Sunday, April 02, 2006
Lightning Enterprises - Introduction
Hello, my name is Chris Perkins, and I own a company dedicated to developing and manufacturing products and equipment designed for hearing aid repair and maintenace. The company is called Lightning Enterprises, and I wanted to create this blog in an effort to give insight into the operation of a small niche business - the ideas, successes, and defeats that come with the territory.
First if all, I got into this business because I was working in the industry. I was the Product Development manager for a small hearing aid manufacturer for about 8 years or so. We actually got into more than just making hearing aids. The owner of the company was always looking for other ways to make money, so he had me develop some other products that were useful to us in the repair department. I developed a UV cure unit that was used for modifying hearing aids quickly using UV curable materials, and a vacuum pump unit for extracting wax out of hearing aids. Both products proved invaluable to us, so the owner began marketing them to other industry professionals for in-office repair work.
Both products sold well, but the company itself went through some management problems and wasn't run very well. After a few years, the company was so cash poor they couldn't even afford to buy the parts to make these products. They had distributors who were getting tired of waiting for product, and I heard one of them was going to start making UV cure units themselves, so I contacted them and asked if they would buy them directly from me. So, I started making UV cure units and vacuum pumps in my garage part-time.
So, this was the birth of Lightning Enterprises over 7 years ago now. We have grown into a major supplier to the hearing aid equipment market with several new products, and many new ideas. I'll be posting periodically, hopefully giving insight into the heart of this company.
First if all, I got into this business because I was working in the industry. I was the Product Development manager for a small hearing aid manufacturer for about 8 years or so. We actually got into more than just making hearing aids. The owner of the company was always looking for other ways to make money, so he had me develop some other products that were useful to us in the repair department. I developed a UV cure unit that was used for modifying hearing aids quickly using UV curable materials, and a vacuum pump unit for extracting wax out of hearing aids. Both products proved invaluable to us, so the owner began marketing them to other industry professionals for in-office repair work.
Both products sold well, but the company itself went through some management problems and wasn't run very well. After a few years, the company was so cash poor they couldn't even afford to buy the parts to make these products. They had distributors who were getting tired of waiting for product, and I heard one of them was going to start making UV cure units themselves, so I contacted them and asked if they would buy them directly from me. So, I started making UV cure units and vacuum pumps in my garage part-time.
So, this was the birth of Lightning Enterprises over 7 years ago now. We have grown into a major supplier to the hearing aid equipment market with several new products, and many new ideas. I'll be posting periodically, hopefully giving insight into the heart of this company.
