FredMcKinnon.Com

Hey Gang,

CONFESSION: this is one of those blog posts that is different, and I hesitated to even do this.   But, I’m going to put this out there, for whoever is interested.  This blog is usually visited by friends, family, and those who share similar ministry positions.  So why mix up my business affairs with that?  Well, because it’s a huge part of who I am.

As many of you know (anyone who has followed me via blog, facebook, or twitter for very long), I have a flourishing “e-business”.  To summarize, my company (HPP Enterprises) pulls wholesale pricing from a handful of huge distributors and we resell over 125,000 products on the internet.  About 95% of our sales volume is through Amazon.Com where we’re one of the highest ranked sellers.  In addition, we sell on Buy.Com, Sears.Com, Ebay, and on several custom “niche sites”:

GetSkinsNow.Com (laptop, phone, MP3, electronic skins, cases, accessories)
HPPEnterprises.Com (consumer electronics – TVs, BluRay, Phones, Marine Electronics, MP3, Laptops, Accessories)
DiscountKidsGames.Com (computer games, video games, accessories)
McKinnonOutdoors.Com (outdoors, hunting/shooting products)

One of the things we are trying to do is create a special “E-Blast” about 3-4 times per month, featuring some of our deals, discount codes, etc.

That’s the purpose of this email.  If you’d like to get on that mailing list and perhaps “become a customer” at some point … please do so.  It would be totally cool to actually pass along these products and prices to people we know.

What do we sell?  HAHA – just about anything.  TVs.  Home Accessories.  (we just shipped a whole pallet of Lasco Fans to Amazon.Com).  Video Games (50 of the in-demand “Wii Wipeout” on the way!).  Laptops.  Computers.  Hard Drives. Hardware.  Tents.  Games.  Software.  Accessories.  Hunting Products.  DVD Players.  and the list goes on and on.

When we are able to bulk buy a product or get special pricing .. we’ll send an E-Blast.  If you’d like to be on that list, go for it.  Just fill out the form below, then click the link in the confirmation email.  And hey, spread the word!

Hey Folks,

I am actively searching for someone who would be interested in a part-time position in my internet business, HPP Enterprises.  I have an incredible assistant right now but she was offered a great full-time job and needed it … so, I’m back to “asking, seeking, and knocking”.  I’ll be quick to say that for now, the compensation (see below) is not high, and probably equates to around $5/hour, but can increase dramatically once a certain sales threshold has been reached.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE SALES CALLS.

Suitable for:

* a stay-at-home mom, or self-employed person with extra time during business hours
* someone who is online a lot, and has a few hours per day

Basic Daily Tasks:

* entering orders into distributors’ websites
* entering tracking numbers into order confirmations
* replying to customer inquiries via email
* setting up and managing returns and refunds

Additional Opportunities:

My desire is to find someone who will want to partner to grow this business.  I’m not interested in someone who will only do data entry but in someone who can learn the in’s and out’s of the e-biz (apprenticed by yours truly!) and add revenue.  There are a number of things that can be done to increase revenue that I am aware of, but simply don’t have time to devote to it.

Compensation:

This is a “very-part-time” position for now, meaning you should be able to complete the required tasks in 2-3 hours per day.  (It may take longer when learning, but gets quicker as you get more familiar with the processes and protocols).  Compensation is based on a % of revenue, with tiered commissions.  That means the more revenue the company brings in, the higher % of revenue sharing you earn.  Absolute minimum of $200/month.

Skills Needed:

* Online skills (web browsing, email, IM)
* Excel proficiency (basic knowledge of spreadsheet)
* Available to check on system, M-F during business hours, 9-5 EST.  Could be an hour in the AM, an hour in the afternoon, etc.  Ideal to be available to check and process orders each day, trying to have any open orders submitted by 3:00 PM EST.
* Good computer with monitor, mouse, etc.  (lots of copy/paste, if you are working on a laptop with trackpad, it will be slower and tedious)
* HTML/Web Design skills are a huge plus, and would be used in creating promo mailings, etc.

Interested?  Leave a comment below, or contact me directly.  I will get more info to you and setup an online interview via IM.

Hello Everyone – welcome to “FreePlay Friday”.

Today, I want to talk about technology, specifically, Twitter, and more specifically, a third part service called TweetLater.Com. I have three primary twitter accounts at the moment that I manage:

@fmckinnon:  personal tweets about me, life, family, church, music, leadership, worship, and a lot of @reply to friends and dialog

@theworshipcomm:  co-managed by Russ Hutto, this is the twitter account for TheWorshipCommunity.Com.  It’s mostly automated with announcements on new threads, replies, discussions, and articles at TheWorshipCommunity.Com, but we also post quick news, updates, etc.  Russ has made it more fun by engaging directly with our followers with daily Q&A, polls, etc.

@ebusinessonline:  a brand new account that will be the hub for a new forums-based/articles site I’m creating on e-business and e-commerce.  I’m looking for a bunch of people who are interested in e-business and e-commerce to help launch these forums with relevant discussion.  (I also need someone who can make a great design of the vbulletin skin, and who is gratis or VERY CHEAP).  See http://www.e-businessonline.com

As I said, I’ve been using a service called TweetLater.Com.  It’s been very effective for me in how it allows me to:
1.  manage multiple accounts in one screen (with their premium service)
2.  schedule tweets to post while I’m away (during the night, etc)
3.  automate followeres (auto-follow, auto-unfollow, etc)
4.  manage scheduled or automated DM’s (direct messages – I don’t recommend that one!)
5.  Keyword Tracking

Keyboard Tracking is perhaps the biggest deal for me.  I have TweetLater.Com setup to send me an email digest several times of day with any tweets using words like “worship pastor, worship leader, worship team, worship confessional”, etc.  It’s helped me to find and network with followers who share my passion.

TweetLater.Com has both a free service and a professional service.  For a limited time, the professional service is $19.97/month (no contract).  I hope you’ll check out this service.

In the interest of integrity and transparency, I want to let you know that these links are affiliate links, and should you signup, I get paid.  Yeah!  Hey, that’s the entrepreneur in me.  However, it’s just as important for me to say that I’m not just posting a spam affiliate post .. I believe in the product, and use it!

So go check it out – try the freebie version first, and if the professional version is right for you, then go for it!

Hey Gang,

I’m veering off-course here, and departing for a moment on the normal “worship, leadership” content.  Yeah, I typically save this stuff for “FreePlay Friday” posts, but when I believe in something, I like to shout it loud and clear.  When I don’t believe in something, I am known to share that, too.  (biting my tongue regarding comment plugins)

A while back I was turned onto this nifty Mac program called “Text Expander” from the great folks at SmileOnMyMac.Com.  You can download and use it for FREE … and it reminds you every now and then that you should consider buying the license.

Text Expander allows you to save text “snippets” and recall them with a simple keystroke or a combination of keys to activate the expander.  It saves you time in typing … lots of time.  I’ve been using it a couple of months now, and tonight when I reminded me that I’d saved over 10 solid hours of typing (nearly 300,000 characters), I decided to be a good guy and pay the $29.95 license fee.  I actually bought the double-license pack – one for my Mac Pro, and one for my Lappie.

So, this is how I cheat.  Now my blog comment signatures probably don’t seem so sincere (haha).

Example:
When I type “url” (without the quotes) and hit the spacebar I get:  http://www.fredmckinnon.com

When I type “fred@” (without the quotes) and  hit the spacebar, I get:  (my email address, I don’t want to type it here for spam mining)

When I type “sig” (without the quotes) and hit spacebar, I get:
For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon
www.fredmckinnon.com
www.theworshipcommunity.com

(recognize that sig, haha?)

I use it in my e-biz, too – when I need to forward an order, the distributors typically want certain information, so for example when I send to this distributor, I type:  “es*” and it becomes:

Customer #9012xxxxxx
PO#
PO Date:

Ship Complete:  Yes
Signature Required:  No

Shipping Method:  F02 (Ground)

Ship to:

SKU:
Qty:
Description:

Thanks, Team!
HPP Enterprises, Customer #9012xxxxx

How ’bout this one – sometimes when a product sells out on Amazon before I have a chance to remove it, and it goes on backorder.  I create a new message to customer, and simply type “oos” and it expands to:

Thanks for your purchase from HPP Enterprises.  Unfortunately this item sold out just prior to your purchase.  We have a network of several distributors and have searched to see if this is available elsewhere with no success.  We’ve entered your order on backorder with our distributor so that as soon as these arrive your order will be dropshipped directly to you.  Because of this, your order may not ship before the expected ship date given by Amazon.  Most backorders ship between a few days to 1-2 weeks.We do not charge until we confirm shipment, so you are welcome to keep this on backorder while you attempt to find the item in stock elsewhere.  Should you desire to cancel, simply reply and let us know.We do want to explain that we update our inventory throughout the day, but even with hourly updates, the inventory QTY  can quickly during this buying season.  Once we remove an item, it can still take several hours for that update to be processed by Amazon.We appreciate your gracious understanding.  Feel free to followup with us at any time for ETA, cancelation, or other questions.  Just reply to this email, or contact support and be sure to include your Amazon Order ID.Sincerely,HPP Enterprises

Pretty cool, huh!?
Every Mac user should try it!

Hey Gang,

Happy Saturday (or whenever you get this).  I need your input …

I’m making some changes to one of my e-stores over at GetSkinsNow.Com.  My buddy Joel is re-designing it, so don’t worry – it will look cool design-wise, as opposed to how it looks now), and then Chris will take Joel’s graphic design and implement it as code.

It’s the shopping category structure where I need your help.

I want to revise the category structure to make it easier to browse and find exactly what you need.  My idea is that instead of having very “general” catgories like I have now (ie. iPod, Sansa, Zune, and other MP3), I would have something more specific, such as “Choose By Device”.

If I go that direction, I need to know what you, as a customer, would rather see.

General Device Description, with Sub-Categories for Specific Devices:

Example:

Choose Your Device:
- Apple Ipods
— 4th Gen iPod Nano
— 3rd Gen iPod Nano

- Apple Laptops
— 15″ Inch
——- 15″ Aluminum Unibody
——- 15″ Core Duo/Core 2 Duo

etc.

Or …. would you prefer to NOT have all those subcategories, and have all devices just listed under “Choose Your Device”

Example:

Choose Your Device:
- Apple iPod Nano 4th Gen
- Apple iPod Nano 3rd Gen

etc.

My initial thoughts are that without the various sub-categories, the “choose your device” list could get VERY LONG.

So, what’s your thoughts – as a consumer.  Or, is there a better idea?

This mapping process is critical, and it’s a real pain to re-do it, so I really need some good feedback before committing to a plan.

Thanks!
Fred