Sorry for not posting on here for such a longtime (Over a Month). Although this is our corporate blog it has primarily been written by me, and whenever I attempt to get another employee to post on here the post either gets lost, gets half-done, or only outlined. I have quite a few interesting drafts of posts just sitting in Blogger ready to be completed. We had a front-page newspaper article written about us in the "local" paper out here in Southern California with a circulation size of nearly 200,000. That amount of exposure has increased our brand awareness ten fold, and that in turn has skyrocketed our sales to a never before seen level. We have surpassed our November/December sales (Our busiest time of the year) in only a matter of two weeks with multiple more orders being processed and even more still coming in nearly 2 weeks after the publication date of the article. While the effects of this article have been more than we could have hoped for, but with this increase in sales we have had to cut-back on advertising, blogging, etc. in order to maintain our excellent customer service.
That being said, interacting with our customers and the community in general is an important part of our business. Referred customers continue to make up more and more of our customer base, which allows us to cut back on our advertising efforts and focus completely on our products and community involvement. This is where the wonderful service Twitter comes in. Twitter is similar to blogging, but limits each post (Tweet) to 140 characters. You can have friends, followers, etc. just like on other blogs, MySpace, Facebook, etc. The reason I like Twitter so much is the instant interactivity that allows me to see what everyone is saying in just a few quick glances. They also have tools to track what someone is saying about your brand, your name, etc. so you can be sure to thank happy customers, and turn unhappy customers into happy customers very quickly. Although Reimagine Memories doesn't have it's own Twitter account active yet I pretty much use mine to only take about business and what's going on in and around the office. If you haven't already sign-up for Twitter, and if you already have follow us on Twitter so we can keep in touch:
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
American Express TrueEarnings is the Perfect Credit Card
Previously I wrote about my horrible experiences with Capital One when dealing with my business card from them. From poor customer service to just average rewards I was quite glad when the whole fiasco happened with them, because it finally annoyed me to the point of trying to find a better business card. I had been using Capital One for years as they were the fastest to approve my card, and also gave me the highest credit limit of the four companies I applied for a card with. Now, 4 years later, my credit history has grown, and I've been able to establish a great credit rating making this the perfect time to look for a better business card.
After reading many articles in magazines (Specifically Inc.) and online (Various blogs) I decided the perfect card for myself as well as Reimagine Memories was the American Express Open card through Costco. I don't know of anyone who has ever spoken a word against Costco, and being a member for the last few years I know I've only praised them time and time again. With their higher-paid staff who are consequently much more knowledgeable to their prices and to their amazing return policy I can't think of a better retail experience than shopping at Costco. So when I heard they offered a credit card aimed at small businesses through a partnership with American Express I knew I had to include that as another card to consider.
It may sound silly spending time researching a credit card, but after the Capital One disaster, and after hearing other business owners brag about their rewards I knew I had to do some work to get a great card. No annual fee is a big one for me, because that annual fee is going to cut a big chunk out of the awards you earn using the card. With the TrueEarnings card from American Express/Costco as long as you pay your Costco membership there's no annual fee. The spending limit is a big one for me, because although somewhat rare we do make purchases on the magnitude of several thousands of dollars at onetime when purchasing a lot of hardware such as desktops, laptops, or servers all at one time. Previously after a certain dollar amount we would have to split the purchase between our credit card as it maxed out it's limit and a debit card. All of that money going on the debit card had limited protections on it, and wasn't getting us any rewards. With TrueEarnings you get a really high-rate right from the start, and you can get temporary limit increase approvals through their online system in just minutes. The rewards is the next big consideration when choosing a card, and the American Express rewards are perfect in our case, but may be less than perfect for you if your spending trends differ from ours. For the TrueEarnings card you get 5% cash back for gasoline, 3% cash back at restaurants, 2% cash back for travel, and 1% cash back for everything else. I know a lot of cards have better rewards for frequent travelers so I would consider a separate card for those types of purchases. Most of the traveling we do is done by car, which makes the 5% cash back for gas incredible for us. The only other downside with rewards is they are paid out at the end of the year instead of monthly like other cards I have had. While not a big deal for us as we would rather have more rewards waiting for us at the end of the year than fewer rewards every month if you considered about month-to-month cash flow you might want to consider another card.
We've been using the card for the last three months or so, and it has worked out perfectly. With already one minor dispute settled without a big hassle, and a few customer support calls to ask about general questions about the card we have been throughly impressed by the support staff. The temporary rate increase tool enabled us to put our whole desktop order on the credit card, and we didn't even have to talk to anyone to do it. The online system is easy to use, and allows for some nice graphs showing what areas our expenditures are in most often (Mostly gas). Trust me when I say American Express didn't pay us to post this or brag about them. After my experience with Capital One it has been so refreshing dealing with the American Express staff I had to post about it.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of
Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
After reading many articles in magazines (Specifically Inc.) and online (Various blogs) I decided the perfect card for myself as well as Reimagine Memories was the American Express Open card through Costco. I don't know of anyone who has ever spoken a word against Costco, and being a member for the last few years I know I've only praised them time and time again. With their higher-paid staff who are consequently much more knowledgeable to their prices and to their amazing return policy I can't think of a better retail experience than shopping at Costco. So when I heard they offered a credit card aimed at small businesses through a partnership with American Express I knew I had to include that as another card to consider.
It may sound silly spending time researching a credit card, but after the Capital One disaster, and after hearing other business owners brag about their rewards I knew I had to do some work to get a great card. No annual fee is a big one for me, because that annual fee is going to cut a big chunk out of the awards you earn using the card. With the TrueEarnings card from American Express/Costco as long as you pay your Costco membership there's no annual fee. The spending limit is a big one for me, because although somewhat rare we do make purchases on the magnitude of several thousands of dollars at onetime when purchasing a lot of hardware such as desktops, laptops, or servers all at one time. Previously after a certain dollar amount we would have to split the purchase between our credit card as it maxed out it's limit and a debit card. All of that money going on the debit card had limited protections on it, and wasn't getting us any rewards. With TrueEarnings you get a really high-rate right from the start, and you can get temporary limit increase approvals through their online system in just minutes. The rewards is the next big consideration when choosing a card, and the American Express rewards are perfect in our case, but may be less than perfect for you if your spending trends differ from ours. For the TrueEarnings card you get 5% cash back for gasoline, 3% cash back at restaurants, 2% cash back for travel, and 1% cash back for everything else. I know a lot of cards have better rewards for frequent travelers so I would consider a separate card for those types of purchases. Most of the traveling we do is done by car, which makes the 5% cash back for gas incredible for us. The only other downside with rewards is they are paid out at the end of the year instead of monthly like other cards I have had. While not a big deal for us as we would rather have more rewards waiting for us at the end of the year than fewer rewards every month if you considered about month-to-month cash flow you might want to consider another card.
We've been using the card for the last three months or so, and it has worked out perfectly. With already one minor dispute settled without a big hassle, and a few customer support calls to ask about general questions about the card we have been throughly impressed by the support staff. The temporary rate increase tool enabled us to put our whole desktop order on the credit card, and we didn't even have to talk to anyone to do it. The online system is easy to use, and allows for some nice graphs showing what areas our expenditures are in most often (Mostly gas). Trust me when I say American Express didn't pay us to post this or brag about them. After my experience with Capital One it has been so refreshing dealing with the American Express staff I had to post about it.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of
Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
Monday, March 10, 2008
Taking the Right Away to Comment Anonymously
Kentucky State Representative Tim Couch is introducing a bill this week that would make anonymous posting on the Internet illegal in the state of Kentucky. Here's the information they plan to collect and somehow guarantee is accurate:
"The bill would require anyone who contributes to a website to register their real name, address and e-mail address with that site. Their full name would be used anytime a comment is posted."
The real kicker is that sites who do not comply with the law and allow anonymous comments will be fined $500 for a first offense, and $1000 for each offense after that.
I can understand Representative Couch's intentions with the bill to stop online bullying, which I believe is a significant problem in some schools and communities, but this isn't the answer to that. The Internet only facilitates bullying, but doesn't cause it and didn't create it in the first place. The same bullies who bullied on the playground are now bullying after school using the Internet as simply another tool. Such a bill clearly threatens our first amendment rights, causes businesses to rethink being located in Kentucky, is tough to enforce, and could set a bad precedent for Internet censorship. What should be created are laws that allow for prosecution of online threats and bullying, because that directly addresses the bullying problem, and will close a loophole in some states that prevent prosecutors from being able to punish those who have taken their bullying online. The majority of bullying that is the most damaging happens during the school years where the victims know each other. With the almost universal presence of MySpace, Facebook, etc. for teenagers there is the need to create new laws that ensure that this online bullying is prosecuted.
I doubt this law will make it past the introduction phase, but if it does then I hope a judge will strike it down immediately after it becomes. Such meddling in the Internet world can have far reaching consequences, and can generally make starting an Internet company even that much more difficult. I hope that if this law gets any further that the entire Internet community will take a stand, and use the power that possess as clearly demonstrated during the Internet radio fight last year.
Source: WTVQ
"The bill would require anyone who contributes to a website to register their real name, address and e-mail address with that site. Their full name would be used anytime a comment is posted."
The real kicker is that sites who do not comply with the law and allow anonymous comments will be fined $500 for a first offense, and $1000 for each offense after that.
I can understand Representative Couch's intentions with the bill to stop online bullying, which I believe is a significant problem in some schools and communities, but this isn't the answer to that. The Internet only facilitates bullying, but doesn't cause it and didn't create it in the first place. The same bullies who bullied on the playground are now bullying after school using the Internet as simply another tool. Such a bill clearly threatens our first amendment rights, causes businesses to rethink being located in Kentucky, is tough to enforce, and could set a bad precedent for Internet censorship. What should be created are laws that allow for prosecution of online threats and bullying, because that directly addresses the bullying problem, and will close a loophole in some states that prevent prosecutors from being able to punish those who have taken their bullying online. The majority of bullying that is the most damaging happens during the school years where the victims know each other. With the almost universal presence of MySpace, Facebook, etc. for teenagers there is the need to create new laws that ensure that this online bullying is prosecuted.
I doubt this law will make it past the introduction phase, but if it does then I hope a judge will strike it down immediately after it becomes. Such meddling in the Internet world can have far reaching consequences, and can generally make starting an Internet company even that much more difficult. I hope that if this law gets any further that the entire Internet community will take a stand, and use the power that possess as clearly demonstrated during the Internet radio fight last year.
Source: WTVQ
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Hilarious Super Smash Bros. Brawl Ad
Hi Everyone,
Even though this doesn't directly relate to Reimagine Memories I couldn't help not posting this:
While browsing online stores looking at prices/availability for Super Smash Bros. Brawl I ran across this hilarious features description on CircuitCity.com
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of
Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
Even though this doesn't directly relate to Reimagine Memories I couldn't help not posting this:
While browsing online stores looking at prices/availability for Super Smash Bros. Brawl I ran across this hilarious features description on CircuitCity.com
"Features
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a brawling, battling, action-packed video game that features a varied roster of characters for four-player simultaneous melees!
When you hit an opponent, his or her damage meter builds up. The more damage that builds up, the farther an opponent flies each time he or she gets hit! An opponent with higher damage flies farther.
Also, in some modes, each time you KO an opponent, you earn points.
If you had to call it something, I'd say it's almost like a sport."
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of
Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
We Are On TechCrunch
Hi Everyone,
I have some very big news that I've always hoped to be able to announce here on the blog. We made it onto TechCrunch yesterday:
Check out the post about us
Duncan Riley, one of the lead writers on TechCrunch, asked start-ups to send in an elevator pitch, which is just a quick, 1 minute, video that quickly explains what your company does and why people should use/invest in it. Last Sunday when Duncan asked for companies to submit their elevator pitch I spent some time putting together a quick video, and then sent it off to Duncan. As chance would have that time paid off, and my video and a link to our website was posted on TechCrunch, which is the most popular blog/website for our web industry. I've seen a lot of positive come from this already with many new visitors, new business, and a lot of people sending us emails congratulating us. We are close to getting some other stories written about us as well in the local newspapers here in Southern California, but to be posted on TechCrunch, a blog I read everyday, is another honor in itself.
Thanks to Duncan for posting, and for all of you who have made our site great over the years.
Here's the video:
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
I have some very big news that I've always hoped to be able to announce here on the blog. We made it onto TechCrunch yesterday:
Check out the post about us
Duncan Riley, one of the lead writers on TechCrunch, asked start-ups to send in an elevator pitch, which is just a quick, 1 minute, video that quickly explains what your company does and why people should use/invest in it. Last Sunday when Duncan asked for companies to submit their elevator pitch I spent some time putting together a quick video, and then sent it off to Duncan. As chance would have that time paid off, and my video and a link to our website was posted on TechCrunch, which is the most popular blog/website for our web industry. I've seen a lot of positive come from this already with many new visitors, new business, and a lot of people sending us emails congratulating us. We are close to getting some other stories written about us as well in the local newspapers here in Southern California, but to be posted on TechCrunch, a blog I read everyday, is another honor in itself.
Thanks to Duncan for posting, and for all of you who have made our site great over the years.
Here's the video:
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy New Year and welcome to 2008.
I hope everyone out there has made some great New Year's Resolutions, and have already started on the path to keeping them. I have high hopes and goals for Reimagine Memories as well as 10 or so pounds to lose over the next year, which I hope a year from now I can write about my successful journey in accomplishing both. 2007 has been an incredibly busy year for me both professionally as well as personally, and I go into 2008 with high hopes that I can continue the intensity of the professional life while sustaining more of a balance with the personal one. Either way 2008 will be a busy year, and already I have 2 speaking gigs, a convention planned, and several marketing campaigns to run in just the next two weeks. I leave on Sunday to attend CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center for my fourth straight year, and right after that will be speaking at both the Long Beach and Laverne Computer Clubs. During all of this Reimagine Memories has a few local marketing campaigns as well as online campaigns that I am running lead on. Already 2008 is shaping up to be quite the year and it is only January 1st. I'd be afraid though if I had nothing planned, and nothing to do, because then nothing would get accomplished during this pivotal year in the company's future.
May your holiday season end on a great note, and may 2008 be everything you have hoped for it to be and so much more.
Happy New Year,
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of
Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
I hope everyone out there has made some great New Year's Resolutions, and have already started on the path to keeping them. I have high hopes and goals for Reimagine Memories as well as 10 or so pounds to lose over the next year, which I hope a year from now I can write about my successful journey in accomplishing both. 2007 has been an incredibly busy year for me both professionally as well as personally, and I go into 2008 with high hopes that I can continue the intensity of the professional life while sustaining more of a balance with the personal one. Either way 2008 will be a busy year, and already I have 2 speaking gigs, a convention planned, and several marketing campaigns to run in just the next two weeks. I leave on Sunday to attend CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center for my fourth straight year, and right after that will be speaking at both the Long Beach and Laverne Computer Clubs. During all of this Reimagine Memories has a few local marketing campaigns as well as online campaigns that I am running lead on. Already 2008 is shaping up to be quite the year and it is only January 1st. I'd be afraid though if I had nothing planned, and nothing to do, because then nothing would get accomplished during this pivotal year in the company's future.
May your holiday season end on a great note, and may 2008 be everything you have hoped for it to be and so much more.
Happy New Year,
-Brad Jashinsky
CEO/CoFounder of
Reimagine Memories
http://www.ReimagineMemories.com
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