I'm in some dire need of feedback and a reality check from you guys. The thread about the UPSCALE was great and I could use some feedback like that.
So I've always used blackout curtains in my home since they make it nice and dark at night and block the sun during the hot summer days.
But I've always struggled to wake up since they leave the room nearly pitch black in the mornings. So I built a curtain rod that works with my existing off-the-shelf curtains that automatically opens and closes the curtains for me.
I set the open time in the app for 5:30am each morning, then have them close at 9am to keep the south-facing bedroom cool during the day. I have another one in the living room that closes 20 minutes past sunset each evening so that no one can look into our house when it gets dark.
Here are the problems: I'm not sure if this thing is worth selling. It's been fun to build, but it currently costs me $105 in parts to make. That means it would need to sell for at least $299 in order to make a living (probably more?). However, the market for window coverings is huge, and most people have many windows they'd probably use this on, so there's a potential that people will buy more than one.
The second problem, all the plastics are 3D printed. They're really sturdy and look great, but doing injection molding is going to require some serious investment, and will probably require the rod to sell for even more. So again, not sure what to do here.
Finally, do people absolutely NEED this? Of course not. My wife and I can't wake up without it anymore, and it does make our bedroom cooler throughout the day, but I don't think it can be sold as something that is needed.
I understand that the cost is really high, but there's just no way around it. The electronics, motors, and aluminum extrusions just add up very quickly.
Anyways, just trying to see what you all think from a business perspective and if I should at least try to sell it via social media marketing to gauge reactions.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
So I've always used blackout curtains in my home since they make it nice and dark at night and block the sun during the hot summer days.
But I've always struggled to wake up since they leave the room nearly pitch black in the mornings. So I built a curtain rod that works with my existing off-the-shelf curtains that automatically opens and closes the curtains for me.
I set the open time in the app for 5:30am each morning, then have them close at 9am to keep the south-facing bedroom cool during the day. I have another one in the living room that closes 20 minutes past sunset each evening so that no one can look into our house when it gets dark.
Here are the problems: I'm not sure if this thing is worth selling. It's been fun to build, but it currently costs me $105 in parts to make. That means it would need to sell for at least $299 in order to make a living (probably more?). However, the market for window coverings is huge, and most people have many windows they'd probably use this on, so there's a potential that people will buy more than one.
The second problem, all the plastics are 3D printed. They're really sturdy and look great, but doing injection molding is going to require some serious investment, and will probably require the rod to sell for even more. So again, not sure what to do here.
Finally, do people absolutely NEED this? Of course not. My wife and I can't wake up without it anymore, and it does make our bedroom cooler throughout the day, but I don't think it can be sold as something that is needed.
I understand that the cost is really high, but there's just no way around it. The electronics, motors, and aluminum extrusions just add up very quickly.
Anyways, just trying to see what you all think from a business perspective and if I should at least try to sell it via social media marketing to gauge reactions.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
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