What: A
company that prints advertising used in and around golf courses
nationwide
Who: Andy
Yocom of Invision Golf Group Inc.
Where:
Peachtree City, Georgia
When: Started
in June 2003
While golfing with his brother one day, Andy Yocom saw prime
advertising space on the flags on the course. He and his brother
Timmy reasoned that any marketing messages would get prominent
attention if they were placed on the flags, since golfers focus on
them when they take their shots.
Convinced the idea would work, Yocom set out to persuade golf
course owners to warm up to the concept of brand advertising on
their greens. "With golf as traditional as it is, finding
people in the industry that can think [outside] of the box [was a
challenge] because they're so protective of the golf course
image," Yocom, 37, explains. "I get the comment a lot
that they don't want to 'NASCAR' their
courses."
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Yocom fought the skepticism by persistently visiting golf
courses in the Atlanta area. Finally, he was able to hook up with
some golf course management companies-they had several courses
under their umbrella and could see the benefits of the idea. Once
some well-established courses signed on, Yocom presented the
concept to corporations that might be eager to market to the golf
crowd. "[The fact] that we [advertise] 365 days a year and are
a one-stop shop on and off the course-it's a very unique
situation," says Yocom.
Today, Invision Golf Group has expanded its advertising and
marketing services beyond just flags to include whole golf course
sponsorship-from banners in locker rooms to advertising on golf
carts. The strategy is working: At press time, projected 2004 sales
were $300,000, and the company now has a presence on 142 golf
courses in 26 states.
Heaven Scent
What: A
company that bottles pure, fragrant Hawaiian air to sell to
tourists
Who: Jon P.
Farmer of Kolopua Hawaii LLC
Where:
Kahului, Hawaii
When: Started
in 2002
Think you can't sell air? you'll think again when you
meet Jon P. Farmer, founder of Kolopua Hawaii LLC and creator of
Pure Hawaiian Air. Marketed as "Heaven in a Bottle," Pure
Hawaiian Air is packaged to appeal to tourists who long for the
scent of Hawaii-the floral bouquet that greets them when they get
off the plane.
Scents such as ginger and plumeria hang in the air, says Farmer,
a resident of Hawaii. When he read Chicken Soup From the Soul of Hawaii, he
was struck by how many of the stories mentioned the scent of the
islands. So Farmer created bottles filled with Hawaiian air and
some scented essence beads. When customers shake the bottles up and
open the lids, they're transported back to paradise.
Farmer, 57, likens the product to bottled water for its purity
and even to bags of authentic Hawaiian sand and seashells for its
tourist appeal. Retailing for about $5 to $6 apiece, the bottles
are sold at gift shops in Hawaii, as well as to travel agents
nationwide who give them to clients. With half a million in sales
projected for 2004, that's one sweet scent.
On a Shoestring
What: An
e-tailer that sells fraternity and sorority clothing and
accessories
Who: Joseph
Tantillo of GreekGear.com
Where:
Freeburg, Illinois
When: Started
in 1999
How Much:
$79.95
Reading a business magazine in the doctor's office inspired
Joseph Tantillo to try his hand at online retailing. At the time,
he and his wife were expecting their first child and wanted to work
from home. An article about starting an online store jumped out at
him, he recalls-and, as a member of a fraternity in college, he
decided to sell personalized Greek apparel to that market.
After setting up shop for just $79.95-the cost of a merchant
account with Yahoo!- he began researching what kind of products his
former fraternity brothers might like. Tantillo then located
suppliers who would work with him on a drop-ship basis and began
selling. He opened his online doors in May of 1999 and had his
first three sales by June.
He and his wife moved into a farmhouse owned by their family so
they didn't have to worry about a mortgage. That gave Tantillo
the freedom to go full time and research the market. "I spent
a lot of time online-hours, all through the night-e-mailing people
about linking to our website, e-mailing people about our products,
asking friends for criticism and suggestions," says Tantillo,
36.
His persistence helped him become the preferred vendor for a few
national Greek organizations. Tantillo then secured partnerships
that would allow him to advertise on their websites in exchange for
a sales commission to the organizations for every click-through
purchase.
Using the strong Greek network worked, as he's built
GreekGear.com's yearly sales to $1.9 million. In addition, the
company recently moved into its own 5,000-square-foot facility,
complete with its own screening, embroidery and printing equipment.
With success like this, Tantillo's frat brothers should be
proud.