Saturday, October 31, 2009
Do not give up on your dreams or your sites
Would you like me to tell you to keep working day and night on your gamer website just the way you've been and you'll be just like MLG, which many of you reference in your notes, "We'll be the next MLG, we'll be bigger than MLG!"
I'm pretty sure about 99.9% you won't be the next MLG and anyone that tells you, you will is just being nice to you. I get comments like, "these kids have dreams and you crush them!"
What's more crushing letting you go down a path that 99.9999% of the gaming websites go which is start out slow, build a few followers and find out it takes money to keep the site going, that people can't volunteer their time forever and the sites die a slow death. How many sites do you come across that have not had activity for weeks or months - plenty!!! That money allows you to get technology into your site and keep viewers interested, offer new things, etc - what friggin part of that is not true? Someone have balls enough to make a comment on that and stop these behind the scenes remarks to me!
So, what's the difference between you and MLG - they have money you don't - how about that?
My father said to me when I wanted to expand the trucking business into a new market, "Joey, if you can't make money with 1 truck you won't be able to make money with 10 trucks." He was right, if you start something as a loser it stays a loser. Wal-Mart makes huge money because it sells lots of things to lots of people - did Sam Walton open his first store by saying, "I'm going to loose money on this one store and until we open 10 stores we won't a dime"?
You know the answer, Sam Walton made money on his first store and that enabled him to get 2 stores and so on. If his first store was a loser he would have not been able to open any more stores and would have closed!
This is one lesson I keep trying to get across to you all, if you start your site on the premise that "I will put all this time into it and then after "enough" members then I can get advertisers to pay me to be on my site", does not really work all that well unless you have the money to carry you until it gets big enough - money to buy technology, money to pay workers, money to get to events and cover them, etc, etc.
What I don't want to happen is for you to give up on your dreams and ambitions. So for those few people that are MF*ing me, go to Hell!
I'm betting I do more when this is over to help more young people get ahead than you will by telling them what they want to hear and when they fail or fold will you be standing there with check to bail them out or will you tell them "You tried, it's OK"????
Why not try and start them out right and on a good footing????
Friday, October 30, 2009
My Hero
We need people like this to get us to the next level even though these guys were so typical (I know they will read this), I play lacrosse, I'm into this or that - when I asked if they told other parents how their kid chain sawed somebody in Gears they couldn't relate to that.
The funny part was they could relate to other video games like playing Madden. So, we now had some common ground to make all my arguments about how large the video game market is and why they need to work with us.
One of the guys that was there was at the that New Year's Eve party from last year and remember seeing Alex aka "Frozenghost001" playing Guitar Hero. Although he didn't know that is how Xfuel started he did have some remembrance of the party so here's the story again with some new facts that I hope you gamers can relate to.
New Year's Eve 2008, Frozenghost001's 14th birthday and we're at the house of some good friends who our kids refer to as their "cousins".
The home owners have a couple Guitar Hero stations set-up for the kids to play at and there is a line of kids playing, as usual Alex is standing to the side and not playing. To say of these kids sucked, well that's being nice.
This family is a big "sports" family and all the kids there except ours were on the Football team, Wrestling team, etc - no gamers like my clan. So, I can see Alex is a little out of his element here with all these kids for a couple reasons:
1- he didn't know any of them except the people who's house we were at
2- he has nothing in common with anybody there because he is not a sports kid
3- all the boys are jacked on energy drinks (I know we make a real strong energy drink but these kids were like overdosing on them)
4- the girls are over the sports kids and Alex is standing alone
You can see testosterone in the room is flowing and Alex, he's not getting in the middle of it. I grab his friend the homeowner kid and tell him Alex is one of the Top 10 Guitar Hero players in the world and you need to get him playing.
He gets Alex to play and you know what happens next, 20 kids in row fall to the champ - he's now the Hero, people flock to him!
The rest is as it's been told, driving home, he says Xfuel and the rest is history but that is not important - what was important and I mean no disrespect to anyone was that for that night for those couple hours the gamer was bigger than the football player - the Hero!
Again, what seemed small at the time but stuck with me for days and ultimately made me do the research and go forward with Xfuel for Alex and Austin.
When I think about the whole adventure we've embarked on here over the last 10 months, one song comes to me over and over again, it's David Bowie's Hero's - please listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9kSDXz6nJA and in case you want the lyrics here they are http://www.lyricsdepot.com/david-bowie/heroes.html
I don't even know the point of writing this today other than to say "I was extra proud of my gamer son(s) that night, they were my Hero(s)."
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thank God, Josh has a goal!
Anyway, I got this note the other day and I'm going to tear into the author Josh a little but it's all in fun don't take it personal. I really do admire your drive and desire not to be a McDonald's fry cook and maybe you'll look at what you wrote a little more carefully and realize what you are actually saying?
lol McDonald's? i am 19 years old and i am in my working on my bachelors degree in database administration which makes 6 digits. so i was just doing this for my team bro. i dont think your an asshole i think your a f**king bum who thinks his big words are worth the time of people who read them. i read your shit and i think you don't know your dick from a hole in the ground. You have fun selling your cool aid bro. 30 years old......id be so embarrassed ....
You have to love these, like I said I at least got an emotion out of him. This is what I want to encourage some good dialogue and but please if what I'm saying is wrong, correct me and point out what parts of it are wrong - his note doesn't say anything I've said was wrong just that he doesn't like me - that's OK.
He did make my argument for many things I've said easy but I'll keep my sarcasms to a minimum here while dissecting his note.
If you have something to say which you think is worth while then PLEASE you can write it on the blog, I'm not offended you have an opinion that I would love to hear.
The point is you read it, you said you read it, therefore it is worth your time!
You say "your doing this just for your team", so begging which is asking for free stuff with nothing of substance in return is a good thing??? So, how is that different than "a f**king bum" how?
You think you'll get the 6 digit job how? By going in somewhere and saying "pay me and I'll show up to the office with your company shirt on"?
I do have to laugh about the BIG words, I try to write very simple and in complete sentences - sorry that is over your head - LOL, that was a joke, no offence!
I don't know how you say 30 years old, I've said it many times I'm 47 years old, I wish I was 30!!!! Is it sad I'm 47, very, I wish I was 19 again - I'm jealous!
I think the saying is "ass from a hole in the ground"? Your d**k sticks out and your ass goes inward - kind of like a hole in the ground - hence the saying!!!!
When you write, why do you only occasionally use capitals and punctuation - I would have thought if you wanted to slam me you would have at least got "Kool-Aid" spelled right???
Seriously, Josh I like your spunk and spirit and the point is to allot of what I'm saying is to get people like you to maybe look at things different and realize that to get your 6 digit job you need to be selling yourself. If you can't sell your website, sell a product or anything like that you'll do a very poor job of selling yourself for that job.
ps when you say your just doing it for your team, that means you know what you did or how you did it wasn't smart and that means your team isn't worth your full efforts - think about how you say things!
Thanks, you gave me something to write about!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Play Or Stay On The Bench
Let me start by introducing myself. Joe refers to me as the Events and Southern Regional VP here at XFuel. I am stationed in Texas and have a team of XFuel reps that work for me. I have not accomplished near what Joe has in his life but I have my many great accomplishments as well. I have grown many companies myself. I have had the great opportunity of managing multiple companies. Along with XFuel I currently am a national account manager for the largest third part IT leasing company in the nation, VAResources Inc. I manage small accounts you may of heard of called DELL, CDW, Ingram Micro, Xerox, and the list goes on and on. By the way I am only 24. How have I done this, because I sold myself. I made people believe in me, I performed beyond their expectations, and I didn't do something someone else couldn't do I did what other people didn't do. I am saying all this not to float my own boat but to establish the point I am about to make.
My main job with XFuel is to build the gaming communities and find the teams that will not just say they want to be a part of XFuel but that actually contribute. In case you guys haven't realized by now but being sponsored by a company isn't just what that company can do for you but also what you can do for the sponsor. Are you truly that foolish to think sponsors give money for no return? This is a business not a charity. Take my team of XFuel reps that work for me here in Texas for example, I don't pay these guys a dime, sure they get a free shirt and I give them a couple bottles of XFuel now and then but there is no pay. So why do they work for me? It's simple, the team I have is a group of older gamers (in their 20's) that work every day jobs but want more for themselves in the future. They see the big picture, they see that XFuel is growing and they see where it can lead them in the future. Stop your foolish thinking about what can XFuel give my team, what can XFuel pay for, and start thinking what can I do that will show XFuel my team is different, my team is dedicated to becoming more than just your average "I want free stuff" team. Joe has been trying to teach you guys this through the blog and some of you continually email us with your desperate "give me free stuff" request. If you are 8 years old I understand you can't grasp the concept but you kids 15+ have to wise up and see the opportunity smacking you in the face.
I am a big gamers myself and no I don't just say I play games I actually play competitively. I have coached many teams, play gamebattles, go to tournaments, MLG events, etc. If you question my gaming check me out on Xbox Live, gamertag TwoLoud. I know how the sponsorship programs work for gaming teams work and all that a sponsors will offer you is a discount on their product, and really how many pair of turtle beach headphones can you buy? Oh by the way they are selling their product and you best believe they are making a profit. Sponsors only give money to big time/pro teams like Str8 Rippin and honestly if you team was of that caliber you wouldn’t be emailing us for a sponsorship and free product, you would have sponsors coming to you. XFuel is doing something different, we are offering you a way to make $dollars that you can use for anything, planes tickets, tournament entry fees, hotel stays, etc. Team e2k (teame2k.net) has sold a lot of XFuel product to pay for their needs and if you were to ask Founder and CEO Legendz which of his sponsors over the years has been the most beneficial he would tell you XFuel, because we have provided a way for him to fund his teams. Really how hard is it to put a banner on your website and tell family, friends, and fans to buy?
So take the sponsorship we are offering through the affiliate program. XFuel will continue to fund teams through the affiliate program, it's your choice to be a part or not. This is an opportunity hitting you in the face what will you do, play or sit your ass on the bench and watch other teams become the stars? Will you be someone that says "I remember when XFuel started that affiliate program, I should of taken them up on that", or will you be the team that says "XFuel has helped me fund my team to the top"?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Xfuel Affiliate program explained - a true partnership
Xfuel's Unlimited Sponsorship affiliate program is where people click on a banner or text-link that you pasted on a site and they are taken to the Xfuel store, when they buy any of our products you make a % of that sale in real $dollars$ that are deposited into your PayPal account.
There is no limit to how much $money$ we deposit into your PayPal account, the more people buy the more you make.
Many of you write to me about becoming "partners" as you like to say (you know I hate that term and expressed that on here before). Well, now with this program we are truely marketing partners, the more effort you put into making Xfuel successful puts more $money$ into your PayPal account. The best part of that is, your don't have to write me a BIG check to me our partner!
Here is how you join the Xfuel Unlimited Sponsorship affiliate program:
1- open a PayPal account
2- go here: http://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantid=24516 and sign up to the program
if you have a website you can paste a banner or text link on it
if you do NOT have a website you can paste just text-links on any forum or website that allows you to paste a URL / link on there, like in your Bios or signatures. On Facebook you go to your Profile and to your Info and where it says website you can paste it there
----Banners are pictures you paste onto a website just like logos that take someone to the Xfuel store
----Text-links are words that are hyperlinks that take someone to the Xfuel store
Tough love toward the younger gneration
How many of you parents get upset seeing your kids sitting there on the computer all day and think, "Hell, I'll be supporting this dam kid till he's 45 at this rate!!!"
How many of you kids (kids to me is under 30 years old) look at where you live today and say "I'll never have my own house, a mercedes and so on - so Frig it, I'll just sit here."
When you work at McDonalds for $8.00 / hr, that means for every hour you flip burgers they think you've worth $8, right?
You sit at home build some great community websites and put 3-4 hours a day into it and recieve $0. That means you should stop doing that and go work at McDonalds, because at least they think you worth $8 an hour - on your own site you are worth NOTHING, NOT 1 SINGLE CENT IF YOU DON"T HAVE MONEY COMING IN FOR YOUR EFFORTS.
I sent this note to a gamer community website owner over the weekend. How he responded doesn't matter because if he can't understand this then all the "NO's" he gets from everyone else he just doesn't get and I feel, obligated to explain my position because someone needs to for a change!
Ok XXX, let's do something, you help me and you get to make money, how does that sound?
I need you to do what is below but let's make one thing clear, real clear. You think your site and your community has some worth, right? Or else you wouldn't be looking for free stuff from people like me. You do what I say below and let's see how much Xfuel you sell? Because if you do your job and tell people to buy it, not this lame shit of "Here is a banner to your site see what I did" - that does shit! But tell your people to buy it and if they don't then you'll really see what your site is worth to sponsors - nothing. I'm not being hard or mean, just giving you the facts real straight and honest.
Look you obviously put your heart and soul into this site and looks it, it's very nice but if all you want is a place to spend all your free time and that assumes your time is wroth ZERO dollars, then that's your choice to make. If you think your site is worth something like this site www.offshoreonly.com is then you need to show sponsors / whoever that your site generates money. Please go to www.offshoreonly.com you may not like it, think it's stupid, etc, etc but I know the people that started it and sold it for millions, yes millions of dollars 2 years ago!
You will say, "My site is better, nicer blah, blah, blah" but there site made money for it's advertisers therefore it had value - no sales / no worth.
Like the movie Wall Street "This is your wake up call Bud Fox"
1 - go to my blog www.xfuel.blogspot.com and read all of them for like 2 weeks back
2 - go here http://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantid=24516 sign up to be an affiliate of ours and posts our banners on whatever sites you have.
That is how you help me, show me the banners and I'll send you a shirt
Joe Gere
Ps I admire everything you've done so far, very good but you won't get where you want to go with your approach.
Monday, October 26, 2009
I bet on you the gamers - read this PLEASE!
In case you haven’t it goes like this, 2 Wall Street type brothers make a bet.
The bet is you take a common criminal and switch him with a successful businessman and the common criminal will become a successful businessman in the right environment and the successful businessman will resort to crime once he's lost his rich environment and friends.
Funny movie!!
Anyway, Howie and I had a similar bet - oh pay the dollar you cheap bastard you lost! Howie said we announce a sale with a limited number of Xfuel cases available (the email you got from him, hush hush the other day) and tell people to buy Xfuel cheap and go sell it in person to friends etc and make money – he said people will do it.
Me being the arrogant ass that I am said, people won’t do that, you can’t make people want to change who they are and do something they are uncomfortable with and most people are not at ease with face to face or telephone selling – just won’t result in any current customers going out and suddenly buying 3 boxes just to sell it.
The results, the sales we got were from the same people for the most part that buy at least 3 boxes and sell it that way anyway. So, why did they order when Howie sent them a note was simple – Howie said “buy it now for a limited time” and they did.
That however was not the bet but did prove again some people want to do something and just need the push to rationalize it and will do it; they wanted to buy it and just couldn’t pull the trigger.
The reason the people that don’t normally buy that much didn’t buy was simple, they don’t want to sell it that way and no pushing, tempting or prodding will change that.
This is why we launched the affiliate program, because many of you like me or our founder Frozenghost001 are not comfortable trying to “sell” something to someone. If given the choice of sell these in person and on the phone and make $100,000 a year or dig a ditch for $40,000 a year – most people dig the ditch that is a FACT!
Our Xfuel affiliate program lets you do both, you get to sell and you don’t have to pick-up a phone or worry about stuttering like I did face to face – you can promote Xfuel on all your sites, You Tube channels etc and tell people to buy it and make money.
Example: I drink and Xfuel and it works for me, I get energized, I encourage you to put down the Monster or 5Hr Energy and buy product from the people who really support, care and are gamers themselves.
Was that so hard? NO, you can do that, can’t you? I bet you can think of a lot of creative ways to express that to people all over the web – that is the kind of selling everyone can do – right? Yes, even you can do that and remember you need to tell people to buy it.
Now, Howie you cheap F*ck pay me my dollar!!!!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A little lesson on how to sell anything
I seen something on a facebook page the other day about a couple scrawny kids from Frozenghost001's high school who were bragging about how much weight they were benching. Let me tell you, I used to start my squat workouts with 400 lbs!!!! What these kids were writing was for one thing only - impress all the girls on there!!!! You know bull sh*t when you read it like on that Monster / CokeACola can!
Anyway, I sent a video out to some of our team that someone whose shirts are on our site for sale made and this is what they sent back as constructive criticism:
- I'm not being mean because I like you guys, I think you guys can have a future in this but you can't think people are stupid! I looked your site and you have a "donate" button - how many people out of the goodness of their heart click there and donate?????
If you had our affiliate banner there they could say with 100% confidence and conviction, which XXX you worry about "Your buying energy drinks today any way, why not buy them from us here at XXX. By clicking through the Xfuel link banner on here you are buying a quality product that we use ourselves and know that it works 100%! Every time you buy Xfuel or one of those cool shirts the teams have for sale we at XXX make a little money and that helps us to bring you the quality videos that we do. If your enjoy watching us, help support us, buy from us and not the big companies that do nothing for people like us"
My lesson for the day - If you believe in the product don't be afraid, tell people to buy it and be honest why you want them to buy!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sponsorship opportunities from Xfuel
Some of you others, well not so sure about you?
Our list of people that want to be sponsored is in the thousands!!!! YES THOUSANDS!!!
I briefly touched on the affiliate thing here and let you read the press release and I am shocked, floored and just plain disappointed at something!
In 24 hours we have affiliates from almost every corner of the globe and we have very few of you gamers - in fact some people who absolutely begged for it are not signed up.
As a person who raced boats for a living (yes, sponsors paid our company and this was my job after I retired) you can go to http://www.offshoreonly.com/ and read all about "Habana Joe" Gere, we had sponsors who paid big money, 7 digits per year! Here is one of the boats we brought below, notice the number 1 - when you loose that #1 expect the money to start going as well.
Do you people really know what sponsors expect, like a major wine company or a now billion dollar clothing company???? You don't have a friggin clue what it takes!!!!!
I not trying pee on your parade but what Xfuel is offering you is a no brain-er and takes so little effort on your part that you would have to be brain dead to not take advantage of this!!!!
If you can't paste a link or banner on your site and tell some people to buy it, how the hell do you think you could ever do like my wife did for us (she made all the arrangements for our sponsors and their customers)!!!!!!
My wife booked hotel rooms in the US and Europe for 40 people, 22 times a year, had to arrange dinner reservations for parties of 30-50 people in restaurants all over the globe months in advance and hope the food was good or your sponsors and their customers are friggin pissed at you and want to fire you!!!
Rental cars, sightseeing trips for wives and girlfriends that traveled with us, call TV people, magazine people and send them gifts fruit baskets etc to get coverage for our boats, look for charities in towns we went to and go to events for sick kids, cancer awareness, etc - this was what you do for your sponsorship dollars!!! Push, push, push and then push more to get the name out there again and again and again - and you have to win and be on that podium!
You guys say "Sponsor me and I'll wear your tee shirt to a LAN Tournament", unless your wearing that shirt and directing people to your affiliate site and telling them BUY IT - you have no idea if what your doing is worth 5 cents to anyone.
You know what, I NEVER SAW A DIME off how many pairs of jeans a boat was responsible for selling nor anything else!!!!
Xfuel is telling you, NO I am, I'm telling you if you have a half brain in your head you'd sign up for the program push Xfuel, make money and learn that if you can make money with Xfuel - then there are 100 more companies that you can do the same things with and make a living doing it.
This is not about you just selling Xfuel it is you getting off your lazy friggin ass, doing something other than sweating over a go nowhere website and learning to start an REAL on-line business and then learn how to expand that into a career so you don't have to drive a truck like I did.
I asked and I asked the Diesel jeans people (Renzo) to be exact to let me bring the brand to the US - I got a big fat F**KING NO!!!!
If they would have allowed me to, I'd be flying my own G-3 private jet by now!!!
OK, I'm done for now, but gamers don't pass this up, this is the real deal and these things don't happen too often to young people and to have a mentor to start you like I want to for free - priceless!
Thanks,
Joe Gere
Friday, October 23, 2009
What the Frig is an affilate program?
I talked about we are getting an affiliate program together for Xfuel and what does that mean to you? It is a very easy way for you to make money. How much money depends on you and how clever you are.
An affiliate program works like this - you go to our store website http://www.shop.drinkxfuel.com/ and click on the affiliate sign up link. You then have to sign up with our affiliate so you can accept payments (this is free) and they will guide you to where the banners are. You copy the banner codes and paste them on your websites, Facebook and anywhere else you can. Every time someone clicks on those banners and goes through and makes a purchase at our store - you get money up to 30% of the total sale.
Our old test program was based on codes that had to be entered and many of you were not good at telling people go here and use the code "xxx" when checking out.
This is a much simpler system and all you have to do is tell people click here buy stuff and help support this site - believe me people know your making some money on it. Also, if you buy stuff through the site yourself you'll get all that money right back so you save 30% on your purchases - pretty slick right?
Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and hints.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A Unique Opportunity For You To Make Money Today
Xfuel taking on the job crisis Shot By Shot
Xfuel is taking it to the next level with an affiliate program that is unprecedented in the gaming space. The little gaming drink company that could, is saying no to youthful joblessness, and scarring of the young gaming generation due to the decline in unemployment and saying yes to teaching young people how to be bring an entrepreneurial freshness and vitality to the world of affiliate marketing. The formula is simple young people have the ability to sell a best in class energy product, Xfuel and their own apparel to friends, family and anyone else wanting a quality product, and earn a nice profit.
The new affiliate program is rumored to be paying higher than industry standards for products like their Xfuel Xtreme Energy shots. When asked why Xfuel is doing an affiliate program, Joe Gere replied “Do you have any idea the amount of emails we get daily asking for sponsorships due to the lack of funds these kids have? Like most companies we have a surplus of deserving candidates but a limited number of sponsorships, we decided to help teams be able to fund themselves and control their destiny by selling Xfuel and their own co-branded apparel. With the money they earn they don’t need a sponsorship and the restrictions that come with one. We make them entrepreneurs!”
Marketing Director Howard Panes Says "What better way than to teach young people how to make money than by using the internet which they are comfortable with and have grown up on. They use the web daily for both school and to socialize with friends on and Xfuel is going to offer a weekly coaching program to teach the affiliate marketing skills needed to maximize what they already do everyday on facebook, myspace, gaming forums, blogs and more and convert those experiences into cash dollars".
Their Xfuel blog which is full of ideas, lessons and some humorous stories (defiantly not for the faint of heart and does tell it like it is) has eluded for awhile now that something like this is brewing. You can see by the tone of the daily posts that Xfuel is about trying to give something back but not in the way of handouts. Its makes reference to the fact that its readers are spending money on these types of products regardless and they might as well be able to support themselves in the process. Why spend money with people that do nothing for you in return?
The addition of Team, Clan or Website clothing started a couple months ago with a beta test involving Respawn Radio a gamer podcast stable. Xfuel’s Director of Graphic Design, Greg Perri expanded on this with, “We’ve seen that many of our customers have great websites, designs, logos etc and the desire to sell these designs on shirts but lack the capital, printing facilities and credit card processing to be able to really sell them on a national level. We are partnering with these groups and allowing them to get into the apparel business with zero dollars, no money what so ever by using our in-house printing facilities. The goods are sold through our affiliate program they make around 30% on them and life is good for everyone involved!”
Xfuel is the creation of Alex Gere, Austin Gere and friend Nick Panes. Xfuel is a 2oz. Xtreme Energy Shot that tastes great and promises to take your game to the Next Level by increasing your energy, awareness, focus and stamina, all the things Gamers need to defeat their competition. Xfuel is packed with energy and Vitamins B3, B6, B12 and Vitamin C with zero calories, zero sugars and zero cholesterol. Xfuel is blended, bottled, printed and packaged in the United States of America.
Contact:
Jennifer Gere c/o
Xfuel
615 S Livingston Ave
Livingston, NJ 07039
973-992-8670
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
My failed entrepreneur experiment
I write this because I received a note about the blog from someone that thinks my writings are brilliant and he made me laugh with that remark!
Anyway, I do what I'm doing here to make money, yes, but more so to give you young people some good lessons and hopefully make some money as well - like I said see above I taught this in a University!
First day of summer class I start with the regular professor and he asks me to teach the kids about business, the web, fashion, yada, yada, yada. Second day of class he announces he's going to Italy for the rest of the summer and I'm taking over and if I can help him grade finals as well.
Think about this, as parents your paying real big money to send your kids to this school and the professor walks out and goes to Italy and leaves me there with no agenda nothing and I have wing the whole thing - WOW, these kids got a lesson and a few cruses and yelled at's that they never got in school before!
I survived and we plan to do this again in the fall and we're going to launch a clothing line that can continue to generate money for the school - sound like a good lesson, right?
The kids were lost, we wasted too much time on a name and logo, that was important to them not the clothing. It was really reveling how unprepared these students were that when they did not get their way for a name they pouted - like babies and didn't perform - GOD help them in the job market!
This pattern continued and continued until I was at the breaking point but kept pushing on. When the 2 students that had to work with the graphic arts people on small project for the fashion show kept failing (like designs for shirt graphics!!), I stormed into the graphic arts dept and told the professor my problem and we got two young women or girls as they turned out be to help with designs.
They had a few nice concepts and then they hit me with a contract for their services that would have come from Gucci not two young students with no experience, no designs sold, not a thing on the street!!!! I respond with a "Are you friggin out of your mind?" and after a couple emails I find out the art professor gave them a fashion contracts handbook and told them or helped them draft this "industry standard" contact that grants them residuals for life!!!!
Needless to say I blasted her and then got a letter from the Dean that I went into her class drunk because my speech was slurred! Everyone knew I stuttered and everyone else knows I can't drink with all my medications. I was thinking about suing under Amercian's with Disabilities Act and so on and just decided - SCREW it and the kids who just don't want to work and called the project over because two weeks before the show we still had no designs, no name and the kids still fought and 25% don't show up for class because they took it for credits only and nothing else and the early morning classes were full of hang-over leftovers!
I brought in guy who owns a young mans clothing company that sells well in the US and Europe with bag full of designs that sold only in Europe and we could have them FREE as a present to the school and he would ship us the small quantities we needed to start this line after the show. Even when we voted on designs to use for our show, people refused to vote - I told them "You have to choose, you have to rank them". Amazing, in an open environment they couldn't say a word, after class I get emails about what was good and what was not - nuts right?
I still talk to a few of them, those that wanted to learn learned, the others, well it will take them along time to figure why they don't have good jobs yet or never will!
So, to that person from FL, this is why I'm doing what I'm doing now. The work world sucks, schools prepare only the chosen few for the real world and most of you get pushed by and out the door and left to wonder aimlessly.
Maybe a small drink company can help change that, I have to try?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
BREAKING NEWS - the GXL & Xfuel
If you host any in person tournaments and want to really "partner" with us here's your chance, reach out to us and let us show you how to make money for your organizations!
Xfuel and theGXL have partnered together to bring you the biggest LAN Party that GXL has ever hosted. Over 768 gamers slated to attend and Xfuel we be on hand with our Guitar Hero trailer to hand out samples and prizes for high scores.
This is a benefit event and theGXL is selling Xfuel to help benefit the Millville Rescue Squad. Please don’t buy those other brands that give nothing to the cause, unless theGXL is selling it the monies are not going to the Millville Rescue Squad. The event is going to be the biggest event the east coast has seen in a long time and starts on October 30th – if you’re within driving distance be a part of this great event.
GXL will host Counterstrike Source and Left 4 Dead as a major of the gaming events. The GXL has a history of putting on great events that sell out so hurry up! Check them out at www.theGXL.com.
Past GXL Events:
April 25th - 27th, GXL 256 Man LAN - Sold Out
February 27th - 29th, GXL 256 Man LAN - Sold
OutOctober 22nd - 24th, GXL 512 Man LAN - Sold Out
February 18th - 20th, GXL Mini LAN - Sold Out
TheGXL was established on February 27th, 2004, as a collaboration of local gaming clans and organizations in the DE, NJ, and PA area with over 30 years of LAN party experience. TheGXL's goal is to institute the largest and most exciting LANs on the East Coast. Those facts coupled with the amazing cooperation theGXL has received exclusively from the Millville Rescue Squad have given theGXL a once in a lifetime opportunity to utilize their 45,000 square foot bay for this and future (larger) events. Currently, all proceeds earned by theGXL benefit the Millville Rescue Squad.
Xfuel is the creation of Alex Gere, Austin Gere and friend Nick Panes. Xfuel is a 2oz. Xtreme Energy Shot that tastes great and promises to take your game to the Next Level by increasing your energy, awareness, focus and stamina, all the things Gamers need to defeat their competition. Xfuel is packed with energy and Vitamins B3, B6, B12 and Vitamin C with zero calories, zero sugars and zero cholesterol. Xfuel is blended, bottled, printed and packaged in the United States of America.
Contact:
Jennifer Gere c/o
Xfuel
615 S Livingston Ave
Livingston, NJ 07039
973-992-8670
I helped the XDAO Project guys team out with few shirts which are now for sale at our store http://shop.drinkxfuel.com/XDAO-Project_c8.htm and want to share with you they are a diverse group of kids, race, religion you name it but they work together - that's nice chalk one up for video gamers being able to over come anything - adults should take a lesson from kids like this!
Next, if you watch the Raw Game Play video from Saturday you see another team of guys who were part of the episode on Saturday. When I started talking to them the one with big mouth doing all the talking says to me after I asked, are there any prizes or anything says, "No, you think we're pretty stupid for coming as far away as PA for this, don't you?"
He wasn't being smart ass just looking at an older person and saying "Yea, I'm wasting my time you don't have to rub it in." He did explain that he was waiting to get into John J to become a cop and that him and some of his team mates don't have jobs and can't find any.
He made me upset, that he would think I looked at him as a loser!!!! If you read this, your not a loser - look at how you got on that video and talked - you were a king!
Don't feel sorry for yourself people, you have lots of talents, don't sell yourself short, your probably smarter than I am you just don't know what to do with what you have.
We should be making the affiliate announcement here any day and in a day or two I'll start explaining how that works, start showing you how you can see real money from joining with us and being a true partner in the profits of Xfuel!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Don't be fooled people host tournaments for one thing - money!
The story, I'm waiting for the person to hand off the shirts to to show up - oh if you tell someone 10:00 am that means you f&cking be there at 9:45 as to not be late and not 10:30. Lesson 103 for you - don't be late, it ain't fashionable!!!! If I didn't find a parking spot you would have had NO shirts!
I'll try to continue now, as I said I parked go upstairs look around and find the Tournament Director, nice guy I thought??? Explain who I am and maybe we could be involved with some other events of his??? Again, dumb ass Joe sticks out the hand of kindness first.
Later he's walking around and finds me and says politely that he can't sell drinks in here because the concessions have to go through the bowling alley - again nice Joe says "I understand, no problem".
So, a team member shows up and I hand him a bunch of shirts and the Tournament Director literally tears ass over to us (about 12 people near by) and starts ripping me a new A-hole about coming "into his house" and "doing this stuff, it's wrong and get the heck out of here go down to the street!"
This goes back and forth, I just don't know what he's yelling about, can't get a thought out of my head while he's bitching because I'm just so floored - "what did I do wrong, speak in a complete sentence, what's wrong???"
"I'm explaining, these are the kids teams shirts, you mean they can't wear team shirts?". He's getting pissy now with "let me see those shirts, you can't give out your shirts here, this is my event, you got some nerve."
Finally, he realizes the teams logo is on front and there are sponsors on there as well but he's still mad and had it not been for the fact that now a crowd has gathered he would have not let the team have their shirts because there were names on there that he doesn't make money off of!!!!
People and read this and absorb what I'm saying to you here - These people, companies, promoters they just want your money. What difference would it make if I was giving out free stuff to people at his tournament???? What would it hurt if some people went home and said, "hey this guys runs a great tournament, people were there handing out free stuff, we should go to more of his events"
There are 20 people who are now going to tell other people that this guy is an A-HOLE and doesn't want anyone to get anything for free!!!!!
Our affiliate links should be working soon and then like I told people there today - you spend money on Red Bull, Monster, see empty 5Hr bottles there to and they give you nothing back, spend the same money with us, help make money for yourself and continue to support your sport & yourselves!!!!
I've seen a video from Saturday and I don't want to say where I saw it but, now I know who this guy was - I have approached him more than once about doing something for his tournaments without any success - I guess he likes it the way it is????
Sunday, October 18, 2009
My story
Some of you people just need to belong to something so bad it breaks my heart; I just don’t have the money to help you all. I’ll tell you my story.
When I was young I loved to fish and was fortunate enough that my father had a small boat and I lived to fish (don’t forget there were no video games, computers etc when I was 13 years old). Long story short I stuttered very bad and I had a job washing peoples boats mostly the bigger boats who could afford to pay someone. I used to take a train from Perth Amboy, NJ to Belmar NJ everyday during the summer to clean boats at 13 yrs old by myself. I made about $500 a week when I hustled from boat to boat with tips and extras. I worked my ass off!!!
I really thought because I couldn’t talk to people well that I needed to do work like that, I could only work with my hands, not my mouth – pretty sad and full of self-pity. One day I met someone who changed my life; he reads this so he knows who he is. He gave me a full time job working on their boat and I still did the free lance but most of my time was spent with his boat. After I graduated High School he steered me toward a trade college because I wouldn’t go to regular college, had the grades and brains just didn’t like the whole college scene, I was a very loner type. Had there been Xbox Live I would have lived on it!!!!
When I read some of your stories I’m reminded of myself and I see some of that same maybe unconfident streak in my kids as well today.
Anyway, as a present he helped my parents and I get started running our own cross country trucks when I was 17 yrs old – he taught me business at an early age. I can go on and on but the story turned out well, I’ve had ups and downs but I can say we did well, have 3 great kids and a beautiful wife of 24 years!
People what I’m doing for you is giving you the same type of chance I was given. I’m giving you the way to help fund yourself by selling your tee-shirts and our drinks, letting you use your brains and your ability to network on the web behind the computer screen and not live in the back of a tractor trailer unless you want to.
Let me tell you, I love trucking, I still get excited by a big KW with an 86” studio on it, give me the KTTA 650 in my old Pete and I was a happy camper!!
Nothing wrong with a trade, I did it for years but so many of you have such god given raw talent, put it to use and try to make money without breaking your ass. You can make your money on the web and dig ditches because you like to and want the exercise!!!!
Thank you for allowing me to share this with you all!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
How to partner with someone
Also, how many of you would like an approach like this for your websites?
Xfuel is a small start-up company, we are less than one year old and we are funded privately with our personal money. We see a huge opportunity in the BMX field for our products which we did not realize until we came to the first race the other week and met some great people. The full size carbonated beverages that dominate the energy drink market are not well suited to the BMX racers and to be honest anything with massive amounts of sugar is not all that good to begin with. Even with limited riders taking the drinks we found a high degree acceptance for the product.
We would like to entertain partnering with you for the 2010 season and here is what we had in mind in instead of a traditional sponsor package. Xfuel would become the official “racers or riders” drink of XXX; the XXX through their website and other means would promote Xfuel and encourage its member riders to purchase Xfuel at one of two places.
The first place being on the web through the XXX website where there would be an affiliate widget on every page. The XXX would openly tell its membership that “The XXX has partnered with Xfuel and for every dollar spent with Xfuel some of that money goes directly back to helping the XXX support you the riders/racers”. Xfuel is prepared to pay a XX% commission to the XXX for every bottle sold through that site or their affiliate sites.
The second way we expect Xfuel to be purchased is through concessions stands at the XXX race tracks. The XXX would tell the tracks, “To please buy and re-sell Xfuel and that the XXX has a deal for the tracks to buy Xfuel at wholesale prices and YES, the XXX will make small commission off of every bottle sold as well to help support the organization in non-fixed rate sponsorship plan”. We will pay the XXX a X% broker fee on all BMX track side sales and the tracks will still be around a XX% margin which will be in-line with their normal margins on other products as well.
This is very simple approach and is no different than Cub Scouts or any school fund raiser. The BMX community is and will continue to buy and drink energy drinks just like people will buy cookie or candy bars. You need to pitch it to your members and tell them that by spending their dollars with Xfuel we the XXX gets money back to help keep you the riders, racing. We as Xfuel will come to some national events with the Xfuel trailer, give out some samples, shirts etc and show support. We will not be at every major event as we simply do not have to funds required to do these things. In time with this partnership and continued sales we will most certainly be able to give back more to the XXX in way of merchandising support.
I hope you will review my offer and take it under serious consideration, I know it is not what you traditionally look for in a sponsorship. However, we feel this type of sponsor / partnership will put you in a better position to have more money at the end of the year than a flat rate deal. As the sponsor since we do not have to examine whether or not this had a good enough return for us to continue it can stay in place as long as you want it.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Xfuel Seeking Partnership Right Now!
Sunday is my birthday and there will be special piece I wrote, but I need to lead up to that because I think young people today are just getting stupider by the minute.
What the f**k do you people think it takes to start and run a business? Yesterday, after that picture of me was published here I got a call from one of you asking about "wow, that was great how did you do that?"
How the hell do you think we did it - someone gave us a break and we took it and ran at 150 mph with it - da!!!!
What is pissing me off to no end is we're having a hard time finding a partner - yes a real fu*kin partner to take over our web shit that has a clue how to make cool shit. You know build the new store, site, take over, driving traffic, etc, etc and everyone keeps bowing out. We need to keep growing and want to reward the people that take us there.
Think real hard about this if someone gave you 1% of a $100,000,000 company you have $1,000,000. Take a brand like 5 Hr energy worth $1,000,000,000 and your 1% is worth $10,000,000.
Not that I would offer someone as little as 1% but for building some web shit which is easy for some of you people. To do what you do naturally, have a commission deal on web sales and equity over a time period and - are you crazy or stupid not to take that?
How long do you have to work at McDonalds to see $1,000,000, most people will never see that money - some of you or your parents buy lottery tickets every week for years and win their piss ass $25 once in awhile - I give you a lottery ticket that you have a say in whether or not it wins and your shit scared to take a chance and do a little work on a hope and a prayer.
What the hell is a lottery ticket - someone that reads this has got to have great web skills - step-up and be an owner in Xfuel and help yourself drive a Ferrari like I do!!!!
I'm pissed now, take advantage of my pissed-offness while you can - once in a life time offer for the right person that has big balls and likes to gamble!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Xfuel and BMX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7OZfA-sLfE&feature=sub
We met the track GM at Raceway Park when we were there with the WRAT, I gave him a box of Xfuel and told him sell it at the concession stand - what I here it never made it there????? anyway stopped over there and nothing, no don't want to sell it, too much money blah, blah, blah!!!!
Fast forward 2 months and they are having this big race there and they want us there with the Guitar Hero trailer to entertain the kids between races and we can sell Xfuel if we want. Why I went after they treated us like crap at first - don't ask, my head said don't go but my heart said go - we went.
Here's a few things I learned yesterday:
- Riders don't drink Monster or Red Bull when they're racing - why? The carbonated products give them gas and how much they need to drink makes them pee!
- Pro-Riders (people who race for money) get crap for being sponsored ie a bike frame, a shirt, some free products as long as you take what I give which is leftover crap
- For the most part the riders buy products from everyone who does not support them
Sound familiar - it should, not to different than the gamers.
On a plus note we did give out a bunch of drinks and the riders liked Xfuel and thought it did a good job as you saw in the video.
Once again we proved that everyone seems to have one common ground and that is the love of video games. Some people don't like the guitar games they want COD, ODST etc but still they love and play games.
So, I talked with some of them what I've been driving at here with you all and that is funding yourselves through web sales - they seem to want to do it as do many of you.
I'm going to be going off the code thing we have now and going to a straight affiliate deal where you just push the product and have them click through your site - I can tell you we will payout more than you think. I want to really push this hard with those of you that want to - stay tuned more to come.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Today, I'm very happy to see people are getting it
I’ve had several talks with one group in particular XDAO Project and I have to tell you they get it. We’ve had some rough spots in our negations as I can plain and simple be an ass because like I said, it’s always about money. Everything needs to be funded and things don’t get funded on love, like, lust or good will.
Anyway, XDAO (I hope they don’t mind me using their name), doesn’t want to be another gaming website with no direction as you all don’t want to be; they understand a couple basic things and can articulate them well:
1 – It takes money to do what they want to
2 – Nobody is just going to hand them money
3 – They need to make money to support themselves
They came at me with a different approach, an approach I’ve done with a few people / teams but many of them just lose interest. It’s not hard to make money it just takes persistence and sometimes doing things you’re not comfortable with.
XDAO shares the vision that you the gamers should be spending your money within the gaming circles and not with people who do nothing for you. They want us to do a tee shirt program with them featuring some of their artists, so they can make money off that and fund their sponsorships and expansion. They also want to be distributors of Xfuel which means they commit to large Xfuel purchases and make Xfuel available to their teams to push out for sale.
They explained it very simple, our members buy energy drinks all the time and they buy brands that give nothing back to them in any way what so ever. At least if we distributed the products and weren’t pigs then everyone can make a little money and we in turn have money to give back – that’s more than Monster will do for us – think about that!
In case you’re thinking “I can buy Red Bull for less than $3 a can, why should I spend $3 for a shot?” The amount of energy we have is equal to 2 ½ cans of Red Bull, so when you buy 3 cans of Red Bull it’s a lot more than 1 Xfuel!
Today, I’m very happy to see people are getting it.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
In case you don't get the point that not everything is instinct
Do want to relate some comments I’ve gotten to sometime that happened today at my regular job. One of our techs / drivers had a death in the family and had to take today off and go to PA with the family so I drove his truck today because thank god we were busy for a change!!!
I got to work side by side with a young tech of ours, only 22 yrs old who’s been with us for 6 months. I have to tell you I really like this kid, clean, well spoken, quite, respectful – really good with the customers.
From day one I knew he wasn’t really all that familiar with what we do and how things go together because almost every job of ours is different. Well today when he showed up with all the prepped parts or un-prepped as this case maybe – I was less than pleased. When I saw what he had done, it was all wrong, maybe not wrong but not to my non-tolerant of anything but perfect standards.
I must have beat him down for 15 minutes while we worked through the issues – what the F**K were you thinking, how F**King stupid could you have been – I loose my temper. To top it off he’s a gamer which pissed me off even more thinking but not saying, “see what video games do to you, make you stupid”.
After we figured out a plan I calmed down and put my arm around him and told him, look I’m sorry, I know you’ve never really done this before and I expected just too much from you – now here are all the things that could have been done better and here is why doing it this way is better! Someone has to teach you, you didn't tie your shoes all by yourself - did you Einstein?
My point to all this, I got more than one note expressing that if teams are that stupid that they don’t know what to do or what people want then they should get SHIT – F**K’em !
Well just like this kid today, I realized that he was just never taught what to do; partly my fault should have spent more time with him, etc, etc. The truth is during the busy days you have no time and on slow days there’s nothing to show him – you / me / we, need to take the time and teach people what to do. Yes, even if it is how to market yourself or your service.
In my case here, I’m trying to teach gamers how to make a buck, will it help me – bet your ass it will!!! Have I given back in support, swag, product and pure entertainment value – Frigg’in A Right I have. Most of all it will them / you do two things, understand about being a better entrepreneur and put some $$$$ in your pocket as well - not so bad!
SO TO YOU THAT THINK PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW IT ALL – here’s me at 21 yrs old and somebody taught me – was this or is this going to be you at 21??? Not bragging but very few people could accomplish that in just 4 years out of high school. Stay tuned for this story in a day or two!
Monday, October 12, 2009
I'm wrong about what advertisers want, really read this an weep!
Find USA Today Oct 6, 2009 on page 3B you’ll see a story called ‘Gourmet’ falls victim to ad slump. The Gourmet started in 1941 the nation’s oldest food magazine is closing, despite a circulation of 980,000 last year ads were down 50% - advertisers were not seeing a return on what they spent with the magazine– that freakin simple people!
Hard cold reality check, not one of you people, clans, teams, websites has a real circulation of almost 1 million people who pay money to read or see anything you have to offer on a daily basis – face if they can’t do it, well you figure the rest out if your smart enough.
Conde Nast is also closing Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie and earlier this year killed Portfolio and Domino!
Check the stock market around that day also, the market was rebounding a little based on some good earnings – which in case you don’t get it, earning were from cuts in overhead and not increased sales – that means they spent less on things like ads to sell the same amount of product, hence better earnings.
Again, with all that going on how the hell do you think your going to get money to support your causes when you have little to offer compared to major magazines that are on news stands around the entire country?????
Short story, there is website www.undergroundclans.com who contacted me about sponsorship as all you do, I went off on him about everything I wrote in the last couple days which gave me the inspiration to write all that down. He has a couple great graphic designs, I offered to make him shirts like I do for Respawn and sell my drinks to make money – we’re working the deal out now.
My point with all this, Xfuel has been trying to help some of you make the money you need to support yourselves by standing on your own two feet, trying to turn you into real internet or direct sales machines where you earn money and put whatever you Fu*king want on your shirts and travel to Bum F**K if you want to play in their tournament – BUT too many of you just don’t want to get off your ass – you want people to give you something for nothing because what you think you have isn't really worth much at all!!!!
People you need to spend your money with the people that in turn support you and become the entrepreneurs that you already started becoming.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
What do you have in common with Howard Stern or I guess don't have???
Advertisers are the people who pay you to endorse / promote their products.
Get a warm blankie and cuddle up its Freakin’ Story time!
Long ago when Howard Stern (if you don’t know who he is, look up “Howard Stern Snapple) was on AM radio in NY (Yea, don’t say it, in the stone age you young azzholes!!!) he had a small audience, appealed to only a select few people who were just tired of the same old same old, he wasn’t real popular and made a modest living at best.
Here is your business education fact.
When the radio station landed Snapple as an advertiser it was a huge break for Howard that changed his earning potential forever, Howard became a commodity. Howard would get on the air and tell people to buy Snapple, have these long in depth almost non-commercial commercials about Snapple and do you know what? People bought Snapple, and they bought more and more Snapple.
The fact that Howard could not just promote, or give Snapple exposure as you teams say you can – he made people buy it. YES, F*ckin A Right he told them to buy and they did. It wasn’t long before Howard told listeners to buy other products and they did as well – the money making machine was born!
It’s simple; the more Snapple sales went up because of Howard the more the station could charge for ads, the more money Howard could make and so on. Pretty soon other stations all wanted Howard, not because his audience was so large (yes, it was growing) it was because everyone wanted someone who could earn more money from advertisers than the other radio hosts could.
This kiddy’s is economics 101, if you have the ability to make money for your advertisers, you can demand more money for your services!!!!
Take a lesson from Howard Stern stop asking advertisers for money instead ask them, “let us show you or make a deal where for a % of sales how we can drive sales to your company”. If you can drive sales your advertisers would be more than happy to give you money and I bet after 6 months of continued sales you can get retainer moneys also. No one in their right mind would not pay you something if you can without doubt show them a revenue stream from being with you – you now have an ROI to show your advertisers.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
How not to be an idiot when talking to sponsors!
When people ask a sponsor such as me for money so that they can put our logo onto their shirts and websites or go and represent us – what are you really saying to me???
What you should be saying is, “Hey Joe, by investing in our team the money you spend will come back to you 5 fold and here are numbers that prove that our sponsors have seen significant gains in sales since they have been associated with us”.
Incase the Monster propaganda has diluted your brains, that means for every dollar I spent with you I will get back 5 more from sales that you helped push to me somehow”
That sounds great - right?
But, what most of you say is, “hey Joe, give us money and we will help make your brand and give you exposure by being part of our team.”
If you don’t see a difference you’re an idiot, plain and simple.
Ah, money that what’s it all about, Xfuel needs to sell drinks to make money and then we can spend more money on people who make money for us – get it – very freakin simple – why they don’t teach like this in school I have no idea?
So, even the big brands like Monster in the last 6 months have cut back sponsor dollars in big way. We personally know an Xgame gold medalist who lost mid 6 figure sponsor deals with Monster – why? He may be great at what he does but he doesn’t have loyal fans that do what he tells them to do.
What the frig is Joe saying? If I told you to eat shit, would you? Of course not!!!! If I gave you a free bottle of Xfuel and said drink it, you would do it on the spot – right?
There’s the difference, if you can make people do something they wouldn’t do on their own then your value to sponsors is off the charts!!!!!!!
More on this tomorrow I’m going somewhere good with this.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Why do most teams and bands fail to stay together?
Money keeps everything together, all most everyone one of you is a volunteer of some sort. You keep your websites up and going because you love it, you get onto a team because at first you like all the players and they all seem committed to winning.
It sounds familiar, right? It’s just like every rock band that starts out in someone’s garage; we have great hopes and lots of skills and then money rips it apart – why is that?
If the team or band had money they could do lots of things like practice more because, well they really need it, they suck at that point – who’s kidding who???
They could buy better controllers or guitars etc but for now they use what they have and get jealous of other teams/bands with better stuff – just human nature nothing to be ashamed of!!
They could afford to travel together and show up at tournaments where they can prove themselves similar to bands paying their own way to go to battle of bands nights to get recognition – see it’s all the same.
They could build a better website, make flyers, and promote themselves – if only we had MONEY!!!!!
If teams or bands could do all of that above and not worry about going to work to pay for a car, house, food, clothing etc, etc and just do all the things above – do you think more of you would stay together and maybe be like the Rolling Stones – playing together and making money for 40 years??????
So, really most teams just want money and nothing else because if they had money they wouldn’t need sponsors, they would do what they need to do to get ahead and stay together.
I know I said know what you want and ask for it and I want you to, but you also need to understand what your worth in real dollars – we’ll get there in due time.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
If your going to ask for something don't be stupid at least read the friggin Menu first!!!
Here’s my thought for today, you know I get requests everyday for sponsorships (because most of you sent them to me). Every team, clan, internet pod cast, you tube channel, etc all want to be sponsored.
What exactly does “sponsored” mean???
This seems to be a hard thing for most of you gamers to articulate, I hear responses like this:
- We want to be associated with Xfuel
- We want to have the Xfuel logo on our jerseys
- We want to be an Xfuel team and travel to tournaments for you
- We want to be on the Xfuel website, we want Xfuel to be on our website
- We want to be partnered with Xfuel
- We just want money to do the things we need to grow our teams
The list goes on and on and I’m going to spend several days on this subject so read, think about it and read what I write again!
It goes back to my son Frozenghost001 and how I believe gaming has helped change the way he goes through life. I think as I get older (47 yrs old in 2 more weeks) I feel myself wanting to give back to this community and here I have a great audience of young people whom many of which have great potential, big enough balls to ask companies for money and some degree of natural internet marketing skills – yet most of you are missing the same couple key ingredients in my mind to succeed in being able to finance their dreams.
I’ll start with, “you need to know what you want before you ask someone for something”
I know this sounds very simple but it’s not, you go into McDonald’s look at the menu, decide what you’re having. When the person behind the counter asks “may I help you”, without hesitation you are able to clearly and concisely ask for a “number 13 meal with a Dr Pepper (for you MLG'ers)”.
When you’re asking me or any other sponsor for something you need to know what you’re asking for and ask for that, you can not say some of the things I listed above – they are too vague!!!!
I can’t read minds, I don’t understand “associated with” or “partnered with”, like I told one team leader, “give me a check for $500,000 and you get 5% of Xfuel and we are now partnered”.
Know what you want to get out of it, ask for it and then you can negotiate.
I have plenty to teach you so sit back, keep reading and then try some of my suggestions – you’ll see a difference!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Monster Assault Energy - the only thing they assault is gamer's Intelligence
Why do I say, "the only thing they assault is gamer Intelligence", read the back of the can:
At Monster we don't get too hung up on politics. We're not for "the war", "against the war", or "any war for that matter".
We put the "camo" pattern on our new Monster Assault can because we think it looks cool. Plus it helps fire us up to fight the big multi-national companies who dominate the beverage business.
Ok, they think your stupid period - Monster is in business to sell drinks and the war doesn't matter to them - DA!!! I can agree with their stance as any smart business would, no sense offending someone if you don't have to.
"We put the camo pattern on ... because we think it looks cool", don't tell me you're all f**kin stupid and believe that one??? they finally realized you gamers exist, not that that's bad but I guess they realized not everyone can ride a skateboard or do back flips on a bicycle! So, since they ignored you for how many years now they think they can get you all back with a little "camo" - please "camo" your lame ass attempts a little better?
The worse one of all fire us up to fight the big multi-national companies who dominate the beverage business - MONSTER fired all their little distributors last year and went with Coke a Cola to be their sole distributor and co-packer. How the F**K is that fighting the big companies you jackass when your with the biggest of the big - what a bunch of liar azzholes.
Monster thinks you gamers are idiots - wake the f**k up will you don't fall for this bullsh*t - they are the big evil guys they just have on camo to help cover it up more!!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
So Guitar Hero is ruining the music business - NOT?
Ok, let's focus on one incident in particular, 2 woman (just what I thought) ride up on a Harley Davidson and get off the bike and for some reason 1 talks to me while the other goes inside for Windmill hot dogs.
She was very nice and asked "what's up here?". Me being me I explain about Xfuel, the WRAT and this is a promotional event and the one playing Guitar Hero now is my son.
Well, she goes off on me about how terrible these fake music games are and yada, yada, yada she goes on, because she a "real" musician (would have never guessed she fancied herself an artist - go figure)
Why do people feel the need to bitch at me with all their problems and concerns about the world and where it's heading - do I of all people look like a friggin shrink?????
Anyway, I say to her "You ever heard the song Jukebox Hero, the boy is inspired to play the guitar based on hearing one lone guitar?"
As usual I get the rant back about the game is not same, doesn't have all the notes, not really playing the music, etc.
I just wanted to say "shut the F**K up, get back on your bike and ride the hell out of here!!"
No, I didn't say that, I explain to her that sales in music stores of real guitars has gone up since these games came out, today's youth is being exposed to music that they haven't played on the radio for 20 years and the stations that do play it certainly don't have this demographic listening. The fact that my son wanted a real electric guitar and takes lesson now along with countless other in our town because of games like this is a GOOD thing!
You know she came around, her and her partner stayed awhile watched thanked us for allowing them to see a different side of video games and rode off into the night.
4 lessons / advice here from this story:
- exposure to music no matter how the kids get it IS A GOOD THING
- playing any of the music games IS A GOOD THING
- once again video games has helped bridge the diversity gap, video games know no color, race, preference or religion it IS A GOOD THING
- parents don't be anal a**holes if your kid wants to play electric guitar and you can afford it - let them!!!! Don't make them learn acoustic guitar first, this is why many kids quit lessons they want to be a JUKEBOX HERO - let them try it on an electric guitar, this IS A GOOD THING
One closing thought - I just don't understand how these 35 year old and up people / parents are able to function at all in life, the fact that they just don't see that Guitar Hero is a video game and that Gibson and Fender make guitars - the two companies are not trying to replace or compete with each other - are these people just that stupid that they can't see this? YES, that is why you have to educates them!