>>>
>>> CHANCES ARE IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE ON YOUR PHONE, THE
TEENAGER IN YOUR LIFE PROBABLY
DOES IF YOU DON'T.
IT'S CALLED A POP SOCKET.
IT GOES ON THE BACK OF YOUR
PHONE.
PHONE.
PHONE. IT'S MEANT TO MAKE EVERYDAY
LIFE A LITTLE BIT EASIER WHEN
YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE BIG SMART
PHONES.
PHONES.
PHONES. THE BEST PART THE COMPANY IS
BASED RIGHT HERE IN BOULDER,
COLORADO AND THE FOUNDER HAS
JUST WON A PRETTY BIG AWARD FOR
THEM, YOU MIGHT IMAGINE.
JOINING ME NOW IS DAVID
BARNETT, THE FOUNDER AND C.E.O.
OF THESE POP SOCKETS.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> WHO KNEW THIS THIS WOULD
JUST BLOW UP SOME DAY?
>> NOT I.
>> NOT I.
>> NOT I. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. SO TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT THE
IDEA FOR THE POP SOCKET.
>> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. IN 2010 I WAS TIRED OF MY
HEADSET TINGLING, -- TANGLE, MY
EAR BUDS WOULD TANGLE WHEN I
WOULD TAKE THEM OUT OF MY
POCKET.
POCKET.
POCKET. SO I DROVE TO A JOANN FABRIC,
HE BELIEVEDDED UP GIANTING
CLOTHING BUTTONS TO THE BACK OF
MY iPHONE 3 WITH SPACER BUTTONS
SO I COULD WRAP MY HEADSET IN
BETWEEN THE BUTTONS AND MY
PHONE, AND MY FRIENDS ALL MADE
FUN OF ME FOR HOW RIDICULOUS IT
LOOKS, SO RIGHT AWAY I STARTED
TINKERING WITH MECHANISMS TO
GET THEM TO EXPAND AND
COLLAPSE, AND I ENDED UP
SETTLING ON THIS ACCORDIAN
MECHANISM THAT YOU'VE MAYBE
SEEN IN KITCHEN STORES, CAMPING
STORES, BIG COLANDERS THAT
COLLAPSE.
COLLAPSE.
COLLAPSE. IT TOOK ME A COUPLE OF YEARS TO
MINIATURIZE THAT.
MINIATURIZE THAT. IT'S NOT AS EASY AS SCALING IT
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. >>
DOWN. >> PROBABLY SEEMS EASY TO
PEOPLE WHO AREN'T TRYING TO
INVENT IT.
INVENT IT. >> iPHONE 3.
>> AND THEN SO YOU CAME UP WITH
-- YOU'VE BEEN TIPPINGERRING
WITH IT, AND NOW -- TINKERING
WITH IT AND NOW 100 MILLION OF
THESE HAVE BEEN SOLD.
I MEAN, HOW DID THE WORD GET
OUT ABOUT THESE?
>> IT WAS ALL WORD OF MOUTH.
WE DIDN'T SPEND MONEY ON
ADVERTISING UNTIL LATE LAST
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. SO
YEAR. SO WE'RE FINISHING OUR FIFTH
YEAR OF BUSINESS.
IT'S WORD OF MOUTH.
IT'S A STRANGE LOOKING THING,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? SO
RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU FIRST SEE SOMEBODY
USING ONE OF THESE, YOU MIGHT
BE TEMPTED TO ASK WHAT IS THAT
AND THE PERSON WHO IS USING IT
BECOMES A SALESPERSON FOR US.
SO THEY'LL TELL YOU THE VIRTUES
OF IT, AND THE NEXT QUESTION IS
WHERE CAN I GET ONE.
AND THEN WE HAD CELEBRITIES
USING THEM IN LOS ANGELES,
HOLLYWOOD AREA DURING THE END
OF OUR FIRST YEAR, 2014.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT THEY
BECAME POPULAR AMONG CIRCLES OF
CELEBRITIES.
CELEBRITIES. >> WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING
IS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WILL SPEND
A LOT OF MONEY ON A PHONE CASE.
IT'S LIKE ALL OF A SUDDEN A
PHONE HAS BECOME AN ACCESSORY
AND YOU SEE CELEBRITIES WITH
THEM, THEY'RE BEDAZZLED,
THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT COLORS
AND IT REALLY BECAME AN ADDED
ACCESSORY WHEN THEY'RE TAKING
THEIR SELFIES AND THEIR MIRROR
PHOTOS.
PHOTOS.
PHOTOS. SO IT'S REALLY BECOME -- PEOPLE
GET INTO THE FASHION INDUSTRY
TOO BY MAKING THIS LITTLE POP
SOCKET.
SOCKET.
SOCKET. >> IT'S PERFECT.
CELEBRITIES USE THEM FOR MIRROR
SELFIES, AND WHAT'S THE PERFECT
THING CLOSEST TO THE GRIP?
IT'S THE POP SOCKET.
>> GENIUS.
>> GENIUS. YOU ALSO WON AN AWARD FOR THIS.
TALK ABOUT THAT.
>> THE CONSUMER ENTREPRENEUR OF
THE YEAR AND THE CONSUMER
PRODUCT CATEGORY.
PRODUCT CATEGORY. >> YOU'RE IN IT FOR ALL THE
GLORY.
GLORY.
GLORY. I
GLORY. I HOPE MY MOTHER IS PROUD.
>> I'M SURE SHE IS.
I FOUND THAT IT'S REALLY
HELPFUL WHEN YOU'RE KIND OF
JUST, LIKE, RECLINING BACK, I
CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES
I'VE DROPPED MY PHONE ON MY
FACE, AND HAVING THE GRIP, I
MEAN, YOU MADE IT WITHOUT THE
INTENT THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE
HELPFUL TO HOLD THE PHONE, BUT
THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT
TURNED INTO FOR SO MANY PEOPLE.
>> I GOT VERY LUCKY.
IT STARTED JUST AS HEADSET
MANAGEMENT, TRIED TO ADD
FUNCTIONALITY TO IT BY MAKING
THEM EXPAND AND COLLAPSE.
AND BY CHANCE -- THE REAL LUCK
REALLY IS HAVING PHONES GROW
INTO MY INVENTION.
SO I DIDN'T THAT THE GRIP WOULD
BE USEFUL, BUT THEN THE PHONE
COMPANIES ALL BUILT PHONES THAT
ARE SO BIG YOU CAN'T HOLD THEM.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND PEOPLE NEED THE PRODUCT.
>> UNLESS YOU'RE LIKE MICHAEL
JORDAN WITH A HAND LIKE THAT.
>> SHAQ O'NEILL.
ACTUALLY, WE GOT A POP SOCKET
GRIP TO HIM IN HIS HANDS, BUT
I'M NOT SURE IF THEY FIT
UNDERNEATH IT OR NOT.
NOT SURE IF HE EVER USED IT.
>> SO WHAT'S NEXT?
HOW DOES IT EVOLVE FROM HERE?
AFTER 100 MILLION HAVE BEEN
SOLD AND TINKERING TO IT, ARE
YOU EXPANDING SOMEHOW?
>> WE HAVE OVER 20 PEOPLE
WORKING ON NEW PRODUCTS.
WE HAVE A FULL PIPELINE OF NEW
PRODUCTS.
PRODUCTS.
PRODUCTS. WE'RE LAUNCHING TWO PLATFORMS.
WE JUST LAUNCHED THEM FOR THE
HOLIDAYS.
HOLIDAYS.
HOLIDAYS. ONE PLATFORM IS A PHYSICAL
PLATFORM.
PLATFORM.
PLATFORM. YOU CAN NOW TWIST OFF THE TOP
OF YOUR GRIP, AND THEN PUT A
DIFFERENT STYLE ON.
SO IF I WANT TO SWITCH OUT MY
STYLE, NOW YOU CAN JUST CLICK
IT ON.
IT ON.
IT ON. >>
IT ON. >> OH, NICE.
YOU CAN ALSO POP IT OFF, AND IF
YOU WANTED IT TO GO INTO YOUR
POCKET WITHOUT THAT STICKING
OUT, YOU CAN JUST KIND OF CLIP
IT RIGHT OFF.
>> CLIP IT OFF.
WE ALSO LAUNCHED A WALLET, SO I
CARRY MY CREDIT CARDS NOW IN
THIS WALLET, ALSO FOR INDUCTIVE
CHARGING, YOU CAN POP THAT OFF.
IF YOUR PHONE IS TOO THICK.
SAME THING WITH THE WALL, IF
YOU WANT TO INDUCTIVELY CHARGE,
YOU JUST POP OFF THE CORNER,
PUT IT DOWN FOR AN INDUCTIVE
CHARGER.
CHARGER.
CHARGER. WE LAUNCHED POPTI VISM.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD
IT.
IT.
IT. >>
IT. >> I
IT. >> I HAVEN'T HEARD OF IT.
>> VON MILLER IS ONE WHO TEAMED
UP WITH CHARITIES AND DESIGNED
THEIR OWN POP SOCKETS GRIPS.
SO THEY CREATE A GRIP, YOU TAG
A CHARITY, ANY 501C3 AND 50% OF
THE SALE WILL GO TO ANY
CHARITY.
CHARITY.
CHARITY. SO IN JANUARY ANYBODY CAN GO TO
THE SITE AND UPLOAD A GRAPHIC,
CREATE A PRODUCT AND THEN JUST
TAG A 501C3 AND 50% OF EVERY
SALE GOES TO IT.
>> SO THAT'S IN JANUARY.
CHRISTMAS IS COMING UP, AWESOME
CHRISTMAS GIFT XZ AND TO THINK
THAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE MAKING
FUN OF YOU FOR MAKING THIS IN
YOUR GARAGE AND YOU NOW -- AND
NOW YOU GOT THESE