It's a New Journey! What's the First Step?

Hello Friends and Followers!   I'm back!

It's been a long while since I posted.   I'm about to start pursuing my next entrepreneurial endeavor!  Throughout my Stick-e Products journey, I was told by many people that I should be documenting, sharing and teaching others how to do it.   I regretted that I didn't write the process up.  So... now I'm going to try and do exactly that!  If you've had dreams of inventing a product and always feel like you just don't know where or how to start,  then please follow me here and we can walk this path together!

I've had an idea for a new product on my mind for awhile.   When I first think of something I get so excited and think I've thought it all through.   But later, over time, as it bounces around in the back of my head, the seed of the original idea starts to sprout and grow limbs going in new un-predicted directions.   So, as you think of something new,  don't rush.... take your time and let the idea steep like a good cup of tea.   It will either grow and get better as you find new ways to redesign it to enable it to solve more problems and add features to make it more patent-able, or make it applicable to more people.   The other outcome of letting is steep for awhile (which is the usual outcome)  is you may abandon it because there's another product on the market that solves the same problem possibly better than your idea or is with a bigger company, or you realize you aren't motivated enough to see this idea through. 

Keep in mind, we all have many great ideas.  Just like picking which battles to fight in life, you have to carefully pick which idea you believe in enough and are passionate about that you will stay motivated to pursue as you encounter obstacles, nay-sayers, costs, etc... The real entrepreneur has to find innovative ways to solve problems at every turn and not give up unless they learn the idea is really not viable.

Here are some of the first steps to assess your idea:

- Does it solve a problem?   How big is that problem really?  Will people actually pay something to solve this problem or is it just a  nice to have item?  If it's just a fun, nice to have item, can it be made in a cost effective manner that keeps it marketable?

- How big is the market for this product?  This is HUGE!!!  You may think in your mind the market is gigantic.  BUT realistically, if you are developing a consumer product and you are not a big company with distribution in place and marketing  funds, then you better be developing a product that appeals to at least 25% of the population.   Keep this in mind:  Most people want to be more attractive, thinner, richer, and pain free.... Does your product address any of these?  I first developed a yoga line... lesson:  too niche and not enough people will need the problem solving products in this niche. Lesson Learned! The Stick-e brand now mostly sells Fitness Foam Rollers .... which appeals to the much larger market of all athletes! These can be found on Amazon Stick-e Foam Rollers and at many TJMaxx/Marshalls/Winners stores in the United States and Canada.  (The patented Knee and Wrist Saver is also available at www.YogaDirect.com,  Amazon Stick-e Knee and Wrist Saver and www.WorldOLuxe.com.) My next entrepreneurial endeavor:  Shoe Inserts... Everyone has feet and at some point shoes do not all fit perfectly... resulting in pain and discomfort!  Check out www.SecureHeels.com and www.footbumper.com.   My new venture which you are following here, is a product whose target audience is all women from ages 12 - 92 who enjoy clothes, and want to update or expand their existing wardrobe.

- How costly will the product be to make and will the consumer market bear the cost?  We will get into this further as we progress down this product development path together.

- How will you reach your target customer?  Is it a demonstrable product?  Will you need to make a video for social media advertising?   In retail,  can you show on the packaging what it does that is special?  If your product needs alot of explanation to understand its features and benefits,  you need to really think about this because there will likely not be anyone in the store to explain it.

Now that you've thought through some of the viability issues, you need to do an internet search with terms that would describe your item or the problem it solves and see what pops up!!!  The type of articles that come up will tell you if others are experiencing the same problem and how big of a problem it might be.  It also may show you if there's another solution to the problem that  is available. Secondly, you need to search the www.uspto.gov website to see if there is anything previously patented.  Your idea must be novel to be patent-able!   Someone may have applied for a previous patent and received a patent or abandoned a patent and never brought the product to market. So, just because you don't find it when you search the internet. you still may not be able to patent the idea.  Keep in mind, filing a provisional patent isn't terribly expensive and it affords you protection while you develop and continue to research the viability of your idea.   "First to File" wins in an intellectual property dispute down the road... so file that application!   If you can't patent your idea but it doesn't infringe on someone else's patent, you could still develop it, bring it to market it, brand it and be very successful!  Think of all the products on the market that are not novel but are successful because of their branding and market awareness.... Crocs, Uggs, Coca Cola, Kleenex....

If you can't patent it but still believe it's viable, then the next most important thing will be to get a great name to trademark by searching the uspto.gov website and doing internet searches to see if the term is used and how.  This is important to note. A term may not be trademarked but is in use by others.  The question you have to ask here is whether there will be confusion in the market place if you use this term for your product.  If there could be any confusion with other existing products in the market place (even in a different category), you probably don't want to use it.  Next, ensure that you can get the domain name and respective social media handles.

OK!  I'm off to do my searching now!   May your search go well!

Disclaimer:   I am not an attorney!  Please ask an intellectual property attorney all your questions.  Laws are constantly changing that may affect your experience and differ it from my experience or limited first hand knowledge.  All information in this blog is based on my personal experience and personal interpretation.

Transition to WorldOLuxe....#livethelife!

All,  it's been a very long time since I've written!   Life has gone through many changes for me as I'm sure it has for you.   Since I last blogged, I bought out my investors and started a new company called WorldOLuxe LLC.   WorldOLuxe is my umbrella company for any entrepreneurial endeavor I may pursue.

WorldOLuxe owns and sells Stick-e yoga and fitness products.  In addition it owns the new line of shoe inserts I invented which you will soon see everywhere (Knock on wood or keyboard!) under the brand names of Secure Heels and Foot Bumpers.  

Personally, I'm wrapping up a divorce, my kids are all teenagers, my 92 year old mom is now near me where I can manage her affairs and visit her often,
and I'm taking some classes at night. My personal life has been as much of a roller coaster ride as my entrepreneurial journey.  But, I guess it is all about the journey...right?

So, I've got lots of new entrepreneurial ideas and I'm trying to figure out which ones I can execute most effectively and efficiently while juggling family responsibilities.

I did start a new website www.worldoluxe.com.  It is a work in progress! 

I also started a couple of new Twitter accounts.  The first is @WorldOLuxe where I will tweet anything related to living the good life.  This may include adventures, luxury items, healthy activities, eating well, tips and tricks etc....I encourage you to join in with #livethelife.

The  other twitter account is @Chicago2Day.  @Chicago2Day, as the name implies, will be tweets entirely Chicago related from new restaurants, new businesses, specials, park district happenings, weather, and anything Chicagoland related.  I encourage you if you are in the area to tweet to @Chicago2Day and to #Chicago2Day to inform the local community.   Please follow so we can make it relevant!

I will try to blog more often and I look forward to reconnecting!

Inserting Secure Heel (aka Huggable Heels) shoe inserts for a custom fit!

Walking in High Heels with Secure Heel inserts (aka Huggable Heels)

The Challenge of Walking in High Heels BEFORE Secure Heels shoe inserts

The Challenge of Walking in High Heels BEFORE Secure Heels shoe inserts

The Challenge of Walking in High Heels BEFORE Secure Heels shoe inserts

Speaking: Tips to Land Speaking Engagements | Business Unplugged | Carol Roth

Carol Roth just might be the queen of speaking engagements.  She's the well known MSNBC small business expert and author of the New York Times Best seller, "The Entrepreneur Equation".  In this article, she lists 53 tips from others on how to land speaking engagements.  Guess who has tip #41?  Yours Truly!   Hope this helps!

Speaking: Tips to Land Speaking Engagements | Business Unplugged | Carol Roth:

'via Blog this'

How to Promote Your Web Business in the Real World : Marketing :: American Express OPEN Forum

How to Promote Your Web Business in the Real World : Marketing :: American Express OPEN Forum:

'via Blog this'   Lucky me!   I have someone else writing my blog for me this time!  However, it's all about Stick-e!

Who Drives Your Business? You or the Customer?

At Stick-e, all of our fitness accessories have been designed based on customer feedback.   We listen to what people say they need to perform better, watch where people encounter difficulties, and note what they say is working for them.   From my last post (so long ago I know!), you saw that "Feedback Goes A Long Way".   Since that time, we've received many  comments on our new line of fitness products and the therapeutic impact they have had on people's lives.

When I originally designed each of these items, the focus was to develop products to solve fitness problems and help people have "a more rewarding fitness experience."   It never dawned on me that these same features and benefits would also help people who struggle with chronic diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis to lead better and more rewarding lives.  Maybe our tag line should change to, "for a more rewarding life".   Hmmmm... I have to give that some thought.  Maybe you'll give me some feedback on that.

A couple of months ago, we received the following email from Briana Hassibi, "Hi!  I LOVE your products.  I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and was diagnosed at the age of 13, I'm 32 now.  Doing Yoga was always a challenge, because my hands and feet are GREATLY affected by the disease.  I've even had my ankle fused and numerous operations on the feet / ankles & wrists.  Your wrist saver is AWESOME.  Yoga helps me SO much - emotionally, spiritually and physically.  So to have something that helps my wrists, is AMAZING.  ...  Thanks for all that you do!!"  


Since that initial email from Briana, a real partnership has formed which is helping to shape the direction of Stick-e.   We have been contacted by the Arthritis Today Magazine who will publish a review of our products in an upcoming issue,   Physical Therapy Products has included our Stick-e Wrist Saver Blocks in their magazine, a major manufacturer and distributor of medical products is reviewing our line, and several Fall catalogs including Gold Violin will be featuring our Stick-e Gloves for therapeutic uses!


Stick-e's mission is to design products that make a difference.  Our market may be broader than we originally defined it and that is all good.   We are ready, willing and able to listen and learn and grow to meet our customers' needs!   Check out all of Stick-e's products at www.stick-e.com.

Feedback Goes a Long Way

The daily life of an entrepreneur is a regular roller coaster ride.  Some days I am on top of the world and thinking "this is it! I'm turning the corner! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!"  Other days, I think, "Why am I doing this?  Isn't anything ever easy?  What can go wrong now?"  

However, the feedback from customers and the repeat orders always give me the strength to know that my products are good and I just need to persist to find the magic formula. Then just as I'm trying to figure out what do about delayed shipments, crushed shipments, and manufacturers who have reneged on an order, I get an inspirational email from a customer and I know that I really am on the right track and am doing something right.   It's been months since I've had a posting to my blog but I had to share this most recent email.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a woman in New York who has been struggling with her weight.  She started a weight loss journey at 319 lbs and has lost 41 lbs.   She is doing Weight Watchers and was starting to incorporate yoga into her regimen.     She was struggling with the excess weight and the lingering pain of a recent knee surgery.   She had many obstacles adding exercise into her weightloss plan but  was determined to do so.

She heard about the Stick-e Knee and Wrist Saver and wrote to me asking for additional extenders so they would accommodate her.  She also wanted an extra pair to strap to her ankles for support.  I gladly provided her with extras and asked her to keep me up to date on her progress.  This morning I received the following email:

"Ms. Libby, I have to tell you this:  I received the extenders & your wonderful Yoga DVD before the arrival of my Stick-e gloves/socks/knee/wrist - cushions, when I got the other pieces the extenders worked very very well...

I have one more thing you must really know - IT WORKS!!! I don't know or care if it is a 40+ lbs. weight loss or the STICK-E equipment that helped me it only matters I have progressed greatly.  

I started at 319 lbs.  but I can Honestly --- attest to you - I could not do Planks to save my life or lift up to do a crab position or any deep lowering of my body weight of any kind, I could not hold up my wrists or my bare feet or sneakered foot.   

I could not hold the yoga one arm side lifts either.  I use Tracy Anderson Metamorphasis DVD's as well as I've bought expensive Power Yoga, Rodney Yee, plus others ---- - I had to stop because of pain to my knees and wrists.  LAST NIGHT I DID REPEATED ONE LEGGED PLANK WITH OPPOSITE LEG LIFTS, after 30 minutes of leg lifts from the all fours position I didn't hurt! i was so thankful I COULD HOLD A PLANK on my feet with the STICK-E SOCK / GLOVE WRIST / KNEE CUSHION COMBO!!!!!  a workout I stopped doing because of critical pain in my joints & wrists. I have a chance to conquer my fear.    I have a chance at resuming to challenge my sedentary lifestyle & live a better healthier life.  

As for your DVD, I love how your Yoga teacher does her Downward Facing Dog --- I have always had problems bringing my leg in to have my toes meet up with my hands on the ground -- what i liked most was she said FIRST BEND YOUR KNEES A FEW TIMES to bring the foot up to the hands.  I WOULD LOVE TO GET THE MAT - TOWELS - AND BLOCKS AS SOON AS I CAN.  Please let me know when the BLOCKS ARE AVAILABLE.   LIBBY ANDREWS YOU'RE GOING TO HELP MAKE ALOT OF PEOPLE MORE MOBILE AND HEALTHY WITH YOUR INVENTION...NAMELY ME. I WILL SPREAD THE NEWS

LOVE SABRA from New York, NY"


Bottom line, give feedback to the companies and vendors whose products you use, particularly constructive criticism.  Many of the enhancements that are helping Sabra today have come from constructive criticism and customer enhancement suggestions.  I'm glad to see that the feedback of the past that may have taken me on a downward run of the entrepreneurial roller coaster are providing the momentum on the way up! I am excited to follow Sabra's progress.  Her feedback is inspiring for me. After feedback like that, I have to keep going!

Rocked the Recession: Startup the Nation

As a work from home entrepreneur, it's sometimes easy to get into a creative rut. I've found that there are two things that are very important to stay motivated, keep the creative juices flowing, and to create opportunities. I think both of these things can often be ignored when one is under the pile of paper, or getting sucked into the world of social media updates, website updates, and other tedious, mundane, time wasting, non-productive tasks! How's that for a list of adjectives?! However, you know what I mean ... you've been there!

Ok, so what are the two important things to stay motivated, creative, and productive?

First -- exercise! Yes, you heard me right. How many times have you put off that run, or bike ride, or the trip to the gym because you have too much work to do? Ahhh.... such a mistake. I've found that I am actually working best when I am exercising. This is the only time that the mind is free from the paperwork clutter and the computer distractions. When the adrenaline is pumping from a cardio workout and the mind is free of other distractions, my best marketing ideas are born and solutions to lingering problems found. I can "write" an entire press release while running, or come up with a fantastic new way of reaching my target audience. Best of all, the natural high and motivation lingers well after the workout, carrying over back at the office where work then suddenly gets cranked out. So, next time you think you don't have time for exercise.... remember, it will probably be your most productive work of the day!

Second....get out of the house and be involved with others!!! Again, it's easy to think you don't have time to go to a conference, a networking event, presentation on a topic of interest, or even a local cocktail party. I have found that when I am sitting and listening at an interesting conference, I automatically start getting flooded with new ideas to implement in my own business. Sometimes, they are not even ideas at all related to the conference I am attending. However, something about hearing other people speaking and being away from the normal routine frees up the brain to think outside of the daily box. I'll leave a conference or presentation with an entire outline of new ideas to implement or people, places, and things I need to follow up on that maybe previously got pushed to the bottom of the to do list or a re-prioritization of what needs to happen now tactically and what needs to be implemented strategically to grow the business. Additionally, meeting with other motivated individuals helps keep the drive alive. People truly feed off the energy of others. I would also say that some opportunity or other comes out of 99% of the things I attend.

The bottom line -- sometimes you may think you are not working if you are not at your desk, but as a highly driven individual, don't worry, your mind is still working and the other activities will ultimately make you more productive!

An upcoming event in Chicago may be of interest to all of you entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs. On December 9th and 10th, Social Tech Pop and Fly Over Geeks are sponsoring a highly motivating conference, "Rocked the Recession: Startup the Nation". This event will bring together entrepreneurs, professionals, and organizations that are not only thriving; they’re Rocking! I will be speaking on day one of the two-day conference with some of Chicago’s best entrepreneurs and thought leaders. There will be two days of discussions to explore innovative companies that balk at the idea of bailouts. All are ready to Rock 2011! For more information, go to http://2010rock.com/.

SocialTechPop.com is Chicago’s premier popular culture and technology blog. SocialTechPop communicates its vision of establishing Chicago as the Silicon Valley of the Midwest, reporting on emerging digital technologies, start ups,incubators, events, and society. SocialTechPop detects, uncovers, and explores the fabrics that tie our society together in this emerging digital age. Society, technology, and popular culture. They all impact one another, and they cover them all at break neck speed!

Souls Image photography

One of the things I've written about in the past is being creative to expand your marketing efforts on a limited budget. One of the best ways of doing this is sharing with other upstart entrepreneurs.

Through Facebook networking, I met the most amazing and talented photographer, April Bennett, owner of Souls Image Photography. I admired her works that she was posting on Facebook for quite some time.

When I realized I needed to up the ante on my marketing images, I immediately thought of April. However, I was concerned I couldn't afford to have the professional job I needed. April worked with me to accommodate my situation which resulted in the most beautiful Yogis and images representing the Stick-e brand. Please check out the following link for a sample of what April did for me!

Yogis, Danielle Campagna and Steven Sorr, getting Stick-e:

http://animoto.com/play/vtjzqLxZgb8pCxt87Of86A

These photos were taken by April Bennett, owner of Souls Image Photography. I can't recommend April any more highly. She is amazing!

Souls Image photography

Social Marketing for the Entrepreneur

The latest buzz is all about Social Marketing! Everyone is either doing it or wondering how to do it. The goal for all entrepreneurs and business owners is to bring in new business cost effectively. Can social marketing do this? Is traditional media more effective or is the grapevine correct that traditional media is on the way out? Well, I've been dabbling in just about everything and am learning as I'm going. All I can do is share my experience and opinions. I'm sure on the fast developing topic, my opinion will undoubtedly change with time. (Please excuse my use of the word,"suck" in this blog but I believe it is the best term for the context in which I am using it)

As an entrepreneur with a limited advertising and marketing budget, I am always looking for ways to get Free PR! So far, we've been pretty successful at it. You can go to the "Articles and Appearances" tab of our website (http://www.yogastickysocks.1shoppal.com/art.html) and see all of our editorial placements, blog placements, and TV appearances over the last year and a half. This doesn't even include the national radio giveaways we participate in.

However, over the last 3 - 6 months, I've been spending alot of time on Social Marketing. I have an old YouTube page that unfortunately hasn't been updated in a long time; a Facebook page that is very active and a Twitter account. I also have been running continuous ads on the sidebar of Facebook.

In the last week, in an effort to separate my friends from my colleagues on Facebook I launched a Yoga Stick-e Socks Fan page. This will allow me to send direct messages, information, offers etc... to people who are truly interested in my product line. It also provides you with demographics of your Fans which is very interesting and useful info. Best of all, it's Free! Facebook has also added a new feature which will allow you to have your Facebook posts automatically feed into your Twitter account! (As I was writing this, I received an email from MySpace, telling me that they've just added this feature as well).

As an entrepreur, you'll find managing all of the social marketing websites can be a huge "time suck" thus killing your daily productivity. I'm learning about all sorts of short cuts. For example, with TwitRobot, one can write a bunch of "Tweets" and have them automatically posted on Twitter at whatever time interval you want. TwitRobot, also will grab my headlines from this blog and randomly post them with links to my blog. Thus, I'm hoping I am adding valuable and worthwhile content to my Tweets. That is an important aspect to Tweeting. I think unless you are a HUGE celebrity, no one cares if you just had a great cup of coffee at Starbucks or just dropped your kids off at school! Nor do they want to keep getting a sales pitch. The content does need to add value to maintain a following.

Additionally with Twitter, I think it's important to search on people who actually have an interest in your area of specialty. For example, when I got started, I just started following anyone and everyone to get followers. However, I'm now learning that was a mistake and I'm gradually dropping those who I am following that appear to have no interest in Yoga, Pilates, Entrepreneurship or PR. These are the only people for which my Tweets will be relevant.

It's also important with Twitter to be able to reply as soon as possible to Direct Messages. I didn't get this at first. Initially it seemed all of the Direct Messages were just nothing mail of people saying "thanks for following me". However, as I eventually went through my 205 ignored direct messages, I found 2 that were from bloggers and journalists wanting to interview me! So, lesson learned, like all mail you must go through it or you'll miss opportunities! Fortunately it wasn't too late for my reply.

One of the great things I like about Twitter is that you can see if anyone is talking about your product. I've found that some of the radio stations using my products for contests have been tweeting about them. I also found people recommending them to other people on Twitter.

Again, how do you manage this without it becoming a complete "productivity suck"? I found a tool called, "Tweetdeck". This tool is free and allows you to have a console on your computer screen that constantly updates you with prompts of any direct messages or mentions on Twitter. Now, you don't have to sit and monitor Twitter at all hours to make it useful!

Lastly, one of the facets of Facebook I am most pleased with is their advertising opportunities. With Facebook, you are able to run the sidebar ads for whatever your budget can manage. For example, I run ads anywhere from $1.00 - $3.00/day. What do I get for this? Well, I started running ads in mid June, since then I've had over 1.2 million impressions and have reached people in my targeted demographic. I call this BRAND BUILDING.

Bottom line thoughts on social marketing currently -- I think it's currently great for Brand Building. However, I think it can be a "time suck" and one needs to recognize how much time is being spent on it. I think one needs to use tools to enable shortcuts to allow for the most "bang for your buck".

What is it not? In most cases it will not bring immediate dollars in the door (of course there are exceptions). If you are an entrepreneur of a consumer good and you think this method of advertising is going to immediately generate revenue, I think it's unlikely. The tried and true, in my experience, is still the only way to bring in revenue -- call those buyers directly, participate in tradeshows, and get free editorial in the traditional BIG PUBLICATIONS!!! To date, my best ROM (Return on Marketing) has come from editorials in Better Homes and Gardens (pg 122 of January 2009 issue) and Fitness Magazine with television spots coming in next.

So, Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StickeSocks. Or become a Fan on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yoga-Stick-e-Socks/132863094860 or just click on the side bar to the right of this blog on Blogger and click on the Yoga Stick-e Socks on the top of the Facebook window.

Go get some business now, you've spent long enough reading my blog!

Entrepreneurial Commitment & Expectations

I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs what I think of their new business idea. Alternatively, I know new entrepreneurs who started businesses and then wonder why the business did not work out. I believe that there are several misconceptions as to what is required to build a successful business. This post is an overview of the questions I believe one should be able to answer affirmatively before diving into a new business as well as have realistic expectations. Please keep in mind this is based on my experience and my conservative approach to risk taking. I believe in running a business on what you can afford and not putting your family's livelihood in jeopardy. So, start with what you can afford and invest your profits to build the business!

Many people think, "If I build it they will come". I think that is the biggest misconception. First, a product or service must meet at least one of the following criteria:

1) is it cheaper than the alternative?
2) is it faster/saves time/saves money/is easier/makes life better in some way than the alternative?
3) if there is nothing like it, do people need it?
4) how many people would find it beneficial?

Assuming, you can answer these questions with your business idea, the biggest question I have learned is, how will your consumer learn about the new business/product or service? I think this is the area that probably trips up most entrepreneurs. You can have the greatest new business idea but if no one knows about it and understands the benefit, you won't have customers.

This is where dedication and commitment from the entrepreneur becomes important. Many people think they can "hire a great manager with the proper incentive plan" or "get sales reps that already have account relationships" or "build an impressive looking site and people will come". You can get lucky and maybe this will work. You can also buy lottery tickets. After all, someone is going to win, right? However, the truth of the matter is that no one else is going to sell your product or service like you will. No one else will have the passion and enthusiasm no matter what their incentive plan is. The entrepreneur must expect to work all day, every day, for years (most likely without a paycheck) to build the business. This must be the expectation to make sure that the passion and commitment are there. Building a brand that is sustainable and sellable does not come over night.

Building consumer awareness, there are several methods of doing this and much will depend upon the kind of budget you have. Assuming you do not have a budget for a television and magazine advertising campaign right off the bat, you will have to approach marketing using PR, viral marketing, grassroots, and/or social marketing. This is where the entrepreneur's time will be spent, driving marketing and building consumer awareness. Each day, I ask myself what I did to move the ball down the field.

At Stick-e Brands, we have been diligent about doing all of the above. We are regularly featured in editorials in major magazines and trade rags, we get media spots on local network affiliates, we participate in Radio product giveaway contests, do Facebook ads, blog, write and submit press releases and get major players in the yoga and Pilates arena to promote our products. (See our press release titled, Entrepreneurs Expand Marketing in a Down Economy through Networking).

If you need to reach the wholesale buyer, you will need to participate in industry appropriate tradeshows. You might think that you can avoid this cost by just getting sales reps and paying them on commissionable sales but the reality is, sales reps aren't generally ground breakers. They want an established product with an install base. They want the easy sale, not the one they have to work for. OK -- you sales reps, don't yell at me for that but I've seen it over and over again. It's the rare rep that is a ground breaker. It's actually smart time management from a rep perspective to work with established products. So, without a sales force, tradeshows become the best way to for the entrepreneur to reach the wholesale buyer. Do your homework to identify where you'll get the most bang for your buck. For the first two years of my business, I packed everything, shipped it, set it up, worked the show every day all day alone, and packed and shipped and sent everything back. However, it was my business and the positive feedback at the shows kept the passion alive!

If you've gotten this far, and are still committed and passionate about your business, you do need to think about infrastructure. At Stick-e Brands, we have outsourced virtually all aspects of our business which enables us to stay lean and mean. If your business involves a consumer product, you will have to figure out how you will handle inventory acquisition, warehousing, quality assurance, shipping, insurance, and billing.

I believe being an entrepreneur is one of the most thrilling, exciting, and rewarding jobs a person can have. When you have a success, it's your success! However, the reverse is true as well so you must be thick skinned. So, plan ahead, be prepared, have proper expectations, have fun, work hard, and reap the rewards! For more on Stick-e Brands, visit http://www.yogastickysocks.com/!

PS - Have you watched the new show, Shark Tank? I think it's really worth watching!

Against All Odds

Hello! I want to slightly go off topic here. A big congratulations to Dana Stevens who just landed the lead role in a soon to be produced Indie film named "Street". Dana will now be adding acting to her singing and dancing repertoire.

I really admire Dana. She is a person that sets the bar very high and constantly is astonishing me with her attitude, commitment, persistence, optimism, and charitable contributions. She is always striving to better herself, improve her family's standards and help those less fortunate. She also is raising 4 children from the ages 1.5 to 11. I honestly don't know how she accomplishes it all! However, her story on how she earned the lead role in this film demonstrates the traits that are required to be successful.

Dana's real passion is in the arts. Despite having to do other jobs (like work for me :)) to pay the bills, she is always pursuing her passion on the side. Dana saw a posting for a casting call and decided to go for it despite never having acted! The audition was to be held in Chicago so Dana made arrangements for childcare and took the train into the city. Unfortunately, she had the address wrong and once in the city took the bus(es) North to what she thought was the correct address. Due to the logistics in getting to this address, she was a few minutes late and at the wrong location! Many people at this point probably would have thrown in the towel. Not Dana, she got back on the buses and arrived at the correct address an hour and a half after the casting call!

As she got off the elevator, no doubt flustered and a little panicked in the rush, a man noticed her as he was getting on the elevator to leave. He asked if he could help her. She said that she was there for an audition. The man said that the auditions were done and everyone had left. Dana, though, still would not give up. She explained why she was late and asked if she could audition still. She then said, "I will sing for you here in the hallway". How could the man deny that? So, he said, "Go ahead". Dana sang a song that she had written herself. The man stopped dead in his tracks. He asked her, what song it was and she answered that it was one of her own. He asked if she had any others and she said that she loved composing and had quite a few originals. The man pulled out a sheaf of papers lined with signatures of all of the people who'd auditioned that day. On the last page, on the last line, Dana signed her name. He said he would call her next week for second rounds.

Of course, Dana got that call and went back for the the second round of auditions and was asked to try out for the lead role. She had to memorize 5 pages of a script and perform them. When she returned, she was on time but again the last to audition. She performed her role opposite the man that she'd met in the elevator, who happened to be the Executive Producer! She learned later that she was the only candidate that did not have to look at her lines during that audition. On her way out, she overheard the Executive Producer tell the other judges, "That was the girl I told you about who auditioned in the hall!". She was told that she wouldn't be called with an answer for a week because they had another girl to see.

However, less than a week later, she got the call she'd been waiting for! She will be the lead character, Street, in the film titled "Street". Congratulations Dana! Your persistence, determination and unwillingness to give up is why you are and will be successful in life! We can all learn from you! For more on Dana, please see, www.yogastickysocks.com/dvd.html.

Entrepreneurial adVenture

Hi! I've decided to start my own blog rather than outsourcing it to a fitness professional. It's important to me that I share my personal views and experience. Melissa Baumgartner is a great fitness resource and I will continue to rely on her expert opinions. However, I was afraid that sometimes another person's opinion on my website might seem biased or almost like a paid advertisement even though that was not the case!

My blog will cover an array of topics. What I am most knowledgable on and what people will find most interesting is my experience as an entrepreneur and inventor. This will be the main topic of my blog. I'll give tips on how to start a business, source products, patent, trademark, get PR, results of advertising, website creating and promoting, tradeshow experience etc....However, I'm a very opinionated person so when I feel strongly about another topic I may have a tangental blog entry.

If you have any comments or questions or specific areas of interest, please let me know and I will do my best to address them. I have been playing around with Twitter and Facebook and will try to get my blog to feed into Twitter. I hope you will follow me on Twitter. You can find me as "Stickesocks". You will also receive random posts of discounts that can be used on my www.YogaStickySocks.com website.

I will also introduce websites and services that I have found useful. None of these websites or service providers have made any arrangements with me to promote them. As a matter of fact, they have no idea I am doing this.

First tip for inventing a product: 1) Check out that your idea isn't already patented by searching the www.USPTO.gov website (United States Patent and Trademark Office). This is also where you can find information on copyrighting, trademarking, and filing patents. Just because your idea is not on the market does not mean that someone hasn't patented it or filed for a patent! I also am a strong believer that your Trademark is ultimately more important than your patent so make sure you get a great Trademark name and start promoting it from the word GO! As your new product takes off and you expand your line, you want people looking for your brand. Wouldn't it be great to be the next "Kleenex" or "Google" or "Coke"? That's the goal for whatever segment you are entering. My goal is to have people look for "Stick-e" when they need non -slip Yoga products or non-slip sporting goods products in the future.

One question I am frequently asked is, "Do you need an attorney to file a patent"? My answer is probably not for a Provisional Patent but definitely for a Utility or Design patent. The Provisional patent will give you one year before you have to decide if you want to take the plunge and really go for a patent. If you file a provisional patent, you may also mark your items as "Patent Pending". I suggest doing a provisional patent and using that year to test if your product is really viable. My Yoga Stick-e Socks is patented and it took 2 years and many legal bills to get the patent. Our other products are patent pending but we have started moving forward on the utility patents for them.

Next blog post will be on "Trademarks". Please let me know your comments and questions!

BTW -- My husband also has a patent for Thirsy Randy -- which is a Christmas Tree Watering ornament that looks like a reindeer and its nose lights up when the tree needs water. It eliminates bending over and crawling under the tree, breaking ornaments, and spilling water on your floor! Now you can water your tree while standing and know when the tree has enough!