OT: Well, THAT didn't take long...

[envisionelec]

Or did it?

As some of you may know - I've been working for years on my own brand of business. Many, many years. Since I was 14 (1990) I've been involved in some kind of business venture. Back then it was A.C.'s Car Sound Installation. I printed up brochures with a Franklin Ace (Apple II knockoff) and a Rat Shack dot matrix printer. Then, I opened a repair shop under the name AudioTek in 1996. I designed a 300W Class D amplifier in 1997 but never made anything of it beyond personal satisfaction.

In 2000, I got married and started Envision Electronics as a contract manufacturer. That was an experience that I don't recommend to anyone without dedicated investors. It was a hard lesson to learn that most companies don't pay their bills on time (I DO!!!!). In 2004, I brought the Exact Audio Amplifier stereo plate amp to market. I sold ~20 of them, all at a loss in hopes of finding an investor (never happened). In 2006, I started EZAmps under Envision with the PointZero amplifier kit. I sold 40 kits and eventually discontinued them. They were just too time intensive to be profitable for a one man operation. Those were a customer favorite and I still get emails about them (!). After a few false starts in early 2007, I decided that I couldn't pay the bills and do a side business so I took a break.

In 2008, I dropped the EZAmps moniker and brought the DSPower to the car audio market. Initially a design for myself, I quickly found that a lot of people were interested in a 12V power supply for the Behringer DCX2496 crossover/EQ. Wow - what a huge response. I sold out my stock (50 units) in six months. I was hand building each and every one of them in the scarce spare time I had (I still have a full time job). I wound the transformers, soldered the SMD components and tested them. Out of the 50 units sold, I had one returned for a faulty solder connection. I sold more internationally than in the USA!

The new DSPower is designed to be 95% autoplacement (pick and place). I intended for the new design to come to market in January, but due to lack of funds I was unable to meet my deadline. I was pretty certain that I could seek funding for a product that had sold well in the past and was still receiving interest on a weekly basis. Well, now I know what it means when businesses can't get credit to buy the things they need to DO business.

So yesterday I was talking with a consultant that does a bit of work for my employer. I showed him some of the boards I was working on for a test fixure and discussed some ways to make an existing shaker amplifier (his design) more reliable. He seemed impressed with my comments. I recommeded a few changes that we'll be implementing shortly.

Fast forward a bit and he's looking over my DSPower design as well as other audio amplifiers and switching power supplies that I have "stuck" in my design folder. He asked what I might need to get back into production - I told him and....

Well, it's ON!!!

[Pete Schumacher ®]

Or did it?

As some of you may know - I've been working for years on my own brand of business. Many, many years. Since I was 14 (1990) I've been involved in some kind of business venture. Back then it was A.C.'s Car Sound Installation. I printed up brochures with a Franklin Ace (Apple II knockoff) and a Rat Shack dot matrix printer. Then, I opened a repair shop under the name AudioTek in 1996. I designed a 300W Class D amplifier in 1997 but never made anything of it beyond personal satisfaction.

In 2000, I got married and started Envision Electronics as a contract manufacturer. That was an experience that I don't recommend to anyone without dedicated investors. It was a hard lesson to learn that most companies don't pay their bills on time (I DO!!!!). In 2004, I brought the Exact Audio Amplifier stereo plate amp to market. I sold ~20 of them, all at a loss in hopes of finding an investor (never happened). In 2006, I started EZAmps under Envision with the PointZero amplifier kit. I sold 40 kits and eventually discontinued them. They were just too time intensive to be profitable for a one man operation. Those were a customer favorite and I still get emails about them (!). After a few false starts in early 2007, I decided that I couldn't pay the bills and do a side business so I took a break.

In 2008, I dropped the EZAmps moniker and brought the DSPower to the car audio market. Initially a design for myself, I quickly found that a lot of people were interested in a 12V power supply for the Behringer DCX2496 crossover/EQ. Wow - what a huge response. I sold out my stock (50 units) in six months. I was hand building each and every one of them in the scarce spare time I had (I still have a full time job). I wound the transformers, soldered the SMD components and tested them. Out of the 50 units sold, I had one returned for a faulty solder connection. I sold more internationally than in the USA!

The new DSPower is designed to be 95% autoplacement (pick and place). I intended for the new design to come to market in January, but due to lack of funds I was unable to meet my deadline. I was pretty certain that I could seek funding for a product that had sold well in the past and was still receiving interest on a weekly basis. Well, now I know what it means when businesses can't get credit to buy the things they need to DO business.

So yesterday I was talking with a consultant that does a bit of work for my employer. I showed him some of the boards I was working on for a test fixure and discussed some ways to make an existing shaker amplifier (his design) more reliable. He seemed impressed with my comments. I recommeded a few changes that we'll be implementing shortly.

Fast forward a bit and he's looking over my DSPower design as well as other audio amplifiers and switching power supplies that I have "stuck" in my design folder. He asked what I might need to get back into production - I told him and....

Well, it's ON!!!

Awesome news!!! Success is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration. Thank goodness you had enough sweat to last it out!!!

Good LUCK!!!!

[Wolf]

Or did it?

As some of you may know - I've been working for years on my own brand of business. Many, many years. Since I was 14 (1990) I've been involved in some kind of business venture. Back then it was A.C.'s Car Sound Installation. I printed up brochures with a Franklin Ace (Apple II knockoff) and a Rat Shack dot matrix printer. Then, I opened a repair shop under the name AudioTek in 1996. I designed a 300W Class D amplifier in 1997 but never made anything of it beyond personal satisfaction.

In 2000, I got married and started Envision Electronics as a contract manufacturer. That was an experience that I don't recommend to anyone without dedicated investors. It was a hard lesson to learn that most companies don't pay their bills on time (I DO!!!!). In 2004, I brought the Exact Audio Amplifier stereo plate amp to market. I sold ~20 of them, all at a loss in hopes of finding an investor (never happened). In 2006, I started EZAmps under Envision with the PointZero amplifier kit. I sold 40 kits and eventually discontinued them. They were just too time intensive to be profitable for a one man operation. Those were a customer favorite and I still get emails about them (!). After a few false starts in early 2007, I decided that I couldn't pay the bills and do a side business so I took a break.

In 2008, I dropped the EZAmps moniker and brought the DSPower to the car audio market. Initially a design for myself, I quickly found that a lot of people were interested in a 12V power supply for the Behringer DCX2496 crossover/EQ. Wow - what a huge response. I sold out my stock (50 units) in six months. I was hand building each and every one of them in the scarce spare time I had (I still have a full time job). I wound the transformers, soldered the SMD components and tested them. Out of the 50 units sold, I had one returned for a faulty solder connection. I sold more internationally than in the USA!

The new DSPower is designed to be 95% autoplacement (pick and place). I intended for the new design to come to market in January, but due to lack of funds I was unable to meet my deadline. I was pretty certain that I could seek funding for a product that had sold well in the past and was still receiving interest on a weekly basis. Well, now I know what it means when businesses can't get credit to buy the things they need to DO business.

So yesterday I was talking with a consultant that does a bit of work for my employer. I showed him some of the boards I was working on for a test fixure and discussed some ways to make an existing shaker amplifier (his design) more reliable. He seemed impressed with my comments. I recommeded a few changes that we'll be implementing shortly.

Fast forward a bit and he's looking over my DSPower design as well as other audio amplifiers and switching power supplies that I have "stuck" in my design folder. He asked what I might need to get back into production - I told him and....

Well, it's ON!!!

Congratulations! I knew it would happen if you stuck it out.
Later,
Wolf

PS-you get my e-mail?

[dlr]

Good luck! I hope it goes well. I'm always impressed by those with the determination to stick to it like that.

dlr

[christianb]

Hells yes! I hope to someday be in a situation like yours where I can do what I want to do and make money doing it. The male prostituion thing is just killing me...

[dougjohnson]

Or did it?
Fast forward a bit and he's looking over my DSPower design as well as other audio amplifiers and switching power supplies that I have "stuck" in my design folder. He asked what I might need to get back into production - I told him and....

Well, it's ON!!!

Another demonstration that fortune favors the prepared mind. Congratulations and good luck. -- Doug

[Andy_G]

great news Aaron. to make progress in these times is surely a good thing !!

[mikebw]

That's great! As excited as you must be please take some time to exercise some caution. Make sure you are covering yourself and that this guy isn't out to take you for a ride.

[donparsons]

There you go... you're an "overnight" success!

Hope the sales come in strong and the financing means something for you both.

[charlielaub]

Congratulations! Seems like it has been a long difficult road but you are now doing what many of us dream about-doing business in the audio world!

OT: I might have another DCX2496 for you. I just don't seem to have much luck with these things!

-Charlie

[Dirk]

Good for you, man. Good for you. Any chance we'll see the point-zeroes come back in some incarnation?

[Ryan_M]

envisionelec, great stroy!

Sounds like it should have been my story but I never had the guts to get anything off the ground, so here's to you. I've got lot's of ideas and designs scattered on various files that will probably never go anywhere.

I had plans to make audio equipment, amps particularly, for a long time. I did a little stint where I did repair work and couldn't understand why amps performed nowhere near stated specs yet people happily bought them. I figured an amp should actually be able to do what it says on the box plus a safety margin but that doesn't match reality, or at least it didn't at the time.

Keep us posted on what you're up to, I'm going to have to live this vicariously through you. Good luck!
Ryan

[mikec]

How many different materials did Edison go through before he found one that worked?

Seems like you've learned a little more every time until you made things go right.

Some of us could learn from that

Good luck!