New Venture Lab: Equipping Christian Entrepreneurs

Former Mechanic and Repairman Invents a New Test Device and Launches Business

This profile features Preston Products, a company launched to sell an aircraft test box that entrepreneur Kevin George invented.

Name:

Kevin George

Family Description:

I am the father of four boys and one girl. My wife is from Argentina, where she grew up and I partially grew up, as my parents were Baptist missionaries there. We home school all our children. The oldest is 17 and the youngest 9 months.

Business Name:

Preston Products

Business Description:

I have a home-based business where I manufacture and sell a test box that I invented, along with some other products of my own inventing. They are mostly related to digital standards for testing the accuracy of aircraft altimeter and airspeed instruments.  The web site is: http://prestonpressure.com.

Location:

Celina, Texas - 30 miles North of Dallas

Formal education/training:

I attended Bible college and aircraft mechanic school.  I am self-taught in electronics, as it was my hobby since I was a youngster.

Prior work experience:

I have started several businesses, ranging from cleaning services to testing cattle weighing scales. I have also worked as a technician and mechanic in several factories and as the chief repairman of an autopilot system for small aircraft.

Forming the Idea:

About 10 years ago I used a test box that is designed with old mechanical dials, and the thought occurred to me that -- given enough time -- I could invent a digital test box that would be far superior. I did not realize that it would take nearly 8 years of on and off again work on a part-time basis. But it eventually happened.

How you got started:

Once I made the first fully functional prototype I knew I had a working concept.  I began ordering the parts to make 10 production units.  Once I had the first unit ready I began marketing the product by direct mail to the most likely end-users.  I sold about 15 units in the first year.

What was it like in the beginning:

I was worried if anybody would take me seriously since I was a new business on the market.  I offered a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, which I believe helped. So far, nobody has returned their purchase.

What stage the business is at now:

My business is currently dormant as I have temporarily raised the price to the point that almost nobody will purchase anything.  This is due to the fact that I am running for political office (U.S. Congress) and I need to focus almost exclusively on my campaign.  You can see my campaign at: http://kevingeorge.org.  I am, however, slowly building up some inventory so that in the event that I lose my campaign race, I will be ready to rapidly launch back into active business.

The biggest challenge you’ve faced:

• Dealing with government regulations, which I hate with a deep passion
• Finding key components at a reasonable price

Key steps that made the difference:

• Being bold and determined to take the risk
• Having a lifestyle structured to live on a shoe-string budget without undue stress really helped also (living frugal is normal for us, so this alleviates the need to bring home a big paycheck from the start)

Lessons Learned:

Things will nearly always take longer than you think they will, so plan accordingly and just be surprised when that does not happen.

The best advice you received:

As a new company with a new product, it was crucial to get my customers to feel like it was safe to buy an expensive item from an unknown source, versus an established name brand.  The advice given to overcome this was to give a satisfaction guaranteed time period, and not touch that money until the time period was up, so it would be honored and the company would develop the reputation needed.

What your work and family life was like before:

My wife had to get used to living with someone who was constantly inventing something new or pursuing the next passion.  But over time she has learned to live with change.

What your work and family life is like now:

On hold while running for U.S. Congress.  If I win I will probably want someone to buy or manage the business, as it has a lot of growth potential.