KC’s Blumoo Lands in Best Buy, Sam’s Club Stores

Christmas has come a few months early for local entrepreneur Jason Carman, the creator of the Blumoo.

Just in time for the holiday buying season, his product—which turns any Bluetooth-enabled mobile device into a universal remote control—will be found in two major retail chains.

Best Buy will start selling Blumoo in all its locations on Oct. 11, and Sam’s Club is testing the product in its Kansas City region, which consists of 17 stores in Kansas City, St. Joseph, Topeka, Springfield, and Wichita.

“It’s both super-exciting, and it’s a lot of work,” Carman said.

How Did He Get The Big Guys’ Attention?

March2015_CO2WatchLast year, Blumoo caught the eye of Sam’s Club staffers who were attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This spring, they invited Carman to company headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., for a “30 Minutes to Win It” event.

Vendors like Carman deliver a 20-minute presentation to a panel of Sam’s Club buyers and other personnel. The presenter leaves the room, and within 10 minutes, the panel decides whether or not to buy. (The process is designed to get smaller, unique products into Sam’s Club, giving shoppers a reason to return more frequently.)

Sam’s Club said yes. Right now, the company is monitoring Blumoo’s performance to see if it should be sold in Sam’s Clubs across the nation.

A couple months after the Bentonville trip, Carman was invited to present Blumoo at the headquarters of Best Buy in the Twin Cities. He didn’t get an answer in 10 minutes, but he left with a good feeling.

Carman got the Best Buy meeting by contacting a manufacturer’s rep, who was recommended through another business contact. After meeting with Carman, the rep made an introduction to Best Buy.

What Are the Lessons for Other Entrepreneurs?

Carman’s background is as an electrical engineer. He originally came to Kansas City to create products for Garmin, so he had previous experience with consumer goods. He holds an MBA from the University of Kansas, and he’s received coaching through the Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College.

Even so, he’s had to learn a lot of skills quickly. “It’s like getting hit with a fire hose the entire time,” Carman said.

For example, he’s had to learn more about marketing, including in-store displays, which can make or break a consumer product.

Luckily, Carman has built a company that was capable of scaling up quickly. Early on, he found manufacturers who could build his product and increase their production swiftly if a big client came along. He thought ahead about logistics and other concerns.

That’s important because customers like Sam’s Club and Best Buy, before they agree to do business, will check out smaller vendors to make sure they have sufficient capacity and are strong enough to keep going over the long term.

(Carman was asked for three years’ worth of financials—which was a little tricky, since his company, Flyover Innovations, hasn’t been around that long.)

Finally, big retailers live and die by their schedules, which don’t always leave them a lot of freedom to do business with smaller companies—even ones they think are promising. A “no” right now, Carman said, might be a “yes” if you ask another time.

“Stay persistent,” Carman said. “Stay on it.”

( Thinking Bigger Business Media featured Jason Carman and Flyover Innovations as a Company To Watch earlier this year. You can read that story here.)