From bubbles to the cloud:
Rocware has a unique history, and an even more compelling future.
The Minneapolis-based company began after siblings Sarah Welle, John Erck, and James Erck worked at Extreme Bubbles, started by their father. The artisan toy company, which makes bubble solution and bubble wands, found distribution in boutique stores, but struggled with expanding in the marketplace.
The situation led the trio to consider more efficient ways to share product information with potential customers. Once they came up with the idea of putting catalogs into a cloud-based environment, they knew other small manufacturers and customers could benefit as well.
"The mom-and-pop store is back," says Welle. "These store owners want to buy local, but they need help in getting started. That's where we come in."
Rocware developed a site where a product purveyor can create an online catalog that can be shared privately with customers. Since manufacturers tend to have different pricing and different product categories depending on the customer, they can tweak the catalog based on who's viewing it.
For example, a natural foods store looking at a soap manufacturer can see a catalog that has only organic products, with pricing based on smaller orders. Welle says, "This makes things better for people on both sides of the equation. It's completely customized." Another benefit is that users can create a purchase order with just a few clicks.
Rocware is unique, Welle says, which may be why the company is growing quickly, with over 50 customers right now, and more signing on every week.
Welle says, "We're really passionate about helping small businesses, and connecting with artisan product creators and mom-and-pop retailers. We aim to keep growing, and have fun along the way."
Source: Sarah Welle, Rocware
Writer: Elizabeth Millard