Last year I started a yoyo company call Yo-Life. I put $2000.00 in it’s account. The company has just been sitting there. My goals are to host yoyo meets, host basic contest with prizes, make content, do demonstrations, and buy and resell yoyos until the company grows a bit more so I can start my own production on Yo-Life yoyos.
I want to ask the community…
What are some companies you use to resell with reasonable profit?
Are there any resources for a starting yoyo club?
How would you teach a first timer about yoyos?
What yoyos could you confidently sell to beginners so they don’t have many issues with learning tricks?
What would you do as the host of small events like meets and small contest?
How would you schedule the meets? How many times a day, what time, and for how long?
I do already have a plan, but I’d like to hear from you guys whether you have experience in this or you just want to let me know what you wish your local company would do. All of your opinions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
YYE @AndreBoulay has been in discussions about a getting started package. No real updates in a while though. Maybe they can elaborate.
I can’t say enough about the YYF WHiP. Spectacular beginner yo-yo that comes responsive, throw a c bearing in it when the user is ready for unresponsive. Such a great yoyo for $6. It’s my goto giveaway!
No idea only stuff I do in yoyo costs me a bunch of money lol. But generally Duncan, YYE, Sam and most boutiques all communicate really well. There’s a factory that I’ve never been able to get ahold of that I’ve given up on doing anything with and some other large vendors that just won’t talk
Or work with me on anything.
No… yye is working on some stuff but there’s no template or help out there. YoYo Sam and yye have cards they are willing to send with trick lists and such. Reach out to mile high, nyyyc, tiki tiki, DMVT and other big clubs and ask for advice they all are doing wonders and if you ask a question we all are super willing to give advice or share what we know.
This is hard. Incentivize learning in some way. Maybe a trick list/ladder with a small prize at the end or reach out to dazzling Dave or tyleler severance asking how they teach yoyo. It’s a hard thing to do but it’s mostly just getting folks to practice and keep coming back. Provide resources like the yye or yo tricks tutorials and such cause folks often just don’t know where to go.
Snapbacks, spinstar, first base, AOE, really any of those lower price beginner plastics would be a good choice.
Pick a place and be consistent. It won’t start all at once it takes time. Create a Facebook group or discord or something to communicate, once you have some traction make a small social platform and thread here. It’s slow growth usually. Partner with a local game shop, library, community center etc will help you spread the word and build a community.
Pick a date start monthly and then if you get enough folks find some volunteers to help coordinate and twice a month if it keeps growing you could go weekly or alternate locations , etc.
For comps no idea working on that for DC I’ll let you know but just talking about it and reaching out to NYYL is a good start. probably an annual basis to start
I would hold competitions not very often but at times where lots of people would be able to join. Then make them pay a small fee like $2.00 so that you make a product.
I’m based in Huntington WV. Going to set up at my local park on Saturdays with a “stand” and give free lessons to anyone who is interested until I get to busy to focus one on one. I plan on using square for my POS so people can pay with card, phone or cash. Hopefully over time of being there consistently people will start coming regularly. I plan on setting up a Facebook group as well as a main YouTube channel for Yo-Life very soon.
Contest will be very basic in the beginning. 10-20 tricks and a tie will be decided by a loop off battle. “old school” prize being a good set of loopers or a great unresponsive throw for all the trendy tricks. Considering loop 720s for loopers if I can get them with one red and one blue spacer and an unresponsive somewhere between a bullseye and cheatcode.
Any suggestions on prizes is greatly appreciated.
My first order is most likely going to be with magic. Plan on getting…
New crystal D3. They look good, they are cheap/affordable for a first timer, they have fixed the pressure cracking issues previous models had, I can give them away if I choose without a huge loss, and will include two washers so kids can play Oa and 2a. I have one issue with them I may discuss in another post.
K1. Can be responsive and unresponsive, affordable for beginners, has hubstack for easy pull start finger spins/DNA, and will include both size bearings.
V10. Affordable metal finger spin, good at grinds, and can thumb grind at and angle.
H01 cloud. More variety at my “stand”, looks good, and can do similar tricks as V10.
Magic strings.
Extra bearings slim and unresponsive size C.
Magic response pads.
If everything checks out by the middle of summer I should be able to buy inventory from expert and or Sam so I can get other brand yoyos at a bundle price.
I’ll do my best to answer any questions about Yo-Life and any suggestions at all are greatly appreciated. I’ll update with any developments as they happen. Thank you!
Im sure you already have, but email them and ask about offering you wholesale prices. Very risky to buy a bunch of cheap yoyos and jacking up the price when you are competeing against amazon, which offers free shipping and consistant discounts.
I already have a business license and permits. Right now I can operate anywhere within the city of Huntington and in any county outside of city limits in West Virginia doing demonstrations and sales. I plan to expand as I am feasibly able to.
If you can figure out how to get ahold of your that would be an awesome step but I’ve never been successful at that myself. They just don’t respond lol.
A company that I was surprised about was Vosun. They actually are pretty responsive if you reach out and they have pretty cheap options not sure on wholesale but might be an option