Well, Project UF is the only thing we can call it here. Not sure what it will be sold as yet. John LaValle calls it “Project University of Florida”, but that’s not what it’s about at all, heh!
The World Edition is pretty nice. The thing that separates anything Silver Mountain Water-like (FF22) from other fresh scents is how they achieved the “spicy” part.
In SMW and FF22 alike, they use flower extracts and scents for the zingy notes. Something we all respond to well at a gut level, especially women, but there’s lots of Americans who’d never want to think they’re wearing anyting related to flowers at all. It’s not macho enough.
Again, though, women really tend to enjoy anything women like (duh), especially flowers. Guys don’t like 'em, but girls do. Think about it for a minute. If you “can get away with it” and not harm your own masculinity, then you might find ourself getting better responses. Lots of Europeans embrace their feminine side, and I think that might be why some embrace a lot more women, too!
Well, that’s everyone, though. The economy is hurtin’ everyone, worldwide even. It’s a big system and it’s a bit too leaky right now. “Leaky Economy Syndrome: The Disease”, news at 10.
Thanks for our kind words, though. We all appreciate that, big time.
I’m sure if we were in a traditional business, and not R&D, we’d be fine… but this is the path we’ve chosen to take, and we really believe in the ability for some of this technology to eventually change the world for the better.
As Mike was telling me last year, some of the mixes seem to reduce the “snarl effect” built into people. All the distrust and misguided anger that really has nothing to do with you. -None enhances that “snarl effect”, but that’s not the stuff I’m talking about.
Some of the molecules and mixes really do let people get along together faster and enter rapport more deeply, and really get more done before they kick the bucket. More effectiveness, more love, more joy. More of all the good stuff we really like.
I agree! None of have a long time to live. We gotta make the best of it while we’re here! None of us are immortal (yet, anyway). The only thing that lasts is whether we leave the world better or worse off. We hope to be a major part of leaving it better off than we found it!
Who doesn’t like the smell of flowers? I see what you mean, there is a bit too much ‘macho’ bullshit in America.
Lets face it, most people found this place because we want to attract the opposite sex more. If females far prefer the scent than I see no reason not to wear it, seems like a positive to me
The way this place operates and allows us (members) to experiment and take flight in this scientific experiment is liberating really. The greatest effect of all of this is that it actually allows us to help make changes in ourselves, over time, that we had been seeking to find this whole time. It’s almost unnoticeable at first. Overall since I started using these mones I’ve become a better listener, observer, lover (not just in a sexual way), and I seem to understand me more overall, which makes me more calm and, well, happy.
A lot of people let daily stresses and downers build and become something that is infectious, and rotten. Why let it get to that point where you and people around you are miserable. Why not help fizzle that away with a confident, and overall happy mindset. To help push yourself and others to a better frame of mind.
Well yeah. I am worried a bit. I like having these products available to me…the regular Joe. The way things seem to be going, is in an elitist direction…one where the best products won’t be obtainable to people like me. I realize that a314 and other products that work very well should be at a cost point where you can make a profit, but please don’t make these things 200…300 a bottle. I’ve got to disagree with those on the forum who feel that a product as good as a314 ought to be sold for as high as the “few” are willing to pay, and that those of us who cannot afford that are not good enough to be using it in the first place.
Not trying to make an issue, but this is the gist of what I have been reading on the forum.
I simply hope that we can be a part of you guys and not be relegated to a place like Amazon to make our purchases.
I speak for myself here when I say that I enjoy being able to chat up the mfgs of the products I buy. I may not be able to influence you guys to make such and such formula, but I do like being able to ask questions here, and then hop over to the AD site and make my purchase, or being able to add to an order, and then have someone speak to the shipping dept and make it happen.
There has to be a happy medium Jasmin. I fully understand about the economy and so on, but it isn’t going to be this crappy forever. Let’s stay positive!
If shipping costs are what drag a company down, than charge a fair price for that, but don’t raise prices on products unrealistically, or lose the human element that seperates you guys from Vero Labs…or any other number of online pheromone companies.
It may have been misconstruted on what AD’s intentions are vs what forum members have said. I’ve read most of these posts and we were just testifying to the fact of what A314 does for us. The raise in prices on AD’s part was due to the chemical costs associated with formulating A314. Let’s face it, no matter what consumer staple you buy, the prices have gone up. The only difference really was AD didn’t raise the price as the costs increased, which we probably wouldn’t have felt as harsh, the differences in my bottles I bought were $40 bucks. Does it suck? Prices that go up suck all the time, but when products are worth it, then you pay that premium. And like you said, the economy will improve, so should people’s incomes.
There’s a lot to it, but suffice to say we were a week from complete bankruptcy the day we raised the price. I could’ve sworn I wrote about that, but forgive me if I didn’t or if it’s not in an obvious place.
It was either “raise prices” on something/everything or stop the project and feel the consequences from overdrafting hard and leaving a wake of debts and becoming homeless.
Thanks for pointing out Vero. You’re right, Vero Labs and us have nothing in common, and we sure as hell don’t want to start.
For those who don’t know, for comparisons sake Vero is an internet marketing project from Dollarhound.com vs. a real company, first off. Secondly, that’s a product that costs pennies to produce and a few bucks to fulfill with -no real support- costs, whereas we’re first class all the way. Third, we’re a company that likes people A LOT and R&D a lot (companies like Vero read our forums see to what to market next!). Those two passions are combined here. We’re not about to drop either! If we did, there’d be no point in continuing.
From a less than inflationary price increase (petroleum stocks have gone up over 300% since we started, and that effects everything we do from chemicals to shipping), we’re now somewhat stable, but there’s more work to be done.
Instead of more price increases, I’ve been working hard on optimizing our existing resources. Fair enough?
Also, we’ve never valued people’s money over their feedback. Who’s here that’s a highly active contributor on the forum that pays MSRP? No one.
We’re also never let anybody suffer. Ever. I don’t know why people think we’re gonna start. When we have ever mistreated any good person?
The rule here has always been that if we see someone who doesn’t have enough money, we just give them certain key stuff to start with. After they see some success in life, they can buy their second order. It’s not something we can talk a lot about publicly, since we’d get taken advantage of, but there it is folks.
Honest to god, we actually care and give a tremendous damn about people. It’s not cheap to the company or us personally, but our investment in our community in the world. What other companies do that?
That’s right. None. (well not much on the internet anyway)
Millwark, I’ll post something soon giving people an idea of our costs vs. the supposed competition. There’s just too much to list. The fact that we’ve been able to do so much more for you at the same MSRP has been astounding, but we do have to adjust that model a bit and get some costs down and bring revenues up or we’re going to blow up from debt or stress or both.
I have too much to do today for today’s releases at the moment to give a list the time it really needs, but would like to get it soon. Maybe it’d make a good sticky.
Suffice to say, we’ve always been “elite” in a sense, and given you VERY ELITE products, we’ve just never an elite for it. We’ve been very dramatic, charing the same amount for real product that no-service, no-quality providers and outright scammers do. Heck, our labels cost more than the active product you get in most other companies bottles. Think about that.
Also please keep in mind that a lot of the price efficiency you’ve enjoyed the past 7 years depended highly on Mike (1 person) doing nearly superhuman feats. His loss hit this project hard.
This project wasn’t designed to scale with mere mortals, as much as it was designed to depend heavily on people like him. He was like the ultimate renaissance man, a Ben Franklin type that did many things beyond what you’d think one person could ever do – and he did it all happily, minus people management. He just didn’t like “babysitting adults”, especially the few trolls who sometimes hit this forum. That made him cranky and useless, so he did his best not to do it and asked people to manage themselves instead. To be nice and decent. (another sort of unrealistic request in the scheme of things, since many people like to be managed and even micromanaged in some way)
We once added up all the hats Mike wore at different times, and it was something like 19. Now that he’s not actively on the project, I actually have to hire (on a rotating basis) almost that many people to perform the myriad of duties he did. That doesn’t come cheaply, and it’s really sort of crazy how many specialists can’t do half as a good a job as Mike sometimes did in his spare time. It’s because he cared, something in short supply sometimes these days. I now appreciate what kind of person he was more than ever.
You know, as much as we’d like to, we can’t run a company like at a near loss forever, depending too much on 1 person. Especially in a business climate like this. It doesn’t scale. It just doesn’t work.
So millwark and everyone else, I understand the concerns you’ve written and it’s not about any of the kind of elitism you write about (pricing good people out of the market).
Meritism, sure. That’s the kind of elitism WE WANT. You’ve always been able to pay with your feedback and even kindness here in lieu of cash, and we’ll keep that. We want to keep the human element and everything else important to us.
So later on, I’ll work up a post that shows point by point many the things we pay for that other companies don’t. Again, many of these things have been costs since the beginning… we just haven’t passed them on. But when your operating account almost overdrafts, and you have a $12k shipping bill for that week to pay, you’ve got to make some bold moves or you simply blow up and disappear like other great American companies have. Notice there aren’t many left?
I’ve got this bracelet. “Tibet Was Not Made in China”
Neither was Edison, nor Tesla, nor Ben Franklin, nor Steve Job’s new Apple, nor Tony Tsieh’s Zappos nor our Androtics. We can still do amazing stuff here, but hot damn, it’s hard man… it’s so hard in today’s self-destructive America, so much is against the innovative today and it kinda sucks… sometimes you just gotta be responsible and do what you gotta do to survive and carry on, and work towards your ultimate ideals.
Thx Jasmin for the post, just wanted you to know from a new user that I am grateful for what you and your company have done and will continue to do for this community and the 1,000’s of silent users who either lurk, or just purchase without ever stopping by here.
I’m at work and really have to run but after reading all of that Jasmin I really appreciate everything you and the rest of the staff there do to make the experience so high quality for us. I’m truly humbled by all that this company has been through and hope for the best. I’ve felt a connection with everyone from the beginning. What about getting much less expensive labels? I mean I wouldn’t mind just a clear plastic sticker on the bottom that tells me what I bought. In fact I sometimes take them off anyways so that people I don’t want to know about these to-go’s don’t find it out. It may save pennies in the beginning but could save something to be sure!
Alright first of all Jasmin, I’d like to say that you and everyone who work at the company are awesome. I hadn’t realized how shaky your operations have been behind the scenes, and it’s incredible that you guys work so hard to provide us with all of these products.
I’m kind of wondering though, long-term, how big do you see the company getting? Because on the one hand, you guys certainly deserve more success for all the work you’ve put it. I don’t like hearing that you work so hard night and day, and the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. But at the same time, I almost feel like I wouldn’t want to see these products on the CVS shelf next to a bottle of axe.
Does anyone agree with me? I feel like part of the pheremones effectiveness comes from the fact that so few people use them. So I was wondering if this is something that’s ever discussed around the office. The product is definitely good enough for that to occur, but I don’t know it would be in the best interest of everyone involved. But that’s from a purely consumer standpoint.
Hahaha this was so sweet, it made my day . I wanted some P88, are there any plans to release some of that?
Right now, our cpa says were about the size of a pizza shop. We could certainly stand to sell more. Even reaching the sales keel of a purely fraudulent product would be great.
As far as popularization goes, you have to consider emotional pollution. Or we do, anyway.
I don’t want to make sexual products big or popular, not the ones that use anone. That would really harm the world. While I don’t mind helping to develop Project UF as long as it remains a niche product, mass popularization of androstenone would be cruel and irresponsible.
We probably wouldn’t be able to price compete with Axe for many, many years, even if we wanted to. We’d have to charge cologne like prices for quite some time. I wouldn’t mind seeing Ammo as something like a taa/p74/anol based Cool Water. Popularity of a social mix would make the world a giddier place. Yay!
I’d also like to see the tech pick up for families. It’s amazing how much some of the molecules can calm a family situation and increase bonding. I use them cautiously, but in certain circumstances they’re magic.
It’s the practical, everyday miracles we want to democratize. That’s good for everyone. It makes the world a better place. The world you, your friends, and your family live in.
The happy bonding chemicals are best when shared. Their power for mass good is enormous. Concentrated they create immense positivity and efficiency.
The dark sex stuff is definitely best when kept a secret! For the reasons you mention, and also because concentrated, they are destructive. Only Hitler would wish heavy androstenone to have Axe-like popularity.
Does anyone agree with me? I feel like part of the pheromones effectiveness comes from the fact that so few people use them. So I was wondering if this is something that’s ever discussed around the office. The product is definitely good enough for that to occur, but I don’t know it would be in the best interest of everyone involved. But that’s from a purely consumer standpoint.
P93 is the p88 standard. Ie p93 is really clean p88, or you could say p88 is really dirty p93
P88s exact process died when it’s manufacturer got taken down for dabbling too heavily in the body building industry.
Just a normal, commercial process, but the company went out of business. You can’t replicate one companies unique commercial processes and errors (some of which may produce good results). You can replicate standards like p93. Standards are made with standard processes, by definition.
We go through a shipping rep, and when we do so, FedEx will just match whatever UPS gives us. It’s only a bit lower. We do that trick every few months, but the regular “fuel surcharge” updates and all that always grow faster.
The advantage to FedEx is that they break stuff less. We get a lot of B2B shipments with UPS, and there’s always something or other broken. A few bottles here or there. UPS are the tough guys of shipping.
When we were Florida based, USPS was OK and a valid option.
USPS from LA, on the other hand, almost single handedly destroyed us. We always got blamed for the actions, so they’re off the map entirely.
A few problems included sort of fake tracking (which overloaded customer service since it doesn’t work like UPS and FedEx), and since LA has one of the most corrupt mail injection points (they leave your mail OUTSIDE, lose it, steal it, throw it away, etc), we had to reship far too many packages.
I know you’re trying to help, and guess what? You are!
I’ve been writing a little headstrong lately since I so much to do, but I love almost everyone here.. in a big, big way… I definitely appreciate your kindness and willingness to help!! (and that goes for everyone else I’ve read recently, too!)
