durtbagz: don't call us easy

first and foremost, this afternoon at lunch, i spotted (actually, it was pointed out to me, i'll be honest) the rarest of rare scottsdale mullets. it was in the middle of scottsdale in a rather la-ti-da restaurant. completely shocking and rare. i was a bit impressed at its bravery.

okay, on to biznass. we're still looking into adding some software to the site that will allow you to create your own sign right there on the site. i just had a look at the bare bones version and it's ugly. that will not be what you all will see if, and this is a big IF (say it like bob does on Office Space), we figure out how to incorporate this into the site.

i know i talked about this the other day, but it's a really big issue for this company. think about it, (and maybe i'm wrong on this) but i feel that if you go on the site and you can immediately create your own sign, you are more likely to do so. especially if you don't have too many options to worry about as far as tools and colors are concerned. the signs are all the same shape and colors. really, you'd just need a few tools to create the symbols. once you've created it, you'd be able to save it and submit it right there, with the click of a button. it could be just that easy.

but there is a dark side to this. when something is that easy, people tend to take advantage. basically, i can see people getting on their and submitting signs that aren't exactly appropriate because it's so easily accessible. i'm picturing getting multiple signs a day involving penises, the f-word, and whatever else is not okay to put on a website catering to a somewhat decent society.

if we don't or can't go with this software, then we'll have to go with the original plan of accepting signs in multiple formats. like i said, i want everyone to be able to participate: if you can use 'the internets,' as our president calls it, you can participate in the competition at durtbagz. if you know how to find us on the web and discover the competition, you'll be able to submit your design in some way shape or form. the possibilities at this point are the following:

• draw on paper and fax it

• draw on paper, scan and email it

• create on applications on computer and email it

we'll have parameters that you will have to meet, depending on the method of submission. for instance, don't create a gigantic banner, saying, 'happy mother's day', fax it, and expect it to be on there for your mother to see. i'll tell you right now, i'm not having it. get your mother a card and take her to dinner like everyone else. seriously. and speaking of proud mothers, don't email me pictures of paris hilton to put on a sign either. although, i'm pretty sure celebutards will be a theme for the competition at some point.

there are a lot of factors that will go into determining how this will play out. i'm not exactly sure that the easiest is necessarily the best. (brittany spears is a perfect example of this theory: easiest girl around? sure, she is. the best singer around? um...does she sing?). however, is the attention span of my customer base so short that they won't want to take the time to draw out a sign for submission? i'm asking this question to you all: will your participation depend on the method of submission and the time required to create the sign? or are you interested in being a part of things no matter what? and what would sway you one way or the other? seriously, i'd like some answers...comment, people. i'm asking for your comments.

tomorrow is flake-off friday (already?!?) and i'll try to come up with something other than stories of my childhood. and i've added a button at the top right. click it so you'll be notified when i update this. up above it is a counter of how many people clicked on it. notice it's at zero...do you want to fix that or what?

durtbagz: so simple in theory

the idea behind this company is so simple: find the bags, make the signs, get people to hit the site to participate, and the company is born. theory is turning out to be so much easier than reality.

just trying to figure out the whole printing process is turning into a much bigger project than i anticipated. at first we were looking at buying the bags and getting them printed at the same place. then this seemed like a bad idea because: 1. minimums. most places that do bags and screen print require a number of them to be printed before they will take the order. typically, those minimums are not extremely high for a one time order or an established company, but feel extremely high when you are just beginning and are wondering if you are going to sell a single bag the first month. Second reason it seemed like a bad idea was the fact that we're changing the signs pretty frequently and if i don't sell those first bags within the first month or so, i'll be stuck with lots of product on my hands.
at first it was suggested to me to find a local printer that is willing to hold the images for a month and let me order weekly as my orders come in on the site. i'm still running into minimums, although not as high as with the distributors. and now i'm running into issues on how i'm going to get the bags to the printers and turn-around times so that customers are not waiting a month for their bags.
thankfully, a friend of a friend owns his own promotions company, http://www.k-wpromotions.com/ and we're meeting to try and figure out a way to do this as easy on both my wallet and time as possible. i'm hopeful that after lunch on friday, i'll have some options for solutions to this issue. who knew screen printing bags could be such an issue?

however, as annoying as this is, things could be worse: i could be lindsay lohan or yet lower, a fan of lindsay lohan. i'm 29, i look 29, and have never been to rehab...things are looking good.

if you're interested in learning more about me or reading something a little less serious, a little more goof, click on the link below.


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