Entrepreneur targets tennis players

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CanadianMedsWorld.com

Bow Rodgers didn't expect the lessons he learned in Silicon Valley to help his tennis game.

But it turns out they have. The longtime technology entrepreneur has co-designed a unique tennis training tool that helps tennis players, including himself, improve their stroke.

The WristAssist is a training aid that straps onto a player's hitting wrist, connects to the racket and helps the player "feel" the correct swing motion. The tool is made of nylon and Velcro webbing, with a tough, lightweight string that attaches to the racket. It resembles a space-age wrist brace.

"It grooves the correct stroke," said the bright-eyed Rodgers, 61, president and chief executive officer of Palo Alto-based SquareHit Tennis, which just launched its flagship product. The tool has also been an inspiration for Rodgers because it helped improve his volley stroke, which he often overhit.

A top tennis club player and former collegiate star at Santa Clara University, Rodgers is passionate about the new product that's allowing him to create a business around his favorite sport.

He sees big potential for the tool among affluent tennis players eager to improve their game. He said there are 26 million U.S. golfers and 24 million tennis players. But although golfers spend about $300 million a year on golf training equipment, tennis players spend only $20 million on training aids. That adds up to an underserved market, he said.

The $69.95 WristAssist locks in proper wrist positioning and has attracted the attention of scores of tennis pros, including Brad Gilbert, who helped coach tennis stars Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick to top world rankings. Gilbert's latest prodigy, Andy Murray, won the SAP Open tennis tournament in San Jose on Feb. 18.

"It's a great tool for club players," Gilbert said. "Bow's an innovator. It helped my son with his backhand."

Now faced with marketing the new product, Rodgers is reaching back to the lessons he learned in Silicon Valley. He helped the old Commodore 64 video game software get off the ground by closing distribution deals with Toys R Us, Kmart and Circuit City.

He was also chief executive of MeeVee, a personalized TV program search company in Burlingame, and chief operating officer at multimedia company BigBand Networks in Redwood City, helping that company grow.

Rodgers lined up some financing from angel investors, including himself, and is now using his skills in the fundamentals of business to help folks improve their tennis fundamentals. Eventually, the company will produce "a suite" of tennis training tools, said Rodgers, who is also Burlingame Country Club's tennis team captain.

First off, Rodgers hopes for a big rollout of the WristAssist, which he designed with his partner and tennis coach Ray Bilsey and engineer Maurice LeBlanc. They're not selling the product in big retail stores, so they can capture more of the profits themselves. They sell it now online at www.squarehittennis.com. WristAssist went on sale in July and has sold to 200 tennis pros and sold in 30 countries, Rodgers said.

The WristAssist is also sold at tennis tournaments, such as the SAP Open. So far, its biggest customers are tennis pros.

"If I get a student on the court who has a floppy wrist, they're a perfect fit," said David Petrie, head tennis pro at Burlingame Country Club. "It's a very good tool for putting the racket in the right place and doesn't allow students to waver or wobble."

As for pushing the product, Rodgers is plenty familiar with the world of sports. Besides his tennis prowess, he holds the record for the longest run from scrimmage in Santa Clara University football history: 99 yards.

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'Buy Locally' Business Idea With A Web Twist

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CanadianMedsWorld.com

http://www.poptotheshops.net/

“Bought locally, ordered online and delivered to your door.” That sums up what Poptotheshops offers South Wales residents. Poptotheshops, which was launched late last year, currently serves four high street areas, who each sell between 3300 and 4500 products using the internet shopping service. 292 shoppers have registered so far, and 36 shops have signed up.

One shop actually left the system, because its owner didn’t want the ‘aggravation’ of extra work caused by extra sales. More stores will be joining soon, and Poptotheshops’ founder, Will Seward, hopes to expand beyond Wales as soon as possible.

Seward came up with the idea after being dismayed about being too busy to shop at local stores. Most local shops have shorter opening hours than the big chains like Tesco and Walmart, which can make it hard to support local retailers.

On Poptotheshops, customers can shop day or night, selecting products from the local butcher, baker, fish monger, green grocer and off-license, before checking out in one go. Similar to online shopping at supermarkets, customers can save favourite products and specify when they’d like delivery to take place. Delivery is free for customers. Poptotheshops covers its costs (and will hopefully generate a profit) by charging retailers 10-15% commission.

Besides supporting the local economy and keeping the high street alive, PTTS also sees other benefits: independent stores often offer great local products and produce that aren’t available in nationwide stores, consumers save time otherwise spent in supermarkets and helping small retailers thrive decreases the control that supermarkets have over pricing, produce and suppliers.

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7 keys to making more moolah from your copywriting

Distance Education Helps You Get Ahead

CanadianMedsWorld.com

Before you write one single word!

#1: Know what the heck you’re talking about. In other words, do your research. Spend time getting into the mind of your prospect.

Convince yourself this is the best product ever and everyone needs to know about it. Use the product!

I always request samples and use whatever I’m working on (with the exception of the male potency stuff. Doesn’t work for me and my husband swears he’ll never need it).

I want to see and feel a difference the product makes on ME. In other words, I’m convincing myself before I try to sell anybody else!

Many times, I’m so certain the product works, I write my own testimonial in my package!

If you’re working on a product and don’t believe its value -- do yourself a favor and turn down the job. The odds of failure are great — and why do you want to sell a crappy product anyway?

#2: Work with a few clients – and really get to know their business! I’m in my 8th year as a freelance copywriter. And I’ve found the years I worked with just 2 or 3 clients produced more revenue than when I worked for 6 or more companies!

Of the 14 packages I wrote last year, 9 were from one client. They were a variety of nutritional products – but all were going to the same demographics and files! That means I knew immediately whom I was writing to.

I didn’t have to “learn” my market every time – just had to get into the benefits of the product. And because I was familiar with the company, I knew their risk tolerance. That helped avoid a lot of edits from the legal department!

How to handle “writer’s block”:

#3: Stop staring at the blank screen! If ideas aren’t coming to you, get up and do something else. Give yourself permission to goof off. When I’m stuck, I take my 96-year grandmother to Wal-Mart...tackle a new recipe in my favorite crock-pot cookbook...or take a nap. Sounds contrary to SPEEDwriting, doesn’t it? Well it’s not. Here’s why...

Before I enjoy these diversions, I tell myself, “Ok, Carline, you can take a break, but you need to come up with a headline, or lead.” Then I get up from my computer.

What I’ve done is given my subconscious a direct order to start working. While I’m “goofing off”, my subconscious is free to be as creative as possible.

Many times I’ve burned a recipe because right in the middle of cooking, an idea pops in my head. I start writing it down and am usually back at my computer and raring to go!

Don’t believe me? Then read the book, "Psycho-cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz. You'll discover how to unleash the power of the subconscious mind. Then, try it for yourself. I promise—it’ll work for you!

#4: Never start with a blank screen! You get writer’s block ‘cause you don’t know what to say. Plus that blank page can be very scary!

So the first thing I do when I start writing is to quickly fill up the blank page. For example, you know you’ll need an order form, guarantee, testimonials and other static elements—so go ahead and cut and paste some standard ones into your document.

Then write the words, “Big freakin’ headline goes here!” – Hey, look, you’ve already got at least 3 pages of copy — and you haven’t even written a word yet!

Don’t worry, you’ll eventually tweak your original headline and make it stronger — but at least for now, you’ve got something!

#5: Take rest breaks: Tell yourself you’re only going to write for 15 minutes and then you’ll take a break. That’s easy right? What you’re doing is called “baby steps” – take a huge project and break it down into easy to handle segments.

After 15 minutes, you can take a break. But most likely, you’ll find you’re writing for 30...45...even an hour or more!

#6: Don’t reinvent the wheel: Ask clients if they have standard elements of a package they prefer to use.

For example, one of my clients uses a standard order form for his promotions. Why spend time writing a new order form when it’s going to get dumped and replaced by the standard one?

Instead, focus your time on writing a strong headline for the order form and killer copy for the positive acceptance statement (the “YES! I want to ... section of the order form).

#7: Minimize distractions: When you’re in heavy-duty writing mode, keep your momentum by eliminating distractions.

In the movie, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, Will Smith’s character found out he could save 8 minutes a day just by pushing the button instead of physically hanging up the phone after every sales call. And he saved even more time by not drinking water so he wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom.

What he did was maximize productivity by minimizing distractions. You can too.

Put your phone on mute while you’re working. Contact your client and request any additional info by e-mail only...let your neighbors know you really do have a job and not to “pop in”...and post a sign on your door that says “WARNING: DON’T BOTHER ME UNLESS YOU’RE BLEEDING!” In other words, do whatever you need to protect your writing time!

I know I promised you 7 keys to speedwriting. And I hope these are helpful to you. But a good copywriter always delivers more than promised. So here’s probably the real key to my success...

#8: Love what you do and “niche your passion”. When I first started copywriting, I took whatever job I could get. I needed the money and the experience. But I didn’t achieve real success until I focused on just one area and made myself an expert.

I love the alternative health field and I love writing about nutritional supplements. So now, 90% of my projects are for the nutritional health field.

I turn down projects that push me too far away from my niche. That way, I stay focused on the pulse of my market...and write faster, more profitable copy!

Carline Anglade-Cole

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How To Make Money Running.

Distance Education Helps You Get Ahead

CanadianMedsWorld.com

http://www.cityrunningtours.com/

The service: City Running Tours
Key player: Michael Gazaleh, founder, president and CEO
Cost: For most cities, the price is $50 per person for the first six miles and an additional $4 per person for each mile after that. In New York City, the cost is $60 per person plus an additional $6 per person after the first six miles.

What the service does: City Running Tours combines sight-seeing with fitness by leading runners on jaunts around cities. Gazaleh says the majority of runners that sign up are tourists, though he has seen business travelers and locals on his tours. The guided running tours began in New York last year and have expanded into Washington, DC, Chicago, Austin and Denver. Gazaleh has his sights set on expanding into more cities, including San Diego or San Francisco.

How it came about: City Running Tours began after an Australian tourist called the gym Gazaleh worked at and asked if anyone would take him on a run. None of the trainers at the gym were runners, so Gazaleh became his running travel guide. That week, he thought more about the idea of combining running with tourism. He set up a website and began operating the company during breaks from seeing clients at his chiropractor studio. Gazaleh says he hopes eventually to focus solely on City Running Tours.

Why it's unique: There are certainly other tours available in large cities, but there aren't many that offer health benefits. "What we're selling is the opportunity for travelers to continue their daily routine and feel more like themselves in a new place," says Gazaleh.

Our take on it: Testimonials from City Running Tours' clients echo Gazaleh's sentiment. Runners from all over the world say the tour was a highlight of their trip. I felt better after Gazaleh emphasized that they cater to all types of runners, and don't operate like a boot camp; walking is allowed. He also points out that a majority of the running happens in the city, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to stop at lights and busy intersections. And the guide provides water and a digital camera for capturing tourist moments.

[Via - Entrepreneur] 

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Choosing a Web Designer the Easy Way

Distance Education Helps You Get Ahead

CanadianMedsWorld.com

Choosing a Web Designer

When you choose a web designer, there are many things that you need to be aware of and that need to be taken into consideration before you make a decision.

To some extent, the ability to work successfully with your web designer is sometime as important as their actual skill in being able to deliver the project.

A web designer that is skilled in what they do but is a pain to deal with can make the whole process frustrating and not worth the money being spent, especially if you have an emotional attachment to the project (which you should have being the one supplying the money and motivation)

That relationship can be worth a large proportion of the contract.

However, there are some key things you need to consider.

Be careful in what you get for your money. Some possible pitfalls you may want to check on:

Obviously what do you get for your money

What is included? Design, Content, Search Engine Submission, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Updates? You need to get these details so you can compare your quotes against each other. You also need to quantify some of these things in terms of quantity, hours, numbers search engines submitted to etc.

What are the ongoing costs?

All websites have ongoing costs. Web Hosting, Domain Names and updates are the main three. Make sure you know the total cost of your investment. Some companies offer lower up front costs to lock you into higher ongoing costs that end up costing you more. Some other things are SSL certificate costs, more bandwidth and web space.

How easy is it to incorporate your branding

Some template sites are hard to blend a logo or colours into them, be wary of template driven website companies, some of these people are skilled enough only to change the text on a template. Some designers design their sites from the ground up incorporating all of you design elements in their design. These companies offer the most flexibility.

How reliable is the services provided

With hosting and email, too much down time can make the whole experience unworkable. You don't want to have to change hosts after six months because your designer has provided you with a poor host. Some people rely heavily on email and these are the people that need to choose carefully so their business inst impacted.

What are the costs for making changes later on?

Updates and maintenance on your site is something that will eventually happen, even if you don't change the content frequently (see the Making Your Site Super Sticky Article for the benefits of this) you will eventually change some content and so you need to know what it will cost over a year.

Hidden costs

Make sure common things (like search engine submissions) are either not included or are an extra cost. Some key things can be omitted to keep the price down. Make sure you don't get sold short. An important one...is the web designer doing the job part time Are your web designers doing this as a full time job? Some designers are working during the day and then web designing at night. A lot of designers started out this way, but it can cause issues when you need something done and they don't do the job from 9-5.

If all these things check out then you have found someone who you can work with and provide you with a service that will get you your desired result.

Remember; choose a designer with the right skills, but also one you believe you can work with on an ongoing basis. Build a working relationship that will benefit you both and your web project will benefit as well.

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About the Author: Steven Gardner runs DeepWeb Web Design, a web design business that caters to all businesses looking to get an edge with their presence on the Web, providing web design, maintenance and consulting services. You can find him at www.deepweb.co.nz.

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Protecting Your Business’s Name

Distance Education Helps You Get Ahead

CanadianMedsWorld.com

You’ve invested serious time and effort coming up with a unique name for your business, and you want to be sure you’ve done everything you can to protect it. But are there legal steps you can take to do that?

Absolutely. If yours is the first business to use the name, you can protect it so that no one else can use it without your prior permission. And the proper way to protect a business name from use by others is to register it as a trade name.

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