THE FUTURE OF RRB

[Rat Rod]

Thanks for the input everyone...very much appreciated. :wink:

I will most likely continue offering merchandise because it seems to be where the money is...that and the Ebay ads. Just to give you an idea of what can happen with a shirt sale....I had 200 of the latest design printed and after a month of having them in my hands I have about 5 left. Where I run into problems is keeping inventory after the initial burst of orders. The only way I can offer these up is by running the pre-order system which enables me to drop $1800 on an order of shirts. After I sell all of those, I get sporadic emails and PMs from people saying...I wish you had an XL or an XXL left. I guess that's just the way it goes with this stuff. I don't really have the space either to store large quantities of shirts so keeping 200 of them around is usually about all I can handle.

Justin (Porkchop) and I have discussed the idea of offering a line of RRB branded parts with me basically giving him licensing rights to use my brand, but it seems like it would take a long time to see enough sales to offset the cost of production. When he orders tires, he has to buy them by the container load and might have to spend upwards of $20k just to have them produced. :shock: To me it just doesn't seem like the RRB market is strong enough yet to support that kind of investment.

It's funny, I watched the BMX Museum offer a "Pro Membership" feature on the site which gives you the ability to sell items in their for sale sections at $20 a year and I think they had over 1700 people become pro members in the first couple of weeks. Do the math on that and try to keep your eyeballs in. :shock: Granted, they have a huge following and vintage BMX is the hottest segment of bicycle collecting right now, but it just shows what a site can do when people enjoy it and use it a lot.

In regards to raffles....it's against the law in the state of Texas to hold a raffle unless you are a non-profit organization. I looked it up one time to see about that option and found out real quick it was a no no.

 

[CCR]

As much as I would love to see a parts store up and running, I think cman has the best idea with the blog/online zine idea. I know Brad had the Denver Cruisers to kind of kickstart his operation, but I also think RRB is an awesome place to push off from too. I dont think being a little bit more ad heavy would make a difference on a site like that either.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

I would also be leery of the rat rod seen drying up. It is already showing signs of it here. Back 10 years ago I got into the pocket bike racing scene, and it dried up over night just a few years later. the Rat Rod scene seems to be taking a slower down turn, but a down turn none the less. I've seen several ratty hot rod shops (automobiles) in the area go under. And the rat auto shows have decreasing attendance. The rockabilly, rat rod scene is probably only a 10-15 year fad.

 

[dangratsdan]

Ive been around RRB almost since the beginnig when I discovered it though a link for aka_LocoJoe's website that I watched quiet a bit. I lurked for a while watching the 1st RRBBO, but did not get signed up until the next year. Almost everyday since I have been here checking out this Clean, Cool, Creative bike web site. I THANK YOU Ratrod for this web site and the way it has grown and been maintained. I wish the best for you and yours and all of the RRB friends.
Heres my 2 cents.
I believe RRB is a marketable product.
Im thinking a little outside the box, but why not. Clothing is something most all of us wear and buy. Yes I own and wear 3 RRB shirts . A line of RRB shirts and hoodies would be great. But why stop there, how about jeans/shorts (with the RRB page header on the back pocket), sockets (with RRB logo) positioned on the garment where the RRB would be seen when your riding your bike. Maybe a jean jacket with RRB logo. How about a line of Vans style tennis shoes. You might think this is overkill, but go to walmart, kmart, costco, target, etc. and they all have lines of clothing by companies Ive never heard of. Put together a line of merch that can be sold in the big department stores that sell alongside the bicycles and parts, and another line with RRB logo and " Support Your Local Bike Shop" to be marketed through LBS. As with any business plan provide stats ( how many people buy bikes, ride bikes, fix bikes, etc. and ACCESSORIES, apparel is and ACCESSORY), how many dollars are spent. Line up a (I hate to say it) a foreign manufacturer, sell at the low to mid range, allow everybody to make a buck ( investors and retailers), and for you to make a buck on every item you sell. Have merch drop shipped from the factory to the seller, so you have little to warehouse. There are angels (people/organizations with money) out there to invest in good ideas and plans. Put together a plan find an angel and you make a living promoting, designing, and selling RRB.

 

[NewOrleansFlyer]

I'm glad I worked my way through all of the comments. Many, many, many good thoughts. I'd offer up my 2 cents.
Right now, with 11,000 "members" you're still a relatively small brand. So scaling up should be about building your brand.
Think of Ebay, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter. Once the brand took off, "earning a living" became secondary to the value of the brand.
You might want to contact a few people who have started "start ups" in a variety of fields for advice.
As for merchandise, once the brand is big enough, the stuff sells itself..think FUBU, Aeropostale, and some of the other clothing lines. Visit some "hip" clothing stores to get some ideas of who the players. Once you reach a certain level, it almost isn't the product, it is the name on the product (how many knock offs of "Polo" shirts have you seen....even Walmart sells a couple of brands, but people still the "Polo" brand at twice the price)
Continuing along the "merch" idea, think bigger than you are thinking. Calendars are a natural for any cool things photographed well. Coffee Table books (thanks Kramer), etc. Licensing is a key to making turning a small brand into a money maker. Look at what HarleyDavidson has done. OCC has done OK for the Teutels, but the merch put them into the stratosphere. Look at the success of the NFL...people are walking breathing bill boards...oh, I mean fans.
I went to work for a small company in the 80's. The guy had been working on the concept since the 60's with little success. The market was crowded, the product was average, and after about 14 years he was doing OK, but just OK.
Then he hired a person who turned the whole business upside down (not me, I'm not that bright). The business took off like a rocket, and along the way made more than a few people rich.
When I started with the company, we had less than 400 stores...that's about 8 per state. When I left the company had over 4000 stores and had branched out into many foreign countries...oh, the company..Domino's Pizza.
Early on, it wasn't that Tom Monaghan didn't work hard to achieve what he did ( he actually went 11 years without a vacation), it was that at some point, Tom started thinking bigger....much bigger.
I realize that food service and internet businesses are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they do share things in common.
In this case, they share a person with vision.
Steve, you have vision, you've got a small brand. Think about it as more than you ever had. Don't shy away from your passion, and clearly this is your passion.

 

[Turtlesixfour]

I agree with tha apparel comments. It's usually hard for me to find a shirt I like in XXL. I can wear an XL but like breathing room. We put on a car show once a year and the XXL's sell out first! Did you have a long sleeve shirt with the new RRB decal down the sleeve? Is there a store on the forum where you can offer up clothes and decals all in one shop? Thanks again for this forum! RRB and Facebook are the only two things I read on my phone every day!

 

[user 135]

Did you have a long sleeve shirt with the new RRB decal down the sleeve? !

That is what I want.

 

[kingfish254]

I think you should team up with Vans and get them to make a Primer Red RRB "Air Steve" sneaker!!! "Just Rat It!"

 

[NewOrleansFlyer]

You mean you didn't "rat" out your shirt???

 

[Henry morgan]

I told ya once already .. Rat Rod TV, reality TV is where its at honey boo boo

 

[MazdaFlyer]

Lots of ideas here with potential, sounds like you need a rich backer to provide some start up and operating capital. Ought to be some in Dallas area.
Maybe a two tier membership group, basic and paid subscription. When looking through the forums the postings it goes past just rat rod bikes. Cruisers, customs, folders, lightweights show up. I Think the commuter and town bikes are on the rise across the country. Momentum magazine provides some indicators.
RRB brand could be used on all sorts of things. Maybe a signature RRB bike is in order. Maybe it comes in an unfinished, unassembled kit. Felt used to have one for purchase. How about reproduction frames designed around vintage models. Some of the old stuff available is past rat and just junk. There was a previous post that mentioned selling RRB parts through an existing bike part supplier, sounds like a place to start.
Of all the bicycle magazines, I'm down to Bicycle Times and Momentum. Kickstand is claiming that a new issue is on the way. Maybe an online RatRodBikes magazine would be a draw. The forums could provide a lot of content.
Just some random thoughts...

 

[big kountry]

I'm new just signed up this year an before I went back over the road I was on almost all day but here is my $2.00 answer I like magazines like most men I have several subscriptions an would LOVE too have one dedicated to the bikes I ride so for me a mag would be the answer do 6 issues a year showcase our rides I would buy it an others would also six issues around 18.95 would be an easy sell in my opion an also a lot people use sites like this to promote their business an generate an income off your hard work that to me is wrong if you sell or promote your business on here you should have to pay a fee from what I have seen people are making a lot of money off parts an bicycles that are sold on here why not get a kickback if they sell anywhere else it will cost them

 

[DeuceWheeler]

If it were me I'd sneak in some Google Adsense

This ^ locojoe makes an excellent point.

With the traffic you are getting, you'd be crazy not to run adsense somewhere on the site. Add a banner at the top and/or bottom of the page for all logged in and non-logged in users to see.
Also, have it run in-between all posts for non-logged in browsers.
This way it's in front of enough people, but not annoying to the loyal, logged in users.

If you do run adsense, do not tell friends and family about it, you do not want people clicking on the ads regularly from the same IP address. Friends and Family will think they are helping you, but they won't be.
Google WILL catch it and you WILL get shut down. Once you are shut down, you are banned for life, no matter what site you want to run adsense on.

Check out how Ben does it for http://newschoolofphotography.com/content/
He also has affiliate accounts with amazon and several other places where he gets paid when people click through from the website and make a purchase.

All of these things add up fast and while you may not be able to live solely off RRB right away, you might start making a dang nice supplemental income.

 

[Rat Rod]

I chose to run Ebay ads on the site because they actually relate to what we are doing here. I get paid per click with these ads and the payment amount goes up if those clicks result in sales.

The problem I always had with Google ads is that I'm not able to control what they display. You might get an ad for greeting cards one minute and the next for some hip hop artist's latest CD.

I've been a part of the Ebay Partner Network for two years now and so far it has worked out pretty well.

Someone mentioned CafePress earlier....I used to do that and that is what displayed in the "GOODS" section, but the products weren't all that great and I hardly made anything off of the sales from that site. They also pay you about every three months so it's almost like you're not even getting anything from it.

 

[kingfish254]

I would stay away from magazines or printed media. I can't tell you the last time I even bothered with a mag or newspaper.
A few of my customers are large paper mills and I can tell you that the ones that do glossy paper for mags have been hurting for a while.

 

[DeuceWheeler]

I chose to run Ebay ads on the site because they actually relate to what we are doing here. I get paid per click with these ads and the payment amount goes up if those clicks result in sales.

The problem I always had with Google ads is that I'm not able to control what they display. You might get an ad for greeting cards one minute and the next for some hip hop artist's latest CD.

I've been a part of the Ebay Partner Network for two years now and so far it has worked out pretty well.

Someone mentioned CafePress earlier....I used to do that and that is what displayed in the "GOODS" section, but the products weren't all that great and I hardly made anything off of the sales from that site. They also pay you about every three months so it's almost like you're not even getting anything from it.

That makes sense. You can tailor the google ads, but you will never get it completely specific to biking. I like that you are keeping this community so focused.

One thing you might consider, when making t-shirts is getting a heat press like http://www.coastalbusiness.com/themaxxheatpress15x15digitalclamshellpress-freeshipping.aspx
I bought a 15x15 stahls (stahls seems to be the industry standard and extremely reliable) used on Craigslist for $250. If you have your vector design already made, you can buy plastisol transfers for cheap from http://www.semoimprints.com/Transfers/Pricing.aspx
And if you buy your shirts in bulk, you can make some sweet money if you make them yourself.

 

[kram]

I think you need to look at the hamb (you probably already have). They have an alliance membership which is $50 a year, maybe a little high for this community of gear heads. However what you get is exclusive discounts from vendors, and a plate with your username on it. If you could line up enough vendors like Porkchop and those that already advertise to give a discount it might work out for you. I personally don't think a minimal charge to sale in the for sale section is a bad thing either. I know I have made money off of selling parts here.

 

[Henry morgan]

I heard that midget strippers was the way to go... ya know advertising and what have you...but I am not too keen
on them ...they would not let me join the team .. something about too tall...then there was too old.. too scary ..
too many tat-2's too fat ... snif .. they hurt my feelings

 

[highship]

It almost seems like you would have to do a little bit of everything. I don't know if you could come up with just one thing that would get you where your trying to go. Advertising, custom parts, merc., magazine, etc., these could add up to something worth looking at.
I'm not exactly sure on this idea because it just came to me but how about swap meets/bike shows? If there were RRB shows strategically placed around the country that got a reputation for being the best then that could turn into something. Most of the locals around here that I consider big time bike guys have very little interest in computers, a RRB swap could attract a whole nother crowd.

 

[spinman]

I still don't understand how Google makes any money. I mean, I google stuff every day, but i go to sites I search for, not ads that appear along the sides. So how do they make money on someone like me?

Maybe this is why they coined the phrase 'labors of love'. You provide a wonderful service that helps untold numbers of people, yet you are not being repaid in kind.

I just don't know.