Rotaire at the Ideal Home Show

1.00 I took a flu pill an hour ago with tea, and I’ve woken up a lot. Caffeine is the energizer. A man just asked if I had been on Dragon’s Den and we had quite a long talk. He took the details and said he would get his radio station to call; radio Time FM107.5 for a chat to talk about Dragons’ Den and to plug the product- they’re actively looking for people to interview and provide content. Another couple of ladies interested themselves in the idea, though one was a hardened “straightliner” – or fool, as we call them. I can understand it aesthetically but practically it’s a no-no. By half past it has gone a bit quieter, less people moving through my field of vision so I go to engage the Canny Cap lads opposite; two pleasant Asian types from Romford way. We talk about how fried we’re going to be after 17 days. It’s very easy to burn out.

Lunchtime; it’s time for me to eat the sandwich Jane made for me, bless her. She’s taken such good care of me, making sure I know where to park, feeding me, letting me and Fran have her bed. Just as I make the decision, more people pass and show interest. After a while I can eat and drink, then I try lurking in the stall opposite, hiding behind the forest of 6’ giraffes for £49. Then I pounce on a mother and daughter who’re taking an interest and persuade them to take the information away with them. Quite a number of overheard “what a good idea” comments are overheard as I sit typing. It is now 2.15 and the gangway is more busy again. I shall stand proudly outside and dare anyone to make derogatory comments. I don’t find that standing in the aisle is productive. I think people see me hovering and instantly look the other way. Perhaps it is the uniform (I’m wearing the Rotaire official fleece) that alerts or deters them, so I’ll take it off and see what occurs.

Rotaire at the Ideal Home Show

It’s 12.00 and I’ve started writing as a way to focus my mind. People seem more receptive when I’m not actively promoting the stand, but idly tapping away, which is another bonus. I’m going to move the boxes from behind this chair to make it more comfortable. It’s hard to decide where to settle. If folk look puzzled I can tell them it’s a cover for a washing line but other approaches seem doomed to failure. Being in a shell like this you only get a very brief view of the passing individual; a five second walk past. I’m going to stand at the front to see if it’s any better from an engagement point of view.

More interaction all of a sudden, I still haven’t stood out at the front. Brief bursts of interest and long periods of gawping without understanding. I just engaged with my second genuinely interested punter. Then standing to the side of the frontage adjacent to the mini chalet I had an intense ten minute spell of chatting, which quite lifted me. Two people wanted the show offer so I gave them the secret discount code. But I can’t say what it is, or it wouldn’t be a secret any more…

IDEAL HOME SHOW

Started early and got to the show by 9.00 after marveling at the complexity of the underground system. Was there ever a map showing the lines as they are on the ground –or underground – like a ball of string with loose ends stretching out to Heathrow and Cockfosters??

I went upstairs at opening time to see Lynn Green who as usual was selling toastabags and she kindly gave me a sandwich freshly toasted. My pitch is opposite a knickknack cum folk art emporium selling everything from the ubiquitous wooden duck to intricately carved face masks too small for a face. A herd of wooden giraffes loom overhead in the centre of the stall. He says they delivered 7 vans of goods, and they only have 3 vans to take it away afterwards. Next opposite is a late booking that set up early this morning in a shell labeled Backdoor Shoes. They sell bottle tops to fit over a drinks can and seem to be doing very well. They can attract quite a crowd whereas I am lucky if people see what the product is. The shell only just accommodates the Dryline so it’s hard to make it obvious. The most interesting thing that happened was when another late booking started hammering on the wall next to the knickknack stall and half a dozen framed pieces and odds and ends came crashing down to the floor on the other side. The man with the hammer appeared on the other side of the stall looking sheepish, and began to pick it all up again, wondering how he was going to fix anything to the wall.

Well that wraps up 2013

So we draw towards the end of an interesting year during which I have totally failed to find time to blog, but hey, that's life...
It started after I had been awarded the Prince's Initiative for Mature Enterprise's Best Product and Senior Entrepreneur Awards in November 2012. By January 2013 I had been contacted by Dragons' Den, and by March I had recorder the programme. Then, although I was utterly torn to tell everyone about it, I had to keep my mouth firmly shut  (contractually bound) until August when it was shown. Then I had the pleasure of being a "bit of a celebrity" - which is probably the best way to be a celeb! It would be awful to have the world and his wife wanting your autograph, or your photo in a bikini...
My wife and I attended quite a lot of Shows this year, notably BBC Gardeners' World at the NEC and the Royal Welsh Show, both extremely well attended - and the Welsh ran for four sweltering days, without a drop of rain - in Wales this must be a record! We also visited Worcestershire, Surrey and Argyll amongst others. It struck us that it would be a rare treat to pack the van and head for Argyll, then go round the Highlands and over to Northern Ireland, then down to Dublin and thence back from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead and back home, thus visiting all four parts of these islands. We could take two or three weeks, doing shows along the way.
The purpose of Ireland would be to publicise our move into export. Today I registered the rotaire.ie website, and by spring I expect to have stock there for sale. Sales to Ireland are good despite the delivery ex-UK being 50% extra on the price, so I am confident that the product will sell extremely well from an Irish site.
So, I wish you all well, and enjoy a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a very prosperous 2014 (don't be surprised if there is considerable centenarial nostalgia!.... ah the good old days!)

The Rotaire Dryline in the Dragons’ Den

The Rotaire Dryline in the Dragons’ Den
I was feeling just like Bilbo Baggins when he met Smaug, but it has reaped huge rewards.Click on the headline and you'll see the sort of thing that's been written since the programme was on air.

Last November I won an Award for Best Product

I failed to tell you that last November I won an Award for Best Product from the Prince's Initiative for Mature Enterprise! Amazing!! And I was chosen as the supreme winner from the three different categories - Senior Entrepreneur of the Year. Not a bad title, but but would have been so much better if they had left out the "Senior" bit... :)

Apart from the personal kudos I felt, it has opened doors for me already, and in January I was featured twice on Midlands Today, the BBC regional news programme, as a result of the award. Ah well, Onward and Upwards!

On stage at the BT Conference Centre with the other Award winners.

 

Social media is all the rage

Social media is all the rage these days, so I am going to link my website www.rotaire.com to Facebook, Linked In and Twitter just to get the hang of it. As you will have noticed, I have not posted a blog since 2010 - not an auspicious start! The thing is, when I'm busy selling Drylines I do not have time to lay aside for the purpose, and even when I am less busy it isn't top of the agenda of things to do.
I do hope that some people reading this will "like" my Rotaire Dryline page on Facebook, and it gives them a chance to praise or damn the product. I am told that normal sales patter and even testimonials are not adequate for the sophisticated internet user - they want the unvarnished truth.