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Neon Husky

Celebrating the Art of Infinite Possibilities

Flaming Poodles and numchuks – no, there is no cruelty, violence, or kinkiness involved, just clean fun known as manipulation art – the art of doing anything with a prop (e.g., creative weapons art [martial art stage routines], juggling, magic, and kite flying). Neon Husky promotes the art and sells the props; Endicia drives its shipping.

Inspired by a vision borne from failing vision, Jim Dorman founded Neon Husky in 2000. True to the "infinite possibilities" part of its tagline, Neon Husky supplies an array of props that lets the visually-impaired and fully-sighted find enjoyment in so many ways. Though its emphasis remains on supplying illuminated props and upholding the "never let go" ideal, Neon Husky now provides props that people can let go of if they so choose.

Background.  In 1989, three years after having started juggling, Jim Dorman was diagnosed with two degenerative retinal disorders that have steadily eroded his eyesight. Certified legally blind by late 1998 and with his eyesight still on the decline, Jim Dorman lamented the thought of having to forego the tremendous joy and wonderful friendships attained through juggling. Little did he know at the time that good would come from his misfortune.

In the fall of 1999, Jim Dorman attended the Lopez Island Jugglefest. Upon spinning some glow stick poi (glow sticks on a cord) and realizing how easy they were to keep track of, it dawned on him to try doing so with his eyes closed. To his slight surprise, he never missed a trick. Since then, Jim Dorman has been searching for manipulation arts that do not require sight. After attending the first-ever Damento juggling festival, in which he received interest in his chain poi, sold some fire poi, and discovered numchuks as a non-releasable prop, Jim Dorman quit his day job and started Neon Husky in 2000 with just $88 a week in unemployment checks. A Web site and four revisions later, Neon Husky has become a robust business, receiving inquiries from around the world and, in 2006, having shipped products to every continent, even Antarctica. On a typical day, it averages about 3 to 4 orders. In December 2006, it averaged 5 to 15 orders per day. All of the orders shipped via the Postal Service.

Neon Husky generates about 95% to 96% of its revenue via online sales, all from its Web site, and the rest from selling goods year-round at juggling and art festivals. At Christmastime, its big seller is its Astrojax (part cat toy-for-humans and part yo-yo) product line and, during summer, fire poi (e.g., any type of torch). Though the business still keys on providing illuminated props and promoting a "never let go" principle, it now offers goods for a wide range of different manipulation arts.

Endicia's Role  An Endicia customer since June 2004, Neon Husky started with Endicia Premium and upgraded to Endicia Professional in November 2006. The upgrade enabled postal confirmation - with a single acceptance scan - of all the day's shipments bearing electronic Delivery or Signature Confirmation (e/DC or e/SC). The acceptance scan puts customers at ease and lets shippers provide better customer service while reducing or even eliminating time-consuming, gut-wrenching customer shipping inquiries.

After invoicing the orders and picking and packing the merchandise, Neon Husky uses Endicia to print complete, prepaid shipping labels on a laser printer. It generally uses four-up label sheets, but when using Express Mail or customizing labels with logos and messages, Neon Husky switches to two-up labels. For quick and easy weighing, it employs Endicia's 25-lb USB integrated postal scale. Additionally, for international shipments valued over $100 and domestic shipments valued over $200, it normally uses Endicia Insurance because there is no paperwork to apply the insurance; plus, Endicia Insurance is up to 67% off the cost of postal insurance. Moreover, Neon Husky utilizes e/DC on all domestic mail classes that support it, thus saving $0.46 to $0.50 per mail piece over the retail price of Delivery Confirmation.

Of all Endicia features, Neon Husky uses most Stealth Indicia, customizable e-mail notification, creation of completed customs forms, and the acceptance notification scan. Stealth Indicia, by not showing the postage amount, lets Neon Husky charge a fair shipping and handling fee without angering customers. Customizable e-mail notification alerts its customers that their orders are on their way, thereby providing them with excellent customer service and decreasing call volume. The creation of completed customs forms eliminates their manual completion, saving time and increasing accuracy. The acceptance into the mailstream of mail pieces with e/DC or e/SC, via a barcode scan, decreases customer shipping inquiries and proves to even incredulous customers that their orders have shipped.

With Endicia's address verification, Neon Husky's shipments are very accurate and successful. Jim Dorman of Neon Husky reports, "Endicia works so well that the Post Office and Postal carriers have no questions about Neon Husky's shipments." He adds, "We save tons of time compared to the alternative – visits to the post office, manual completion of customs forms, and so on." As for cost savings, Jim Dorman estimates $500 per year.

Summarizing his feelings about Endicia, Jim Dorman states:

"I recommend Endicia to my colleagues, and my local post office even thinks you guys are the greatest for the way your forms always scan & process. Best of all, I get to do business without sifting through a ton of advertising. If your goal is to help businesses get things done, you are succeeding very well."

The Future  Neon Husky will continue to advance manipulation art and seek out new, ever-inventive goods to offer (as a manufacturer and reseller), with no idea considered farfetched. It has started experimenting with lighting products and designer computers.

To learn more about Neon Husky, visit www.neonhusky.com.