mel jacobson on sun 1 aug 10
i have spend a great deal of time over the last 8 years
dealing with the u.s. patent office and copyright issues.
it is daunting...and expensive. but, well worth the effort
when it is done. and, you don't know crap until you have gone
down that road. hearsay does not work. you have to experience it.
and then pay the bills.
anything you do can be ripped off, esp from china, india etc.
the decision we made very early on with ridatick was to use
only 3m products, have it made here in minnesota by high
class people. the 3m logo is on our package. (and they are very
happy for us to show it, as long as the product is made with only 3m tape.)
do you really want to put a tape patch on your kid with a
patch made in rural china? no. do you want your band aide
made in bombay? no. do you want to know that your medical
product is made in a safe clean environment? yes.
even the printing press used to print the tape is cleaned and sprayed
with alcohol
before the printing begins.
it has saved us a great deal of time and effort. it makes the
product more expensive, but it is high quality and works well.
the 3m logo keeps us from being ripped off.
if you throw out a design for sale and think that the world will
not copy it...well you are in dream land. if you want to protect
yourself, you pay the price. it cannot be done after the fact.
you do that in the beginning. it took me four years and a great
deal of money before we made the first package of ridatick.
and, i have a competent lawyer who will sue the ass off anyone
that tries to market anything close to ridatick.
my patent is almost 30 pages long. in great detail. it has to be.
many people just shove a product out the door and hope for the best.
it does not work. ever.
many artists live in the euphoria world of `fair play`. it is not the
model used around the world. look at identity theft. rampant.
do you think you can stomp your foot and say...`no fair`. silliness.
remember, we all pick the venue we want to be in business with. no one hol=
ds
a gun to your head.
art fairs
galleries
farmer's market
your own home.
sell on the highway with a sign that says `pots`.
you select it, and it is up to you to make it work.
no one else gives a damn what you do, or how you do it. they
have their own issues to deal with. self promotion is how it gets done.
if you don't do it, who will? is it ego, no, it is advertising.
do you think walmart is the toughest venue out there? not on your life.
try proctor and gamble, and maybe the toughest of all.. TARGET.
you have to find out what the margins are...if we sold at target with
ridatick we would make pennies on the dollar. almost nothing. we stay far
away from them. sharks with big teeth.
no one holds a gun to the heads of people that work
at walmart, but many thousands work there. the union hates walmart, that
is for sure. we all make choices. i buy bulk food at sam's club, i love t=
he
place. i have a business account. i have no trouble at all, good
products, fair
prices and without that venue, i could not do `haycreek`. i know i
save at least
40 percent just on paper products. it is my money, my saving. and, the pe=
ople
at sam's treat me very well. they even know me by name. can't ask for bet=
ter
service. and, if you ask them if they like their job, they say ` we
love working
here`. many are foreign, and sweet people. as one somali man said to me
`if i quit working here, what would i do? go on relief?` he is very thankf=
ul
for his full time job. it may not be perfect, but he has a full time job.
i run my life, my pottery and ridatick as a non-emotional business. do i t=
hrow
money away..not on your life. do i make my own decisions, yes. if people
do not buy my work...i find out why, and make changes. it is not the custo=
mers
fault if they don't like my pots...it is mine.
mel
i have heard that old saw from artists..`the world is really stupid, no
one buys my work, gd idiots...` hmm, not from my view, i would not buy
it either. in fact, i don't think you could give it away.
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
alternate: melpots7575@gmail.com
Bonnie Staffel on mon 2 aug 10
Mel says:
" no one holds a gun to the heads of people that work
at walmart, but many thousands work there. the union hates walmart, =3D
that is
for sure. we all make choices. i buy bulk food at sam's club, i love =3D
the
place. i have a business account. i have no trouble at all, good =3D
products,
fair prices and without that venue, i could not do `haycreek`. i know i
save at least 40 percent just on paper products. it is my money, my =3D
saving.
and, the people at sam's treat me very well. they even know me by name.
can't ask for better service.
I am assuming, Mel, that you know Sam's Club is a part of the Wal-Mart
Company?
Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD=3DA0 Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD=3DA0 Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
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