Ode to flight attendents

I've been on the road, at the Atlanta Mart, selling Normans. He was well received. I spent all day billing and shipping orders, but it wasn't my best show yet. However, you never know. It seems to me that the orders continue to flow for several weeks post a show.

I missed the kids and the hubby. But wow I needed the time. I needed to vent with people who don't know me, aren't vested in the situation and were supportive. I also met amazing people who are just a few years ahead of me on starting their own businesses. Tons of experience to absorb.

I also need to focus on consulting, so it is good to be home. The show was basically a 9 am opening with an 8 pm closing, then networking. yeah, exhausting.

Sometimes you wonder what you would do in a situation. On the plane there was a guy right behind me really, like REALLY drunk! He was generally talking nicely with the kids behind me (kids like 25 years old). But then he turned ugly. I turned to look and the gal looked uncomfortable, so I was about to hit the bell for the flight attendant not knowing what she could do. but she turned the corner before I hit the bell, smelled the guy and engaged him. She then called and had the pilot turn the plane around (we were on the run way, 3rd in line) and we took an extra 45 minutes to unload the guy. Wow.

But also, totally the right choice. This guy was on the edge of turning mean. He was REALLY drunk. And I wouldn't have wanted to sit beside him, let alone within ear shot for two hours. What a choice, what a great choice, yet other passengers were upset about being late. This is a guy that could have been totally disruptive. Maybe violent with the folks sitting beside him.

We need to do what we think is appropriate. We need to change situations when necessary. And we don't have to wait until a situation is horrible, we should be proactive.

Kudos to my flight attendants on this flight.

more later.

Trade Show #2, Day 3 - Going on National TV

Another solid day at the show! I'm really pleased with how it is going. Could it be better? Yes. But is it going well? Absolutely.

We have sales and orders to ship. We have gained multiple companies that want to stay in the loop on our progress and may eventually become retailers for us. Additionally, we have gained many contacts that I think will help us down the road.

Today, the Big Boy came to the show and got to see what was going on. I warned him ahead of time that there was nothing there we were allowed to buy. Only things to look at. While he was clearly excited by what he saw, and all the vendors love engaging a child with their wares, he was a really good boy and handled it all very well. And he already told me what he thinks our next product line should be.

Today offered a few surprises. I had one woman 15 minutes before the close of the day walk up and ask what our show special was. Three seconds later her husband caught up. She turned to him and said, order the show special and then meet me at booth #XX and walked out. It was great to have a customer return so determined.

On to national TV. It is confirmed. I will be appearing with Norman on the CBS's The Early Show on Saturday August 29th. This is so cool! They are doing a segment called, "Mother's of Invention" highlighting three Mompreneurs. Should be fun!

Trade Show #2, Day 2; Book Update

AWESOME Day! Great feedback on the product and line extensions. Some great sales and lots of people actually handing me their business card asking to stay informed of when the book is released and wanting to chat more on the toy! I'm very happy with the orders today.

Tomorrow is the corporate buyer day, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm not really ready to go very, very large scale, but I'm interested in seeing who is interested in the product, the line, and what can be met.

Yeah, a small victory on this interesting road!

Second victory came in tonight. Kenny my illustrator sent me the first color spread for the book. I'm thrilled. We've worked through the sketches for the entire book, then to the pen and ink drawings, but now we are going through the creating color. Very cool.

On the boys, specifically the Big Boy. On Sundays we review the "calendar" to see if he achieved his goals and he gets a prize. So tonight when I gave him the star for 'letting mommy work' he reported "It was easy today. You were in the big building for the trade show. They don't let kids in to the trade show so I couldn't annoy you." I'll take this as a generally supportive comment, I'll find somehow to spin it that way.

On to trade show #2

So yesterday I went down and set up for my second trade show. Good news, so far a totally different experience!

How different:
1. It's in my home town, NYC
2. I was not the only Caucasian on the floor, in fact minorities (which I actually am as a Latina) were the minority.
3. I have a 10 ft. by 10ft. booth.
4. The air conditioning, while not on full force, was on.
5. The other vendors setting up looked impressive!
6. I was not the only 10 ft. by 10 ft space (at the last show the little booths were almost non-existent, but here it seems to be the majority, which I'm going to believe means more of the little guy like me!).
7. The food vendors were already open and serving people with a variety of food.
8. I have padding under my carpet.
9. They let me wheel in my own bags without drayage fees.
10. My hubby helped me set up (not necessarily a good thing as he told me everything he didn't like about my booth until I reminded him that those things cost money which means more meals at home, fewer dates.) which I am glad to have him see a bit of the business.

I will go in tomorrow hopeful. I have a young actor friend of my husband's helping me, and I think he is a great fit for the "Norman" image. I will take photos tomorrow of the booth and post them. I think my set up is a bit stronger this time around. I did go back to the first trade show entry and post a photo for that one.

Separate update on morning show - I had the "phone" interview with the producer, which I really think they just want to make sure you can answer a question. They are supposed to decide if the segment will be booked by Monday, so it is a long slow drum roll, but I hope to have good news to report in a few days.

Separate, Separate note - I got published as an author! I repackaged an old blog post as a short article and was published in a regional parenting magazine in their August issue. Of course they didn't tell me ahead of time, I found out today when I received a check in the mail with a copy of the article. Really, I'm very happy about it. This was a business idea, to gain a bit more "writing" credibility before publishing the Norman story.

idiotic; sometimes.

Recently I’ve noticed I’m kind of an idiot. It amuses me, slightly alarms me, but I think it is a fair observation. Let me expand.

I know how to pack a suitcase. And I happen to believe I’m a really good packer. Accordingly I spend entirely too much time making sure everything is properly aligned and fits. My husband and a few friends have even commented on my ability to get everything in a small space. They say watching me unpack is like watching the clowns exit the car at the circus. I say, “ I’m good with special issues, I can make it all fit.” In inspection I realize being compared to a circus act may not really be a compliment.

The dark side of being a good packer is that the more you can fit in a single bag, the heavier the bag becomes. Yes, I carry some really heavy bags. I kind of view it as a work out program, like a small physical challenge. I know packing heavy bags with "I can carry it" attitude doesn’t sound like all that bad. It really becomes concerning when you marry it to my number one personality flaw, fierce determination to do it all myself. Not just independence, but a “get the @#$*#(@! out of my way” attitude.

This is the scenario that got me thinking: the cab drops me off 10 yards from the airline out door check in. I have two huge, I mean big enough to hide a few small children, suitcases that hold my trade show kit. I also have one surprisingly heavy little carry on bag. The taxi driver grunts as he lifts the carry on bag out of the trunk. Then he suspiciously eyes the big bags. Of course, my personality flaws kick in and I pick up and move the two big bags and then tip the guy anyway (note another flaw; gluttonous tipping).

I stack the little bag on the smaller of the two bags and drag all three bags toward the check in desk. Note, there is a crack in the side walk 10 feet from the desk. I hit it. Top bag tries to fly. I catch it all as the baggage guy walks over to help me. I say no worries I got it all and wave him off. I walk five more feet to the desk. He looks at me and says, “Now you have to let me help you whether you want it or not.”

Light bulb. I’m an idiot. No doubt my bags are heavy, I weighed them before leaving the room (yes, this means I carry a luggage scale with me when I travel) they are just under the top acceptance level of 70 lbs each. And I have three bags which are hard for me to manage on my own. What am I thinking, combined they do weigh more than me. Yet, damn it, I’m going to do it all! I’m going to do it all by myself. I’m an idiot.

I forget that I can smile and ask for help. I can tip anyone who helps. I don’t need to be embarrassed by the size of my bags… I know its not all clothes and shoes. Furthermore the people, these random strangers who’s opinion I’m worried about, will never see me again. Bottom line, I need perspective. I need to quit being an idiot.

Trade show to National TV

So I've packed my bags - yes my whole kit fits into two large, and I do mean LARGE, suitcases. I'm done with the show, but I've learned something. Maybe even learned a lot.

This was not my target market. I want mom and pop stores, boutiques, that have a higher end product and care about the products they are selling. I want buyers that think the fact that part of the sale goes to charity; not those that think it is cutting the profit. I want people who love, adore, children and the product that go to them. They were not really at this show. But I'm excited about my next two shows, one starting in 3 days in NYC, that will be a better fit for me.

I learned how to set up my booth. I have made some changes and will expand a bit on my marketing for the next booth (I'll also be moving from a 5x10 to a 10x10 booth). I have worked on my pitch. I know where to pause to see if the buyer wants to walk away or more information. How to read the body language and respect time efficiency for both of us. I've learned that you don't pitch to everyone, not everyone carries your product category. I've gained ideas on line extensions, some which I think I can pull together for the holiday season this year!

And life is a teeter totter, while the show was a 'learning experience', other things were happening in the background. My part time publicist (only on board for a quick 2 month window), just scored a major booking for me on a national network morning show! I have a phone interview later today, which will seal the deal. Once all the approvals are in place I will tell you all about it! I'm so excited!

ASD Show Appears a Bust

I could be heart broken or depressed, but really I'm not. The show is a bust, I mean BUST!

It is totally the wrong venue for me, and if my buyers show up here it is only because they were as naive as I am. When I signed up, I did a few things right: I asked what was the price of goods being sold and was told "moderate", I also checked the list of last years vendors and saw the major plush houses listed. But in reality this is a "value/close out" show. The toys here are the mass merchandising products that you would find on Canal Street in NYC. Not even the stuff I like to buy for my boys. I didn't even know these vendors would need a show, I thought they just sold by catalogue.

There were signs during set up that I was not at my ideal venue, but I didn't know how to read these signs. Don't think this is racist, but I need to explain the reality; all the major vendors are Asian importers. No body was friendly with me. No one was speaking English. Everyone had major booths, 2-6 booth space, not the one off space of an interesting unique product like mine.

And when the show opened, most of the buyers were Asian distributors, and walked right passed me even though I said hello to everyone. A few folks have been willing to hear my pitch and like the product. However, they are at this show to get deals, and my price point is totally out side of their expected range. I'm simply at the wrong venue.

What I have heard overall in general advise before coming to the show is true. And I'm gaining a bit advice while at the show. So let me share:

• Try to visit a show before presenting - then you really know what it is like, but you'll have to wait another year to show. This good advice if you have the time to build your business and fly to these locations without a 'return'. But, one vendor told me that a few years ago I would have totally fit in here, but in the last two years the venue had really changed its stripes.
• Buyers want to see you before buying from you. It is true you need to get to the shows to meet the buyers, but it is clear that some are interviewing me and want to see me around before they start buying from me. While I think it is great to have a relationship, I think it is a silly reason for not carrying a product their customers may buy.
• Look at the list of vendors for fit. I agree, but I would add scrutinize the vendor list. Beyond seeing the big names in your category, do you see some of the smaller up and coming companies that you admire? If not, there might be a reason.
• You will meet people. Yes, I am still meeting some interesting folks. There is great resistancetheir business card. When asked most people say no. They'll take your information and follow you, but only those really interested in you product are willing to hand over their cards. And, given how much marketing materials and sampling costs, I'm cool with this attitude.
• There are sharks. Yes, I've already had a "business consultant" stop by and tell me why he thinks my businesses will fail and how he can help me. I promptly told him he has assumed an incorrect business plan and that this is the inappropriate venue to have such a discussion and I would be happy to see him leave my booth. At which time I also stood my full height and glared that "Mommy would really like to hit you" glare.
• Food at the Venues is terrible. Yes, but interestingly, they did bring in one food court just for the importers that serves only Asian style Asian food (vs. American style Asian food) which is really quite good although still ridiculously expensive. And hard to find.

There was one good comedic moment in the day. The lady beside me is selling some really strong smelling potpourri. I find it ironic that she is a smoker, which means it all smells less to her and stronger to me. Anyway a guy comes down the isle and takes a piece and throws it in his mouth thinking it was candy! I haven't seen anyone spit that violently in some time!

So, I am heading back to the show this morning. I will continue to be friendly, but honestly I'm a little tempted to leave the show a day early. We'll see how it goes today. And the biggest bummer. The pool closes at 6 pm, so I don't even get pool time.

Trade Show Set up

So today I'm in Las Vegas. After getting up at 5 am to catch a 7:30 flight, leading to a 10:30 am landing (with time change), checked into the hotel and then off to the Sands Convention center for trade show set up!

As the Big Boy says, "I'm going to go sell Normans so we can have more money and pay for school!" YEAH!

I'm putting Norman PhartEphant out there to the whole sale buyers!! This is how I found out if Fierce Fun Toys, LLC is going to make it as a real company or not! This show is a good but interesting fit for me, it is a general house & gift show including housewares, jewelry, gift & toys. I'm in the toy section.

To say I'm excited to be here is an understatement. The day went well, but I did find myself so intimidated that I had to go out for a walk. Of course the walking gave me ideas how to make the booth look better, which it does now, but I also sweated BIG time as it was about 100 degrees at 2 pm!

The show is humongous! There are bout 3,000 vendors and supposedly about 20,000 buyers coming. The place is so big that they had 18-wheeler trucks in the isles dropping of the various suppliers stuff.

I have a tiny booth, 5x10 feet. The other vendors have very professional looking set ups. I'm not. But I'm happy with mine. I will take a photo tomorrow. The other vendors also have 2-6 booths (not all but many of them), and I seem to be the only one out with only one product.
There are lots of stuffed animals, or "plush", but Norman seems pretty unique. I also have a couple draft copies of the book with me for pre-sale.

I actually do not "know" the person helping me in the booth tomorrow: it is a friend of a friend. But We've talked on the phone and she seemed nice and willing. Bottom line, I know I can't do it all by myself (see I am maturing!).

I'm not sure what my sale goals are. I've really struggled with coming to terms on what they should be. It seems like I should at least be able to do 2 sales orders an hour, from 9 am to 6 pm, which would be 18 orders. But that also seems pretty lame. But I just don't know?!? I can't wait to find out!