National Sales Meeting DONE!

OHMYGAWD! Sales Meeting is done! Yippee!


I'm glad for two reasons; 1) all the stress of getting ready for the meeting is now over and I can get back to other big issues (like getting ready to leave for Eurobike in Germany and getting my catalog finished) and B) now our sales force has seen all of the new products and all of the changes to the product... and they are STOKED! I am so very happy about how the sales meeting went. I am floored. The excitement was strong all over the place and the new offering of products got a very strong reception. Obviously, as a product guy, that means lots and lots to me and validates all the work that I and the folks who help me with these bikes (Wayne Doran, Pat Crosby, Rick Ortiz, Pete Demos... and others) have put into these things. I'm always pretty excited about the bikes, but this year is special- for a lot of reasons. We've had a pretty extensive "changing of the guard" and these bikes reflect that change... and I'm very excited.

I'll have lots more to talk about very soon, especially about the products... so stay tuned... but right now, I'm simply wiped out and need a little sleep!

I'm planning to do a little bit of a personnel profile for you all. Being around all of the very dynamic people of Haro over the past few days, I was reminded that I get to work with a lot of cool people and almost nobody knows who they are (plus we have a bunch of new faces)... so I'm gonna change that! Stay tuned... and beware!

Tim

Not as late tonight...

Today I got to leave work at 7:00PM and got home just in time to tuck my daughter in to bed and read her a short book. So it ain't all bad... plus I just made myself a nice, cool Pina Colada (yeah, I know it's foofy... but it's also tasty and it's hotter-n-hell here right now).

Today, thanks to Jim and Susan and the entire crew at CyclArt, I got all of my last remaining samples of new products... and damn do they look great! I am supper excited about the bikes and I am confident you will all be pretty impressed too. A big thanks has to go to the fine folks who did a lot of work at Masi/ Haro to help make this happen; Wayne Doran (my Product Manager), Rick Ortiz (my graphic artist who created the look of the new bikes), Pat Crosby (who is the MTB Product Manager) and Brian Hayman (who has recently moved into a new sales roll with Haro, but has been an employee with the company for many years). It's a huge effort to get bikes into the world, from concept to artwork to parts spec and final product... it's a big effort. Needless to say, it's a very stressful and wonderful experience when the first bikes show up... and I'm pretty fried at the moment. The new stuff makes it all worth the headache and long hours.

Yesterday, I took a short break from work and left the office long enough to take part in a blog related talk show. One of my BBF's- Best Blogging Friends- Toby Bloomberg has a show on Blog Talk Radio and I got to be a guest, along with Donna Lyons-Miller. The topic was Leveraging Social Media to Support Niche Consumer Brands. It was a great conversation, so go give it a listen! Thanks again to Toby for being kind enough to invite me and to Donna for suffering through my usual ramblings.

Ok, I gotta finish my laundry before the sales meeting starts on Friday. Tomorrow is final prep and set up, so it's gonna be another very long day. I'll try to get a few more spy pics for you though... so be patient.

Tim

Another late night...

Still at work and will be for hours...

... for the record, I hate PowerPoint and Excel with the white hot intensity of a thousand burning suns!


Tim

Update- As Al points out... I'm a whiner. The two benefits to working late/ after hours; 1) no phones ringing and no emergencies and B) I get to drink a beer at my desk while I try to dislodge some creativity.

Thanks for the reminder Al!

Spreading the News...

I've been meaning to post these two flyers for a while now, but I've been so busy (and totally disorganized) that I keep forgetting.

Anyway, Jax is a huge retailer here in SoCal. They sell no Masi, but I have a very good friend there- her name is Heidi- and we got to become friends when I was working for Canari Cyclewear (and she was the clothing buyer). Jax does do business with my parent company (Haro), so I do have some legitimate reason to plug them (and because I like them).

So, Jax is sponsoring a couple different cool things that deserve to be mentioned;


Even if you're a dude, Dorothy Wong can likely kick your ass on a cyclocross bike- I know she can kick mine. Both of these events are cool and worth considering if you are anywhere near Jax. So get your arse over there... or else!

Tim
(Tell Heidi I sent you.)

Getting closer...

Thursday night I remained at work until 11:40PM... yes, nearly midnight. Our Graphic Art Director and El Presidente were there until around 4:00AM, so I got off lucky. The good news is that I managed to get a whole lot done, even though our computer server was down for relocation, which meant I had no internet or email. Now that I think about it- that's probably why I actually got some work done. I wrote a whole lot of copy- something like 10 pages worth of copy. THEN... the main reason I stayed late in the first place, I worked mano y mano with my Masi Graphic Guru, Rick Ortiz. You folks are gonna be WAY happy with the new graphic look of a few models- it's a totally new look and new direction for these models that I believe is going to really grab some attention. I don't wanna give away more than that for right now... but it's really cool stuff.

The National Sales Meeting is next week and I have a ton of preparation to work on still. I'm nowhere near done yet and have a ton of work to do to be ready. Stress? Nah... I'll just be shot if I don't get it all done on time. No big.

Since you've been good kids, I'll share another cool picture of new product... but only because you've been good...

(Photo Demos... again...)

Enjoy!

And, for more eye candy and a fun read, go see "The Babe"... the Bike Biz Babe, that is. Check out her new ride... it's sweet!

Ok, back to work now.

Tim

What a day...

Today was one of those 12 hour days that just seemed to drag on forever. 8:00AM to 8:00PM in the office...

... and I'm really tired. I know, I know, I know... a) I'm doing what I love, 2) tons of people work long days too. I know. I'm a whiner.

In the end, it should be worth it. The new (newerest?) bikes are going to be sweet! Lots of cool new stuff happening with the products. Today, one of my many complicated tasks, I delivered 7 frames and forks to local bike painting gurus CyclArt (thank you Jim and Susan!). They are going to paint my pre-production samples so I can have them in time for our National Sales Meeting and for Interbike. Without their help, it might not be possible to pull of what I'm trying to pull off... not that I can tell you yet.

(Photo- Pete Demos; you can see this one since I've already shown it to you anyway.)

So, yeah... I'm cooked. Very, very cooked. AND... I still have a ton of work to do before the Sales Meeting and Interbike... and I have a week in Germany in the middle of the two. Yeah! (I know, I'm whining again...)

Tim

Yeah, I'm still here...

So the whole #1 thing was short lived, as I knew it would be. Technorati finally "fixed the glitch" and now I'm back to being about as big as a freckle on a gnat's ass. I'm now back to being ranked number 18, 285... but who's counting?

Things at Masi Global World Domination Headquarters are in full-blown warp factor 9 mode right now. Our National Sales Meeting is on our heels now... like just two weeks away. This means I have to get my act together, both figuratively and literally. Lots and lots of work goes into this meeting and it really does set the tone for the remainder of the year heading into the tradeshows and then into the rest of the year. It's kind of a big deal... ok, it's a huge deal. So, there's no pressure at all... nope, not even a little. CRAP!

The good news is that there are so many exciting and cool things to talk about this year that my usual excitement and passion is going to easily get kicked up a notch or two without even trying. I know that for as long as I've been blogging here, I've been saying that the new products coming out are going to be great... but those words feel like such an understatement now. Seriously folks, I've never been more excited (and even a little scared) about any other project I've worked on with a company. The new bikes, the new looks and new product categories are going to really impress. I know that I am way beyond the usual level of excited and anxious. I am confident though, that it will show in the products that all of you will get to see more of in the coming weeks and months.

It's an exciting time to be a Masi fan. My product manager that I work with, Waynebow- AKA Wayne Doran, and I have been busting some serious butt to make these new bikes happen. We've even enlisted the help of Pat "What's that Smell" Crosby for some frame drawing assistance. Pat works with Jill Hamilton, our MTB Brand Manager over on the Haro side of the building. All of this points to the massive amount of teamwork needed to make a bike line happen.

So with all that is cooking right now, well more like boiling, the posting here may get a little spotty again. Fear not, I will be back. Then I have to leave for Germany and Eurobike at the end of the month. Then I have to get ready for Interbike in Vegas at the end of September. Then I think I may be headed back to Taiwan. Then... a nap... I hope.

Tim

I'm #1!

I'm relatively sure it is some sort of error with Technorati's software or some algorithmic glitch... but as of today, I'm #1!

Thanks to the help of my good friend Valeria Maltoni and the heads up from one of my other Age of Conversation co-authors, Roger Anderson, I was able to do a screen capture to preserve this brief and historic moment for posterity.


Actually, this is proof positive of the power of blogs and the blogosphere, all because of the Age of Conversation book that I was lucky enough to be a part of. The book is doing very well and the dialog surrounding it has created quite a firestorm for all of us authors.

Again, if you haven't already, go get yourself a copy of the book... you won't regret it.

Tim

I (heart) Minneapolis-St. Paul

The news of the bridge collapse in the Minneapolis area yesterday really sent a shiver up my spine. I've only been in the cities twice, for a few days each time, several years ago when my sister graduated from high school and later college at St. Cloud State. Thing is, I'm pretty positive I've been on that bridge. Spooky.

However, the biggest scare came in knowing that I have friends in the Twin Cities area. I'm lucky enough to have met some great bloggers in the area and developed some great friendships. Then there's Chuck and his wife Steph and daughter Daisy from Behind Bars. Minneapolis is a wonderful place and I have a serious soft spot for the city and the people.

That said, my thoughts and prayers are with you all. I hope everybody is safe and accounted for. I sure hope all of you are well- sincerely.

My Minneapolis-St.Paul friends;
Andy (can't find your blog)
Sascha
Skibby
Smithers (Chris Smith)
Super Rookie
Gilby
Spencer
(There are others who I can't quite remember right now.)

Not long ago, these fine folks also lost one of their dear friends, Eric Lappegard- the Vegan Ninja, from complications stemming from a terrible car accident. Eric was a talented guy who penned a great comic and who will be missed by those who knew and loved him. If you can, please consider giving a little to help Eric's family (info on his website).

Kinda seems like the city has been having a bad few weeks, so I am sending my warmest wishes and I hope you will too.

Tim

Snippets...

Eye candy to get you slobbering...No details- you get to stew in your own juices for awhile.

Tim