Last month we mentioned Mark Rocket, a New Zealand businessman whose dedication to flying on Virgin Galactic went so far that he changed his last name to Rocket. It turns out Mr. Rocket is quite the entrepreneur: besides his own personal web site, he has the “Rocket Network” of businesses, primarily related to internet services and business: shopping cart software, anti-spam software, and email marketing campaign solutions. One that stands out is Rocket Florist, an online florist. It has, though, attracted the critical attention of comsumer.org.nz, a Kiwi equivalent of Consumer Reports. According to an article by the non-profit organization, it charges $80 for bouquets from customers but the value of the orders it passes on to local florists for fulfillment is only $49, in part because of a convoluted supply chain with several middlemen, each taking a cut. “Rocket Florist’s service is a waste of money,” the article concludes, noting that people can save money by using a local florist instead. “After all, it’s just a bunch of flowers – it isn’t rocket science.”
One other note: Mr. Rocket’s web site includes a number of images from his visit to Mojave last month along with a number of other Virgin Galactic “Founders.” One photo is a group shot with “50” of the Founders (although there appear to be only about 40 people in the photo, including Burt Rutan) posing in front of the White Knight aircraft. This is probably one of the few group shots of a significant fraction of Virgin Galactic’s 100 Founders.
With regard to your comments about my business, Rocket Florist, the article you referred to was extremely one-sided. The courtesy of a right to reply wasn’t extended to me, they used an out-of-context comment and generally gave a misleading impression of the business.
As you can see from the comments on the site, Rocket Florist actually has the support of many satisfied, happy and repeat customers. We stand behind our products to the extent of offering a 100% moneyback satisfaction guarantee.
The guys name was Mark Stevens before he changed to “Rocket” and “launched” his network. The Consumer article was spot on and widely reported. He’s been very successful in his ventures and so vanity aside, why not use those profits be the first Kiwi to book a ticket?