JOHN NACSA
Founder, TakeOFF
Tree sap. Candle wax. Grease. Santa Clarita’s John Nacsa has developed an industrial-strength retail product that can wipe them all away without a trace.
On the web: www.takeoffwipe.com
Phone: 661-347-6436
Email: [email protected]
1. Let’s take a trip down memory lane: Why, and how, did you come up with the idea for TakeOFF?
It started with the first product I came out with, which is called The Definitive Solution (www.dscleaningkits.com), a cleaning wipe for industrial label printers for businesses that owned and operated industrial label printers, print apply machine, print applicators. One of the big manufacturers that used to sell a toxic (adhesive removing) chemical, quit selling that toxic chemical, trichloroethene, and then I had all these people that were using it and they needed to find a (new) solution that would work for them. We found the solution. We marketed to that industry pretty successfully and it’s continuing to grow.
One day I was in the Home Depot and there was a customer there asking if they had any kind of adhesive remover and the guy that worked there, I stopped, you know, and listened to this, and the guy goes, ‘You know, we don’t, but we have Goo Gone.’ And I said to myself right there, ‘Wow, they don’t have anything decent.’ Our product’s 10 times stronger than Goo Gone. It doesn’t leave a residue. It’s eco-friendly green.
That’s kind of how it’s evolved to a retail product, from a B to B to a B to C. … We just got the website done and we’re marketing it. We’re attacking retail now.
2. What has been the reaction to TakeOFF in the marketplace, and how is business?
It’s a challenge, because I don’t have any seasoned, polished salesmen selling that new product. It’s really, at the moment, me. … I really didn’t want to start on this product until we had a website, to give it some credibility and some visibility. We’re really just taking off, if you will. … I know sales will do well, because we’ve done well in the commercial area. We’ve just got to get people to try it. That’s really what it’s about.
3. It sounds like the process of bringing a product to the retail marketplace is complex. How would you describe your experience so far?
It’s not an easy thing for the retail. It takes time. … With our product, the most important thing we can do is get the people that are looking to distribute it to try the product. Once they try the product and see how well it works, they’re like, ‘OK, we understand what you’ve got. This is good stuff. This works.’ … It’s slow progress, but once people start using it, they’ll get hooked on it. That’s been our experience in the commercial world. Once you find something that works, you know, you use it.
4. How has your company’s website, built by Signal Digital Solutions and optimized for all devices, helped push TakeOFF to the next level?
“Working with The Signal, they got everything done the way we needed it done. Now we can really move forward with sales. It’s kind of hard to go out and sell something when you don’t have a website.”
