Our business seeks to relieve the extreme discomfort caused by wearing bullet-protective vests (and other gear) through our proprietary patent-pending support shirt worn under the vest, holding it in place and providing vented flows for air underneath. This solves the problems of BOTH sweating and discomfort by a) reducing the amount of moisture that pools under the vest while it is being worn and b) keeping the ill-fitting vest from resting directly on the body, which causes painful rubbing and results in open sores.
Problem & Solution
Problem Worth Solving
Thin Gold Line, Inc., was established to address the problem of standard protective gear not adequately fitting the unique physical requirements of each law enforcement officer who wears it. Knowing that the extreme discomfort of the gear too often leads to officers not wearing it, our goal is to provide optimal comfort to ensure that every law enforcement officer everywhere comfortably wears a vest every shift, from beginning to end.
Our solution
1041.LIFE is a proprietary shirt designed to solve the problems of sweating, ill-fit, and pain caused from wearing bullet-protective vests. It utilizes a proprietary blend of hemp and other fibers to efficiently wick away sweat, while the padding keeps the vest off the body, allowing for airflow and preventing rubbing and the aggravation of sores.
Marketing & Sales
Marketing Plan
BRAND STATEMENT
Thin Gold Line Solution's 1041 shirt allows law enforcement officers to feel both comfortable on the job and confident they'll make it home, shift after shift.
STARTUP MARKETING EFFORTS
Covid-19 has presented some challenges, but we are in the midst of launching our marketing strategy through the use of the following tactics:
• Targeted outreach to strategic partners, government agencies and officials, and B2B customers
• Major wholesalers and distributors of tactical gear
• Connections with vendors who have established GSA contracts
• Developing solid followings on social media (Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube), and cultivating our professional networks on LinkedIn.
• Sponsorships (first big sponsorship with NASCAR in October)
• Public relations outreach (mainstream and niche media, podcasts in particular)
The primary focus of our marketing and outreach efforts consists of developing relationships with agencies and organizations for a B2B approach. Already discussions for a statewide purchase order with the North Carolina Highway Patrol are underway, and many other initial contacts with decision-makers at government agencies throughout the state and the country have been established with requests to be informed when the launch commences. Additionally, we are actively pursuing:
• the development of a vast national network of professional connections, leaders, and manufacturing representatives in the Blue Goods retail space who sell at the municipal, county, state, and national level
• the possibility of executing licensing agreements for each market - law enforcement, military, outdoors and sporting goods
We based our product pricing on a close study of all of our competitors and so are very competitive.
MARKETING BEYOND SIX MONTHS
After the initial production round, we will be modeling our marketing efforts on the success of Paul Crandell, the executive responsible for creating and implementing the groundbreaking and successful GoPro marketing strategy. Some of the strategies he implemented there might translate for us as such:
• Cultivated community of enthusiastic customers: There has been strong enthusiasm in the beta testing rounds, so we anticipate much in the way of recommendations and referrals. Couple this with our foundation's efforts to build community and incentivize everyone keeping each other safe. This would be a major PR effort.
• Joint venture partners: While the ultimate goal will be to have a vest manufacturer or other relevant major corporation buy the patent outright, until then, we plan to partner with vest and sports equipment manufacturers to scale our reach.
• Promoting our users: In conjunction with our foundation, we will highlight our "heroes..." the law enforcement officers, dispatchers, first responders, military personnel, and athletes who are forces for good in their communities.
Thin Gold Line, Inc. is headquartered in Wake Forest, North Carolina and is structured as a C-Corporation in Delaware as of August 1, 2020. TGL is owned by its founder and CEO Sara Hall. Presently, she and Bradley Pope are the only members of the board. One new outside board member will be added prior to production.
Team
Management team
Sara Hall is ultimately responsible for all decisions. Decisions are made in consultation with a small team that consists of fractional C-level executives and external advisors with expertise in startups, funding, design, production, branding, sales, and business systems.
Sara Hall, Founder / Chief Executive Officer
Sara's experience as a North Carolina Highway Patrol Telecommunicator led her to see the need for this innovation. Her unusual ability to see solutions outside the box combined with her dogged determinism has driven this process from an idea conceived in a dream to the point of beta testing a product that promises to have worldwide impact for millions of people - all in just 15 months. She laid down her headset this past summer, but till then, she has driven this project while working very long and unusual hours for the NCSHP and successfully running another small business (founded in the spring of 2017).
Sue Kemple, Senior Advisor / VP of Vision and Culture
In 2019, Sue co-founded a startup incubator focused on supporting women entrepreneurs, and Sara was the incubator's first client. Nine months later, Sara requested Sue's support full-time in Thin Gold Line. Her eclectic entrepreneurial background includes having established and been the principal of a charter school, founding her own startup and serving as a startup CEO for another, and coaching small business owners in effective marketing strategies. Her responsibilities are focused on designing and overseeing the marketing strategy, but she also serves as an all around mentor and advisor on vision, culture, and leadership.
Kate Belford, Fractional CFO
Kate has been a financial consultant and owner of a bookkeeping agency for 17 years. In 2009, Kate served as Executive Director for TIE Carolinas, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to foster and support entrepreneurship in the Carolinas. Prior to this she was the Co-Founder and Head of Finance for World Air Leasing, Inc., a premier aviation company based in Las Vegas. She managed several large government mail contracts and chartered domestic and international charters servicing 130 people or more at a time. Kate is able to provide insights that are unique for a head of finance, given her entrepreneurial background.
Brad Pope, Community Relations Ambassador
When he was 16 years old. Brad - a farmer by blood - expressed an interest in working for a local funeral home. The owner took him up on it, and eventually, he came to purchase, grow, and sell the business for a handsome profit. He continues to farm and is slated to spearhead a hemp farm cooperative we hope to establish to provide economic boosts to agriculture while sourcing our own raw materials for our shirts. In the meantime, he is civic-minded, a strong supporter of law enforcement, and active in his local community. His work for TGL right now is focused on building relationships at the local and state government levels.
Randy Hall, Senior Advisor
Randy's background is in finance, where he has a strong track record of management and overseeing quality assurance. He leads operations for Lend-A-Box, the family business he owns with Sara. Randy's calm, reasoned, and cautious approach is complementary to Sara's bold and optimistic tendencies to charge full-steam ahead. In his capacity as Senior Advisor, he is quick to flag and examine threats, helping to keep the operation on track and steadily moving forward.
Advisors
• Bradley Abbott, End-to-End Product Design and Development
• Shannon Ferguson, National Sales Channels / Licensing Opportunities
• Shawna Lemon, Patent Counsel
• Will McGuire, Funding
• Kathryn Hasani, Diversity and Inclusion
For more information, contact:
Sara Hall 919-931-2626
[email protected]