Well, I came to the Big windy city with high hopes to sell a whole mess of The Original PaceWheel and set in motion the dynamo of an automatic money-maker that would drive me almost directly to being a thousandaire.
Costs for the 2-day Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle Health and Fitness Expo break down about so:
10' x 10' booth rental - $1200
Itinerant merchant license - $25
500W Electrical Power Outlet - $85
3 days of parking at Navy Pier - $39
Car Rental - $150
Meals - $150
Inventory (PaceWheels, Flyers, Brochures, etc.) - $2650
Plane Tickets - $370
Business Insurance Policy - $379
iPod for Giveaway - $52
Banners & Banner stands - $135
Oversized Display PaceWheel - $35
Custom-embroidered shirts and hats - $66
Miscellaneous supplies - $35
Car Rental Gas: $45
Total Cost: $5416
Traffic was light most of Friday, and we sold 25 wheels. I was pretty disappointed. I thought "What have I done?" PaceWheel, LLC had just broken even last month, and I was getting ready to pay myself a share of the profits when we hit a big positive round number (student loan payments started again as my Master's Degree deferment expired). But we re-invested the money we'd made into the Chicago show.
Saturday was better. We had lots more traffic, but we sold just 36 wheels directly to runners. But people were listening and asking questions that indicated they actually understood what it was for and how they would benefit from it.
At slow times, Joel (Stephanie's cousin from PA and a Triathlete) would watch the booth, and I'd go hit up Running Stores' booths. I showed the PaceWheel to the owner of one store in Naperville, IL and he said "You have inventory here? I'll take two dozen." Then he introduced me to the owner of another store and said "This guy has something to show you that you are going to carry." He took a dozen. 5 other Chicago-area running-specialty stores are looking at carrying it.
Then, a guy I'd been talking to all weekend introduced me to the head of training for WorldVision's (the Christian humanitarian organization) Chicago Marathon team. He bought a dozen to help his coaches' train their athletes. PaceWheel is now an official sponsor of Team WorldVision Chicago! The guy who introduced me also works with an Autism research foundation which is also raising money by training athletes for its team, and he wants to partner with PaceWheel and he's going to connect me with a guy who developed the PaceTat, a temporary tattoo that has Marathon mile split times for your goal. Last year he was at the expo, and he got connected with Saturn!
I also made a connection with the head of coaching for the Chicago Area Runners' Association, and he's interested in possibly ordering PaceWheels to be a giveaway for an upcoming run or series rather than or in addition to a t-shirt (how many t-shirts does one person really need?).
Lots of other contacts came out of the trip, too.
PaceWheels Sold: 109
Money Received: $1276.75 (assuming all the credit cards clear)
Deficit: $4149.25
I had hoped to sell 400 PaceWheels and that we would at least break even, but the networking will really be quite valuable.
We'll see what happens. Did I mention the guy from the Naperville store is also on the board of the Independent Running Retailers Association? They've got an annual convention he said I should go to. PLUS he asked me if he could be the exclusive vendor of the PaceWheel at the Chicago Marathon Expo! I'm excited even though I'm back in the hole.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Free Wi-Fi
I'm not in my usual wi-fi harnessing spot, and I must say the seat I'm in now is more comfortable than my usual porcelain location.
You see, I'm at DIA waiting for a flight to Chicago. I opened up my laptop to do some work, and my wireless detection system notified me that the network DIAFREEWIFI was available for a connection. I logged in, watched an inane 30-second commercial (ostensibly for Toyota but really just a man in a fox/raccoon? suit digging through trash), and here I am.
It's nice to get a nice connection somewhere besides a room that is potentially smelly (not that airports aren't potentially or actually smelly). Look for a post about my Chicago Expo venture, possibly posted from the Midway Airport Free Wi-Fi. Here's hoping!
You see, I'm at DIA waiting for a flight to Chicago. I opened up my laptop to do some work, and my wireless detection system notified me that the network DIAFREEWIFI was available for a connection. I logged in, watched an inane 30-second commercial (ostensibly for Toyota but really just a man in a fox/raccoon? suit digging through trash), and here I am.
It's nice to get a nice connection somewhere besides a room that is potentially smelly (not that airports aren't potentially or actually smelly). Look for a post about my Chicago Expo venture, possibly posted from the Midway Airport Free Wi-Fi. Here's hoping!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Best book I've read in ages...
I was reading my sister-in-law's blog today, and she had written about her penchant for U.S. Presidents and Presidential history. It brought this book to mind because the man is Presidential (with an intentional capital P).Okay, so I finished this book several weeks ago, and you may not give two darns about track and field, but I really couldn't put it down. In fact, I enjoyed the book so much I actually wrote a thank you note to the author.
If you don't know who Bill Bowerman is, here's the brief run-down:
- He founded Nike
- He was the catalyst for America's running boom
- He is quite possibly the most influential college coach of all time (and I know there are some out there who might suggest Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne, or Mike Krzjewqks2i, Bobby Knight, etc.)
- He was a member of the greatest generation and as a member of the 10th Mountain Division effected the surrender of a German division in the Italian Alps
- He coached more Olympians than I can recall off hand, including but not limited to: Mack Robinson (1936 runner-up to Jessie Owens and Jackie Robinson's brother), Olympic Gold-Medalist and world-record discus thrower Mac Wilkinson, Gold Medal Marathoner Frank Shorter, 2-time Olympian (and author of the book) Kenny Moore, the legendary Steve Prefontaine (someday I'll write a post about him), 1964 Bronze medalist Bill Dellinger (who also coached Prefontaine), and a slew of others
- He was also the head USA Track & Field coach at the 1972 Munich Olympics
You all know I'm a coach, and I want to model myself after this guy. I also wish I could write like Kenny Moore.
Anyway, the point of this is that if you're in need of a good, long read, pick up this book.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Feeling Useful...
My local running store (which does, by the way, carry The Original PaceWheel) tries to market the store in various ways including Jack Quinn's Running Club (meet at a favorite local pub for a quick run followed by happy-hour-priced beer and free appetizers) and special guest Saturdays. They bring in some local running or fitness guru for people to talk or listen to at the store - all in the hopes of drumming up more business.
Today was "Meet the Inventor of the Original PaceWheel," and I was the invited guest speaker/presenter/guru. I talked to not one, but two people about the PaceWheel in my four hours there; and I sold not one, but not even one PaceWheel in my four hours. I was a little disappointed at the result.
However, I made myself useful nonetheless (and this, I suppose, is really the point). The weather was beautiful, track season has just begun, and the store was seriously swamped from about 11:30 to 2:00 today. The four employees had more than enough people to work with, and people kept asking me for help, not knowing I didn't work there. I did my best to help each customer, acting as the triage nurse, before sending them to the appropriate actual employee to get help.
But at one point, everyone was busy, and one lady asked me for help. Actually, she motioned to me for help. I walked over to her, and she quickly communicated that I would need something to write with to help her. She could neither hear nor speak. I get the feeling that I was at the store today specifically to help her. My English teacher's penmanship-deciphering and unconventional syntax-decoding skills were put to good use. American Sign Language syntax is not the same as The Queen's Written English; grammar is truncated, and I actually got a chance to serve someone. It was a great way to spend an hour.
This woman had been sent by her doctor for some good, supportive walking shoes to ease her pain from a heel spur among other things, and the store was recommended by this doctor as "the best." However, she ended up with me. I blindly wandered the store-room looking for the right model of shoes in the right sizes; got help from the actual employees when I could; and actually helped her find several pairs of shoes that would work.
I don't doubt that any of the actual employees could have helped her. I'm sure each one of them could have deciphered her writing and each one would have been patient enough to serve her for an hour. I'm not saying I was placed there because she needed me. I'm pretty sure that I was placed there because I needed her. I needed to serve her with my skills as a reminder to me that serving others serves my need for fulfillment and value, not because I am so great, but because I am so needy.
Today was "Meet the Inventor of the Original PaceWheel," and I was the invited guest speaker/presenter/guru. I talked to not one, but two people about the PaceWheel in my four hours there; and I sold not one, but not even one PaceWheel in my four hours. I was a little disappointed at the result.
However, I made myself useful nonetheless (and this, I suppose, is really the point). The weather was beautiful, track season has just begun, and the store was seriously swamped from about 11:30 to 2:00 today. The four employees had more than enough people to work with, and people kept asking me for help, not knowing I didn't work there. I did my best to help each customer, acting as the triage nurse, before sending them to the appropriate actual employee to get help.
But at one point, everyone was busy, and one lady asked me for help. Actually, she motioned to me for help. I walked over to her, and she quickly communicated that I would need something to write with to help her. She could neither hear nor speak. I get the feeling that I was at the store today specifically to help her. My English teacher's penmanship-deciphering and unconventional syntax-decoding skills were put to good use. American Sign Language syntax is not the same as The Queen's Written English; grammar is truncated, and I actually got a chance to serve someone. It was a great way to spend an hour.
This woman had been sent by her doctor for some good, supportive walking shoes to ease her pain from a heel spur among other things, and the store was recommended by this doctor as "the best." However, she ended up with me. I blindly wandered the store-room looking for the right model of shoes in the right sizes; got help from the actual employees when I could; and actually helped her find several pairs of shoes that would work.
I don't doubt that any of the actual employees could have helped her. I'm sure each one of them could have deciphered her writing and each one would have been patient enough to serve her for an hour. I'm not saying I was placed there because she needed me. I'm pretty sure that I was placed there because I needed her. I needed to serve her with my skills as a reminder to me that serving others serves my need for fulfillment and value, not because I am so great, but because I am so needy.
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