Post #11: Pitching the Bandit Ball

Update:   Well, it should be next week.  That's when we'll hopefully see the final Bandit Ball design.   Then will come a month of rapidly and somewhat frantically putting everything together for orders to begin! 

I've also  started posting on Instagram and Twitter, and all that stuff will become fairly regular.  If you are one of the special people who has signed up for our email list, thanks so much!  I don't know what the perks will be yet but be assured that if you are signed up before we launch, you will be rewarded with something worthwhile.  If ya haven't signed up yet... just do it!

Pitch Contest at City Hall:  On May 1st I had the opportunity to do a three minute elevator pitch for the Bandit Ball Project in the Council Chambers at Peoria City Hall.

It was the irst time I had ever been in the room besides for unpaid parking tickets.  Just kidding!  First time, actually, and it is a really cool, beautiful environment.

So, there were twelve startups and we each had three minutes to give our pitches.  The judges then asked questions. It was sponsored by i3 Broadband and was a fun experience.

Here is the 4 slide "Pitch Deck" I put together for the day. 

Title Slide

The two main segments.  Also college kids, millennials and anyone else who likes to play catch!

Why would you buy the Bandit Ball?  That's easy!

There's a probably a ball in every home in the U.S.A.  Why not a Bandit Ball?

And here I am trying my best not to screw it up.

The next night at the StartupGP Spring Mixer they announced the winners and we were victorious!  First time I have won anything since that trip to Hawaii from WIRL 30 years ago...  (See Post #5)

Anyway, it's hard to give a 3 minute elevator pitch and it was definitely a highlight to win.  To story I shared at the end was about one my final customer discovery interviews last summer.  I was at the St. Jude Brad Wallin Memorial baseball tournament at Peoria's Louisville Slugger Complex.

I had on a Bradley T-shirt and said I was a volunteer asking questions about a new toy that might be made in Central Illinois.  I did about 30 interviews of kids and parents over two days and everyone was very receptive! 

I walked up to three 12 year old boys and a dad from a team called the "Force".  They threw the ball around and all seemed to like it.  The dad was a Bradley alum so I imagine that helped!  About an hour later I wandered back by and there were the 3 boys... telling their whole team about the Bandit Ball!  They swarmed around me because I was "The Bandit Ball Guy".  They did not know I was the inventor.

They all played with the prototypes and asked when they could buy one.  I said hopefully in about a year.  And hopefully folks ... that time is almost here!