Here’s Norm’s monthly post on the business of vaping. Please note that I’m not affiliated with Norm other than posting these articles.
This Blog is supplied by Norm Bour and VapeMentorS, consultants to vape shops, online businesses and others in the Vape Space. He is the host of Vape News Radio, writes for Vape News Magazine and is also their National Event Coordinator, so stays on top of all that is noteworthy. This and other related reports can be viewed at www.VapeMentorS.com.
Many of you that follow the Fest and trade show circuit know that the largest gathering of vapers ever just took place in Ontario, California. Called the Electronic Cigarette Convention (ECC) this was their second year and they almost doubled last year’s record breaking attendance. With that many people and close to 200 vendors, anyone and everyone you wanted to meet and connect with in the business, you could. I took advocate of that and interviewed the CEOs of Mr. Good Vape, Five Pawns, Space Jam and others, plus caught up with some of the movers and shakers on the advocacy side of it.
As I walked around picking up samples of e-liquids and filling one, then two, then my third bag I asked myself, “What the hell do I do with all this?” How do I know what’s good and what’s not? Since I help open stores nationwide and teach them how to be different and unique, of course I wanted to find different and unique products to offer them. I found two different ways to execute that.
I am sending out samples of three juices of any particular line to all my shops and asking them to grade them. I believe them much more than I believe the paid-for reviews we usually see. These guys have no agenda and if all if it sucks I want to know. But if they find something really good, I ask two questions:
“Would you buy it from a shop?”
“Would you sell it at your shop?”
If both are yeses then I am setting up lines with the manufactures. Pretty simple, right? But I have enough juice for more tests than what I have shops so I ask YOU the following:
“Do you want free juice?”
No hidden anything, you just cover the shipping and I will send you THREE different samples from THREE different lines, so a minimum of NINE bottles for $10. If they gave me more than three samples you might get more but not less. You want in? Let me know, but you have to rate them and answer those two questions. I have enough excess for about 20 that want to take me up on it. Deal??
We’re also setting up an events rating system, so if you have been to any events or will be attending any one of the dozen plus scheduled before the end of the year, we are doing a YELP-style rating system through Vape News Magazine and my radio show, Vape News Radio. Would you like to offer your opinions on that as well?
On the “Coming Soon” side I met some guys importing a beautiful mod from Italy called the Avatar from PUFF, the largest vape franchiser in the world, with over 350 locations in Europe. They sell a boatload of these through about 400 outlets overseas and they are now hitting our shores. They were seeking wholesaling outlets here in the states and I FLIPPED over the design and it works as good as it looks so we will become wholesalers for that as well. If you’d like to get some for you or your store let us know and we’ll hook you up. $40 wholesale, $80 retail. More info soon…
And LAST, back to the free shit. My book, “Vapreneur: YOUR guide to Mastering the Vape Space” is DONE and for the month of September I’m giving it away for free. No hitch on this either, just go to www.VapeMentorS.com/freebook and we’ll hook you up. It’s a PDF, please don’t share the book, but you can share the offer. Here’s a copy of the cover which everyone loves.
If you are IN the business or WANT to get in the business this is not just theory and blah, blah, but shares real life success and failure stories of those that did both, plus offers forms and guides to understanding yourself and your possible business model.
I told you this is good for September only, right? Good. After that we’re going paid including hard copy book, so take advantage of all these things while you can.
Any questions: norm@VapeMentorS.com.
Let us know if you would like to be part of the show: www.VapeNewsRadio.com. If you need information please contact the show host and writer of this article, Norm Bour at norm@VapeMentorS.com.
