FileSecure was one of the first great projects I was given in addition to being the Marketing Manager for the OEM division.
It was a sweetheart deal, the manufacturer didn't want to be in the sales business for this product so they handed that over to Medeco.
We shared a lot of the same customers so we had a built in customer base. We made some simple
changes to the line, some worked, some didn't but we had fun doing it. For me it was like running my own business, I did everything from negotiating the contract to getting it out door.
Most of the problems we faced were loyal filesecure customers who were not Medeco customers, the decision was made not to open them for just one line, so we lost a lot of the base.
It lasted several years and both brands benefited from the relationship. Eventually the manufacturer decided to stop making it and it wasn't in our best interest to source it elsewhere so we shut it down. I still have a smile on my face as it was a great learning opportunity that we made money on and knew when to quit. That doesn't happen too often to a guy who was 24 at the time.
The Revolution touchscreen lock was the first product of its kind to be produced and sold into the locksmith industry. A launch plan was put in place to influence three target groups: The End User of the product, the locksmith dealer and the locksmith wholesaler.
After a successful launch, I was put in charge of the product line as the Revolution product manager as well as Brand Manager.
During the transition from NY to Salem, the brand went from 100 or so employees down to 4, so we were used to wearing multiple hats.
Once we decided to create a Amazon deadbolt project, I was assigned to manage the account and took on the responsibilities to measure and manage the product. At least those sold through Amazon.
It was a good experience but a lot of growing pains and getting contact with Amazon was like invading fort knox.