Ok so, I know that everything I have done so far has been unconventional so why stop now.
PianoSD is celebrating piano professionals by designing T-shirts and other items that showcase what they do. Whether they are piano tuners, piano teachers, piano movers or any other piano professionals.
I hope you enjoy this new addition and trust that you WILL BUY LOTS OF STUFF !!!!!!!!
Ric Overton
http://PianoSD.com
As most of you know I have been working on a new website for some time now. In the middle of January we launched the new site and have gotten rave reviews and lots of people signing up on the site. We started with a few “seeds” of teachers and tuners, etc. I have been pleased to see people receiving the site so well and seeing it begin to take root.
At the heart of the site is my passion for teaching. Teaching has been my focus for many years. I mean, it just makes sense that piano teachers are teaching people to use the products that we are selling. How much more basic can you get. So, I believe that we as piano professionals should be focusing on teaching people to play. We don’t necessarily have to teach or support a teaching program but we should be in a situation that we can offer support and aid to teachers and to teachers programs.
This is what was at the heart of the new website. We are listing and cataloging teachers and other piano professionals in the site. Presently we have about 3,000 names and addresses listed and that number is growing like crazy. Now as things begin to slow back down for me I will be able to put more effort into this blog as well as others. Visit www.PianoSD.com today.
Thanks for you support
Ric Overton
In today’s Podcast I am discussing the new podcast and what is going on with Piano Social Directory.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Every year we have in our industry a trade show that is called NAMM. It stands for National Association of Musical Merchants. We meet in Anaheim to one of the largest trade shows in the country and certainly in Southern California. Every important manufacturer and distributor will be there for a HUGE 4 day event. Every guitar, banjo, speaker, microphone, piano, organ and anything else musical will be there from every continent on the planet.
It is an unusual thing for me. It becomes drudgery to some, but, for me its even more exciting than the first time I ever went in 2004. It also marks a new time of changes and is almost like the mark of the new year for me. I judge practically everything by Winter NAMM. I always schedule my new events and plans around NAMM. Which brings me to the latest.
By this time next week and hopefully by Thursday http://PianoSD.com will be a new BRAND NEW website. Max Morgan of http://MaxMorganDesign.com has been working very hard to get the new website up and running by NAMM show. Once it is completed we are going to attempt to bring together the entire music industry in a force that is designed to encourage music appreciation and education across the globe.
We hope to have everything up and running in just a couple of more days. I have many more exciting projects and programs happening and I can’t wait to introduce them to you.
Ric Overton
We have had such a great response on the Turtle Bay Rum products that I thought I should tell you a little more about the company.
The Turtle Bay Rum products that are available here on this blog are from the Turtle Bay Premium Bay Rum Products line at www.TurtleBay88.com. As I said in my last blog, this is one of the best products I have ever used because it is very soothing to my very sensitive skin. I was somewhat reluctant to use any type of shaving cream but, agreed to because I am close friends with the owner of the company. After the very first shave I was so satisfied with the quality of the shave, the closeness and the after feel that I asked the owner of the company if I could carry the line in my new blog e-commerce site.
Turtle Bay Shave Cream
The fragrance is a product that I like a lot as well but, since I don’t use colognes that much I have not experienced this one as much. The reason that I don’t wear colognes a lot is because they have a tendency to make me sneeze. I have worn this fragrance several times and had no problems with it at all.
You have to admit that the packaging is pretty nice.
I think that the reason I have enjoyed these products so much is that it really returns me to the time that shaving was an art. The whole art of shaving was when you used a brush to lather your soap or cream with a hot brush, applied it to raise your whiskers and then used a straight razor to shave with. I don’t use a straight razor but opt for one of the new 5 blade shavers. Somehow a straight razor in my hands at my neck scares me, even with my own hands. Hmmm, maybe I watch to many movies.
I hope that you will take the time to enjoy and treat yourself to an old fashioned shave and that you will enjoy Turtle Bay Rum as much as I have.
Thanks for reading.
Ric Overton
Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to try a new product that was being made by a friend of mine in Oxnard, Ca. It was a product called Turtle Bay Rum shaving cream. I tried it as a gesture to my friend who was asking for my honest opinion about it. I normally can’t use shaving creams because they have a tendency to break my skin out. I started using plain moisturizing soap when I was in my early 20′s because I couldn’t use the can shaving creams like most of my friends. I haven’t used shaving cream of any kind since.
The Art of Shaving
So, you see why I was so apprehensive about using any type of cream. I pulled out an old shaving brush of mine that I hadn’t used in several years. Ran hot water in the basin and warmed my brush up, lathered up the cream and applied it assuming it would put my face on fire like the last time I remember. Pleasingly, I found the cream to be soothing. Then I shaved like normal.
I shaved like normal and was so happy that my face didn’t break out and my shave was the closest shave I have had in many years and not only was it a close shave but also the moisturizing of the cream left my skin feeling very soft and clean feeling. I was so impressed that I called the folks at Turtle Bay and asked if I could sell their product on my website, they agreed that it would be okay. Please click on the blue shopping cart and take a look at the products or on the e-commerce button under my picture to see a partial line of shaving products from Turtle Bay.
I hope you will try the product soon and how quickly you see the difference. The art of shaving for men is quite unique and should be enjoyed.
Ric Overton
http://RicOverton.com
Our Christmas celebration was very nice. We went to St. Barnabas Episcopal church in San Luis Obispo and enjoyed the service very much. The music was nice and the minister was very inspiring. All in all it was very nice. Then off to the beach where the sky was clear and we could see the stars very clear. It was extremely nice and I must say that I don’t remember ever seeing it as nice as it was on Christmas eve.
Christmas day we had a terrific lunch which was top drawer from my perspective even if I did prepare most of it. We didn’t get in a hurry and everything was very relaxing. I got lots of cool gifts and felt at some point that Santa had evidently NOT been watching very close and he certainly didn’t “check his list twice”.
Business has been pretty good at the Piano Outlet in Nipomo (San Luis Obispo area ) and things are starting to pick up. I was also treated with a special phone call from the folks at Turtle Bay. I had approached them some time back about being able to sell their product on my ecommerce site and on Christmas Eve I got a phone call letting me know that they agreed to allow me to sell their shaving products. If you get a chance to check it out please do. I have enjoyed these products immensely over the past few months. Since I am fair complected it seems that everything tends to break my face out. I carefully tried some of the shave cream a couple of months ago and was immediately shocked to see that not only did it not break my face out but, I had a closer shave than I have ever had before. Thats when I was sold on the product and asked the company to allow me to sell it via ecommerce.
Since I don’t really wear colognes too much I have to say that I have not really used the colognes on an extended basis,however, I have tested it and was quite impressed that it didn’t smell really loud like so many do and I was able to wear it just fine. Again, if you get the chance to visit the products page please do and if I could make the suggestion to purchase the shave cream, I know you will enjoy it. Hite’s shave cream is minty while the Turtle Bay shave cream is the original product and has a bay rum smell. Not offensive and wears well.
Ric Overton.com and PianoSD will be undergoing some small changes. We will offer some products that I enjoy and endorse. RicOverton.biz will bring some business ideas for retailers as well as business people and lastly PianoSD sill be doing a complete overhaul and you will be pleased with what you see.
Ric Overton
http://RicOverton.com, http://RicOverton.me http://RicOverton.biz http://PianoSD.com
This has been an unusual year in retail. As most of you know I manage a small piano store on the Central Coast of California in a very quaint town called Nipomo. I have really enjoyed being here and it has been a great experience to get to know some of the people in the area and see some of the prettiest sights on the planet.
What has disturbed me this year is the number of people who have insisted on buying product on-line. I have a customer now who would like to purchase from me a piano in the $2,000.00 range. It is quite obvious to me that he would like to buy it from me BUT, he has found a website that “will” sell it to him for around $28.00 less. Yes, $28.00. I am in a situation where I simply can not afford to alter my prices for MANY reasons. He “says” he would like to buy local but, he can get it from a stranger from out of state for less so he has decided to take this course.
I don’t get it. So, I have to ask myself and him when we speak again; explain your theory. You pay $28.00 less for it by buying it online but, when something goes wrong with it or you need service of some type or you don’t understand how something works, who are ya’ gonna call? Me?
This happened to me a couple of years ago when I customer insisted that I take the sales tax off his purchase OR he would buy online. I explained that I simply could not do that. He got VERY angry and purchased online. I warned him that if he bought online he would have NO service for questions and if something went wrong he would be sorry and wind up paying dearly for the process. He left without buying from me, went online and purchased. Two weeks later his item arrived and all was fine EXCEPT, there was a package of parts missing. He came in ‘completely’ freaked out and asked me to help. I told him to call his customer service rep. They told him to send it back to them at a charge of $141.00. He did.
A few weeks went by and he returned to the store with a question about “how” the recording feature worked. I explained to him that customer service rep where he bought it would be the place to go to answer such a question. He called them while he was still in the store and could not help him but told him to go to youtube or read the owners manual a little closer.
Listen folks, if you are looking at a $2,000.00 (or even less) to purchase something. Just buy it local. give me a break. Recently, I was asked by someone about my opinion on this subject. My reply was “when ALL of the mom and pop stores are gone – whatchya gonna do? – Buy local as often as possible and spend as much possible because this is the way to prosper our economy.
And when something goes wrong – call the local guy to fix it.
That was just my frustrated 2 cents.
Ric Overton
I can’t believe its another Christmas season already. Seems like just yesterday that we were closing out last years books and starting on the new year. I just got in the habit of writing /11. Well, I for one am ready for 2012. I know it will bring its own set of things that will require my attention and things that I will need to deal with but, I feel that I am prepared for growth. My business is beginning to take root and I see some improvements here and there and really feel that the time has come.
I have been writing a series of articles at http://ricoverton.biz about business plans and ideas and have had to, at times, convince myself that it is as simple as I have been saying it was. I know to write it while sitting at a desk is one thing and putting it into practice is another but, writing business plans and understanding your objectives is very important. I have begun the process of putting on paper a 1 year, 3 year, 5 year and 10 year goal that sets realistic goals and I believe that I am positioned to get there barring any MAJOR upsets.
Many people around me are in despair. Its always alarming to me how in despair people can get. When I look into their faces I see talented, strong, well prepared people that just dont seem to understand that they can write their own ticket in life if they just had some direction. Direction is not hard to find. However, in order to get out of a bad situation you have to find the solution and just do it. I am a perfect example of how to do that. 2010 and 2011 were the two most challenging years that I have ever had. However, I looked at myself objectively and had a friend do the same and I see the changes that must be made and most importantly, I am making them.
I hope that what we are facing is at least a “little” easier next year than it has been this year. My prayer for you is that you will look inside and find the talent that you know you possess, harness it and bring it to the rest of the world to experience. I look forward to your responses.
Until next time.
Ric Overton
http://ricoverton.com, http://ricoverton.me, http://ricoverton.biz, http://PianoSD.com
I try not to make a habit of reviewing restaurants and places of business but, this is one I couldn’t resist.
Holidays can be difficult when you are away from your family. Today a restaurant in West Hollywood made it all much easier. As I told you in my blog this morning we were going to Tart in West Hollywood because we like it and have eaten there a couple of times. We really expect something different on holidays because we are both from the South and used to getting treated special during holiday celebrations, etc.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the restaurant was full but not crowded when we arrived. We were taken directly to our table at 12:45 (15 minutes before our reservation). Our waitress immediately greeted us and after a little small talk ( you know the proper amount of small talk ) she brought our drinks and absolutely perfect coffee and our salads.
Tart Restaurant
The best part was the staff. They were attentive, polite and the perfect blend of service. They didn’t sit down at our table and attempt to get to know us but had the right amount of hospitality.
If you are ever in the Los Angeles area this place is a must. It is located on Fairfax across from the Farmers Market/The Grove. Call ahead for an appointment. We have never stayed at the Farmers Daughter Hotel which is part of the restaurant. If the service and food of Tart is any indication whatsoever of the service we will most likely stay there at some point in the future.
To the staff and Chef at Tart – Thank you
Ric Overton
http://RicOverton.me
http://RicOverton.biz
http://PianoSD.com
The