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SlouchBack Is The Answer To Your Seating Dilemmas
Images Courtesy of SlouchBack
The hoopla surrounding the big game is long gone (or slowly fading) but that doesn't mean that the sports-themed parties will stop. There's still plenty of basketball action with the upcoming NCAA playoffs next month.
If you're expecting a lot of people at your next party, you're bound to face a seating issue. Inevitably someone has to either get a chair from another room or sit on the floor. So, what's a host to do?
Let me introduce you to the SlouchBack! It's an inflatable backer that turns your bed or any surface into additional comfortable seating. The website dubs it as "comfortable dorm room furniture," but you can use the SlouchBack in a playroom (on a day bed) or even your guest room (on a futon). What a great idea! Here are five reasons why I think SlouchBack is cool:
1. It was invented by two young entrepreneurs.
2. You can choose from six different colors: navy, tan, brown, pink, red and blue. Plus, the cover is made out of machine-washable microsuede.
3. It inflates and deflates in record time -- about 30 seconds to be exact.
4. The insulated side pockets can hold your drinks, remote control or your cell phone.
5. Once deflated, it's about the size of a briefcase. This makes for easy storage under your bed or in your closet.
I wanted to learn more about SlouchBack, so I interviewed Andrew Goetting. He's SlouchBack's co-founder and CEO. Here's what he said:
VH: How did you and co-founder Jeff Seibert come up with this idea?
AG: I developed the idea during my first semester of freshman year at Roger Williams University as I lived uncomfortably in my pint-size dorm. My roommate and I both wanted a couch for our dorm, but were not willing to bunk our beds to fit one. Every night whether it was a study session, movie night, or the regular dorm party, all of our friends would come over and the only seat was the bed. The only back support was a concrete wall with a thin pillow. I knew there had to be a better way, and that's when the concept was born. We knew we wanted a giant pillow the length of a bed that with armrests that would resemble a couch. The only way to make it that size while also compact enough to store when not in use, was to make it inflatable. No college student wants a cheesy inflatable couch, so our vision was the Rolls Royce of inflatable furniture.
During development, we upgraded the pump numerous times, thickened the plastic core, and changed fabrics to the softest micro suede we could find. Today we offer the finest backrest that resembles the comfiest of couches anyone has sat on. Once the idea was completed and I decided that I wanted to pursue this business, I called my childhood summer friend Jeff Seibert, who rules the Internet Tech world. Jeff had just finished up his degree at Stanford, where he graduated with honors in Computer Science. As a successful entrepreneur already founding two companies and taking on multiple projects, Jeff jumped at the opportunity to work on the SlouchBack. To date, Jeff has played an enormous role in the creation of the company, and is solely responsible for our Internet presence.
VH: Where did you get the name SlouchBack?
AG: The name was developed by my friend and college roommate Tyler Price who--from day one--always liked the idea and appreciated my passion for entrepreneurship. During one late night brainstorm, Tyler thought, "Everyone loves to Slouch!" In all honesty, it's a comfortable position where you can let your body come into a very relaxed state. Our goal was to design a product that evoked this ultimate comfort.
VH: I read that SlouchBack was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition. How did this competition affect the launch of SlouchBack?
AG: This is where the business really got its legs. It was during my senior year, where I took a senior level business development class. Our objective was to develop an entire working business plan in a 3 month period. I immediately knew I wanted to use the "SlouchBack Idea." After my first meeting with the professor, I was brought to the Dean and enrolled in the 2008 RI Business Plan Competition. The entire faculty saw the potential in not only the idea, but in our business model, as well. With support of the school, local businessman and friends and family I was able to submit a business plan that would name me as a semi-finalist. With this encouragement and business plan in hand, I knew that this is what I wanted to do post graduation.
VH: How many units have you sold so far?
AG: We are still in our first production run of 1,000 units that arrived in late August. It's been very well received, and we are working on rolling out new color options and we are in the middle of negotiating large distribution deals for 2010.
VH: Can you talk about your marketing outreach strategy?
AG: We have found Facebook and Twitter to be fantastic ways to reach and communicate with present and future customers. As we are targeting the college demo, obviously Facebook has been a huge tool and we make sure to have a strong presence on our Twitter and Facebook page. Another interesting tool we built was our "Tell My Mom" button on our site which allows you to send an email to anyone directing them to our website with the shopping cart already loaded. Our other marketing strategies started with heavy blog outreach which spun into newspapers, viral videos, to larger websites like AOL (Shelter Pop) which landed us on WPIX and KSLTV morning shows.
VH: How have your fans responded?
AG: A Facebook Fan page who bought one posted this on our page: "I just got my SlouchBack for Christmas, for everyone who thinks it would be a great idea let me tell you, it is awesome. It is so convenient and very comfortable. I turned my twin XL bed into a couch and [it] made studying, watching a movie, or just chilling in my dorm room so much better..."
VH: What are you guys most proud of?
AG: We are most proud of taking the idea from concept to live business, actually stepping up and taking the first step was the hardest, and now we are addicted to the development of SlouchBack and our biggest problem is there is not enough time to implement all the ideas and strategies we have for the company. After 9 months of dedicated work, we arrived at Roger Williams University, the birthplace of the idea. On campus, we displayed the SlouchBack to the entire freshman class and parents as they arrived for Freshman Move in Day.
The most popular question after saying, "This is cool, I want one," was "Wait, this is your product?" to which I could answer,"Yes, and I developed it here at this school during my first week of freshman year!" This was an unbelievable feeling and the school, the administrators, faculty and students all said that we really helped set the tone to the new students of what you are able to accomplish at this University. Since then, every day has been a better day of continuous learning, new challenges and even larger accomplishments, and we are proud and excited to take on the next.
VH: Are there any future SlouchBack enhancements?
AG: One great feature of the product is that the covers are removable allowing us to roll out new colors and materials, giving the option of a different color scheme to match the seasons, etc. In addition, we are placing a heavy focus on custom branding for large clients. It will be possible to get the SlouchBack in designer patterns, materials and licensed logos of large corporations.
VH: What's your vision for SlouchBack in the future?
AG: As recent college graduate, our top priority is becoming the staple of every college dorm across the country. In addition, we are continuing to push into other markets as we have been receiving strong feedback that the product is a huge hit amongst kids, teens, and families. All of these demographics are fun to work with and fantastic to serve. The ability to gain direct feedback through all the new mediums is fantastic and allows us to continually enhance our message to better meet our customers' needs. AG: We are still in our first production run of 1,000 units that arrived in late August. It's been very well received, and we are working on rolling out new color options and we are in the middle of negotiating large distribution deals for 2010.
VH: Can you talk about your marketing outreach strategy?AG: We have found Facebook and Twitter to be fantastic ways to reach and communicate with present and future customers. As we are targeting the college demo, obviously Facebook has been a huge tool and we make sure to have a strong presence on our Twitter and Facebook page. Another interesting tool we built was our "Tell My Mom" button on our site which allows you to send an email to anyone directing them to our website with the shopping cart already loaded. Our other marketing strategies started with heavy blog outreach which spun into newspapers, viral videos, to larger websites like AOL (Shelter Pop) which landed us on WPIX and KSLTV morning shows.
VH: How have your fans responded?
AG: A Facebook Fan page who bought one posted this on our page: "I just got my SlouchBack for Christmas, for everyone who thinks it would be a great idea let me tell you, it is awesome. It is so convenient and very comfortable. I turned my twin XL bed into a couch and [it] made studying, watching a movie, or just chilling in my dorm room so much better..."
VH: What are you guys most proud of?
AG: We are most proud of taking the idea from concept to live business, actually stepping up and taking the first step was the hardest, and now we are addicted to the development of SlouchBack and our biggest problem is there is not enough time to implement all the ideas and strategies we have for the company. After 9 months of dedicated work, we arrived at Roger Williams University, the birthplace of the idea. On campus, we displayed the SlouchBack to the entire freshman class and parents as they arrived for Freshman Move in Day.
The most popular question after saying, "This is cool, I want one," was "Wait, this is your product?" to which I could answer,"Yes, and I developed it here at this school during my first week of freshman year!" This was an unbelievable feeling and the school, the administrators, faculty and students all said that we really helped set the tone to the new students of what you are able to accomplish at this University. Since then, every day has been a better day of continuous learning, new challenges and even larger accomplishments, and we are proud and excited to take on the next.
VH: Are there any future SlouchBack enhancements?
AG: One great feature of the product is that the covers are removable allowing us to roll out new colors and materials, giving the option of a different color scheme to match the seasons, etc. In addition, we are placing a heavy focus on custom branding for large clients. It will be possible to get the SlouchBack in designer patterns, materials and licensed logos of large corporations.
VH: What's your vision for SlouchBack in the future?
Whether we venture deeper into product development, global sourcing, multi-channel distribution, or marketing, we are have a blast learning it all. This experience to date has been exciting and overwhelming and we look forward to helping others reach their goals of making an idea come to life. I encourage people, especially young students and graduates, to follow their dreams. Work your butt off on something you are passionate about. If you do, you will go to sleep mind racing, but satisfied and wake up disappointed only over the fact that you missed an minute.
