The results of our first national ad have started to come in, and so far we are encouraged by the response. We have received numerous calls requesting information and some of those requests have already turned into orders. Also, the trade journal we are in provides a "bingo" card so readers can request information that way. They send us the leads along with pre-printed address labels. All in all, a reasonably-priced service that will undoubtedly more than pay for itself.

We are in a scramble to get ready for our first major trade show at the end of July. We expect to show several new products and sign up many new accounts. The cost of doing the show is a stretch for us, but we feel it is necessary to get to the next stage of our growth. Increased capacity, along with product and process improvements, have given us the confidence to expand our market going into the crazy Christmas season.

We have been accepted into the Good Catalog Company catalog. They loved the product and we are excited about the profit potential. We chose to show models not carried by our present catalog customers to prevent any hard feelings. We also have been accepted into the holiday editions of the Garden Supply Company catalog.

Catalog sales started slow, but as our market builds and more people come in contact with our product, we are seeing a slow but steady increase in our sales to catalog companies. Our product really needs to be seen in person to appreciate exactly what it does. A person seeing a photo in a catalog can't get a good feel for what it does no matter what the accompanying verbiage.

Next month, I'll report on our trade show experience and hopefully have a few words of wisdom for those out there who may be contemplating doing a show. For anyone contemplating starting a business, the only guarantee is that you will kick yourself if you don't give it a try. It isn't easy, but it will definitely put some excitement in your life.