The hardest part about responding to everyone’s testing questions is… so many don’t apply. Not only do many zipper consumers not understand the testing requirements of current zippers, but they’re all stuck in a mindset of nitpicking between the exact same things. All toothed zippers look and function the same/similarly.Read More…
Tag: competitor
Switching Costs
I pitched an investor a week or so ago and she asked me about switching costs. I said, “I don’t think any company has switching costs.” She didn’t agree. Now, I realize that I was speaking from my perspective. All of the companies that contact me whether in fashion,Read More…
True? False?
I made this blog so that I could one day look back at all I’ve accomplished or all I’ve tried (failed) to accomplish. I’m humble about it. No one will have to ask me about my startup story…just read my blog. I wanted this journey. I wanted the good andRead More…
Broken Zippers, Business, Fashion, Industry, Military, Packaging, Product Development, Replacements, Technical
YKK® Lobby
Many of the people who email me from the defense side talk about the “YKK LOBBY!” Even at AUSA, someone screamed, “Bring down the YKK lobby!” Everyone tells me YKK® dominates zipper procurement. I think this is why I’m having such a tough time obtaining federal funding for something EVERYRead More…
Yes, ANY Material
So many prospective customers always ask me, “What can you make the zipper out of?” I always answer, “Any material.” There are materials that we’ve already made closures out of and materials that we haven’t made closures out of…yet. And, yes, we probably could make a closure out of staleRead More…
Little But Mighty
The power of standardization is that ZS closures are ALWAYS air-tight, water-tight, and gas-tight no matter their size. The shape is constant. The only difference is the dimensions of the shape. The ZS closure can be smaller, larger, or the same size as an old-fashioned closure…such as aRead More…
Small Business SBIR Advice
NSRDEC (AND OTHER GOVERNMENT) PROCUREMENT AND RESEARCHERS ARE TRAINED TO STEAL FROM YOU Hear a Natick army employee tell exactly how that happens: https://jgpis.org/podcast/let-their-own-words-condemn-them/ OR https://clyp.it/qku4bvyd Straight from the source. Note: If it’s not dual use, then you’re screwed. ITAR/EAR is nothing to mess with. The military has an even betterRead More…
Submit an Idea…
DON’T DO IT INVENTORS! Not if it’s to a direct competitor. Only do it if it’s for a company that can use your product on their products thus replacing a competitor’s product with your product. This way, they don’t really care who they source from because you aren’t trying toRead More…
Paradigm Shift: What it Means for the Zipper Business
Here at Zipr Shift LLC, we’re creating a zipper manufacturing paradigm shift. Hence, the name Zipr Shift. Investopedia (source linked) defines a ‘paradigm shift’ as “…a major change in how some process is accomplished… Paradigm shifts can require that entire departments be eliminated or created in some cases, and millions orRead More…
The Fight of the UNICORN
This blog is about Zipr Shift’s struggles, frustrations, hopes, ambitions, successes, failures, twists, turns, hurdle, and more. But, we’re having hurdles that only a few startups ever face. I’ve named these struggles the “Fight of the Unicorn.” It appears that only companies with groundbreaking technologies face these hurdles. Some ofRead More…