Starbucks SUCKS!

For the first time in 3 years, I decided to go Christmas shopping yesterday.  My goal, all be it remote, was to locate a gift Made in the USA for around $20 at the only "local" stores in that area Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Ross Dress for Less and Old Navy. 

I didn't really hold much hope for accomplishing my goals at these particular retailers but in a time crunch I thought I'd do the experience anyway.  I started at Target with the thought that they have a wide range of goods and the odds of finding something made locally was at least a possibility.  I wanted to get a insulated Thermos and some coffee for a co-worker.  Since the plastic items we use in our product are made right up the street from our shop, I thought for sure there would be at least one in the bunch but that it might cost more than my $20 budget.  I began turning over the Thermos' one by one to find each was Made in China.  One even said Hecho en China and had no English on the tag whatsoever! To add insult to injury they were all $15+ and I learned later in the evening that the same model could be purchased up the street at the Dollar Tree!

Disgusted by my discoveries I made my way over to Ross Dress for Less.  If I was going to spend money on a product Made in China I wasn't going to pay what Target wanted! So I roamed through the isles, saw a few options also Made in China, no big surprise, but I was shocked that the price was only $5 to $10 less.  Finally I decided to stop by the Bed Bath and Beyond that was right next door.  After my discovery at Target I didn't hold much hope at all.  True to form after scouring the inventory I left empty handed after 30 mins. Along my way I noticed a plethora of "Earth Friendly" products which of course we're priced at a premium but sadly non where Made in the USA. Exactly how does freighting a "Green" product half way around the globe save the planet anyway?

Tired and frustrated the thought to change my gifting goal all together came to mind and I popped into the Old Navy to check out their Techno Gear clothing. The price was right, the product seemed ok, but I couldn't bring myself to plunk down the dough when I really wanted to stick to my convictions and buy something, ANYTHING, Made in the USA.  Again I walked to my car without a bag in tow.  In a last ditch effort I pulled into a Starbuck's Coffee along the way.  I knew I wasn't going to find anything there, I don't even care for their coffee but the person I was buying for did so I thought I'd give it a look.  Years ago I worked for the Green Monster and they would give a free drink with any mug purchase so I figured at the very least my gift recipient would enjoy a cup of joe and have something to show for it.  But Starbucks has gotten greedy over the years and no longer gives you a drink voucher for your $20 contribution.  In addition to that all of their mugs were again made overseas.  However, I made a really funny discovery that I wasn't looking for.  Next to the registers was bracelet attached to a piece of cardboard that read "Create Jobs for USA"- out of curiosity I decided to  investigate this bracelet and what I discovered almost made me loss my breakfast. 

Seems this campaign to raise money for small business owners like me is JP Morgan Chase's way to make interest off of donations.  This money isn't been given to business owners, oh no, we're expected to pay interest on it.  Something is wrong with this picture don't you think?  The bulk of the economic calapse is predicated on debt and this marketing ploy only feeds off of struggling businesses need by padding the pockets of wealthy bankers and greedy corporations. If you really want to help us small businesses grow please don't waste your money on a bracelet that funds corruption and greed! Instead why not pay $5.00 more on a US made product that actually helps businesses grow and keep their doors open!!!

Take that Snuggie!

Believe me, I don't want this to sound like I'm not happy for other companies who have garnered exposure for their products and are cashing in on the fruits of their labor.  Still its hard not to think "why them and not us?"

Over the course of these difficult 3 years trying to introduce a new product to the world, products like The Snuggie continue to frustrate me!  I mean, what does a blanket with sleeves have that a locking rock doesn't? In fact, I'd argue that while the Snuggie can keep you warm after a long day at work, it's more important to be able to get out of the cold in the first place. 

To add insult to injury all you have to do is tune into a show like Anthony Sullivan's Pitchman and see all the crap that is churned out of a factory in China and gobbled up by American consumers. Its beyond frustrating, it's down right infuriating! Case in point, on Wednesday of this week ABC News ran a story on a Facebook about a guy in New York who is raking in the dough selling perfumes that smell like Roast Beef! Not only is the thought of smelling like I just worked a 10 hour shift at Arby's completely revolting, but the fact that people are paying 1,000's of dollars (yes 1,000's) for this is beyond comprehension and made exponentially worse because it was featured on national news!!!

After pouring 1,000's and giving up everything we own to give the RocLok a go, its so disheartening that we haven't made our mark yet.  I'm not really sure what is going to make that page turn in our favor or if it ever will. 

Until then we'll continue to do what we feel is right.  Continue to make our little product right here in the USA forsaking a quick buck to build something we can be proud of.  We'll continue donating profit to help save animals lives even if it means we have to tough out another Top Ramen dinner and someday, God willing we'll be able to say Take that Snuggie! Until then, I'll continue to vent, thank you for listening!

Ho, Ho, NO!

If you have been out to the local mall or even the DMV recently you've probably noticed that it's beginning to look like Christmas everywhere you look and if you're like me you don't like it one bit! Don't get me wrong, the holidays are hands down my favorite time of the year.  Snow, happy little elves and getting together with friends and family that often get neglected throughout the year.  But now that it seems like Christmas is coming earlier and earlier every year the season has lost it's magic for me.

To make it even matters worse, because we sell a consumer based product, we have to start Christmas early to compete with all the big box stores! If I had my way, Christmas promotion wouldn't begin until December 1st. The anticipation needs to be restored to this beautiful holiday!

In our area Halloween decorations began popping up in late August, before the kids had even gone back to school! By Halloween night, you were lucky to find anything left as it had all been replaced by Christmas trees and garland that was already discounted!!! It's getting out of hand.  I mean we were told by one of our vendors that we missed the deadline for the holiday catalog in February, yes FEBRUARY!

On Facebook I hear my friends complain about the jingles in the store, the large Christmas tree being erected in the city square (already) and all the commercials which will be more than played out by the time November comes to a close.  Yet caving to pier pressure I changed our fan page banner from Halloween to a Holiday theme promptly on  November 1st.  Some of our vendors had done so as early as October 28th so I felt like I held my ground a little but still I'm conflicted on how to continue to promote this season.  Do I forge ahead with holiday themed ramblings stuffing my fans minds with visions of RocLok's under the tree or do I hold back until Thanksgiving gets it's due respect and hope I didn't miss eager Black Friday / Cyber Monday shoppers?

I so wish that the commercialization of this season was brought back to the way I remember it growing up. I believe that this recession has made retailers hungry and they are desperately fighting and clawing for their piece of the pie at the expense of their customers happiness.  Perhaps one day there will be a stop to this HO HO madness and we can all slow down a bit and enjoy every holiday equally.  For now I guess I'll have to go with the flow, avoid the stores, change the channel on those commercials and hope that their are holiday decorations left when I feel like it's an appropriate time to start celebrating.

A Big Waste of Time?

As I'm sure you've all seen, millions of Americans have flooded US numerous city streets in a movement called Occupy Wallstreet. When the movement began a little more than 2 weeks ago, it appeared that the cause focus was to protest against corporate greed committed by the largest companies currently in the marketplace.  As a small business owner who is not even able to pay myself a minimum wage I of course applauded their efforts.  Unfortunately some where along the way it appears that the movement lost it's focus completely and now I'm not really sure what they are trying to accomplish.

A few nights ago we had dinner with Ryan's parents and got onto the subject of Occupy Wallstreet and corporate greed. We all agreed that for the most part this protest is turning into more of a waste of energy than a positive move in the direction of change.  It seems as though people are now congregating to complain about how unfair their lives are rather than voicing concerns that spark discussion and possibly change. 

Ryan's mom shared a disturbing incident that recently happened at her workplace, a national communications corporation which I won't name even though I'd love to (let's just say it starts with an F now and formerly started with a V).  Seems the company made a bad investment when buying out another national communication corporations local internet and television accounts and instead of making cuts from the top down, roughly 50% of the local work force was hit with a pay cut of 45% or more while the CEO received a raise earning her $12 million a year!  To add insult to injury she had the nerve to personally fly in on her private helicopter to delivery the bad news to an unsuspecting workforce. This information was so disturbing to me that I personally will never invest in their services from now on.  Unless this CEO built this company from the ground up (which she didn't) there is no way she is worth that kind of a gross salary!  Even if she had founded the company, I'd hope that a majority would be reinvested into the company or given to a charitable organization.  Heck, we don't even make 100th of 1% of that each year and we give a percentage of sales back to charity!

Still is this one woman's overcompensation and greed the root cause of the unemployment rate in America?  Is it the outsourcing of our jobs to foreign companies? Or is it that our country has so many incentives to have a comfortable live without working for it that people have learned it's easier to collect an unemployment check rather than getting off the couch and doing some good old manual labor for minimum wage. 

What frustrates me is that as a small business owner I don't have the luxury of unemployment, health care or even workman's comp.  We struggle to keep the doors open and the lights on, live off macaroni & cheese and only go to the doctor if a router bit tries to rip off our hand and the wound is too large to patch at home! If I closed our doors tomorrow we'd couldn't go to the State office and get government assistance while we figure out what we want to be when we grow up!

When our money troubles started a couple of years ago, Ryan suggested we look into food stamps to help keep food in the house, I refused and still do.  Sure it's a pride thing, but also why should I take food out of the mouths of hungry children or the homeless when I'm perfectly capable of figuring out new ways to make our business grow and earn money. Neither of us have a handicap that prevents us from earning a living and providing for ourselves. If more people would own up to their responsibilities as citizen's of the human race, quit bitching about what a tough lot in life they have been dealt and in the words of Nike, Just Do It, I think that we would be in a much better place than we are today!

Outsourcing is bad, greed is bad, but laziness is worse because it is something we all can control. Wasting energy marching up and down our city streets without a clear purpose is just that, a waste of energy.  I hope that someone stands up with a clear message and idea for change soon so that we can all start to work on making much needed improvements.

Finding the Perfect Fit

Over the last couple weeks, I've noticed an increasing amount of stories about US companies finding great new employees from our military veteran community.  As one such company I can attest that hiring a veteran was the best decision we have made in business thus far.

Neither Ryan or I had experience hiring an employee.  And with a string of bad hires on construction projects over the years, we were scared that we would make the wrong decision when it can time to bring someone on board.  In turn it took us 3 years to take a leap of faith. 

The tricky part was that the business is not cash positive yet.  It pays for  rent, utilities, raw goods and marketing every month, but that is all it pays for.  Still we felt that bringing on an extra hand made sense to allow Ryan to do what he does best by selling.  So we decided to place an advertisement on Craigslist in the gigs section because that section is free.  Unfortunately you get what you pay for and we had a series of relatively unmotivated unemployed workers who seemed to feel entitled to having their cake and eating it to.  After a few face to face interviews we started to doubt that there was anyone out there who would be able to work for what we could afford and who would have a passion for what we do.

Determined to find someone I convinced Ryan that we should place a formal job posting on Craigslist at a price of $20 for the month.  The investment was well worth it.  Within a matter of minutes applications were pinging my inbox and continued to for 3 straight days! Of the applicants I'd say that 75% stated some form of military background.  Most had been discharged without deployment.  Of those 90% were from the Marine Corps.  Coming from a strong military family background, I was immediately excited by the possibility of hiring one of these candidates. 
However when some of these applicants arrived for the interview it was painfully clear why they were relieved of their duties.  Most had served their terms and now lived their life without a future goal and no idea what they wanted out of their lives.  Some had family issues which would have proven difficult in our fluctuating schedule and others really needed a structured work environment we knew were couldn't provide. 

The economic downturn also left many technologically qualified workers without employment especially with Oregon's high amount of technology fields.  Even though we knew that someone with a degree in engineering and or computer aided drafting would likely tire of making rocks quickly we invited a couple into the shop for a sit down.  One gentlemen in particular seemed as though he might actually be a good fit.  He was determined, focused and sounded like he had his feet on the ground.  But once it came time to have him in for the second interview he never responded to our requests and completely fell off the face of the planet.

From the beginning of the process, I felt that a person younger than us, possibly in school would make a good addition to our team.  The thought was that younger people can be more open to learning and with little financial burdens they can be a bit more flexible on pay and hours.  Going on this theory we talked with 3 candidates who might fit the bill.  All three were in their early 20's, high school graduates or GED holders and had experience in a wide range of labor jobs.  The first candidate had a young family to support as well as a prior arrest yet we thought he might have the drive we were looking for and we invited him to the 2nd interview.  The second candidate had graduated for Ryan and my alma mater and was attending college part time while also raising a small daughter and living with his parents.  Again we thought he might be a good fit and we invited him to the 2nd interview.  Finally there was a young man who had taken a 1:30 hour bus ride from the other side of town to meet with us.  He insisted that the mother of his child with whom he was estranged would allow him to crash at her apartment on the days we needed his help. He was also a recovering alcoholic with only 60 days sobriety under his belt - needless to say a little too much to handle for us.

Two hours before we were going to stop interviewing completely we received an application from a young man with a background in the Marines, who lived very close by, attended part-time classes and held a second job.  At that point we'd narrowed our search down to 5 candidates and where pretty decided on one of them but thought we'd give the guy a chance.  That decision was the best one we could have ever made.

Bert walked in as our last interview.  He had been relieved of duty because of a kidney problem military medics discovered.  Having undergone the riggers of basic training his discharge earned him full military benefits including grants to help him continue his education in his chosen field of Geology.  He had no priors, no history of addiction and no family drama back home.  Really he almost seemed too good to be true.  So we asked him to join the other 5 candidates for a walk through of the shop and briefing of the job requirements.  He was the first to arrive, the last to leave and the only one who took us up on our offering of Krispy Creme donuts and coffee. As soon as everyone took their leave it was obvious to both Ryan and I that he was the person for the job.

Excited to share the news we offered him the job that afternoon and I made the mistake of announcing it on our Facebook fan page soon after.  The reason I say that it was a mistake is because I hadn't thanked all the other 2nd interview candidates yet and one of them was following the page.  When he saw that he had not made the cut, he was angry and blasted us publicly for being unprofessional.  Really it made him look like a sore looser and once Ryan called to explain he deleted his rant but that incident showed us how close we were to making a very bad decision, we were thankful we dodged that bullet!

One thing this process taught us was that you should never settle for less than we need.  Both Ryan and I had decided that our little position was only going to attract someone with little motivation or who had no other means of getting work.  We were open to hiring someone who needed to be given a second chance at the expense of our own ethics.  I'm glad that someone out there was watching over us and didn't let us settle for less than we needed or deserved. 

Back to the Daily Grind

We made it home from Indio around 7pm last night.  Man that drive feels longer and longer every time you make it.  So far this year we've done it at least 4 times that I can count.  I'm so tired after a long day of playing catch up that I can't be certain of anything!

The original plan was to drive up on Friday, stay for the weekend and then meet up with Shorty Rossi on Monday on the way back up to Portland.  But you know what they say about the best laid plans.  Shorty was busy with filming Monday so that was out.  At first it was a little frustrating because we didn't plan on being away from the office the extra time but like most things it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because as you found out Ryan's grandfather learned about the passing of his friend on Monday and he was happy we were there to lend a shoulder to cry on.

Thankfully Shorty's schedule freed up on Tuesday and we left Indio at 8am to meet up with him in Venice Beach at 11.  The drive should only have taken 2 hours and 9 mins but true to LA form we made it in at 11 on the nose.  Also true to LA form we got a parking ticket 30 mins into our stay.  I don't know what it is about that city but every time we visit we get a parking ticket! Definitely not a pleasant surprise at $58!!!! Fortunately I realized we were probably approaching that magic time and Ryan went out and plugged the meter for another hour, his phone read 1 min past the 30 mins we'd originally paid for.  I guess there is nothing we can do about it but $58 is a tank of gas and money is not flowing as well as we would like, heck it's not flowing enough to give us a wage!  But that is a story for another time.


Our visit with Shorty was a lot of fun, we got to sit in the same seats they use on the show and check out all the artwork and gadgets he has in his office. It's so funny how small everything seems in real life compared to on television.  We visited Antique Archaeology, you might know it from that show American Pickers, and it was tiny!  I guess my perception is really off since I also thought that the Eiffel Tour was more impressive in photographs.  Anyway, we had a great conversation with Shorty, took some pictures and bribed his dog Hercules with treats to get some awesome shots.  He literally turned the chamber of the RocLok into a doggy dish, it was pretty cute. 

Since we were down in the general area, distance means nothing on a road trip!, we drove down the 101 to visit our vendor at the Do It Best in Port Hueneme.  Back in March we met the general manager at a home and garden show and they asked to have 10 units to test market.  At the time we didn't have a lot of point of sale marketing to offer but by the time we visited again in April they had successfully sold 3 units.  Unfortunately it seems like their sales force lost interest and after we left the inventory was moved into a corner of the garden section.  Even though the display looked nice enough, it made absolutely no sense.  I mean first of all there was no price at all.  All the RocLok's were laying right side up so it looked like a shelf of fancy rocks without a purpose.  If I was a customer I wouldn't have even bothered looking! Surprisingly despite this they still sold 3 more units. 

Planning ahead Ryan had loaded the in-store display with a monitor that plays the video on the homepage of our website.  Since we hadn't heard anything from the store since April we weren't really sure if we were going to be setting up the new display or loading up the inventory and taking it back to Portland with us.  After getting to the store and talking with the manager we all decided to give it another go and put up the new display but this time I insisted that it be in the hardware section next to the key cutting and locks.  With limited space we needed a table to place the display on and the manager asked an associate to grab one out of the back.  Obviously displeased by the task the employee wandered around for about 20 mins before acting.  At one point he walked over to me and to measure the base of the display and asked what it was for.  I explained that it was for the RocLok, describing what it was and to my surprise he retorted with "Are we even getting any more of those things, they are a bit spendy!" with a very disapproving tone and walked off.  Needless to say I was unhappy after that so I proceeded to follow him around the store until he finally went into the back room and grabbed a table for us to set up.  C'est la vie.  His demeanour seemed to improve by the time we left and I was proud of myself for standing up for myself.  Anyone who knows me can attest that I can be a push over and that confrontation and me are not friends. 

After the busy afternoon came to a close we headed up north, rested in Sacramento for the night and drove all day Wednesday to get home.  It felt great to wake up in our own bed this morning.
  

Friends for Life

Life is precious and fragile.  It's easy to forget that amongst the daily noise.  Spending time in Indio always reminds me of that. 

This morning we received a phone call that a good friend of Ryan's grandfather had passed away last night.  He was in his 80's, had been fighting disabilities due to Polio most of his adult life and was brought down with a bout of Pneumonia a little while ago.  His wife Carol had graciously opened their home to celebrate Ryan's grandmothers life just the day before, despite Bill still being hospitalized.

When Wilma passed back in June, it was Carol and Bill who welcomed weary family members to crash in their guest house and brought over meals during a very difficult time.  Their warming presence made things a little less bleak for everyone especially Ryan's grandfather Ben. 

With all the busyness of everyday life, friends have not been a large part of my life.  I enjoy their company but have been disappointed so many times in the past I guess I've come to the conclusion that the investment is wasted energy.  That sounds so horrible when I write it out.  I guess my problem with making friends has been much like someone who hasn't found the right life partner.  I'm always "dating" the wrong type of person. 

Over my lifetime I've had a few friends but none that really stuck if that makes sense.  My very first friend Breonna was introduced to my life when we were both toddlers.  The daughter of my parents friends, we were "forced" friends and that friendship lasted through our 20's.  Breonna was even the Maid of Honor in my wedding.  Despite my family moving 1000's of miles away we kept contact through letters and when her dad moved up to Washington we had the opportunity to spend time together on her visits.  In essence she was like the sister I never had. 

Breonnna and I were very similar in many ways and that similarity caused some rivalry from time to time.  I remember one day when we were about 7 years old my parents had purchased me a new Barbie Doll.  Excited I immediately boasted about my new treasure to Breonna as soon as she arrived but to my surprise instead of being happy for me she attacked me for being a bragger!  I'll never forget the hair pulling brawl that ensued. Funny how something so trivial sticks around and that an innocent word can change your entire perception of yourself.  After that day I never bragged about a gift again, in fact I think that is the reason I have a hard time spending money on myself at all.  Funny how that one little word made me feel eternally guilty about every personal purchase I've made since. 

I was always a shy kid and I think that made some invisible mark on my forehead that told the more assertive kids that I was easy prey. Thankfully for me I come from stubborn, feisty stock that allowed me to dish whatever they through my way back at them.  That doesn't mean it did really hurt at the same time.  Since I felt like an outcast I gravitated to making friends with the "broken" kids.  Mind you they all were great people and like me didn't feel as though they belonged so from that aspect it was a perfect match.  Unfortunately being a junior problem solving fanatic, I tended to focus on their problems and less on my own.  Great for them, not so good for me. You see when you are the caregiver sometime you get walked all over.  That whole survivor of the fittest thing I guess.  At some point the person you try desperately to help figures out that you will do anything for them and decides to use that to their advantage. I don't think it's a conscience decision and I don't think it is out of any malice but just that they have adapted to having to fight for themselves and manipulation is an easy way to get what you want.

Unfortunately it took me most of my adult life to realize that issue and a couple of years ago both Ryan and I decided to rid our lives of those kinds of friends and try to make new lasting connections.  With the long hours working on growing the business we haven't had many opportunities to get out and meet anyone.  We tried that networking group in hopes that we would find some new comradery but again it felt as though we would be in the role of helping to "fix" their businesses instead of learning on how to grow ours.

Over the last couple days I've come to realize that friendships are an important part of life.  If you are fortunate to meet those people who will love and support you unconditionally hold onto them. Hopefully someday Ryan and I will find our life friends and we will be as fortunate as his grandparents to have support when we need it the most.  For now the hunt continues.

Headed for the Highway

Tomorrow we're hitting the road again bound for Indio, California.  Instead of preparing for a meriad of trade shows, this trip is for a family event but of course we managed to squeeze some business into the mix or at least are trying to. 

Ryan's grandmother Wilma passed away in June and Saturday her friends are celebrating her life down in California.  We had the service up here in Portland at the tail end of June and this will be the first time we've seen Ryan's grandfather since then.  Even though his entire working career was at the phone company, Ben doesn't really do telephones.  We've tried to outfit his home with amplified models to improve the sound quality so he can hear us but still he seems to be having a difficult time with it. Plus, since he is from a generation that didn't really use computers, he isn't into email either. Needless to say it's been difficult to keep in touch on a regular basis.  So this trip will be nice to check in on him and take care of some odds and ends he might need done around the house.

The original plan for the trip was for Ryan's Uncle to drive with us early tomorrow morning.  He has his own house painting business so time and funds are really tight for him.  Couple that with Oregon's unpredicatable weather and the poor guy never really knows what he is or isn't going to be able to do on any given day.  With the fall weather rapidly changing he was concerned that he wouldn't have time to complete some of the outdoor gigs he had already started and really only felt as though he had enough time to drive up Friday, visit Saturday for the event and drive back home on Sunday.  But after talking with him last night he came to the conclusion that still wasn't a safe bet and he decided that this wasn't a trip he would be able to make.  It was really too bad because I know Ben was eager to have some quality time with him, but in that short amount of time any visit they would have been able to have would be very brief.  I hope he is able to find a better gap in his schedule to make a longer trip down south and spend some bonding time soon.

Not having another passenger makes our schedule a little more flexible, allowing us to complete the new RocLok for Shorty Rossi and bring it down with us.  We are trying to get together with him on Monday sometime.  The tricky part is that Monday is his first day of filming Season 3 of Pit Boss and he doesn't really know when he'll be available.  We really only need to get a couple quick pictures with him and the Dolomite for the website, but even then, who knows what time he will be able to dedicate. The cool part is we may get a chance to see some filming done which would be very fun.  I definately don't want to impose on his time though, good thing he's near the beach we can go enjoy some sun when he's unavailable :)

Normally preparing for a trip can be flustering especially when you run your own business. Not only do you have to pack all the usual clothes, tolietries and alike but as a business owner you have to prepare the office for your absence too.  Thankfully we are living in the digital age.  It really makes life so much more fluid.  We used to bring RocLok inventory with us so that we could ship out online orders when they came in but now that Bert is helping us we can email him the shipping label and he'll drop them off at FedEx for us! Still it is harder to sneek in working hours when your on the road.  I for one get car sick if I'm not driving so I do that while Ryan Tweets and/or Facebooks on the Android.  The bummer is that I'll have a great thought about something to Tweet just as he falls asleep and since I'm driving I can't do anything about it! Oh, well such is life.

We'll both try to update this blog over the next few days away from home, but as we learned at the beach, it's hard to blog without internet! Wish us luck.

Everyone Wants Their Slice of the Pie

Everyone wants their cut of the profits.  However making it in America increases the cost of production and in turn lessens the amount of profit for everyone.  This can make negotiating wholesale prices tricky for us. 

The most important thing to always consider is what consumers can and are willing to pay for the product.  We have to make sure that we keep the cost low enough to be affordable but high enough to cover expenses.  Simple economics yes, but when you factor in the higher prices for goods and services stateside it leaves little wiggle room and can kill potential deals.

When we started selling the St. Helens model in 2008 we thought $49.95 was a fair price.  Originally we thought $39.95 but after factoring all the elements realized that we couldn't afford to operate at that price.  The $49.95 price did not include shipping which runs upwards of $15.  That alone inflated the final sales price to $64.95.  So in May of 2010 I decided we'd try to include the shipping into the price and make all RocLok's an easy $64.95.

The change not only helped our customers feel better about their purchases but it allowed us to offer "keystone" pricing to our vendors.  Keystone as we learned early on is 50% margin or greater.  With our prior prices there as no way of accomplishing this goal.  Some catalog companies required Keystone plus 20% which definitely wasn't going to happen.  Needless to say we weren't sure what we where going to do to get some traction in the marketplace.

From day one we knew we wanted to try and keep as much of the production and raw material sourcing as local as possible.  This meant and continues to mean higher prices on everything from the plastic we use in the injection molding to the tape we use on our packages. However instead of taking the greedy way and having our product mass produced overseas for pennies on the dollar and pocketing the proceeds, we have remained stead fast in our resolve whether that be to the detriment of our financial state or not.

Recently requests have increased from vendors throughout the United States and Internationally wanting to offer our product to their customers. Of course we love this new attention but sometimes it is disheartening to get excited about starting a new business relationship and finding out that we can't make a deal because of margins.  For example our margins are such that we can not afford to bring on a Manufacturer Representatives. 

A Manufacturer Representatives aids as the go between person, introducing your products to large big box chains like The Home Depot for example.  The theory is that they have established a good working relationship with buyers in these chains and have pull as to which products get noticed and ultimately sold in the store.  Obviously they want to be paid for their services as well they should be.  However if the margin is not big enough to begin with bringing a third cut into the mix just won't work.  Thus we haven't had the luxury of having a Manufacturer Rep on team RocLok.

Thankfully with some strategic placement at various trade shows and a lot of luck, our product has garnered the attention of  some large vendors and we have been able to nurture our own relationships.  It definitely wasn't a quick process but doing it ourselves allowed us to learn which has to count for something. I think that grow slowly will prove beneficial to the longevity of the business in the end but it is awfully painful on our bank account so far. They say "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," so if we keep putting one foot in front of the other someday we're bound to get there... right?

Giving Profit to Charity Instead of Google

Yesterday we started try #2 on the rubber mold for the Dolomite RocLok.  The goal is to have that rubber done tomorrow so we can have a completed piece before we leave for Southern California early Friday morning.  Then if the stars align we'll be able to meet up with Shorty Rossi in Venice Beach so that he can take a photo with the new product, after all we're making the Dolomite to support his Pit Bull Rescue.

We received the custom stamps we had made especially for this project on Saturday. They turned out great! I'm always happy when a new online vendor works out well.  Within 24 hours of approving and paying for the stamps the company based out of Massachusetts had them cut and in the mail to us back here in Oregon. It's always a little nerve wrecking trying a new online place especially if you're ordering a custom piece, but if you are ever in the market for stamps I would highly suggest SimonStamp.com as they did a great job and are a US based company to boot! Once the stamp was glued onto the rock we choose for the Dolomite, Ryan was able to get started on the rubber.

We're both excited to see how much money this new RocLok will raise for this charity.  Both Ryan and I feel strongly about trying to give back to the community any way we can but it's really hard to donate money when you can't pay yourself a salary.  So we're thankful that Shorty agreed to work with us on this and fingers crossed it will prove beneficial for us both.  In the past we've tried to raise money for the Cat Adoption Team here in Portland through various sales events. But unfortunately we haven't had a huge amount of success with that... yet.  I am stubbornly clinging to the thought that our fundraising efforts will not be in vain and will help the causes we are trying so desperately to make some money for.

I've been designing printed material for CAT for about 3 years now and in that time have come to really appreciate the work they do for all of the feral cats in need. Also familiar with their financial blight in this recession, I've been keen on the idea of getting them some much needed funds and thought that their supporters would be happy to support the cause and make sure Fluffy was well cared for in their absence.  However, the concept must not have fully sunken in yet. 

Our first attempt to fund raise for CAT was at a Pet Expo a couple years back.  At that time we were selling only one style, the St. Helens, at only $49.95 or $40 since it was a show.  Our profit margin wasn't very good as it was so we really could only afford to donate $5 back on each sale.  Even though it was more than 10% the reception was chilly and one CAT supporter told me he'd rather give the $5 to CAT himself, which I understand completely still it was a bummer.  Attempt #2 was by attending CAT's annual CATnip 5K and Mouse Miler, a bust.  Next we were given a space for an advertisement on the backside of their 2011 annual calendar, yet again a failure. Finally at this years 5K we found success! Sure it was only one sale bringing CAT a mere $15 but it was a sale! My only hope is that with all our attempts we build some synergy and with a couple more attempts CAT supporters will realize that we are seriously trying to fund raise not use the charity as a marketing ploy. 

Unfortunately I think that a lot of businesses exploit charity as a way to get marketing out there.  And while admittedly we are hoping our philanthropic gestures will raise our product awareness and in turn sales, we truly want to help the charities we are dedicating our time and profit share to. In reality it would probably be easier to team up with Home Depot and give them all the profit share, but we want that money to help others not line big businesses pockets. Yeah, you could say that our selling through Walmart or Lowes could create jobs at those retail stores, but does it really?  I personally like knowing where that money is going and what it is helping.

We still depend on Google Adwords and teaming up with larger companies to be able to compete in the marketplace, but I continue to hope that creating a product that stands for something from the beginning will bring us more than monetary riches in the future. A little good Karma has to count for something right?

Does Anyone Really Buy This Junk?

Yesterday was day two of the family get together at the Oregon Coast.  True to form, the day started gloomy and wet.  Since most of the family was occupied with building up the family tree and looking through photos, Ryan and I decided to take a trip in the car to see some of the Antique shops in the area. 

The weather isn't really predictable at Oregon beaches and the water isn't warm enough to swim so most of the little towns offer a series of gift and antique shops to entice visitors and sightseers. Neither Ryan or I had been to this area of the coastline in many years so we drove south from Manzanita Beach to the one street town of Nehalem Bay about 10 mins away. 

The first shop we stopped into was called Hal's Emporium.  It was about 3 blocks long and a block deep, the largest of the 3 shops in town.  Upon entering we found ourselves in a place that was crammed full of souvenirs, and nick knacks.  99% of these "treasures" were mass produced somewhere overseas and marked up way over the value they were worth.  From plastic crabs and brass plates to 'The Head' to The Redneck Beer-o-Meter, the shop had everything you never knew you needed.

All these goodies got my brain going.  My first thought was, does anyone ever buy this junk? Followed by, Why?

I've been a longtime fan of the beach and enjoy browsing the shops on rainy days but over the years I can count on one hand the swag I've brought back from the shore.  4 out of 5 of the items I've ever purchased were tee-shirts.  I get the want to bring back a personalized tee-shirt of the places I've visited.  It's functional.  The occasional magnet, also functional but never have I said to myself, Gee I could really use a plastic pirate skull that doubles as a wine holder.  So back to my first question... Does anyone buy this stuff?

If I was a vendor on the Oregon Coast I would offer products that were handmade locally and were something that you could only find at the beach.  But it seems that most shops spend all their money stocking their shelves with crap that no one needs and every other store along Oregon's 363 miles of shoreline is also offering. 

The shops that do offer crafts from local artisans have dubbed themselves galleries which in my mind spells dollar signs and most of the time disways me from even bothering to leave the car.  9 out of 10 times although the work is gorgeous it is very cost prohibitive and I guess that is why cruising Made in China junk has become a boardwalk standard. 

I do however wonder how these little shops make enough money to keep their doors open year after year. I also wonder if there is some magical catalog of crap that all of these vendors source goods from.  Over my last dozen trips to the coast I don't think I've found anything truly unique at any store unless it was truly an Antique shop.  But even those are being filled with trinket junk.  Couple this with the now standard Outlet Malls and the coast has become less about celebrating the beauty of this natural wonder and more about filling your house with needless clutter.

It's really a sad state of affairs for all of us American product manufacturers whose wares would be lost in a sea of plastic nick knacks if we even attempted to sell in one of these small coastal shops.  If I could speak directly to these shops I would encourage them to branch out and offer the public quality American and/ or locally made products that people can really feel good about bringing back as souvenirs.  The profit may not be as great at first, but once people start to realize that shopping at the coast is worth the extra drive, I think it will increase sales and beach shop traffic.

After our disappointing shopping experience Ryan and I decided to make a trip to the Tillamook Creamery.  Many Americans know them for their cheese but North Westerners also know they make a mean ice cream too. The ice cream was our motivation for the 45 min drive down from Nehalem. Even on a rainy day the place was swamped with visitors buying locally made cheese and filling their faces with ice cream. Sure this is a nationally known product, but I firmly believe that it is the quality of this locally owned and operated product that drew all these people in. The bummer about our trip to the creamy however was that beyond their gift shop once again was filled with junk! However they did have some interesting unique products that were made locally including "Poo Paper," a series of stationary made out of recycled cow patties.  Gross, but I had to commend them on the creativity of that particular product line.  The other product that stood out to me was a bird house crafted by an artist in Tillamook.  You could instantly tell just by looking at it that these bird houses were quality and it wasn't surprising that they were made in town.  The disappointment on this item was that the shop had stuffed it in a low lying shelf amongst other junk instead of displaying it in the window that looked out to the entrance of the building or somewhere else that would give it the presence it deserved. Instead the window display was a clutter of foreign pottery and resin garden art. Totally a bummer. I think that I will write them and give them some feedback.  I'll let you know what they say...

Saturday, September 24, 2011

You know, it’s hard to update a blog without internet.  Since we had missed 2 days I thought I would be able to spend some time updating you on our adventures these last couple days while out with family on the Oregon Coast, but I was wrong.  Apparently Wi-Fi is not as widely available out here, something about relaxing, blah, blah… Well at least I still have Word so I can write down my thoughts and post when internet becomes available again. 

So yesterday we spent the day running around the house frantically unpacking the remaining boxes from the fire and getting our house ready to host a party of 12.  Ryan’s extended family came into town for the first time in years.  His grandparents flew in from Alaska and his aunt, uncle, 2 cousins and their family all came from Nova Scotia, Canada.   This is the first time I’ve met his two cousins Emily and Katherine and Ryan is seeing them for the first time since they were kids.  Needless to say we wanted our house to be in top notch shape.  After several hours and much muscular pain we accomplished our goal and for the first time in a year we have an organized house to come home to.  In preparation for their arrival, Ryan and I made 6 trays of enchilada’s the night before which turned out to be a blessing with all the house work .  After everyone had enjoyed their meals and retired for the night we were both in too much pain to sleep.  Seems making 100 RocLok’s on top of all the cleaning had finally caught up to our bodies.  All I can say is OUCH!

Thursday was our first day of “relaxing” after shipping off our large shipment to Ireland.  It was also day 3 of the networking group.  We had thought we were scheduled to speak to the group.  After my realization last week that this probably wasn’t the right group for us, I felt bad about “pitching” our product to the group without intending on joining.  But we had put our name on the presentation list and it was our day so because we are good about doing what we’ve committed to, both Ryan and I headed over to the pizza place to make our presentation. 

Armed with our trusty rock we came in prepared to stand in front of the group and talk about our product for 10 mins.  The usual suspects started rolling in. Most introduced themselves to us as if it were the first time we had met.  Ryan is much more of the social butterfly then I am so he did most of the talking which was good with me.  Once the meeting commenced we learned that we were off the hook.  For some reason we had been passed over to talk for the day.  That was ok with me since I wasn’t sold on joining the group and didn’t want to come off as those people who just came in to sell something to us.  After all,­­ the group isn’t for selling to others but to make business relationships.  Awkwardness avoided!   Ryan presented his elevator speech and received a great response. 

Still, despite the positive reception I don’t think that this group of people is the right place for us.  It would be fantastic if Ryan was still a Realtor and I was still doing Graphic Design as 99% of the attendees are in the service provider arena.  But selling a product is a different animal all together.  Ideally we’d find an intimate group of other small business professionals to grab a couple of drinks with once a month because when you are trying to make it in America time is at a premium.  I know that we have very few hours in the day to unwind and often find ourselves “working” when the rest of the world is fast asleep.  Heck, I’m supposed to be relaxing right now but I’m writing my blog post because it’s been neglected too long.   It seems that my best attempts of relaxing are always interrupted by my brain these days.  Inspiration comes when you least expect it, and I’ve found that I have to grab it when it comes my way.    

Surviving the Learning Curve

Welcome to my first entry on my new laptop! When my Sony Viao's monitor hinges broke off I was so upset that we had to invest in a new machine.  It's kind of like having to buy a washing machine because it broke rather than because you have the money to get a better model.  Luckily we found this new machine for $399 this afternoon which made both of us very happy. 

Today was a really good day all the way around.  Having boxed up all the RocLok's for Ireland's order yesterday, we were able to spend today getting the pallet together and driving it out to the shipping terminal.  Being our first time shipping a large quantity overseas both Ryan and I were concerned that we would mistakenly miss a step in the process. 

Yesterday I worked on getting the paperwork together for customs.  A total novice, I felt like a fish out of water and started to panic that I was missing something.  Ryan had arraigned all the shipping quotes and since I was tasked with getting the packing slip, commercial invoice and bill of lading together, had to get back up to speed.  I'm sure that was frustrating for the shipping as I kept asking questions that I'm sure they thought were redundant.  Thankfully if they thought that I was annoying they didn't show it at all and were very accommodating and patient.  That made me feel better today even though I'm still a little fearful that I missed something!

While I floundered on the shipping paperwork, Ryan and Bert had to build a crate on top of the pallet to hold all 100 RocLok's.  In a miscalculation of size this pallet load ended up 3 boxes (2 RocLok's and a box of extra lids) too large so the perfect pallet that the guys built had a slight bowed top to it.  Not a problem according to the shipping crew who promised to wrap some plastic around the open areas to keep everything dry.  I think we decided that we'll just use plastic wrap as the "crating" next time around.  Now we know that a pallet will hold 98 RocLok's snugly. 

Loading all the rocks onto the pallet in the back of our old Dodge pick up took a couple hours then Ryan and I headed to the shipper.  Of course by the time we hit the freeway traffic hour(s) was underway and the travel time that should have only been 20 to 30 minutes turned into more like 45 to an hour.  But we made it in time and rewarded our efforts with a couple of soft serve cones at Ikea.

Earlier this evening the shipping company let us know that delivery to Ireland would be sometime in early November.  A lot longer than any of us had expected or hoped for.  But on the bright side it will give me a little more breathing room to get RocLok.ie up and running so we can promote and hopefully pre-sale before the order arrives.  Thankfully we'll be hitting Europe in time for the holiday season which hopefully will drive some gifting sales! 

It feels great to officially be able to say we sell a product internationally! I never imagined that would ever happen and frankly until now it was kind of a scary thought because it seemed like a huge learning curve.  Knock on wood we did everything we needed to correctly and this is the start of great things to come.

Hurry Up and Wait

I had so much I wanted to blog about earlier today and now that the day is over and my body has had time to decompress it's all gone out of my head.  It seems like that has been the way things are going this week for me. That old feeling of being overwhelmed and relaxed at the same time.

After yesterday's manic Monday, I decided to make a list of to do's this morning to guide me through the day.  It was working great until my ADD kicked in and my brain decided to get side tracked again.  All and all the list was very helpful and made me feel more accomplished at the end of the day but still I wish I had been able to cross more off that list today.

I think the really frustrating thing for me today was patience.  Nothing gets to me more than when I have to wait on a response from someone in order to accomplish my goal for the day.  Today seemed to have a lot of waiting.  As hard as I tried it seemed like everytime I tried to start something today the end result was a wait for a reply.  This gets me to another pet peeve of mine, delayed response to emails.

I pride myself on being extremely punctual on emails.  Sure, sometimes I get busy and forget or don't have an answer at the time, but all and all I try to get back to people as quickly as possible even if it's just to say I'm working on it.  So for me it is extremely annoying when someone fails to type out a quick acknowledgment that they received my message.  I guess that gets back to the whole waiting thing which really is the same problem.

While waiting was able to help the guys get the Ireland order boxed up and we were able to get all 100 pieces ready to be put onto the pallet tomorrow morning so that Ryan and I can drive it out to the port.  It will be so nice to have that order done but it's also scary because sales have really sucked this month! I can't explain what the problem is but we only had 10 visits to our website on Friday which is as bad as it gets.  I don't even remember the last time we had so few.  So after we get the order out my goal is going to be to get that traffic back up which is going to be harder now that my laptop has bit the dust.  On top of that I still have to build the new website for RocLok Ireland, man I'm going to be busy!

Hopefully I'll have time earlier tomorrow to write my post here so that all my great ideas don't fall out of my head.  Until then, sleep well everyone!

What A Day

Ok, well the day was interesting to say the least.

It started well by catching the delivery guy with the last of the chemicals we needed for out Foam In Place Machine for packaging.  We thought we would have everything last Friday, but it did not arrive.  I called to check on the status of the delivery but did not hear back, happened to be driving through the complex, the driver saw our truck and whistled. 

A few hours later the technicians came over to revise the settings on our machine so it could run the new material that is better for the environment.  Because this is a new product and it turns out we were the first order in the region the techs did not know how to set it up.  An hour of messing with it, then an hour to wait for the guy who knew more to arrive, then a little more time and we were all set to go. 

I ended up having to tear down one of the pumps, clean it up before switching to the new stuff.  That took a few hours because the stuff had crystalized and was very hard.  So now that most of the day was burned we called it a day around 4:30Pm.  Hopefully we will be able to package all 100 units tomorrow.

The other thing that we found this morning was that the 50 RocLoks we stained yesterday looked a little purple or blue.  We had just purchased more stain and apparently it was not mixed perfect...  so we had to fix the mix, then touch up 50 then stain the remaining 50. 

Overall we made some good progress at work today but it seemed like two steps forward and a step back all day.

The real kicker was when we got home, I noticed that someone had stolen the fenders and exhaust from my donor truck (for the 39 build).  Melanie went inside while I was looking around to see what else was stolen.  Our dog had puked on the floor and she cleaned it up (what a way to end the day).  She grabbed her laptop to finish her blog post and the hinges snapped off, the screen fell back on her lap.  It was not a cheap laptop, it was a Sony Viao and was over $2,000 when we got it.  Well my opinion was that Sony had great marketing and ok products...  I guess I was right their products are not as good as many others on the market they just make everyone think they are better.

There were loads of other fun moments throughout the day, including a terrible experience with the Fed/Ex Kinkos near our office...  Melanie will tell you all about that when she has access to a computer again.  I will just say that at least with that office of Kinkos customer care is dead, buried and has maggots running through it.

Well thanks for following another day in the life of us, trying to Make It In America

-Ryan

Bring On Tomorrow

As I was staining RocLok's this morning I started to reflect on how far we've come over the last 3 years.  When we started the business we were making rocks out back in our 800 square foot pull shed. 

Even though it was insulated at one time, the pull shed had suffered damage during an ice storm a year or so before we started RocLok.  The damage made the shop humid and hot in the summers and bone chillingly cold in the winter time.  As an added "feature" turning on the heaters in the winter time caused the metal walls to condensate and as a result it "rained" inside! Because we work with powdered materials (cement for example) the heater was never turned on making for a very cold day.  

In addition to the freezing air temperature, the water faucet in the shed only provided cold water, this made molding rocks that much more uncomfortable.  For more than 2 years we layered up, trudged through the muddy backyard to the musty shop and made rocks. 

If the glamour of the job wasn't fulfilling enough, during this time we were also enjoying a serious downturn in funds.  Coming from a job that is classified as self-employment (Realtor) to starting a new business, unemployment benefits were never an option for us.  Coupled with the lack of jobs and we found ourselves between a rock and a hard place, literally.  We had no savings, a $3,000/month house payment and no fast way to make any money.  The design clients I had were predominately in the Real Estate industry and didn't have any money to invest in branding so Ryan and I were up a creek without a paddle. Getting RocLok to float was the only option.

I don't care what economists label this time in history, it felt (sometimes still does feel) like the depression to me.  I've never experienced more sleepless nights, heartburn and ever present since of doom as I did those first two years.  Sometimes to make myself feel better I'd Google "The Great Depression" and read about all the trials and tribulations people endured, the strength they gained and the better life the enjoyed once prosperity returned.  Knowing that others had lived through tough times and survived made the hopelessness feel a little more bearable. Dreaming that someday our little business would be as successful as some ot the big business of today that was founded during the Depression era, gave me the drive to continue researching and trying new ways to get the RocLok out to the public.

Even though things are still far from stable in our lives, stubbornly holding onto the idea that tomorrow is going to bring great things continues to help me get up every morning with excitement and determination.  I know that learning from the difficulties of yesterday is only going to further our success in the future. Bring on tomorrow!

Saturday Feels Like Wednesday

If you couldn't tell by our lack of posts we are completely exhausted!  Yesterday we fell asleep by 8pm, and it was a Friday! With the shipment to Ireland coming up on Thursday of next week we are working through the weekend to get everything done in time.  Ryan and Bert were able to make the remaining rock models necessary to complete the order today now we have to stain and box up 100 RocLok's so we can pack then up and ship them across the pond. 

On top of the increased production, Ryan's extended family is starting a family reunion this Thursday and we are still frantically unpacking from the fire.  Thankfully his parents dropped by this afternoon and help clean up all the packing paper and bubble wrap.  The best way to describe the mess was a Christmas Morning from Hell.  We literally had enough paper to fill the living room from floor to ceiling twice and now have a pile of flattened boxes that are as tall as I am (5'2").  Starting to have our home back feels so nice. It's taking awhile but I think in the end we'll be more organized than before the event happened.

A month before the fire our dog Kahlua wandered out of the yard in the middle of the night.  When we woke up we couldn't find him and after driving out to the pound we learned he was killed by a car.  The shock of loosing our baby broke our hearts and both feel into a depression.  As a result the house was in bad shape when the fire happened.  Now almost a year later it is painfully apparent how dark that month had been on us.  In a way the fire allowed us to heal away from home and now we can start with a clean slate. I think that having a more positive outlook is going to help us strengthen all the aspects of our lives including the growth of the business.

Well, we have to get over to the shop early again tomorrow, good night all.

Networking: Take Two

Today was my second week attending the new networking meeting.  While Ryan and Bert were slaving away making more inventory for Ireland, I met up with the group at the pizza place. 

Initially I thought that joining a group like this would allow Ryan and I to interact with other business owners, bounce ideas off fresh minds and get out of the office once a week.  Unfortunately after today's meeting I began to wonder whether or not this is the group for us.

Don't get me wrong, the people are all super nice and enthusiast about their businesses and networking, that isn't the problem.  The thing is that over the last 3 years I've forced myself to become a master of my craft.  From designing our website, teaching myself the ins and outs of online marketing and learning the ways of SEO, to having to perfect the art of accounting (well, trying to).  Even with all this knowledge I have a long way to go and I'm always looking to expand and grow.  Here in-lies the problem.

A lot of the business owners in the group are sole proprietorship companies much like we were a couple of years ago.  They focus on referral based leads in the immediate area near their prospective businesses.  We on the other hand have graduated to larger commerce and are working on building relationships with like minded fields and companies in addition to our maintaining and growing our existing client based. Our business and the other businesses in the group are worlds apart.  After talking with a couple group members today this "truth" came into focus and as much as I hate to admit it I think that next weeks meeting will be our last.

Coming to this realization today really disturbed me.  My initial reaction to the thoughts going through my head was, "wow, what a business snob!"  I'm the first to admit that I do not know everything there is to know about how to run a business but I also know that the balance of benefit is not in my favor and now I'm left wondering where we will find the "right" group of people to add our 'Mastermind'.  If you aren't familiar with what a Mastermind is, it was something I picked up from the book Think and Grow Rich.  The philosophy that you surround yourself with success and thus become successful in return.  Basically, you fake it until you make it or assimilate with those you admire and learn from them to grow yourself.  The trouble now is, how do we find these people? Oh, well I'll save that task for another day -  To Be Continued...     

Ramblings From A Tired Brain

Today was supposed to be our halfway mark on the production for our Ireland order. Fortunately we have had some good sales which dwindled our inventory just enough that we will have to do 7 straight days of production, then another 3-4 days of finishing and boxing. I am already tired, I worked out for several hours after working yesterday, it felt great at the time but I guess that was not a good idea.

Fortunately we do have a wonderful employee Burt, he agreed to a 10 day work week. The real impressive thing is that this was supposed to be a part time gig for him so he has another job. I gave him the option of taking a day off this weekend, it would not be great for our timing so I was happy he was willing to stick in there. I guess he was a US Marine, so hard work and perseverance are in his blood. It is one thing for Melanie to work day in and day out for our business, but when you have an employee who shows the same level of commitment you know you have a good worker.

The other thing that set us back is that I had made another round of molds for this weeks production, but the material did not set right and we had to throw it all away. 2 days of work and $200 in materials sitting in the garbage, that was Monday. Fortunately most of the material came off our originals but one did not, and of course it was the one we really needed more molds for.

We ordered more shipping materials this week, and hope they arrive before the end of the week so there is no delays in packaging. There are so many elements to an order like this, we not only have to produce the product but have to plan materials, freight, and everything a week in advance. At the end of production I am tired, dusty, covered in concrete and sweat, by the time I get home and get cleaned up the east coast is already closed for the day.

I was hoping to finalize the molds for the star of Pit Boss, Shorty Rossi next week but it looks like it may be delayed a week due to the mold issues we had and the order we are working on. We are finalizing the imprinted logo for Shorty's Charities for his exclusive model. I am glad that we are able to support several different charities, and support local vendors, suppliers and employees. Business may not be booming but we are still committed to give back.

So there is the day in a nut shell from a tired brain.

Thanks for your interest in our blog!

Tuesday

Only 15 days into it and we already missed an entry, darn it! But we have a good excuse, I promise!!! 

As some of you Facebook friends may know by now we landed our first ever International distributorship in Ireland.  He purchased a pallet of 100 RocLok's, 20 of each style, and now we have the monumental task of producing all of that inventory on top of the everyday orders we get.  As part of the arraignment we're also supplying our new business partner with branded RocLok Ireland materials including a website, brochure, business cards and boxes.  Needless to say as the only designer on staff I'm a very busy lady.

Ryan and Bert of extra busy as well doing hours of mixing, molding, de-molding and staining so that hopefully we can get all the product onto the boat no later than next Thursday. 

Most days we are afforded the luxury of picking our own hours and because none of us are "morning" people we usually agree that later is better.  Unfortunately for our beauty sleep we have been getting up at the crack of dawn to beat the summer heat here at the shop.  For the last couple of weeks working in here past noon was miserable to say the least.  Add to that the physical labor and that mini heater under my desk (the computer) and we are all feeling pretty yucky by the time it's time to throw in the towel.  Thankfully, if we actually believe what the weather man has to say, we can look forward to cooler temperatures the rest of the week! Feeling optimistic that the Meteorologist is on the mark this time we decided that tomorrow will begin at a much more palatable 10am. 

If jamming out 100 rocks in 6 days wasn't busy enough we are also working on a new RocLok model for our friend the Pit Boss, Shorty Rossi.  With the success of his reality show on Animal Planet still ramping up we are so fortunate to be teaming up with him to raise awareness of his cause and our product while also bringing some charitable donations his way.  Not wanting to miss out on every possible aspect that this huge opportunity could provide, my thinking cap has been working overtime on new, creative ways to spark excitement about the launch of the rock we've dubbed "The Dolomite." 

In case your not familiar, The Dolomite Mountain Range is located in Northern Italy.  This has some significance in a couple ways.  Firstly, when studying in Italy Ryan and a classmate hiked up this particular range.  Since he really isn't an avid hiker, this was one adventure that he prides during his stay.  Because we know that Shorty is proud of his Italian heritage we wanted to pay homage to that so again Dolomite seemed fitting.  Our resident rock specialist Bert, (did I mention he was studing to be a geologist?) had some initial concerns about the name and the rock we chose, but once we explained he's good with it :) It's funny that before we started this business I never really paid much attention to rocks but now I'd rather fill my yard with them than plants!

Well it looks like Ryan is ready to call it a night here at the shop and we have to make it over to FedEx before the Ground Shippments go out.  So I guess what I'm saying is until tomorrow world, sleep well!

The Day that Stood Still

It's funny how certain moments in time seem to stay as fresh in our memories as though they only happened yesterday.  Anyone who was alive in America on September 11, 2001 can probably tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing on that day.  For me the day started with a phone call from my mom telling me that we were under attack.  Not really awake I didn't fully grasp what she was talking about, that is until I turned on the television just as another plane flew into the World Trade Center in New York City.

Living all the way on the other side of the United States I wasn't afraid for my personal safety, looking back I'd say left in a state of shock was more like it.  From the time I rolled out of bed that morning we were glued to the television.  As events unfolded that day it became even more shocking to watch. 

Ryan and I had only been married for 2 months at this point, and were both working sales jobs to pay the bills as well as finishing up our college degrees.  I remember not wanting to leave for work that evening because the grief I felt for those poor people who had been killed weighed heavily on my mind.  I did force myself out the door, however after a few hours at the deserted department store it was clear no one was in a good place and I went home early. 

Looking back on the last ten years I am amazed at all the change that has occurred in my own life. Marriage, 3 career changes, 3 houses, my parents divorce, the loss of all of my grandparents and Ryan's grandmother. It almost seems as though this last decade defined my entire life as an adult.  With all that I can't even begin to image how the last 10 years has changed the lives of those who lost someone they loved on that faithful day.  Loosing someone is hard enough, but when you loose them unexpectedly, without warning, without closure it's a million times more difficult.  My only hope is that those left behind have had time to heal without regret and that the pain they have felt these last 10 years has transformed into fond remembrance for those they lost.

Murphy's Law

On Wednesday this week I had the perfect blog update figured out in my head. How we are trying to do our part for the environment, choosing vendors who supply good products that are environmentally friendly, and riding the motorcycle to work to save gas.

Well Murphy’s law went into effect on Thursday. Riding the motorcycle into the office because we did not have a lot of orders to ship out, we felt good that we were saving fuel and being earth conscience. Later in the day we ordered new chemicals for our packaging machine, and found out that our supplier now offers a foam with a higher percentage of soy and additional environmentally friendly materials. Although we are still struggling we decided that spending an extra 10% to do our part for the environment and to support companies who are investing in reducing our reliance on petroleum was worth it. Talking with our supplier further, we also found that they make the products we use for the USA in the USA. Additionally they have plants that create zero waste manufacturing; any scraps created are re-ground and used again.

After that I was feeling great about what we are doing to help everyone and the environment. We finished packing up the order put it into a back pack and headed off to Fed/Ex. We were only at the entrance to the business park when we were stopped at a stop sign and a red light came on, on the motorcycle. We have had little issues with it before so I figured it was nothing. When there was finally a break in traffic I started to drive off and the rear end spun out, as I looked down I noticed oil was everywhere. The motorcycle then died and I got to walk back to the shop. On our way back I started to realize what had happened, the Oil Filter bolt snapped off and the plate that holds all of the engine and transmission oil fell out. The oil gushed out of the engine over the next 400 feet before I came to a stop. I am just glad I was stopped when the motorcycle shut it’s self off, and that I did not crash from the oil slick I created. In the end no one was hurt, just another case of bad luck I guess.

After all the good things we had tried to do for the environment that day, a bolt breaks and I spill oil all over the road. I hate Murphy’s law. I have another brand new bolt on order and will keep trying to ride to work on production only days so we can reduce our carbon footprint. Our Employee rides the transit system into work. So we are all trying to do our part and provide the best product possible in the world.

Ding Dong the House is Gone!

If someone had asked me 4 years ago if I would be happy if my house went back to the bank, I would have thought that they were completely insane to even ask.  How could someone be happy that a home they worked so hard to make their own was taken away because they couldn't afford to stay there? 

We bought the house because of the tremendous amount of potential we saw in it.  The 4,200 square foot split level was on a double lot in a quiet neighborhood.  We saw through the green indoor/outdoor carpeting, the dated mirrored  fireplace and the dreadful baby blue and pink walls and invisioned a home that we could live in for a very long time. 

As soon as the papers were signed and the keys handed over we promptly took down the two walls that had boxed in the original 1969 era kitchen.  Ryan was working long hours in Real Estate so progress was slow going on weekends only.  Within a couple months Ryan's parents returned from a 2 year trip overseas and decided to move into our basement to help us expedite the renovations.  While Ryan worked, his dad and I got to work taking down the popcorn ceiling, handing drywall and building "the continent" a massive 11 foot by 6 foot curved island that now stood where the walls used to.  His mom helped by preparing meals and keeping our working area tidy. 

The kitchen took 10 months to complete and in all honesty was not completely done when we departed in November of 2009.  Over the years the multitude of projects continued to grow and none were ever fully completed. For those of you who have seen 1986's The Money Pit you get the picture. It seemed like new "improvements" were constantly popping up over the 5 years we lived there.  We never did ever get a chance to sleep in the master bedroom in all that time. 

We had grand dreams of enlarging the masterbed room, gabling the hipped roof to something less split level etc., etc.  But we were always working to afford the mortgage, the cars and buy the tools needed to get the job done.  We were completely exhausted.  As a result the lawn often went unmowed, the weeds grew uncontrollably and my resentment for this monster house continued to grow.  Still when financial trouble started brewing in early 2008 giving up the house was not an option.  We had too much time and money into it to leave it all behind. I remember one day after struggling to make the mortgage payments for another month I broke down in tears, terrified that we were going to loose our house. It was unfathomable. The stress of it caused me to contract Shingles and sent me in to a deep depression.  When they say that loosing your house is like coping with a loved ones death, they are not joking. Even though Ryan had been in the business of REO properties (homes that have been foreclosed on) for years it was no less devastating.  No one was more surprised than myself when I woke up one Fall morning and decided to hold up the white flag.  There was absolutely no possible way to keep the house, especially not while trying to start a new business at the same time. The $3,500/month payments were out of control. The only responsible thing to do was to pack up, move out and ask the bank to take the house back as a Deed in Lieu.

As we quickly found out the bank was too consumed with other defaulted homes and had no urgency to get our debt off the books. A multitude of phone calls trying to get the issue resolved fell on deaf ears. We maintained the house payment for almost a full year after moving funded by money we barrowed from family.  At one point I called into the mortgage company to try and arrange a resolution and was told that until my account was in default they were unable to help me. That's when we decided to give up all together. Now 2 years later they have finally taken the house to the county steps for auction, at least that is what the latest notice we recieved said. 

I'm not proud to have been foreclosed on.  In my family foreclosure was always viewed as the worst thing that someone could ever do.  You take the responsiblity and live with the consequences. I carried a sense of guilt about my decision for years after we left.  I feared Ryan blammed me for forcing him to leave the house, that he would forever be resentful of that.  But now as time has passed I am relieved that I made that hard decision and thankful that we have a warm place to sleep at night.  I know someday we will have the big house again although I'm working on conviencing Ryan that we only need 2,100!

New Faces

Today was a good day.  A good friend of mine told me about a new networking group early in the week so today Ryan and I decided to check it out.  It has been many years since either of us have participated in a "leads" group but since unlike most this meeting takes place at 11:30 instead of 7am we thought it would be a great way to get out and meet some new people.

If you've ever done a networking group before you are probably familiar with the ins and outs. First the mingling, than introducing yourself and/or business (perfecting your elevator speech), followed by a presentation from one of the members of the group.  Today's speaker was a marketer who spoke about the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) a subject I've become all too familiar with over the years with RocLok's website. Although his talk wasn't new information to me, I could tell that it was informative to most of the other members and I was happy to see so many of them taking the information to heart for the betterment of their businesses. 

Other members included a writing coach, CPA, an independent car salesman, a travel agent, natural path, life insurance salesman, health insurance salesman, a CPR trainer and a water purification specialist.  Unfortunately my friend a Real Estate Broker wasn't able to make it.  As the only 2 people sitting in a pizza parlor with a couple of rocks on the table you can image we made an impression.  It definitely felt awkward walking into a restaurant with rocks in our hands, the employees must have thought we were wackos!  

Since both Ryan and I felt good about the people in the group we decided to sign on for our own "talk" in a couple of weeks.  I'm thinking that we should discuss the reasons why every business owner should be hiding a key outside.  Although I don't hold high hopes of landing any sales from the group, it will be nice to bounce ideas off of them to gage interest levels in various topics we think will help drive awareness and sales.  Hopefully I will have a writers brain tomorrow and can finally piece together the blog I've been working on for weeks about this subject.

Well, it's been hot in Portland for the last couple of days and today was no exception.  I've been diligently working out on the elliptical every night for the last 3 weeks and needless to say the combination has left me exhausted! Because of this tonight's post is going to be shorter than most, hopefully I'll have more energy tomorrow to chat more.  Good night world.

Slow Growing Pains

Yesterday was a good day for sales. Definitely made us feel better after a painfully slow sales stint this last long holiday weekend. Our year long relationship with Amazon.com is continuing to grow and they ordered 8 RocLok's of varying styles which we shipped out to 4 of their many hubs throughout the United States.  Our new relationship with a mcuh smaller .com shop is also proving itself producing a new sale every Monday for the last month. To top it all off our partnership with Brookstone.com has finally come to fruition and we are officially available on their site as well.

All of the excitement from yesterday made for a busy day at the shop today.  We were able to have our part time helper come in early and we knocked out the orders in a record 3.5 hours including making another 8 RocLok's which we'll demold tomorrow.  When we hired our very first employee in May we had high hopes of having him work 3 days each and every week.  Unfortunately things aren't growing quite as quickly as we had hoped and for now he is happy to help out whenever we need an extra hand.

We could not have been more fortunate than to find our team member Bert.  When we placed an ad for minimum wage ($8.50/hr) we feared we would never find a responsible, detail oriented person who would be willing to work for such a low wage.  Obviously we'd love to have hired someone for a lot more but it's difficult to pay anyone anything when you can't even pay yourself!  In today's poor economic climate I was shocked that a couple people actually wrote in on the ad angry that we were only willing to pay $8.50/ hour.  We even interviewed a few people who openly admitted that they would rather milk their unemployment benefits over taking a job for such low pay.  Ultimately we received well over 30 applicants for the job, interviewed 16, chose 6 more to participate in a 2nd interview and fortunately decided on our new friend Bert, a former Marine who is studying towards a degree in Geology with the help of his GI Bill.

One of the things that impressed us with Bert is his willingness to stay busy and build his career goals.  I've often wondered what kind of person works twirling a sign on the street corner for business promotion.  Honestly, I always assumed that the people standing on the corner were either high-school drop outs, homeless or people with some criminal record that impeded them from getting any other job.  I was beyond wrong! You see Bert also works as what he calls the "Advertising Specialist" at a local firearms dealer in the area.  He initially took that job to get a foot into the door with the hopes of becoming a salesman at the shop.  So far he has been disappointed by the lack of upward mobility still he diligently shows up for his duties each and every time he is needed. The poor guy often comes back to our place beat red from standing in the blaring heat of the summer all day long.

If all goes well in the next few months, we pray that we can bring Bert in on a more permanent full time basis. To loose such an amazing asset to our company would be a travesty to say the least.  For now we'll continue to play it day by day and shoot for a brighter tomorrow. Good night everyone.