In the beginning (2005)

In 2005, quite by accident, a little creature was discovered by a nine-year-old boy named Jason O’Neill.  The small, round creature was colorful and very playful. It loved to sit on top of Jason’s pencil as he did his homework and wrap its black, fuzzy body around the pencil. Before long, Jason found more and more of these cute creatures in all different colors. He appropriately called them Pencil Bugs.

Over the next five years, Jason shared his Pencil Bugs with people all over the world. He found thousands and thousands of them. It seemed like there was an endless quantity. However, as time went on, Jason noticed their numbers started to decline and there were fewer and fewer Pencil Bugs.  No matter what he tried, Jason could not get them to reproduce like he used to. He worried that they might become extinct.

The numbers dwindled down to a few hundred. Jason tried everything he could do to keep them alive but it was no use. Little by little, it was clear. Pencil Bugs were in danger. In December 2010, Jason made one last attempt to preserve their species for the future. He put several dozen of them in protective captivity.

No one really knows what will become of the few remaining Pencil Bugs or if they will produce more in the future but Jason is happy that his cute, little creatures found their way into the hearts and homes of so many people around the world for as long as they did.

Signing books (2010)

Although the actual Pencil Bugs may not be in existence anymore, Jason continues to share his story with kids and adults alike through his book, interviews, speaking engagements, and charity work.

If you were one of the lucky ones to have owned a Pencil Bug, congratulations! If you really want to get some before they are completely extinct, place your adoption order now at www.pencilbugs.com.

With Christmas right around the corner, I  just finished my 2nd Annual Teddy Bear Fundraiser for Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California.  Through the support and generous donations from people all over the country and even a few in Japan, I was able to raise $1,475, including my own money, to buy 500 teddy bears for the kids.  Although we didn’t reach last year’s amount, I know each bear will make a difference in someone’s life.

Bears of all sizes, colors and shapes have been ordered and should arrive by the end of this week. They get unpacked from their boxes, sorted, and then my parents and I will tie a donation tag on each and every bear with the name of the person that donated. After each one has their special name tag around their neck, they are neatly packed again in larger bags ready for their trip to San Diego on December 18.

500 bears will be fill about 10 large bags.  Since we don’t have a mini-van, we contacted our local Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Temecula, California.  They were generous and offered to give us a half-price deal on a rental and said they would check to see if they could make a full donation. So hopefully, by the time the delivery date comes, they will be able to do that.  Either way, I appreciate their support and help toward this effort.

Thank you to every person who donated to this great cause. I couldn’t have done this without you. To see a list of the supporters, please visit Pencil Bugs. After we deliver the bears, I will post a short video and update to this story. The video is now online on my YouTube Channel.

Charity should not be just at Christmas. Since I started my business, I have been donating to help kids in various ways throughout the year. There are so many good causes and people that need help in different situations. 2011 may be the start of something new in my charitable efforts. Stay tuned.

I have been taking ASL (American Sign Language) at my school for about two months now. My parents and I did have an interpreter in the beginning when we talked with the superintendent but during the campus tour, I acted as the interpreter for my family. Mom and Dad were surprised and very proud that I was able to communicate as well as I did with only two months of ASL.

In my opinion, ASL is probably the easiest language to learn since it is made up of a lot of common sense gestures. For example, the phrase “I will go and come back” or “I’ll be right back” is signed by simply pointing to your chest for “you” and pointing with both hands in the direction you are going, then pointing back with both hands. It makes sense. So even with limited ASL training, I was able to understand almost everything that was said.

I did make one crucial mistake at one point since I wasn’t paying attention as much as I should have. One of their deaf teachers asked if I was deaf. I knew what he was saying since we had learned that early on in our class. For some reason I said “yes.” He did not know any different so he assumed I was deaf. Our tour guide had a surprised look on his face and laughed, realized my mistake so signed to the teacher, “No he is not deaf!”  That was a funny story that I can’t wait to share with my ASL class.

Before we knew it, it was time for me to speak at their assembly. It was so exciting! I stood in their gym in front about 180 high school students.  I had an interpreter sign as I gave my presentation. I wanted to show the kids that I knew some sign language so I did my introduction in ASL. They all cheered when I signed and seemed excited and happy that I was learning ASL.

Again, time flew by so fast and the day was over. The kids went home for their Thanksgiving break. The school services kids all over southern California so many of the kids are bussed as far north as Bakersfield and all the way down to Mexico.  I wished we had to leave but could have stayed longer.

I loved the opportunity speaking at their school! It was so much fun. I hope I can go back at some point. Maybe someday I will be their interpreter.

Update:

The video of my presentation is now on my YouTube channel.  Click here to watch it.

It is especially important in business. A good business person is one that gives great customer service. Not only should your business offer a product or service with great quality but you should also know how to take care of your customers. When people order your product, get  it to them in a timely manner. If you say it will be shipped in 7-14 days, try to ship it out sooner. People will love your great customer service which gives you more business and happy customers. They say some of the best free advertising is word-out-mouth referrals but bad news can travel even faster. One unhappy customer can do a lot of damage.

Quick shipping times aren’t the only thing you should be on top of. When you receive an email, respond to it as soon as possible. My policy is to respond within 1-2 days and unless there is some major catastrophe and I can’t get to a computer, I have always stuck to that timeframe. People don’t want to wait forever for a response. This also applies to comments. If someone takes the time to write a nice comment, you should at least recognize them and send some type of response back, even if it’s just a simple thank you. If they have a question or issue but you don’t have an immediate answer, at least let them know you are looking into it and will get back to them as soon as possible. Then follow up and do what you say.

Remember to always treat people how you would want to be treated even if it is over the Internet. One of the most frequent comments I receive is how quickly I send out my products and people are even more surprised when I respond to their emails usually within the first day. That is a huge compliment and it also shows that they are a little surprised, probably because not every business has good customer service.

If your business is so big that you can’t do everything yourself, then make sure you hire someone just for customer service. Whatever it takes, that should be a high priority.

Golden Rule:
Good customer service=customers
Bad customer service=no customers=no business

You can read more common sense tips in my book, Bitten by the Business Bug: Common Sense Tips for Business and Life from a Teen Entrepreneur. Order your autographed copy directly from my website. Part of all proceeds go to support Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA.

My parents have had this saying for as long as I can remember. “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” If you say you will do something, then do it. If you think you won’t be able to do what you say, then you better not make the commitment in the first place.

Sometimes no matter how hard we try or even if our intentions were right, things can still happen where we can’t keep our commitments. If something unexpected happens, the best way to deal with the situation is to communicate right away. Never let the other person wonder what happened to you because chances are, especially if they don’t know you prior to that, they could think of you as a flake.

Stick to your commitments. People will know they can count on you. There’s no secret to this. It’s just common sense.

There is no cost involved. It’s FREE advertising with little to no effort. Here’s how simple it is.

YOUR PART:

1. Send me your logo and website URL via the email link on my website CONTACT page.

MY PART:

1. In return, I will send you my logo and URL to my 2010 Rady Bear Christmas Fundraiser page.
2. I will be redesigning my website home page to include a special place for all link exchange participants.
3. From now until December 4, your logo/link will be on my home page, which is the deadline for donations for the fundraiser.
4. After December 4, I will move your logo/link to the specific 2010 Rady Bear Christmas Fundraiser page where it will remain indefinitely.

THE EXCHANGE:

My logo and link to my 2010 Rady Bear Christmas Fundraiser page must remain on your website home page or blog home page until December 4.  After that, you can move my logo  to another page or remove it from your site altogether although I hope you would continue to keep it and redirect the link to my Pencil Bugs home page.

LAST YEAR’S BEARS:

With the help of people around the world and my own money, I was able to raise over $5,000 which enabled me to buy 1800 teddy bears for the kids. With just 7 weeks left, I have a long way to go to top that success but I believe with your help, we can do it. Any other promotion or publicity you can help with is always appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason

Note: I reserve the right to refuse an exchange with inappropriate websites or blogs. This is G-rated so thanks for your understanding.

Life is a little like a maze. There are many different paths that to take to get to the end result but the big difference is, life has unlimited options at the end.

Last month I spoke at the TEDxRedmond Conference held at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. I called my talk, “Take Off Your Blinders” or as they titled it “Goals vs. Plans.” While I wasn’t talking about mazes, it does have some connection. If you go through life or the maze with your eyes closed or get so focused on one path, you may miss other opportunities that might pop up right beside you and are even better than your original path.

When I created Pencil Bugs in 2005 at nine years old, I never ever imagined that I would be where I am today. If someone would have said I’d be named on a Forbes Top 10 List of Role Models 18 & Under or would be a published author or any of the other things that have happened, I probably would have just laughed. But with the help of my parents, I went through the maze in the last five years and found new paths as I went. I don’t know where it will lead from here. I am almost 15 so I don’t feel I have to have my whole life planned out at this point. That’s the fun of keeping your eyes open, seeing what opportunities might pop up, and making the most of this maze of life. You never know what can happen.

Being part of this conference was amazing in many ways. It was run By Kids For Kids with the theme, Power to the Students.  There were fourteen speakers plus Adora and five musical performers. The conference itself would have been incredible enough on it’s own but having it sponsored by Microsoft and BING and take place at Microsoft’s headquarters made it even more amazing.  The main conference room where we presented held several hundred people. That room was restricted to just kid attendees. Another large conference room was full of adults who watched it on live video feed.  There was even another large room with tables and chairs packed full with standing room only. In total, I believe there were close to a thousand people who attended.

Fridge full of drinks

Microsoft has the most amazing conference facility that I have ever been in. In the main hallway in the conference rooms, they had high-tech interactive tables, called Microsoft Surface, that was most comparable to a giant iPad. While those had people’s attention, something that was even more exciting was the triple-sized refrigerators that were stocked full of sodas, juices, milk, sparkling water, etc.—all free for the taking, if you can believe that.

Videos from the conference should be available on the TEDxRedmond website in a week or so. Even Microsoft can have technical difficulties.

Thank you Adora and her mom, Joyce Svitak, and all of the other people who put this conference together. I’m looking forward to more events in the future. If you haven’t checked out a TED Conference before, you just have to visit www.ted.com. There are amazing videos on virtually every subject you could ever want.

My interview with SchoolTube

Adora is in the pink/black striped shirt

Signing books

Last Saturday, I did my first book festival in Mission Viejo, CA. It was a great setting in a park. We had the perfect tent location. We had extra time after we set up before it started. It didn’t rain and the weather was warm, very warm. Everything was good until about 1 or 2 p.m. when the crowd started to thin out pretty quickly. The temperature was rising all morning and by that time, it was around 100 degrees, maybe higher. Most people just couldn’t take walking around very long. Thankfully, the volunteers came around throughout the day delivering bottles of water to all the author booths so that helped a lot. Plus, we were extra lucky in that our booth didn’t have any direct sun all day.

We met some really nice people, made some good contacts, and I had lots of fun signing my books and selling my Pencil Bugs.

Favorite author board

Throughout the exhibit area, they had large blackboards  where people could sign their names or answer the question that the volunteers wrote on each side. One of the questions was, “Who is your favorite author?” Well, as you might expect, it was too much of a temptation for my parents to write my name on there so they did. Of course I had to get my picture beside it then.

While it was fun having an author booth, next year I would like to be one of the author/speakers.  I have already suggested that the organizers consider having one time slot strictly for young authors to present. Needless to say, when you have a chance to speak to your customers in a comfortable setting and tell them your story and talk about your book, book sales tend to increase too. It’s like I said in my last post, it’s all about selling yourself which will help sell your product.

Overall, it was a good experience. If you haven’t bought an autographed copy of my book yet, please check it out on my website or you can browse through a few pages on Amazon’s Look Inside feature. A portion of every sale goes toward my Christmas Teddy Bear Fundraiser for kids at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California.

Think of commercials. How many times do you remember what the product or service is during that 30 seconds? Unless you specifically want or need what they’re selling, most of the time people remember other things about what they see and hear. Haven’t you heard someone say something like, “Oh, what’s that commercial with so-and-so in it?”  They don’t remember what that person is selling but they remember the actor.

I once heard that a company can sell anything if they use a kid, especially a cute kid or a dog and especially a cute dog, or better yet to use both. People are more likely to remember the who than the what.

The same goes for your business. Who knows how many websites there are in the world? The competition is tougher all the time. Unless you are one of the big guys, it’s hard to get noticed and sell anything. So what can you do?

Sell yourself, not your product or your service. What is it about you that makes you different? People have so many choices for things, many times it comes down to who is selling it.

I started my Pencil Bugs business at age nine. In the beginning, I held many sidewalk sales where  I would get a store’s permission to set up my table outside and sell my Pencil Bugs. Even at that age, I quickly realized that many customers bought my products simply because they wanted to support a kid’s business. Did they really need a pencil topper? Probably not but before long, people knew my business because of me — “the Pencil Bugs kid” and that was fine with me. Looking back, I now see that I was also building my brand.

Selling is an art. It’s who you are that matters and that is what will make people stand up and take notice.

My grandpa has a saying that is a perfect sales analogy. “Old Harry could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo.” It’s the person who makes the difference, not the product. Well, you get the point. And if you haven’t bought my new book yet, Bitten by the Business Bug: Common Sense Tips for Business and Life from a Teen Entrepreneur, I share a lot of Grandpa’s wisdom in it. You can read excerpts from my book using Amazon’s Look Inside feature if you’re interested. Then buy a copy on Amazon or get an autographed one from my website. It’s a fun read for all ages. A portion of all sales is donated to help kids at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA. I also have a big teddy bear fundraiser I do for the kids at Christmas. If you want to read more, visit The Bears Are Back in Town.

So do you need a pencil topper or another inspirational book or have you already donated your limit for this year? It’s not about the products. It’s about the person behind the products. Thanks to everyone who continues to support me, my business, and my charitable efforts. Because of you, I have been able to encourage other people of all ages to try their ideas. It’s good karma.