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By Katie Kelly, DLE Social Media Intern, Communications and Culture major with a concentration in Media and a dual minor in Sports Journalism and Digital Technologies and Emerging Media at Fordham University, New York, NY
A few months ago, I wrote an article on DLE member Jonathan Katz and his entrepreneurial journey with BLENDi, a handheld, portable blender that he invented during college. Now, a few months after that original article, Jonathan has an update on BLENDi and the incredible progress he has made.
On July 9, Jonathan wired $50,000 to a manufacturer to make the newest model of BLENDi, the BLENDi Pro, which features new packaging and branding, a one-touch button turn-on feature and volume measurements on the bottle. This investment was Jonathan’s largest ever, putting all of his free cash flow into the manufacturing of his product.
Now, with 3,000 units to sell, Jonathan is looking to move units as fast as possible. Recently, Jonathan secured a $10,000 deal with a private label for 400 units. BLENDi will also be featured on Touch of Modern next week. He is hoping to close a deal with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and secure another with Zulily.
Jonathan also has exciting news in that BLENDi has moved out of his bedroom and into a professional shipping warehouse. Jonathan recently went to visit the warehouse and studio in Philadelphia, PA. He practiced getting on-air guest certified, a certification he needs by January to help promote BLENDi on channels such as Home Shopping Network (HSN).
Jonathan is also excited to start promoting BLENDi through paid ads, something he has never done before. “I have sold over 10,000 BLENDi’s with zero paid ads. It was all done through salesmanship and word of mouth,” he said. He is also looking to partner with D1 athletes as influencers now that the new NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rule allows players to profit from their name, image and likeliness.
