The Final Countdown

We are only two weeks away from our first trade show. This is really important because it's the first introduction of our gloves to the retail world. You know what they say, "You only get one chance to make a good first impression." We are tending to every little detail and those of you who love us are not letting us short cut anything (ie Mark!). Thank you.

I can't wait to come home and share all the fun and stories of success. I will blog while I'm gone if I can, I'm not sure what my Internet access will be. I know I can have it, I just don't know if I want to pay $20 a day in the room when I don't plan to spend much time there! We'll see. In the meantime, it's back to work. Luck comes when preparation meets opportunity. I like to add that you have to be open and willing to grab the opportunities when they come! You can bet we will be!

My Message To Entrepreneurs

Do you have an idea? An invention? I say, "Go for it!" You don't need a boatload of money to pursue an invention. Dave and I had this idea years ago and actually took action in January 2008. Here we are just 19 months later getting ready for our first trade show and our product will be on store shelves in mere months. Don't have time? Dave is full time, active duty military, and when we started this venture, I had a full time sales career. You can do it!

The really amazing thing about this story is that we have not paid a penny for prototyping, samples, or manufacturing. The only money we've spent has been for our legal fees with writing and filing our patent application. Not every idea needs a patent. In fact, "First to Market" is often more effective and a lot less expensive than applying for a patent. How have we done this you might wonder. I don't know what the technical answer is, but I can tell you what I think it is, I asked.

It really is as simple as that. I called US manufacturers of snow gloves and talked to them about my idea. I originally wanted to license the idea with the provision that I would introduce it to the marketplace as mom invented, and then they could run with it. The couple of companies that I was able to have a dialog with, really saw that our idea was good, sound, and needed. They liked the hole in the children's market we were filling and they liked my initiative to pick up the phone and cold call, as I did each of them. The company that is now our manufacturer and distributor paid for six rounds of prototyping, 35 pair of sample gloves, and the polish on the design for the hang tag. We worked on a general look and their graphics department made it look spiffy and professional. From there, they provided us with an additional 50 hang tags for when we needed to replace a torn one. They also provided 75 pair of retail ready gloves that they deferred billing on until October 14th, 2009. It is possible to get the help you need when your idea is a good one, and you ask

So what's stopping you from pursuing your idea? If it's important to you, you'll make time, and don't tell me it's money because I won't buy it, not even for a single dollar!

Cups Of Abundance

I don't have a clue what that means, but it keeps popping up in my mind. Cups of Abundance. Is it a subliminal message about my future? Maybe if I were inventing a coffee cup or a bra! Laughing! Who knows, it's one of those silly things that makes you think. Maybe that's what I'm suppose to be doing, thinking of abundance in my recipe for life! What do you think of when you hear and when you say, "Cups of Abundance." Smiling!

Exactly As It Is Suppose To Be

To hold faith in your pocket, and to see life's plan through the eyes of your heart, is to know that all is happening exactly as it was meant to.

I'm Not MIA

Hey friends, I'm up to my eyeballs in details for the upcoming ABC show in Las Vegas. We are only just over two weeks away from packing up the car and the list of things to do is growing by the moment! I have some exciting news and updates, but I have to be in a place where I can sit quietly and write. I'll get everything updated before the end of next week!

As Promised, Here Are Some Pictures!

These are some of the pics we shot in my backyard...
We plan to use some of these shots for photo stand-ups for the ABC show...

Do these kids look like the epitome of winter fun?

We think so! This one would be fun using a 1/2 a Styrofoam circle to make the shot 3D.

And yes, we are doing a 20 inch stand-up of Riley! He's part of our snow fun!

Does Emotion Have A Place In Business?

My initial answer is "no." I can reconcile that there are businesses that require emotion, but even a business such as hospice, medical, and other sensitive-issue fields, at the end of the day there are expenses to be met and with that, there is no place for emotion. Notoriously, this has been why men have been perceived as better at business than women. I'm here to tell you, not so. I know many men who become very emotional about their businesses, especially when it's something they've created, a product, an invention, and so on.

Here's my take on this, no matter what kind of business you have, you are still a person. Being human mean you feel and feeling is part of what makes up passion. Passion is an important part of loving what you do. With that said, we are all emotional sometimes, but in reality, if you look at the facts and figures, take the emotion out of your business decisions, you are likely going to have better success and stronger relationships. You are in control of how you feel and whether or not you react with emotion. This may or may not be flawed thinking, but it's how I feel about it. I'll give you another example of non-emotional thinking in business on Wednesday. In the meantime, what do you think about emotion and business?