Sweet Tunes In the time it takes to release a few Pez candies from their colorful dispenser, Patrick Misterovich took his business from concept to reality.
By Kim Orr
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What: MP3 player inside a Pez dispenser
Who: Patrick Misterovich of Lincoln West Studio LLC
Where: Springfield, Missouri
When: Started in July 2004
Startup Costs: $200,000
In July 2004, Misterovich was a stay-at-home dad when he read an article featuring an entrepreneur who had turned Altoid tins into iPod speakers. The idea inspired the 40-year-old ex-IT administrator to make a list of other possible candies and electronics that could be combined: laser pointers, Life Savers, USB drives. But nothing seemed to fit until he noticed "MP3 players" and "Pez dispensers" sitting idly on his list like two lost souls waiting for someone to play Cupid.
Five minutes later, Misterovich was e-mailing Pez about licensing its dispensers to create a Pez dispenser-shaped MP3 player and was only steps away from turning his self-proclaimed "crazy idea" into reality.
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