I once had a boring job in an office, and at their Christmas party, I presented a portable powered speaker that I had built into a tub of face cream. It simply plugged into anything with a headphone socket, and made the sound louder. I have a degree in Electronics, but had somehow drifted away from my dream of working as an engineer. People at the party loved my creation, but then someone said, "if you can build that into a beer can, I'll buy it." It took me about a year to figure out how to do it and at the next Christmas party, there I was with my portable speaker built into a real beer can. The sound was a lot better, but when I showed it to the same guy who had challenged me, he wasn't interested. It was as if he’d totally forgotten what he'd said last year about buying it.
But the more I showed the beer can around, the more motivated I became to make more, and to make better ones. The reactions I got off people were great. My job was outsourced to India, and I became redundant. My wife walked out soon after because I couldn’t pay the rent and she said I was nothing but a dreamer. I did look for jobs, but I was obsessed with the products I was creating. My daughter stayed with me, and told me to call the company ZUPP - because "It's ZUPP to you - you can choose your can, and we build the electronics into it."
I now have a range of different speaker can products, from 500 ml up to 5 L gallon cans, 2 Watts to 25 Watts, and it's the most rewarding feeling to be able to turn my dreams into real products that I can give to people. Moreover, instead of buying a mass produced Chinese item, why not buy a piece of electronics that’s made with passion, just for you.
More info: zupp.biz
Give a drinks can a second life
Get those cans off the street and let me turn them into portable speakers that will stay yours for life
Choose your can - it's ZUPP to you
