Vision - March 2009 - (Page 26) newsline association news & views Now with a manufacturing agreement in place and production underway, Sigal says his next big hurdle is the retail market. He believes the challenge is a combination of consumer behavior and buying decisions at the larger retailers. “Retailers aren’t aggressively buying and stocking single or double SKU products anymore,” said Sigal. He is still actively seeking retail partners, with deals to be announced soon. Sigal regards his participation in CEA’s SBC as key to his success, finding it a perfect venue for small businesses to share ideas, successes and challenges. “At CEA’s Industry Forum, I met a lot of people who had been down this road before, and they gave me some good pointers,” Sigal said. “The experience gave me access to really smart people,” he added. With his company’s first products just beginning to ship, Sigal is optimistic about his future. “I’m doing something that not many people are doing right now,” he said, “I have taken and continue to take huge personal risk.” He finds comfort immersing himself in a group like the SBC and believes the SBC is the best venue for learning about the industry, connecting with other small business leaders, and when the time comes, giving back to those just starting up themselves. To learn about SBC programs or to join, contact Deb Kassoff, dkassoff@ CE.org, 703-907-7655. • sbc member profile Making a Mark: Jake Sigal, Myine Electronics Jake Sigal of Myine Electronics is one of the newest members of CEA’s Small Business Council (SBC), and at just 27 years old, one of the youngest. Drawing on the confidence he gained from some early successes in his career, a degree in engineering, a knack for business and a love for technology, Jake followed his entrepreneurial spirit and launched his own company. Sigal’s goal for Myine Electronics (www. myineelectronics.com) is to produce products that make technology simple to use. He believes this is the key to attracting busy professionals, technophobes and retirees alike to his start-up company’s line of Internet and terrestrial radio receivers. Equipped with only a stack of business cards, Jake attended the 2008 International CES having just founded Myine Electronics. He left the event with new contacts and returned one year later as a CES exhibitor with two products to demonstrate this past January in Las Vegas. Exhibiting at the 2009 International CES proved a game-changing opportunity for Myine Electronics. Sigal demonstrated prototypes of his upcoming products, garnering great press for his company’s Wi-Fi Internet radio receiver and time-shifting FM radio recorder. “As a start-up and a small business, exhibiting at CES was the best decision we have made,” said Sigal. In contrast, Sigal found that looking for a manufacturing partner was more challenging. “It was difficult trying to find a partner who didn’t require a 100,000-piece minimum order,” he recalls. But as the economy slowed and larger companies were cancelling large orders, doors opened for Myine Electronics to find an overseas partner. Making Music My Way Continued from page 25 at the center of a lot of discussions today because Warner Brothers Records asked him to implement a “Voluntary Collective Licensing Plan.” ISPs and universities are to tack a $5 fee on to consumer’s monthly bills to allow them access to all of the music on the Web legally. I’ve spoken out against this plan because there is simply nothing that will be voluntary about this fee. Those who choose not to “opt in” will be prime targets for the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) lawsuits. My ultimate fear is that the major labels once again will control the music industry, except this time by controlling it on the Internet. At the International CES in Las Vegas in 2007, I discovered a campaign seeking to advocate on behalf of consumers, artists, innovators and creators to protect their rights to use digital technologies. The Digital Freedom Campaign (DFC) and I shared the same philosophy—artists must be free to create and consumers must be free to enjoy the creation. I later worked with the DFC as it traveled the country visiting colleges to educate students about their rights and about how to get involved in the pursuit of protecting consumer and artist rights. It has become my greatest pleasure to speak to students and share my love of technology with them as they prepare to enter the professional world. It is technology that will better prepare them for their futures. To read more about Murphy’s experiences with digital rights management, see her full story on www.CE.org/ vision. To hear more about the DFC, click on www.digitalfreedom.org. • 26 March/April 2009 www.ce.org http://www.myine.com http://www.myine.com http://www.CE.org/vision http://www.CE.org/vision http://www.digitalfreedom.org http://www.ce.org
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