Another Elevator Pitch Contest!

Well - I went to an event at The Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium sponsored by WCBS 880 News Radio - and low and behold - the evening included an Elevator Pitch Contest!

Let me back up - I have been invited to different networking events that WCBS has had in the past, and this was the first one I was able to attend. Couple that with it being at the new Yankee Stadium and my car practically drove itself to the event. There was an excellent turn-out and great contacts to make, so I smiled and started working the room!

About an hour into the event, I hear a voice that sounded like "The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz" meaning a voice over the microphone and no one in sight!! Well, I worked my way down into the lower part of the room and there was Chad Lopez doing his thing. He welcomed everyone, acknowledged different companies that has tables there and announced the Elevator Pitch Contest. Needless to say, I was very excited about having a chance to pitch S1 at this event.

Happily, I was one of the people selected - and I won the contest! The prize - a free round of a 60 second commercial on WCBS 880 News Radio! How amazing is that!?! Not only does S1 get this very costly advertising for free - they want me to do the voice over for the commercial.

In deciding the best route to go, we are going to modify the voice over for our TV commercial and focus on the Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags and Backpack - adding that corporate branding is available for custom orders.

This is why it is so very important to have your Elevator Pitch down cold no matter where you are. You never know when you will have a chance to pitch the who, what, where, why, when and how of your company - and when the chance arises, you want to always be on top of your game.

I will keep you posted as to when we will be on the air! So remember - we are S1 - The CLEAR Advantage!

Love What You Do!

As entrepreneurs we get caught up in the day to day running of our business while we juggle all the other responsibilities in our lives. For me that is my 3 children and all that is happening in their lives and trying to get a life for myself.

Each new day I am excited to see what is going to happen today - because you never know what the new day will bring. I was able to talk to my children, get a couple of our clear backpacks into great hands, go to a fabulous lunch and learn with The E-Circle (check out their blog on my sidebar) and then make my daughters softball game. Now, here it is 10:04 pm and I am writing this as I watch a ballgame because I had to share the cartoon S1's designer, Mike Samuel created.

Mike is the owner of Mike Samuel Graphics and is an amazing designer and has created many a logo that has branded some of the most recognizable companies. Just to name a few - The History Channel, A&E, Sears, VH-1, Nickelodeon and my personal favorite - the Keep America Beautiful symbol of the Native American man with the tear coming down his face! Needless to say - he is a great artist that knows how to convey what you are in his logo.

On the other hand - he is also an amazing illustrator who has a quick mind that always keeps me laughing. My office has cartoons from Mike World all over it and for the first time - I am sharing them with the public. I have uploaded a cartoon that is one of the reasons I love working with my partners in S1. I had called him from the road to ask him to create a banner ad for our checkpoint friendly laptop bags and I received that - which is also here - along with this cartoon and I had to put it up everywhere I could.

As hard as we all work in our respective businesses, we need to remember to laugh lots and never take it too seriously! Enjoy the brilliance of Mike - I know we do.

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!!!!!

The Elevator Pitch

Hello fellow bloggers...
Here is the actual pitch that I used to win the contest. Hopefully it will encourage you to create a pitch that will excite people about your company and make them want to learn more - cause lets face it - that's what it is all about!

Hi I’m Dori DeCarlo, Founder and President of S1 – for Safety First.

S1 has a full line of clear bags and backpacks designed to assist with the safety measures being implemented in schools, offices, airports, sports arenas and other public venues.

After Columbine as a mom, I wanted to find a way to keep our schools safe and began S1with our Standard and Mini Backpack, Messenger Bag and Wheelchair Bag because I didn’t want to say to a child in a wheelchair, “Oh maybe someday we’ll make a bag for you.”

Our manufacturer uses the thickest materials available, offers a 3 year warranty and I worked with Chiropractors on the ergonomic design of our products all to ensure that S1 bags are CLEARLY the finest see through bags available worldwide.

We began with 4 bags and this fall numbers 15 and 16 hit the market - our Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bag and Backpack that meet TSA requirements so travelers don’t need to remove their laptop when going through security.

Visit S1Bags.com or call me at 203 924 6577. We’re S1 – the CLEAR advantage!

Promote Clients and Safety Together.

Well it has been a busy Monday morning for me - thankfully! I have had more people contact me today looking to promote their clients and love the safety element that S1 Bags brings to the table. Our clear bags and backpacks give marketing and promotional companies to opportunity to take a premium product and personalize them to brand and promote their clients while offering a timely item.

It is amazing how many companies are looking for something new and unique and want to combine minimizing time spent at security checkpoints with a quality product that is cutting edge. Visit our site - www.s1bags.com and you will see why S1 bags are the finest transparent bags on the market.

Security measures are being implemented everywhere and S1 is looking to make it easier for safety and convenience to coexist. With high-quality, durable designs, S1 bags are clearly safer, clearly stronger and clearly more comfortable than the flimsy see-through plastic carryalls that many people have purchased as fashion accessories through the years. Heavyweight, temperature-resistant vinyl, fabric lined and reinforced seams and a three-year warranty against manufacturers’ defects guarantee each S1 purchaser a bag that will last.

I hope that you will join us as we expand our product on a global marketplace. Believe me, if I can do it with my mission and product line - you can too. Take the time to look at what we do and lets see how we can best work together to make it safe out there for us all. S1 - the CLEAR Advantage!

More Social Networking.

As we all navigate these new waters of on-line social networking I wanted to bring a new site to you all. Perfect Networker, the online home for serious business professionals.

Perfect Networker Online is one of several tools created to provide you with a comprehensive business networking system, designed specifically to allow you to create, strengthen and nurture long term, win-win, mutually beneficial relationships with other business professionals who make relationship building a priority in their business. You can learn more about them at www.perfectnetworker.com - and right now they are offering a free life-time membership to the first 1000 people that sign up on their network - just tell them Dori sent you!

Personally I think this is a great site - they are new and innovative and are doing all they can to be cutting edge - so look for new features on a regular basis.

One of the biggest things I have learned about being an on-line presence is getting your name out there in more than one network. Also - it is very important to fill in the little things they ask like your favorite movies or books. Believe it or not, people can find out who you are with these little things. In the beginning of my on-line journey, I always left this blank because I was there for business - not to make friends! Well - I quickly learned that business often develops when people see that they have things in common with you. Simple things can make you interesting as you develop an on-line network of people. Our diversity is what makes us unique and our likes bring us closer to someone that may be on the other side of the country or the world for that matter! Guess what - it really is a world wide web!!!

I am constantly amazed at how our products strike a cord in the network that I am building. Who would have thought that trying to keep our schools safe by designing clear bags and backpacks would branch out into shipping to Australia for correctional facility officers! Go figure - I am just a mom who wanted to make a difference. See for yourself how our products can assist you - visit us at www.s1bags.com and let me know what you think. How can we help you or your company or your not for profit group - please - let me know how!

More Networking Steps!

Well- I have come to learn that it is not enough to blog - you have to read other blogs and comment on them, too!!! What an interesting concept - learning from what others do!!! Go figure!!!

Now - when I look back on the learning process, I guess this should be an obvious step - but who are we kidding here. Just as in networking - we have to really invest time and energy in learning about those we are developing networking connections with.

We need to share ideas, bring new products and concepts to each other, and find the best ways to see how the process of networking can really be something beneficial to all involved.

At the same time, we need to remember why we began. We have a product or service or idea or mission to share and we want to find the best ways possible to bring our dreams to fruition as we work to help others do the same. Well - at least that is why I started S1. First and foremost I had a mission to keep our children safe - and have continued on that course even though we have expanded into so many other areas of safety and security.

I welcome your ideas, your commitments to networking, and hope that I can find a way to be of service as you pursue your dreams. Visit me at www.s1bags.com and drop me an email - or leave a comment and I will return the favor.

Also - give me ideas of what blogs are addressing networking, safety, parental concerns, travel and other venues where we fit in. I promise to do the same. See - together we can make a difference!

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!

Does Networking Really Work!?!?!

So - does networking really work? As someone who is becoming a queen of the networking scene I can attest to the fact that networking is the way to go. Utilizing the internet and the great networking sites out there can really open your company up on a global scale - but you have to be sure to make the most out of your time.
If you are looking for business networking check out ShopInUSCities.com and their networking capabilities. They are brand new and on the cutting edge. FastPitchNetworking.com is another great avenue for making the most out of your computer.
Believe me, the internet has opened me up to contacts that I never would have made otherwise, but I think I will always prefer the one-on-one meeting - but that is because I am more old school and have to get out of my own way and join the new century!!!
Make networking really work for you. Follow up with your leads and contacts and devote a specific amount of time each day or week to connecting with those sites that can promote who you are and the mission behind your company.
Find ways to brand your company and your logo so when people think of that product or service, they think of you! For my part - when people think of clear bags and backpacks I want them to think of Dori and S1 bags. Yes, that's right - I am the classiest "bag lady" out there and want my network to know that - so when you think of see-through bags that will speed your time at security checkpoints or brand your company and your logo as cutting edge think of dori@s1bags.com. Together, we can make a difference and make networking really count!!!