Michael Hinson is no stranger to running a business. He had already been in the industrial food service for several years before launching his own vending company, Global Vending Solutions, which he and a partner ran for 10 years before it was acquired by Canteen Vending Services.
After that, he went on to found Avenue Brew, a coffee vending service and artisanal coffee brand, later acquiring three more coffee companies. Hinson operated it via its website, and his intrigue with the growth of fully online retail relative to brick-and-mortar stores would eventually plant the seed for what would be his next business venture.
“I learned a lot during that time, as far as marketing and just the number of different key performance indicators,” said Hinson about his exploration of online business.
Last December, Canteen bought Avenue Brew as well. After selling it, Hinson looked toward a new burgeoning interest.
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“I was always intrigued by electronics, quite frankly,” he said. “And I started doing more and more research, and the Bluetooth industry was growing.”
Big Dogs Speakers, Hinson’s new brand of audio electronics, is a new frontier for the entrepreneur, born from an incorrigible curiosity. He began studying the technical side of Bluetooth technology, even going on to pursue engineering.
“I just wanted to know why,” he said. “What makes it sound clearer? What make the batteries last longer?”
Hinson connected with a graphic designer to help him design the speaker, set the specs and expectation, and found a partner to help find a manufacturer. After several months, Big Dog launched on Oct. 16.
The speakers are designed to be an affordable alternative to high-end stereo systems. They go up to 105 decibels with a clear sound, are waterproof, has 15 hours of playback, can be paired with a TV and used to charge a phone. They also bark when powered on, and whimper like a pup when cut off.
Hinson is working with downtown marketing firm Wier/Stewart to get the word out, and the company has a burgeoning presence on social media. This is in keeping with his aim to keep business in the CSRA as much as possible.
“I wanted to try to make everything local because I wanted to give back to community that supported me,” he said, noting that while operating Global Vending, even while a franchise under Canteen, most of his business was from the area.
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Big Dog Speakers also contributes 5% of its profits to Hope House, an Augusta charity dedicated to helping women dealing with mental illness and substance abuse.
“This is definitely a different project for me,” said Hinson, whose company has already fielded orders from as far as Texas, California and Hawaii. “There’s a pretty fair amount of people locally that have begun to support us, and we’re starting to see traction in that manner.”
For more information Big Dog Speakers, visit its website at www.bigdogspeakers.com. For more information on Hope House, visit www.hopehouseaugusta.org.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
