Reinventing Yourself!

WELL - as our economy continues to be an uncertainty - what is a business owner to do? Reinvent yourself - it is the only way to survive in this business climate. Find new ways to market yourself and do it with a smile. Humor is a great way to get people to notice you and your products and shows that you don't take yourself too seriously.

We are getting ready to move into the airport advertising arena and in trying to design our billboard it occurred to us that humor will always grab people's attention. So - with that in mind - we are incorporating the amazing cartoon that Mike Samuel did as a joke regarding our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags.

The last time I was traveling, standing there at security with my travel clothes on - no buttons, under-wire, zippers or anything that could possibly set off the alarm - I was watching people stripping off layers of clothes, jewelry, shoes - not to mention the ever dreaded laptop removal - and I wanted to start singing the stripper song, "Da na na na..." I can't believe people still haven't figured out that less is more when you are flying and that S1 Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks make the removal of your laptop unnecessary. Why hassle at security - use a checkpoint friendly bag or backpack from S1 and make it simpler to go through security.

Take a look at our commercial and let me know what you think and remember - keep reinventing yourself and your business.

Introducing S1 Safety First in Hong Kong, China

Well - it is official - S1 has expanded internationally! Here is the press release that is posted on our websites, www.s1checkpointfriendlybags.com and www.s1bags.com. Along with S1's VP of Global Media Strategy Nancy Aborn Wuennemann, I attended the 2009 Asian Aerospace Conference in Hong Kong - not bad for a mom on a mission. There we introduced S1's full line of Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks, including our Made in the USA line that is "Green" - meaning it is constructed in 100%recycled materials - making it water-resistant and stronger than most Denier on the market. I am so amazed at how far S1 has come in 5 years - and we are just getting started. So, I share this announcement here with my fellow bloggers - thanks for following and keep the comments coming...

INTRODUCING S1 SAFETY FIRST IN HONG KONG, CHINA
Asian Aerospace 2009 attracted 356 exhibitors from 28 countries and 12616 attendees!

S1 SAFETY FIRST Founder and CEO Dori DeCarlo attended Asian Aerospace 2009 from September 8th - 10th. The bi-annual, 3-day event is the world’s largest single-focus exhibition and congress for the commercial aerospace and civil aviation market.

The show provided S1 Safety First Founder Dori DeCarlo a fresh opportunity to participate in some creative learning and a chance for all attendees to share new ideas across an international platform.

This year's Asian Aerospace show featured an impressive list of onsite highlights. Among them, a showcase of Connecticut companies sponsored by the Connecticut sector of the US Department of Commerce. S1 SAFETY FIRST Founder and CEO Dori DeCarlo lead by Melissa Grosso, Senior International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center.

On Tuesday September 9, 2009 S1 Safety First Founder & CEO, Dori DeCarlo was interviewed by FLIGHT DAILY NEWS, the world’s #1 Airshow publication. Dori represented S1 Safety First attending Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress in Hong Kong, China with the Connecticut delegation of the US Department of Commerce.

Please visit our sites, www.s1checkpointfriendlybags.com or www.s1bags.com to see the full article and other information on the conference. Thanks again and remember - Together, we can make a difference!

Checkpoint Friendly Bags Hit the Airwaves!

The first week of our commercial has finished and we are doing well with our sales. Our website is gaining exposure and other orders have come from the hits.

Visit www.s1bags.com and take a look at our Checkpoint Friendly Bags. Our Laptop Messenger Bag design comes in two sizes - 15" and 17" and our Laptop Backpack holds up to a 15.5". At each airport I have used we gain more support and find others who want to cut time at security and safeguard their laptops at the same time.

It is exciting to take this next step into the spotlight and know that our commercial is on the air. As I have said before, don't give up - because it takes as long as it takes!!!!

Visit our site - purchase a great bag - and fly safe!

S1 Hits the Airways!

S1 Hits the Airwaves - how amazing is this!!!
As entrepreneurs we work and sacrifice and deal with family and friends wondering "why you don't get a Real Job" - but you believe so strongly in yourself that you keep on growing and learning and finding the right connections to make all your work a success.

S1 has gone through so much; I have worked and relied on the team that I picked by hand and heart when all of this began and we have persevered. You have to have nerves of steel to see your business through the first 5 years - because that is how long it takes - and you have to have the guts to tough it out.

We created a new site to launch with our commercial and love our new look! Linda [our webmaster] and Mike [our director of design] and I worked our tails off to create this new look with a new hosting company - and thank God we found them - so http://www.s1bags.com/ has a brand new style and even more of the finest line of clear bags on the market.

Our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpack are now available, and if you are in Portland, Richmond, Los Angeles, Dallas/Ft Worth, Providence, New York and Washington, DC you can see our commercial on CNN Headline News and Travel Channel. How amazing is that!

Media-Corp, our production partner, has developed an amazing commercial for our checkpoint friendly bags and selected key cities for this test. They are the As Seen on TV company - so we couldn't be in more professional hands.

You can't imagine the pins and needles that I am on right now - we all are - and it is so exciting and...I just can't seem to find the words...but it just is.

Let me know if you see the commercial - take a look at our new site and share your reaction - and for all of you that fly with your laptop - buy yourself and S1 Checkpoint Friendly Bag. They meet all Federal TSA requirements as checkpoint friendly so you can fly without having to remove your laptop at airport security. Having just flown from both NYC airports to KS and TX going through security was a breeze and everyone loved our bags. One of the NY airports was amazingly empty when I went through the checkpoint and the TSA personnel called over a few of their colleagues to take a look at our laptop backpack. Validation is mine!!!

If you truly believe in what you are doing don't EVER stop believing...stay the course and take the risk...and surround yourself with a team of people that are experts in their field and go for it. This is why Together, we can make a difference is one of my favorite ways to close a letter; we can't do it alone. My other favorite closure I will use here as we are S1 - The CLEAR Advantage!

Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags - Our National Launch

Wow -
So much has been happening gearing up for the launch of our first TV commercial. It is going on the air beginning April 6th!
We are test marketing in Portland, Providence, Richmond, Dallas/Ft Worth, Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC. We will be airing on the Travel Network from 6am till midnight for 30 days.
We have been test marketing our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks at different airports and ALL have loved our bags and they passed with flying colors!!!
Imagine the ease of going through airport security checkpoints WITHOUT having to remove your laptop - and not having to pay a fortune for a bag with a 3 year warranty against manufacturers defects!
The S1 Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpacks meet all Federal TSA guidelines as Checkpoint Friendly and have the added security of our 5 mil 20 gauge clear materials to further enhance the checkpoint friendliness of our laptop bags.
The 4-clip design of our backpack gives you a bag that will carry your personal belongings and a padded laptop compartment that will un-clip and lie flat on the security screening belt at security so nothing obstructs the view of your laptop! The TSA personnel at the airports thus far love this bag!!!!!
Our Messenger style Laptop Bag comes in both 15" and 17" for all your laptop needs and has a front flap that can hold your peripherals and paperwork with ease and again, opens fully to lie flat on the screening belt.
It is unbelievably exciting to know that we are going to be in household all across the country in less than a week!!!!! NEVER give up on your dreams - no matter how long it takes!!!!!
Visit http://www.s1bags.com/ and see why we are S1 - The CLEAR Advantage!

Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bag and Backpack for Corporate Branding!

Wow - I can still remember the Y2K frenzy like it was yesterday - and that was 9, count them 9, years ago! It's a silly cliche but true - how time does fly!

Well - I don't know about you - but I want to make 2009 the best year my business has ever seen. I want to find more ways to use the new technology to my best advantage and make the day to day business of online networking an art form! Too much to ask - I don't think so.

With all the tools at our fingertips, we should be able to create a network of truly motivated savvy businesspeople looking to build their businesses, pool resources and make the www truly a world wide web.

For me, growing my business internationally is going to be a major focus in the coming months. The launch of our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bag and Backpack will be our two biggest products to date.

Imagine the ease of security checkpoints when you no longer have a need to remove your laptop when going through the scanner! With and estimated 250,000 passengers daily in the US alone, the time that can be cut at checkpoints is staggering.

S1 has always been committed to providing the finest line of bags and backpacks on the market at a price that is much too low for the quality of our products - but silly me - I'd rather have a little from a lot!

At this point we are only taking quantity orders for the Laptop Bag and Backpacks for Corporate use and Branding. My direct email is dori@s1safetyfirst.com so please contact me there for more information.

We will be adding the bags to our site - http://www.s1bags.com/ - within the next 2 months for the public - and know that the response will be overwhelming - especially at a $49.95 price tag!

When security faces the task of monitoring large crowds, S1 will continue to expand our line to fit every need.

We are S1 - The CLEAR Advantage!!!!!

Social Networking at its BEST!!!

I don't know about you - but with all the on-line social networking going on - how do any of us differentiate between which sites are promoting a strong business stand and which sites are purely for socializing - and what is best to do?

If you are like me, you are looking for that right blend of business and pleasure all rolled into one. It is amazing just how many networking opportunities there are!!!

For me, I think that the best way to really communicate a business-like persona is finding the sites that are truly devoted to assisting you in marketing your business. I think that Fast Pitch is a great place to start - they are constantly updating the features and are on the cutting edge. ShopInUSCities.com is a newer on-line presence, and one that is adding more and more features daily.

I have been learning more and more about how to reach out to my fellow on-line networkers and begin relationships one at a time on a global level. It really is a world-wide-web!

I am constantly amazed how people are looking at our products as a solution to a problem. Whether it is cutting time at checkpoints, keeping manufacturing rooms "clean", branding their logo and giving clients a timely gift, wanting to bring things into a ballgame or concert or because their child's school has just made it mandatory for them to carry clear bags and backpacks, S1 is catching on!

Become part of the solution! Visit us at www.s1bags.com - see our line of products - and let me know what you think! I am always interested in finding new ways to make this dream of mine happen.

I've said it before and I say it again, we are - S1 - The CLEAR Advantage!

Cut your time at Security Checkpoints!

Tired of being stuck on that endless security checkpoint line? Ever try to bring things into a ballpark only to have your bag emptied out into a clear garbage bag after being rifled through by some security guard? Want to bring something on the plane without having to hassle with the safety officers? We have the CLEAR advantage for everyone!

S1 and our full line of clear bags, backpacks, corporate, school, sports, travel and wheelchair bags can make coexisting in this safety conscience world much easier. The CLEAR advantage is having a bag made from the finest clear material available at a price that is affordable. Let's face it, as consumers we have all learned that "Cheap is EXPENSIVE" so don't cut corners to save a few dollars, only to have to get a new clear bag to replace the bargain one you previously purchased. Visit us at www.s1bags.com and view the finest most comprehensive line of quality clear bags on the market.

Let's take the pain and hassle out of keeping our schools, offices, airports and other public transportation, sports arenas and other venues safe. When security has to monitor large groups of people, let S1 make it easier on all of us. Together, we can make a difference.