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A wee bit of catch up to do here I’m afraid. First off, in my own defence, I’ve worked on average 75 hours per week since my last blog post. To put it in perspective, that’s more than twice what the average person works in a week. When I work an eight hour day, I feel like I’m getting off at lunch time. So, think about it… what does that leave time for? Well, I have to sit down and pay bills, make invoices, go to the bank, and get groceries. I have to make meals for my daughter and I, clean up after, feed my cat, do laundry, and vacuum. I have to shower, dress, sleep and do pilates. I have to fill Buggy Bag orders, tweet and post to the Buggy Bag fb page. Yeah… you get the idea…there’s not been a whole lot of time left to blog! I’ve been off now for 2 weeks. Some of that time was spent recuperating from the last 5 months. Some of it was spent blowing off steam with my friends. I went to the Cloverdale Rodeo, several parties and over to the island for a night.
I’ve sold out of Large size Black Lap Blankets! I’ve put in a new PO with the factory and should be receiving the new shipment by September, just in time for the cold weather. Toys ‘R’ Us (.ca) has increased their re-oder amount steadily since they took on the stroller and jogger blankets, so that’s good news for me, however, I still can’t for the life of me find the product through any search on their site!!! I wonder how they’re selling them.
I missed the Abilities Expo at the Roundhouse this year because I was working on a movie, which upset me, because I really enjoy that event. I did get to go to the Recreational Resource Fair at GF Strong
though, which was really fun. The pic above is of David from Vivify. It was nice to see his big smile from where I was sitting this year. I also, had a great chat with the author of a blog called Priority Seating. Check it out.
I have done more than that, obviously, but, it’s past my bedtime, so, that’ll be for another day.
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I was running late. Had to drop off a costume to Sanctuary first and then whip over to Costco for some chocolates. I thought it would be nice to be able to offer visitors a treat when they stopped in to chat. I had put together a little slide show loop of pics from photo shoots, and had that on the end of my table playing on my laptop. The other end of the tabel had a list I had made up of all the retail locations where you could buy Cairns Technical Gear, some brochures and business cards. In the centre was a sample of the Cairns Full Protection Lap Blanket for wheelchair users and the Cairns Rain Protection Apron for scooter users.
I was a little disappointed by the location of my table. It was in the middle of the east side of the room, and because there was a projection screen in that corner, the lights were off. This wasn’t an issue for any of the tables around the outside of the room because they had spot lights aimed at their tables. In between presentations they would turn on the ceiling lights and cast some light onto my table… this is where the bowl of chocolates come in….
...all that glitters... and smells like chocolate...
I had some past customers come by to visit me and see the new product, which was a real pleasure for me. One of the customers who dropped by already owns two of the Cairns Full Protection Lap Blankets, one in each colour. It was the first time that I met her and it was such a treat. She was using her red one that day.
See how dark it is?
She was the second customer, that I had not met before, who approached my table for a chat. I just love that part of the Abilities Expo. I get to meet the people after they’ve been using the product for a winter and find out what they think, get their views and talk about new ideas.
I even had someone I’d been chatting with on Twitter come by and introduce himself. He writes a cool blog ‘Priority Seating’ about accessibility on transit in Vancouver. His Twitter handle is @nextstoporbust, if you’d like to join him. It’s so nice to be able to put a face to a name.
I had Rina Liddle and Prophecy Sun stop by from LiddleWorks to chat… we would be meeting up again later in the week to do a photo shoot.
Me and Rina
Me and Prophecy Sun
The afternoon was a whir of visitors and lots of people that came by 3 and 4 times to grab one of the chocolates. It was fun to watch as some people would saunter by for the 2nd time and act like they didn’t notice the bowl, only to turn back and grab a few more for later.
The entertainment was really good. The CanDance Team performed to a number by the Black Eyed Peas. And there was also a singer/guitar player that I really liked, Glenn David Loft. I’ve looked all over for the info and can’t seem to find it. Here’s a picture of him. If anyone knows his name, let me know in the comments.
For the last month I’ve been trying to find an active, younger guy who would like to assist me in my design process. I’m designing a pair of adapted street-wear pants that would be appealing to younger hip guys, that don’t want to look like they’re wearing adapted pants. Then, from across the room I spotted the best looking man I’ve seen in years. I started having one of those moments where I was thinking…”I can’t approach him… he’s WAY too good looking”. I’m glad I did because he was not only interested in helping me, but, he was full of ideas and enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to having the time to work on this new project.
Our friends Ken and June showed up for a chat as well. They have modeled for us in the past and are much fun to chat with. They have both been so supportive of what I’m doing.
Ken and June
The afternoon was a whir of visitors and lots of people that came by 3 and 4 times to grab one of the chocolates. It was fun to watch as some people would saunter by for the 2nd time and act like they didn’t notice the bowl, only to turn back and grab a few more for later. Can’t wait til next year. It’s a great event that ConnecTra Society puts on at the Roundhouse in Vancouver.
I’ve been having a really hard time posting anything lately…. I’m always trying to keep it ‘light’ and ‘positive’, so when times are tough, I find myself with very little to say.
Time to lay it all out there… to bare my soul, as they say, or as close as I can get to that.
Last Christmas, my daughter and I kept a really low profile. We stayed home by ourselves. We went out for dinner one night and saw a movie with coupons someone had given us. We put up our tree and enjoyed our new little kitten, who entertained us by running up the centre of the tree, over and over again.
As this year winds down, I’m asking myself, how the heck I ended up here… more broke than last Christmas, wondering how on earth I’m going to pay my rent. I feel like I worked every second last year and really didn’t have time to even stop to evaluate my finances. I just had to keep moving ahead with my goals with little time to stop and reflect on my personal situation.
I’m just going to start by trying to remember all the things that I did accomplish or put into action.
In the fall of 2009, I started working with Teresa, from Blacklake, who I’ve been working with ever since to establish quality manufacturing for a price that would make it possible to start selling Buggy Bag® at wholesale to retailers. The manufacturing costs here made the price untouchable at that level, so I was only able to sell the product one at a time, directly to end users… I wanted more people to be able to find it and use it.
The year 2010 started out with work for the movie ‘A-Team‘, going to a local theatre to fix a velvet stage curtain, and the construction of some Fencing Jackets for the Arts Club Theatre.
Much work with Rina from Liddleworks, and a photo shoot with the lovely Jessie Claveau for our new flyer which Rina designed.
Got my first set of samples back from Hong Kong. They looked pretty good, but, I wanted to make some changes to the fabrics, and components, and see what the prices would be like….shipping costs $350
My generous friends took my daughter and I to Whistler for Easter weekend where I was able to prove to my self that I could still ski. That weekend was such fun!
Went to the Dragon’s Den auditions and was told I didn’t have enough sales to move ahead. That was fine, and it was a benefit to me to work on the numbers etc. with Rina before hand. These exercises always shed light on the value of planning ahead and setting goals. My friend Wendy from PumpEase made it through the auditions, and onto the show which aired in October.
I was contacted by LandMark Direct, who do TV commercials like the ‘As Seen On TV’ ads. I decided to have them make a 1 minute commercial for me that would run in 150 spots across the US. The purpose being to test the market to evaluate where advertising $ are best spent. I sent some samples of the Stroller, Jogger and Wheelchair weather blankets, and the process began.
Received another round of samples from the factory … shipping $340
I met with the SCISN Board for the Rick Hansen Institute where I met with Gary McPherson about designing some custom wheelchair weather protection for him. I made a few sales there and met some lovely and inspiring people. It was through my work for former Vancouver mayer Sam Sullivan, that I ended up there. I had done a custom wheelchair poncho for him in the fall of 2009.
I did a bit of work for a friend who had a contract to do some costumes for the Olympics. Then, an old school friend of mine moved back here from Singapore. She needed a place to land while she settled back into the Vancouver workplace and found a place to live. It was really nice having Kai here for that time and we had many fun times and good meals together. We went to many free Olympic festivities. It was really fun being in Vancouver at that time!
I shortened many, many sleeves for a TV show called ‘Human Target‘, did some pattern work for two local women’s wear designers, then I headed over to my friend Deb’s studio to help her with a bunch of gaberdine 50’s styles she was manufacturing for a TV show called ‘Fringe‘. I think I spent a few weeks over there. Nice to get out of my place… even though my place is like heaven, I still get lonely… I know I talked her ear off… I miss working with people.
Got another set of samples back, decided to focus on just the three main products for now, because of the minimum order quantities. The zippers and fabrics now looked good, but we still have to work on the reflective logo…. shipping costs $275
Found a US Patent and Trademark Lawyer and started to proceed with this process…$2500 later, I find out that even though, I have the trademark Buggy Bag Registered here in Canada and have owned the buggybag.com address since 1998, and I make and sell mobility accessories…. they feel that there will be some ‘confusion’ with the other company that makes shopping cart covers and uses my name only with an extra “g” on the end….I should have applied for the US TM back when this company first offered to buy my URL…. who knew they would just add another ‘g’ to the name. The patent is still in process… and the cost is unknown, but a fair guess would land it in the $10,000 range.
Had Lawyers read contract with Landmark Direct… $500
Found out I need some very pricey licences to be able to sell a ‘stuffed’ article in Ontario, Quebec or Manitoba. One for each province and for each year at $500 each! Ouch, there goes my rent for that month.
Next, I stumbled across a blog written by the mom of a beautiful little guy by the knick-name of Bugg. I was moved by her ability to document their life and the wonderful quality of her blog photos. http://thebuggslife.blogspot.com/ I sent this little guy a Buggy Bag Stroller Blanket to use on his tiny wheelchair. I was so happy to meet this family and help make Bugg’s outings a bit cozier. We still keep in touch and I hope to one day meet them in person.
I then built some leather dresses for the character ‘Ginn’ on ‘Stragate Universe‘, and started working on another dog movie called ‘Treasure Buddies‘ featuring lots of cute children’s costumes, and also squeezed in an alteration of a down jacket for the movie ‘The Big Year‘, hemmed some shirts for ‘Ice Road Terror‘, and a bunch more custom work for ‘Stargate Universe’.
Got some more manufacturer samples still with issues …. shipping $400
It was around this time that I met a great guy by the name of Brian Bell, the founder of Interfit in North Vancouver. Some friends and I went to their fundraiser, which I also blogged about.
Got many different script revisions over this time and finally approved one and then had to get the money together before the commercial production could begin…. $3000
I made 9 pairs double layer fleece leg warmers for Sam Sullivan to give out to his associates, the moved onto yet more alterations for ‘The Big Year’, much more work for ‘Stargate Universe’ and the leather coat I made for ‘Sanctuary‘, which I also blogged about. It was right around this time that I got the sad news that Gary McPherson had passed away.
More one on one work with Liddleworks… business plan.
Got a first copy of the actual commercial. It looked great and I was really happy with how our conversations went. I was so apprehensive about the whole thing to begin with and the amount of $, but, if everything went well we would be getting lots of sales and valuable information about the marketplace, not to mention the commercial to use in whatever way we liked…$3500
More work with Liddleworks… hangtag designs…. three tags with usage illustrations. Had a friend help with the french translations and found a hangtag manufacturer close to the factory in China.
I made a dozen various aprons for ‘Red Riding Hood‘ before starting on the years fun show…. ‘The Fairly Odd Parents’ I always have fun working for Angus Strathie and this show was no exception! Many wonderful costumes for this show.
More work on business plan…more $$$ I owe Liddleworks.
Right after that I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Byrnes and making him a pair of trousers and an overcoat for ‘Sanctuary’.
A man I spent two years trying to forget, suddenly appears in my life again, only to vanish again two months later.
Another photo shoot featuring 5 wheelchair models and one stroller model, a mom and a sweet working dog…$600
Pay for hang tags… $1100
September finally rolled around, the commercial was ready to air, the production was in place and would be ready to ship at the end of Sept. I had to decide where to have the product shipped to, and decided that most of the sales would likely be from the US, so I found a ‘pick and pack’ place in Blaine.
Volunteered at the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships. So fun, met lots of athletes and got to see some of the games.
Commercial aired to no sales and therefore no stats… frustrating, but, must keep looking ahead.
Landmark proposed an agreement to sell the product through catalogue sales.
Lawyer read another contract…. $500.
Chris, my brother and I head down to the ABC Kids show in Vegas to see what the competition is like, what to expect when we go to the show as a vendor, evaluate what kind of a booth we need, to look for sales reps and get a bit of R&R. We walked hundreds of miles that week and most of it was in the convention centre. We also, visited just about every hotel in the city, we won $76, and we had some fantastic meals.
Launched new version of the Web Site that has been in the works for many months… it looks great and it’s only Phase I! Was immediately “de-friended” on facebook by the fellow that did the last version of the website.
Went on a sailing trip to Molly’s Reach with some friends, which was another stellar weekend!
Product is ready to ship, need to get financing… bank turned me down… evidently I should have bought an apartment instead of trying to make this great product available… at least that’s what they would have me believe!
Went to a private investor, who saw the real reason I’m doing all of this and wants to help make it happen…. $17,000 debt
Landed the product in Canada and the US and took delivery the same day that we had our Buggy Bag reception for friends, customers and media…$550. Had a blast even though no media showed up, the important people were there. Including David Rountree, who I met when I volunteered at the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships back in September. He brought his ‘Floor-Board‘ for all of us to try. Sylvi MacCormac was a special musical guest at our event, who was also one of our models at the last shoot. We felt so honoured.
Inspected the shipment that arrived here in my living room with Teresa from Blacklake. We realized there was a small QC issue with the shipment and had to look at our options…. do we send them back? I’m totally against that idea. I try a few different methods to deal with the issue and discover that I can solve it 100% with the use of my commercial iron.
One of the perks of working in film is the ‘wrap party’ at the end of the show. I went to 4 wrap parties and a gala benefit for Spinal Cord Injury. I wore the same outfit to 3 of them!
Got an order for the stroller and jogger blanket from Babies’R’Us… a small trial order for the Canadian web site.
Had to buy a Universal Bar Code number for the company… $500
Dear friend Barbara passed away, which left me in a blue funk for some time. Sadly missed.
More work for the TV shows ‘Stargate Universe’ and ‘V‘.
Teresa and I head down to the States to deal with the QC issue on that part of the shipment. One day and two very sore backs later and we are back in Vancouver, satisfied that the product is 100% perfect.
December rolled around with no movie or tv work for me, so I started making phone calls. I always said I wasn’t a sales person, but, one call led to another and another and by mid December I had already shown the wheelchair weather blanket to at least 7 places and got it into 4 stores and 10 locations in the lower mainland. This is the easiest thing in the world to sell. It just makes sense because it’s easy to use and it helps people stay warm. I’ve been focusing on the wheelchair weather blanket, but, also got the jogger weather blanket into two stores as well.
I read a blog that really touched me and I responded by sending a wheelchair lap blanket to the autor, Patrick, for his wife Patti. The response I got was worth every bit of the hard work I’ve done this year!
I put 2 paid ads on Craig’s List one in Seattle area and one in NYC, looking for commissioned sales reps to rep the wheelchair weather blanket… $50. There may be a few potentials among the responses… I sure hope so. And it looks like I may have a rep in the Chicago area, who is a friend of Teresa’s…. Yeah!
Ok… now it makes sense! As a single mom, with no financial help from anywhere, I’m just getting deeper and deeper in debt. This year of business has cost a lot. I’m financing my business with my income from film work, my lines of credit and those kind enough to help me. My coffee maker, my kettle, my watch, a computer, and my hair dryer have all become incapacitated in the last couple of months… not sure if I’m just noticing all of this because I can’t fix or replace them at the moment….but, it just adds to my anxiety levels. I have to keep reminding myself of the quote I put up on my facebook wall a while back:
”I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” — John D. Rockefeller
I sure hope that’s true… because my intention is to keep on keeping on, no matter what, because I believe that it is the right thing to do, and to continue to count my blessings.
This year I:
posted 171 times on the facebook fan page….
tweeted 684 times….
wrote 28 blog posts….
responded to 479 emails about the offshore production….
did work for 16 different production companies
responded to 275 emails from Liddleworks….
added a store front to my FB page as a way to sell old stock…
had 750 Buggy Bag units manufactured
took 49 guitar lessons….
spent 60 hours in dance classes….
got to 99% on Brain Challenge….
hugged my daughter 730 times….
toilet trained my cat….
After reflecting on the past year, I know what my blessings are as clearly as I know everything is going to turn out great.
I’m thankful for my daughter, my brother, my parents, my friends, my guides, my supporters, my vision, my health, my atitude, my customers, my humour, my suppliers, my teachers, my dance partners, my employers, my mentors and everyone who has crossed my path for whatever reason…..please know that every single one of you are responsible for at least two of the things I’m grateful for.
It’s been how many days since my last post?… Wow, 3 weeks, too long… Today, was the first full day I’ve been off in at least three weeks, but, I’m thinking that in reality it’s more like 6 weeks. I can’t really remember. What have I been doing?… I can’t really remember that either, but, I’ll try.
Let’s see… oh yeah, 26 costumes for Red Riding Hood, 9 costumes for Fairly Odd Parents, one suit, with long coat for Jim Byrnes‘ character on Sanctuary, 2 jacket linings for my friend, 10 pairs of pants for Sanctuary, 6 T-Shirt for Stargate Universe, and a skirt for myself…I draft the patterns, cut them out and construct them, so it’s fairly time consuming. As you know, I’m also working on my Buggy Bag® business, which has, for the most part been phone calls, emails, filling out forms, approving samples, Trademarks, Patents, manufacturing, Stuffed Articles Act Registrations, Duty Judgements, PO’s, Proforma Invoices, working with designers on hang tag designs, trying to line up bridge financing….shelling out much, much money…. which leads us to the real reason that I haven’t taken any time off. I need to finance my business start-up costs and, support my daughter and myself, at the same time. The build up to this falls commercial airing and it’s outcome is absolutely exciting! I have put so much into this thing… especially the wheelchair lap blanket, that I just can’t wait to get it out to more people. The feed back on last falls batch was so positive, that I just know that this falls’ line is going to be met with even more enthusiasm….it’s even better than before! The Stroller and Jogger models are really looking fantastic too. The commercial is going to focus mainly on them, with a 10 second spot on the wheelchair. The idea is to get a demographic read on the market based on the purchases made, through 150, 1 minute spots… This is going to be really interesting.
Because I work as a contractor, for the film and TV work that I do, I feel compelled to take everything I can possibly manage to do, and sometimes it gets so busy that I don’t see any time to relax… this has been one of those periods. It’s great though, because it is one of the things that I simply love doing.
Ok… well, that’s not quite true… even if I haven’t had a day off, I’ve taken many evenings to enjoy live music, dancing, friends and playing my guitar…. it’s just sometimes hard to squeeze all this fun into one lifetime!
Before I go, I just have to say that last night I went to see a Cuban band by the name of Wil Campa…. an absolutely sexy band and music… fantastic…. Which leads me to my next question… Why don’t more men learn how to dance cuban salsa? It is sooo sexy and at most events there are usually about 4 women to every guy. Last night the place was full of women wanting to dance… here is a link to a fantastic Cuban dance instructor if any of you guys want to learn… Latidos!
Last Saturday night, 3 of my girlfriends, my brother and I, went to the 2010 Spring Frolic. It’s a fundraiser for the InterFit Integrated Fitness Society in North Vancouver. If you’ve ever come to visit Vancouver, or you are lucky enough to live in this amazing place, you know, that there is nothing that takes you closer to the wonder of this planet than a walk in our great forests. That is what the Integrated Fitness society is all about.
We got all dressed up and headed out to the Delbrook rec Centre. I didn’t know what to expect, because I had never been to one of their events before. The event used two large rooms, one of which was decorated in a magical way with twinkle lights and tables of 6 or 10, each with white linens and the most lovely floral arrangements. The floral arrangements were mostly indigenous flowers, placed into a wide bamboo tube… really beautiful. Surrounding two sides of the dining room were about 10 gambling centres… if that’s what you would call them… there were Black Jack tables and Roulette and Craps and a few other games…. by now, you probably have guessed exactly how many times I’ve gambled… well, I did win 10 cents when I was in Vegas at a slot machine! Anyway, it turned out that I had some kind of magic touch with the dice that night and ended up winning $500! When we arrived at the event, we were given $300 worth of “funny money” to gamble with. It was so fun! There is something really great about gambling with pretend money…. I just loved it.
One end of the room had a stage where Adam Woodall entertained. I really enjoyed him. I had never heard him before and am pleased to say that he was really great… and, as a one man band, he had people up and dancing. Nice work.
The other room harboured the food, and the silent auction items. I had put a few Buggy Bag Lap Blankets in, so I was hoping they would get some action. Both of them sold and I got to meet both of the people that bought them, so that was really cool. It’s always exciting to get to talk to and meet the people that use the product.
There was also a live auction with a very good auctioneer. What makes a very good auctioneer you ask? Well, to me, if I can understand what they are saying… they’re good! MC Denny Williams also had my girlfriends and I chuckling numerous times…. oh, yes, and, did I mention the bar tenders? There’s something about a man in a Tux…. 🙂
My only regret about the evening, is the fact that I got so wrapped up in the fun, friends and food, that I forgot to take pics for my blog… I did put a plea out to people, for some shots, and, if any come, I will insert them later… sorry! Pics are always the best part, especially when you are weeding through the banter of my brain….
… come to the next event… I’ll be the one blowing on dice at the craps table!
Today, I took my laptop, 100 flyers and business cards and some Buggy Bag® Lap Blankets downtown to the Roundhouse Community Centre. I had a table a the Disability Foundation Expo. What a great afternoon it was. I met so many interesting people. Everyone was friendly and I think most people stopped by to see what I had on the table regardless of whether or not they could personally use it. There is such a sense of community in the way that everyone seems to be on the lookout to help someone else. I love that… it feels great to be involved with a group of people that are so selfless and caring.
There was live music, videos, and many presentations on the stage. The whole perimeter of the huge, high ceiling room was lined with tables with people that were showing products or services that could benefit or make a persons life easier. It was a nice atmosphere, and I came away from it feeling elated. I bought a CD, Straight Goods, put out by Vancouver Adapted Music Society.
One of the exhibitors I met is an artist by the name of A. J. Brown. I was looking at her work on her site and came across a piece by the name of “Puck“. I’m not sure why, but it really struck me in a strong way.
I met another really interesting person, who specializes in adaptive clothing. Her name was Amberin Bonnett and her business is A Dressing Needs/Disabled Services Clothing. I’m sure we have much in common, both working out fitting issues for a living.
All in all it was a really great day and a great Expo. I came home with no business cards and only 3 flyers left, many new friends and memories, and I sold 4 Lap blankets.
This is the outside of the Flyer
Flyer designed by Rina Liddle
What a beautiful Vancouver day. I just watched a hail storm with the sun coming through the clouds, just magic. The hale wasn’t big and it may have only happened up in my neighbourhood, but, it sure made lots of noise.
In the last post I showed a picture of Rina that wasn’t extremely flattering. I was just showing the moment, and it was eerie lighting from the computers, but, I just did’t see her as looking bad, but, she’s my friend and I just see how beautiful she is in her ways. Here’s another picture of her, just to show that she’s looking good the rest of the time…
Rina
I woke up with a super runny nose this morning, making it difficult to accomplish much without the tissue break every 2-3 minutes, but, I have to get back to my grading. Grading is when you take a base pattern, say it’s a sample size medium, and grade it up and down to the other sizes. For instance the new style of Buggy Bag® lap blanket that I’m doing for next fall is going to be available in sizes XS, S, M, L, so I’ve had to grade it by 4 sizes. It will fit more wheelchairs this way. This is what a “graded nest” of one pattern piece looks like.
pocket pattern graded nest
It’s called a “graded nest” because the sizes have not been traced off and put onto individual pattern pieces, instead they are nestled together on one piece of paper. I have done this for each of the pattern pieces.
Did I mention the sneezing? OMG… I am planning on making my body a very uninviting place for this cold…. it’s going to be fleeing from me by tomorrow, if it knows what’s good for it!
Ever wonder what it would be like to audition for the Dragon’s Den? Well, I took the Buggy Bag® Lap Blanket and Stroller Blanket today, and it was a lot of waiting with really cool people.
The day started out kinda funny because I was up until 3:30am fixing up a little mistake I made on the calculations, but I slept really solidly for the whole 4 hours. Got up and got ready for the day… shower, smoothie, and to top it off a Late. Hauled a baby stroller down the 3 flights of stairs at my place, and jammed it and the samples into my trunk along with my file folder including all the stats and info my friend Rina and I had compiled. Just waiting for my friend, who is also heading down there to do her own pitch.
When she drives up we all leave for downtown Vancouver. I had been given the advice by someone who was on the show last season, not to show up until the time they say….. fine we’ll be there for 11am then. We get there and the room is already packed, which means, we have to wait through 48 other pitches. Red-faced I make the apology to my friend and her model, as I know that if we had come an hour earlier we would have been up in the 1st hour….. who knew how long it would take to get through 45 others. They are all pros working at the CBC, and it did go as fast as humanly possible. We were all seated at tables with our ideas and coffees, chatting about various things. I met some fun and interesting people.
After about 3 hours one of the people that works there came up and asked Wendy what she had and what her sales were last year. She was suitably impressed, as Wendy is the owner of PumpEase hands free pumping bras. http://www.pumpease.com/ they are not only a functional product, but also, practical and fashionable….. and she has sales….. lots of sales.
Then the woman turned to me and asked me what I’ve got. I pulled out the product and she said, it looks like a good product, what were your sales? I told her and she said that I should come back next year when I have greater sales…. I asked her if I would still get to pitch and she told me I was doing that right now! Turns out she was one of the producers…. anyway, that’s a good goal for me and I’ve got a couple of ideas about how to improve the sales…. if any of you also have any thoughts about how I can do that, let me know. It’s a useful and much needed product, and I intend get it out there to the people that need it, in whatever way I can.
I decide to stay and offer support to Wendy while she waited, and just hang out and enjoy the scene. By now, everyone has been there so long that, there is a much more relaxed feel in the air… almost jovial. By the time Wendy went in with her model Donna, she was feeling pretty good (as she should; she has a great product and it has a certain appeal in terms of “show value”, if you know what I mean). When they came back they were excited. It was a good experience.
Who knows what the future holds for any of us, but, if we can just take each moment, as it is, and cherish it, it is all good!
Rina at the computer
Rina has been so much help to me through this. She does freelance marketing for small and start-up businesses. She also did the photo shoot with Jessica (see “photo shoot” post) or visit her blog at http://www.liddlethought.blogspot.com/
Dragon's Den Audition Day
from left to right—- Donna (PumpEase Model), Wendy (Owner, PumpEase™),Leslie(Owner, Buggy Bag® Mobility Accessories), with the new Buggy Bag® Lap Blanket…. hot off the press….
Thanks for stopping by, love you guys, Leslie
As you may have guessed, I’ve been pretty busy in the last two weeks. I know, I know, no excuses…. but really, I’ve drafted patterns, cut out and constructed 3 leather coats, 3 leather vests and 3 leather dresses. But, that’s another post, and I will describe these in more detail in another post. For now I have something more exciting. I met the most amazing guy the other day. He had the most wonderful energy and positive outlook, I just liked him right away. I’m always looking for new ideas for adaptive clothing and new Buggy Bag products, so I was really happy when he agree to work with me to develop a few new things (tell you about those later). He took a couple of Lap Blankets from me to try out with his “InterFit” organization when they go out on hikes. He started this group in North Vancouver to provide people with disabilities, the opportunity to get out into the woods and enjoy the fresh air. I just love this idea. Seeing the news story that was done on the group, and the huge smile on the girls face as she was escorted through the BC woods, on this really cool unit by volunteers brought tears to my eyes. I never saw such wonder and joy on one face. Such a great experience.
InterFit is holding a fundraiser in North Vancouver, so if you’re interested in helping out a really fantastic organization, here is a link http://www.interfit.ca/news.htm
I also want to show you a pictures of the rigs used on the trails.. they’re so cool! I can’t wait for my first hike as a volunteer.
This is the ORC – Off Road Chair
And this is the Trail Rider … read more at http://www.bcmos.org/main/index.php
Hi guys, just putting this post up because I got a question from a reader and fellow blogger, asking if the buggy bag® came in smaller sizes. It does. The product line actually started with stroller and jogger stroller blankets and then expanded to cover wheelchairs as well. The stroller model works really well on small wheelchairs and has 3 shock-cord adjustment points, so you can snug it in to keep your little loves cozy.
I went to check out this readers blog, and it is simply amazing. Beautifully written and OMG…. the photos! WOW thebuggslife.blogspot.com Truly a special child that chose a special family to bless.
Here’s picture of the stroller blanket, you can order at 1-888-814-1588
Sells for $125 CAD plus $21 S&H It’s also guaranteed
