Martin Berns

My Job Just Got Easier

2009-11-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

…In fact, it’s a CINCH

MediaNet, through one of our subsidiaries just completed the purchase of a unique software platform for database tracking, monitoring, statistic tools and the widget known as CINCH and Connect.

Our BSP division has been searching for some time to find a desk top widget that would enhance our BSP toolbar. The acquisition of the CINCH platform brings applications to us that were beyond our expectations.

CINCH is a desktop application and personalized shopping assistant. CINCH assists customers by delivering one-click ease and security for access to online shopping by providing a two-way communications channel for personalized content and customer feedback controlled by the customer and without using a browser.

In other words, it allows us to offer our BSP Mall clients and members access to relationship and comparison shopping right on their desktop. For instance, if they are looking for a particular TV the CINCH searches all merchants and shows the results and prices…neat! It also allows us to send special coupons, announcements and special communications to the directly instead of using a browser and email….even neater! CINCH for smart phones is under development and will provide mobile access to the same powerful tools…..super neat!

We have been building and enhancing our BSP Mall (the largest in the Galaxy) for many years. By combining our platform with DubLi and CINCH, we will now be able to offer amazing nuances that can be introduced at record speed.

ON-line reverse auctions, Mall shopping and product search and desktop communication – a power play that is just the beginning of what I believe is a most exciting opportunity. The combination is destined to start everyone talking and along with the viral aspect, is making my job a whole lot easier.

Until next time…..

It’s Official

2009-10-21T08:46:00.001-07:00

It’s Official
MediaNet – BSP and DubLi are all one!

10/20/09… MEDG completes Merger Agreement

Our parent company; MediaNet Group Technologies (MEDG) completed the merger with CG Holdings, LTD, the parent of the DubLi Companies.

How does this reflect on our MediaNet/BSP Rewards business? Exciting positives all around!
For MEDG shareholders: DubLi adds financial strength, a state-of-the-art auction and trading platform and opportunity for the Company to expand world-wide. DubLi’s international expansion will add a new dimension to the DubLi/BSP combined programs around the world …and potentially bringing enhanced revenues and earnings to our Company – and ultimately building the value of our Company for our shareholders.

There are a multitude of synergies being explored that will establish DubLi Auctions and BSP Rewards Malls as truly unique, with competitors scrambling to try and play catch up.
The MediaNet combined DubLi/BSP offices are going to be headquartered in South Florida which will result is a smooth, day by day cohesive melding of operations.

We can see the rainbow and will be steadily moving toward that proverbial pot of gold that hopefully I believe will enrich all of our lives – socially, intellectually, technically and financially.
Today starts a new day…and I and the combined teams are excited!

Until next time…..

Big Travel Month

2009-09-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

9/22/09… The Travel Miles Are Piling Up

I haven’t unpacked my bag during most of late August and what now has continued into September.

When I moved to Florida in 1959 I made a vow never to go north during the winter so I am cramming all of the trips in while warm weather abounds.

I had a wonderful visit to New Jersey to meet with our clients at Univers and USI. They are substantial companies in the insurance space and we are working on multiple Malls for them and their clients.

We (Stefanie and I) went to Lexington for the annual Fortune Fest where we got to meet and greet over 2400 of their reps. Stefanie got to step on the stage and make a full presentation to the entire audience…..and did an outstanding job! We announced the formal launch of their Canadian Mall. Now their reps can partake in both the USA and Canada.

Then, as we were closed Labor Day, I snuck off the Chicago and Michigan for a quick vacation with friends and family – and I thoroughly enjoyed the few days. Should I feel guilty that I am already looking forward to the next holiday?

Then it was off to Santa Barbara for CJ University. Commission Junction is one of our large affiliate programs and we had the opportunity to meet directly with many of the large merchants we have in the Mall. The education and relationship building was sensational.

This week we have visitors coming in from NY so I won’t be on a plane again until next week – Boston.

I am not complaining. Actually the travelling is kind of exciting as we are meeting with clients, prospective clients and suppliers – and getting ready for what could be a great holiday season!

Until next time…..

2009-08-17T13:25:00.001-07:00

Good news for everyone involved with MediaNet and BSP Rewards

8/17/09… MEDG signs Merger Agreement

Last week the Company made a major announcement that could have a positive impact for MEDG shareholders and our BSP clients and Mall users.

Our parent company, MediaNet Group Technologies (MEDG) signed a merger agreement with CG Holdings, LTD, the parent of the DubLi Companies.

What does that all mean? A lot!

For the Mall users: The doors open for expanding the Mall platform with many additional and enhanced savings, benefits, games and technology.

For the Clients: The expansion of the Mall relative to Mall users should increase traffic and consumer benefits which would result in an enhanced value added proposition for you.

For MEDG shareholders: The present and future DubLi reverse auction visitors, clients,
Network of Business Associates and international expansion could add a new dimension to our BSP programs around the world potentially bringing enhanced revenues and earnings to our Company – and ultimately building the value of our Company for our shareholders.

The BSP Mall is continually growing (over 1075 merchants) as is our client and Member base. The business combination with DubLi offers us a multitude of benefits which will greatly add in our expansion.

I am excited with what looks to be a Win –Win for all parties.

Until next time…..

2009-06-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Audiences Are Getting Bigger

6/25/09… Stefanie Speaks Up

Stefanie Kitzes, our dynamic Director of Business Development, went to the Fortune High Tech meeting in Charlotte as planned. What wasn’t planned was the overwhelming reception she received from the multitude of attendees.

The reports that I received basically let me know that from now on I could stay home and send her in my place. Fortune Fest, their Hollywood scale event is coming up over the Labor Day Weekend in Lexington, and guess what – I’m not staying home! I wouldn’t miss that event for anything (but I will undoubtedly allow Stefanie do most of the heavy lifting).

This week we launched our first Mall for the Spanish Market. I didn’t realize that there were so many derivations of the language and only our version one is up and running. Fortune was kind enough to open it to their Spanish speaking reps for review and we expect to be getting input and tweaks for weeks to come.

As far as business goes, I am happy to be able to say that Mall transactions continue to grow in spite of, or maybe because of this bad economy. More and more people are going to the web for their purchases and everyone is looking for discounts, rebates and coupons. Happily our BSP Rewards platform includes all of those desired features.

In my next blog I should be able to tell you about an exciting mall expansion (even greater and grander) and some very interesting new clients.

Until next time…..

A Highly Successful Launch

2009-05-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

5/26/09… The DUBLI Mall Is Off and Running

The DubLi Mall was introduced two weeks ago and has proven to be one the fastest growing launches we have ever had the pleasure of bringing to market.

DubLi is a reverse auction company that features auctions on name brand items from Gucci to Harley Davidson. It is a unique program where the prices of the items are reduced with every bid – the opposite of eBay.

DubLi has been operating in Europe with over 1.5 million users and they are now expanding into the US and Canada. We are more than thrilled that we have been chosen to launch their shopping malls for both countries. You can view the auction and mall at www.dubli.com.

This weekend is travel time for another of our clients. One of the top representatives of Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing is hosting a meeting for about 2000 representatives. We have been invited to train new and old reps on the value of their private branded BSP Mall and how to get the most out of it for personal savings and as a valuable method of recruiting. Stefanie, our Director of Business Development, will be making the presentation and doing the training. We couldn’t have a better emissary!

Until next time…..

Great Business in Lexington

2009-04-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

4/28/09…I just returned from Lexington. The city and the people (our client Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing) were most hospitable.

We are in the midst of expanding our relationship and tweaking our mutual customer service departments to handle the increases in membership. We started with 15,000 Fortune members in our mall and the number has now increased to over 75,000.

Fortune representative enrollment is growing everyday and they are preparing for two more major launches- one for the Spanish market and opening of a Canadian division. BSP Rewards has built specific platforms for each and plans are in place for a May introduction.

Stefanie joined me on the trip and handled the customer service orientation beautifully. They now have an even more excited customer service department with a better understanding of the multi-faceted benefits of the Fortune Rewards Mall. We also discussed how we could improve and enhance our BSP customer service for them.

Additionally, they had Stefanie record an overview of the Mall to be given to all new representatives and I did a video to be offered to all their reps on the mall rebates and commissions. All in all it was a very productive visit and we look forward to presenting at Fortune Fest on Labor Day. They expect over 2,000 attendees – I better begin practicing the presentation right now.

Until next time…..

A Lot of MORE People

2009-04-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Scottsdale for the kickoff of a new, exciting and multi-faceted client – DubLi. They are a reverse auction company that has over 1.5 million users in Europe and they are now coming to the U.S. and Canada in a big way.

After an opening performance by Jordin Sparks (of American Idol fame) I introduced the DubLi Shopping Mall (powered by BSP) to over 1000 of their reps and partners. The reception was overwhelming for Jordin and the excitement carried over for the mall (I am happy to say that it was almost to the same degree).

DubLi is a worldwide online trading firm. It is composed of two very unique and individual business models; DubLi.com - a “reverse” auction portal for high level branded merchandise and DubLi Network - the business opportunity where anyone can establish their own business.

The most striking feature of the DubLi.com’s auction portal is that it hosts only high quality inventory from the top-notch manufacturers around the world. DubLi.com developed a breakthrough concept from the traditional bidding and revolutionized the concept of the “reverse auction”’ in a big way. DubLi.com serves to be the best ’reverse auction’ site on the World Wide Web and is now bring it to the North American Continent.

The BSP Shopping Mall is a value added benefit for both the shoppers and the independent sales reps. It offers savings, rebates and coupon from over 800 of the Nation’s top merchants… and a whole lot more. The auction shoppers and sales reps will be offered these additional savings while the reps additionally are able to utilize the mall as an exciting recruitment tool for the business opportunity.

The program is set to launch in May and we are looking for it to be one of the fastest growing shopping malls we have ever launched. I will keep you informed.

Until next time…..

A Lot of People

2009-03-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a client’s meeting and it was an eye popping experience in beautiful San Antonio.

It was the Fortune Hi-Tech Spring Fling with over 1000 of their reps attending for a good time and training. Stefanie Kitzes, our Director of Business Development was with me and right in the thick of it. (This was the small meeting. A greater number of the reps will attend the Fortune Fest in August for which we have also been invited).

We were invited, along with a handful other high impact suppliers, to speak to the crowd of 1000+ (15 minutes - me) and to man a booth for 2 days to answer questions (mostly Stefanie). We were overwhelmed and thank God for Stefanie…she was fantastic!

By the way, they held a business opportunity meeting during this time and I am happy to say, they featured the Mall as one of their important value added benefits for the program. The reps told us that it is not only a great savings feature in this economy, but also a powerful recruiting tool for the business.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND. BSP Rewards developed a private banded Mall for Fortune which started with 15,000 rep members. It has now expanded to about 67,000 and is growing by leaps and bounds every month. Needless to say, practically all attendees were already Mall members and their word of mouth brought the uninitiated to our booth - anxious to sign in.

The management and corporate staff of Fortune could not have been more gracious or hospitable. It was by far the most organized and informative shows I have attended. It is a pleasure to be associated with such a professional, high quality organization that demonstrates continually how dedicated they are to their representative organization.

The phone hasn’t stopped ringing (again, Stefanie to the rescue). In fact she had a telephone presentation and training for 100 people on Saturday – one of many to come.

Next month we will be in Scottsdale for a new direct marketing client. Again they expect over a thousand people. I anticipate that they will be just as excited about the Mall as the people were at Fortune. That’s good news for BSP.

Until next time…..

Making Lemonade...

2009-03-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

I believe that we are going to get some sugar for the lemonade.

The year has started with a bang and it looks like there will be more to come. Don’t get me wrong, 2009 doesn’t look wonderful for the economy or the stock market – but it does hold great promise for BSP Rewards.

Three things are true in these times. Consumers want (1) inexpensive entertainment, (2) to save money and (3) to save money. Accordingly, (1) movie ticket sales are up (2) Internet shopping is up and (3) money saving web mall traffic up.

We don’t have much to do with (1) except that we sell discounted movie tickets and theater gift cards on our web malls. But we have a lot to do with (2) with our Internet virtual malls and (3) having the most robust rebate and discount mall on the web. As luck (?) would have it…we are in the right time at the right place.

To illustrate the point, we are starting off the year with a growing lemonade stand.
We just announced that we have expanded its footprint within the network marketing channel with the implementation of a new programs for FHTM Canada, the Canadian branch of the successful Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing program in the U.S. and Your Ultimate Plan, a new product launched and marketed by JMG Net-Worth, AND …. also announced we have built the private branded web mall for Capcom® Entertainment as part of the Capcom Unity Visa Card program. The mall is a value added feature in conjunction with the release of Street Fighter® IV.

Capcom Entertainment is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, and the first video game company in North America to offer a co-branded Visa rewards card program. The program offers accelerated rewards with retail and merchandise partners through the Capcom Rewards Mall, powered by BSP Rewards.

A pretty good start to the year, if we say so ourselves and the beauty of it is that there is more to come. Boy, I love lemonade.

Until next time…..

The Winding Road Through 2009

2009-02-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

Everywhere I turn it’s the same message. “2009 will be a rocky road (and no one is referring to the ice cream). As far as BSP Rewards is concerned, we are well positioned to weather the storm.
We are starting off the year with a excellent backlog of business. The malls we hoped to launch in Q4 of ’08 were delayed, but not shelved. Assuming there is no further change of plans we should begin launching those private branded malls in the first and second quarter. I can’t guarantee results but can say that the new clients we are working with are substantially larger than those of the past.

We are expanding our platform to be more flexible and versatile. We have added functionality tailored to the needs of many our market channels. These include enhanced rewards, expanded loyalty and incentives and our load to debit card functionality. These new features are proving to be the door opener that attracts major clients.

In keeping with our new client base, we are developing a new expansion and innovative design for the malls. Some of the items we are working on include: an expanded merchant network, doubling of the discount merchandise catalog, a desktop widget, expansion of our instant print coupons and a special program that allows coupons to be redeemed at specific merchants. Exciting stuff!

Changes are happening on the personal side of our corporate life. Christina, our amazing head of customer service is getting married next week (to a really nice guy). Thankfully for us, she is only taking a one week honeymoon. Can it be that she loves her job so much that she can’t bear to be away any longer? (Not).

Bruce, one of our web site technoids, and our jack of all trades around the office, has moved to cold Connecticut. Move from Florida to Connecticut? Would make me wonder! But fret not - he is remaining A BSP man and will be telecommuting to his desk in Florida.

So the road looks a little rough for the economy, but we remain optimistic. These are times when online shopping (our space) is on the rise and consumers looking to save money every way they can (our space) and companies and non-profits looking to increase loyalty and bring forth new revenue streams (our space).

So, the dire economic forecast for 2009 offers a fantastic opportunity for companies in our space…..and we think we may be in the best position to take advantage that opening.

Until next time…..

Was This The Best of Years or the Worst? Or Maybe Somewhere in The Middle...

2008-12-31T06:21:00.000-08:00

Well, 2008 is over and it does my heart good to say goodbye to the old and in with the new. It truly has been the most unique and frustrating I have ever witnessed (I wasn’t around for 1929.)

As for MediaNet and BSP Rewards, the year showcased many opportunities and several challenges.

Our stock started the year at around .17 and ended at about .04 with some people selling at the last minute for tax write-offs. The price reduction seems to reflect everything that has happened in the overall market (if indeed a stock of our size really reacts to market conditions.)

This was a year of growth, but maybe more so of development. Yes, we are going to end the year with an increase in revenue over last year (and that is good) – but the lessons we learned and the growing pains we experienced were worth their weight in gold.

The organic growth numbers from our existing rewards malls has been considerable. We have a pipeline full of programs that we hoped would launch during the last three months and are now scheduled to commence in the upcoming quarters. As the saying goes, “there is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip” but if nothing spills, everyone concerned with BSP will be happy campers.
On the plus side of the ledger, we accomplished some pretty impressive things in 2008 which could result in some exciting growth in ’09. We were able to use our upgraded platform as a vehicle to create new, innovative rewards programs with our clients, several of which will launch early next year. Going into the year we have a better perspective on the extended scope of our platform and some unique areas where our program may exhibit higher usage and more attraction.

We signed agreements with two new marketing partners that have already borne fruit and we look forward to launching large scale programs through them in the coming months. These new relationships, combined with our existing marketing partners and in-house marketing efforts offer exciting opportunities.

On the light side of things, we had another fun-filled holiday party. It was held at the office as usual (to keep the costs down of course.) Our entire staff of 13 (and some of their family members) attended along with a few members of our Board. James (our head techie) and Ema (our all around administrator), and Stefanie (Business Development Director) planned, coordinated and acted as MC for the silly party games (great fun) we play every year. It felt good to share the camaraderie and laughter with the greatest staff anyone could ask for.
So to answer my original question….it was all of the above, but because of the roll over programs coming up, 2009 is looking good!

I will keep you posted. Until next year….

The 3rd Quarter

2008-11-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

How has the economy affected me and BSP?

On a personal level….Never mind, I don’t want to discuss it. I know the economy is a great big downer so I don’t open my statements to find out how just how much I am down. I have made a decision that the best policy is to wait a year and hope it recovers.

On the other hand, our BSP Rewards business is doing all right, and getting better.
We are in the right place at the right time during a bad time. What do I mean by that?

BSP is sort of in the retail business. We build private branded web malls for all types of companies, groups, debit card issuers and non-profits…and the retail industry is getting pounded – BUT the downturns are in the brick and mortar sector and not relative to internet e-commerce. In fact internet sales are increasing, which is a wonderful thing, as we have the “Largest Web Mall in the Galaxy”.

The year is proving to be quite interesting due to the changes is our merchant mix, new clients and enhanced profit margins. At the beginning of the year we dropped our largest merchant from the program. Although they created a great amount of transaction business for us (approximately $3 million), the margin was small and the cost associated with customization for them proved not to be economically beneficial to the company. We felt we could replace that transaction volume and do so at higher margins - and we did.

During Q3 we increase the number of merchants in our mall to 764 – a gain of 28. We increase the number of mall members from 555,104 to 572,651 and maintained our year to date transaction volume at increased gross margins – even without the big merchant.

For the third quarter ended September 30, 2008, gross revenues increased 64% to $573,203 compared to $350,565 for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007 and the first nine months of 2008 resulted in a gross revenue increase of 138% to $1,767,689 compared to $742,482 in the same period of 2007.

Comparing the 2007 and 2008 nine month, after adjusting for the dropped client, the figures are even more impressive.

We recently announced additional branded web malls that are coming on board (WXEL Public Radio and Television) and Information Strategies (a large newsletter publisher) and we hope to feel a little of the impact from them starting in December. We are getting close to finalizing some significant new web malls for some major companies…. Please hope, along with me, that we can sign them.

I will keep you posted. Until later…

Where Have I been?

2008-10-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

It has been an exciting time in my personal and corporate lives (sometimes it is hard to tell them apart – just ask my wife).

I have been doing a great deal of travelling over the summer – from the mundane to the exotic. Chicago, New York and Lexington, KY on the business side and London, Spain, Casablanca, France and Italy of the working vacation side.

New York was New York. It’s a wonderful city to visit and provides a great potential for business (both past and future) with the extended value of housing Wall St. The expo I attended was more of a boutique trade show focusing on direct marketing and although always an interesting expo, it does not produce a great deal of business. The prime reason for the NY visit was to meet with existing contacts and to let the financial market have one more glance at me before I hibernate in our Florida offices for the winter.

Chicago was decidedly more interesting. It is much more hospitable and has the added benefits of Chicago Hot Dogs and Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. In other words, it is a delight to a my gourmand palate.

The trade show was the largest venue for the Motivation Industry and all of the companies listed on the gift card section of the BSP Rewards Malls were there. I am not sure that it was such a great show for the exhibitors but it was excellent for us. There were substantially fewer attendees this year and even booth spaces that were paid for in advance by some of the companies remained empty. The economy strikes again!

On the other hand, our vendors had more time that they could spend with me and were more motivated to work with us on special promotions and greater discounts. We were welcomed more warmly than last year – but that was probably because of increased purchase volume we are attaining with them – you think?

The European and Mediterranean vacation was sandwiched in-between the two trade shows and frankly, I loved it. I was celebrating my 50th (yep) anniversary and my wife decided that she deserved a major vacation. The only caveat was that I could take my world BlackBerry and be on the hotel and ship’s provided computers for one hour in the morning and one hour at night. I have got a great wife who understood I wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy myself for that length of time if I wasn’t able to be in contact with the office and clients.

So, I am back and rejuvenated and working on some interesting “stuff” right now so look for some interesting news in my next blog.

Until later….

Licensing at its best

2008-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

WOW! LIMA was a gigantic show.

I travelled to NY a few weeks ago to participate in the LIMA Show. To say the least, it was a unique experience.

To begin with I should tell you about the LIMA organization. It is comprised of over 1200 companies involved it the licensing of products or the use of their names. The members and exhibitors at the show ran the gamut from Disney, to Mattel, to Sony…actually the Who’s Who of Name Brands.

BSP Rewards has been appointed the official loyalty/rewards/incentive/promotional partner of LIMA – and we are extremely proud of that! Take a look at the web site www.bsprewards.com/lima. Needless to say, this opens up a world of possibilities for our BSP platform.

We stuck our toe in the water at the trade show to get a better feel of the industry and the potential and actually had a floor office to meet with potential clients. We presented with two of our outstanding strategic partners – The Ignition Network (a full service marketing and promotion organization) and Prepaid Solutions (the division of West Suburban Bank that issues debit/prepaid cards that promotional and BSP points can be loaded on to). Our trio of companies showcased a homogeneous platforms of promotional services that have never been offered before..really cool.

We did a little exploring of the show and visited many of the name brand booths. It was almost like visiting a theme park as the big company’s displays were both large scale and extensive.
I would like to give special thanks the LIMA staff for their assistance and enthusiasm. We are as excited to work with LIMA as they are with us.

As always, I try to accomplish as much as possible during my trips – especially when in New York. I travelled the day before the show to see some potential clients and spend a little time with Wall Street types. As it turned out, it was well worth the extra day – and not just for the 3 free meals.

But that may be the focus of my blog next time.

Until later….

Texas Payroll Card Show

2008-05-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

… Discover Card Strategic Partnership

Well I returned from my Texas trip thrilled with our relationship with Discover but not having time to see much of Austin.

The flight was interesting and bumpy. I flew to Dallas for my Austin connection and as fate would have it, we ran into the largest band of lightening storms Texas has seen for some time. I arrived a hour late into Dallas but the Austin flight was delayed as well.. no harm – no foul.

The Payroll Card Show was held in the convention center which was only a 5 block walk for my hotel. The offsite meeting I had the on the second day was at the Four Seasons Hotel and that was only a block for where I was staying. I had to walk right by it on the way to the convention center.

All in all, I had a walking tour of about five square blocks which wasn’t enough to take in what was described to me as one of the great cities in the U.S. Although I didn’t see much of the city, I saw a great deal of the APA Payroll trade show – and that was wonderful.

It is amazing how the doors open when you can go around to all the booths that Discover Card has a relationship with and are introduced as their strategic partner. Discover Card sent an email and a PowerPoint presentation a week before the show to all of the companies that had booths.
It outlined how the BSP program was an excellent payroll card “value added feature” which was “merchant funded” by our 750 participating retailers. Needless to say, it opened a lot of doors for us and we already did five demonstration follow ups in this first week after the show.

By the way, one of our clients, Global Cash Card, had a booth at the show. We had a chance to spend some time together and draw up the marketing steps for payroll card programs they already had us layered on to – Ruth’s Chris and StaffMark.

We came up with some exciting promotions that they will be utilizing on additional programs they are launching. By the way, Global Cash Card is a phenomenal company to do business with. Exciting stuff!

I will be updating you on our further inroads into the payroll card market. With Strategic Partners like Global Cash and Discover, it should prove to be a very interesting ride.

Until later….

Busy Times

2008-04-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

Canada, Trade Shows and Travel

It has been another interesting month which started with the Card and Payment prepaid debit card trade show. We jointly presented with our strategic marketing partner – Meridian Enterprises and their MeridiCard. The show was targeted to the banking and debit card issuers and our BSP “merchant funded” rewards platform got a lot of play.

We are in the conversation and proposal stage with various card issuers and have already announced our relationship with One World United to build them a private branded mall and to add the BSP platform to their Debit Cards.

What makes this so unique is that most of their cards are being issued in Canada and it opens the door for BSP to a large Canadian market. We already have nearly 200 merchants in our mall that service this market which gives us a giant head start on the program. We had plans to expand and serve our Canadian neighbors this year, and the One World Card relationship is our first step toward a larger and growing presence. Hail Maple Leaf!

We are now looking at the network marketing industry and some of their payroll cards that serve Canada as the next step in our expansion. We have already private branded malls for 5 such companies and initiated and launched a category on all of our malls that feature the Canadian merchants. We are now busy on developing a platform totally tailored to that market.

This past week was a busy one for us. Between a Board of Directors meeting and a guest speaking engagement and introducing our newly designed mall look, there was a great deal to prepare for.

One of our clients, Anserteam, is a professional group consisting of over 70 professional Staffing agencies across the country. We have already launched their association web mall and are now developing a program whereby their participating companies can feature their own private branded malls. The platform will be utilized as a value added bonus for their staffing employees as well as an incentive and referral rewards system.

Well it is now time for me to hit the road again…New York and the following week in Austin Texas…pretty diverse audiences.

I will give you updates later - pardner.

I’m Back..again

2008-03-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

… Not that you missed me.
It has been an interesting month with trips to NY and Las Vegas while the team at the office was busily working away on new client malls.

We launched a new BSP Rewards Mall for Challenger Sports and a unique rewards and loyalty program for a large national beer company.

I mentioned the trips first so I ought to tell you what they were about. NY served a dual purpose (1) Wall Street meetings and (2) new client prospects.

The Wall Street meetings were easier than in the past because we have a much better story and growing company to talk about. Tom Hill, our brilliant Director of Operations and Board Member was on the trip and handled about 2/3 of the speaking…and he does a much better job of it than I do. He did so well that I invited him to speak at an Investor Seminar later that week in Ft. Lauderdale.

The Las Vegas trip placed me in front of a totally different audience. I attended the Prepaid Card Conference and met with clients (Global Cash Card, Prepaid Solutions, The Ignition Network and EDebit Pay) as well as some excellent new prospects.

It was both a great education for me and an outstanding venue to meet and greet. Because our BSP platform layers seamlessly on top of debit and credit cards as a value added benefit, the show proved a perfect opportunity to expand our relationships.

By the way, I don’t drink much (one glass of wine), don’t gamble at all and I returned to my room by 9pm each night. Yep, Vegas doesn’t like visitors like me.

Back to our new clients. Challenger Sports is an interesting opportunity as it opens the door to millions of potential members. Challenger holds youth soccer camps for over 100,000 kids every summer and also work with soccer clubs across the country that embrace over 5 million members. Our role is to bring a money saving mall to the members and a fund raising program to the clubs.

Their members shop in our mall of over 700 national merchants and the clubs receive continuous passive revenue from every member transaction. Great for the member (receives cash value rebates), the Soccer Clubs (receives a % as donations) and BSP Rewards (you can easily guess why).

That brings me to the large national brewery…….let’s save that for next time .

I’m Back

2008-02-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Please excuse my absence for the past 2 weeks, but I have a reason (an excuse actually). I had company…we had company..and also we were working on some new big clients; which I am happy to report – have joined the program.

First, about my personal visitors. Every year, during the winter season, our good friends come down for Chicago to spend 9 or 10 days. Needless to say, they like the Florida weather and have the added benefit of getting even with us for visiting them for 9 -10 days during the summer. Balancing the time between them and work posed its problems, but it all got done. (With the help of the great BSP Rewards staff).

My business visitors, if not fun, were a pleasure in a different manner. We had both the Board of Directors come in for a meeting plus our auditors for their annual “search and report” audit.
The Board meeting was actually wonderful and beneficial. We reviewed our progress for 2007 and outlined our expansion plans for 2008. It was an extreme pleasure to see grown men get so excited!

The auditors were pleasant and nicely efficient. They did the job of week long delving, questioning and peeking found that all was in order.

Then came the best part of the two weeks … the new clients and their large member enrollments. The one I will mention this week is EDebit pay – a very large debit card issuer who auto-enrolled their entire data base and is enrolling all new card holders as they receive their cards.

The fact that such a large company chose the BSP Rewards platform as a value added benefit for their cards (after reviewing our competition) is both praise and validation of our outstanding program. This not only provides an abundant amount of new members that can shop with our merchant in our web mall but also advances our plans to have a multitude of cards that will work seamlessly when we expand into the brick and mortar channels.
All in all, it was a enjoyable and productive two weeks.

Now it is back to full time for me and that could result in some new large scale clients..but that would be telling.

….Talk to you soon.

Charging My Batteries

2008-01-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

The holiday season proved to be wonderful and intense for BSP. We set new records daily and had to spend many extra hours coordinating the process.

My personal workweek included about 70 hours in the office and working from home. That is not a complaint as I love what I do and the people I do it with – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Annually I pick a week to recharge my batteries and the 5 days is coming up starting January 21st. I entertain visiting guests and work part-time (down to about 45 hours that week). I come in every day but normally cut out around 1PM to spend some time with the visiting dignitaries. But fear not, if anyone needs to get in touch with me they can easily do so as my Blackberry rarely leaves my hand.

I am going to need that little respite because, as I noted last week, BSP Rewards is about to go through a large and rapid growth cycle. The first quarter of ’08 will be filled with new branded site launches and what looks like, monumental membership growth….and really long work hours in order the handle it.

On the other hand, the staff will probably be happy to get rid of me for a while -except on that Friday. Every Friday I take the group out to lunch and they undoubtedly won’t be too thrilled if I miss it. (I may have to extend my work hours until 1:30 that day).

In the mean time I have a full week to work with the team on some really neat new things, so look for a couple of announcements soon.

….Talk to you soon.

New Year’s Resolution

2008-01-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well, 2007 is past and it is time to seriously contemplate what I would like to improve on in 2008. We came so far in 2007, with record breaking transaction volume and building our web mall to become the largest on the internet- and of course, we want to grow even bigger and more rapidly. It is time to capitalize on our momentum …so here goes.

First, my resolutions on a personal level;
1. Lose some weight (I won’t tell you how much). Well that’s enough about me personally!
Business wise the list of resolutions could be a lot more numerous, but I will limit them to the following.

1. Design a group of unique features for the BSP Rewards web malls.
2. Develop a new optional interface to enhance the member’s shopping experience.
3. Create a reminder program when a member shops outside the platform.
4. Develop a gift and event reminder program.
5. Expand the Mall with additional “great” merchants.
6. Build branded malls for larger national product and service clients.
7. Create marketing materials to increase frequency of member shopping.
8. Enter new channels.
9. Form mutually beneficial partnerships.
10. Hold a few surprises for later.
11. ….and of course increase sales volume and revenues tremendously.

All if all it is an ambitious list… but we have an outstanding team that can get it done.
Watch for some exciting announcements in the first quarter.
Look out rewards world – here we come!

2007 Reflection and 2008 Forecast

2007-12-31T07:25:00.001-08:00

2007 was a pivotal time in the growth of BSP Rewards and 2008 looks like it could be our major breakout year.

The year started out with a great deal of momentum and it just kept going, and going and going…yes, just like the Duracell Bunny.

We added a great many merchants to our mall and then elevated the platform to the status of the largest, most complete web mall ever. It now contains over 700 national merchants, a discount merchandise catalog of over 200,000 discount items, over 100 gift cards from national merchants, and printable discounts coupons at 7000 neighborhood restaurants. In January we will add thousands of “printable” discount coupons for both local and national merchants. A pretty good running start for 2008!

During the year we also built many new private branded malls for an ever expanding list of clients and added hundreds of thousands of new members. Our list of branded web malls grew continuously with larger and larger companies coming on board. These companies included national companies such as Clipper Magazine (a division of Gannet), Edebit Pay (one of the nation’s premier issuers of debit cards), VBN.TV a virtual TV network), Nation Safe Drivers (a National Roadside assistance company) ….. to name a few. And that is only a small sampling to what we expect in 2008.

The first quarter of “08 looks as if the dam will break and a flood of new clients will start to roll in. We can’t name the companies yet as the paperwork is being finalized, but all I can say is WOW! Not only are they big names, but they their private branded malls should be generating a continuous influx of new members – members that will be shopping in our mall and be available for our cross marketing efforts.

The increased membership this coming year should produce substantially enhanced income. 2008 will be a year of initiatives as we plan on commencing advertising revenue and income generating special promotions.

I won’t outline our expansion plans yet, but keep tuned. The first quarter is upon us and expect it to be an exciting prelude to the months that follow.

Happy New Year!!!

Holiday Party

2007-12-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

…A good time was had by all.

Last Friday we held our annual Holiday Party and if I say so myself, it was a lot of fun.

We hold the party every year and each year it gets a little bigger and better the year before. This party was no exception.

Ema and James are to organizers and manage to come up with a different, unique and outstanding theme each time. I don’t know how where all of their ideas come from but they were again at the top of their game.

Ema plans, invites, decorates and in charge of all the food. James is in charge of the games. (Silly as the games are they always provide great entertainment and belly laughs)

We always have the party in our offices. Where other companies normally hold theirs at a restaurant, we find that would be much too cold. We didn’t want an “eat and run” atmosphere that is generated by a restaurant setting -we like the team to stay around for more than just the meal.

BSP Rewards prides itself on a family work place and that goes double when it is time to celebrate. We have a very close knit group of (great) employees that work along, and get along, fabulously as an integrated team. An office get together gives us the opportunity to sit and chat like friends and even play some party games, laugh, and award prizes. It is like attending a game show – with food.

All in all, everyone had a terrific time and we all look forward to an even bigger party next year with and expand team to handle all of the new clients coming on board.

We wish all of you, a Happy Holidays and healthy and prosperous New Year!!!

…More next week

Gift Cards

2007-12-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

Gift cards – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Gift cards are wonderful for the consumer - and we are in business to please the consumer.

BSP Rewards offers approximately 100 gift cards from a variety of national brands. These include cards from BP Gas Cards to the Gap, Macy’s to Timberland…Office Depot to Best Buy, Target to Sears and Chili’s to Red Lobster – to name a few.

The best of the best are offered because that is what our member expect and deserve.

We sell all of cards at face value (just like other gift card sites do) BUT we give back rebate points (like others DON’T DO). We look at gift cards from a different point of view. We sell a lot of gift cards (a real lot) but never planned to make much money on them.

As I stated, they are for our member’s convenience AND they fit perfectly into our platform and plan. To us, gift cards are a marketing tool.

We have built the largest mall on the web between our on-line merchants, gift cards, restaurants, a 200,000-item discount catalog, and soon thousands of discount coupons; the gift cards fit right in.

Whether of members shop our mall to get the gift cards, or they shop for gift cards to get to the mall…gift cards drive traffic. The results are to same – the more traffic, the more sales (and did I mention that our members love them).

We carry all of the gift cards in inventory so that we can fill all of the orders quickly. We even customize the card so that they can be delivered in the name of each branded site we build – and also carry the member’s special message. The enclosure can even feature items and messages to enhance the shopping experience.

Our member’s suggested that we create a printable “Everything Certificate” so they could print them at home. They wanted to give the recipient the opportunity to pick a card for the merchant of their choice. Of course we complied.

So you can see how the gift cards act as a marketing tool for the web mall and for our client’s ability to communicate to his members – with and end result of providing a world of good will and customer loyalty.

…More next week

Merchant Extra Benefits

2007-12-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

Merchants want increased sales.

You don’t have to be a genius to guess that retailers want to stimulate more traffic and lower their cost of acquiring a customer. I guess that is why I figured it out.

Accordingly’ we believe that we have developed a merchant program that will cause a paradigm in the industry.

BSP Rewards work with merchants on 4 levels:
1. E-Commerce
2. Gift Cards
3. In-store Merchant
4. Branded Rewards Program

The first level is easy (E-commerce) …that we why we have acquired over 700 merchants in our web mall. We simply place the merchant in our mall and watch the sales occur. As the merchant only pays for success; his only cost is when a sale is actually consummated.

The differentiating point with the BSP program is that we place that merchant in every mall we build and brand for clients - and that number is north of 50 (as opposed to a single mall). By the way, we with new malls being launched all the time.

Then we cross market them to all the members, in all the malls, through monthly newsletters and other unique marketing programs. For instance, every time the member makes a purchase from the merchant they send a them an email confirmation - and we send one also. Double exposure!

The merchant also sends another email when the item ships, at which time we send one to them awarding their points - again double exposure!

And the beauty for the merchant is there is no cost for this advertising exposure:

1. To be listed in the mall
2. To be highlighted in newsletters
3. For the confirmation email
4. For the point award email

A pretty neat multi-prong advertising campaign - and it is all for FREE. No wonder BSP has the largest mall on the web.

The mall has now reached critical mass. We have come to the point that we turn down merchants every week who apply. Of course we will allow some additional merchants to participate…but only if the meet our criteria.

Next week I outline our strategy relative to gift cards.