Jacksonville, FL – Thirty-four years ago, Michael Gravette, CEO of Safety Technology, had only $28 in his checking account when he started selling stun guns for a living. Today, his self-funded startup company has become the country's largest drop ship wholesaler of self-defense products.
The Struggle to Advertise
When Michael started selling stun guns in 1986, one of the hurdles he faced as an entrepreneur was the expenses associated with advertising. He started posting black and white fliers with the picture of a stun gun by placing it on a local bulletin board.
"I was in Southern California, and I would create fliers. They were black and white and done on a b&w printer. So, the picture of the stun gun on the flyer was a black blob. I cut little strips across the bottom of the flyer and wrote my phone number on each strip. I'd put the fliers up at any place that had a bulletin board. This included laundromats and grocery stores," Michael told KISS PR Story.
Aside from posting fliers, he also put an ad on a monthly magazine, but this didn't work because it could take two to three months for a magazine edition to come out and have his ad.
He then decided to run an ad on USA Today for a month so that it can be seen by people several times. But running an ad for four weeks was going to cost him $1,400.
How Discover Credit Card Changed His Life
"To run it for four weeks was going to cost me around $1,400, and I didn't have $1,400. I had $28 in my checking account," Michael shared. Fortunately, after getting the $1400 quote for the USA Today ad, Michael got an unsolicited credit card from Discover with a $1,500 credit limit.
Michael further shared that cashing out the money from his credit card was also a challenge.
"I had to go down to Sears three days in a row because they wouldn't give me a cash advance all at once. I could only get $500 a day. So I went to Sears three days in a row until I had my $1500. I got a money order, and I sent it to USA Today. The rest is history."
Searching Dumpsters to Get Shipping Boxes
At the beginning of their business, Michael confessed that they could not even afford to buy shipping boxes. His wife, Nancy, was the one who's in-charge in shipping. Since they could not afford to buy shipping boxes at that time, Nancy would go to nearby businesses and search their dumpsters for good shipping boxes.
Michael said that during those times, he didn't know what he was doing and revealed that he even went broke once. "Back then, I admit I didn't know what I was doing and even went broke once. But with trial and error, I came smarter and gradually developed a business plan that worked and made money day in and day out."
Providing Drop Shippers & Authorized Dealers An Opportunity to Make Money
When asked what makes him proud of establishing his business, Michael told KISS PR Story that he's very proud to provide so many of their authorized dealers the opportunity to make money they needed.
Learn more about Safety Technology & How Michael and his wife are still helping one product at a time.
What are products that can drive traffic and sales to your website?
Our best sellers are our Runt stun guns and Pepper Shot and Wildfire pepper sprays. We carry many other brands of stun guns and also carry the Mace brand of pepper sprays.
In your view, what are the top three benefits of using safetytechnology.org?
Safety Technology will drop ship for you. That means you never have to stock any products. And, we do NOT charge for this service.
We also can build a website for you stocked with all our products and show you have to get visitors and convert those visitors into sales.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your operations? What have you done to survive the economic downturn?
Every business has obstacles. No different from ours. The Covid-19 virus has shut down gun shows, trade shows, flea markets, and home parties. Many of our dealers sell through these venues.
However, those selling on the Internet with their websites, or on eBay or Amazon have seen their sales double. Internet sales have taken off.
We've been fortunate that we did not have to shut down or let employees go like other businesses have. And, our dealers who sell online were still able to stay home and see their sales increase.
I do worry about dealers who sell face to face. I hope they can come back soon. Some have been with me for over 20 years and depend on this extra income.
About Michael Gravette Safety Technology
Safety Technology has been providing a full selection of non-lethal self-defense devices, hidden cameras, survival gear, and surveillance systems through their network of Authorized Dealers.
The wholesale drop shipper Safety Technology has been providing self-defense products to its dealers since 1986. They believe that every person has the right to self-defense. They support this right by providing a full selection of non-lethal self-defense devices, hidden cameras, survival gear, and surveillance systems through our network of Authorized Dealers.
“My vision is to help authorized dealers the best possible service, selection, quality, and wholesale prices so they can proudly deliver these products to people who need them. I am personally available to speak to anyone who would like to discuss becoming a dealer by contacting me with the contact information below. The universe will help those who are very determined,” says Michael Gravette, a resilient CEO of Safety Technology an online leader in wholesale drop shipping self-defense products such as hidden cameras, knives, and everything self-defense.
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Contact information
Website: https://www.safetytechnology.org/
Phone: (904) 720-2188
Email: michael@safetytechnology.com
Jacksonville, FL