The Journey of Grill Charms!

http://cheftoolsblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/story-of-grill-charmstm.html

 Hello folks!  Here is a little bit more of my presentation:

“Something else I did often during my R&D phase was ASK FOR HELP!

 Did you know that you can actually have an online mentor and councilor for FREE in just about ANY field or genera you can think of?  I used several virtual SCORE.org councilors during the beginning stages of my entrepreneurial journey.  They helped me with everything from writing my business plan to metal fabrication processes for my product. In November I was invited to one of my virtual councilors’ banquets to receive an award for success story of the year. It just so happened he lived in Myrtle Beach, so it was for Grand Strand SCORE Chapter 381. We still talk today.  Once again, it is all about building your virtual village.  

On blogs and forums, join the conversation.  Ask for help.  You don’t have to do it alone and people really like to share information they have learned.  People love to “talk” so ask and then sit back and listen

Another thing I did (and still do) in this interactive social world of ours is enter business contests relevant to my field.  There are so many out there for start up companies.

www.startupnation.com always has tons,

Idea Café gives away $5000.00 every year to a new business

Whirlpool’s Mother of Invention Grant is an annual contest

Make Mine a Million

A lot of these contests I learn about from checking blogs and forums like mompreneursonline.com.”  This will help with building your credibility which I’ll talk about next week. 

Let’s see…. In the world of Grill Charms™, I’ve been a little under the weather with a cold and consequently I sound like a frog!  This was really frustrating because I felt like I couldn’t make any sales calls and grilling season is creeping up fast.  The specialty retailers are buying now (if they haven’t already) for spring and summer and here I am, unable to call on any stores because I sound like an amphibian!  Very frustrating!  I did what I could via email (which is not as effective) but Monday, I’m going to hit the ground running!  Have a wonderful weekend folks!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™www.grillcharms.com

Hello hello!  The other night, I was watching American Idol when I get an email on my phone.  Robert was down in his house in Miami shot me a quick note that the grilling and barbeque accessory buyer for a BIG BIG account want to talk to me! Since then, the buyer and I have chatted and samples have been sent off!  The BIG accounts (more mass retail outlets) work about a year out, so really soon they will be doing their product reviews for spring and summer 2011, (which is fine just fine) but he also said that it isn’t to late to test market Grill Charms in a few stores for this year.  Keep your fingers and toes crossed! 

Last week I was a guest speaker at a conference here in Charleston for The Center for Women www.twitter.com/c4womenchas   It was and amazing gathering and I’m so honored to have been asked to speak.  Since most of you don’t live here, I thought I’d recap the things I went over.  I was paired with an amazing woman, Jo Ann Studtmueller.  www.twitter.com/joannepicvu  I was asked to speak about social media and Jo Ann TRULY is an expert.  As most of you know, I’ve always considered myself technologically handicapped, so when the Center for Women asked me to speak on this subject, I thought there must be some mistake.  I love talking to a brick wall, so ANY chance to speak in front real people, especially fellow women in business, I jump all over, but when I met with Jo Ann the first time, I confided in her my fears.  I said “Jo Ann… I’m not really sure why I’m going to be up there with you.  I’m successful in business, I’m pretty darn good at getting my brand out there, I can talk all day about inventing, entrepreneurship, marketing and PR, but I’m truly technologically inept.  She said… “do you use twitter”… I said “yes”, “do you blog?”  I said “yes”.  “do you have a FB account and business Fan page?” I said “yes”.  She said “are you Linked In?”  I said “yes”. She said “do you link your blog and website with your YouTube videos?” I said “yes” and low and behold, she said  “YOU’RE IN!”   And in preparing for this presentation I began to realize just what a vital part social media and content marketing has played in getting where I am today.  I’m living proof that it does not take technological know-how to get started.  There are tons of folks out there that are much more tech savvy then I am, but I’ll give you a few easy tricks of the social marketing and PR trade.  

Over the next few weeks I’m going to tell you a little bit about how I used this mystical, magical box called a computer during all of the different phases of my business.  First I entered into what I call the “Research and Development Phase”.  So I had my spicy light bulb moment… now what?!

The first thing I did was turn on my computer and got to googling.  I scoured the blogs and forums for information on the two things I identified myself with most at the time and that was:  a mom and a budding entrepreneur.  Regardless of your industry and what business you are thinking about going into, “Join the conversation!”  

Comment on blogs; praise the contributors and bloggers if something they said helped you.  Post questions (or answer questions) on forums.  There is a blog and/or forum for EVERYTHING!!  The true benefit in “joining the conversation” might not be apparent right off that bat.  You might think that praising a blogger just makes them feel good and maybe brightens someone’s day and that getting active on forums helps because it answers questions you have but it does so much more than that.  It helps you build your virtual village.  It gets you connected to people already “in the know” that can help you later when you need it most.  

Our fearless leader over at the Center for Women Jennet Alterman www.twitter.com/jeannetalterman made a truly profound statement at a networking function, but I have found it equally if not more true in the cyber world. 

“It isn’t who you know, but who knows you and knows what you do.” These people you connect with during this pre-start-up phase are the people that will be rooting for you and who will help you along the way. They will become your virtual village.

3 places I started were

www.mompreneurslonline.com  OF COURSE!

www.mominventors.com

www.startupnation.com

Okay…. this is getting a bit lengthy for a blog post (Thanks to Jo Ann, I learned that blog posts should be between 250 and 500 words and be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays)  Who knew??!!  So, with that, I will continue this discussion next week with more from my presentation “Don’t be a Twit”.  See you next week!!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

Bringing a product to market is one of hardest and most rewarding things I have ever done but like most folks who have never done (or tried to do) something before I had some misconceptions about what to expect.  Now that I have little bit more experience and know so many fellow Mompreneurs® and inventors, I want to share with you a general rule of thumb if you are thinking about taking the plunge.  Now I’m not sharing this with you as any sort of discouragement, but I just feel that if people are more prepared, they won’t be disappointed or be too hard on themselves later when things don’t go the way they THOUGHT they should.  (Because what you thought, is probably wrong!).  Okay… here goes…. This is short and sweet:  The first year on the market, expect to HEMORRHAGE money.  The second year, you are doing well if you break even.  The third year, you should be making a profit.  There are always exceptions, but if you go into it with your eyes wide open, you won’t be nearly as disappointed when your QuickBooks reveals the ugly truth every December 31^st. 

I did turn a modest profit in year two but that was entirely because of Shark Tank.  I was extremely fortunate.  Now again, I’m still standing by what I have always said about media…I CAN NOT rely on that (or any other media hit to come) to carry me through year 3.  This time next year do you think anyone will remember me from that show?  NO.  Sales sales sales is where the money comes from.  What’s a little discouraging to me is that what I really SHOULD be doing right now is hitting the tradeshow circuit hard, but I just can’t.  With my husband’s job as a pilot, he’s only home 15 days a month, and so child care is a HUGE issue.   Last year Pa helped out TREMENDOUSLY because he was retired and he would pick the kids up from school etc… but now what he’s gone, it just puts too much stain on my family.  So now, I need to work on a plan B. 

I’ve got a new sales rep that I have high hopes for and I just signed on with a distributor for the state of Hawaii.  I’m really excited about that!  I’m hoping for great success out there.  They grill all year round and if they do well enough, maybe it will warrant a family / business trip out there to visit J  hee hee.  I grew up on Oahu (Pa was stationed at Pearl Harbor) so I have a very special place in my heart for the island.  Since moving away in 3^rd grade I have been back 3 times, but that was BC.  (Before Children). 

Here’s a short little lesson on Distributor basics: Distributors are companies that buy and store inventory and sell to retailers.  They are “middle men” so to speak.  They buy your product is bulk (for less than wholesale) and are responsible for a certain geographic area. FYI, distributors will usually require a gross margin between 20-40%. When working with a distributor, there are many things to take into consideration.  Most will want exclusivity for their territory.  In my case, it was just Hawaii, so exclusivity was not a problem for me.  I don’t have tons of Hawaiian stores beating down my door right now, so that was fine.  I do feel it is important to put in writing the annual or quarterly sales or purchasing “quota”.  It needs to be reasonable and attainable and something you both come up with together.  If the quota is not met after the specified time period, then the “exclusivity” becomes null and void.  Also the terms should be able to be reevaluated and adjusted as both parties see fit every year or two to insure it is still a win-win for both parties.  That’s the only way a relationship works.  Well, I think that’s all I have for now.  Chat with you soon

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

Hello folks!  I’ll get the “news” stuff and links out of the way then I think it’s time for a year in review don’t you?

http://www.thefabulousfinds.com/2009/10/all-you-grillers-out-there-this-is.html

http://tobtr.com/s/709444  (Radio interview will Heath, follow Shark Tank Alumni with Pork Barrel BBQ)

http://www.frugalrimama.com/HolidayGiftGuide/grill-charms

http://gift-guide.mywoodenspoon.com/tools/grill-charms%e2%84%a2/

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inventRight/2009/09/30/Interview-With-Leslie-Haywood–Regarding-Appearance-On-ABCs-Shark-Tank  (Radio interview with Steven Key)

To listen to behind the scenes commentary on Shark Tank about Grill Charms, hit play: http://www.daymondjohn.com/power_journal/grill-charms-commentary-part-1/  THIS IS REALLY COOL!  Daymond gives a total behind the scenes view of Shark Tank. 

http://www.mominventors.com/2009/12/09/mom-invented-holiday-gift-guide/

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbnrek_grill-charms-the-ultimate-grill-gad_school  Video from @The_Grilldog

I’m not really sure what to say about 2009 other then… It was “Interesting”.  I feel like I not even remotely the same person I was 1 year ago in just about every aspect of my life.  My first year on the market (2008) I felt like I was really just dipping my toes in the entrepreneurial waters.  I made sales calls on stores, tried to build up my brand and gain some product awareness.  2009 I really jumped in with both feet.  I did my first tradeshow in January then a second (one of the largest in the housewares industry) in March.  I secured my biggest wholesale account and due them going into bankruptcy, lost that same biggest account. I more than tripled the amount of stores I was in and to my surprise actually turned a profit for 2009.  (which is almost unheard of 2^nd year after launch!) I had the biggest triumph in my professional career with Shark Tank and was devastated by the worst personal tragedy of my life.  It has been a complete whirlwind of emotions, new experiences, excitement and grief all rolled into 1 little package called 2009.  Looking at where I started January 1^st it seems like 2009 was MUCH longer than 365 days.  I’m more experienced, more jaded, more hopeful and more hopeless.  I’m more appreciative of the life I have and in the same breath a little bitter and hardened by the cold hard facts of it all.  If you were to ask me 1 word that best describes 2009, it’d say it was “growth”, in every sense of the word.

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

The night of the show was one of the most exhilarating nights of my life. There was so much adrenaline, excitement and anxiety. I knew how it ended, but Pa was such a big part of the story and I didn’t know what they were going to show. There was a local film crew at my viewing party and I had no idea how the “Pa” part was going to turn out, so they got my sisters, mom and I boohooing on the couch!! We’ll…. if you’re gonna put yourself “out there” that’s what ya get! I didn’t mind. All of this media stuff is part of my healing in a weird weird way. Okay…enough mush and sad stuff…. WHAT A WILD RIDE HUH???!!! (in case you haven’t figured it out, I think I’m pushing a lot down and just don’t know it) A psychiatrist would have a field day with me right now I’m sure!) Here is the viewing party on the news: http://cfc.wciv.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=49654  I did a Skype interview called “after shark” on AOL wallet pop (http://www.walletpop.com/after-shark-tank ) where I gave a shout out to www.mompreneursonline.com. The coolest part of the night was after my segment was over and it cut to commercial and my friends and family are all high 5ing and yelling and screaming and my phone rings….. IT WAS ROBERT!!! I totally put him on speaker phone and he talked to us all and said congrats again to my family and friends etc…. It was such a great night. Pa was watching and I’m sure got such a kick out of it.

(oh and if you missed the episode all together, here you go: http://abc.go.com/watch/shark-tank/225872/236301/week-7

I also just want to say a BIG BIG thank you to everyone on the production side of Shark Tank. Now you all know that it was while I was there taping that the biggest tragedy of my life occurred. Now you can read this and know what was REALLY going on: http://www.mompreneursonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20108

The Shark Tank crew was unbelievable. I can’t thank them all enough for everything they did for me. And as a side note, none of the sharks had any idea that it was my second time. Before you walk out to do your pitch, they know VERY little about you (on purpose). The premise of the show is to get reactions and real first impressions to businesses, people and products. When I walked out there finally (in August) they had no idea that I almost walked out there in July. It was only after it all happened that I wrote/emailed/and told them the whole story. Then we ALL watched it for the first time September 29. Not even the sharks see the episodes before they air.

Since the show, the sales have been wonderful. I more then doubled my monthly online sales average in the 5 days following the show, I received more wholesale inquires in 5 days then I had all year and the hits on my website were about 6000 in the hours following the show.

I was scheduled to go to Toronto this past weekend and film my follow up with Robert, but the trip was postponed. There are only a few weeks left in the season and the film crew was going to fly here to Charleston then follow me to Toronto etc… and get the whole thing on tape for my follow up. There aren’t enough episodes left in the season for it to air, so we are going to wait on the trip and the taping. Not to worry though… as the show states clearly on their website

“And our legal folks need us to tell you that Shark Tank depicts negotiations between entrepreneurs and investor ‘Sharks.’ The Sharks are investing their own money at their discretion”

Regardless of filming or no filming, things with Robert and I are EXACTLY as I had hoped for and I couldn’t be happier (accept for the little disappointment for not spending the weekend up there BUT apparently is was AWFUL weather. Bright side…it was 88 degrees and sunny down here.

Having said all this, I do however stand by my previous blog post of 9/22. Now that the show is a few weeks out, most folks have forgotten about the “charming housewife from Charleston” and it’s MY JOB to keep the momentum going. I do have some very exciting irons in the fire, but they are not things that just fell into my lap. Regardless of what happens in the media, it is not enough to make you millions all on it’s own. There are no short cuts. (Remember that newbie entrepreneurs!)

Thanks so much for riding along with me. I’ll keep the updates coming.

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™ www.grillcharms.com

http://www.marnijameson.com/father%E2%80%99s-day-gadgets-that-help-dads-moms

http://www.peekaboopicks.com/2009/06/07/fathers-day-gift-guide-giveaway/

http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_12582114

http://www.outblush.com/women/home/kitchen/grill-charms/

Oh my goodness where oh where do I begin? First of all I want to apologize for the first part of the summer and my totally slackness in blogging.  I am going to do better I PROMISE.  Just to get you up to date on some major events in my life since we last spoke, I’m going to fill you in for those of you that don’t know.  This has been the best summer and the worst summer of my life.  Sounds like I’m being melodramatic, I know, but that is seriously the truth.  It all started when I got a call saying that I had the chance to go to Los Angeles for a fantastic business opportunity.   I arrived on July 8th and my event was not until July 11^th.  On the morning of July 10th while staring out the window of my hotel room in Beverly Hills, amazed at where I was and what I was about to do,  I received a call from my mom back home in Charleston.  My father had very suddenly and VERY UNEXPECTEDLY passed away from an abdominal aortal aneurysm.  It was truly the most horrific day of my life.  I am fortunate enough to have lived 37 years without knowing this kind of loss or pain. (My family is extremely close… we all still even get together once a week for dinner.)  The folks in LA moved mountains to get me on the next flight back to Charleston where I went through (and am still going through) the process of grieving and loss.  My mother told me one of the last words my father said was “please don’t call Leslie”.  He knew where I was and didn’t want to be the reason for me missing the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Apparently during my first few days of the trip out in July I made an impression on the folks out there because I got a call back a while later from them saying they WANTED ME TO COME BACK!!!  I was so overjoyed that they would actually give me a second chance.  The entire process was surreal.  I had some anxiety when packing the night of August 6th because I had not touched any of my things since they were frantically thrown into my suitcase on July 10th while in a state of raw grief. When I got off the plane in LA on August 7^th it felt like “Groundhog Day”.  My bags came down on the same carousel, the van was the same, the place where the driver picked me up was the same; the hotel was the same… I felt like I was in a reoccurring nightmare and I knew how it ended, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. THANKFULLY everyone involved with my travel arrangements was SO thoughtful and considerate that they made sure my room was on the other side of the hotel, the room set up was opposite etc… They were very aware of how hard it must be for me and were AWESOME! Once I got to my room and saw that the “nightmare” was different, I was fine.  Instead of being sad that my dad would never see what I was doing, I KNEW he was with me the whole time.

I can honestly say that both trips to LA were two of the most insane, surreal, unbelievable, out of body, crazy experiences of my life, just on totally opposite ends of the spectrum. Ironically enough, my long flight back Monday August 10th was EXACTLY 1 month to the day that I was on that same long flight back July 10th. WOW what a difference a month makes!  Okay… so that sums up how the summer has been for me.  Now things are settling back down, my oldest started 1^st grade and the little one is home with me until her preschool starts next month.  It’s been one heck of a summer and honestly…. I’m glad it’s over.  I’ll write more often and be better with the blogging I SWEAR!  Thanks for hanging in there with me, and I’m glad to be back!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

http://www.tailgatingideas.com/grillcharms/

http://joelens.blogspot.com/2009/05/foodie-freebie-friday-grill-charms.html

http://www.funcatering.info/?p=3004

Remember the other day when I was talking about Twitter?  Well if you want to check out the fun, I’m going to be a special guest at a “Twitter Party” Wednesday June 3^rd at 8:00 EST.  (It’s a virtual thing so all you need is a computer)  There will be prizes and games and stuff.  This is my first one, so I’m winging it just like you.  Here are the details: http://www.thoughtfullysimple.com/june-birthdays-and-bbq-celebrations-fbtbash/

Well summer has officially kicked off with this past weekend being the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  The days of sweet tea, lemonade, burgers and potato salad are upon us.  I just love summer for so many reasons.  I’m not quite sure why but I’m in a bit of a reflective mood.  I’ve been on the market a year and half now and as I sit here in the parking lot of the ballet studio with bags of fast food for the girl’s dinner tempting my every thought, I find myself looking at where I am, and where I thought I would be.  (It’s rehearsal night for the big recital on Saturday) To be really honest with myself (and with you) I thought I would be farther along by now.  I thought I would be paying myself by now and possibly even be on my way to paying back my debt.  Until you actually start your own company, it is impossible to predict how things will go.  A business plan backed with solid research is a great place to start, and if you are a serial entrepreneur, then you certainly have a lot more accuracy but as a first timer, the learning curve is STEEP!  Having just admitted that I envisioned myself being in a different place 1.5 years into this, by the same token now that I have been around the block a bit, I am extremely proud of what I have done in the past 1.5 years.  I think I might have had unrealistic expectations, even as much “homework” as I did.  Being an entrepreneur for the first time is A LOT like having your first baby.  Everyone will tell you what it’s like, you’ll read every book known to man, you’ll take classes and get as prepared as you could ever possibly be, but NOTHING can truly prepare you for the real life experience.  It’s important to have lofty goals when you start out.  That’s what keeps you going; however if you fall short of where you think you ought to be, take a moment (like I am now) and look at where you are, where you’ve been and what you have learned and be proud because it’s harder then you think.

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

http://spoutinitout.blogspot.com/2009/05/get-grillin-this-summer-with-grill.html

I am so sorry I have been away for so long.  My wonderful husband who does almost anything for me was reformatting our computer system and with one wrong click, wiped out all of my work for the past month.  We periodically back up our stuff and by periodically, I mean the last time was April 16th.  Everything I have done since 4/16 was wiped out. Needless to say, I have been lost and devastated, but I’m starting to recover.  He felt so bad, I couldn’t get mad at him. If it weren’t for him, I’m not sure I’d know how to operate.  He’s the IT guy and I basically know how to turn things on and off.  He updates our firewalls, removes all the spyware, periodically reformats the computer when it starts acting up.  He really keeps the technology up to snuff, so I can’t get too upset at 1 mistake, regardless of how big it is.  There are emergency recovery services, programs and software, but without spending a few hundred to a thousand dollars, we couldn’t get it back.  Lesson learned… we are buying an external hard drive and will have it do an automatic back up every night.  It could have been a lot worse.  Instead of the past 4 weeks being gone, it could have been EVERYTHING.  That’s a terrifying thought.  That is one reason why this week’s press and blog mentions aren’t what they usually are.  I had all that information saved and now it’s gone. 
 
On a personal note, my sister got home from the hospital today.  She had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction.  She didn’t want to wait for the big “C” to get her, so she took care of things before hand.  She is 33 now and I was 34 when I was diagnosed and my mom was stage IV by the time she was 39.  She didn’t want to wait around and I can’t say that I blame her.  She did really well. 
 
At the moment I’m at the public library because the hubby is flying and so he has the lap top and it’s a Monday, so the girls have ballet.  Right now, I’m working every spare second I can, anywhere I can to catch up from “the big OOOOOPS!”  Business is really “heating” up (sorry… I couldn’t help myself).  With grilling season upon us, I’m adding 2-3 stores a week.  I’m hoping for a good season.  Okay, enough chit chat, back to work!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com

Hello everyone!  I’m excited to begin blogging here!

As I am sure you have noticed from my title, I am not a Mom…yet.   However, the reason I was drawn to doing business online was because I began thinking ahead to when my husband and I do start a family (hopefully not too far off).  I decided I wanted to craft a flexible business so that I can be home with my children when the time comes.  Couple that with a strong desire to work for myself and here I am.

One of the most supportive groups I’ve found is here in the Mompreneurs Online community.  Not only is everyone more than willing to share helpful information and cheer you on, the ladies are inspirational to me in a big way.  Seeing so many successful women juggling both a family and a business helps me see that it is indeed very possible.  And I always appreciate the candor–sharing both the good and bad and ups and downs of being a Mompreneur!

As for my business, I’m an Online and Social Media Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Coach.  I teach small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelm of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits.  My mission is to teach others how to gain more time, money and freedom by leveraging the power of the Internet.

I’ve always been interested in media, communication and technology. In college it was mass media—TV and radio. But I have really been an internet junkie since I was a teenager. I started my first blog in 2004 and have had several since then. About 4 or so years ago, as new media was really coming to the forefront—podcasts, RSS, social networks—what people refer to as Web 2.0—I became really fascinated with that.

Around the same time I started a couple of businesses and really became aware of how big of a role marketing played in keeping a solo business afloat. It wasn’t enough to be good at what it was you were doing.  Since I was so comfortable with technology I really immersed myself in learning all of these online marketing techniques.  There started to be a buzz around this thing called social media and I was drawn to how this could be used to connect to all of these potential clients and customers. And be done in such a way that was very natural and not a type of “push” marketing which never sat well with me anyway.

I really liked the whole relationship-building aspect of it and that at its core it was about connecting and conversation. I was seeing that the results could be phenomenal. And because I see so many solopreneurs struggling with marketing, especially because they feel it’s sort of disingenuous and “yucky” and the whole resistance to the early morning business card exchange type networking, I realized there was a real need to teach these social media/online marketing integrated strategies. To show them it doesn’t have to be such a struggle and that you can really leverage this technology.

So, that’s a bit about me.  I can’t wait to help you learn more about social media and online marketing!  I am looking forward to the discussions.

Christine Gallagher, MLS, MSIS
Online and Social Media Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Coach for Small Business Owners
http://communicatevalue.com

Friend me on Facebook: http://profile.to/christinegallagher/
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChristineG
Link up on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/christinesgallagher

Here is the interview from last week:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inventRight/2009/04/14/Are-You-Concerned-About-Companies-Taking-Your-Invention

http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2009/04/14/4131421.htm

My dear friend Tori Editor and Chief of Thoughtfully Simple gave a shout out here:  http://www.thoughtfullysimple.com/best-gift-for-the-bbq-lover/

Here is an email I received from a food allergy expert that was doing a review on Grill Charms™

“Hi Leslie,
I tried out Grill Charms this week-end when we grilled some burgers.  I must admit that I was a bit skeptical that the charm would stay in ground beef, but it worked perfectly, even while flipping.  I’m a believer!”   I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when I make a “believer” out of someone.  Here is a link to her review:

http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/2009/04/monday-review-grill-charms.html

Also, if you every need some of the finest meats on the market, check out www.oliverranch.com  Here is her blog about Grill Charms™ http://discoverbeef.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-avoid-mixing-things-up-on-grill.html

I have a little story today about the power of Twitter.  For those of you that don’t know about “Twitter”…hmmmmm… I’m not even sure where to begin.  Here is the Wikipedia def: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter  Now I am by no means a twitter expert, as a matter of fact, I’m not even that good at harnessing the true marketing power of twitter, but I’m learning.  I did however realize this week just what a wonderful tool it can be for just plain “stuff”.   Grill Charms™ was featured in a Dallas / Fort Worth magazine called Indulge.  I had been in contact with the reporter and knew the issue was out.  I felt weird asking for a copy to be sent to me as the writer had already done so much and the story was also featured in several newspapers across the US, so instead of asking for a favor from a guy who already done quite enough… I tweeted.  I put out a tweet asking if anyone lived in the Dallas area and if they ever heard of the magazine.  Almost immediately I got a DM (direct message) from a follower who said she had family in the area and would absolutely have someone pick up a copy.  She even refused payment for the magazine and postage!  Talk about paying it forward.  In the news there are always so many scary stories about creeps on the internet and not to trust anyone etc.. and I do believe in safety first, BUT I do also believe in my heart of hearts that 99% of the people online are good, genuine people.  If you guys want to “follow” a GREAT gal, follow www.twitter.com/Fancy_Nancy_

She’s a real gem!  Thanks for paying it forward Nancy!  And if you are not following me, I’m www.twitter.com/grillcharmer

If you do not know what Twitter is, here is a great article for the newbie: http://shegeeks.net/twitter-101-clarifying-the-rules-for-newbies/

Tweet ya later!!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™  www.grillcharms.com