We Expanded By Licensing Our Products To Other Companies
This is a follow up story for THE MAXBIT. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published over 6 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
Hello, again, Entrepreneurs! I am Dr. Michele Morgan and my company is God’s Way Enterprises, Inc. Our company focuses on 5 areas; Business, Education, Ministry, Missions, and Resources.
In our Resource area, we created a powered garden tool product line that takes digging to a whole new level. The MaxBit product line enables everyday gardeners, landscapers, farmers, and anyone else that loves to dig, to have fun in the dirt. By using a household drill and attaching The MaxBit, every time you dig you will get a perfect flat-bottom hole.
For the last 3 ½ years our sales grew exponentially; from $13,000 annually to nearly $200,000 last year. Don’t get me wrong, it takes sales to keep going, but another aspect is getting The MaxBit in the hands of gardeners all over the world. We have shipped The MaxBit to Canada, Australia, South America, Asia, and Israel.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to! Has the business been growing?
Going into 2020 the purchase orders began to come in and then Covid 19. No one could have
known how this would affect businesses in the beginning, but it did not take long to speculate once the country shut down.
Being grateful that we were considered essential instead of complaining about what was going on around us.
Our manufacturer and his family were able to get “essential business” documents from the government to stay open and we prayed for transportation to continue. People were confined to their homes and spring came early. The MaxBit found its way into homes all across America, Canada, and overseas as orders poured in.
With an entire year’s worth of trade shows canceled, we opted to send out emails with incentives, make calls to our customers, and give customers an added discount or free shipping during this year.
We are expanding our product line during this ‘downtime’ of 2020 and now available are
The MaxBit 1 Gallon and 3 Gallon which is powered by a one or two-man auger.
Our exit plan happened this year as we licensed The MaxBit product line to a North American Company, Great North Hardscape. This exciting news means great growth for The MaxBit. Great North’s track record with products, advertising, and sales will take The MaxBit to levels we have dreamed of.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
So many lessons learned this year for many people. Two important lessons we consider vital to go forward and succeed during a global pandemic include; being grateful that we were considered essential instead of complaining about what was going on around us. Gratefulness keeps us looking forward. Also, keeping our faith in God that we would navigate through this and not get stuck in fear of the unknown. Our faith keeps us moving.
Initially, our plans included hiring, but with Covid restrictions in our facility that was not possible. This required us to roll up our sleeves, use our organizational skills, and ‘get it done’ as we say in the south. And. We. Did.
Personally, this was a very hard year. Loss in my family included grief from death and betrayal. Grief from either of these should not take place in isolation and I learned this so well this year. So, in the midst of a global pandemic that everyone was experiencing, a growing business that many continue to experience, and my personal loss, my faith grew, my friends were there for me, and I am stronger for the experiences. Be encouraged, if this is you, you will get through it. Reach out and ask for help. Others do care!
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
Our goal in licensing The MaxBit includes partnering with a company, Great North Hardscape, that has a larger platform, greater influence, and a full staff which will propel The MaxBit product into more countries and thus in more individual hands. Partnerships are vital when you have grown as much as you can with the resources available to you.
Over the next 5 years our plan is twofold; to make The MaxBit a household name and cause people to think about making holes in a whole new way.
Have you read any good books in the last year?
I am an avid reader and even during a pandemic, I found time to read over a dozen books. Two I would recommend are Detours by Dr. Tony Evans and The Power of the Other by Dr. Henry Cloud.
One of the best podcasts I would recommend is Jordan Raynor’s Called to Create and his book called the same. One interview was with C.S. Lewis’s stepson. This fueled my love even more for Lewis and his creativity. I consider it vital to go to work with purpose, not just to make money, pay bills, and buy more. There is a higher calling for work and Jordan Raynor advocates that on his podcasts.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
No doubt this year we are fighting an invisible enemy, Covid 19. Maybe your other obstacles are more obvious. There remains an obstacle that I am convinced some people never see, and that is themselves. Take the limits off. Ask for help. Research the options. Don’t settle for less. Pray.
If we approach our days looking at only what we can see we will live our days within those limits. If we approach our days looking beyond ourselves, our lives will be full of possibilities!
Where can we go to learn more?
Also, visit GWE.
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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