Man Cave Daylights In Centerville
Uniquely “Male” Company Caters To Guys— And Their Stuff
CENTERVILLE - On first glance, fascinating images of Neanderthals on the Discovery Channel come to mind. Or the recent array of auto insurance commercials stating that “Even a caveman can do it.” But in this case, Man Cave—a company focused on What a Man Wants— has got cable, HDTV and a mini-fridge with a case of beer in it.
And Man Cave advisor Terry Sweeney is in a position to make it happen.
The young company started just eight months ago by “Rose Parade: Cure For The Winter Blahs” 7 University of Minnesota graduate and current CEO Nic Beste of Minneapolis functions much like Tupperware and scrapbooking events that many women host—only this company and its products are clearly geared toward men.
“Thousands of companies demonstrate and sell products to groups of women in their homes,” states the Man Cave Web site [http://mancaveworldwide.com].
“Man Cave is finally doing it for men.”
From grilling tools and accessories to premium meat products like brats, sausages, and steaks, and from poker products to home bar accessories, Man Cave sells a variety of products that men want, crave, and even need—maybe.
One novelty item features a magnetic beer bottle opener, a contraption that fits snugly on top of the bottle and, with a quick pull, removes the cap without even a turn of the wrist. Small wonders.
The company even sells a beer pager for quick location of one’s adult beverage at a party. Sweeney recently got into the mix, hosting what the company calls a “MEATing” on January 13 in the basement of his home. The former Centerville mayor, who has been working in the building industry over the past 25 years, said that times have been tough due to the economy, and for the first time this past year, he found himself unemployed.
“I had been out of work for awhile,” said Sweeney. “It’s been really tough.”
But he said that he stumbled onto Man Cave and decided to do some research.
After contacting a company representative, “the rest is history.
I was ready to try something new.”
Man Cave lauds its “no front-end investment” clause, making becoming an advisor inexpensive and virtually risk-free. And CEO Beste agreed that he is seeing more and more advisors getting involved who have fallen on hard times during the economic downturn.
“We have a lot of people involved who are in real estate,” Beste said.
Man Cave currently has 253 advisors like Sweeney, and as that number grows, so does the company. Beste said he predicts sales in the next 11 months will top $10 million— not bad during a recession.
As an advisor, Sweeney is considered an independent business owner who markets products through MEATings, like the one he hosted last week. He cited some clear advantages to being involved in the company, including being his own boss, having a flexible schedule, and getting a good excuse to have some friends over for meat and beverages.
“It’s fun to have some buddies over, drink some beer, look at the wares (namely, the Man Cave product catalog), and have a good time,” he said.
Sweeney’s MEATing was a gathering of men—and women—indulging in samples of what Sweeney had grilled up (meat products his customers munched on included Cheesy Beer Snack Sticks, Jalapeno and Cheese Snack Sticks, Buff alo Blue Cheese Brats, “The King’s” Tri-Top Sirloin with Ultimate Steak and Roast Rub, and Chicken Bacon Ranch Brats), while paging through the Man Cave catalog, talking Wild hockey and Viking football, and sipping at cans of Miller High Life or, in the case of the ladies, glasses of red wine.
Hey, wait! Isn’t this geared toward men?
Sweeney said that when he was together with some of his friends and family over the holidays, he found that the Man Cave products interested men and women alike.
As for the financial aspect, Sweeney admitted that it would be nice “to make a few bucks” through the process.
Man Cave claims that advisors can make up to a 26% commission on their sales, with various incentive awards for product sales, a “Golden Mug” award for reaching a $1,000 sales total.
As for his first MEATing, Sweeny said he was pleased with the results.
“The turnout was good and I got two people interested in hosting their own MEATings,” said Sweeney.
Turns out that team sales can profit him another 7%.
But most importantly, these guys (and gals) had fun while doing it.
Posted just behind the sampling table near the basement bar is what Man Cave calls its “Man Laws.” Ten were listed, but this one says it all: A man is permitted to build his ‘Man Cave’ in any way he wishes. However, no ‘Man Cave’ shall ever include: A fr idge incapable of holding a case of beer, ‘Fat Free’ potato chips, and any variation of the color pink.
“The best part of the whole deal was having an ‘excuse’ to get together and have a good time,” said Sweeney.
Cover photo: Citizen fan Pat Keys and buddy Mark Raleigh held a caveman party last summer. “I am a HUGE proponent of the Man Cave movement,” Keys said. No real cavemen were harmed in the writing of this story.