I’m a huge fan of the TV Show Shark Tank. Call me a sucker for reality TV (see my posts on Survivor), but I really get into shows that feature real people and real stories
Shark Tank appeals to the entrepreneurial side of me; the premise is that someone with an idea or small company gets in front of a group of investors (including Mark Cuban this season) and pitches them for an investment. Getting completely rejected or possibly an investment that literally changes their lives is compelling TV, plain and simple.
So, when I received a Tweet from a couple we’ve heard from a few times over the last few months, I felt compelled to share it. The couple is behind a company called Sticky Toez, makers of designer toe nail stickers that you can put on your FiveFingers. They’ve entered their company into a start-up competition and sent in this tweet:
The video is a little rough in some spots, but it gives you a good idea of the product, who is behind it, where the inspiration came from, how much they think they can make from it, etc.
Now we have a chance to do a little Shark Tank-ing of of own. Checkout the video and let us know in the comments what you think of their idea/product. Would you buy it? Why or why not?
Update: We just received an email from Robert Barr (who commented below) that he contacted Vibram and they stated that this product will void your warranty. The warranty period for a new pair is 90 days from purchase, so take this all into consideration when using this product within that time period.
I wouldn’t buy them because I don’t wear VFF’s for the look. But good luck to them!
This comment just came in from @NFSSmith on Twitter: “not my thing but my daughter totally wants a pair of FiveFingers and would LOVE these!!”
I think these are freeking awesome! Such a great way to customize your VFFs! I want a pair as soon as they start producing! Plus, the video’s pretty good too, for home-made. I like the way they put the whole story together.
i think they kind of take away the unique look of five fingers. there are very few styles of vibrams i wouldnt wear but i definately wouldnt wear ones with flame stickys on the toes
I love these! I wouldn’t wear them on my running VFFs, but I’ll definitely put them on every other pair I have! Effin’ awesome sauce!
I just got my first pair of VFFs, and can’t wait to dress them up with some toe nailz!! Too cool!! Good luck to the entrepreneurs.
I personally wouldn’t wear them, but I know lots of people who will.
If you haven’t seen them in person, they are cool looking…
I think it is such a cool way to express yourself…we do it with all kinds of other things like our hair, fingernails, etc., why not our toez too! Good luck!
Finally! An option to personalize my footware in a way that says “These are my toes”. I would definitely purchase this product.
This is an awesome idea! VFF’s are unique but so were Apple computers at one point. This is the perfect way to make them even more your own!
That was weird. When i went to that site I got some sort of Malware/Trojan. It installed a program on my computer that kept closing all the running programs. Took me a good 40+ minutes to fix. It was the only site I had open at the time. So it was either a Spyware Program that just happened to be on my system and install itself right then… or I got it from that site.
In terms of the product… I don’t think I woudl like them. I also don’t think they will get on the show. The market is way to small. We are talking about a minority within a minority. You have to not only appeal to a limited number of Vibram uses but then you also have to be able to design something they want to actually put on the toes of the shoes. The market is just too small.
I got my first pair of fivefingers to wear for this summer and now I need to get some toez. The flames will look great on my black fivefingers. Cool idea. Where can I get them?
Robert,
Thanks for your comments. Our website development team is looking into the above mentioned issue and it is being resolved.
My goal with the company is to grow the brand so “Sticky Toez” becomes a competitive retailer for athletic accessories. For now we are starting with the “Toez”, our next item will be something to help keep the stink/sticky outta your shoes!
Best regards,
Christina
Mike,
Thank you for the feedback. We will have product available for purchase in the next 2 to 3 weeks. You can follow us on Twitter (@StickyToez) and Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) in the meantime.
Best regards,
Christina
Jim,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Elizabeth,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Hannah,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Sarah,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Becky,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Jerry,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Avery,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Julie,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Los,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
Adam,
Thanks for your feedback. If you know of anyone that may like them feel free to send them to our Facebook (facebook.com/stickytoez) or Twitter (@StickyToez) pages.
Best Regards,
Christina
What will this do to your warranty? Have you gotten conformation that it will not void your warranty?
Great question! Actually, the adhesive we are using will remove cleanly from the shoe. Yet it’s durable enough to adhere our “Toez” and withstand, running, weightlifting, walking about, etc.! I love my VFF’s, sourcing just the right material so it did not leave any marks on the shoes was one of my top priorities.
I would not buy these now, but I would have been interested when I was 13. I do my own mods to my vibrams, to me, I could accomplish this same look by cutting a few pieces of colored duct tape and placing them on the toes.
A few questions:
How much do you plan to charge for these? If a sheet (one set) is a $1, then I may be willing to buy these for the easy of application and effort. However, if a sheet is more than $1, I would buy the duct tape over the sheet, since I would get many, many, many more sets out of a roll of duct tape (and use for other applications), which can be purchased for ~$3 if not cheaper.
What is the targeted age group? I never wore crocs but when I saw those charms they would add, I always assumed they were for younger kids. Is this your target age group, too?
Meghan,
Thank you for your comments. As with most items available for purchase, consumers are always finding cheaper alternatives. Our “Toez” are designed so you can wear them multiple times and switch out the “Toez” design/pattern as desired.
Our original studies found our target market to be comprised of mostly women and younger kids. However, as we have been wearing “Toez” samples out and about, we are surprised by the number of men that have stopped to ask us about them. Thanks to Google and Facebook analytics, we will be able to track who is actually visiting our social media pages and website.
Best regards,
Christina
@Christina I contacted Vibram. They told me using your product WILL void the warranty. You might want to let your users know that.
If you do say that you cane remove the sticker then I guess it is up to the user to figure out if they want to lie about using your product or not to Vibram.
I would never use the product because it voids the warranty. There is a big difference between this product and those things you add to Crocs. The things you add to Crocs go through the holes of the shoe so you don’t have to attach anything to the shoe.
The warranty Vibram carries clearly states it is voided if there is any alteration to the shoe. However that warranty is only good for 90 days. Like you say, it will be up to the discretion of the customer if they want to use my product within that 90 day window. Thanks again for your comments.
I am not interested in this product because I feel that the VFFs are unique enough in their own right. If you want personalizaton, buy them in every color.
I also can’t see how this product will last through multiple wears in multiple climates. I imagine the product would fall off pretty quickly as VFFs are made of material and this product looks to me like dollar store stickers.
I would be worried about them coming off during a run.
I don’t mean to be mean, but for me I think they are taking ugly to new levels. And this is coming from someone that likes the look of vibrams.
I actually used to own crocs with jibbets. But no way would I want to draw any more attention to the fact that my fivefingers are foot-like. Maybe if you had some other way of decorating Vibrams that wasn’t pretending to he toenails. My Vibrams are very colorful already though so wouldn’t want to customize them anyway.