OneAndOneIs2

Well done! We look forward to sharing your first million pounds - money that is, not sand!

Looks good, but you need a FAQ.

Do I just take the lid off and put it in the microwave? Is the jar itself microwave safe? How hot does the jar get? Do I need gloves/hotmat?

No electricity? What's the microwave running on then?

The coloured sand- is it safe?

What should I do if I spill hot sand?

Can you explain more about putting drops into the sand?

Where can I buy aromatherapy oils?

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hope those are helpful... :)

Oh yes, and is it THERMaren, thermAren, thermARen, thermaREN, or thermarEN; pronunciation wise. :)

Thanks Alison, it's not easy to write an FAQ until people have started asking questions! :o) Those are now all answered on the FAQ page.

And pronounce it however gives you greatest pleasure, I would wish it to give you nothing less ;o) "Therm" is a well-known prefix for hot things and "aren" is latin for sand (this is where we get the word "arena", funnily enough) so that's the derivation of the name, if that helps..

10 years down the road, you're going to have commercials like the "Hyundai, like Sundae" one that is running. (Which is hilarious because that's not really the original pronunciation, but whatever.)

Good news is, you'll have enough money to do so.

Thermaren...like Red Baron.

Thermaren...like a gay wren.

Thermaren....like...guitar...umm?...guitarin?

I hope I do indeed make enough money to be able to run commercials just to correct people's pronunciation :o)

Nice to hear from you again, Vampy!

*Raises hand*

Why should I buy your product? You say it is the same as normal sand, and the only difference is the colour... so, why don't I just use normal sand?

(I don't use aromatherapy oils, so I don't know what this is about either.)

Another question; sorry for the double post in short time span, I thought of this right after I posted.

How often would I need to replace it? Or is it a once in a lifetime thing? Would the colour wear off or what?

Here's an encouraging tidbit from the U.S. -- my Mom caught me on your website, and she asked me why I was looking at candles. I told her they were not exactly candles, but they were rather jars filled with a therapeutic element that you put in the microwave. Then I asked her (very average woman in general, loves candles) what she thought of this idea, and she immediately said "Yea, sounds good, I'd love one! Kind of like a candle, but no smoke and no hassle!

Pretty reasonable prices too. If I can scrape some money together I may purchase one. What's the shipping like to the U.S.?

How is business?

Thanks for that, Andrew - always nice to hear people like the idea :o)

In fact, my main problem so far is that everyone who hears the idea likes it, but getting it effectively marketed so people know it exists is proving harder than expected. I'm getting there tho!

Shipping to the US is unfortunately more expensive - it works out to around 7 UKP for a single jar (of either size) but at least the dollar:pound exchange rate is on your side these days :o)

"In fact, my main problem so far is that everyone who hears the idea likes it, but getting it effectively marketed so people know it exists is proving harder than expected. I'm getting there tho!"

I understand. One interesting thing I heard on the news, though, is that those (oftentimes annoying) infomercials selling a variety of "useful" products (e.g. suction cup handles that assist elderly persons in stepping into a bathtub or shower) are becoming increasingly popular. In fact their sales (at least in the U.S.) have apparently skyrocketed (at least 3x or something like that) during this global recession. On the surface that may be surprising, but really it makes sense -- people are hunkering down in their homes and not going out to retail stores or restaurants to pander money there. So they are buying items from the T.V. to make their lives at home a bit easier.

You may want to try a similar route if it ever becomes feasible budget-wise. Your product is one of those things people would strongly consider purchasing to make their lives at home a but more enjoyable. Either way I think you'll be very successful if you market this correctly.

"Shipping to the US is unfortunately more expensive - it works out to around 7 UKP for a single jar (of either size) but at least the dollar:pound exchange rate is on your side these days :o)"

That's not prohibitively expensive, but it'd still make a but of a dent in my pocketbook :P I'll have to scrape some money together.

One other thing you forgot to mention is how much fun it is to play with the colored sand by spinning the bottle around or shaking it. Smart move with the different colors/sizes so that they will group and not just mix. (Jeremy explained all that to me.) I love the little bottle we have.

I sheepishly admit we haven't used it for its intended purpose yet because we keep forgetting to get the other important part...the oil.

I said, "One other thing..." above, but that's odd because I don't remember you forgetting to mention anything else. Weird old person brain.