Bring your Business into the Light! The FAB Light™ is a unique Promotional Product that consists of a single LED (Light Emitting Diode) encased in acrylic. The material causes a 'pipe' effect as the light cascades through the clear acrylic, lighting your enclosed container while it lights up your company's logo, branding or message. Patented in the U.S. and Canada, this invention was based on a single question: "How come there is a light in a fridge, but not in a cooler?" Now, the FAB Light™ can be placed on the inside lid of any hinged box that may require light: Tool Box, Jewelry Box, Toy Box, Chest Freezer, Fishing Tackle Box. It can even be worn on the wrist as a hands-free lighting device, requiring only the bending of the elbow to turn the light on and off.
On a warm August night in 2005, Linda and Rhonda Pond - who have been the Mother/Daughter, Pitcher/Catcher duo for The Carleton Place Ladies Fastball Team, The FAB U Lasses since 1988, were enjoying an after-game refreshment with their team around the cooler. It was then that Rhonda uttered those fateful words, "here's a NEED for your event tomorrow Mom - this cooler NEEDS a Light”. It demonstrated perfectly what Linda meant by a NEED, so she used it as an example at her company's networking event, held the very next day. Two engineers were so enthralled with the idea, that they came up with a working prototype two days later.
An extensive search was completed and a complete patent search revealed that there was nothing like it in the marketplace. And that is when the journey really began. Suddenly we were surrounded by a swelling number of people who said, "Wow, a light in a cooler, what a great idea! “ The network that had been built by Linda and Customer Connects®, was now paying off. They took their ideas to Ottawa engineers who helped with the design, prototype and connecting Linda to the resources she needed to take the invention to the next step.
The turning point came with the introduction of The FAB Light™ to Coughlin’s Ltd, a Canadian distributor of camping accessories out of Manitoba. They loved the idea, and offered to help the ladies perfect it and get it ready for their customers. Shortly following the required design changes, Coughlin’s submitted their first purchase order for their version of The FAB Light™, called 'The Cooler Light'. Currently, 'The Cooler Light', is sold in most major retail stores. Look for the familiar green and red packaging in the camping aisle. They are selling like hot cakes amongst Promotional Products!
The really amazing part of this story had yet to be told. With generous help from local companies, Linda created a business model where she received design and prototyping services in exchange for royalties, which attracted the commitment of inventors. Their unique business model allowed the product to get to market, without the inventors incurring massive debt and streaming lining the time that would normally be involved.
Now Linda works inventors to help them bring their products through the challenges of launching an idea into reality. It isn’t easy, but the things that are truly worth it, rarely are. You can reach Linda by email at lpond@lindaleepond.com or by phone at 613-253-0240, 613-668-0280.
(tag:Dragons' Den, FAB Light, Ottawa SEO, Promotional Products, Social Media)
