Shed Geek Podcast
The Shed Geek Podcast offers an in depth analysis of the ever growing and robust Shed Industry. Listeners will experience a variety of guests who identify or specialize in particular niche areas of the Shed Industry. You will be engaged as you hear amateur and professional personalities discuss topics such as: Shed hauling, sales, marketing, Rent to Own, shed history, shed faith, and much more. Host Shannon Latham is a self proclaimed "Shed Geek" who attempts to take you through discussions that are as exciting as the industry itself. Listeners of this podcast include those who play a role directly or indirectly with the Shed Industry itself.
Shed Geek Podcast
Unlocking the Potential of Solar-Powered Sheds
Join us for an insightful episode where we welcome back Dan from Solar Blaster, a trailblazer in solar-powered ventilation solutions for the shed industry. Discover how Dan's journey from innovating a simple roof vent to developing industry-specific products not only tackles structural issues like vapor drive but also adds value to sheds by protecting their integrity. With a firm foothold in the market, Dan shares how Solar Blaster aims to expand further, working closely with manufacturers to ensure sheds are well-ventilated and user-friendly.
Creativity and innovation take center stage as we explore the transformative impact of enhanced ventilation and lighting on sheds. We discuss how these features not only protect your belongings from heat and moisture but also elevate the user experience, turning sheds into more functional and enjoyable spaces. Positive feedback from users underscores the importance of understanding consumer needs and how they drive business growth. This episode is packed with insights on how unique features can differentiate products in a crowded market.
Discover the cutting-edge solar-powered systems that keep sheds cool, reduce moisture, and prevent mold—essential for climates like Arizona's. Dan explains how these systems can be a lucrative addition for shed builders, offering ease of integration and significant user satisfaction. We also touch on the broader benefits of American-made products, customer support, and how these elements contribute to a brand's success. From Dan's personal story of finding purpose through hard work to our shared emphasis on faith and gratitude, this episode celebrates innovation, authenticity, and collaboration in the ever-evolving shed industry.
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This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber
My Shed
Shed Hub
Digital Shed Builder
iFAB
CAL
Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek podcast and super excited for today's guest. He's an old favorite. For those of you who have just found the show, you might remember Dan from episode. I don't remember what episode it was, but it was in season one and I can get you that information for you to go back and listen. But, an, welcome back to the show. And for those who don't know you or use your product, just introduce yourself a little bit about your company and what you guys do.
DAN RHEAUME:Thanks for having me back. Shannon, glad to be here. I started with an idea 15 years ago that I could take a standard roof vent, just a vent that was normal you could buy off the shelf and I could solar power it. I could put a little motor inside solar panel on top of it and power the thing, and that would be a dual use, a hybrid use for a solar powered fan. And so that's what we did. That's what we took off 15 years ago with, and now over the years we've started with a roofing application.
DAN RHEAUME:but what we gravitated to was a shed application that it really fit well for sheds.
DAN RHEAUME:One of the reasons is it's sized very nicely for a shed. So glad to be here and glad to talk about Solar Blaster and our products.
SHED GEEK:Wow, excellent. Well, we talked so much. I can remember the conversation last time. We talked so much about just like air. I tell people this all the time. I still use a line from your podcast whenever I talk to people. It's been sort of incorporated into my, my regular talk when we're discussing things. It's like air is the most natural purifier, and I love that. You said that because I still remember it to this day. You were. It was a very educational segment. I remember that because I still remember it to this day. It was a very educational segment. I remember that and we can get into the details of that, but let me start here. You are already in the shed industry. This is something that you've been doing for quite some time.
DAN RHEAUME:These products already go out to shed manufacturers everywhere. We really appreciate the business that we do with shed manufacturers. Like I said, it's a perfect fit, but really for sheds specifically, it's an investment into the future of your shed. You're protecting your shed, you're keeping the interior of your shed what I call, and what you just spoke about a clothesline fresh, just like putting your head on that pillow after it come off mom's clothesline, and so that's what we like to talk about, because we want to protect that shed for longevity. We want to protect the shed manufacturers for warranty aspects, and a lot of times the warranty aspects that we're talking about, the protection that our product offers, comes from things that are not even associated with the manufacturing process itself.
DAN RHEAUME:So, something I'd like to talk about today is vapor drive. It is where moisture will come out of the ground or out of the air, depending the difference in temperature, and affect the shed. It could warp the wood of the shed, it could rot the wood in the shed, and here it is coming out of the ground and it has no bearing on the manufacturer itself. It depends on location, climate, temperature, but vapor drive is a huge deal and it affects all buildings. So, I'll just read the definition. A phenomenon called vapor drive moves water vapor from areas of high density to low density. Vapor drive naturally diffuses moisture vapor into and through wall structures, resulting in condensation on cool surfaces. So even a temperature variance due to a warm day can suck moisture into the under foundation, the under structure of a shed and start to damage it, begin to warp that plywood, begin to warp the trussing underneath. So, it's a big deal when it comes to not only protecting the manufacturer but the comfort and protection of the owner of the shed as it moves from manufacturing to the owner.
SHED GEEK:Well and that's kind of one of the topics that I certainly want to address is the end user at some point. But I really want to drive this home. Like you guys have been working like in the shed industry for quite some time, you have customers. You know, like whenever we bring someone to the podcast and this is what's really excellent Like last time whenever you were on the podcast, we weren't even doing video at that time, it was just an audio only. So, people didn't get to see your product, they didn't get to see your product, they didn't get to see you, they didn't get to know you. And that's something I want to drive home is this is something you've been doing for a period of time, for several years already, working with shed manufacturers, and what we're really trying to accomplish here is a couple things, and that is one you obviously want to grow your business. So we, you know, uh, I want to say this and, uh, I hope this, dan, but I want to make the phones ring. You know what I mean. I want people calling you saying, hey, dan knows about this, he's been doing it and here's the product. But to do that, we've got to show the benefit of your product and I know you've even got something here with you today that you can show. But let's talk about that one specific example. Like as a shed manufacturer, the one thing that I get all the time is we sell a quality shed, quality shed, quality shed, quality shed.
SHED GEEK:And I'm starting to think about where does creativity fit into the conversation? Dan, you're a believer, I'm a believer. One of the things that we know about the Lord is that he's creative, and whenever I think about like sheds and I think about like seeing these things on multiple corners all across the United States I don't know we've been in 30 States. We've probably visited 500 shed dealers, I don't know. There's, there's just been a lot and I ask myself all the time who is coming up with something new and creative? What about the features and benefits that go beyond just the lumber and the metal, the R&D, the research and development for the end user? And that's really where I see your product.
SHED GEEK:But your product doesn't sell B2C. You don't normally go straight to the consumer. You really want the manufacturers to pick this up and say add this as a featured benefit to your shed and then you pass those costs on to the consumer, but the value they're getting goes beyond the added cost. And we can discuss all that. I'm sure you sell in bulk and all those things, we can get to those details. But I want to drive that point home that like, hey, this is for the customer. So, if you're a builder who doesn't want to add in these features, who cares the customers may want these features, right, and you can. You know and I don't mean to be so bland about it or so, so pointed or whatever the right word is there but like, hey, consumers, hey, consumers drive our business and like I think these are excellent benefits, excellent features that you can add. So, what are your thoughts on that, on the end users experience for these things?
DAN RHEAUME:Well, the really greatest thing, the coolest thing about end users is I can go knock on somebody's door today and I can show them my event and I can tell them the features and I can show them the benefits to their home, to their shed specifically. And I can go knock on that door 10 minutes later and they'll be selling the product back to me.
SHED GEEK:I just sit back and shut up.
DAN RHEAUME:They're telling me all the benefits that it's going to do for them. They're going to tell me about the fresh air, the moisture, the removal of the heat, the fact that all my belongings inside my shed are now protected from those harmful things heat, moisture so the end user really will sell it back to you once they look at it and see the job that it does Now. As a former roofing contractor, I always looked for products that would create an advantage over my shed my product versus the other guys as a way to win the sale, win the job.
DAN RHEAUME:So, this is a product that really does that. It really helps you win the sale because once you show this to the end user, they will sell it back to you and they'll have to have it. And then they'll have to not just have it but they'll have to have it in multiples and they'll want not only the fresh air moving through their shed of the ventilation product, but they'll want the light product also to bring light into their shed so that if they go get that tool that now has no moisture on it it's possibly a wrench or something and it's protected by our products um, it will be able to be seen, because you go in a dark shed and your eyes take a second to adjust and you're like, oh, where's that tool, you know, and oh, I gotta wait for my eyes to adjust oh, I know all too well, yeah well yeah, and you know some of the folks, you know they, they have security concerns and
DAN RHEAUME:they don't put uh windows on the shed. Yeah, so they're. They're walking into a dark shed. That's where our light products come in. But even if you want that natural light uh uv where you maybe want to put a little plant in the corner and grow it, you know, walking into a dark shed, that's where our light products come in. But even if you want that natural light uh UV where you maybe want to put a little plant in the corner and grow it, you know something nice and green there sitting on the bench? Uh, it works for that also.
SHED GEEK:So yeah.
DAN RHEAUME:Products yes.
SHED GEEK:Oh, a dub doubles, as you know, maybe not as a greenhouse apparatus, but I mean still if you're keeping your plants in for the, for the uh, for the winter, or something like that.
SHED GEEK:Yeah, Well walk me through the walk me through the product, especially now that we can see and now that we're doing video. So, for those of you who are listening, like hey, maybe this isn't the best episode for you, I sure hope. I sure hope you'll listen, listen, uh, and at least go check it out at solarblasterfans. com. If you want to see more uh, you guys can always go to the newsletter. So, exciting uh thing is that Dan's coming on as an advertiser, uh, over the next 12 months. So, we appreciate his support and guess what we want to do? We're capitalistic, uh, over here at the shed geek podcast, we want to support those who support us. So, like, uh, I really shine some love on the products that Dan offers. And, keeping in mind this guy has been doing this for 15 years, you know what I mean. He's been in the Shed business, he knows the Shed business and I really want to make the phones ring for this guy. So, solarblasterfans. com.
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SHED GEEK:But walk me through it, dan, for those who are looking for, those who are seeing your product, those who are going to the website checking it out, going to the newsletter, clicking on a lead form, watching your YouTube videos of it all. But walk me through it on this podcast. What is the Solar Blaster? Pretend I don't know anything about it. Give me the business.
DAN RHEAUME:What do?
SHED GEEK:I need to know Just backing up just a hair.
DAN RHEAUME:I'm doing what I was born to do, and some folks may have heard that phrase before somewhere. This business is not a business.
DAN RHEAUME:It's a gift.
DAN RHEAUME:It was given to me and I have poured my life into it, to it. It was given to me at a bad time. I was in the process of losing a lot, everything, and I had seen this and had this idea and said you know I'm going to go for it.
DAN RHEAUME:I'm just going to go for this. I got, I'm, you know, 50 years old and I've got so one good run at running out of business. And this is a difficult. Every day, when you're doing something like this, you're accomplishing something. You're accomplishing one day, possibly, the strap fasteners. You might be accomplishing the UV braided cable that goes onto it. You might be accomplishing the solar panel match to the motor inside one day, and every day is something. And you're building labels and you're building boxes and bubble wrap and all the things that you see as an end product, right down to the Made in America stamp. Right here is an accomplishment, and you go home and think, wow, that was a great day, I did that today, but here it is Now, after 15 years, the end product for your shed.
DAN RHEAUME:it comes with some pre-punched holes to fasten it down. It comes with the fasteners. We got ring, shake, rubber, grommet and fasteners going on there, not just nailed on there. It comes with full instructions for your customers. A bit of information for your customers, to read up on the products, see how it works. These things literally have a lifetime warranty. As long as you own your shed, I will take care of you.
DAN RHEAUME:These are 50,000-hour this motor right here. It's a 50,000-hour two-ball bearing high-speed motor and 50,000 hours is nine hours a day for 15 years.
DAN RHEAUME:So, we don't have out of the tens of thousands that are sitting on sheds across America now. We don't have any failures, but if it goes bad, you pop this little guy out right here and you remove these four screws, flip the panel over, put a new motor in it, and away you go. So about 10 minutes. If you did need to put a new motor in there which is cool you can put a new motor in it, and away you go. So about 10 minutes. If you did need to put a new motor in your unit which is cool you can put a new motor in for sure yeah, you're still you still have the product.
SHED GEEK:Yeah, you're just uh. Those components have to be, replaced every so often is yeah, I mean, you're talking. What'd you say? 10 years?
DAN RHEAUME:well, 50,000 hour rated two ball bearing high speed motor uh 50, 000 hours rated by about a nine hour a day. Run time is 15 years. So, I've had them uh running literally for 15 years. I've got product 15 years. So, if you call me up and you, you, you're a bad fan. I just ship you a new one. I don't ask any questions, I don't ask to run you through the ringer.
DAN RHEAUME:I don't ask you to mail it in to me and we'll test it. No, off we go and you're back running All done, from the roof of the shed, everything replaced. I don't even like to talk about replacement, but this concern, yeah, of course. Yeah, this is a motorized mechanical device. It's one of the things that people resist is oh, I've got a motorized mechanical device, what happens if something goes wrong with it? Well, you just call me up, I'll send you a new thing, so that's that. But the product itself is a 14-gauge aluminum spun base, one piece.
DAN RHEAUME:You notice there's no seam right here, so even if you're putting it on a flat roof and you're gonna have a little ponding water here, you could resist about seven inches of ponding water. Most sheds have a pitched roof, so no concern. 22 gauge hood and then of course you can see it was pretty simple. It's got the nice bug screen inside here. Protect you get it means anything gonna fly in, or, and there we go.
DAN RHEAUME:Very simple, product the if you're in an area where you want to put it on the back of the shed or you are in a Northern latitude where you'd like to have the product point at the sun, then you buy one of our adjustable models and up goes the panel pointed toward the sun, and then you can adjust that summer and winter. You can, you know, go up there once a year, point it up for the winter, point it back down for the summer. This is, you can see. Why is it so shiny? This is not painted metal, this is powder-coated metal.
DAN RHEAUME:Okay, we don't mess around with, you know, painting, a vent. This is actually powder-coated. Nice, we don't mess around with paint and a vent. This is actually powder coated.
SHED GEEK:Nice and.
DAN RHEAUME:I take great pride in that. Because they're so, they come in several colors, right?
SHED GEEK:They, you know, like.
DAN RHEAUME:We've got gray powder coated. We've got white, we've got the black, we've got the galvanized. You see over here, and the brown, we've got the black, we've got the galvanized. You see, over here and the brown Nice, very nice.
SHED GEEK:So, walk me through this. Like I'm sold on the product. Because here's where my mind goes, dan is like, if you're offering a quality shed, what are you adding in terms of features and benefits that's really benefiting the end user? Because we've already established this is something you know. You know how all retail works. It gets passed on to the consumer. But if you're adding a value greater, uh, than the cost, then the customer will accept your product. If they'll accept your product and your price, they're going to buy it, no problem it's.
SHED GEEK:It's the same line we use in marketing all the time. Anyone who who's done a demo with us, we try to explain to them and hopefully, for those who are signed up with us, we, we actually are providing that value. I like to think we are, unless they say otherwise, um, uh, that we it's a return on your investment. We actually add more value than it costs, and I tend to think that you are. By putting one of these products on here, you're adding more value than that small increase in the MSRP. Like you're adding more value. I can only imagine putting one of these in a shed right next to one that doesn't have a shed out there in your Arizona heat where you guys are located at in Phoenix.
SHED GEEK:Exactly, the customer is going to be like well, yeah, I mean, it's so much cooler just walking in, it's just a no-brainer.
DAN RHEAUME:It's not just the fact that it's so much cooler, which it is. It's not just the fact, of course, in the desert we have a little difference in moisture that you can feel the difference in the moisture. It is fresh, clean air running through your shed and that works 24-7. It's not just when the fan is running during the daylight hours, when the sun's hitting the panel, as a convective air movement, a hot air balloon rising of air sucks into intakes that we've provided, which are another additional income, potential income source for shed builders. Potential income source for shed builders uh, it pulling in the cool air, uh, and then rising to uh, the convective vent.
SHED GEEK:Just picture the eve on your home hot air, uh.
DAN RHEAUME:Cool air intake down here and then hot air exhaust up here. So convectively moving air uh. Average speed on a 712 roof on an 80 degree day is about five miles an hour. Eave to ridge, so that applies to your shed to five miles an hour intake to exhaust.
DAN RHEAUME:We boosted to over 15 miles an hour as far as the air speed now that's where we start to get into calculations our cubic feet of the interior of the shed versus the cubic feet. Oh, this is our mega. This is our mega model here, with the 5-watt fan in it, the 96 CFM motor and the smaller motor is the 39 CFM motor.
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DAN RHEAUME:So now, if we run some calculations and I'll just quickly just go through this and running calculations we want to find the cubic feet of our shed. So we're going to go length. Let's say we've got a 12-foot shed times an 8-foot wide shed, times the 8, let's call it 10 feet, let's just call it 10-foot high because we've got the trusting interior, the trusting interior. That's 960 cubic feet. In our sample, our example shed divided by 39 CFM, our smaller motor. That's the replenishment factor of every 24 minutes.
SHED GEEK:That's pretty good. Okay, so you're saying the air every 24 minutes. You're getting completely new air circulating.
DAN RHEAUME:Every 24 minutes. We're circulating with the 39 CFM fan in a 12-foot shed. We're recirculating that air every 24 minutes.
SHED GEEK:And that goes well into the evening. So, it's not just cooler but it's drier. I mean, I would imagine you're helping with decay Just any time you can keep the building dry. Obviously, you know what are the other features and benefits to that. What are the feedback you get from the consumer.
DAN RHEAUME:Well, the consumer is telling me how fresh their shed is, that air being a natural cleanser. But the consumer doesn't want mold growth in their shed. They don't want that. Mold spores or seeds Just like any other seed.
SHED GEEK:When hit with moisture they grow.
DAN RHEAUME:Now they can cause health concerns, but they can also do damage and cause aesthetic concerns, degrade our shed. Well, if we don't have any mold growth, we don't have to be concerned with that, but that is a big issue For me as a shed owner. I don't want my stuff warping, I don't want my wood warping, I don't want the condensation on that nice paint on the outside and condensating on the inside because of the temperature variance. You see that we get in different climates and that warps the wood. And that's the reason I invented this product to begin with was I saw homes poorly insulated, they were having heat go out in the winter, with 20 25 degree temperature hitting the roof deck and it turning into that.
DAN RHEAUME:Uh, I don't know if they have a term for it, but in the container business they call it container rain. Uh, in the uh roofing business we had attic rain, literally condensating and moisture dropping. Well, what's that moisture going to do? It's going to hurt if we're store paper products. You see the shed where the guy's got a half full bag of concrete and he's put it aside in the corner of the shed. Well, haven't we all seen that?
DAN RHEAUME:yeah, right we've all seen it and guess what happens to that bag of concrete.
SHED GEEK:It's the same in my garage. I got a bag of concrete I had to get rid of and I'm like do I need a solar blaster in my garage roof?
DAN RHEAUME:And I may just need one.
SHED GEEK:I may just need one Cause we just got a new roof on not too long ago and I and it's really made me think about like the static air and the static vents, versus what you're seeing now with like these motorized apparatuses that are. You know it's, it's like it's two products in one, because it's not just motorized, you don't have to run a wire up to it, I mean, it's solar like. The whole thing is like some people fight the idea of solar, right, you know, especially like in a conservative industry we kind of fight it.
SHED GEEK:We look at fossil fuels and we take our political adventure and we, we, we implement that into sort of our mindset. But you got to remember one, it's what the customer wants. Two, it's so much simpler. You don't have to run a hard wire to this, and that's where solar really works out. It's, it's a benefit.
SHED GEEK:I have it on my rv and, trust me, having that big solar panel on my rv has paid us big time dividends because, like, we haven't had to run a 110 plug out there or we're parked somewhere. You know that we don't have electric overnight or something like that. We're able to run everything off of that large solar panel off the top and you know it's only going to become part of our future. More like you guys were way ahead of your time 15 years ago, you're still ahead of your time 15 years later. But all that, all that to say, I see the value in having the fans running and cleaning the air up, moving the air around, as opposed to just a static vent that you rely on the breeze. But it's just not moving. The air is just not moving, and that's what you really need is the movement of the air to keep things dry.
DAN RHEAUME:That's what you really need. Dry. That's what you really need. Set aside the stigma For small uses like what we're using. You see those nice stop signs now that have the little LEDs around them that are run by solar Well, for safety.
SHED GEEK:What a great little way to get that stop sign visible, independent of a power source.
DAN RHEAUME:What a great way to have your shed, independent of a power source, just up there working away for you. So little uses, little motors, balanced, uniform airflow. And one of the ways we do that is we'll put a vent down low as an intake vent. So, take this, put it on the east side, north side or, aesthetically, wherever, if we want to look at it, if we don't, but where the cool air will be coming in, and this will create our low end intake. On a shed application, this will create our low end intake. It's got a nice bug screen inside, also paintable, and from there we've got convective movement of air Cool air intake, hot air exhaust.
SHED GEEK:And there's, there's where you're.
DAN RHEAUME:It's just working for free for you. Uh, it's, you know, hot air rises, so I love it.
SHED GEEK:I you know like and I and what I really love is I can see your passion in it.
DAN RHEAUME:I could the first time we interviewed you.
SHED GEEK:you know what I mean and like I'm um, yeah, I'm so happy we've continued to stay in in contact.
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SHED GEEK:So, let's talk about some other products. Like yeah, okay, good, we've got the solar roof blaster Do you want to talk about? I mean, you put your pricing on a website so it's real easy to find, but what's sort of like you know, that way, if someone's wondering, like, what's sort of the payback on this or the ROI, or like you know, I'm sure you can order in pallets.
DAN RHEAUME:Do you want to expand on that any or yeah Well, we, for basically any dealer, we're going to offer you sales support. To begin with, we have, you know, the typical, typical brochures, the posters, the yard banisters that are very nice you hang in your yard to feature our products. So, when you come on board with us, you're going to get all that sales support. You're going to get a friendly voice right here, because I pick up my phone and someone who answers the phone, which is key.
DAN RHEAUME:Dan will answer his phone. I promise you, promise you now. You're gonna make me too busy and then I'm no, I'm old school I love talking with my customers. I love talking about the whole the aspects that we're talking about today. I've immersed my life into this. This is what I will do the rest of my life and I'm very passionate, very excited about it.
DAN RHEAUME:So, I'm also passionate and excited about taking care of you, my customer. So we, we start out with a discount, uh that you can purchase product uh through a, a code on the website itself. You can purchase directly from me and call me up and place an order anytime you want. But when we start talking about getting into larger sales, half pallets is where we get a little bit more of a discount. And then we're shipping pallets to you, which is a nice way to get the product to you honestly, uh, that it receives less kind of handling in the UPS, FedEx, postal Service process, so that we possibly have a cleaner, fresher, and I said, see, I really care that it's nice when it gets to you.
DAN RHEAUME:So, that's one way. If you're in my area, I love loading up my trailer and delivering to you and meeting you. So, I know Shannon here across the country, but I'm also very passionate about traveling and exploring, so getting a few days away from the business to come see you would be wonderful. So, there's kind of how the process works Very simple. Nothing is set in stone. We can negotiate anything and everything, and that's the way business works. So, we're here to serve you and offer our products.
SHED GEEK:So that will help boost your advantage in the industry. Ballpark on a solar roof blaster product. What are you at retail Just roughly just off your website I'm showing you got a discount on Browns right now for $99.99. We got a discount on.
DAN RHEAUME:Browns. We overstocked the Browns so we're pushing those out right now. Those are $99 each. It depends on, of course, the product. The powder coat product is a little bit more, the uh 149's in the 100 to 200 and two and a quarter retail uh value and you? I don't like to throw the numbers out too much, but you can start out with about 15 percent of play.
SHED GEEK:Uh, just uh calling me up well, you know, right off the bat, just being able to add that much in value, it seems like a no-brainer at the end of your price. If you're looking at a, you know, 10 by 16, I don't know, 5800, and, and I guys haven't sold sheds in a while, so it's, you know, bear with me, uh, different parts of the country's gonna have different prices, but I'm just throwing it out there. Let's say I mean to increase that to 6,000, to throw a little bit on top of the, the cost of it, uh, to handle it to. You know, change your, your building process or whatever it is. If you're a manufacturer to figure out all the jigs to get it on here, whatever it is you need Like. All I'm saying is you can add a little bit to the price. The consumer is going to eat that cost and add more in value in the, in the use of the building.
SHED GEEK:You're just selling, uh, and I really struggle with the shed industry of like, trying to get down to like the bottom dollar on the price of everything and trying to sell in bulk. Hey, listen, if you continue to sell quality shed, those people are going to find you and these added features and benefits. I mean and, and, and. Hey, this is your podcast, so I'm not trying to rep anybody else, but a lot of these different products come to mind. You know Lux guard is an advertiser for love the rubber flooring they're doing. Why aren't people adding that to your line? You know solar just become a.
SHED GEEK:There you go. It's an easy conversation to like when the customers demand more. Like you want to be able to provide that forum and I think you can just simply put one in right next to one where there's not and let the customer kind of see and decide if it's something that they want. But if they come standard on every shed, it just becomes an added feature and benefit. Like a loft, you know, or like a, you know. Like a you know you. New doors, new windows, ever.
SHED GEEK:Somebody was talking the other day on shed sales professional about you know, where do I get these black windows, the black frame windows? Everybody was like just man, I remember five years ago I wanted those things so bad, you know. I was like, hey, I want to start selling those. Let's talk about some other products, dan, besides the roof blaster, you have so much. You have light blasters for Connex boxes. People might not understand. You really understand the shipping container business, ridge blasters, metal ridge blasters. There's so many products you have. I'm just kind of focused right now on your solar roof blaster, but then your light blaster for sheds, because it literally says it on your website. Walk me through the light blaster. What are the features and benefits. How does it help the end user?
DAN RHEAUME:okay, let me back up just one second.
DAN RHEAUME:If I could all right, yes, sir when you walk out of ace hardware and you just bought a new weed eater and they're like, well, would you like to buy the two-year coverage warranty program? You know you got a ten thousand dollar shed, a couple hundred bucks, 250, 300 bucks for a couple accessories that really improve your shed, really cover your shed. As far as the warranty aspect, I don't know what the typical percentage for a warranty protection is, but certainly while the customer is demanding it, the technology has caught up to it and the type of work that it actually does versus say, you know, and I don't ever dig on other products, but aesthetically I feel my product is so much more beautiful than a big whirlybird.
SHED GEEK:And every one of you will tell me that it is because it really is.
DAN RHEAUME:So, the technology has caught up to it. It does the job, it offers the protection. Now with the Light Blaster Energy Star Efficient. Now with the light blaster energy star efficient. We had a hurricane go through Florida. We've been through many, many in 15 years, been through many hurricanes. We have not lost one product due to a hurricane. All these products are bulletproof. Down on the roof are light blaster products for sheds or metal roofs which we adapt to the bump on the typical and there's a name for that and I don't know what it is the type of metal that you use. So, we adapt to a flat roof application. With the light blasters they just offer what I would equate to the equivalent of an 80 watt light bulb inside the shed and again it's transferring light in a UV fashion.
DAN RHEAUME:You can literally grow plants if you chose to want to plant inside your shed. The Energy Star efficiency means that it doesn't transfer heat into the shed, which is a nice benefit, over your typical skylight, even your windows, which are going to transfer some heat, so that's a nice aspect to it. Very easy to install. I have, as a former roofer, have the kind of tips and tricks down and they're all in the instructions that come with every product. So then we move on to our ridge blaster, which is a three fan configuration platform that hangs in the ridge vent opening of the shed. We have our metal ridge blast. Oh, that's powered by a 10-watt panel. So, we have three 2.7-watt fans powered by a 10-watt panel. Then we have the metal ridge blast, which I designed specifically for a shed company here in Phoenix, which you know well, which you know well and uh it, as with the ridge blaster, the solar platform that houses the solar panel, just floats on top of the metal and there's so there's no protrusions to the metal at all. It mounts up underneath the ridge.
DAN RHEAUME:Very clean, very nice and I've been in the ridge, uh, installing the products. When the product kicks on and you are up there, you're hot, you're sweating, you're, you're adjusting that fan and all of a sudden, the, the click goes, the switch is not, switches a connection. Uh, you feel the air just swishing by you and cooling you down. So, it's an amazing product, both of those the metal ridge blaster and the ridge blaster to the 10 watt panel, probably more suited for a 12 foot or larger metal roof shed.
SHED GEEK:Well, and I'm sitting here looking at your website and, uh, like the solar light blaster for the shipping containers, uh, both the external and the internal pictures, because you know sheds is becoming unanimous, uh, unanimous with like, uh, the common denominator in all of these other areas but the shed dealer, the shed manufacturer.
SHED GEEK:Uh, they're starting to see the benefits of, you know, shipping containers. You know shipping containers, and now these shipping containers are becoming, you know, collapsible. People are actually building them now. We've had some different guys on the podcast episodes, you know, displaying their products and things like that.
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SHED GEEK:It's the first cousin of the shed industry, isn't it? Shipping container, because it's ultimately storage and, like you know, for those who are less inclined to have the aesthetic appeal of a shed and they're just wanting something more practical in terms of, like a shipping container. This still serves the purpose Like you can put these light blasters on top of these Connex boxes and all these different uh, shipping container styles. And it's amazing whenever you look at the website and you look at the, the picture of the two on the outside, on the roof, and then the, the light that it displays inside. I mean there's no other way. There's lights getting in there. I mean it's like turning on a switch.
DAN RHEAUME:You don't? You know, you don't have an electric, you know, right? No, exactly, I'll tell you a little quick story. Your shed guy in Pahrump, Nevada, a good friend of mine, Jamie, he was selling his sheds. Well, he found a connection to a container supplier and he started selling containers. He calls me up and says I'm selling lots of these containers, I'm selling more containers than I'm selling sheds. He said I'd like to try your product. And this was back when we just had the Roof Blaster. And so, he put a container without the product and then he put one of our Roof Blasters on the shipping container and he would just let the customer just walk in and feel the difference. And they would, and they all bought the product.
DAN RHEAUME:But shipping containers have strengthening ribs so they can be stacked. They have strengthening ribs which are large on the sides and smaller on the roof. They typically have a three and a half inch strengthening rib or a six and a half inch strengthening rib. And so, what we did was we took and punched our base flashing for a shipping container. So now you have this that just fits flush onto a shipping container and it's the same construction as the roof blasters. This comes with a gasket because it's sitting on a flat roof. It comes with 16 self-tapping rubber grommeted screws and about 30 minutes after you start you got the product installed on top of your shipping container and we run the same calculations as far as the length, times, width, times, height, come up with our replenishment advice that you put in a low end intake, and now we have fresh, moisture free clothes line, fresh air in your shipping container. So we've done great business with them and many shed manufacturers do also sell containers.
SHED GEEK:So, and a shout out to my, friend Jamie for getting me started on the shipping container products well, it's becoming more common and, yeah, that story alone is a good example of you know your longevity in the industry and you know the conversation we kind of had is like, hey, how do we, how do we make that more known, though? How do we leverage the podcast as a, as a platform to be able to get people to understand who dan is, what the products are, what they offer? You have more than this, and I encourage people to go, uh, to solar blaster fans dot com. If you can't just go to solar blaster fans dot com and look it up. But you listen on the newsletter, remember there are all those display ads that you guys see, not only today's episode. You can just go click on the picture and, boom, you can go to his website. He's got all kinds of youtube uh videos plastered all over his website that show an installation of product, all kinds of other stuff. Like you're going to be able to get the information you need and if you don't, you can call. We also have a, you know, on that display ad you can go click on that. We've got a lead form there. It's real simple, guys. You just go look.
SHED GEEK:You can listen to his previous podcast episode. You can listen to other podcasts he's been on. You can listen to this one because we're going to end up adding it on there. You can punch your name in phone number, zip code, address, whatever it is, and say I want to know more about this stuff and me and dan's going to get an email and someone's going to reach out to you and they're going to try to sell you a solar blaster fan or a light blaster or whatever it is that you need. But, but my goal here is like, how do we get the phones to ring? I really want people to call dan. I appreciate I'm coming on as an advertiser, uh for sure, but it's just a no-brainer for me. It's not just me pushing it and like suggesting it or or or putting a stamp of approval on it, dan, if you will. It's that the product works. It's a no-brainer for the end user.
SHED GEEK:We are in 2024, we're almost in 2025, and the one thing that that I notice is a lot of the sheds are the same. There are some people doing some cool research and development. I love seeing new styles, and new styles is awesome, but almost every one of those new styles and almost every one of those new products or designs come out with this same. And look, I'm not trying to hurt anybody's business here, I'm just saying they come out with the same boring static. You know, vent or whirlybird. You never see those on sheds, but you always see them on homes, you know, and, and it's not moving the air. And for me it's like a no-brainer, it's like why wouldn't you use this solar apparatus to be able to move the air around, to keep it fresh? I don't know. To me it just seems simple.
DAN RHEAUME:Well, I mean, you just hit on it. So, let's talk about other forms of venting. In the shed industry we have our gable vents. Now, as an expert in venting, which I've devoted my life to roof venting, gable vents are great, but what they do is take the air off the top of the shed. Gable vents are wind-driven vents, so if the wind's blowing here, it blows and blows the hot air out the other side. So, if the wind's blowing from the other direction, typically you know you're prevailing.
DAN RHEAUME:Ideally, you would set your shed to the prevailing wind, just kind of like if you're a roofer and you put your ridge cap on, you put your the open part of your ridge against the prevailing wind, so you're you're kind of working with with kind of the wind again air moving that you've got. Now I used to tell people don't do that anymore because really and truly they're not a convective vent. They don't have a low-end intake and a high-end exhaust. They don't just go search out the corners of the shed. This is truly a convective vent where it comes in low exhausts up high, just like your home, so like your home is designed.
DAN RHEAUME:So, what we're adding is not only a futuristic, which is now 15 years in the past, but still searching for the future benefits and application and acceptance, as you said earlier. But we're working with the science of just hot air rising. Just hot air rising is all we're working with and it's not complex and that's one of the reasons I can maybe be so passionate about it is. Gee, I know everything about it. All it is is hot air rising.
SHED GEEK:So that's really all you have to know, and that works 24-7.
DAN RHEAUME:It doesn't work just when a motor is hot air rising. That's really all you have to know. And that works 24-7. It doesn't work just when a motor is pushing the air. So, I call it solar assist during those hours and then convective movement in the evening hours, which, if you've ever swirled a bathtub and then, once you start swirling, the water still keeps moving. A hot tub, bathtub, whatever Air is the same way Once you've boosted it all day at an accelerated rate.
SHED GEEK:It tends to stay moving, which is an even nicer benefit because it's. Pulling in cool, fresh evening air after the sun has went down Makes perfect sense to me.
DAN RHEAUME:You explain it so well, because you've been doing it for so long.
SHED GEEK:That's right. You know I tend to, you know, like less is more sometimes, and I think you've probably figured that out is uh, uh, it's. It's a simplistic approach at adding a featured benefit to your sheds, and that's really my call to the shed manufacturer like what salesperson wouldn't be excited to get this in to be able to sell the product? It's an added feature and benefit that they can show. So, you know whether it's the salespeople that pull on the manufacturers to provide the product or whether it's the manufacturers that see the value in it. I'm sure they can call you up and order one of these things and try it out. You're going to probably drop ship something to them so they can try it out. See it, and the proof is really in the pudding, right, Dan? Like, we don't really have to. You don't have to sell after that.
SHED GEEK:Once they see it, it's really just a matter of like encouraging the manufacturers to add these different products for features and benefits, the solar blaster being an example of one of those products. I mean it's just a no brainer If you being an example of one of those products. I mean it's just a no-brainer if you're going to be selling a quality shed, a better shed, setting yourself apart, trying to be unique in what you offer. You won't know until you call it up, check it out and try it out. This isn't a major overhaul in installation. These are fairly simple installations. From what I can tell, it's so simple. A geek could do it right.
DAN RHEAUME:Well sure, installations I from what I can tell, it's so simple. A geek could do it right. Well sure, I mean the installation itself is just simply, uh, lining up the product to where you want it, as far as shingle roof, metal roof and whatever your application is, as far as if you do need to cut a hole in a composition roof you're not using my ridge vent products say, uh, it's just a matter of just cutting.
DAN RHEAUME:You know two cuts. You know the template comes with the product. So, you've got a template that you can work with to cut. If you want to cut a round hole, if you want to cut a square hole, you take a sawzall and you run it underneath the shingles, you slide the product in, pound down the five nails and you're done. I mean, it's really. Of course I'm a roofer, so it's. It's maybe less complicated for someone that's done it their whole life, but really and truly, once you read the instructions, just a matter of cutting a hole and sliding the product in and nailing it down.
SHED GEEK:I got to tell you these guys are manufacturers and they do some really excellent work. I've been around some of the best builders in the industry and I can tell you it's not the application, it's the mindset, Dan, that I need to offer these products, that the consumer may want these products. The salesperson may want to sell these products. So, I'm going heavy on this podcast. I'm going heavy on this episode.
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DAN RHEAUME:But I've got a container sales in Gallup, New Mexico. He does a lot of business with me and I asked him last time he came in to pick up an order how do you install the product? And he goes simple he goes. We just developed a jig. I take my plasma cutter out there. Five minutes later it's cut and installed.
SHED GEEK:No problem.
DAN RHEAUME:So, he immediately adapted, adapted, build him a little jig, uses his plasma cutter and off to the races.
SHED GEEK:So yeah, these guys are talent, they're talented. Um, the message I'm driving home is like add these features and benefits, add these different products. Say, look, I'm going to go to bat for my advertisers. You know, these guys are providing products that are new. They're different in your case, they're tried and tested. They they've been in the industry already for 15 years. We just, you know, I I don't know how much awareness you guys need.
SHED GEEK:People, maybe people don't know solar blaster fans exist. Maybe they listen to the previous episode and then it just flew right over their head. They didn't go to your website. Go click on the link, guys. Go take a look at it. At least go check out the video, see the installation process. Like you'll fall in love with Dan because he's just an easy guy to like you know, and he's going to be your specialist in terms of, like explaining this to you. You don't have to like, you're going to all the education. You're going to get all the uh, the, the literature that you need.
SHED GEEK:It's really just embracing the mindset of adding new products, adding new products for uh features and benefits to the end consumer and, like you, just pass that on. We're not talking about a six thousand dollar shed that needs to add a five thousand dollar product line to make it better. You know we not talking about a $6,000 shed that needs to add a $5,000 product line to make it better. You know we're talking about a $6,000 shed. That's adding a $150 product and if you go get Brown's right now, according to the website you get them for $99 and you probably call Dan, you can work him for a deal on a pallet, who knows.
SHED GEEK:But until you embrace this, until you try it to see if it works and then give Dan some feedback, give me some feedback. Hey look, we tried the product and it didn't work. It didn't do what we thought it was going to do. It didn't the customer didn't understand it or didn't like. I feel like this is such a simple product that it's really just a mind block in accepting it. So, dan, I'm doing all I can. I want to make the phones ring. Buddy, I want you to be so busy because so many people call that you're like man, I got to slow down, you know I got to.
SHED GEEK:That's where I want you to be.
DAN RHEAUME:Well, thank you, Shannon. We are here to serve our customers. It's not about us, really it's not. We're here to serve you. So, whatever that takes, I've got these guys that work real well my ears and the feedback is always welcome to how we can help and serve you better, and that's really honestly why we love our business so much. We have an opportunity to do what we love to do, do what we feel gifted to do, and serve others. So just let us know how we can adapt to you and how we can work with you on all aspects of what we need to do a business together.
DAN RHEAUME:And we'll have some very happy customers is the end result that we're shooting for.
SHED GEEK:And here's the thing you could go direct to consumer, but you choose not to. You choose to go through the manufacturer to let the manufacturer add this product, the feature and benefit to the shed that they're selling. This benefits the manufacturer and the shed seller. You could attempt to go direct to consumer because it's an easy enough installation process that you could do this as a, as a homeowner or you know like it's a. It's a fairly easy product to install.
DAN RHEAUME:Well, we do we do go direct to consumer, uh, but they're not going to get a discount yeah, they're not going to get wholesale pricing uh yeah, we do. You know our, our business, uh, has been a bit, you know, thrived for the customers across the country that have purchased our products and will continue to do so, but they don't get a discount. I offer a veteran's discount, and you'll be hard pressed to get anything more than that out of me.
SHED GEEK:I'll tell you what if you're not a business owner.
DAN RHEAUME:Yeah, no, I get it. That makes perfect sense, made in America. I love the stamp.
SHED GEEK:Get anything more than that out of me. I'll tell you what if you're not a business owner? Yeah, no, I get it. That makes perfect sense, made in america.
SHED GEEK:I love this you know, that's something that is, uh, so rare, you know, uh, whenever all this uh I'm thinking about these facebook memes and stuff that went around dan uh, whenever the strike was happening at the ports, uh, one of my favorite ones was the one that said, uh, you know what, we don't have to worry about getting caught up at the ports. Uh, one of my favorite ones was the one that said, uh, you know what, we don't have to worry about getting caught up at the ports.
SHED GEEK:American-made products that's right we don't have to worry about that whenever it's made here. So, I really like that one and I appreciate your dedication to the country and, uh, you know, um love that it's that it's American-made stuff. What's the process look like before we get off of here real stuff? What's the process look like Before we get off of here real quick, Dan. What's the process look like when they order, they call, they go to a website, they want to know more. Maybe they even click on the newsletter link. We're going to send them an email or get them over to you. How does it usually work?
DAN RHEAUME:Hey, call me up. My phone number is plastered everywhere. It's not hidden at all. You can find my phone number 480-747-7097. It's everywhere. It's on all our literature, it's on the front page of the website. So, if you want to talk and tell me your specific area of the country, your needs, what specifically the product that we can work with you and best might serve your customers with, just give me a shout. I answer my emails right away. You can text me. However you want to communicate, your best form of communication I'll adapt to and so it's kind of you can go to the website directly Lots of information on the products and the fact that hot air rises, you know.
SHED GEEK:So, just whatever way we can adapt to your needs, we're here well, I've been all over the website and, uh, we're certainly thankful for you coming on. Uh, we want to add value to you, those who are listeners. Um, you know, I I can't say enough for dan and his communication and, uh, just sort of what he does. And, to be honest with you guys, I just, I really just like the product, dan, um, um, how many I need to get you square foot? I need to get you square foot. We just got a roof put on. I can put on.
SHED GEEK:I want to order a couple from my garage. I want to see how they work. I want to install them on my garage. So, uh, stay on here and we'll chat and I'll get you a check in the mail. Uh, but I want to see how it works. I want to see how it goes and I'll just do the installation myself. And uh, um, I'm curious, more than anything. I'm curious to see it, especially whenever I'm, I'm, you know, uh, supporting the product. I believe in it, cause I believe in you would become friends through this whole process. I want to have you back on the show as much as we need to, uh, but I want to get the phones to ring, so I can't express that enough. I want I'm asking people on behalf of uh, what, what we do to call in, check this thing out, uh, and get your own.
SHED GEEK:Get your own like feedback order one of these things like I'm doing to see how it works and if it looks like the right product for your, for your shed line, then let's go for it, because to me, everything I've seen on your website, everything I've seen on your youtube pages, it just seems like a no-brainer, seems very simple well, we have folks all over government buying our products.
DAN RHEAUME:We got the Coast Guard bought a bunch of products a couple weeks ago. Spacex, McDonnell Douglas, the Boeing company buys our product. These products are researched by very smart people such as shed builders that are out there and they've discovered that we do a good job for them. So it's not, um, just uh, your, your, you know, shed, uh manufacturer it's, it's some other folks, but they don't want to get a discount either.
SHED GEEK:Yeah, if it's the government, you're probably charging more right those guys are buying retail, that's right.
DAN RHEAUME:So yeah, especially want to work with the shed uh manufacturers. Adapt to their needs, offer them a way to create an advantage and get a good deal on our products, at the same time that they can pass uh some, some uh profit on the product onto their um, because they're their buyers real simple guys.
SHED GEEK:You heard about it here on the shed geek podcast uh, from episode or from uh season one to now season four. Uh, dan, and I always mispronounce your last name. You say it so I don't get it wrong.
DAN RHEAUME:Okay, so it's. It's R A Y O M E , I always say ream because of the spelling, but it's right. All right.
SHED GEEK:danrheaume@solar blaster fans. com.
DAN RHEAUME:We'll get it figured out.
SHED GEEK:Yeah Well, you're just always so cheerful, you're always so pleasant and I and I'm telling you that's probably one of my favorite things I really hope that the shed industry will embrace this. We've got a year to try and make it work. So, if you guys want to know more about it solar blaster fans. com go to the shed geek newsletter. Click on it, find out some more information. That'll send an email over to me and Dan. He'll get back with you. One of us will make sure that he's able to get in contact with you. I appreciate you guys listening today. Dan, we'll have to have you back on Anything else you want to say.
SHED GEEK:Here's something I do that you may not be aware of. I usually spend so much time interviewing the consumer or the podcast guest that I forget that they don't have time to ask me questions. So at the end of each podcast, what I've been doing for the last six months, year or so, is to let you ask questions. Do you have any questions about podcasting the shed industry? Anything that I might be able to answer? Maybe I can, maybe I can't. Maybe you have some questions, maybe you don't, but if you do, I'll answer them to the best of my ability, if you have any.
DAN RHEAUME:Well, I tell you, I appreciate our relationship. We didn't have a relationship. You came into the shed industry and were so passionate about it and you were developing all these ideas and then traveling and what? What brought you into the industry and how come it's this industry? What? Where does your passion come from?
SHED GEEK:Same thing like you. You know it was sort of a God thing where I got into it and, believe it or not, I actually started in purchasing, so I would have been doing research and development and I would have been looking at products like yours. That was my introduction to the industry because I would have been looking at, I would have been doing R&D for different product lines and you know, new lumber vendors or new metal vendors or new products and services that might benefit the shed, uh, so that's how I kind of got started. I got started through a gentleman at church who was a childhood friend of mine. Uh, and that's just kind of how it worked. He said, hey, you want to work here and might be a job off, uh opening and then, uh, I got out of that, worked in drug, faith-based drug and alcohol rehab for a little bit, which is also a passion of mine and uh and um, then ultimately got back in and sales and it's just took off from there.
SHED GEEK:Like the Lord's really blessed me with opportunity between uh, jumping into rent to own and then and sales a sales manager. And then I kind of found my you never just find your stream there, I don't even know how to explain it to you, but you find your, your where you're supposed to be, just kind of, just kind of ride, that, that, that one thing where you know you're supposed to be. You stay in your own lane and the idea of the podcast came, did that? And then the rest was history. It's, it's provided more opportunity for me and my family than I would have ever expected and um, and it's easy to be passionate about something when you find your purpose. You talked about purpose earlier. You know, and I think that's all it was the Lord could have put me in the motorcycle business too. He could have put me in the car business. He probably could have put me in the home building business. He, it could have been wherever I could have landed.
SHED GEEK:But what I knew was that, no matter what I was doing whether I was a CEO or whether I was a janitor I was going to do it with every bit of energy that I had. I was going to learn. I was going to be open to coaching. I was going to. You know what I mean? I was going to. My dad used to teach me to outwork everybody. If you just outwork everybody, you know what I mean like consistency is the key.
SHED GEEK:Just come in and grind every day a hard worker yeah, oh for sure, because it's so rare anymore. You know what I mean. So, like you know. So, like I take laziness personally, you know what I mean. My dad used to make us work and if you guys followed me, you'd be bored out of my mind, out of your mind If you came in and sat with Shannon for a weekend.
SHED GEEK:Because guess what I do on Saturday? I go out and I work in my yard, I sweat, I work hard, I go out and I I do manual labor. Cause, like Monday through Friday, I don't Monday through Friday, I no longer do a lot of that. I'm sitting here at a computer, I'm doing relationships, I'm doing team building, I'm doing all these different things. So, it means a lot for me that like, even if I could afford to go on vacation or something like I, I spend a lot of time working in my yard or helping others or doing something of manual labor because I still enjoy it. It's, it became such a part of me. So, I'm telling you consistency wins. Just keep doing the same things over and over and over, working hard, show up when other people won't. You know what I mean. Like, uh, uh, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. All of those things were kind of drained, like drilled into my head. You know like keep working hard, don't give up, keep. You know what I mean.
SHED GEEK:And uh and I just found, I found the passion here. I started, matter of fact, as a salesperson. I started reaching out to other salespeople, other product lines. Hey, what are you doing? What are you seeing? What are you experiencing? Should I be doing something different? I became curious. Well, that brings me to my next question then you.
DAN RHEAUME:When you first start out, you first meet somebody you don't know. But I have followed you now faithfully for the last year and I see so much innovation, I see so much change and growth. And you're out there, you're at the shows, you're digging deep into the shed industry. What are you seeing as the future?
SHED GEEK:oh man, um, you know, I there for a while. I was saying that I figured there would be a lot of acquisition, acquisitions, and I still think there will be some of that. Um, the digital world is so different now in terms of like sales and marketing and stuff like that, that I've had to even have a crash course myself, you know, dan, and figuring some of these things out and and guess what? Every level I make it to, there's a glass ceiling that I bust through and find out. There's this whole other solar system of information over here. I've not yet mastered and, and I don't think we ever really do, but probably that, more than anything, is you used to be able, you still can. Richard Mashburn talked about this on an episode. You can still build a shed and set it out by the road and sell it. We're still that industry that you can do that with.
SHED GEEK:But the, the way ai and technology is taking a front seat to the sales process, the marketing process and the way the market works in general. I mean, when you go to Walmart now, you just you know, uh, go through, put all your stuff in your cart, click it with your phone and walk out the door, you know. I mean, there's so many advances in technology that when I think about a product line like Sheds, where's that going? E-commerce is a perfect example. Are we ahead of our time with products or services like Shed Hub and Sheds for Sale? Are we right on time? I really don't know. That's kind of probably the biggest surprise to me. As far as the product itself, you're still trying to solve a problem, and it's typically storage. You know, at the end of the day, you're trying to so, so that that's why I'm pushing so hard on products and features and benefits to you know the product line in your sheds, like there's only so much as many ways we can build it there's. You know whether you're using you, uh, number one or number two lumber. You know what I mean.
SHED GEEK:Like you can get into all the details of different things. What about your? What about your roof? What? What are components it's made out of? What about your flooring? What about the walls? Um, the windows? All of those things matter. Different designs and all those things matter, but I just feel like we have to be unique and to stand out. You've got to do more now, uh, and that's why I'm I support your products so much. It's not just cause you're advertising with me. We've had guys on who don't advertise, who sell products and we support them too. It just I just want to go to bat a little harder for the guys that support me. We want to go to bat a little harder for the guys that support me when I support them back and uh, um, those products. A lot of those guys are great too. I'd love to see the shed industry sort of embrace those.
DAN RHEAUME:I got one more question for you. Yeah, it is so rare to see a man that is in business that puts his faith on his sleeve because it's risky. It's very risky.
SHED GEEK:Yeah, I get it, it's risky.
DAN RHEAUME:I've been canceled and I know what it feels like and you do that.
SHED GEEK:How do you feel?
DAN RHEAUME:about that.
SHED GEEK:And what a great question, and I love the way you phrased it. And I was talking to someone today and I don't mind mentioning, you know it's Tristan Classic, from Cal. We were, we were just having a discussion and, and me and him were talking about our faith, and it's one of the parts that make it really important for me. The Lord is sovereign and, and, and he doesn't need my help, but still, for some reason, he chooses to use, you know, uh, me as a conduit to speak to people, and he uses you, dan, and he uses the other people who listen to this episode and even those who don't. Right, he's, he's using you if you'll be a willing vessel, and the reality is, I couldn't get up from this desk and walk out this door without his permission, and I think it's easy for us to begin to think something of ourselves when we accomplish something.
SHED GEEK:I've seen people do it my whole life. I'm 44 years old. I've done it several times myself. I've, I've been Judas's kiss. You know what I mean. I've literally been, uh, you know. So, I get it. But even through all of that, he's loved me and, and he's loved me at my worst. He's loved me whenever I wasn't lovable and I just think that if you, for some reason, are going to get canceled and it's probably going to happen to me at some point but I've had big companies say, well, we just don't like the faith aspect of the show, you know, because it doesn't represent us.
SHED GEEK:We're a billion dollar industry or whatever, and we have to stay away from that. And I'm like, well then, you're not for me. I mean, it's just, you're just not for me. Like it's okay for you to still be successful and me to still be successful and for you to do it your way. But how dare me deny, how dare me deny what good god has done for my life, in my life, and what he's done for me and my family? How dare me to deny that? So, like you know that old saying, if you were a Christian, would there be evidence enough to convict you publicly of being a Christian.
SHED GEEK:And I don't try to push it down anyone's throat, I just try to represent the Lord and I fail constantly, but I try to represent him. He's given me this business. I didn't earn it, he gave it to me and if I do not honor that, I won't be here. And I do think that there's so many faith-filled people in this industry that that's what they appreciate. So, I'm always going to keep them front and center, even if it, even if it means my cancellation.
SHED GEEK:That that's okay. I'm just gonna. I'm gonna accept that, that maybe it's my time to move on into another area, because it's a hostile world. And listen, I'm not, I'm probably not preaching from a pulpit, you know, like many people do, but I am using my platform to make sure that that they know that I would not have anything without the Lord. My family, my work, a platform none of it exists without him. So how dare me not pay honor to that? Because it can be, it'd be taken from you in a heartbeat day, in the minute you think you've done it right, well said that's, that's my thoughts on it.
SHED GEEK:Hey, dude, I appreciate the questions for sure too, and I appreciate you following me. You're, you're, you're the real deal, you're genuine. And, uh, even though we took a over an hour of people's time, who was willing to listen through this all the way through? Um, I think many people can sort of identify with what we're talking about here today and, dude, I just really want the phones to ring. I can't say that enough.
DAN RHEAUME:I want you to see success.
SHED GEEK:I do, I want you to see success in this adventure of ours and uh I hope people really embrace it. We'll have you back on uh the show anytime. Uh that you want to, that you want to come on, and I really want to get out to Arizona and uh meet you in person. We haven't got to do that yet.
DAN RHEAUME:Yeah, come out and see our facility. Everybody's welcome. Come on in.
SHED GEEK:Hey, I'll, I'll make it happen one day. Appreciate you so much being on the show and your questions.
DAN RHEAUME:Thank you, thank you so much.
SHED GEEK:Yes, yeah.