On another note… who’s watching Shark Tank tonight!!!  I’ll be tweeting live at 8:00 EST #sharktank @grillcharmer.  See you online!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

I get asked this all the time... Is Robert a nice guy?  Yep, Robert really is as nice “for real” as he is on the show.  Actually, based on the season so far, I think he’s NICER in person!  I do have to give a big shout out to Ontario Gas and BBQ (www.bbqs.com) because not only are they my biggest Canadian customer, but also my distributor for the entire country.  (So any of you neighbors to the north have any questions or need anything “Grill Charms”, give my ol’ pal Duff Dixon a call!)  I don’t have a ton of time to write because I’ve got orders to fill (NICE problem to have) but tune in tonight for the follow up from friend and fellow Shark Tank season I alumni Tiffany Drumins with Ava the Elephant http://on.fb.me/hWg5us

Want to see the "behind the scenes" pics of the show?  Here you go!  http://on.fb.me/ihIIxE

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

In the blogsphere The Mom Chef took Grill Charms for a spin:

As did the PI of products:

http://piofproducts.blogspot.com/2011/03/kitchen-capers-event-grill-charms.html

Thanks Mom Chef and PI!

The majority of my business comes from the wholesale market.  I’m trying to balance that out a little and gain a few more online sales.  In doing that, I am now working with Greg Hoffman of Greg Hoffman consulting http://www.greghoffmanconsulting.com .  to see if through the enigmatic world of affiliate marketing I can get my retail vs wholesale numbers a TAD adjusted.  I’ve never claimed to be an expert at ANYTHING, so I certainly don’t have the answers, and like everything I’ve done up to this point, I’m winging it and see what happens! ;)  I CAN say that Greg has been such a wealth of information, and I have been very impressed with his work so far. 

Being that it is grilling season for some of us, and FAST approaching for others, I have been tearing up the phones with calls to kitchen/grilling/gift stores across the US.  I have a little system since my product is so seasonal.  In late February the push is on and I start in the lower latitudes.  Then as the season and months progress and people start to thaw out, I work my way up the US.  I’ve found that store owners just don’t want to talk about grilling out when they are still buried under 5 feet of snow! That’s about all the excitement right now, but stay tuned for more updates and more grilling videos at it stays light later… THANK GOODNESS!  So glad to see you spring!

Shark Tank update: http://www.i-newswire.com/grill-charms-hooks-another-spot/98749

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

I left my career of 9 years to become a stay at home mom (like my husband and I always planned I would do).  Three years into living my dream of being that “ideal” stay at home mom (whatever THAT is!), I had an idea for a business, followed that dream and completely derailed mine and my husband’s expectations of the "perfect family".  It is HERE that I feel my guilt radiates from.  Growing up, my mother was a stay at home mom and my two younger sisters and I agree to this day that our childhood was just about PERFECT.  Our home was loving and caring and unbelievably happy.  Because of this, I wanted to do things exactly like the most perfect mom in the world... MINE.  (Which meant being a stay at home mom.)  I never planned on having any kind of light bulb moment where I would find this urge... (Compulsion really) to start my own company, but I did.  Now I wrestle daily with what I can't help but feel are my "selfish" desires to be a successful entrepreneur.  I hate that I feel this way and on an intellectual level, I know that these thoughts and feeling are RIDICULOUS, but I can't help but feel "mommy guilt" none the less.  I have realized that my guilt stems from my preconceived notions and life experiences which tell me that the most perfect childhood comes from having a mom that devoted herself completely to her children. Well.... as happy and wonderful as my childhood was, I am learning through new life experiences that a "perfect childhood" can come in many different shapes and sizes.  I do feel like our home is full of happiness, TONS OF LOVE, encouragement and all the things that make for happy, healthy, well balanced adults in training and the best part is, I'm showing them that it can be done "differently".  My daughters were 1 and 3 at the time of my "deviation" so they have always grown up thinking all moms were also "entrepreneurs" or inventors. With this, I am hopefully breaking the chain of mommy guilt with them and showing them that happy childhoods don't necessarily come from 1 perfect formula.  It's too late for me, but maybe I am leading by example so that the next generation of mommies won't suffer from the mommy guilt syndrome quite as much.  Okay… that’s my soap box for the day… comments??

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

I did a little media the other day on a local news program called “My News 2”.  No matter how many times I’m on TV I still can’t stand to watch myself.  If YOU want to see, knock yourself out:

http://www2.counton2.com/lifestyles/2010/dec/14/my-news-2-one-womans-inspiration-start-her-own-bus-ar-1221873/

I saw enough to know that I need to seriously lay off the salt the night before I go on TV!  Does anyone have any tips for puffy bags under your eyes besides the old Preparation H trick?  Any new products out there for bags under the eyes that REALLY WORK?

Speaking of things that work and don’t work, I’m not seeing a ton a results from the Facebook ads, but that’s not to say it doesn’t work period.  I’m one of the most tech unsavvy people I know, so I’m not surprised that I didn’t do it “right”.  I’d love to hear if any of you have had luck with Facebook Ads. 

Today is the last day of school, so I will be doing the work/kid juggling act for the next few weeks.  Thanks to my mom, Santa will be able to deliver the Barbie Dream house.  I was in a panic a week ago because EVERYWHERE was sold out.  THANKS MOM!  Well I need to get back to work and try and get a few more sales under my belt before I go get the kids.  If I don’t talk to you again, have a WONDERFUL holiday!!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

Grill Charms™ are not only wonderful stocking stuffers, but perfect for host or hostess gifts for those holiday parties as well as fantastic "general" gifts those holiday gift exchange games among friends and coworkers.  For a more elaborate gift,  pair The Spicy Collection with a Mild, Medium and Spicy sauce or rub.  There is also the Shark Attack Gift Pack for the big griller in your life. (which is also 10% off today) Order 10 sets of Grill Charms™ or more and get free shipping and handling.  For volume discounts for employee or customer appreciation gifts this season, please contact me at lhaywood@grillcharms.com 

Okay, enough blatant self promotion how was your Thanksgiving?  We couldn’t have asked for a better day.  80 degrees and sunny, man I love the south!  We fried 2 turkeys and brined and rotisseried 1. 

Just about everyone in the family LOVES the fried skin, so we do that many turkeys not so much for the meat, but for the SKIN!  I know… it’s a sickness. I host the event in my home and everyone pitches in with their assigned dishes.  It’s such a wonderful day.  This was the second year without Pa, so it was easier than last.  There is still such a hole in my heart around the major events, but it does get easier.

Today I’m working away on all things “holiday sales” because I will be out of town on business and I’m not sure how good the internet will be.  It is a really quick trip, but every single day counts right now.  As you know, this is the time when all us product having folks are supposed to push those numbers into the black.  I just tried my first Facebook Ad.  It should run in a few hours for today only talking about my Cyber Monday sale.  I’m not sure how effective it will be, but I thought I’d give it a shot.  I’ve wasted a lot more money on a lot stupider things.  With FB ads, you can REALLY zero in on any target group you want.  I targeted females today since they are the ones doing the present buying for the grillers in their lives.  We’ll see what happens J 

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

By the way… I am working on uploading all my posts from the old website. It will just take a while, but not to worry… I’ll get there!  I’m going to work backwards and upload the newest to oldest.  I’m not sure if anyone will even remember me back from when I first started!  Oh… on an “invention” note, my friend and mentor Tamara Monosoff has a fabulous opportunity for all you mom inventors of children’s products.  Look! http://www.mominventors.com/2010/11/15/big-announcement-new-mom-invented-product-search-is-underway/

People ask me all the time about Shark Tank and how things are going since the show.  I could not be happier with the outcome and all I can say is… You need to tune into Season II !!  I CAN tell you that the show led to the coolest of collaborations in the BBQ and grilling world.  You might remember the Pork Barrel Barbecue guys who were backed by Barbara Corcoran??  Well we have all teamed up this holiday season to offer the Shark Attack Gift pack.  You just never know where your next business partner may come from.  Here is the press release: http://www.grillcharms.com/mediacenter#giftpack

One last little bit of housekeeping regarding the new site and then next time I’ll get back to my normal blog… I FINALLY have a real affiliate program!!  So if you have a website and want to make a little extra cash this holiday (or year round for that matter), here you go!  http://www.grillcharms.com/affiliate  It is sooooo easy!  And FREE!  Okay… I think that’s about all for today.  Next time I’m going to tell you all about the Grill Fried Chicken we made the other day.  Sooooo tasty!! 

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

Mommy Millionaire interview part II and III http://www.mommymillionaire.com/radio/tag/leslie-haywood went out, the interview with Hybrid Mom http://www.hybridmom.com/articles/work-business/entrepreneur/grill-charms-essential-grilling-accessory-mom-behind-invention is up and I finally made it to Rachael Ray!!!  Okay, so I didn’t get asked to be on the show like I had dreamed of, but Grill Charm™ are in the June/July issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray!  I’m just so excited I can’t stand it!!  It’s very fitting that all this is coming out now, as I’m right in the middle of telling you how I do this stuff.  I’ll continue with more on “how to”.  (The Inc. article goes into some detail as well, but most of it you know, if you’ve been following me) 

On with more “social media” and the new PR:

Another trick of the trade in the 2.0 world of PR and marketing is “friend”, “fan”, “tweet” or reply to the blog of the contributors to your favorite shows and magazines.  They are much easier to access then going straight to Matt Lauer or the editor of Bon Appetite Magazine.  

Another true story:  through an urgent HARO tweet I was hooked up with a freelance writer who was working on a story for Health Magazine.  Her story (and subsequently mine) was published in the April issue.  Now she and I have become “friends”.  It’s not necessarily the editors that you want to get buddy buddy with because they work for 1 magazine.  Writers contribute to MANY media outlets (and they are a lot more accessible).  As a matter of fact THIS MORNING, I had an interview with the co reporter who worked on the Inc Magazine story because she was working on another story about podcasts and how to prepare for various media.  She saw that I had so much to say for the Inc. Magazine article, that she kept me in her rolodex and called me last week wanting to set up another interview for another story she was working on (which we did this morning while I was sitting in my minivan, as usual!)  Also, with a polite RT and @ mention on twitter to Food Network Canada, Grill Charms ™ were featured up there as well:

http://community.foodnetwork.ca/blogs/foodnews/archive/2010/04/17/pic-of-the-week-charming-steaks-on-the-grill.aspx

BEWARE though!  DO NOT STALK!! (or even appear to be stalking!)  I always conduct myself with “charm”, grace (well….my “grace” is variable…., I’ll admit I can be rough around the edges, but that’s only AFTER you get to know me !), and the utmost respect of one’s privacy.  I throw out a line or two to a person and if they don’t bite, I can take a hint and move on.  Some people use the “tenacious” approach, but I don’t really agree with that for me personally.  It’s not my style and I think it smells of desperation.  If you have a good story to tell and give them something they can use, if they can use it, they will. 

Keep track of all your press mentions with Google alerts and post those mentions on your blog or news page with a link to the hit and by all means, Tweet and FB the link.  Press begets press.  It’s truly a snowball effect.  In your pitches to new media (as well as new and potential customers), make sure you mention your successes.  “Grill Charms™ (recently featured in EveryDay with Rachael Ray)……” is a GREAT opener!!  Have a great week folks, and we’ll talk more soon.  

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

Here is my typical day: Up at 6:30, get both kids in the car by 7:30, drop the 7 yr old off at school by 8:00, go to the gym with the 5 yrs old for a quick work out and shower.  Have the 5 yr old to school by 9:45, home by 10:10, work until 12:30, grab a “soup to go” on the way out the door, pick up the 5 yrs old from school at 1:00, home by 1:20, work until 2:35, in the carpool line for the 7 yr old by 3:00, homework time then depending on the night, soccer, tap, ballet, gymnastics, dinner, maybe a bath if time, kids to bed by 7:00.  Then, depending on the night, work, dinner and conversation with the hubby, or an event with the various organizations that I am a part of.  (The Chamber of Commerce, The Komen Foundation, Charleston Young Professionals…)  I have done live podcasts from the carpool line and conference calls from the laundry room!

Now I’m not telling you this to get any sort of pity or even praise.  I LOVE my life and as “Mompreneurs”® this is just what we do!  I am just sharing this more of a reminder to ME that starting in August, I’ll have both kids in elementary school and the sky is the LIMIT!  I have days that I am really burnt out and think about just selling it all, but then I think… “Leslie… you’ve done the majority of the “hard” part and did it when the girls were little and arguably, the most “work”.  Now that you are about to have some set “company time” (maybe even 4 consecutive hours a day!) let’s open’er up and see what this baby can REALLY do?! 

This leads me to another little topic I thought of while on the phone conducting business on the way to pick up the 1^st grader.  I have A LOT to thank Shark Tank for, but one of the biggest things that show did for me (besides getting my product in front of 5.5 million American’s and doing business with multi millionaires) is that it “exposed” me for what I am and therefore has given me TREMENDOUS freedom to be that “Southern Mom turned entrepreneur”.  I do take customer calls from the carpool line and answer emails in the parking lots of the girl’s ballet studio.  I do interviews on the go and send PO’s from vacation.  Before Shark Tank, I tried to act like a “big dog” and not let anyone know what really happened behind the scenes.  I still think that is important to do in many cases, but I was “outed” last year and I LOVE IT!  My customers know that when they call, I don’t have a receptionist, you WILL get ME and you may or may not hear children in the background.  100% professional… NOPE, but then again… That’s something I have never claimed to be.  WOW… sorry for rambling on so today.  I didn’t even get to more on social media!  I’ll continue that next week. 

1 last thing!  My mentor, the Original Mom Inventor Tamara Monosoff just came out with her latest and greatest book “Your Million Dollar Dream”.  I’ve got my copy right here on my desk and if you don’t have yours Here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071629432?ie=UTF8&tag=mominventincw-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0071629432

Tamara shares the story of one of my very first “real sales” when I just received my first shipment.  It as November of 2007 and for those of you that have been with me from the beginning, you’ll remember this one!  I did it topless!  (page 109 of the book)  See…. I NEVER said I was EVER professional!

Other hits:

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

Here is a podcast I did the other day and in true “Mompreneur” style, I multitasked with the best of them!  To listen, go to http://www.toginet.com/shows/believeinyourfairytale  and find the one for 4/14.  My  segment is around minute 30.  The show was live and the show time was such that I would not have time to pick up my 7 year old from school if I did it from the office, so I went to her school early and sat in the carpool line to do the show.  You do what you’ve got to do right?! 

I just got back from a cousins wedding in upstate New York and while up there, Canadian TV ran my episode of Shark Tank.  I started getting all these orders and wholesale requests from Canada and couldn’t figure out why!  Thank goodness for Twitter!  A Canadian follower filled me in.  I’m going to keep this blog post a little short because I just got back and have lots of work to do for our wonderful neighbors to the north.  Thanks for the support folks!

Okay, on to a little bit more about social media.  With social media you can immerse yourself in PR and Marketing 24/7!  IMO, The single best free PR tool you can have is HARO.  Help A Reporter Out.  www.helpareporter.com.  For those of you not familiar, it is a free service where 3 times a day you receive information regarding stories that media of all kinds is working on.  The urgent queries are sent out via Twitter, @helpareporter.  I can talk all day about HARO, so if you want to know more about, we can talk after or just sign up and you will be amazed!

Something else I do, once a month I have in my favorites the web addresses for every major television show I want to appear on and just see if there is ANY possible way that I can any topic they are looking for.  They all have little sections on their websites usually entitled “be in the show”. 

Right now, The Bonnie Hunt show is looking for Kid Inventors

Ellen Degenerous wants to know if you have had a crazy hard sale find

Martha Stuart is looking for a guest with a “unique craft” that you can show her on the show.

Oprah is looking for folks to talk about how a past guest has changed their lives.

 The list goes on and on and on.   All of the things I am telling you now are what got me on ABC’s show Shark Tank, which ultimately pushed me into profitably in 2009, my second year on the market (which is almost unheard of)  I’ll tell you how it all came together. 

There was a show a while back called “The big idea with Donny Deutsch” which I watched religiously.  It was all about entrepreneurs and small business success stories.  On the show’s “be on the show” section of the website, it instructed viewers to send in a video about how the show helped you, which of course I did.  They loved the video, called me up and flew me to CNBC studios on two separate occasions to do segments on the show. 

Fast forward to this summer.   Out of the blue, I got an email from a producer with Mark Burnett productions saying they were shooting a new show for ABC.   He had been on the social networking site for small business (Start up nation) and saw that I had won Start up nation’s Home Based business of the year contest.   He went to my website and checkout of my “news page” which had a link to my YouTube account and my appearances on The Big Idea, liked what he saw, and the rest is history. 

I’ve got more true life stories coming up next week… stay tuned ;)

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

http://www.theworkathomewoman.com/2010/03/interview-with-shark-tank-contestant-leslie-haywood-of-grill-charms/

http://sharpsburg.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/grill-charms/

http://basilmagazine.com/cms2/view.htm/2/58/914/1769/Eat+Grill%20Charms 

And next week I’m doing an interview at www.toginet.com  Tuesday, April 13 from 12:30-1:00 pm EST.  The name of the show is “Believe in Your Fairytale and Your Zing will come True!”  After the show airs, it will be available to download for free onwww.itunes.com/podcasts .

Before I go into more about this social media thing, just a quick update about my saga with Frontgate.  EVERY THING IS FINE!  J  The ship date wasn’t until the 4^th, so I knew I’d be okay with that, and there wasn’t even a slap on the wrist.  YEAH!!!  I feel so much better !!  Today I received an acceptance letter from the catalog Femail Creations for their holiday catalog and it was just the vendor manual with contract, so I signed it and faxed it back.  Now it too says all PO’s need to be confirmed within 48 hours, so don’t you know, I’ll be SOOOO looking out for it!!  I’m not going to make THAT mistake again!!  J 

Okay, onto a little bit more about social media and PR.  Last time we left off, we were talking about becoming an “expert” (or being perceived as an expert) 

This is where my blog came into play but if you are still intimidated by starting and maintaining your own blog, get involved and active and basically ride of the coat tails of your target market or others in your field whom already have established Social Media street cred. 

Use other people’s social media savvy to spread the word about your product or service.  Regardless of the fact that I have my own blog, I still write articles, contribute and “guest post” on other people’s blogs.  (Of course, always linking back to mine as well as add to my “news” page.)  Bloggers are always looking for well written content.

Get reviews on your business, product or service from bloggers in your industry.  I would search out the higher ranking blogs of my target market foodies, grillers and believe it or not, mom’s / women. (because Grill Charms are such a great gift item and we all know who buys the gifts in the house!)   I would get active and comment on their blogs and follow them on twitter and make it a point to RT some of their tweets.  (RTing is one of the highest forms of flattery J)  and eventually reach out, introduce myself and ask for a review.  Once I get a review, the first thing I do is post on FB Grill Charms page which is linked to my twitter and then put it up on my news page with a link to the story.  Then I would blog about all the links I had for that week.  (as you all know)

Oh, social media success story from this week:  The article above with Basil Magazine… Here’s how that went down.  I followed her on twitter, she followed me back, I asked if I could email her some product info, she DM’d me back with her email, I shot off my “schpeel” and she CALLED ME 5 minutes later saying she loved the product and wanted to feature it!  This stuff WORKS people!!

You want to be an expert?  Have your own radio show.  With blogtalkradio all you need is a decent microphone and you can have your own show.  If you don’t want to devote the time, simply ask to be a guest on an already existing radio show.  I’ve done about a dozen online radio interviews.  Once again, those “in the know” of social media and “content marketing” already have radio shows you can contribute to.  Just go to  www.blogtalkradio.com  and search for your industry or topic, then reach out to the host (if they are on blogtalkradio, GUARETEED they are on FB, Twitter, LinkedIN and have a blog you can comment on to break the ice) I know I sound like a broken record, but it needs to be done…once the podcast goes up, I tweet, FB, and Blog about the link then post it with an icon and link to my “news” page.

Establish yourself as an expert by posting a video on Youtube and embed into your website or blog.  You can buy a flip camera for $30.00 and in 10 minutes have it up for the world to see.

Don’t like being ON video? Use animoto.com and make a very professional video with content you create and photos you have, all set to music for $3.00.  It’s sooooo easy, even I did it!  Animoto will post to Youtube for you, than you can embed it in your blog or on your website.  Here’s what mine looks like: http://www.grillcharms.com/demovideo.html

That’s about it for today.  I’ve still got so much more to talk about, but we will wait for next week.  Happy Friday!!

First of all the good.  While out there I received a call from Inc. Magazine saying they wanted to set up a photo shoot.  A few weeks ago I did an interview with a writer for a story on social media and how web 2.0 has somewhat evened the playing field for us small time entrepreneurs who don’t have $10,000 to spend on a fancy PR firm.  As with most media (and I’ve said this a million times) I don’t believe anything until I see it!  So even though we did an hour and ½ long interview, I still didn’t count on the article running.  While in CO, I got an email from the Photo Editor at Inc. wanting to set up a shoot!!  YIPEEE!!!  NOW it seemed like the article might run.  I explained that I was out of town until 11:45 Saturday night so we set it up for Monday morning!  (THIS morning!)  I’m not sure which are bigger… the bags I unpacked from skiing or the ones under my eyes, but regardless, the shoot was fun!  (Come on photo shop!!!)  J  The photographer came to my house and we did shots of me in my little rinky dink office as well as out back with the grill and my Grill Charms apron doing some grillin.  It was great!  I could have done without the gnats though… one actually got stuck in my lip gloss and we had to take a 5 min break to rescue him.  There was no hope.  (not that that bothered me, I had lost a pint of blood by the time it was all over)  The article is supposed to run in the May or June issue.  Keep your fingers crossed. 

Next good thing that happened during vacation was I received a call from a great store / customer of mine called Bibelot in St. Paul Minnesota.  Unbeknownst to me, they submitted some of their grilling gadgets during the appropriate time on the editorial calendar to “Every Day with Rachael Ray”. I think you know where I’m going right?  The buyer called and said that Grill Charms made the final cut for the June / July issue!!  She had already put in her reorder for the season, but now with this new information, she quadrupled it!  So if you live in the St. Paul MN area, be sure to stop by Bibelot and say hi J

Now I’m going to give you a real live example of how I DID NOT manage my entrepreneurial duties well.  I know full well that I really shouldn’t be saying this to a gazillion friends and strangers all over the internet, but I haven’t ever held back about mistakes I’ve made in the past and I’m not going to start now.  So…. Out there on the mountain internet service (well…not so much service, but a combination of service and my ancient lap top) made it…. Well…. Let’s just say “not ideal” conditions to work.  I also promise my husband to try not to work too much while we go on family vacations, so I only did what was truly necessary.  (Keep in mind, thanks to my wonderful warehouse and fulfillment center Trending Solutions www.trendingsolutions.com orders ALWAYS go out, so not to worry about that!)  Before I had left, I had been working with a new account.  And I’ll just tell it like it is…. It is FrontGate.  Yep, Frontgate!  HUGE right?!  We’ll… I had been approved as a vendor a while back and had a note to check back with them sometime mid April if I didn’t hear from them.  So… while on vacation I get a fax in my inbox (electronically) and I couldn’t see who it was from, so in trying to keep with my promise to not work too hard, it was one of the emails I ignored until I got back.  When I opened it up, my heart sank!  It was the PO from Frontgate and ALL OVER IT, it said “PLEASE CONFIRM RECIEPT WITHIN 24 HOURS”.  It was even in BOLD!  Aggghhhh!!!!!!!  That was Thursday and OF COURSE, the second I read it, I faxed and emailed confirmation, but that was Sunday.  Today is Monday and I have not heard back as to my fate.  I was/am sooooo mad at myself!!!  So much for juggling business and pleasure well… I apparently SUCK at it!  Lesson learned.  From now on, at least OPEN every message!  The ship date for the PO isn’t until next week, so hopefully my slack @ss confirmation will be forgiven, but I could just kick myself for making such a bad impression on the first PO.  Agggghhhh!!!!  I physically wince when I think about it!  So there you go…. All my dirty laundry for the week.   Hopefully my successes this past week inspire you and my failures help you realize that we are all are human.  Ciao for now!

When I felt I had done all I could do and had my ducks in a row as much as I could, I launched my product on store shelves.  So now that I was “open for Business” I knew I needed to

• Establish Credibility  (which would lead to)
• Establishing myself as an expert    (and in any business it is all about )
• PR and Marketing 24/7

Now that I knew a thing or two and had some momentum I wanted to establish myself as an expert and build my brand, but it’s all about establishing credibility first.  In this world and even more so in the virtual one, perception IS reality.  I’ve been on national TV shows, Prime Time TV, more magazines, newspapers and articles then I can count and yet … shhhhh…….  I work in a 10x10 space upstairs in my home across from my children’s play room. 

I lock myself in the laundry room sometimes when I have a buyer on the phone I need to talk to.  I bribe my children with snacks if they just say quiet enough to get through a Skype conference with my potential Australian Distributor, and yet people started looking to me to give them answers on how to bring a product to market and how to build a national brand and I get to wrote blogs like this! And I’ve done it all from my tiny little desk in my tiny little space upstairs in my house. 

BUT, in virtual world of social media I can be ANYTHING!  So early on, you need to decide who do you want to be perceived as (and therefore BE)?  Once you decide that, channel every online message to portray that image of who the world needs to think you are. This will lead you to establishing yourself as an expert in your field.  (more on that next week)  Well…. Maybe not next week, I’m going on a little vacation next week, so the first week of April, I promise!  The wholesale orders for Grill Charms are picking up with “the season” as people thaw out and they can finally see their grills from under the many inches of snow.   There has also been a lot of chatter online, in the blogs etc.. for Grill Charms™ as a Groomsmen gift.  Wedding season is upon us, so that’s been very helpful.

Here’s a few of them: http://groomsadvice.com/2010/03/17/grill-charms-a-unique-groomsmen-gift-idea-for-bbq-lovers/

http://www.coolgroomsmengift.com/grill-charms/

Alrighty… I need to get packing as I have to get up at 3:30 AM to get on a 5:30 flight.  YIKES!  Talk to you soon!

Hello folks!  Here is a little bit more of my presentation:

“Something else I did often during my R&D phase was ASK FOR HELP!

Did you know that you can actually have an online mentor and councilor for FREE in just about ANY field or genera you can think of?  I used several virtual SCORE.org councilors during the beginning stages of my entrepreneurial journey.  They helped me with everything from writing my business plan to metal fabrication processes for my product. In November I was invited to one of my virtual councilors’ banquets to receive an award for success story of the year. It just so happened he lived in Myrtle Beach, so it was for Grand Strand SCORE Chapter 381. We still talk today.  Once again, it is all about building your virtual village. 

On blogs and forums, join the conversation.  Ask for help.  You don’t have to do it alone and people really like to share information they have learned.  People love to “talk” so ask and then sit back and listen

Another thing I did (and still do) in this interactive social world of ours is enter business contests relevant to my field.  There are so many out there for startup companies.

www.startupnation.com always has tons,

Idea Café gives away $5000.00 every year to a new business

Whirlpool’s Mother of Invention Grant is an annual contest

Make Mine a Million

A lot of these contests I learn about from checking blogs and forums like mompreneursonline.com.”  This will help with building your credibility which I’ll talk about next week. 

Let’s see…. In the world of Grill Charms™, I’ve been a little under the weather with a cold and consequently I sound like a frog!  This was really frustrating because I felt like I couldn’t make any sales calls and grilling season is creeping up fast.  The specialty retailers are buying now (if they haven’t already) for spring and summer and here I am, unable to call on any stores because I sound like an amphibian!  Very frustrating!  I did what I could via email (which is not as effective) but Monday, I’m going to hit the ground running!  Have a wonderful weekend folks!

Last week I was a guest speaker at a conference here in Charleston for The Center for Women www.twitter.com/c4womenchas   It was and amazing gathering and I’m so honored to have been asked to speak.  Since most of you don’t live here, I thought I’d recap the things I went over.  I was paired with an amazing woman, Jo Ann Studtmueller.  www.twitter.com/joannepicvu  I was asked to speak about social media and Jo Ann TRULY is an expert.  As most of you know, I’ve always considered myself technologically handicapped, so when the Center for Women asked me to speak on this subject, I thought there must be some mistake.  I love talking to a brick wall, so ANY chance to speak in front real people, especially fellow women in business, I jump all over, but when I met with Jo Ann the first time, I confided in her my fears.  I said “Jo Ann… I’m not really sure why I’m going to be up there with you.  I’m successful in business, I’m pretty darn good at getting my brand out there, I can talk all day about inventing, entrepreneurship, marketing and PR, but I’m truly technologically inept.  She said… “do you use twitter”… I said “yes”, “do you blog?”  I said “yes”.  “do you have a FB account and business Fan page?” I said “yes”.  She said “are you Linked In?”  I said “yes”. She said “do you link your blog and website with your YouTube videos?” I said “yes” and low and behold, she said  “YOU’RE IN!”   And in preparing for this presentation I began to realize just what a vital part social media and content marketing has played in getting where I am today.  I’m living proof that it does not take technological know-how to get started.  There are tons of folks out there that are much more tech savvy then I am, but I’ll give you a few easy tricks of the social marketing and PR trade.  

Over the next few weeks I’m going to tell you a little bit about how I used this mystical, magical box called a computer during all of the different phases of my business.  First I entered into what I call the “Research and Development Phase”.  So I had my spicy light bulb moment… now what?!

The first thing I did was turn on my computer and got to googling.  I scoured the blogs and forums for information on the two things I identified myself with most at the time and that was:  a mom and a budding entrepreneur.  Regardless of your industry and what business you are thinking about going into, “Join the conversation!” 

Comment on blogs; praise the contributors and bloggers if something they said helped you.  Post questions (or answer questions) on forums.  There is a blog and/or forum for EVERYTHING!!  The true benefit in “joining the conversation” might not be apparent right off that bat.  You might think that praising a blogger just makes them feel good and maybe brightens someone’s day and that getting active on forums helps because it answers questions you have but it does so much more than that.  It helps you build your virtual village.  It gets you connected to people already “in the know” that can help you later when you need it most.  

Our fearless leader over at the Center for Women Jennet Alterman www.twitter.com/jeannetalterman made a truly profound statement at a networking function, but I have found it equally if not more true in the cyber world. 

“It isn’t who you know, but who knows you and knows what you do.” These people you connect with during this pre-start-up phase are the people that will be rooting for you and who will help you along the way. They will become your virtual village.

3 places I started were

www.mompreneurslonline.com  OF COURSE!

www.mominventors.com

www.startupnation.com

Okay…. This is getting a bit lengthy for a blog post (Thanks to Jo Ann, I learned that blog posts should be between 250 and 500 words and be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays)  Who knew??!!  So, with that, I will continue this discussion next week with more from my presentation “Don’t be a Twit”.  See you next week!!

I did turn a modest profit in year two but that was entirely because of Shark Tank.  I was extremely fortunate.  Now again, I’m still standing by what I have always said about media…I CAN NOT rely on that (or any other media hit to come) to carry me through year 3.  This time next year do you think anyone will remember me from that show?  NO.  Sales sales sales is where the money comes from.  What’s a little discouraging to me is that what I really SHOULD be doing right now is hitting the tradeshow circuit hard, but I just can’t.  With my husband’s job as a pilot, he’s only home 15 days a month, and so child care is a HUGE issue.   Last year Pa helped out TREMENDOUSLY because he was retired and he would pick the kids up from school etc… but now what he’s gone, it just puts too much stain on my family.  So now, I need to work on a plan B. 

I’ve got a new sales rep that I have high hopes for and I just signed on with a distributor for the state of Hawaii.  I’m really excited about that!  I’m hoping for great success out there.  They grill all year round and if they do well enough, maybe it will warrant a family / business trip out there to visit J  hee hee.  I grew up on Oahu (Pa was stationed at Pearl Harbor) so I have a very special place in my heart for the island.  Since moving away in 3^rd grade I have been back 3 times, but that was BC.  (Before Children). 

Here’s a short little lesson on Distributor basics: Distributors are companies that buy and store inventory and sell to retailers.  They are “middle men” so to speak.  They buy your product is bulk (for less than wholesale) and are responsible for a certain geographic area. FYI, distributors will usually require a gross margin between 20-40%. When working with a distributor, there are many things to take into consideration.  Most will want exclusivity for their territory.  In my case, it was just Hawaii, so exclusivity was not a problem for me.  I don’t have tons of Hawaiian stores beating down my door right now, so that was fine.  I do feel it is important to put in writing the annual or quarterly sales or purchasing “quota”.  It needs to be reasonable and attainable and something you both come up with together.  If the quota is not met after the specified time period, then the “exclusivity” becomes null and void.  Also the terms should be able to be reevaluated and adjusted as both parties see fit every year or two to insure it is still a win-win for both parties.  That’s the only way a relationship works.  Well, I think that’s all I have for now.  Chat with you soon J

http://www.thefabulousfinds.com/2009/10/all-you-grillers-out-there-this-is.html

http://tobtr.com/s/709444  (Radio interview will Heath, follow Shark Tank Alumni with Pork Barrel BBQ)

http://www.frugalrimama.com/HolidayGiftGuide/grill-charms

http://gift-guide.mywoodenspoon.com/tools/grill-charms%e2%84%a2/

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inventRight/2009/09/30/Interview-With-Leslie-Haywood--Regarding-Appearance-On-ABCs-Shark-Tank  (Radio interview with Steven Key)

To listen to behind the scenes commentary on Shark Tank about Grill Charms, hit play: http://www.daymondjohn.com/power_journal/grill-charms-commentary-part-1/  THIS IS REALLY COOL!  Daymond gives a total behind the scenes view of Shark Tank. 

http://www.mominventors.com/2009/12/09/mom-invented-holiday-gift-guide/

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbnrek_grill-charms-the-ultimate-grill-gad_school  Video from @The_Grilldog

I’m not really sure what to say about 2009 other then… It was “Interesting”.  I feel like I not even remotely the same person I was 1 year ago in just about every aspect of my life.  My first year on the market (2008) I felt like I was really just dipping my toes in the entrepreneurial waters.  I made sales calls on stores, tried to build up my brand and gain some product awareness.  2009 I really jumped in with both feet.  I did my first tradeshow in January then a second (one of the largest in the housewares industry) in March.  I secured my biggest wholesale account and due them going into bankruptcy, lost that same biggest account. I more than tripled the amount of stores I was in and to my surprise actually turned a profit for 2009.  (which is almost unheard of 2^nd year after launch!) I had the biggest triumph in my professional career with Shark Tank and was devastated by the worst personal tragedy of my life.  It has been a complete whirlwind of emotions, new experiences, excitement and grief all rolled into 1 little package called 2009.  Looking at where I started January 1^st it seems like 2009 was MUCH longer than 365 days.  I’m more experienced, more jaded, more hopeful and more hopeless.  I’m more appreciative of the life I have and in the same breath a little bitter and hardened by the cold hard facts of it all.  If you were to ask me 1 word that best describes 2009, it’d say it was “growth”, in every sense of the word.

I’ll be reliving “the event” for the 3^rd time.  It will be hard, but in a strange way, I feel closer to Pa when doing Shark Tank stuff.  The two events are so intertwined for me that I can’t really separate the two.  A physiatrist would have a field day with me! 

So I have done all I can do.  Every buyer I know has been made aware, every media outlet I can think of has been notified, and now it’s out of my hands.  Hopefully my dream of having Grill Charms™ in every home with a BBQ is on its way to fruition!  (Okay… so maybe that dream is a TAD bit lofty, but if you’re gonna dream, dream BIG right?!) 

Tonight I’m going to try to tweet as much as I can live during the show.  To follow I’m www.twitter.com/grillcharmer.  The Sharks are

@TheSharkDaymond
@robertherjavec
@infomercialking
@ BarbaraCorcoran
@kevinolearytv

You can join me tonight at #sharktank.  If you don’t know much about twitter (and believe me, I’m no expert) and want to join in on the party, I’ll give you the REAL easy 411.

Sign up for an account at www.twitter.com then go to www.tweetchat.com and you’ll be asked “Hashtag to follow” and simply put sharktank.  You will then be in on all conversations “shark tank”.

If I don’t see you tonight, I’ll write when I can REALLY talk about what happens in the tank!  Start chumming the waters! 

“I’d like to share with you one of the biggest lies about business and a mistake that many new inventors and entrepreneur make. 

I naively thought (as you might too) that Press = sales.  That is simply not the case….unless maybe you get on Oprah.  PR is necessary and gives you the creditability to go GET the sales, but it is not the golden goose that newbie inventors and entrepreneurs think it is.   I thought that a few big newspaper articles, a national cable TV appearance and a few national magazines would mean life on easy street.  NOT SO!  There is no substitute for good ol' fashion pounding the pavement.  Making sales calls is where my money comes from, not from an article in a magazine or a few appearances on The Big Idea.  Had I understood that sooner, I would have made a lot more sales calls early on and wouldn't have been so preoccupied with the press.  New entrepreneurs think that there is some "golden ticket" out there and I'm here to tell you, it's a lie.  Don't get me wrong, PR and marketing are important, but you have to understand what it is, what it does and how to use it to increase revenue.   It (in of itself) is NOT instant millions! Press alone does a lot more for your ego then it does for your bottom line.

Now I might wind up eating my words someday and lord knows, I sure hope that day comes, but if you are looking for that 1 golden ticket or are basing your business plan on fame and not sales, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.  I do what I do to keep my name in the media to continue to build brand awareness, but I no longer hold out for that “one big break”.  Sales Sales Sales is where my bread gets buttered. “

Since Shark Tank has come along, I have talked with some new friends who have been on the show the past few weeks and the ones I have talked to have said that being on the show (regardless of whether they got a deal or not) has been “life changing”.  Maybe, just maybe Oprah is not the only golden goose.  Regardless, I still stand by my original statement in that basing your business’s success on press is a BIG MISTAKE and in most cases, if you don’t parlay your media attention into something more than your 15 minutes, then you will be no better off a month down the road, then you were before you got your “big break”.  I can’t wait to put this little experiment to the test.  7 more days and counting!!!  Now, in order to maximize my 15 minutes and try to turn into 30, I am trying to do all the “right things” such as notifying other media, current customers, target customers and pie in the sky accounts as well.  The day after the show airs, my press release will go out to the media and I’m already setting up interviews with folks who have been there for me in the past.  I’m trying to do all the right things to make this attention do more than just flood my inbox with people wanting to know if I can get them on the show too or soliciting everything from closeout inventory offers to warehousing.  I do know one thing for sure…..  sitting back on my 15 minutes would be a HUGE mistake and it’s going to be my job to use the attention for what it is… a door to get more sales and not rely on it to bring sales all by itself.  In the days and weeks after the show, I will call every account I possibly can.  24/7 sales baby!  Then and only then, I think it will it be everything I hope it can be.

http://www.uberapparatus.com/grill-charms-grilling-accessory/

http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/how-to-increase-retail-sales-video

If you have a small business or want to help one, here: shinealight.ivillage.com

With October being Breast Cancer awareness month I have been sending out press kits to my “short lead media list” regarding The Pink Collection.  I have my media contacts in two categories.  My long lead which includes most magazines, and my short lead which includes newspapers, TV and radio.  The magazine’s editorial calendar is about 6-9 months out so I submitted my stuff to them around the first of the year for October.

Okay… enough small talk, I’M GOING TO BE ON ABC’S SHARK TANK!!!  OMG, that felt good!!  I have been holding that little secret in for MONTHS.  Well…. Not that I was going to be on, but that I even taped the show.  Up until you see yourself on the screen (which I did in the promo on tonight’s episode) there really is no guarantee that your segment will air.  Now that’s its “public knowledge” well…. It’s public knowledge.  It’s fun to follow the sharks on twitter. Sometimes you get an inside scoop!
@TheSharkDaymond
@robertherjavec
@infomercialking
@ BarbaraCorcoran
@kevinolearytv

@SharkTankABC

Also there is a show on TV LAND called "How'd you get so Rich”.   Joan Rivers is the host and she is HILLARIOUS! There are a few episodes where she features a few of the sharks. Just to get to know them better, check out this one to meet Robert Herjavec
http://www.tvland.com/prime/fullepisodes/howd_you_get_so_rich/season1/

and

This one to meet Kevin O Leary:
http://www.tvland.com/prime/fullepisodes/howd_you_get_so_rich/season1/index.jhtml?episodeId=22365

I'm hoping she'll do the other sharks too in upcoming episodes.

Now whether I sink or swim in the Shark Tank, you just have to tune in and see.  I am still not 100% certain when my segment will air.  I’ll let you know as soon as I know.  I’ll be back again soon!

http://www.marnijameson.com/father%E2%80%99s-day-gadgets-that-help-dads-moms

http://www.peekaboopicks.com/2009/06/07/fathers-day-gift-guide-giveaway/

http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_12582114

http://www.outblush.com/women/home/kitchen/grill-charms/

Oh my goodness where oh where do I begin? First of all I want to apologize for the first part of the summer and my totally slackness in blogging.  I am going to do better I PROMISE.  Just to get you up to date on some major events in my life since we last spoke, I’m going to fill you in for those of you that don’t know.  This has been the best summer and the worst summer of my life.  Sounds like I’m being melodramatic, I know, but that is seriously the truth.  It all started when I got a call saying that I had the chance to go to Los Angeles for a fantastic business opportunity.   I arrived on July 8th and my event was not until July 11^th.  On the morning of July 10th while staring out the window of my hotel room in Beverly Hills, amazed at where I was and what I was about to do,  I received a call from my mom back home in Charleston.  My father had very suddenly and VERY UNEXPECTEDLY passed away from an abdominal aortal aneurysm.  It was truly the most horrific day of my life.  I am fortunate enough to have lived 37 years without knowing this kind of loss or pain. (My family is extremely close… we all still even get together once a week for dinner.)  The folks in LA moved mountains to get me on the next flight back to Charleston where I went through (and am still going through) the process of grieving and loss.  My mother told me one of the last words my father said was “please don’t call Leslie”.  He knew where I was and didn’t want to be the reason for me missing the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Apparently during my first few days of the trip out in July I made an impression on the folks out there because I got a call back a while later from them saying they WANTED ME TO COME BACK!!!  I was so overjoyed that they would actually give me a second chance.  The entire process was surreal.  I had some anxiety when packing the night of August 6th because I had not touched any of my things since they were frantically thrown into my suitcase on July 10th while in a state of raw grief. When I got off the plane in LA on August 7^th it felt like “Groundhog Day”.  My bags came down on the same carousel, the van was the same, the place where the driver picked me up was the same; the hotel was the same... I felt like I was in a reoccurring nightmare and I knew how it ended, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. THANKFULLY everyone involved with my travel arrangements was SO thoughtful and considerate that they made sure my room was on the other side of the hotel, the room set up was opposite etc... They were very aware of how hard it must be for me and were AWESOME! Once I got to my room and saw that the "nightmare" was different, I was fine.  Instead of being sad that my dad would never see what I was doing, I KNEW he was with me the whole time.

I can honestly say that both trips to LA were two of the most insane, surreal, unbelievable, out of body, crazy experiences of my life, just on totally opposite ends of the spectrum. Ironically enough, my long flight back Monday August 10th was EXACTLY 1 month to the day that I was on that same long flight back July 10th. WOW what a difference a month makes!  Okay… so that sums up how the summer has been for me.  Now things are settling back down, my oldest started 1^st grade and the little one is home with me until her preschool starts next month.  It’s been one heck of a summer and honestly…. I’m glad it’s over.  I’ll write more often and be better with the blogging I SWEAR!  Thanks for hanging in there with me, and I’m glad to be back!

Well summer has officially kicked off with this past weekend being the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  The days of sweet tea, lemonade, burgers and potato salad are upon us.  I just love summer for so many reasons.  I’m not quite sure why but I’m in a bit of a reflective mood.  I’ve been on the market a year and half now and as I sit here in the parking lot of the ballet studio with bags of fast food for the girl’s dinner tempting my every thought, I find myself looking at where I am, and where I thought I would be.  (It’s rehearsal night for the big recital on Saturday) To be really honest with myself (and with you) I thought I would be farther along by now.  I thought I would be paying myself by now and possibly even be on my way to paying back my debt.  Until you actually start your own company, it is impossible to predict how things will go.  A business plan backed with solid research is a great place to start, and if you are a serial entrepreneur, then you certainly have a lot more accuracy but as a first timer, the learning curve is STEEP!  Having just admitted that I envisioned myself being in a different place 1.5 years into this, by the same token now that I have been around the block a bit, I am extremely proud of what I have done in the past 1.5 years.  I think I might have had unrealistic expectations, even as much “homework” as I did.  Being an entrepreneur for the first time is A LOT like having your first baby.  Everyone will tell you what it’s like, you’ll read every book known to man, you’ll take classes and get as prepared as you could ever possibly be, but NOTHING can truly prepare you for the real life experience.  It’s important to have lofty goals when you start out.  That’s what keeps you going; however if you fall short of where you think you ought to be, take a moment (like I am now) and look at where you are, where you’ve been and what you have learned and be proud because it’s harder than you think.

latetst hits:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inventRight/2009/04/14/Are-You-Concerned-About-Companies-Taking-Your-Invention

http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2009/04/14/4131421.htm

My dear friend Tori Editor and Chief of Thoughtfully Simple gave a shout out here:  http://www.thoughtfullysimple.com/best-gift-for-the-bbq-lover/

Here is an email I received from a food allergy expert that was doing a review on Grill Charms™

“Hi Leslie,
I tried out Grill Charms this week-end when we grilled some burgers.  I must admit that I was a bit skeptical that the charm would stay in ground beef, but it worked perfectly, even while flipping.  I’m a believer!”   I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when I make a “believer” out of someone.  Here is a link to her review:

http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/2009/04/monday-review-grill-charms.html

Also, if you every need some of the finest meats on the market, check out www.oliverranch.com  Here is her blog about Grill Charms™ http://discoverbeef.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-avoid-mixing-things-up-on-grill.html

I have a little story today about the power of Twitter.  For those of you that don’t know about “Twitter”…hmmmmm… I’m not even sure where to begin.  Here is the Wikipedia def: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter  Now I am by no means a twitter expert, as a matter of fact, I’m not even that good at harnessing the true marketing power of twitter, but I’m learning.  I did however realize this week just what a wonderful tool it can be for just plain “stuff”.   Grill Charms™ was featured in a Dallas / Fort Worth magazine called Indulge.  I had been in contact with the reporter and knew the issue was out.  I felt weird asking for a copy to be sent to me as the writer had already done so much and the story was also featured in several newspapers across the US, so instead of asking for a favor from a guy who already done quite enough… I tweeted.  I put out a tweet asking if anyone lived in the Dallas area and if they ever heard of the magazine.  Almost immediately I got a DM (direct message) from a follower who said she had family in the area and would absolutely have someone pick up a copy.  She even refused payment for the magazine and postage!  Talk about paying it forward.  In the news there are always so many scary stories about creeps on the internet and not to trust anyone etc.. and I do believe in safety first, BUT I do also believe in my heart of hearts that 99% of the people online are good, genuine people.  If you guys want to “follow” a GREAT gal, follow www.twitter.com/Fancy_Nancy_

She’s a real gem!  Thanks for paying it forward Nancy!  And if you are not following me, I’m www.twitter.com/grillcharmer

If you do not know what Twitter is, here is a great article for the newbie: http://shegeeks.net/twitter-101-clarifying-the-rules-for-newbies/

Tweet ya later!!

An update on my buyer Samantha: her last day was last Friday. 

The kids are out of school for Spring Break, so I have to get creative with my time.  I have been setting up different crafts and activities for them and when a REALLY important call comes in, I make sure to have special movies on hand.   Today I did a blogtalk radio interview with the guru of product licensing Stephen Key and his business partner Andrew Krauss. www.inventright.com  It was so much fun and as usual, in the back of my head I’m praying that nobody yells “Mommy… I need to wipe!!!” in the middle of it.  It was being taped, so I suppose that could have been edited out in the end, but we had such a great show going on, it would have really messed up the flow.  There was at one point (and this seems to ALWAYS happen) when I could hear my 4 year old start to call for me.  I went to the top of the stairs trying desperately to concentrate on the interview question at hand and not sound like a babbling idiot while simultaneously waving my finger at her with the pleading look on my face of “Please dear child… wait just 5 more minutes”.  Sadly… the girls know that look and my finger gesture all too well and they have gotten VERY good and VERY patient with their mommy and they do 99% of the time stay quiet until I give them the all clear.  I’ll post the link to the interview here on my blog when it’s up and I’ll also add it to my news page: http://www.grillcharms.com/news.html  The girls will get a special treat later for being so good.  Stephen and Andrew were so much fun and are genuinely out there to help out the first time (or even seasoned) inventor.  He focuses on the licensing aspect of inventions and has become “THE” go to guy for getting your invention picked up by a manufacturer, so I encourage you “idea” people to subscribe to his free newsletter and listen to his show on Blogtalk radio.  He’s one of the good guys. You can ask questions and get advice
<http://www.inventright.com/forums/> on the inventRight forum, check out the
resource center <http://www.invenntright.com/blogs/> , and listen to the
weekly radio show on inventing <http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inventright>

Oh… the April issue of Health Magazine is on newsstands now. If you happen to see it on the shelves, thumb through it.  You’ll see an article and a picture of me and the girls.  It’s a story on Breast Cancer.  My mom is even mentioned J.  That was the excitement for the day, we’ll chat soon!

http://baconfreak.com/blog/2009/03/27/meet-leslie-haywood-of-grill-charms/

Here is a video from my friends at “Cooking for Dads”.  The producer Rob showcased some really cool stuff from the show last week.  I am in the very last part.  It was the last day of the show and dear LORD the bags under my eyes tell the story.  I was exhausted by then and I sure the heck look it!  YUCK!!!  Anyway, it’s a great video if you want to catch some highlights of the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IoNbvdu61c

Since I’ve been home I’ve been doing all my follow ups etc… and while at the show I actually secured a pretty large department store on the west coast.  I had been after them for about 6 months and the buyer I had been dealing with brought her boss by my booth and I sold him right then and there.  He LOVE the product and said “Samantha (that’s my buyer’s name) let’s get Grill Charms in there”.  We then discussed a little bit of the logistics and because they are a pretty big company (58 stores on the west coast) they only deal with vendors who have EDI capabilities.  Up until this point, that has not been an issue, but I knew I would need EDI eventually.  Just FYI EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange.  The simple Wikipedia definition is: the computer-to-computer exchange of structured information, by agreed message standards, from one computer application to another by electronic means and with a minimum of human intervention. Basically is just makes the supply chain run smoother, faster and more cost effectively in the long run, cutting down on paperwork and man hours.  The software of the customer and the vendor “talk” to each other on just about every aspect of the transaction from initial Purchase order to delivery and receipt of the goods to final invoicing and payment.  It can cost a bit of money to get set up but it’s an investment most companies must make eventually. There are services that you can use so that you don’t have to make a huge investment for the software and basically “pay as you go”, which was what I was looking into. Regardless, as I’m sure you can imagine, I was doing a little happy dance the entire time, so excited to be moving forward with a large department store with 58 locations!   So there I am yesterday, happy as a pig in slop when I get the following email from Samantha…

“Leslie,

We are going into liquidation.

I'm sorry for giving you the news.

Thanks.”

Awww man!!! What a kick in the shorts!  I wasn’t too terribly upsets because I have learned the hard way not to count on ANYTHING until the money is in the bank.  I then felt guilty for being even a little disappointed about my order that never was,  when there is probably going to be LOTS of poor hardworking folks out of a job. So, like the title of today’s entry sums up… Easy come, easy go!  Back to pounding the pavement to peddle my wares.  EDI can wait.

10:20  So the show is over.  My head is in swimming.  There are a lot of potential customers and reps that promised a lot of things and I’ve been around the block enough to know not to expect or believe most of what you hear, but I am still very optimistic.  I do know one thing for certain, and that is if you are a product orientated business, going to tradeshows (especially the bigger and most prestigious of your industry) is extremely beneficial.  Not only do I THINK I will have covered my costs, but I know I have the contacts needed to either take my business to the next level, license the product and at very least, license future products.  These shows are where you will meet the people necessary to catapult your business where you want it to be.  Well, I’ve got to hopefully catch a plane in the morning so I’ll say goodnight for now and talk more back in Chucktown.  Eva just did a radio show about the show and she totally hooked me up!!!  Check it out!  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inventright/

So far, one of the highlights on the trip was meeting fellow “Mompreneur”® Eva Winger (Lizzie00)www.theinventorchronicles.com  and MaryKay (kubit2me) www.kubit2me.com.  The three of us went to dinner last night and just had a total blast!  (Phyllis www.babyswags was going to join us, but just couldn’t get away)  It is amazing just how much us gal inventors are alike.  We are a special, strange, rare and wonderful breed.  We all sat down and talked like we had known each other for years.  A tie for a “highlight” was when my husband popped into the show yesterday.  He had a long layover in Cincinnati so he hopped on a flight to Chicago for a few hours.  He was able to walk the show and just see how amazing and grand it is.  I must admit, it was a bit weird seeing him in “my world”.  Talk about world’s colliding!  He is rarely around when I am in full-on Grill Charms™ mode.  I think he was impressed with the whole thing and said he was proud of me, which means a lot coming from him.  I know he’s proud, but I also know that there are times when he wished I could be more of the wife and mother that I was before Grill Charms™ was born.  I think he was genuinely in awe.  That did my heart good and put a real spring in my step.  The mommy guilt sometimes weighs heavy on my mind, but seeing Jason, talking to him and commiserating with my fellow Mompreneurs made it all okay again… even if only for a little while.  I’ve got one more day and then I pack up the booth tomorrow night and hopefully will get a flight out Wednesday.  I couldn’t have done this show without the help of my mom and dad.  THANK YOU both so much for taking such wonderful care of the girls while I was off chasing my dream.  I love you!

Good night….

I want to take a moment to do a little shout out to my fellow “Mompreneurs” .  This is a testament to the quality and talent we have on the board when I say that every time I meet a fellow Mompreneur, I am BLOWN AWAY.  A few weeks ago when I was in Denver, I caught up with Gwen Austin, inventor the RC Color Bugs and Oprah’s Next Big Thing finalist (www.rcarttoys.com) and when we got together, we talked like we knew each other for years.  She put things in perspective like only a fellow inventor mompreneur could.  Today I met up with Eva Winger www.TheInventorChronicles.com and once again, was humbled by the knowledge that she has for the “process”.  I want to give a major "hat's off" to you gals and to say that I'm proud to be associated with such an incredible group of women. It's one thing to chat on an online forum such as www.mompreneursonline.com and gain a sense of who people are and what they do, but when you actually meet these gals that you have come to "know" online and they are even more amazing in person, it just makes me feel so honored to be a part of such a spectacular group.  So it’s bed time now.  I’ve got a big (long) day tomorrow and can’t wait to get in there and sell some Grill Charms™!

10:15 Yeah, I made to Chicago!!!  I got in at 6:05.  Not bad huh?  There was a lot of running through concourses to make it here, but I did it!  I checked in to my hotel and then went to have some sushi.  This hotel is safe and in a safe area so don’t worry, BUT having said that… it is by far the WORST hotel I have ever stayed at.  There is a reason why this was the cheapest hotel in a 5 mile radius of the McCormick center.  Again…  I didn’t get this far by throwing money away.  (Although, just between you and I, this is one of those times where I might have been a little penny wise and pound foolish)  I’m not too proud to acknowledge my mistakes.  Seriously… it REALLY is BAD!! I’ll only be here to sleep, so it is fine just fine.  We’ll chat tomorrow.

For those Facebookers, I have finally gotten around to doing a biz page.  Please be a fan of Grill Charms™ : 

http://www.02.01.snc1.facebook.com/pages/Grill-Charms/64283254080

While on the Grill Charms™ Facebook page, check out the video…. How cool is that??!!!  Okay, here is a little secret.  That video took absolutely zero technological knowhow!  You all know I’m technological handicapped, but even I could do that ALL BY MYSELF…. (Okay…so I had the help of a little website called www.animoto.com.)  Oh, in case you are not a Facebooker, here…. check it out yourself:  http://www.grillcharms.com/demovideo.html

If you go to www.animoto.com you can upload any pictures you have, add text, pick a song and within minutes have a professional looking video that you can post on your website, youtube, Facebook, anywhere!  It can be used for biz or just for fun photos.  I know this sounds like a commercial, but I swear, I just love it that much.  The fact that it was sooooo easy got me hooked.  There are free “sample” videos you can do, but to do a full length one is only $3.00.  I totally thought it was worth it. 

So we got back from skiing this weekend and now panic is setting in for the BIG tradeshow in Chicago.  It’s the International Home and Housewares Show March 22-24.  I will fly up on Friday, set up my booth on Saturday and be ready to rock and roll for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  Hopefully by Tuesday night I will be able to pack up my booth and be on a flight home Wednesday.  This particular show is the BIG dance.  Here is a video of last year just to give you an idea of the scale: http://www.housewares.org/show/info/08_video.aspx

I have to give a big shout out to my friends and family for helping me with the girls while I’m gone.  I don’t know what I would do without you!!  I’m going to miss my 4 year olds first soccer game on Saturday, so I’m not really feeling like “mom of the year” right now, but this is the path I have chosen and some sacrifices must be made.  No time for too much mommy guilt… I just need to suck it up and press on.  (I’m saying this more for myself, then for anyone else).  The life of a “Mompreneur” is not something to be entered into lightly. 

Yeah…. I’m in WAY over my head, but that’s kinda how I have felt since I started this crazy company, so “over my head” is sort of the place I live and have grown accustomed to being.  I’ve prepared as much as I can, I’ve got my press kits done, my wholesale pricing sheets ready, the kids taken care of, my sell sheets, brochures and business cards labeled, my booth and equipment staged in Chicago, the hotel booked, the rental car reserved and my flights confirmed.  It’s pretty much all over but the selling.  I’ll give you the complete rundown when it’s over.  Talk to you in a week or so!

The international Home and Housewares show is coming up in a few weeks and last minute preparations are going on with that.  I have figured out how I am going to manage with the kids and all I have to say is THANK GOD FOR FAMILY!  I have been really stressed over who was going to help with the kids, each going to different schools and my hubby having to work and them having soccer, ballet, gymnastics, school etc…. But my mom and pa have totally taken a load off my mind by offering to do “anything I need them to do”.  Thanks Mom, Thanks Pa!!!

I finished doing over 50 press kits to send up to Chicago that will be placed in the press room.  For those of you going to your first show, make sure you find out where the press room is and how to get your press kits included.  99% of the time, it’s free and it’s a great way to get your stuff in front of all the right media for your field.  The media always goes to the tradeshows to see what’s hot and new at the show, so if you are a new exhibitor, you want to make use your information is there for them.

As if I don’t have enough on my plate already, I’ve gone off on a little tangent and started another little project.  Okay.. here it goes… The photographer that took my photo on the “about us” page http://www.grillcharms.com/images/Leslie_with_grill.jpg

of my site as well as the one of the girls and I on my “Pink” page http://www.grillcharms.com/pinkcollection.html

is a friend and neighbor.  For a photography class she was taking she needed a subject for an assignment, so she asked me.  One of the pictures that came out of the assignment is a very moving and powerful (and a little shocking) photo that we entitled “Hope”.  For just a tad bit of background, the reconstructive surgery that I had for my breast cancer is called DIEP.  It is a relatively new and “all natural” procedure that does not involve the use of any implants.  The resulting boobies look and feel “natural”.  The primary market for this photo is to reconstructive surgeons that perform this procedure as the scars in the photo are completely un “photo shopped”.  It is not only a powerful and inspirational photo, but it also shows the results of the procedure (to some degree).  If you’d like to see the photo, here it is:  WARNING… PG 13!  http://pluffmud.smugmug.com/gallery/7029911_ZwvBS#472465535_myy9V

Me being the eternal entrepreneur though, I can’t help but try to think of other markets for it.  I would love to find a great “home” for “Hope” on the cover of a bestselling nonfiction book about breast cancer.  (of course, a % of all money raised will be going to find a cure) Okay… so these are the thoughts that keep me up at night.  Ta Ta for now!

other hits:

Another exciting development is that Grill Charms have hit Europe! Pretty soon Grill Charms will be available in Sweden through: http://grillguiden.se/ 

The owner of the company found me while searching for grilling tools and accessories.   That’s about all for now, see you next time!

Okay, on to the topic of the day.  I have a wonderful example of a company paying it forward.  A company called Spread the News  www.spreadthenewspr.com approached me a while back about doing some PR work. At the time (and still now) I really didn’t have the money to invest in a campaign, however they were so nice, we have kept in touch.  A little while ago they had a customer in my industry (grilling) back out of a campaign so they had some available space and content to fill with a grilling product.  They got a hold of me and asked if minded if they pitch my product.  As you can imagine, I was EXSTATIC!  They didn’t ask for anything in return and have come up with some great results.  According to www.compete.com, “The Bachelor Guy” (below) receives an average of over 43,000 unique visitors a month!  

http://www.thebachelorguy.com/grill-charms-mark-your-meat.html

If you are in need of a PR company, please give Cydney Upton or Todd Brabender a call.  For more information about them here is an article in the WSJ   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119800161598537205.html 

Their act of kindness reminded me that I could probably (couldn’t we all) do more in the “giving without expectation of receiving” department.  It doesn’t have to cost anything and it’s contagious.  This afternoon I am hosting a brain storming session for a friend of a friend who is in the planning stage of starting her own company.  I don’t have much to give accept a little knowledge as I have “been there done that”.   It’s only about 2 hours of my time, but hopefully it will save her much more than that in time and aggravation by avoiding some of the pitfalls I encountered and using some of the resources I found through trial and error.  I think all too often we forget that you get what you give and the giving is more important than the getting.  I really do try to live my life that way, but every once in a while I get caught up in my own little life and my own little business that I need reminding.  Thank you so much www.spreadthenewspr.com for the reminder!  Pay it forward

When I arrived the day before the show, my shrink wrapped boxes on a skid were sitting in the middle of my 10x10 booth.  There was nothing but white drapes on 3 sides, two tables, 1 chair, 2 risers and a trash can.  By the time I was done I had a carpeted space (yep, laid my carpet myself) which was totally in keeping with my brand and look complete with black and red drapes, signage, shelves and of course… I wore nothing but black and red for 5 days straight!  The best thing about the show was of course writing orders, but another very valuable aspect of doing these shows are the contacts you make and the knowledge you gain from fellow exhibitors.  After 5 days with the same people, your neighbors become a little family. Now I have the International Housewares show in March to look forward too.  Apparently that one is even BIGGER.  I can’t imagine!  I’ve got tons more work to do, leads to follow up with, more orders to enter and even a new sales rep I’ve hired.  It was so worth it and a must do for anyone with a product.  In 5 days I got almost as many stores as I did in a year’s worth of sales calls on my own.  Back to work!

http://www.getromantic.com/holidays/valentines-day

http://thegiftcloset.blogspot.com/2009/01/fridays-feature-grill-charms.html

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2008/12/22/top-10-stocking-stuffers-for-foodies/

http://allamericanmommy.blogspot.com/2008/12/last-minute-gift-ideas.html

http://www.propsandpans.com/2008/12/23/last-minute-gift-ideas/#more-1840

I suppose the biggest news is that I have finally gone “international”.  A store in Saskatchewan Canada is my latest customer.  I leave for AmericansMart in Atlanta Wednesday and like many big events in one’s life, it has worked its way into my dreams.  Last night I woke up panicked because I dreamed that when I got there, none of my stuff was right, I had no pictures; my booth was all messed up etc…  It was the equivalent of the “showing up to your prom naked” dream.  I’m pretty sure I have all my ducks in a row.  My back has been giving me a little trouble lately so I’m a little nervous about the set up and break down part but I’m sure it will be fine just fine.  When my eldest (who is now 6) was a baby, I fell down some stairs with her in my arms and like any mother; I sacrificed myself to keep her safe.  She had not a scratch on her, but my back has never been the same.  About twice a year I manage to do something to “throw it out” and wind up on the couch for 2 weeks.  It’s okay at the moment, but I’ll need to watch it being on my feet all day for 5 days in a row from 8:00-6:00.  I talked to a friend who is also going to the show and when I told her I was going to work it alone she said there is “no way”.  I guess at this point ignorance is bliss, especially since I don’t have a choice in the matter.  I’ll try to get another post done before Wed, but if I don’t talk before, I’ll catch you on the flip side with LOTS to say.

I hope you are all having a happy and profitable forth quarter.  I know the “reason for the season” isn’t about profits, but this is a business blog, so that’s what we talk about.  Things are winding down and online orders are just about done.  It’s been a good quarter.  Most certainly way up from last year, as I had just launched, but down from where I would hope I would be.  I just did not and could not have predicted the blows that have been dealt to the economy over the past 6 months.  Oh, before I forget, please see the below posts, reviews and blogs.  They are worth checking out and subscribing too.  I want to thank everyone for your support.

http://blog.wellalarm.com/2008/12/gift-idea-grill-charms.html

http://simplyfablife.com/index.php?s=grill+Charms (fellow inventor friend with a cool product, Strappys, check it out!)

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1513

http://simplecookery.blogspot.com/2008/12/cool-kitchen-gadget-grill-charms.html

http://theblazingbbq.com/blog/2008/12/bbq-meat-which-steak/

http://stacyknows.blogspot.com/2008/12/is-there-foodie-on-your-list.html

http://barbequemaster.blogspot.com/2008/12/are-you-tired-of-getting-those-grill.html

http://zestycook.com/product-review-grill-charms-and-a-good-cause/

http://simplefoodrecipes.net/grill-charms/

http://www.palatetopen.com/?p=436

http://momfuse.com/2008/12/review-grill-charms/

http://www.yesyoucangrill.com/lesliehaywood.php

This will be my last blog for Christmas.  Thank you all so much for your continued support and for everything ya’ll do.  Have a very Merry Christmas!   I want to leave you with a funny little article in the Boston Herald.  It’s got to be hard for my husband, being married to a semi-recognizable personality.  It means that everything he does has the potential of being splashed all over the internet and any moment.  A reporter from the Boston Herald needed a source about a topic that is a little bit less then “business” related.  I actually had a very true story, and couldn’t help but share it.  (it was about drunken ebaying….

http://www.circleoffood.com/blog/2008/11/30/new-gift-idea-grill-charms-to-identify-food-on-the-grill/

http://mwav.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/holiday-gift-guide-for-men/

http://www.justluxe.com/fine-living/dining/feature-239740.php

http://everythingupclose.blogspot.com/2008/12/grill-charms-review-giveaway.html

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7946

http://www.momstakeonthings.com/

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid769493954/bctid3655744001  (video)

The holiday shopping season is in full swing.  It’s time like these when I am so thankful that I have an order fulfillment company handing all my shipping. Without Janene at Trending Solutions (www.trendingsolutions.com) my days would be filled with packing boxes, going to the post office, filing out packing slips, more going to the post office…  Instead I am focused on getting the most out of marketing and sales for these last few weeks of the 4^th quarter, which is when a lot of companies actually go from “in the red” to “in the black”.  As lean as times are right now, I am still finding that it is better for me to outsource that function then it is to save the few bucks and try to do it all myself.  Personally, I think it’s important as a business owner (especially if it’s just you) to really analyze what activities bring in revenue and focus the majority of your time on those things.  Sometimes (especially when time are tight) it’s hard to imagine paying anyone to do anything when you can do it yourself, but you need to think about how much money are NOT bringing in that you COULD because you are doing tasks just to keep the business going.  For the new year, regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur or not, now is a good time to evaluate how you spend your time and if it contributes positively to your “bottom line”.  (Replace “bottom line” with “goal in life” or “goal in business”).  The things that take up our time that do not contribute meaningfully to what we are trying to accomplish is life and in business, might need to be “outsourced”…our just plain OUT!

Hits: 

http://grilljunkie.blogspot.com/

GrillJunkie™ is a line of grilling products, accessories, and on-line recipes and tips to help celebrate the world's
addiction to grilling and spending time with family and friends!

A friend of a friend just published a children’s book which is perfect for this holiday.  It’s about a pig in politics that lives by the motto “Dirt Doesn’t Hurt”.  The book is called Rhyme.  Check is out at www.mpcpress.com.

I have 19 days to get all of my stuff to Atlanta for the tradeshow in January.  Everything has to be delivered by the 19^th to take advantage of the free storage and it will also be one less thing I have to worry about when the time comes for the actual show.  My booth is really starting to come together.  The past few days have been filled with making up press kits, printing labels, making order forms etc…  It’s the little stuff that you don’t really “think” about that takes up so much time.  For each tradeshow, it’s important that your booth information is on every piece of marketing material you have (including your business cards).  For the past few days I’ve been sticking tiny labels with my building, floor and booth number onto about 300 sell sheets, 50 press kits, 500 business cards, and 200 brochures.  It’s important that when people take information from your booth, that they know how to find you again.  Especially since the first day of the show, most buyers DO NOT buy.  They normally collect information and get somewhat of a game plan together.  They typically review the materials then in the following days, go back to the booths that they are interested it.  Having your booth information on all of your materials is extremely important so the buyers can easily find you again after they review your material.  Time to jump in the shower and off to grandma’s house for the family birthday party.

http://momspark.blogspot.com/2008/11/mom-sparks-2008-holiday-gift-guide.html 

http://dzynezone.blogspot.com/2008/11/product-reviews-grill-charms-no-mis.html

Next is an update on a contest that tons of my fellow Mompreneurs and I entered.  There were so many of us that either won, were in the top ten or received honorable mentions.  Here is the link to my announcement:

http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100/winner/1513/index.php

To see the other Mompreneurs, I’m going to refer you to my friend Laurie, who did a wonderful job of recognizing all the gals (and she has a great website for holiday gifts) so I’ll refer you here to see more:

http://cobalt-world.com/blog/2008/11/21/lauries-cobalt-world-receives-honorable-mention/

My topic for today is going to be the concept of MAP pricing.  I’ve wrestled with this for a while and I’m still on the fence about what I should do, but in light of a recent “development”, I’ve put the subject back into the forefront of my mind.

What is MAP pricing?  MAP stands for Minimum Advertised Price.  As a manufacturer or supplier you can’t tell retailers what they MUST charge, (that would not really be legal now would it) BUT you can have in place a MAP policy in which you and your customers(retailers) enter into.  It basically says that the retailer agrees not to ADVERTISE a price lower than what is set in your contract or policy.  There is a lot of controversy on both sides of the fence as to the benefits or detriments of a MAP policy.  For manufacturers NOT having a MAP policy can be bad because it diminishes the perceived value of a product when a retailer wants to use a particular marketing strategy to get people to come to their store or website which includes somewhat of a “sacrificial lamb” of a product and price.  It also hurts the other retailers (especially the little guys and entrepreneurs) that carry the same product, because most cannot compete with the lower price of the big guys who often get tremendous volume discounts.  On the other side… it’s a free market economy, right?  

This issue came up yesterday when a friend of mine called me to say “Leslie… You are in Parenting Magazine!!”  I had no idea that my product was going to be featured (through one of my customer/retailers) in the December/January Issue of Parenting Magazine in their gift guide section.  Pretty darn cool huh??!!!  THEN I noticed the price listed.  Now I’m not going to tell you the price for two reasons.  #1) the price in not correct, even with the retailer that promoted the product to be in the magazine in the first place.  And #2) I don’t want you to get any ideas.  There is no way I will EVER be able to sell my product at that price listed there and even if a retailer was crazy enough to, they would be losing money hand over fist!  Which makes me wonder…. Was this a typo?  Regardless, this whole issue has brought the topic of MAP pricing back to the forefront of my mind.  For those of you that are not in the biz, as consumers it is good of you to know what MAP polices exist. I’m going to link you to a post that explains the whole process a little better from a consumer’s stand point.  The article is a little old, but I still very relevant especially this holiday shopping season.

http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/03/10/bestbuycoms-map-policy-workaround/

If I don’t talk to you before, HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

http://www.familydoctormag.com/medical-index/charities/gifts-that-benefit-medical-charities.html

http://www.mysentimentexactlee.com/2008/11/grill-charms.html

How are you guys handling this economic crisis?  Since we last spoke, it has been publicized that the economy is the worst it has been in my lifetime.  And here I am, with a start-up.  Hmmmm….  As the eternal optimist I must try to find the silver lining.  Here it is….for those of us with fledgling little companies, these are GREAT times to build our brand and company.  Here we are, just starting out and we are faced with the worst economic times most of us have ever seen.  This forces us to be lean and mean from the beginning.  We are watching every penny and not taking anything for granted.  When the economy DOES turn around, just imagine the rewards we will reap!!   I feel sorry for the people who built their companies years ago during the economic hay-days of years past.  They thought THAT was the “norm” and now they are folding like a house of cards.  Those of us that accept this as the new status quo and survive it will be in for lots of pleasant surprises when the cycle of peaks and valleys turns from valley to peaking again.  (And it will)  Right now, it’s all about survivability.  Some companies have it, and some don’t.  We just need to do everything we can to insure that we are the ones that do.

"Good Afternoon…. You are 100% correct. I did some research and blah blah blah technical stuff technical stuff technical stuff….
So for the rest of the day just relax….and know you’re in good hands”

I thought we were barking up the wrong tree, I just needed some reassurance. All is well again! I still have the UPC code thingy on my desk staring at me… hmmmmm... today??? Nope! It’s Friday, no UPC’s today!

Business: Okay, so today I have hit a snag. Most would crumble but no… not “Super Mom!” Here is just a little snippet of what my sourcing agent had to say today…

________ has been having problems finding a factory in China suitable to producing your products. … blah blah blah (lots of technical stuff….)

______ is trying his best to locate a factory capable …..but so far all the factories he has contacted are reluctant because of the difficulties. We are trying our best and sorry for the delay but we can not confirm anything to you yet. If this project can not be done we will refund your tooling cost 100% refunded to you. Please allow us a little more time in searching for factories.

And here is part of my response….

“if this project can not be done we will refund your tooling cost 100%" is not an option. The train has already left the station... I've seen your work and the work you have done for other customers blah blah blah…. I'm sure you guys will find a way. Thank you for all of your work :)

okay… so now is where things get really interesting… I LOVE my sourcing agent and I know he can do it. I am dealing with the sales rep right now, but I have a fantastic relationship with the Owner and President of the company. I don’t want to pull in the big guns yet, so I’ll wait and see what happens. In the meantime, as any smart business person would do, I will start lining up my plans B, C and D should they force my hand into bailing. Never a dull moment! According to my original business plan, I ‘m about 1 year ahead of schedule, then I revised it a few months ago as things just kept falling into place quickly and I am working off of numbers based on an Aug. launch. I’m still well within my time line so no sweat yet! Stay tuned….

Just to bring this blog up to speed, let me run down the nutshell version of my entrepreneurial life to this point. April 2006 my husband’s love for spicy food and my inability to handle it led to a comment which altered the path of my life. Grill Charms were born that evening and since then life has reached warp speed. I wrote my business plan which to this day is the most valuable business document I have, I worked with a patent attorney to protect my IP (after my own exhaustive patent search at www.uspto.gov), I had prototypes (41 to be exact) machined by a local machine shop, (right about this point of the process, I had a little run in with Breast Cancer, had a bilateral mastectomy, a few reconstructive procedures and got back on track) did extensive primary and secondary market research, found a fantastic sourcing agent as my product unfortunately is too expensive to have manufactured in the states (and yes I tried everything! Even the US manufactures said I needed to go overseas), got accepted by Clemson University (who has one of the best packaging science departments in the country) to be an “industry sponsor” for the development of my packaging (the final project will be presented on April 26th), put in my application for my Federal Trademark, presented my prototypes and idea at the QVC/Oprah’s next big thing product search March 29th 2007 in West Chester PA and now await the results. That is the really really short version of where I am right now. I work out of my home office while my 2 daughters nap in the afternoons (they are 2 and 4) and while they go to “mothers morning out” Monday, Wednesdays and Friday’s from 10:00-1:00. Life is great, my girls are fantastic, my husband is so supportive and I am so thankful for all I have. If I do complain it’s only because I want to portray the good, the bad and the ugly about this venture only to “keep it real” but in the grand scheme of things, life is, always has been and always will be GREAT!