It's Almost October?!

I can't believe it. I shan't believe it. I'll go on denying that it's true, regardless of evidence of fiery autumn leaves, blustery evenings, and rain. Autumn is here, and I've no idea where the time has gone. Synergy Spaces has accomplished some milestones, and made some changes under the hood over the past couple of months, and I'd like to tell you about them.

So, what's new?

First, The prototype SS-15 subwoofer was finished, and put through some agonizing sine wave tests. Then, we adjusted, tweaked, and tightened things up. More tests revealed some core strengths and some limitations of the design. It wasn't bad, but the performance characteristics of a subwoofer's recreation of test tones only paints part of the overall picture. Music, and movies consist of complex wave forms, not simple sine waves. As such, once settings are dialed in via test tones, and sub is properly integrated into the rest of the system, that's when the magic happens.

Secondly, our GoFundMe page was officially listed on the public directory. This is good news, because people searching for ventures like ours can now find our page a bit easier than before. We've got a couple of extremely generous donors, and welcome the participation of others if they are so inclined.

Thirdly, the Synergy Spaces Theater Space/Test Lab is nearly complete, at least externally. Our partner Mike was instrumental in helping to push the partial deconstruction, expansion, and reconstruction of the Space. And, although officially 2 months behind my original intended schedule for the completion of our Theater, our cadence is set to complete the exterior this month. Electrical, HVAC, and interior work will commence in the months to follow. The self-imposed August 2013 deadline will more realistically reflect a Spring 2014 completion. As with most projects, time and money are contributing factors. We'll get there, just more slowly than I'd have liked.

And finally, our partner Peter, has officially resigned. The Lord has blessed he and his family though Peter's Architectural firm, and he had to remove himself from Synergy, to better focus on his own growing obligations and endeavors. Peter still has an interest in Synergy Spaces, and we plan to collaborate with him on some projects in the future. But for now, Synergy Spaces is back to a two-man show.

We've been experimenting with some building materials, and have come to the realization that several of the items we'd planned to outsource from other companies, can be built in-house for less. Even when including labor and time, we'll be slightly better off producing our own acoustically transparent movie screens, and acoustical panels (and of course, subwoofers). Look for these products to appear on the website soon!

I'm also personally contributing to the completion of a private cinema for a colleague and friend. We aren't being contracted to build the Space, however I am doing a fair bit of the overall consulting and design of the challenging retrofit, and will ultimately be brought in to configure and calibrate the system. We're selling our first SS-15 subwoofer to the owner (woohoo!), and will likely use photographs, and testimonials from the family to help generate additional interest in affordable theater spaces.

In summary, we're moving right along- if a bit more slowly than I'd prefer. However, I feel momentum beginning to build a bit, and I'm excited to see what's coming up next!

God bless you,

Good Night

Update on the SS-15 Mk II

It's pretty late, so I won't be writing much this evening (morning?). However, I wanted to share that we've inched one step closer to producing our first subwoofer line. My business partner was kind enough to take my design, and hand craft a test cabinet (production units will be milled on a CNC), while I assembled the list of requisite "guts" for the subwoofer. The order was placed. We'll take delivery of the sourced speaker driver, and amplifier by mid-week; and our test mule should be "bass-worthy" by next weekend!

I'll be sure to post more pictures as the glue dries, sanding, finishing, and final assembly occur.

Good night,

Finger Paint

Hi there,

With each step we take toward making our little company real, it becomes more obvious that this is a huge job: What was I thinking?! When I first conceptualized Synergy Spaces, it was an easy 10,000 ft. view of what "could be" in a pretty abstract framework. "We'll make cool Man Caves" was the genesis. Then, each little creative impulse built upon another, which spawned other ideas, and so on. Once we had a more focused vision, it was time to begin laying the groundwork for assembling the resources and identifying necessary steps to execute the plan. At first, I began with some room designs.

I'm a creative guy at heart, so when I couldn't wrap my head around a portion of a legal document, I hit the pause button on my analytical "inner geek", and drew upon my brain's creative right-hand hemisphere to push ahead. Once several draft Theater Spaces concepts were created, we rendered them in software. Only after we did this, did I find that I was completely frustrated with the current models, and literally wanted to start from scratch, preserving only the room's inner dimensions. Being personally, and professionally "financially broke" didn't help the situation. I would think: "Until we pad our bank account, and line up some customers, how could we even hope that our business would be around long enough to build the "Spaces" we're designing?"

Perhaps we needed to first aim for a smaller target. This came to me in a non-glamorous way: "If we couldn't build the fully equipped Spaces right now, maybe we could spool up some of the very accessories we'd planned on selling with the Spaces?" Maybe it's obvious to you, dear reader, but it wasn't to me for almost a year. In hindsight, it only made sense to focus on creating and selecting a core set of accessories, and plans for our Spaces that we could ship as an Internet Direct company. Overhead is a lot lower in this incarnation, and we could begin now.

So, I put the plan into motion, and I decided that our first product would be a subwoofer which is suitable for both movies and music. Sure, I could have just as easily started with a cool set of throw pillows (don't laugh, I actually thought about it), but loudspeakers have always been an obsession, and the thought of designing a subwoofer for the consumer was both thrilling and challenging. In the long term, we have some emergent relationships with a "real" speaker manufacturer who will provide our upcoming ultimate/premium line of subwoofers. However, in order to get started, we decided to utilize our own design as standard trim.

We pressed through a few revisions of the SS-15 Mk 1, and even had a Facebook vote for gathering feedback on some cosmetic changes (social media can make for a wonderful focus group). Along with these cosmetic changes, a structural modification, and a pared down suite of finish options, the SS-15 Mk II was born. It is this model of subwoofer we're hoping to roll into production very soon. It may be simple at first glace, but it's completely rife with decision gates, and design choices that had to be considered. My only hope is that it dazzles the intended customer.

As soon as I was able, I placed some artwork on the website, and worked through inserting my first 3D rendered movie clip as well. The renderings are amateurish, and the video has some defects that I couldn't eliminate with my current skill set, but I was proud. In my eyes, it was good. When I showed off the simple page (which took hours to build) to my partners, I received some unexpected negative feedback. It stung a bit, but their intent wasn't to hurt my feelings; it was constructive. Another colleague of mine is an esteemed web developer. When he looked over the site, I received welcomed praise. It's funny- I explained to my colleague that it meant a lot to hear them speak so fondly of my efforts in web design, and loudspeaker design presentation. Yet, it felt as though I were merely a toddler dabbling in finger paints, showing my primitive handiwork to a well established artist.

Regardless of a bad or good report, keep moving forward. Keep growing, dreaming, planning, and doing! None of us know what in the world we're doing when we take up most new tasks, hobbies, or professions. We may have read about, or even trained for the occasion, but we aren't yet experts. But, that's the operative word isn't it? Start. Wherever you are, start today. Conditions will never be perfect. Start anyway. Take a step in good faith. Know you're one step closer to your goal, and one step removed from your former self.

More SS-15 Mk 1

Good evening,

It would appear I've got a one-track mind these past few days. My thoughts are consumed with subwoofers! There are several designs that Synergy Spaces hopes to eventually produce, but the SS-15 Mk 1 is our first. It may not be the best we ever build, but it's our baby. Very exciting!

Not that I could even remotely compare myself with God, but going over each detail of the creation, and design processes has been a joy. Love has been poured into each detail, and in the end, we hope it comes through in both appearance, and performance. I'm sure this is just a taste of the absolute joy the Lord experienced when he created the Heavens and the Earth, and all therein!

Although the design is about 99% complete, it's proven difficult for me to render some details which do not come through in my sketches. visualizing items such as round-overs on certain edges, or the exact wood grain will have to wait until we actually begin the build process- or I get a lot better in utilizing my tool set. Even so, it's really great to see something that only existed in my imagination, progressively come to life on the screen.

Another BIG thanks to our friends, family and supporters! This wouldn't be possible without you. Most importantly, thanks be to God, who inspires all good ideas.

Good Night

Launch Product SS-15 Mk 1

The title of this blog officially tells my corner of the world, about Synergy Spaces' first product. It isn't even a room at all, but a powered subwoofer for both music and movies. Those who've known me for any reasonable length of time, are aware of my passion for Audio, Video, and Home Theater (Makes sense that a portion of the business is centered on related products and services, doesn't it?). And after really considering all of the effort, decisions, and expenses involved in getting our Spaces off the ground, it became obvious that our launch product needed to be a bit smaller.

We're not giving up the dream of creating the best small-scale dedicated Theaters, Game rooms, and other Spaces (we're currently slowly completing our first listening room behind our house), but will use products like the SS-15, and others in the pipeline, to begin to amass the inertia required to be able to reach those larger goals.

This whole notion may seem silly to some of you- and maybe you're wondering why I'm pushing so hard to "will" this company into existence. Why should anyone help me, or contribute precious resources, when there are so many other worthy, noble causes? Honestly, I don't have a great answer, other than to share a bit about what some of my long term goals are for Synergy Spaces.

If we can simply get started, whether it be through consulting, installation, or products, Synergy Spaces will create the absolute best possible experiences in small form factor rooms, whether it be for movies, music, gaming, reading, working, or relaxing. We aim to add value to people's lives by thinking about what people want from their homes, but perhaps cannot accommodate, or afford, via traditional solutions. We believe our small form factor rooms are just the ticket. Whether one of our custom structures, or retrofit for an existing spare room, we want to be the very biggest thing in small, fun spaces. That is who we are.

Now, some people would be fully content with stopping at that point. Why not work hard, create a niche market of "fun rooms", and call it a day? There wouldn't be anything wrong in doing so. However, there's a bigger plan.

Imagine if you'd spent hours of research, and through sweat and tears, eventually built 10 small rooms. Chances are pretty good that you'd learn a thing or two about the process, materials, and customer's needs, that you didn't know when you'd first started. After 100 structures, even more insight would be acquired, allowing for innovation in construction, and transport. After 1000, you'd be pretty good at your job, and might find a dozen additional items to tweak and refine. You'd definitely have more established relationships with vendors, a more seasoned team, and large customer base to help push forward to the next level.

Once really, really good at building small auxiliary structures, our aim is to branch out into the housing market. True to Synergy's style, we wouldn't be content with building cookie-cutter houses, like everyone else. Boring. We would leverage hard-earned expertise into designing and building the very best in sustainable, small form factor homes. Once Synergy executes some pretty clever neighborhood designs (and maybe spawns a finance company to accompany the product), we'll finally have the resources required to step into the missions field and create housing developments for those who need homes.

Instead of going to Mexico (or neighborhoods in our own back yard) to build a single home, Synergy could quickly "roll in", and lay the foundation for a whole new neighborhood for those who need efficient, and sustainable shelter. Imagine sharing the Gospel with an entire community, as their world is transformed around them. It's community. Relationships. And that my friends, is what life's about.

God desires a relationship with us, and as Christians, we need to model that for one another. Personally, I can't imagine more fulfillment than building "community", by literally building communities. That is why the initial launch of the SS-15 Mk 1 is so important to me.

God Bless!

You Need A Great Team

Growing up, I never particularly participated in, nor followed sports. As a result, I don't know much about Vince Lombardi, other than surface knowledge of his coaching the Green Bay Packers (among other teams) in the 1950's and 60's. However, being a red-blooded American, I certainly grew up with exposure to his influence as a motivational speaker. As is relevant to this post, a quote applies:

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."

To that end, in a crowded McDonald's dining room yesterday, my business partner and I formally integrated another member into our company. Our new team-mate has vast experience in the field of construction, and possesses a personal set of values, enthusiasm, and skill-set which truly compliments our purpose. Our fledgling company is one step closer to turning our Spaces products into a reality.

We've also made headway with our GoFundMe project page; whose sole purpose is to give a boost in areas we're trying to get a foot hold. Specifically, a custom subwoofer line. While I'm fully aware that we are first and foremost a "cool room" company, our Spaces are expensive to produce as a launch platform! However, our Spaces are designed to be outfitted with accessories and products germane to the purpose of the room- but those products aren't limited to our Spaces.

Therefore, if we can begin to vend quality AV products, and offer services to those who may not necessarily want or need a dedicated room, it's essentially a seed which can ultimately grow the company into fruition, which matches the vision that I see in my mind's eye.

A special thanks to those who support our dream!

Wow, just... Wow.

I can't believe it's been an entire year since my last post. After re-reading a few of my last entries, I'd hoped to sit down and tell you about all of the wonderful things we've been up to these past 365 days. It certainly has been busy, if not amazing. Let me explain:

When one sets out to start a company, they begin with a concept which represents a product (or service) which will, when fully matured, offer value to society. Surely the byproduct of earning a living from the venture is a factor, but the passion that makes the idea stick comes from the persistent thought of contributing something to the world. It's this drive that's helped us organize, file, apply, and register. It's helped to navigate each mind-numbing, potentially negative business scenario in the Operating Agreement. It's all of the boring stuff, which causes fatigue, and makes my eyes glaze over. If we just continue to walk through the discipline, eventually we'll get there.

So, what have we done in the past year? In short:

• Created a legal entity, Synergy Spaces, LLC
• Demolished, transported, and rebuilt a prototype structure (which is slowly being transformed into a Theater space)
• Worked through 9 different variations of the turnkey Theater space design (still finalizing the final product)
• Began planning additional space designs
• Acquired some entry-level equipment for the Theater space prototype, as well as a couple of pieces of test equipment
• Made a few key industry veteran contacts, which will eventually prove beneficial
• Established dealer and wholesale relationships with Acoustimac, and Parts Express for sound absorption, dampening, and AV-related products
• Defined a branding style, and acquired 'badges' to be used on some of our upcoming products
• Renewed the business for 2013, and filed our very first Tax return
• Established a relationship with a contractor, and are in process of bringing him on board

As you can see, there hasn't been anything big, or flashy that's come about. However, when you add up the little things, it's apparent we're moving forward.

Good Night,