Great Workshop this Morning!

Thanks to the Women's Business Development Center, Joanne Stone-Geier delivered an excellent workshop for us retailers on cashing in on holiday sales.

A few tips I walked away with are . . . .

-- Guest blogger (I have some I'm going to ask, but let me know if you're interested)

-- Independent Retail Black Sunday (our answer to the Black Friday big box retailers experience)

-- Holiday offer: We'll offer free shipping on all web orders on Cyber Monday

This is just a sampling of the valuable tips - way too many to mention all!

Beautiful New Showroom

If you haven't stopped by recently, take a look at our fully renovated showroom. Creative and extremely talented Julie DiOrio waved her magic wand (and stayed until 4 a.m.!) last night, and left us with a great new area for customers to shop. Much easier to find our FodeoFlips now. Thanks, Julie!

Working from Home

Home with a semi-sick 7-year-old. I've watched enough "Drake & Josh", "Jonas" and "Hannah Montana" episodes to last me a lifetime. Not to mention the "Underdog" movie we started out with. We're now taking turns drawing jack-o-lanterns, witches, Hanna Montana, and now frogs.

All this while answering emails, creating work lists, experimenting with packaging and giving quotes on FodeoFlips!

Affordable Video Production

If you're looking to add video to your website, blog or trade show booth . . . take a look at our new affordable video production packages at http://www.fodeo.biz/pricegrid.html

Many Balls in the Air

I'm going to try to be more consistent with the blog . . . tough to do with so much going on!

Trendy Kidz Designs - Smiley Faces, Peace Signs and Tie Dye Make a Splash

Our new Trendy Kidz FodeoFlip designs for tweens are incredibly cute and fun! Just go to http://www.fodeo.net/fun-uses/fodeo-flip/fun.asp to take a look. You can vote for your favorite and receive a free 6x8 FodeoFlip by becoming a fan of Fodeo on facebook.

Looking for the Best Photo Gifts

Please let me know your favorite photo gift and why it means so much to you. We'll show case the best submissions in this blog and on our website as part of our upcoming Holiday Gift Guide. Just send me an email at info@fodeo.net that describes the gift, where it came from, and why it is special. I can't wait to see what's out there!

Summer's gone?

Wow!
I always heard that once your children get in school, time goes by fast. Trust me, I had NO idea! The last few months seem like a blur between keeping the kids occupied, getting the word out about our new FodeoFlips via trade shows, auditioning for the TLC/Kelly Ripa/HSN reality show, and all the other things I can't quite remember . . . . .

Lots of new happenings at Fodeo . . . . we offered a 50% off on all services to facebook fans, and boy did they take advantage! Almost $3,000 was saved by Fodeo fans during just the month of August! The first 500 fans receive a free 8x10 FodeoFlip, so if you haven't gotten yours yet, what are you waiting for? Just log in to Facebook, become a fan, take a look at all of the fun FodeoFlips on our website, then email us to tell us which one you'd like us to send - for FREE!

New video production packages are available for businesses wanting to add video to their website/blog, train some employees via DVD, display video at a trade show or otherwise step into the world of technology as it is today. For more info go to http://www.fodeo.biz/videoservices.html

Okay, time to take a break at this point . . . .

It's Raining Fodeos in April!

What fun!  We've gotten a new order almost each day of April, and some really great accounts . . . American Idol, Toshiba, Amazon . . . 

I'm working on figuring out all of the new social media . . . twitter, facebook, linkedin, etc.  There's a lot to know, and I really feel old!

The 50% off "Memory Stimulus" promotion for store business is doing great!  Our customers are getting a kick out of our concept to "Bailout Your Closet" during the month of April.  Not only are we gaining store business, but increasing foot traffic within the store is allowing us to sell more of our retail items.  Much fun!

Yeah, NBC!

Just heard back that NBC loves the Fodeo concept.  I know I promised to give more insight into negotiating contracts with web developers, but I've got to get working on the displays for our tube Fodeos.

Go to www.fodeo.biz to see the look of the Fodeo tubes, which I thought wouldn't be as popular with retailers, but that's the concept NBC really likes - more opportunity for branding than our little red envelopes.

Other news . . . Fry's is also very interested.  I think we'll send them some tube samples as well, just to see what they think!

What do you think?  Take a look at the two packages at www.fodeo.biz, and send me a message to let me know what you think looks better . . . . 

Working with Web Developers

After many lessons learned, I've developed some tips I'll list here (mostly to remind myself) of things to look for in a Web Developer/Programmer, as well as tips for working out contracts.

Selecting a Web Developer/Programmer:
1) Always use a referral. Find someone whose site you like, ask other business owners, etc., but referrals are best. I was provided several referrals recently through Rackspace, our web hosting company. I LOVE Rackspace, and highly recommend them for any hosting/email needs. Their customer service is unbelievable! Find them at www.rackspace.com

2) Give a test for the type of programming you require. For instance, we needed some photo upload work done. I wanted to make sure the programmer knew how to program this service before I hired them.

3) Check references. Just because a company appears on a programmer's site, doesn't mean that customer is a happy one. Fodeo appears on a couple of previous programmers' sites that I wouldn't recommend to anyone. In fact, our website has been changed from the original images these companies still show as referrals. Simply call some of the companies on the site randomly and make sure those users are happy customers.

4) "Test" more than one programmer at a time. For instance, with our latest search, we had a list of tasks that needed to be programmed. I spoke with 3 different companies, all referrals, and presented the same info. I then gauged the 3 competitors as to how quickly they responded to the proposal, and whether or not they seemed to be interested in our business. Of course, it helped to have 3 different price quotes to compare as well. Our current programmer has been wonderful at getting the job done quickly, with no drama or hassle. You can find Alex and company at www.WebsiteAtWork.com

5) Give small projects before handing out the big job. This worked well for us in the past. I had a list of small things that needed to be done. By observing the response time and efficiency of the smaller project, I was then able to determine if I wanted a long-term contract with that same programmer.

I recently didn't follow this tip. We had one of the worst experiences with our website we've ever encountered, which could have been prevented if I had followed my own advice. The lessons learned from the experience, however, have taught me a much-needed lesson about website security and the mishaps that can easily be avoided.

Since this post is so long, I'll continue with contract tips in the next post.

Three Months Passed!

Trade Shows
A lot has happened in the last 3 months. Three different trade shows Promotional Products Association International, BDA (largest merchandise agency) preferred suppliers, and the Photo Marketing Association.

All were different, and we had a great response from buyers for our new FodeoFlip product and the Fodeo Photo Montage Service Package. The Time Capsule seems to be geared more toward the gift market.

We have over 75 promotional distributors patiently waiting for samples of the FodeoFlip, and numerous more retailers ready to buy when they're ready. I had no idea product development could take so long!

Opportunities that rose out of the shows . . . Fodeos have been presented to MLB sponsors of the All-Star Game, and I'm told orders should start coming in during March and April. FodeoFlips are also being considered for stadium giveaways across the country by numerous major league teams. And a meeting was held today with NBC to present Fodeos and FodeoFlips as retail items for NBC.com and NBC stores at Rockefeller Center and airports nationwide.

Now that the trade shows are behind us, I'll try to focus regularly on updating the blog. Please watch in the coming days for info on working with a web designer, tips on developing a new product, and other tidbits I hope you find helpful.

Thanks for checking in!