In today’s customer spotlight, we are pleased to introduce AKALO and its Co-Founder Mike Dixon who created a wearable vitamin company that takes pride in offering an innovative wellness product to market with the help of product liability insurance.
Mike Dixon, Co-Founder of AKALO, left
Taking your business and your product to market entails a substantial amount of work and dedication. So many factors contribute to your success—from having a legitimate business plan in place to formulating the correct social media and marketing tactics to use.
Today we want to provide you some insight into how Mike Dixon created his company, AKALO, and drove his product to market. Mike understands the process of generating an idea and propelling it to the forefront of the wellness industry. He’s created a transdermal vitamin patch as an alternative to the oral consumption of vitamins that allows for keeping up an active social life in a big city. With the help of product liability insurance, Mike has been able to successfully take part in trade shows, create partner relationships, and confidently sell his product online.
AKALO is alifestyle wellness brand focused on creating innovative products to improve people’s everyday lives. The problem AKALO has a solution for? Getting back on your feet after a weeknight of networking and socializing.
Finding Inspiration
“We are professionals in need of a tool to help overdoing it during the week. We want to achieve more and live fully—and do it in a healthy way,” says Mike when asked about what inspired him to get into the wearable vitamins industry. And what better way to take care of your body and prepare for a night out than with a topical patch designed right with the nutrients your body actually needs?
Mike Dixon idealized AKALO after graduating from college. As a soccer player, staying on top of his health and wellness was always at the forefront of his mind, and after a few years in the professional world, its importance multiplied.
As Mike thought about the people in need of daily supplements he thought about who he wanted to target and who the patches would benefit most:
“As college athletes, avid travelers and lovers of the amazing food and nightlife in New York City, we were often out late and up early maintaining our social and professional lives. When we came across the world of topical vitamin delivery, we decided to create our own nutritional experience for our friends and family.
We look at wellness mindfully, recognize the importance of balance, and focus on productivity. AKALO brings to life a completely new method for supporting a healthy lifestyle.”
Creating Goals
Mike wanted to make something that would overdeliver to his customers. He wanted something that would deliver vitamin D, a well-studied role player in sleep cycles, winter blues, and immunity boost. He found that in the US, productivity lost as a result of hangovers is $300-400 billion annually. Wouldn’t it be great to not even need a remedy?
The idea of the patch on your body is like a computer chip in a machine. The patch transfers supplements into our bloodstream making oral supplements a thing of the past. Oral supplements, Mike learned, weren’t the best option for what he wanted to accomplish. He found that they don’t completely deliver what they promise because of our bodies self regulating. This means our bodies absorb what they need from the foods and vitamins we consume during digestion and get rid of the excess almost immediately.
The patch isn’t meant to help you drink more, instead, it’s meant to mitigate how you were going to feel despite going out to drink anyway. These patches are for the responsible professional who makes plans in advance. “We want to encourage you to keep up your social life smartly while being able to up your productivity—nutrition and wellness in mind.”
Finding Success
Mike found a lot of success in having his product validated in the retail space early on. With positive return at trade shows and pop-ups, Mike knew AKALO would be able to continue blooming.
He advises start-up hopefuls to know their “Why?” and their MO. AKALO was founded upon being thoughtful about what is being put in your body. Mike holds deep values in making sure his foods and supplements are giving him the proper nutrients, allowing him to be conscious of the lifestyle he lives. When you are genuinely curious and invested in where your products’ values lie, then you are able to approach it with a humble perspective, something Mike believes in.
Product and Insurance Go Hand-in-Hand
Mike knew his product would require insurance to go to market. He sells something that goes on people’s skin—it was obvious. By having product liability insurance, “You are creating trust with your customers,” he says when asked what other values he finds in insuring his product.
In building partnerships and relationships with other brands, Mike’s even been asked to provide his certificate of insurance, which is pretty standard in the industry. “You need to be able to trust your insurance. Not everyone is asking if you have it, but it’s self-aware peace of mind that you’re giving yourself.”
Why Product Liability Insurance with Insurance Canopy?
“We sell a product that goes on people’s skin, it’s clear we needed product liability insurance,” says Mike when asked what drove him to purchase an insurance policy.
In today’s retail market, it makes sense that anything meant to be put on the body or into the body would need to be protected with product liability insurance. What might be difficult is figuring out who to purchase insurance from. And Mike let us know why he chose Insurance Canopy:
“Insurance Canopy’s investment of time led me to purchase insurance through them. The process wasn’t robotic and I was actually chatting with real people. Sometimes I had complex questions that an automated service couldn’t answer and I was glad I was able to actually talk to someone on the phone about my issues.
Product liability insurance gives me peace of mind to focus on the things I really need to focus on. That’s its value right there.”
We loved talking to Mike and wish him the best on his journey with AKALO. If you’re interested in learning more about this innovative company or in purchasing their transdermal patches, visit AKALO.
You too can protect your business with product liability insurance! Insurance Canopy offers product liability insurance from reputable insurance carriers, allowing you to run your business confidently and meet requirements to sell your product in the retail space. Our team provides manufacturers, importers, and distributors with customizable policies for consumer, commercial, and industrial goods and services. We pride ourselves in making sure each client receives, quick, efficient service and quality coverage.
