|
|
Sound Mind
& Body LLC: A Brief History
In February, 1997,
close friends of Buddy Macy introduced him to three odd, yet
interesting-looking products. They were called the Moon Car
Magnetic Massagers. All three body tools felt great, but
Buddy didn't understand where the magnets came into play.
After learning about magnetic therapy, and discovering the huge
amount of anecdotal evidence supporting the use of magnets for pain
relief, he realized that the massagers may produce a
therapeutic effect, along with a state of
relaxation. So in March, he and his friends signed up for a
booth at a health expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center
in New York City to demonstrate the Moon Cars, and to find out for
themselves how the massagers would be received. The
response to the free trials was extremely positive, both in
reaction, and in sales: So outstanding, that Buddy placed a
large order of the three varieties of massager with the Chinese
manufacturer, thanks to his friends, both of whom
are from China. When the pallets of boxes reached
Buddy's small storage space, the product was quickly processed
by the new company's inventory control specialist. |
Buddy named his new
company, Sound Mind & Body LLC, and hired a highly-regarded
design firm to create a corporate logo. The firm was also
engaged to design and produce an attractive box for the Manual Moon
Car, the most versatile and best-selling of the magnetic
massagers. Upon the production and printing of the boxes,
the 10,000 imported Manual Moon Cars had to be removed from
their original, Chinese-language packaging, that
was later recycled, and placed into their new, colorful
boxes. Buddy had heard that many successful
businesses had begun in the business owner's garage, so he
became pessimistic, since he didn't have one. His
transformed living room would have to do! |
 |
Buddy quickly developed into a
major innovator in the body and personal care industry.
In 1998, he became the first employer to go trans-species,
hiring two young, well-educated feline phenoms to perform important
corporate functions. The cool cats have been with Sound Mind
& Body ever since. (Buddy thinks he looks better,
blurred!)
|
Significant Product Expansion -- More Than 8
Years of Industry Experience
Sound Mind & Body has grown
from a three product company, into an organization that
distributes in excess of 50 items: from magnetic jewelry
and foot insoles, to scalp and body massagers, to organic
milled flaxseed, to natural crystal deodorant to microwavable
comfort products, and more. Durng the past 8½ years, SM&B
has participated in more than 50 consumer and
trade shows: from Boston to Las Vegas to Anaheim, CA; from an
anti-aging medical conference to an extreme sports show to a
women's conference. The company has exhibited at the NEWLIFE EXPO,
a three-day holistic health exhibition in New York City,
on eight
separate occasions. Wherever Sound Mind & Body
exhibits, the staff attracts quite an interest
in their wide assortment of demonstration items, including
eight varieties of massager. |
|
Anyone can sell a product: It is Sound Mind
& Body's service and casual,
personalized professionalism that sets them apart from
other distributors. Providing pertinent product
information, detailed, accurate invoices, wholesale terms
and quick delivery of product are among the
things they do with consistent efficiency. But it
is often the little things that differentiate SM&B
from the field. Drop shipping an item for a customer,
locating and special-ordering products they generally do not carry
and hand-delivering rush orders are several examples of the
extra services the company performs for their valued
customers. If you decide to do business with SM&B,
it will not take long before you realize what a great
choice you have made!
And, apparently, Sound Mind
& Body's personalized, customer service-oriented approach
is working. For a brief time, the company ran a
warehouse outlet to showcase and sell their products.
The location was inside a small industrial park, and one
of their neighbors operated a motorcycle repair
business. Motorcycle repair vs. massagers, crystal deodorant
and yoga gear: It gives new meaning to, Zen And The Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance! It turned out that the noise of
the motorcycles won out over the quiet relaxation of SM&B, but
not before the distributor received very impressive media
coverage in a major New Jersey newspaper. In
the following business article announcing the opening
of their warehouse outlet, Sound Mind &
Body is mentioned ahead of Home
Depot!
|
|
|
|
 |
