Correction
 

The post above didn't look like my response could be seen so here it is again, plus some extra comments;
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I came across these things in 1978. Camp STILL had a bunch left when Sugarman dropped out! We ran some commercials and sold them thru Walgreen's Drug Stores.
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Don Alm

Also...at the time I owned a security company called SECURITRONICS and I had installed alarms in Charles walgreen's home in Winnetka and his son Corkies home in Lake Forest...and I also installed alarms in all of the new GLOBE Discount Stores which was owned by Walgreen's...so I had an IN with the Walgreen people in those days.

SECURITRONICS CORP was at 744 NW Highway in Palatine, ILL Our offices was just a few blocks south of Dundee Road...which is the road I took to and from my home in Northbrook...and in the the late 60's I would go past Sugarman's FIRST office which was just off Dundee Rd in a onestory white frame building where I would see him and his staff with their mail order business...as I passed by early in the morn and late at night going to and from my office.

Don Alm

Thanks Don, a fantastic story and lesson....
 

Hi Don,

Thanks for sharing that story! I wondered when I read it if these were the same "Teeny Boppers" that Joe Sugarman mentioned in his book "Success Forces" - and it turns out they were (the description is the same)....

And when I thought about it more, your story fits with everything Joe Sugarman said. There were still 240,000 "Teeny Boppers" left according to Joe Sugarman, since he had the bad luck of a tornado hitting chicago and ruining his promotion. (This was back in 1966.) And I know you used to live in Chicago too....

Thanks for sharing that.... It is a great educational story, and it is a great addition to what Joe Sugarman wrote about in "Success Forces" (chapter 6, as John mentioned above)....

It also shows you don't have to be too complicated to make money. A simple TV ad, in this case, and having them carried by Walgreen's, did it (well, it sold 100,000 of them anyhow!).

Thanks. :)

- Dien Rice

Video of "IT" in action at ABCnews.com
 

Here's the Segway in action... amazing.

http://abcnews.go.com/ and click on the "video" link at the story.

Re: Video of "IT" in action at ABCnews.com
 

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the link to the video.... It looks pretty wild! I like it though.... :)

I'm thinking how you could do something to tie in with the Segway, as Gordon suggested.... Hmmm.... Still thinking....

- Dien

Just saw the footage on the news and...
 

I WANT one! :o)

> I'm thinking how you could do something to
> tie in with the Segway, as Gordon
> suggested.... Hmmm.... Still thinking....

Apart from the ideas the news item talked about - ambulance/paramedics? postal workers, library, etc...

how about

*Internal mail delivery,
*Flyer delivery (applicable in Aust only as I believe the USPS does that in the US),
*Document delivery within the city - as a biz or part of a company with a couple of offices nearby,
*Hire it out as a fun thing - place ads in it for extra revenue - or to business for other purposes,
*Transport in sporting arenas - maintenance could travel around to fix or check things, security could do their rounds on it,
*Electricity meter-readers,
*Parking-violation ticket-givers,
*Sport coaches and assistance-coaches,
*Sport officials/umpires/referees,
*Snack vendors,
*Use it as an attenion grabbing device to lure shoppers around a store that pays you to draw a crowd,
*Hire to child birthday parties,
*Food and beverage delivery at the beach or park,
*Dry-cleaning delivery to nearby offices,
*Other food and beverage delivery to offices,

Other things for it:

*Theft prevention devices,
*Mobile phone holders,
*Drink holders,
*Luggage carriers,
*Parking "racks" like bike racks,
*Modification service - like repaint for cars, spoilers, etc.

What else?

Michael Ross

The skills that most inventors are missing (though NOT Ron Popeil or Dean Kamen)....
 

Hi Amber,

> Ideafinder.com is a great site...thanks for
> posting the articles.

Yes, I agree! www.ideafinder.com is a very interesting site to browse through, for those interested in inventors and inventions.... :)

> Dean Kamen is surely one interesting fella.
> Bet he'd be fun to hang out with, huh? Same
> thing goes for Ron. I'd really like to see
> full length films made about these two
> gent's lives.

Yes, I admire them both. :)

> Drudge just posted a more descriptive report
> on "it" ... I probably won't be
> able to sleep tonight in anticipation of
> actually getting to view it in the morning.

> I guess it is too late to put it on my
> christmas wish list though. ;-)

After seeing "it" - I think it IS potentially revolutionary.... I think, like Dean Kamen says, it could really fill a niche for inner-city travel, where a car is often completely impractical (and very slow because of constant traffic jams)....

> Dien, I can just SEE you as an
> inventor...for whatever that is worth to
> you. :-)

Heheh, thanks Amber! :) I HAVE been to a few "inventor's society" meetings in the past.... They were very interesting. I have met a few successful inventors by going to these meetings.

One successful inventor I met is the inventor of the "Oz Tent" - which can be put up in only 30 seconds! See http://www.discountcamping.com.au/oztent.htm as an example.... But he spent something like $20,000 of his own money in product development, patenting and marketing costs. Being an inventor isn't always cheap! However, the "Oz Tent" is a successful product....

However, most inventors really could use more marketing and sales skills.... This really seems to be the weakness of most who consider themselves "inventors," in my opinion....

Thanks Amber for your kind comments. Maybe one day I'll actually invent something, and consider myself an "inventor" too.... :)

- Dien Rice

Some great ideas, Michael !
 

Hi Michael,

> I WANT one! :o)

Yes, me too! The Segway looks pretty cool! And useful too....

> Other things for it:

> *Theft prevention devices,
> *Mobile phone holders,
> *Drink holders,
> *Luggage carriers,
> *Parking "racks" like bike racks,
> *Modification service - like repaint for
> cars, spoilers, etc.

Thanks Michael, these are great ideas!

- Dien


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