Vic Pella spent six years in the film industry, ran a part-time
promotional products business with a partner in Hong Kong, then
started a pool-cleaning business. But in late 1996, the
entrepreneurial bug struck again, and the 30-year-old inventor
decided to take advantage of the surefire market opportunity the
year 2000 represents.
Pella's Studio City, California, company, Idea Express Inc.,
makes a line of products for the year 2000, including a baseball
hat with an LCD panel on the front that flashes "Happy
2000"; a teddy bear that shouts "Happy Millennium"
when you squeeze it; and the "Countdown Candle," which
burns down during the last seven days of the millennium, revealing
a solid "2000" at its core.
Fads, onetime events or current events like Desert Storm or
former pro wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura's
election as governor of Minnesota are often great opportunities for
fast-moving entrepreneurs. You can profit, too, by following the
same steps Pella did: 1) Get a trademark, design patent or
copyright if applicable; 2) have a manufacturer lined up in
advance; and 3) use trade shows to set up an instant distribution
network.
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Don Debelak (dondebelak@uswest.net) is a
new-business marketing consultant who has introduced new products
for more than 20 years. He is the author of Bringing Your
Product to Market (John Wiley & Sons, $19.95,
800-225-5945).
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