Kaira Lights LLC launches CanMods line of products

Launch Day!

Well… Launch Month, really, and it has been a very, very productive month.

The ‘Light Bulb’ moment…

In December, not quite three months ago, I started addressing a problem that had been bugging me since I moved in just over a year ago: the harsh ceiling downlighting all through my living space. There are twenty-nine recessed ceiling lights, spread over five rooms. Dimming them just wasn't enough. I began sketching designs to make frames to make the posterboard more attractive. In the back of my mind, the gears were turning and the entrepreneur in me is thinking: Hey, I might have a product here… ‘downlighting’ is a real problem and I’ve been looking for my next thing. (Representative, but not my house).

The ‘What’

For design inspiration, I got online and came across an obviously a.i.-generated image of a lamp, represented on eBay as a Frank Lloyd Wright design from The Robie House. It was gorgeous and I’m a FLW fan and I grabbed it, put it up on the big screen and went to work on getting the visual look and feel right, pulling from Wright’s aesthetic to create something that fits over a recessed light and solves my problem - in a most beautiful way.

The design evolved… Hook and loop (Velcro) was the obvious solution for an easy, no-tool installation. Holds strong, won’t fail over time and allows for repositioning and importantly, especially for renters, if you eventually move, they go with you.

I'm working on shade ideas, too. I am after all a Lamp Shade company, as categorized by the USPTO, now on the application filed to federally register the word CanMods, in-use now on KairaLights.com and as CanMods.com. Milestones. Had some fun with logos and a.i., too.

In the meantime, these first few lots are shipping with the original paper design, cut and formed by hand right right here, one by one, and they look great, and are replaceable. The Conclusion to this Introduction

The ‘Why’

Starting Kaira Lights LLC and building the CanMods brand is a no-risk, winning, already-won proposition for me since the worst possible scenario is that I spend my time staying home, designing and crafting things, at my own pace, while guiding an enterprise, free to do exactly what I want, on my own terms, on my own time. Freedom. In other words, exactly what I am doing right now.

This defines success, for me. The rest is all just for fun, a lot of fun, adding purpose to the short time that we all get to breathe the air here. I want to make the CanMods brand a case study in business management and entrepreneurial acumen. I’m documenting every step along the path - and all the course corrections and strategic market moves - that makes things happen organically.

Then I’m going to Shark Tank this venture and see what happens. 

Stoicism teaches that Purpose is important to finding happiness. Purpose gives meaning.

Makes sense to me, given the definition-defying nature of ‘happiness’. 

Stoicism is useful to me on a daily basis.

But I digress…

Summary

I took an idea, turned it into a product, conceived a brand, bought domain names, registered an LLC, launched a website, and started inventory with UPC codes, packaging, and everything — including a Michigan Sales tax certificate for online sales, all in a month. Got the infrastructure all set up now and I’ll be staying on top of the numbers and tracking every metric as I produce and sell.

February is production month. I’m easing into the first production run. Working out the process. scaling up.

Meanwhile, I’ll be here happily producing lamps. Excellent.

Thank you – for taking a moment to picture CanMods in your house. Put one up in your entry. Put one in view from your favorite chair. Enjoy.

I hope you'll do all the things we online sellers hope that you'll do: buy one, put it up, be so pleased that you come back and buy more - because there is nothing like this anywhere and these are handmade, authentic products. I'm building them in lots but you can buy them one at a time.

Live with one for a bit and see the difference good lighting makes. Then I hope you'll come back and buy a case of them, or as many as you need for a whole room, maybe even from the same matching lot if still available. Also, leave great reviews, if inclined. It helps.

I truly appreciate every sale and I will do my best to deliver a great product.

Sincerely,

– Keith

BTW I’ve got an addition to The Architect collection that I’m protyping. It’s got a round shade design, inspired by sconces from the Robie House, and it’s really, really great.

That and I’m already working on Art Deco design themes. Same great idea, different look and feel, and I’m excited about that collection, too. More on the way…

In up-coming blog posts… 

The Collaboration Question

Two questions popped up right away: the copyright and licensing issues of design and this: When ai designs something that is clearly derivative of protected work, is it stealing? And if that ai product is commercially marketed and yields benefits not involving the creator, is there a claim to revenue? These are questions I’ve begun exploring in an upcoming post that I titled: ‘The Collaboration Question, Who gets the credit - or the blame?’

I collaborated with my a.i. app on quite a few topics. We brainstormed names, logos, designs, it helped me complete forms correctly, and  helped outline a whole Business Plan, which includes making video shorts on How to install and others for promotional use, all of which will be created with the assistance of a.i., my assistant and collaborator.

“Good artists copy, great artists steal”, is often attributed to Steve jobs (referencing the Zerox PARC interface that preceded the Apple version). Not really applicable, maybe but this one is:

“Clever ideas are nothing without execution”, also attributed to Steve Jobs. Applicable. Definitely. Must execute. Consistently.

Another blog post in the works: The Shark Tank Episode

[Spoiler: It wouldn’t be a surprise if: Mr. Wonderful wants a royalty deal on every CanMod sold, Mark Cuban says he’s already in the Lighting Accessory space and it would be a conflict of interest. Barbara says: “Well I like him and I’m going to offer him…” and then she and Robert argue about who likes me more and then they decide to team up and offer a really sweet deal but the obvious choice in the end for me is the exposure CanMods can get through Lori’s QVC home shopping network. Is that how it would go?
Things rarely go as expected though. Do I do a deal?]

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The ‘Who’

I’ve introduced the What and the Why, here’s the ‘Who’.

The Business Plan will have a Founder’s Background in the Team section. That’s me.

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Next Blog Post coming soon.