The difference in sign stakes
Many of us never think about yard sign stakes until we need to plant a few around our home or business. Did you ever think about what went into its design, its engineering, I mean it’s just a wire stake that holds a plastic sign up in a yard?
And where do these things originate; many would guess a large factory in China cracking out millions of them for a cheap price. As a small business owner, you start to ask questions about how things are made and where they come from. We are living in times where we need to think about where the items we buy come from.
There is one small manufacturer who actually experienced a problem and decided to figure out how to make it better for everyone. StakeWorld manufactures and sells a variety of sign stakes to organizations and businesses that put up plastic signs in their yards. The idea of improving it came from the owner’s frustration of putting a stake into the ground and having the support bar bend or break, making getting the job done mush longer. Being an engineer, he looked at the construction of the wire stake and then the materials that go into the wire to form the stake. Many designs and prototypes later he found a way to develop a strong sign stake that not only would be strong enough to work but one that actually can be used many times. He also looked at only getting US steel supplies and having the products manufactured 100% in the USA.
Years later when COVID 19 Pandemic and the resulting supply chain issues arose, the company was able to supply their customers with sign stakes because many competitors who used Chinese made stakes were no longer able to keep them in inventory. The best part is that their stakes are really not much more than the ones from China and offer a far superior product.
Sign stakes are just another simple item most people never think about except to buy the cheapest product to do the job. On one hand you have to consider is it worth it to save a few pennies now and continue to buy more because the product doesn’t last or is the difference in cost offer a longer-term usage thus saving us money in the long run.
Another thing we need to consider is supporting our fellow
small businesses rather than going abroad just because we can save a few
pennies. In many cases foreign products are subsidized by their government to
be competitive and hopefully take over the market and squeeze out the little
guy. Its understandable when the price difference is very large but in
something as simple as sign stakes, these items are not only better quality and
more durable in many cases they are the same price.
Neal Rabogliatti, President Digital Marketing Stratagies LLC
