Our (almost) movie

After 2 1/2 years of waiting and wondering, we finally got to see "The Great Buck Howard" ("The Craziest Story", July 2006). It's due to be released in theatres on March 20, but you can watch it on VOD right now.

We knew it was a long shot - we didn't pay for the product placement in the movie, so we knew that the gifts could be cut; we knew that it was a struggle to find a distributer for the movie and get it released, and we knew that our contact at Walden Media wasn't involved in the final editing.

As it turns out, a couple of our baskets are in the movie - but they are not identified in any way. The part with the delivery person wearing our apron did not make the final cut. The gifts are in the background of a couple scenes, but nobody but us would know they came from our company.

We're not really as disappointed as we thought we would be....there was such a lag between when we did this project and seeing the end results, that it's just not a big deal anymore - kind of anticlimactic. We were chatting about it after we watched it, and we realized that a lot of really positive things came out the experience:

1. We developed a much better way to ship our gifts - they arrive in better condition than they used to, and we eliminated the use of styrofoam packing peanuts (which we hated - and I'm sure everyone else did too)

2. We started rethinking our gift designs, and it sparked new ideas for our standard website gifts
3. We streamlined our operations and worked on becoming more efficient. It started us on a path of continuous improvement.

4. It got us through some dark times. We went through a phase a couple of years ago where we both got really burned out and lost a lot of the passion we have for this business. Knowing that we had a possible "big break" coming up kept us going.

5. It prompted us to start this blog

6. When I flew out to California so that I could hand deliver the gifts to Premier Entertainment in L.A., I stayed with my uncle' and his family, who I don't get to see very often, and I spent some really good one on one time with my aunt Leslie. Within a year of my visit Leslie was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. If not for this unusual opportunity, it would have been years since I had seen her; I'm incredibly grateful for that time.

Was it a mistake? I don't think so...it was a really interesting experience. If you don't take a risk once in while, you don't get a chance to reap the rewards. No regrets!

And now? Well, we have some really good things cooking with the business.

Last year I hired 2 employees to help out with the day to day operations of the store, in preparation for me beginning another career. I just wasn't interested in doing this anymore. But a funny thing happened....

In training my new employees how to do everything I do, I began creating an operations manual, something I've been putting off for years. It was really important to me that customers who were used to dealing with me got the same consistant experience when talking to one of the girls. I came up with training exercises and quizes. I was forced to think about exactly how I wanted every task performed and to document it - which is a very good thing.

Once Jenny and Laura became a little more self sufficient, I was able to tackle some nagging projects that I just hadn't had the time to deal with before, and it felt good. One thing led to another, and pretty soon I realized that I was really enjoying my business again. Freeing myself up from performing every single task myself allowed me to focus on big picture planning, which is what, as the owner, I SHOULD be doing. I read "E-Myth" years ago (work ON your business not IN it), but it took preparing to leave my business for me to really do it.

That other career I was planning? On hold indefinitely. The enthusiasm I had for this in the beginning is back, plus some.

We have some big changes coming up in the next few months - stay tuned, we'll be announcing the details very soon!

Quote of the Week

"Never underestimate the power of a woman."

Featured Product - BP Callahans Firehouse Sauce

This pasta sauce is outstanding!

I really like to cook, so I NEVER use pasta sauce from the jar (my own is so much better), but BP Callahan's has become a favorite at our house.

It's something like a spicier, chunkier version of a classic vodka sauce (without the vodka) - tomatoes and cream, fresh basil and peppers. You can use it as a dipping sauce, over pasta, or with chicken or seafood.

My only complaint about this sauce (from a vendor standpoint) is that it isn't obvious from the label what to do with it - but it's been delicious on everything I've tried it with. Our current favorite is over cheese ravioli with grilled chicken - and don't forget some fresh Italian bread for dipping!

SGB is on Facebook!

We've created a Facebook page for Syracuse Gift Basket - become a fan!

Valentine's Day

The team at SGB has been very busy this week getting ready for Valentine's Day - here is a peek at the first wave of gifts going out tomorrow morning.

New trailer for The Great Buck Howard

We just found a new, longer trailer for the "The Great Buck Howard" (see "The Craziest Story", July 2006) - take a look:

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-great-buck-howard/trailer-b

January Gift Basket Winner - Chris Dardano

A few weeks ago we announced that we would be drawing a winner each month from our list of subscribers to the SGB email newsletter. Our very first winner is Chris Dardano, who is a new home specialist at Eldan Homes.

Congratulations Chris!

St. Baldrick's - March 22 at Kitty Hoyne's

This is my sister, Jenna. Her entire life she's had beautiful, very long, thick dark blonde hair - and on March 22 at Kitty Hoyne's Irish Pub in Armory Square, she will be getting her head shaved - yes, SHAVED - to help raise money for the St. Baldrick's foundation.

I've been to a couple of St. Baldrick's events, and the scene is absolutely wild - Kitty Hoyne's is packed to the rafters with volunteer barbers and hairdressers, people lined up to have their heads shaved, and friends and family supporting the cause. It's like St. Patrick's day all over again (except people are bald when they leave the bar).

To date, St. Baldrick's has raised 50 million dollars to help fund childhood cancer research. To find out more or sponsor any of the "shavees", go to http://www.stbaldricks.org/.

10,000 visitors - whooo-hooooo!

Webucator

One of our most regular, ongoing corporate projects doesn't have anything to do with gift baskets.

Webucator is a Syracuse based company that offers online computer training. When a client signs up for a class, they are imediately sent the necessary materials - usually a computer headset, and sometimes a training manual, and some complementary goodies - a cup, pen and highlighter with their logo on it and some candy. When they approached us a couple of years ago, they were just putting the candy in a zip-lock bag, boxing it all and sending everything to the client. It worked, but the presentation wasn't great and they were getting too busy to keep up on it (it's a good problem to have!).

We came up with an easy, more attractive way to present the items: we put the pen and highlighter in the cup, filled the cup with assorted candy, dropped it in a cellophane bag and tied it up with orange and blue raffia (and the salesperson's business card) to coordinate with their corporate identity. They loved it! And best of all, they didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Now we have a separate area in our workroom devoted to Webucator, and we keep all their materials on hand to be shipped out at a moments notice.