Travel Notes: Of Birds and Teeth

One of my favorite things about travelling is walking in an unfamiliar place. I think it is the best way to really get a feel for a place. The sights, sounds and smells just can't be experienced the same way from a car.

Today, I'm engaging in a ritual that I only get to enjoy twice a year. I have an appointment with my dentist.

Twice a year, I drive all the way out to Fountain City to get my teeth cleaned. In Knoxville with the generous number of dentists per square mile we have, driving 30 or 40 minutes just for a cleaning is a bit much, so I created a little ritual to make it worth my while.

I show up to get my teeth cleaned by my dental hygienist (who happens to be a dead ringer for Kristen Bell) shortly before lunch. My dentist's office happens to be located right on the edge of what most people call "the duck pond", though it is formally called "Fountain City Lake". If I have no cavities, or other issues, I schedule my next appointment, head outside and walk past my car. A single block of businesses separate the duck pond from the public library and Fountain City Park. After short stroll, I arrive at the Creamery Park Grille.

I have lunch and an ice cream to go. By the time I wander around the duck pond, dodge some hungry geese and arrive back at my car, my ice cream is gone and I'm relaxed, happy and ready to head back to work. You chose a good location for your office, Dr. Sterling.

Even if you don't need your teeth cleaned, it is a great place to take a walk, get some ice cream or let the kids blow off some energy in the park.

P.S. The birds bite.

A New Age of Business and Manufacturing

We're entering an age where anyone with a good idea and some marketing savvy can their product made and business off the ground nearly overnight. Kickstarter, for one, has helped some amazing products go from idea to reality in under a year.

The common problem I've been seeing is not been exposure for these new companies and products, it has been scaling to meet the demand. Interest in a new product or company can go from zero to pandemonium in a matter of days or even hours. In the last week, alone I've seen this happen twice.

Raspberry Pi, is a small DIY computer similar to Arduino, but designed and marketed toward a different user base. Instead of interest building gradually like the Arduino, it exploded as soon as a finished product was announced, due to incredibly affordable pricing. At $35, everyone wants a piece of the action.

Dollar Shave Club recently announced their new monthly shaving supply service, complete with a funny video designed to go viral.

The problem is, I'm interested in both, but I can't get either. The initial lot of a few thousand Raspberry Pi boards sold out in a few hours, and the Dollar Shave Club video's "viralness" has guaranteed an unusable website for now, maybe even for a few more days. It is unfortunate to succeed so completely in generating interest and sales, but then be unable to fulfill them.

I'm no expert in sales and marketing, but I'm sure there is a sizable chunk of spontaneous purchases lost forever when the product isn't available for purchase at the height of its viral popularity. I suspect that a large number of sales of these products depend on the fact that it is popular. Half the reason people are buying is for the right to say "I was one of the first", or "I've been a _____ user since day one". There is definitely a perception of cool when you are the first person you know with the new gadget or service everyone is talking about.

From what I've seen, the ability to rapidly scale upwards is available, but business need to take advantage of it. For manufacturing, companies turn to China to do anything quickly. That's why the Raspberry Pi isn't made anywhere else. For services that rely on a website to do business, there are hosting services that will allow you to ramp up resources dynamically as you need them, and only pay for what you use.

In other words, small startups can plan for success without spending a ton of money up front.

I've made myself some reminders to check out Raspberry Pi and Dollar Shave Club again when they might be available, but I'm not sure I'll still want them then. By then, some new hot ideas might have my attention instead.