very simple. Royalties are what the inventor world are made of, and a hit would make everyone rich. I have a number of methods for working with inventors, but it really depends on the level to which the product has already been taken. Products with working prototypes are one thing, great ideas without a penny of current investment are another.

I have ways of bringing investors in who would want to manufacture a product for infomercials, or I do direct investment of my time and marketing know how when the inventor is going to finance the development of the product and bring it to market readiness, but there would be testing before that ever happened...and it would be much more of a partnership than a straight royalty deal.

The key is that I have to evaluate the product as a fit for my business model before investing a single dollar, or promoting the idea to my network of manufacturers and experts. Product Finders also receive a royalty...for instance they know someone with a product that is market ready, but has no idea how to get it "out of the box" and into the hands of consumers. Another example would be a product that already sells outside the US, but has no marketing outlet in the US and could be licensed or private labeled. The person who brings me a product that fits my model and passes the testing phase would receive royalties on each sale. Royalties are evaluated and negotiated separately for each product, but the key is that I negotiate directly with the product owner/manufacturer on sourcing/pricing...no middlemen. I can often give a better royalty than the finder would make with the manufacturer because of my price negotiation skills.

I execute a mutual non-disclosure with all product finders/owners before embarking on further discussions, and then if we discover a mutual fit, there would be other protections put in place for everyone to ensure a proper business relationship.

At the end of the day, great ideas sit idle all of the time because people are afraid that success will make someone else rich. Why can't it be a win win? Shouldn't everybody make a fair share of the profits based on their direct effort to bring the product to reality and then to market?

My integrity is the only thing I have that nobody can take from me, so that's the bottom line. I would never do anything to hurt my reputation in the community that I love, or anywhere else, as it would obviously hurt my business.

I'm an entrepreneur at the core, and love the challenges and rewards that go with turning vision into reality.

"Out of the Box Action" is my credo... while others just think about what they would do "if only"...

Cheers...RR