Nucleus Shoe Website Update

[memy selfhandi]

i had to register and say this person is very pro in all their answering of ALL questions, and i have pre-ordered a pair of the black. good luck

As a brand new company, we are far from bearing the responsibility of significantly funding tournaments. It is one of our goals down the line but not our main focus right now. At this point in time, our immediate and primary responsibility is to meet the needs of the consumer. Most players are not thinking about how their share contributes to the bigger picture (i.e. tournaments) but rather, whether or not the product was worth their dollar especially in this economy. I do, however commend the efforts of Planet Footbag with the Quantums as they have provided us and anyone after us, with a gateway of learning from their experiences. It’s not easy to be the very first company with a specialty shoe out so that courage deserves acknowledgement & appreciation from everyone involved in the sport.

We have read feedback from the Quantums and have had an uphill battle with the problems associated with them. As a result, it was realized that it is still a concern in the back of players minds whether or not the Nucleus shoe will suffer the same manufacturing issues. So building value was a challenge we’ve had from the start. We’ve been faced with consumers continued reluctance to risk their money partly due to this and we have attempted to respond accordingly.

As with any new start up companies, it is very common that discounts, 50% off coupons or any promotional techniques are introduced to change the mindset of shoppers. How else will they be curious enough to risk their money in a product without lengthy history, hundreds of feedback or a solid reputation? Price was a major issue monitored in various forums granted recent events. The market was tested in different countries to see their reaction towards different prices for the Nucleus Shoe in comparison to the three already out there. The higher the prices were proposed, the more negative the comments were and we brainstormed ways on how to generate more positive responses. We have basically 3 major shoe companies to compete with: G-Units, Lavers and Quantums. Competitive pricing was a strategy to get their loyal consumers to at least try our version of the shoe. To us, the shoe is well worth twice as much based on so much work put into it by professionals in the shoe/apparel industry and athletes in this sport but translating this value into real dollars from the masses will take some time.

Had I raised the introductory price to >$100, (combined with shipping fees) the sales would more than likely dwindle, the project would fail before it even got off the ground and any involvement towards future tournament funding would be non existent.

In review of profit margins, the lowered price doesn’t necessary mean that we have decided to give $40,000 away as you have said. Sufficient sales in quantity can still generate great results. In addition, this loss is arbitrary, as one can also perceive the same loss incurred by a company during the middle stages of growth; if price is set high but discover that defects harmfully impact sales, for example. Repetitive issues can negatively impact sales trends and profit margins in the long run.

In terms of contributions to tournaments, many of the successful events I’ve been involved with orchestrated by both for profit and non profit organizations have allowed me the opportunity to work with some of the most creative professionals for fundraisers. I believe more money can be raised without solely relying on footbag companies and individuals to contribute but we can go over this detail at a later time. I attempted to gather info from people from IFPA and several individuals on what the planning of the event or any tournament entails. It may have been bad timing due to Worlds…but have not had a response. We still have plans to try to host a Worlds Tournament, tour globally to sponsor smaller tournaments and arrange televised events in the near future but again, financial goals must be achieved before we can even attempt to coordinate efforts of that magnitude. I am slowly collecting information towards that goal.

And yes- although your 1000 pairs/year is probably accurate with the footbag community, we are planning to pursue other markets as soon as issues have been ironed out with the sport’s target market first. I’m relying on Abshire to secure agreements with various distributors and push pre-sales. Channels of distribution have been mapped out and stages for marketing strategies the community is not aware of will be initiated once the company picks up more momentum. Access to more of my contacts and resources will be utilized based on evidence of progress with sales being made. The market will dictate how far this project will be taken. There are many other strategies and marketing techniques I wanted to share early on with Planet Footbag but until we’ve reached financial benchmarks, we will have to wait patiently to share some of the info so dedicated footbag companies will have the opportunity to also expand their market.

I’ve had quite a few investors open to providing a significant amount of capital for celebrity endorsements, televised commercials etc. but the numbers just weren’t there to warrant that kind of risk yet. The initial projections that I received prior to my official involvement were inaccurate. In addition, the shoe would not have stayed true to its purpose—as promotion with other markets too early on would have had investors input morphing the shoe into something else. I still maintain connections with various investors, people in the entertainment industry and executives from the shoe/apparel industry but must build a better market base to be able to present more appealing statistics to potential investors to launch the project on a larger scale. Experimenting with supply & demand and lowering prices for both players/non players will essentially create a wider market and hopefully will generate outside interest and funds that will far surpass my personal capability.

With the shoes current price, there is no promise at any time frame for how long the $39.99 will last. It may or may not last, depending on business advisors, sufficient market analysis & consumer response. Right now, it serves as a pre order incentive. To our surprise, there were numerous emails suggesting that we restore the price back up as these individuals have seen the value in what was put into the project so far and are concerned of a devaluing effect and that the lowered price will not be sustainable for the longevity of the company. Whether or not this is a bad decision, it has been creating a critical buzz in the community that has generated a spike in sales.

We have carefully taken the time the past year to analyze the market and understand its culture. We’ve spent many hours addressing individual concerns and although we will not satisfy everyone, we’ve made every effort to try and incorporate feedback from the majority towards all aspects of the company in terms of website & shoe design, business techniques, networking, relationship building, marketing & pricing strategy. We have made this project an ongoing collaborative effort with the consumers to identify and create solutions in response to their unmet needs. It builds confidence that the shoe is in fact created by the players, for the players. Hopefully this relationship will gain trust, increase value and ultimately earn more of the market share for a mutually beneficial future and eventually pave the way for making other footbag related projects & events possible.

[mosher]

wow, really well thought out response!

I appreciate the transparency and I wish you all luck with this project!

I invested a lot of my own passion into the pursuit of the ideal footbag shoe and it's truly exciting to see some companies actually making new shoes exist.

Keep it up, you've got my support!

[Green Lanturn]

Wow! Thanks for all the work everyone has put in on this. I ordered 2 pairs. One for me and one for my wife. We can't wait.

[simplyqueen1]

Hi everyone, here are the actual photos from the photographer for the black version.
Enjoy!
-Queency

[/img]

vc7517

[Zac Miley]

Holy shit that is awesome.

[Jordan]

wow...

that is rad!

enough said.

[Wasabi]

Those look great! And just when my black Quantum03s are starting to fall apart from too much shred. Can't wait for the shoes official release.

[mcjohn1989]

thanks so much for useful info
website update

[Sporatical_Distractions]

while i am sure that the shoes will perform well, i wouldn't be caught dead wearing them. Why does it seem impossible to make footbag gear look good?

Dude, you wear climacools. nuff said

The price is unheard of for a footbag specific shoe. Hope to buy a pair within the next month

[jonnypak5]

thanks so much for useful info
website update

[h0ag3yb3atZ]

I suppose I can't change my order to the black variation now that the shoe has 8.5's in the color now can I?

[Wasabi]

Is there a chance to post a picture of a "used" version of the nucleus shoe with the toewalls bent from lacing, and with some abuse on the shoe? I'm curious on how the shoe would look with proper lacing and well-added "miles" into them.

Richard Abshire, care to input?

[ShredOnLawn]

So, I've been loving the black Quantum size 11.

Does anyone want to sell me their 11 G-units(no Brocka)?

I will be purchasing black 11 Nucleus.

[richardabshire]

I will post some pics soon. I have been doing some testing with different insoles and lacing styles. So far, things look good. Pics will come soon.

[simplyqueen1]

I suppose I can't change my order to the black variation now that the shoe has 8.5's in the color now can I?

I'm going to email everyone before shipment goes out so just remind me and I'll make sure to switch the colors.

-Q

[cd]

Hey Richie, when you post more pictures could you please include a direct shot of the sole, like this (the bottom one):



I see there are some good pictures with a view of the sole on the website, but a direct view of the shape will help me compare the shape to lavers and decide if I want to switch to them.

Thanks

[Jorden]

Any word on a release date?

[SlashC]

I had the privilege to try a pair of the prototype nucleus shoes while I was in San Diego this summer. The shoes were a bit big for me (size 11.5 when I normally wear a size 9.5), and were essentially brand new right out of the box.

Before the shoes arrived I was playing mostly tiltless in unmodded quantum 3's and when I switched into the nucleus shoes I was able to immediately do the same type of strings despite the size descrepancy.

I found the sole to be very flexible (similar to quantums) allowing for that extra bit of crank. The toe box was a bit narrower than I am used to, but from the latest pictures on the website I see it has been widened a bit. The inside surfaces and toe surfaces had good traction and I was able to feel the bag just fine (unlike unmodded lavers). Overall, I was impressed with the nucleus shoes and I have since preordered a pair to use as my next footbag shoe.

I look forward to when the production shoes are ready for release.

[Slowsis]

Pre-ordered.

Pumped for the release.

[M4rQu5]

edit: -snip-, nvm