32 responses to “Repositioning/Repurposing Products”

1. 

   Alex Conkright October 29th, 2009 at 07:28

   My Dad still uses that exact kind of popper to make popcorn. I think it is a great attempt to reposition the product to a new market. I don’t see a lot of people using this popcorn popper for their coffee. I do not think there is a large enough consumer base for home roasted coffee.

2. 

   Alex Lewis October 29th, 2009 at 07:57

   I have multiple family members that have bought a popcorn much similar to this one. I have yet to see any of them using it as a coffee maker though. I’m curious how to brew your own coffee, so if the price is right I might be one.

3. 

   Jake Vanhooser October 29th, 2009 at 08:03

   I feel like that is just a stoke of luck. Not all products will be able to work
   in two ways. It was nice that once one of the target markets stopped buying that there was a while new one out there ready to buy.

4. 

   Chris Miller October 29th, 2009 at 09:18

   Definitely cool to see someone taking an innovative slant on an existing product.

5. 

   Christina Jacobs October 29th, 2009 at 09:28

   This is great! Popcorn and coffee happen to be two of my favorite things. Luckily not at the same time. Very neat how it can be used as two products.

6. 

   Zacheriah Ruggles October 29th, 2009 at 10:04

   The idea or using old products for new ideas is really a great thing. The idea of using one product for two things makes it more efficient. If everything was that way we would only need half the stuff we have.

7. 

   Michael Mullen October 29th, 2009 at 10:58

   I never even knew these still existed let alone being used as a coffee maker. It is an interesting find.

8. 

   Jennifer Cook October 29th, 2009 at 11:07

   That is an interesting idea, however I wonder how many people would go through the time to roast their own beans, grind them and brew them. I love a good cup of coffee but I dont know if I would go through all the trouble.

9. 

   Andrew Rodriguez October 29th, 2009 at 11:16

   Successful Entrepreneurs can quite literally make a new product out of anything. They are like the common MacGyvers, and it is fascinating to see what they could draw up and follow through with.

10. 

    Rohan Thakkar October 29th, 2009 at 11:19

    Good idea,but i agree with Jennifer don’t know that many people that would go through the trouble of making their own cup of joe.

11. 

    Xi Wu October 29th, 2009 at 11:26

    It can be a good idea to find opportunities in “old things”, as long as there is the market.

12. 

    Marisa Nakajima October 29th, 2009 at 11:56

    I’m not a fan of coffee, but that’s very intesting how he found the science behind repositioning the popcorn maker into a coffee popper.

13. 

    Steve Shih October 29th, 2009 at 12:08

    This is definitely an interesting topic to look into.

14. 

    Theresa Reinhart October 29th, 2009 at 13:49

    I’ll be sure to share this with my parents since they too are avid coffee drinkers and are always looking for something better.

15. 

    Nick Brenneke October 29th, 2009 at 16:06

    I think it’s funny how someone took a popcorn popper and made it useful for coffee beans. You have to be pretty creative to have a new perspective on an old product. Now that’s a great way to extend a product’s lifespan. Great idea.

16. 

    Karlis Jansons October 29th, 2009 at 16:20

    Interesting Idea, but i don’t think people will use it much. Most people drink coffee in the morning to wake up and don’t want additional work associated with their coffee.

17. 

    Marisa Strupp October 29th, 2009 at 17:23

    Its nice seeing someone taking a previously cherished product used for another purpose. Coffee is interesting take on it, but I dont know how large the market is for it.

18. 

    Olivia Freeman October 29th, 2009 at 17:43

    My parents are super big coffee snobs and have totally wanted to started to roast their own beans. Someone actually told my parents about this a year ago but now I will totally show them this video. THIS IS EXACTLY something my parents would use. I guess the market for roasting their own coffee beans is empty nesters.

19. 

    Shawn Tomlinson October 29th, 2009 at 18:38

    This is crazy. I never would have thought to turn a popcorn popper into a coffee bean roaster. That is an incredibly creative idea and that kind of ingenuity is what most people think of when they think of entrepreneurship.

20. 

    Cara Cymbala October 29th, 2009 at 21:30

    There is no way you could get me to stand there and turn that little knob over and over again for that long. I just don’t have the patience. I wonder if that video was spend up or it actually is done that fast. Either way, very creative idea. I don’t see how that is going to make much money though, because the people who are going to do it are the ones that already have a popper. I don’t see people going out and buying one just so they can make coffee, but who knows. I bet the coffee tastes great though.

21. 

    Yi Li October 29th, 2009 at 23:08

    This is one way entrepreneurs do things, they creative something new in the “old things”. A creative idea that inspires people to think of something new and different while looking at the old things.

22. 

    Zheng Wang October 29th, 2009 at 23:44

    Putting old things into new use.Sometimes people who want to invent things should really think outside the box.

23. 

    sreeharsha October 30th, 2009 at 06:11

    I think it is a pretty decent idea. but I think one has to check the feasibility of the product because you never know how well the product works unless it is done with the feasibility analysis. This should be seen from the Entrepreneur’s point of view, then I feel you would understand more.

24. 

    Sung jae October 30th, 2009 at 15:41

    Would people be willing to buy this product? why would people need to make roasted coffee?Also popcorn can be microwaved. However,if this product turnsout to be more convinient for some people it will be successful. However, it will be useful if we can cook rice, noodles or vegetables here too!

25. 

    Mayura Davda October 30th, 2009 at 17:23

    I like the idea of how one device can be put to several uses. I think that’s an innovation in it’s own way. So, it makes me think that if I don’t succeed in coming up with a new product/service idea, I’ll definitely work on modifying an existing idea/service and repositioning or repurposing it.

26. 

    Lyndsey S. October 30th, 2009 at 19:39

    This is awesome! I’m like your wife, Hank, I really just need that strong stuff! I really like coffee from Venezuela; however, they stopped exporting coffee, so now I’m just out of luck.

27. 

    Chris Perry October 31st, 2009 at 01:15

    Have you tried it out? I drink alot of coffee and grind my own beans but i was not sure how tasty roasting them yourself would be.

28. 

    Brent McClean October 31st, 2009 at 13:10

    Sometimes a failed idea brings an even better product opportunity. There have been several in history with large implications.

29. 

    Quentin Campbell October 31st, 2009 at 14:19

    I just use the microwave to get the job done. I don’t think I need a fancy pot to do that…

30. 

    Ross Peare November 1st, 2009 at 16:07

    I hate coffee…but i guess if someones has enough time and is a coffee connoisseur then this would be a good idea to have.

31. 

    Amber Illig November 2nd, 2009 at 04:57

    I would agree that our society is all about convenience, so the average customer might lean towards buying their own roasted coffee beans. However, it is becoming increasingly popular to say you “did it yourself” or something is authentic, fresh, environmentally friendly, natural, etc. I think the whole “green” era is also bringing these trends along. So I think the popper could be a success as a coffee bean roaster.

32. 

    Eugene November 4th, 2009 at 11:29

    I am sure many things don’t go the way they were initially intended to be, but with a little tweak they become successful….its similar to the story about Sony…..it was not initially intended to be the type of company it is today, but yet it dominates in its new market.No matter how well you plan it, your business is not going to go exactly as you intended it …..but with a little tweak here and there you might come on to an even bigger opportunity.