Yesterday I had really good time doing a radio interview with my good friend Diana Ennen Publicist / Author / Radio Host/Virtual Word Publishing www.virtualwordpublishing.com  To hear the interview go to  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/bc/momcast 

What you didn’t see behind the scene was me doing my “Mompreneur Shuffle”.  That’s me trying to do something very “professional” while also taking care of my most important duty, being a mom.  Diana had asked me to do the interview at a very specific time (Tuesday the 13^th at 12:00 as that’s when the show airs) and I am not one to ever pass up a good PR opportunity.  I knew that my 5 year old would be in school and I didn’t need to leave the house until 12:35 so that wasn’t a concern, but my 3 year old was going to right there with me.  I had to strategically plan my morning.  I knew that 12:00 was prime lunch time for her so I needed to rearrange her lunch so she would be finished by 11:45.  I also wanted to do a lot of playing and wearing her out, so after her early lunch she would be happy with a nice 40 minute video so mommy could lock herself in her office for a little chat on the phone with Miss Diana.  I had to make sure she went pee pee on the potty before noon because I didn’t want everyone in cyber space to hear “MOMMY…. I NEED TO WIPE!!”  I also needed to make sure that she had her drink right there with her because if she decides it’s time for her orange juice and I’m not there to open the container, the entire world would know it.  It’s no wonder us mompreneurs are so successful.  We have to plan and strategize every detail to the Nth degree, including how to make a 30 minute phone call!  What you also did hear (or maybe you did) was towards the end, my little one got restless and started calling for me from the bottom of the stairs.  (Sometimes even my best attempts fail) I got a little distracted for a second (could you tell?) and put my hand to my lips to her and then gave her the finger… you know, that index finger held straight out that says  “Mommy will be there in just 1 minute so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just be quite for 60 more seconds PLEASE!!!”  She gets that finger probably more then your average kid, so she knows what it means and is normally very good about keeping quiet for a few more seconds.  After I got off the phone we rushed out the door to pick up Madison and we went to the park to play since it was such a beautiful day here in
Charleston.    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Do you think this is how Trump started?? 

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

Read this review (it’s the one on May 7^th)

http://www.eriksherman.com/the-pan/  then we’ll talk:

Okay, now why in the world would I want to bring to your attention a not so flattering review about my product?  Well, as you know, I always try to keep it real and show the good, the bad and the ugly about business.  Not everyone is going to love my product.  Obviously, not everyone is going to even LIKE my product.  As a women I think I take things a little more personally then a man might, and sometimes I think that helps drive me.  It’s hard to separate myself from my product.  I’m not sure that I would have the energy to do what I do every day if I didn’t feel like my product was an extension of me or if I viewed Grill Charms™ as “just a product”.  Nope, I’m one of those crazy people that view my product as my “baby”.  So when I read this today, it did take the wind out of my sails for a second.  Then I thought as I read it again, a lot of things he didn’t like about the product are things he did not understand.  And if he didn’t understand, how many other people don’t understand?  You certainly get the most out of and gain the most from the negative comments people make about your business, product or service.  Praise and positive stuff is nice, but rarely do you learn anything from it.

I’d like to clarify a few points brought up in the review as I don’t want people to misunderstand my product.  This review taught me that I need to work harder to make sure I am clear in product submissions, on my website and in marketing material as it is obvious from this review that I have not been clear enough.  While I’m here I might as well address the issues incase anyone else is a bit confused as well.   Regarding the comment about putting the charms in after the first side is already cooked because you have to cook both sides.  To clarify, Grill Charms can be put in your food RAW and grilled with them in the entire time.  They have serrated stems and will not fall out when flipping and they are stainless steel so you don’t have to worry about them getting messed up on the grates.  You just grill like you normally would.  Make no mistake, the grill master still has to know how to grill, but as a guest, it’s just so much easier to find the steak you want once you have plated up all the meat and served it your guests.  Instead of cutting into the meat, or asking the chef to remember where on the platter he put the rare one, you simply look for your Grill Charm™.   

Regarding the Charmed Life collection and the comment about the grill guy remember all the charms.  To clarify:  No you silly goose!!  The concept is similar to that of a wine charm.  The GUEST knows what charm is theirs, and they can season their pork, chicken, steak etc… any way THEY want.  The whole point is so the grill guy DOESN’T HAVE TO know or even care what chicken has the lemon pepper, which has the Greek and which one is Uncle Bob’s who’s allergic to garlic so he just has salt and pepper.  It’s kind of like monopoly.  You pick your Grill Charm, do what you want to your food, and have the grill guy cook it up, then simply look for your charm when it’s done.    

Regarding the comment about the Spicy collection and the spicy having multiple peppers.  To clarify,  the spicy is a pepper on fire but that’s okay, the picture might not have been clear. 

Regarding the solution of dividing up the grill.  Yep, that’s what can do absolutely!  However, as soon as you take the food off the grill and put it on a serving plate, forget it.

I do know that there will be tons of people that would never dream of needing my product.  (Remember Bill Zanker on The Big Idea?!)    But I need to make sure in the future, the people doing the review can tell from my website or materials what the product is and does.   I guess I need to clarify those points to make sure other people totally understand my product first, AND THEN they can hate it!   Hee hee  Okie doke, enough with all that. On to some GREAT stuff!!! 

Remember the other day when I said that contests are a great way to get some publicity?  Well, I just got this email the other day from Orca Communications.  They are a top PR company out of
Arizona that represents some BIG inventors and entrepreneurs, including my mentor Tamara Monosoff!  (She wrote The Mom Inventor’s Handbook which I have always given TONS of credit to for helping me get where I am, ESPECIALLY in the beginning)

Here is the email:

“Subject: Congratulations Leslie! You Won
America’s Best Invention Contest 2008 for April!

May 5, 2008 

Dear Leslie, 

After careful review of all of our entries, our management team found that your Grill Charms are exceptionally innovative and we are very excited to endorse it as one of the best products of the year!  As a result, you have won a coveted slot in our “Best Products Media Guide™” media campaign for “Fabulous Food Finds”.  This prize is valued at $3,975 – at NO charge to you!  The “Best Products Media Guide™” is a collection of 10 to 15 of the most innovative, interesting, fun and practical products in one dynamic group PR campaign.  We are pleased to award you with this exciting opportunity for the months of June through August of this year.

This campaign reaches out to national magazines, regional/local magazines, newspapers in top 100 markets, national TV, local TV, radio and online. It’s a blockbuster blitz!

The campaign includes photos and descriptions on our designated media website (www.bestproductsmediaguide.com) as well as a 3 month PR campaign where we write and distribute pitches and press releases to thousands of media outlets. We also follow up, coordinating photo and sample requests and line up interviews and stories.   Our previous campaigns have generated terrific media coverage (Good Morning America, The View, Today Show, CBS Early Show, People Magazine, Time Magazine, USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Health, Parents, Parenting, Good Housekeeping, Glamour, Lucky, Cookie, Wondertime, House & Home, Country Living, Log Home Living, Los Angeles Times, Better Homes & Gardens, Family Circle Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, O, The Oprah Magazine, Skylights Magazine, Redbook, BestStuff.com, Ladies’ Home Journal, Us Weekly, In Style Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Toronto Star, Sacramento Bee, San Diego Union Tribune, and much, much more).

As this month’s winner, you are also an official Semi-Finalist, and as such you will be considered for our grand prize of a Full Service Media Campaign.  This prize will be awarded at the end of this year to one of our eleven Semi-Finalists.  The Full Service Media Campaign is an individual, customized public relations effort designed for one particular business.  This campaign is tailored to the company’s specific goals and market.  With this service, we pitch all aspects of a company and its products to services to targeted media outlets.

I have also attached the “Best Products Media Guide™” logo that you are welcome to immediately add to your website.  Congratulations again!”

YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!

I also found out recently that I was one of the winners of a local entrepreneurial type contest for the top 40 biz peeps under 40 in
Charleston. 

http://www.scbizmag.com/content/view/71982/107/ 

There is a banquet and stuff on May 22^nd. 

So that sums up the past few days.  Stay tuned folks… it’s about to get interesting!!

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

Hello friends!!!  I know it has been a while, but we took a family vacation to
Holland last week, and I’m back and ready for action!  The girls met their Dutch cousins for the first time and it was amazing.  We stayed with a cousin of Jason’s who has 3 little girls (8, 6 and 3).  I was very interested to see how this vacation would go because my girls (5 and 3) don’t speak a word of Dutch and their girls don’t speak a word of English.  It was the most incredible thing I ever saw.  I did not warn them what-so-ever that they would not be able to “communicate” with their cousins (a statement which I now know would have been false anyway) but instead, just let the situation play out.  Do you know that none of them really seemed to know or care that they didn’t speak the same language!  They played like they had known each other their whole lives!  All 5 of them would disappear up to the playroom for hours.  It just goes to show you that sometimes ignorance is bliss.  I kind of feel that way with business too.  Nobody REALLY told me how hard starting a company would be so I went in somewhat blind.  Thank goodness!  To this day I still don’t really KNOW the statistics (or believe them) about the success rates of companies, or how many people have ideas and fail to do something about it.  Just like my girls, I went into a situation no knowing that it was supposed to be difficult and found a way.  The girls didn’t know that they weren’t supposed to be able to communicate and so they found a way.  

I want to take a moment to give some recognition to my fantastic support system I have through www.mompreneursonline.com  My friends all knew that I was going out of the country for a week and right before I left, an inquiry came across a PR wire we all belong to asking for pitches about Summertime BBQ gadgets.  This was a Bull’s eye for me right??!!  Knowing I was about to leave, my fantastic mompreneur friends (and I’ll name them in a minute, just because these are wonderful gals you need to know and support) sent me emails to make sure I did not miss this most perfect PR opportunity.  Two of my gals (my wonderful graphic designer that designs my Grill Charms, Melissa Yamello and of course my wonderful fulfillment queen Janene Jaroscak) even took it upon themselves to act as my PR reps, replied on my behalf and sent a requested sample)  I LOVE MY VILLAGE.  It is so important to have a strong support system in business and in life and I’m so fortunate to have mine.  These gals are all running their own companies and raising their own kids and still found the time to look out for me.  This is my “shout out” to you guys for having my back and minding the store while I was gone!! 

Thank you: 

Melissa Yamello www.storybookstudio.net Creating inspirations for happy ever after… if you have little girls with birthday’s coming up, check our her company for a great gift idea and party theme. 

Janene Jaroscak www.trendingsolutions.com offers a full range of affordable, customized
services designed to help support your customer base, bringing your
customer service to the next level.  (Also the best order fulfiller EVER!) 

Annmarie Vanini www.flippee.com  She invented a product For boys & men of all ages…
(and those who clean up after them!)  If you have a little boy in your house, check out her invention/product/company 

Dianne Cernese www.saltychix.com creator of the beach fashion lifestyle taking over the country.  If you love the water, Salty Chix is your brand!   

Julie Northrop www.freebirthdaytreats.com  If you know of ANYONE having a birthday soon, this is a must see! 

Veronica Adams www.polkadotbumblebee.com for the cutest custom photo cards and stationary 

Gwen Austin www.rcarttoys.com Inventor of Color Bug which was AWARDED TOY OF THE YEAR 2007 FROM CREATIVE CHILD MAGAZINE.  (and she’s been on Oprah!!) 

Kendall Morris www.thebluetophat.com The Blue Top Hat® Experts in the Art of Gift Giving! She invented a gift giving concept that’s perfect for all occasions. 

Angela Rivet 

Jill Caren www.ilovephotogifts.com Creating Art & Gifts from Personal Photos! 

Moschel Kadokura www.timelymatters.com  Inventor of On Task On Time for Kids (If you have trouble keeping your kids on task and on time… this is MUST SEE!) 

Diana Ennen www.virtualwordpublishing.com Publicist / Author / Radio HostVirtual Word Publishing and FABULOUS person!!   

Cindy Chrysler www.clevercontainer.com Founding Consultant The Clever Container Co.
“It’s not just the product, it’s the process!”  

Robin Lucas www.chicpeeks.com Creator of Chic Peeks by MYSS “This ain’t your mamma’s dickie”  

Lisa Otto www.creativewritingstudios.com Provides professional copywriting for the small business.

Laurie Stroupe www.cobalt-world.com  Check out her site for the perfect Mother’s Day gift. 

This is just a very short list of my fellow mompreneurs who I can count on, on a daily basis to be there for me and with me during this journey.  THANK YOU GUYS!!  I love ya!!! 

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

Happy Hump day!  The dentist went REALLY well.  My little one was such a trooper and didn’t even really know there was anything unpleasant going on.  The giggly gas worked WONDERFULLY!  The cavity was so shallow they didn’t need to give her a shot; they just drilled a little while she got to watch a video and breathe that strawberry smelling nitrous oxide.  The dentist had to stop a time or two because she was dancing in the chair.  I am so relieved!  Okay… onto business! 

Apparently my initial understanding about what happened with my big order wasn’t entirely accurate.  (The outcome is still the same, but it’s more involved). I did not understand the entire buying system for that company and I took what one person said as gospel when there were other issues I did not know about.  It wasn’t really her fault, she explained things to me as if she were talking with someone that knew their system and after speaking with her again I realize that she assumed I knew what she was talking about, and I assumed I knew what she was talking about when I apparently, did not.  (Okay, are you confused yet?) Basically way back when, her basic words to me were something like this “This is what I will propose to the committee and normally the order comes back for XXX many cases so you will need to XXX cases ready for pick up by May X) Then we both went on talking as if it would happen. I did know not to believe it until I saw the
PO, but all conversations after that were so positive and we talked as if it were already a done deal. Things happen, people change their minds, some people don’t always agree, and everyone has a boss to answer to. Had I known this order would not come through, I would not have placed the next big
PO to my OEM, BUT it could have just as easily went through and then I MIGHT be stuck without inventory.  It’s all such a guessing game.  Does anyone really KNOW what they are doing?  I’m learning valuable lessons every single day.  If you are at all risk adverse DO NOT start your own company!   

Since my last blog I have really ramped up my sales efforts and made about 10 cold calls a day.  (Can you tell, I really feel the pressure to sell some Grill Charms!)  It’s paid off because now I’m in a total of 21 stores in 8 states.  I’m getting there one set of Grill Charms at a time!  My web guy has also put some cool new stuff up on my website.  If you are a business owner and you are not blogging or using video, you probably need to take a look at using those mediums.  I’m no expert, but from everything I’m reading in the business magazines, social networking is a must these days.  I now have a video demonstration as well as a photo gallery on my home page www.grillcharms.com  and the blogging… well, you know, been there, done that.  The video is just me in my kitchen doing what I do.  It’s not professional by any means.  I’ve got music in the background and kids playing upstairs and my husband doing the best he can with the camera, but it’s REAL and it’s ME.  Someday when the need arises maybe I’ll have something fancy, but I’m not there yet.  I want people to know when they buy Grill Charms; they are supporting a real person with a dream and not a corporate machine.  Maybe I’ll be that corporate machine someday, but for now, it’s just me, my family and our love of grilling that got me here and that’s what I wanted to show.  So long for now… Keepin it real! 

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

Okay, I really really need to turn things around.  You know how when things go bad, they keep going bad, and when they are good, you seem to be ON FIRE.  Well… I’m in the trenches right now.  Yesterday put me in a little bit of a tail spin, but I pulled out of it.  Today I’m back in.  I took the girls to the dentist and my 5 year old apparently has deep grooves in her molars and has a cavity!!!  Now for those of you that don’t know my 5 year old, she is a bit of a freaker-outer and is super anxious and sensitive by nature.  Now that she is used to going into the dentist, she loves it.  Well…. We have to go back Tuesday for a filling!!!  When we go to the doctor and she knows there is a finger prick, she seriously almost hyperventilates.  What is this going to do to her?  They are going to give her nitrous and a Novocain shot.  I hate those shots!!!  They HURT!    

So I come home worried about THAT and get into the office to do some work and I see an email from my BIG store that said the nice big fat purchase order was coming. Well, it appears that my buyer that loved my product got transferred to another position and the new guy wants 6 cases.  Yep….6.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very very thankful for those 6 cases but I ordered 15,000 units bases on the assumption that this PO would just about clear out my currently inventory.  AGGHHHHH!  So now I’m sitting here second guessing every decision I made.  I’m going to try to work things out in my head to get myself in a better place.  How was I to know that there would be a company restructuring?  I couldn’t NOT build up my inventory because the next big account would not stand for a 75 day lead time on a seasonal item.  Based on the information I had at the time, I think I still made a good decision, but this just goes to show that even the best decisions at the time can turn out to be wrong.  I took a calculated risk and well… you have to be prepared for the consequences.  The good news it, it’s not like Grill Charms are perishable!  Okay, I’m going to turn things around starting NOW!  Good news… I was in the local paper this week called “West Of”.  It was a great article with a good picture of the product.  Yes… turning things around…. 

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

Today is Wedsday which is my longest day to work.  The girls have a little art class after school so I don’t have to get them until 2:00.  I was all ready to sit down and do some major sales calls and marketing since
Taiwan told me my onboard date for my 15,000 units will be 4/26,( I’m feeling the pressure) but today was going to be a banner sales day.  So I sit down and open my email to just see about orders and see if there is anything pressing only to find that someone has hacked into my email and is using my domain to send out thousands and thousands of spam emails all over the world!!!  I’m soooo frustrated, sad, defeated, and down right PI$$ED OFF!!!  Who does this kind of cr@p??!!!  I’m typing right now as I’m on hold for my email support person so I can figure out what happened and change ever password I have.  This will be hours worth of work and loss of productivity because I can’t very well do any sales while I’m on hold for …… we are going on 6 minutes now.  Why do people do this?  What possible thrill is it to mess with people like this?  I’m so upset, I can bearly type.  Maybe that’s the thrill.  Okay spammer… you won!  You’ve got me rattled right now; I hope you’re satisfied with yourself!  AHHHHGGGGGG!!!!!  9 minutes on hold and still I have not talked with a real person…. 

Okay, so I have been SPOOFED!!  Spoofing is when a person or a company hijacks your domain and sends out mass emails using your name.  Apparently it’s a very common problem.  My web people (go daddy) said they see it all the time, but they have systems in place to prevent the emails from going anywhere.  I totally don’t understand the technology behind it but basically my tech guy said once the spammer sees that his spoofing is unsuccessful he’ll give up and move on to the next domain.  Usually they stop trying within about a week.  I’m much calmer now… sorry for the outburst earlier.  It’s just so frustrating that as mompreneurs we work so hard and struggle every step of the way to raise a family, build a company and keep our sanity that when people do things like this out of sheer meanness, it just breaks your heart.   

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

Since we spoke last I’ve had a few things going on.  Friday I had an interview with the local paper which will run Tuesday.  It’s called “West Of”.  It’s a great, very small local paper and they are doing a pretty in-depth article along with some fun pictures and great exposure.  I’ve signed on a few new stores as well as 1 big online store. (The online store is big, but the initial order isn’t but I have high hopes for future business)  I’m sure they will do great as they are a HUGE online outlet, but you’ve got to start somewhere!  One thing I am learning quickly is that for every large company you work with, you have to be ready for a good few hours worth of studying their vendor manual.  This company is very very organized and I guess the reason why they are so organized is because their requirements are so uniformed and strict.  I have a vendor manual that’s 50 pages long that I need to go through so I know how to pack, how to ship, how to invoice, how to contact, the list goes on and on!  The buyer is fantastic to work with, I’m just scared of the reading I have ahead of me.  I have a few days before the “ship date” so I’ll probably bring my manual to the gym on Monday and do some reading on the treadmill.  I don’t think my web guy has this store on my store locator, but if you ever want to keep track, you can just go to my site and click on “store locator” to see where how I’m doing on my goal of being in all 50 states by the end of the year.  It’s looking a little scary but I’m not giving up yet!  As a side note, one thing I have seen for those of you thinking about putting off the UPC code thing is I am finding that UPC’s on your packaging, whether it be printed on the packaging itself or stickers after the fact, are required if you hope to be in any store other then a small independent, locally owned boutique. 

I also received an email from a company in the UK that wants to distribute my product in the UK and eventually
Europe.  There are a lot of negotiations going on and I’m not sure if we will be able to make the numbers work and still have it be a good deal for both of us, but that’s what we are trying to find out now.  There are the basic pricing levels (wholesale and retail) but eventually you are going to probably have to add distributor pricing in there also.  Pricing is an art that I have still not mastered.  I guess I won’t know if I have a successful pricing strategy until I succeed or fail, so stay tuned!  Everyone wants a piece of the pie so you have to make sure you have enough to go around! 

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

 Do you ever wish you could just turn “it” off?  Maybe this is a trait, or a curse or a gift that all mompreneurs have or maybe I’m just nuts, but why is it that so many wonderful entrepreneurial idea have to come into your head when you are already up to your eyeballs with more then you can handle?  There have been several that have popped into my head since Grill Charms was conceived and it just kills me that I can not do anything with them.  Fortunately I am smart enough to know that neither I nor my bank account can not handle more then one start-up at a time and right now the company at hand takes more then it’s share, but man I just hate letting go!  Case in point, we had family dinner at mom’s house the other night (like we do every week) and out of a problem my sister was having with her 2 year old came this FANTASTIC idea, niche, brand and product line.  Between my sister, my brother-in-law and I, within 30 minutes we had the domain, brand, logo ideas, initial product launch and subsequent lines all mapped out.  We have the scribbled on dinner napkins to prove it!  I’m not really sure if this is a gift or a curse, but most entrepreneurs are serial entrepreneurs for a reason.  Once you get the system, contacts, and basic format down for forming a start-up, the next big idea will just fall into place.   The first one is always the most intimidating.  This gives me hope that no matter the outcome of my current company, the next one is just a dinner napkin away. 

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

The kiddies are back to school and I’m back into my routine.  I just dropped them off and while we all had a great spring break, they were happy to see their friends and teachers and I am happy to get some structure back into our lives.  By the end of the week, with all the quality time we were all spending together, the girls seemed to fight quite a bit towards the end.   

I got some exciting news over spring break.  Every year the Charleston Regional Business journal recognizes the top 40 business/entrepreneurial type people under the age of 40 and this year I was nominated (thanks mom!) and was chosen!  The business journal does a big spread on the winners and their companies.  There is an awards banquet which is really nice too.  I’m so excited!!  This is a good example of the things you can do for your company during those “off hours”.  If I happen to be in the office during normal business hours, usually I am in full-on sales mode, but after hours, weekends etc.. there are TONS of things you can be doing to promote your business.  Marketing NEVER stops and since a Mompreuenur’s® hours don’t fall into the usual M-F 8-5 category; I do have to work on my business at some crazy times.  One great off-hours activity and a way to get your name out there is to apply to various business or entrepreneurial contests.  You can either nominate yourself or ask a friend or family member to nominate you.  Most contests are an annual thing, so even if you haven’t launched yet, you can research the ones that would apply to you and made a list for next year! Look for local as well as national contest and awards you might apply for. 

Here are just some examples of the kinds of things I’m talking about 

http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/events/40under40nomination.html 

http://www.stevieawards.com/ 

http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/01/small-business-contest-ent-fin-cx_bn_0801byb07_land.html 

http://www.athenafoundation.org/ 

And there are TONS more, you just have to do your homework, look online, read your local business publications, stay in touch with your local SBA and SBDC and also look to your local Chamber of Commerce.   

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

Sometimes it SEEMS like all the PR and making calls, sending emails, sending samples and just working at getting your product noticed doesn’t appear to be going anywhere and then WHAM, all at once, people start to notice you.  What old saying “when it rains it pours” holds true for most things including PR.  Now that I have 15,000 units in production that I need to sell, I have felt the urgency to really spread the Grill Charms™ word.  Even before that however I have been working so hard at calling and emailing everyone in my industry to tell them about my product.  I am really starting to see some results.  In the past 3 days, 3 different websites and WONDERFUL people have picked up my little story and invention and have spread the word to their fans.   

http://www.bbqreport.com/archives/barbecue/2008/03/24/grill-charms/ 

http://www.grillmaestro.com/grill-charms-because-good-food-deserves-options.htm 

http://katyshops.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/i-refuse-to-hibernate-any-longer/ 

(You grilling fans probably already know, and for those of you that don’t, www.bbqreport.com and www.grillmaestro.com are some of the best “go to” websites for all things grilling and BBQ)    Please visit these 3 sites and feel free to leave a comment.  These people took the time to notice my product, review my product and write their thoughts about Grill Charms™.  THANK YOU!  

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