My first product idea in 1997 and was an LED Backlit Reader Board. I was working for a Motorola distributor and selling wireless communications. One item was Alpha Numeric Display Pager. Then Motorola later introduced an LED Moving Message sign, which looked like a spinoff of an oversize pager. But it was for your business. You may recall seeing them for sale in Sam’s Club stores 20 years ago.
We started selling them to manufactures to display safety information and then to hotels for event information. It was a great idea and I wanted to get larger displays. I wanted to sell them to billboard companies and replace the tedious job of putting up paper advertisements and now have programmable messages.
My idea was way ahead of the time and the cost was prohibited. But I wasn't satisfied. I decided to have my own signs custom made for malls as shown in the image here. What another great idea. I took two technologies and combined them together. I had LED Reader Boards installed into custom built cabinets with backlit capabilities. My first customer was an advertising agency who wanted to purchase ad space. They wanted to capture the attention of older aged people who walked the mall for exercise. The information displayed was usually a health topic. The LED moving message was programmed in sync with the backlit display to capture their attention and deliver high impact information.
The signs are wireless so I am able to program them from a distance. It was a new medium in advertising and marketing. I installed them in three malls in Illinois. I Started with Northwood’s Mall Peoria then Springfield and then Moline. I had plans to launch the idea nationwide. I didn't think about it. I just acted on my intuition and made it happen. I did not know much about intellectual property or patents at the time or I would have protected my idea if possible. I certainly was not afraid to make the calls and arrange the meetings. And I certainly wasn't afraid to sell the idea.
Today you see these types of signs in airports, library's, hotels, billboards, restaurants, and more.
But what does all this mean? How did it affect my outcome in life and in business? What did I learn? And is this my niche? You will find the answers to these and many more when I take a look back at the last 26 years of my life in my new book. It will be released very soon and it is called. "Nothing Happens Until The Meeting is Set"
To-Be-Continued.
John McKee ...Future Author
Twitter: @John McKee453
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmckee212