After dealing with the company I work with for the last 4 to 5 years, and having to deal with a lot of, well, crap, my coworker and I have decided to start our own company. His background is geared more towards residential buglar and fire alarm systems, while I am focused more on audio/video, networking. We both do CCTV and some other stuff. Anyways, I am wondering if you guys can recommend the best course of action as far as finding distributors and what we might have to do to get authorized for some lines. Pretty much any advice would be appreciated.

CEDIA

You were at a company for four to five years and you never heard the names, nor learned the locations, of any distributors they dealt with? Well, okay, I guess...

Name some brands you want to sell, call their US offices, and find out how to buy them.

Like Ernie said, that's what I did. I just called up ''in my case'' the Canadian offices and they told me where I could get their products.

Source product from amazon so that you can mark it up a little.

It's just not the same without some type of picture to go along with it. :)

Out of the 170 posts you have made and who knows how long you have been reading this site you have not picked up on the &$@$* names? and put the letters together of ones that are shown. some blank out more then others like @v$*, or %v@d? and so on? some even blatantly name out the names.

C'mon, and you worked for a company for 4-5 years and not once picked up on a disty? even the companies that are direct dealers for products have a disty. Dont mean to be mean but is something not right with this? We all had to do our research and honestly its not hard at all to find them. or perhaps your question is better suited for behind close doors on a site that the general public cant see.

If we start naming names on here every DIY'er that knows how to use a drill and throw up a flat panel behind j-channel and his buddy complimented him on how good it looks will think he has the knowledge to start a company & have his wife fill out all the business paperwork for him. We call them Trunk-Slammers.

Thats how i got started.

Hey stamp that would be funny if it weren't so true.....We all know that your the definition of a trunk-slammer =)

And yes I know I know everyone has to start somewhere.

You are not the only one with a snazzy truck Sig.

Stamp - love it.

goldenzrule - Stay at the company 2 more weeks, but this time, pay attention to the pink slips that accommodate the products your boss gives you. Or look at the boxes they came in. Look at the ship to address and yellow-book that name. That's your supplier.
OK, I'll give you a hand with a few; Costco, Best Buy, eBay, Amazon & WalMart are just a few that you can shop without much homework.

Oh, BTW, list of suppliers is the least of your worries. It'll take you a while to set up licence, insurance, advertising items (business cards, stickers, trucks, etc). Man, are you about to spent/loose a lot of time (& money) before you make your first dollar.

There are many suppliers in the market place.

Find the one that meets your needs: products, knowledge, training, technical competence, freight policies.

The first one you find might not be the best. Check with trade magazines for major players.

Here's a list.

[Link: customretailer.net]

Depends on what brands you want, and where you're located. And how willing the distributor is to help you.

Edit - and I don't know why people complain about AV*D so much, with so many other distributors available.

Back when I was a boy scout, I played a pretty mean round of Taps on my bugle.