BallStars Blog

2009 NBA Draft - BallStars Basketballs

2009-06-26T15:15:00.006-05:00

Here some additional photo's of the 2009 NBA Draft ceremony with BallStars Basketballs in the shot.

BallStars at the NBA Draft

2009-06-26T08:22:00.004-05:00

Thanks to our long running relationship with Spalding, you can see BallStars custom printed basketballs on the tables of the players during the 2009 NBA Draft ceremony.

Check it out here:

2009 NBA Draft Video Recap

BallStars in Indianapolis - New Software Demonstration

2009-06-03T10:38:00.002-05:00

BallStars exhibited a NBM Awards & Engraving Tradeshow last to showcase our latest software that we have made an option when purchasing a complete system. This software allows you to take a photo and print the ball on the spot within 1 1/2 minutes.

While at the show, we taped a short video clip. Click on the following link and scroll down the videos on the right to find the BallStars video: Video Link

To find out more about this software and our complete line of system packages please call 800-237-0653 or visit www.ballstars.com.

A Loving Memory Launches A BallStars Business

2008-09-02T09:15:00.003-05:00

A Loving Memory Launches A Ballstars Business

By Deborah Sexton

The story of Dan Kersey’s Ballstars business has a rough beginning. Thankfully, though, it has a happy ending.

Two years ago, Dan’s grandson, Chad, was taking a college class that required him to get information on franchises. As a favor to his grandson, Dan and his wife went to a franchise show in nearby Denver — and while the experience initially wasn’t a pleasant one, the result certainly was. “People would practically grab us and drag us into their booth, so we were getting ready to leave the show,” Dan says. “Then, we went around the corner and met a couple of gentleman from BallStars, and we were immediately interested.”

Since retiring from his job selling books to libraries and schools, Dan, who also is a former basketball coach, was ready for a change and seriously considering taking the plunge with BallStars. Meanwhile, his son Jerry, who was fighting cancer, urged Dan to go for it. “He said, ‘Pop, you need to do it because you can create memories,” Dan recalls. His son passed away in September of 2005 and in February 2007, Dan launched Kreate Memories, named it in his son’s honor.

PHOTO: Dan Kersey, left, became a BallStars’ licensee at the urging of his son who later passed away of cancer. On the right is grandson Chad, who helps with the business.

At-Event Displays Help Drive BallStars Business

Dan Kersey, a former library book salesman and basketball coach in Colorado City, Colo., doesn’t consider himself to be the most technologically proficient guy on the block. However, thanks to the tools provided by BallStars — including a Web site template — he has successfully launched his own tech-driven business, Kreate Memories. The one-year-old business drives part of it sales from its Web site, www.kreatememories.com.

Kersey also drives revenue the old-fashioned way by exhibiting at events and offering his company’s personalized products. “I set up a display on weekends at a local sports complex,” he says. “I designed a table with a big banner and some posters from BallStars. Then, I used the oak display case that BallStars offers and displayed the most popular balls. The hours varied depending on the event, but typically I would set up Saturday morning around 7 a.m. and go to around 4 or 5 in the afternoon Saturday and Sunday.”

He generated buzz for his business by creating samples made from photos of area athletes. “I had a full-size soccer ball with a local picture stole out of the newspaper of a gal that was an All States soccer player from the south. We also had designed a basketball for the 2AA State Champions last March. Then we had a bunch of local kids’ pictures that I begged, borrowed, and stole.”

“It created a lot of stir,” Kersey says. “So after baseball season, we set up at a complex that hosts Bantam football games. So we changed up the display to focus on football. I fit right in with that. On average, we probably sold half a dozen right there on the spot. There was a ton of interest. Later I picked up several teams that 20 and 30 players in them.”

Kersey designed a form that allows him to collect information from every one who approaches his display — even those who are “just looking.” “This gives us the critical information we need to follow up with them later,” he says. “So even when we don’t sell balls, we’re getting a lot of exposure for the business.”

PHOTO: Dan Kersey created sample balls that he puts on displays at events. After displaying balls at a Bantam football game, he comments, “There was a ton of interest. I later picked up several teams.”

BallStars Business Becomes A Family Affair

Dan Kersey’s BallStars business — Kreate Memories, Colorado City, Colo. — is doing more than creating memories for customers who purchased the company’s personalized items. It’s also creating some great memories for Dan and his family members, many of whom are helping the one-year-old business get off to a great start.

Dan’s son, Jerry, who passed away of cancer in September 2005, was a football coach at an area school. Because of this connection, Dan has contacts at the school, which was helpful in selling balls to parents and fans when the school won the Colorado 40 High School championship in 2007. His grandson Chad helps maintain the company’s Web site, www.kreatememories.com. And when Dan set up a kiosk in the Pueblo Mall, a local shopping center, for two weeks in November and four in December 2007, he got plenty of help from his family.

“My grandson Chad helped out at the booth, and so did my wife and daughter. We were busier then one-arm bandits with football jobs because of our setup in the mall. It was a worthwhile investment because it got the word out about us,” Dan says. “We got an order from a team in the eastern part of the state, and if I hadn’t been in the mall, I don’t know if they would’ve heard of us.”

PHOTO: Dan Kersey set up a kiosk in the mall during the months of November and December to capitalize on a high school championship win and holiday sales. The resulting exposure later netted him orders from other parts of the state.

The Facts about Friends and Fund-Raising

Sometimes succeeding in business is just a matter of knowing the right people — and offering the right product.

Dan Kersey, owner, Kreate Memories, Colorado City, Colo., found that out when an area high school approached him about organizing a fund-raiser for the booster club. Kersey set up a display with products, and the school did the rest, including manning the booth and handling sales.

“They even processed the orders,’ Kersey says. “All I had to do was print the balls. They made a percentage of the total sales. That opportunity came about by word of mouth through someone I met when I exhibited at the sports complex.”

The fund-raising event was successful enough that Kersey plans to do a number of similar events this holiday season, all built around the BallStars Christmas ornament. In the meantime, Kersey’s keeping plenty busy (full-time, in fact) by partnering with at least seven area photographers. “It will create cash flow by setting up exhibits in their stores,” he explains. “It’s just about getting out there and being seen. It’s not going to work any other way.”

PHOTO: BallStars balls make great fund-raisers. Not only team members but students, parents, and fans are all interested in having mementos of the season. Kersey found assisting schools with fund-raisers to be a great money-maker.

Dan Kersey
Kreate Memories

Turn Your Passion to Profit!

2008-05-09T07:12:00.002-05:00

BallStars - A Profitable Discovery!

2008-03-10T12:56:00.005-05:00

Steve Moyer had been hunting unsuccessfully for a business he could launch and run while keeping his full-time job as a private school’s food service director. He tried selling items on eBay. It didn’t work out. He tried opening a Yahoo store. It didn’t work out. Then his wife, Monica, who had been skeptical of his previous entrepreneurial efforts, found the BallStars system.

“She called me and said she had found something that looked really cool—and she was on board with this idea,” says Moyer, who lives in Dartmouth, Mass. “That’s when we decided to get this going.”

After Moyer’s wife did a SWOT analysis, looking at Ballstars’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, he recognized the system’s profit potential and set his sights on turning the business into a full-time endeavor, called Game Ball Images. “We saw that there wasn’t anything like this in our area, and we decided to go for it,” he says. “I’d like to go full-time within five years.”

Think Big, Act Smart!
On the one hand, you probably won’t achieve success without dreaming big. On the other hand, you do have to be realistic — and work hard, of course. That’s what Steve Moyer quickly realized when he and his wife, Monica, launched Game Ball Images, a Ballstars business, in March 2007. “We’ve set realistic goals. I didn’t go out thinking that I was going to be a millionaire started, although it’s improving weekly,” he says. “We knew it would be a process, and we took on the mindset that this was a marathon, not a sprint.”

Moyer laced up his running shoes, so to speak, by sending out press releases to local newspapers announcing his launch. He also has become heavily involved in local activities, including fund-raisers. “We’re doing it on a shoestring budget, trying to get as much free press as we can,” he says.

For instance, Moyer got involved in a fund-raising effort for a new athletic field in a nearby town. “There was an event with bands and auctions, so we set up a display with some balls and let people do silent bidding on them,” he says. “We didn’t have to pay to participate because we donated the proceeds.”

Next, Moyer went after photographers, who can offer his service to their customers and submit orders to him. “We called them and gave them samples, because they have the market cornered for youth sports,” he says.

Seeing Is Believing!
Since Steve Moyer started Game Ball Images, his Ballstars business, early last year, he has found that the best way to get customers is to get in front of them — literally. Moyer, whose company is located in Dartmouth, Mass., often sets up a display at local events, including fund-raisers and football games.

“With these products, people need to touch and hold and feel it,” he says. “They have to run their hands across it and see that it’s not a sticker. That’s what draws them in—the ball in their hands. That’s why I have a goal of being at a tournament of some sort every weekend this summer, whether it’s baseball, soccer, or lacrosse.”
Moyer’s local Pop Warner league has 32 teams and thousands of kids participating, which made getting in front of all of those people quite a challenge. Wisely, Moyer contacted the league commissioner, who gave him permission to attend the annual meeting and provide personalized packets for all the teams. “The packets had price lists and information such as turnaround times,” he explains. “It took a few months to talk the commissioner into letting us do it, but we were finally able to get in there.”

That initial packet distribution led to numerous orders, which in turn has led to other orders as people see the BallStars balls that others have purchased. “It’s just part of getting the product out there. We even give away free stuff, but it’s the price you pay to get it out there. You have to give some to make some.”
While seeing truly is believing, prospective customers still need an explanation of the many ways BallStars items can be used. “I just try and have a conversation with them, and tell them what we are and what we do,” Moyer says. “I let them know this is a unique item, a keepsake that you can just put in your trophy case. It’s not like paint on ball; it’s permanent, and you can add the player’s names on there, and it looks really nice. Sometimes it takes 45 minutes, and sometimes you have them at hello.”

World Wide on the Web!
Game Ball Images is based in Dartmouth, Mass., but thanks to its Web site (www.gameballimages.com), it’s potentially a global business. Steve Moyer, who owns the one-year-old business with his wife, Monica, has stayed far away from the cookie-cutter sites sometimes associated with small, independent businesses. He recognized the importance of having a professional-looking site that attracts the attention of prospective customers. “I also knew that the most important thing was to rank high in search engines,” he says. “Having a top-tier Web site does all the work of attracting people through key words and images. It’s all about content, content, content.”

Game Ball Images’ site gives customers reasons to buy, Moyer says, and it shows customers different ways to use Ballstars products. “We show people that it’s the customization that makes these things different. You have to show the different ways to customize them, what you can use them for, and how they go about doing it,” he explains.

It’s also important to keep the site fresh so that it stays high in search engine rankings, Moyer says. “Keeping it up-to-date is a lot of work. You have to do something every day, even it’s something small like tweaking key words and pictures,” he explains. “People don’t just walk into your online store. You have to attract them.”

Buckingham Rocks and Rolls All Night and Parties Every Day with BallStars!

2008-03-06T07:54:00.002-06:00

Who says sports balls are only for sports fans and athletes!

I proved this wrong last night. I have been a Kiss fan for over 30 years, I did a lot of paintings, and drawings growing up. I started painting kiss on guitar picks and would give them away. Then I started sending them to web masters of some of the Kiss web sites where they would display them on the web site. I was able to build a relationship with some of the promoters.

As a result I was invited to an event last night where Kiss drummer Eric Singer would be on hand for autographs and they had bands playing. I had done some art work for Eric in the past as well as the band Mr. Speed who is a Kiss look alike band.

To make a long story short, I made some buttons and a BallStars mini home plate of Eric and a Baseball of Mr Speed. I also made a football and a basketball of Eric`s fav team. I sold out of the buttons in about 2 min! I did not even get them into the building! The promoters saw the items I gave Eric and they pulled me to the side to talk. They not only promote Kiss and Kiss merchandise but coach baseball and football. They want to have me work with them in the spring. Eric liked what I gave him, he then signed one of the home plates and gave back to me along with a signed photo, pick, and drum head.

As far as Mr. Speed, The baseball was signed and they gave it to one of their fans that have been following them from the start. They gave it to him saying that this is the ONLY one in the world like it and you have it!.

I just thought I wold share this with you.... Mark:)

Mark is owner of Buck's House Of Color - www.buckshouseofcolor.com

Blog - http://www.buckshouseofcolor.blogspot.com/

Setting up Shop

2008-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Although Marshall B. Lewis runs his BallStars business from his home in Riverview, Fla., he fully recognizes the value of getting plenty of exposure in the local business community. For instance, he recently set up a display table at community league’s football game, and was inundated with requests. The table display included marketing posters provided by BallStars.

“I don’t want to be a salesman and jump on people, and with the table, they come right to me. I had samples and information that people could take with them,” he says. “I got at least seven sales, and one of the teams asked me to come back next week for a fund-raiser,” he says.

As Lewis becomes more comfortable with the camera included in his BallStars package, he hopes to shoot photos at the games. In the meantime, he’s also getting plenty of exposure via his Web site, www.bawlhogs.com, which features a full library of product images and an online design service where customers can upload their photos or graphics and purchase the product.

Small Business, Big Dreams: Dartmouth couple starts sports achievement memento venture!

2007-12-27T08:57:00.000-06:00

By ROBERT BARBOZA
Editor
December 26, 2007 5:20 PM

DARTMOUTH — Remember back in junior high school, when your basketball team won the league championship, capping off a great season playing hoops with the kids who later became friends for life? Or the Sunday morning when you scored your first touchdown in pads and a helmet?

If those childhood memories are a little hazy a few decades later, don't you wish you had a personalized memento of that special sports achievement sitting on a desktop or a bookshelf to help you relive those youthful glory days?

Steve and Monica Moyer of Dartmouth are hoping that their new business, Game Ball Images, can help your family preserve such treasured memories by imprinting a photo of your player or team and their accomplishments on one of the many sports products their fledgling company offers.

The home-based business can print a photo of your future All Star on everything from a regulation-sized souvenir football to a hockey puck, from a softball or rubber miniature of home plate.

"There's 28 different items we can print photos on," mostly sports balls of all sizes, said Steve, a food service manager at St. George's School in Newport who readily admits to being a fanatic about sports. When not working or helping to coach his son Nathan's Dartmouth Youth Football League team, he keeps busy pursuing marketing leads and turning out the mementos.
Monica, a graphic designer who is now home tending twin four year olds, takes care of most of the design work involved in creating the personalized souvenirs for customers spanning the globe. With her expertise in Photoshop and other graphics software, it's a small business partnership made in heaven.

It was the arrival of twins Emma and Aidan that prompted the young couple to look around for a part-time business that could be operated out of their home, Monica said.

Finding an advertisement for a company called Ball Stars, they decided to investigate further, and ended up becoming a local licensee for the firm, which supplies the mementos, production machinery and related accessories such as display cases for their products.

The photo transfer process is relatively quick and easy, with a client's printed photo or digital image being heat-transferred onto the sports souvenir object chosen. Creating an expanded web site featuring all their products, and easy templates for customers to design their own mementos, has helped draw business from all over the country, and even overseas.

One internet order was for 13 personalized soccer balls for a youth team at an American military base in Germany, Steve noted, and other orders have come in from as far away as India. The enhanced web site (www.gameballimages.com) has made the Dartmouth couple one of Ball Stars' most successful new licensees, the couple indicated.

Indeed, much of the internet business in the first year has come from distant places such as California, Michigan and Texas, while local orders are generally coming from setting up displays at youth sports tournaments around the region.

The family plans their weekend tournament visits as family outings, using a digital camera to capture "a player right out on the field" in an action shot to be used to make a memento, Steve said. "We can take a bunch of action shots and have customers pick the picture they want right off our computer" set up on the sidelines, he noted.

"It's the type of product that really needs to be seen" to be appreciated, Monica added. "That's why we like to go out and set up on site."

Unlike a trophy or team plaque, "You can always look back at it and say, this is what I looked like back then," Steve suggested. That personalized touch is what seems to draw customers, he indicated, noting, "The only limit to the creative possibilities is your imagination."

It was that entrepreneurial imagination that prompted the couple to launch their little business, which they would eventually like to see turn into a full-time operation with a storefront complete with a showroom.

"For us, it's a marathon, not a sprint. We know we have to start slow, and we're not going to make money right away," Steve said.

Like many other small business owners, he and his wife have learned that success takes time and hard work. "We can dream," he suggested, sounding a little like one of those Little Leaguers thinking about playing in Fenway Park some day.

To find out more about Game Ball Images, visit their web site, or call Steve or Monica at (508) 542-4080.

Reprinted from The Chronicle.SouthCoastToday.com Website.
Serving the Dartmouth & Westport communities

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071226/PUB02/712260414

Getting Customers

2007-12-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

After launching his BallStars business, Bawl Hogs, just a few short months ago, Marshall B. Lewis is finding it surprisingly easy to find customers. He contacted about five area high schools, sending some of them an introductory e-mail and giving others a more personal touch.

“I visited them and left some samples, and everybody loved them,” says Lewis, who lives in Riverview, Fla. “I’m happy about the way things are going.”

Lewis’ sample kit included his business card, a list of prices, and, in some cases, a ball. “I can’t give everybody balls, so I put together a PowerPoint slide showing the package and e-mailed that to the schools,” he explains.

He keeps the e-mail’s file size small enough (well under six megabytes) so that recipients have no difficulty receiving the information. “I’ve already sold eight balls,” says Lewis, who expects to receive many more orders after the schools receive funding to purchase the balls. “I’m also pursuing football leagues and a city recreational league. One team wants to give balls to all 30 of its kids. They’re just waiting until the season ends to see how the team places.”

Lewis, however, isn’t simply waiting around for business. “I’ll be sending out fliers to the basketball coaches next,” he says.

Balls And Ornaments Are A Natural For The Holidays

2007-12-13T13:18:00.000-06:00

With the holidays fast approaching, Marshall B. Lewis expects good things for his fledgling BallStars business, Bawl Hogs, including healthy sales of Christmas ornaments and balls as Christmas gifts.

“There’s an organization on base that originally wanted T-shirts for their 5K Christmas run, but I showed them the balls and ornaments, and they may use those instead,” says Lewis, who serves in the Air Force. “They’re looking for awards, as well as items for the goodie bags they give away after the run. They would put the name of the race on the item.”

Custom photo products boost spending of retail and online print customers!

2007-12-12T10:53:00.000-06:00

PMA Data Watch: Custom photo products boost spending of retail and online print customers!

If you are still thinking about whether to expand your photo services beyond traditional printing services, consider this: According to the 2007 PMA U.S. Consumer Photo Buying Report, only about 40 percent of digital camera owners ordered standard photo prints at retail or online in 2006. About 40 percent of those retail and online print customers, however, also ordered custom photo products in 2006, on top of their prints, and their average spending on those products was $51. This figure includes photo CDs and DVDs ordered at stores or online, as well as, photo greeting cards, posters, calendars, and other custom items ordered by print customers. It does not, however, include blank CDs and DVDs, printers, and printer consumables purchased by the same customers for custom photo creations at home. According to PMA Marketing Research data, custom photo products in 2006 comprised the equivalent of a $20 ($51 x 40 percent) premium on every retail/online print customer's spending.

67 percent of digital camera owners that made prints in 2006.

40 percent of digital camera owners that made prints at retail/online.

40 percent of retail/online print customers that ordered custom products.

$51 is the average retail/online print-customer's spending on custom products.

$20 is the premium in print customer's spending from custom photo products.

Published December 10th, 2007
View Article: http://www.pmai.org/index.cfm/ci_id/1198/la_id/1.htm

source PMA Marketing Research

Retiring with Ballstars

2007-12-07T07:34:00.000-06:00

Marshall B. Lewis knows exactly what he’ll be doing when he retires from the Air Force in two years: He’ll have a successful BallStars franchise. Lewis, who designed everything from Web sites to coins during his armed forces career, purchased a BallStars Pro 5500 system in August after discovering the system’s profit-making potential.

“I was trying to find something in graphics, and I love sports too, and BallStars puts the two together,” he says. “I polled friends and family members about putting their child’s photo on a ball. Everybody I spoke with thought it was a great idea.”

Lewis, who lives in Riverview, Fla., (www.bawlhogs.com) says it’s the kind of item he would’ve loved as a kid. “We had trophies, and those are fine, but th is is more personal,” he says. “Plus, being down here in Florida, the weather is always good, so they play sports year-round. There are so many different areas to sell the product.”

Those plentiful business opportunities have given Lewis high hopes for Bawl Hogs, his fledgling BallStars initiative. “If things start to blossom, I will do BallStars full time,” Lewis says. “Then I’ll have the freedom to do whatever I want. That’s my goal.”

Autograph Signings - 4 of 4

2007-11-26T15:01:00.000-06:00

Another great opportunity to promote your BallStars business is by attending autograph signings as available in your area. Marc Dominguez, Texas Photo Ball, Little Elm, Texas, realized this opportunity when DeMarcus Ware, a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, came to his neighborhood Albertson’s grocery store to do an autograph signing. Dominguez got in line with his seven-year-old son. Unfortunately, it was their bad luck that the person ahead of them was the last one chosen in line to get a turn.

While Dominguez feels a BallStars ball signed by a professional athlete makes a great display sample, he also got the business card of the Demarcus Ware’s business manager. “Often, at autograph signings, the athletes are selling a product for them to sign,” notes Dominguez. “For example, they may provide a football, which the fan must purchase for $25 and then it can be signed. I plan to talk to these business managers about offering a higher quality ball with the athlete’s photo on it that can be sold to fans to be signed,” he says.

To find out more about the Dominguez Family visit their website at www.txphotoball.com

Getting Established In Photo Ball Business - Part 3 of 4

2007-11-15T07:24:00.000-06:00

As with any new venture, plan to spend a certain amount of time learning how to use the system, learning the graphics software, and getting the word out that you offer BallStars balls. While doing all this can be a full-time job, unless you will not need to be generating income to live off of during this time period, you may find it prudent to keep your full-time job until the business is firmly established and earning a regular income.

This was the case with Marc and Monica Dominguez, Texas Photo Ball, Little Elm, Texas. Their greatest motivation for purchasing the BallStars system was to allow Marc, who was burned out from his current career, to shift gears and do something more enjoyable.

He says, “My original intent was to go full-time, but I had to change that. I am now doing BallStars part-time because I am still building my base of clients. My contact list of parents and coaches is growing, but I know that it will take at least two years to build up the business to the point that I can quit my full-time job.”

A plus to a BallStars franchise is it can easily be operated out of a home, garage, or basement so overhead costs can be kept down while the business is getting started. “My business is located out of my home,” says Dominguez. “I converted one side of my garage to my Texas Photo Ball work area. I purchased one table. I use the shipping crate as the system stand, and the transport pallet holds my current excess inventory. I lifted the pallet onto cinder blocks to keep it safe. I also use a free-standing five-shelf unit to hold my working inventory.”

Because Monica has an MBA and Marc has almost completed the coursework to earn his MBA, they didn’t need much business advice. The couple has mainly used BallStars to provide information about shipping, costs, and marketing.

Monica has taken over the responsibilities for the management portion, while Marc concentrates on sales. Says Marc, “It is a family effort whenever we go to a sporting event, I will have everyone doing something. The kids enjoy passing out fliers. They think every flier they pass out is a sale. I told them it is a potential sale.”

Another plus of the BallStars system is there is not a long learning curve. “Learning to use the BallStars press was easy for me,” says Dominguez. “It has been a little more challenging to learn the Adobe Photoshop program. I had to sit myself down and go through many tutorials before I could produce good-quality art. Luckily, most of my sales have been on standard templates created with the easy-to-use BallStars software. And I am still committed to getting better at Photoshop.”

The Dominguez family goal for this first calendar year is to gross $25,000. “Our first- year revenue goal has been adjusted from my original goal because we are only doing it part time right now. I will be happy to pay off the system in the first year,” says Dominguez.

Dominguez Getting Started With BallStars - Part 2 of 4

2007-11-08T07:09:00.000-06:00

Aside from learning how to use the BallStars system, the highest priority of any new owner is the task of sales and marketing. BallStars balls have far-reaching potential to sell in a wide range of markets, but just starting out, it’s important to pick a niche that will allow you to focus your efforts for the greatest results.

Marc and Monica Dominguez, Texas Photo Ball, Little Elm, Texas, purchased their BallStars system in August 2007 and initially have chosen to focus their efforts on youth sports leagues and minor league franchises. One of their first marketing attempts involved attending youth soccer tournaments.

In addition to attending soccer tournaments, Dominguez also is doing as much networking as he can as well as trying to generate word of mouth exposure.

He also has used a full-color flier, which is available from BallStars, with contact information stamped on it. “We have used almost all of the marketing materials provided by BallStars,” says Dominguez. “The marketing materials helped us to attend our first games with less worry about our presentation.”

Dominguez also has used the BallStars gift packets. (These are preprinted packets that you sell to the customer. The customer then goes home, chooses a photo, fills out the order form, and mails it into the licensee for order fulfillment. Orders can then be picked, delivered, or mailed to the customer.)

“We sold some gift packs at the games. I also have tried to put them into some stores, but arranging the meetings with them is taking a little longer,” says Dominguez.

When it came time to put together a marketing plan, Marc and Monica had an advantage. Monica has a master’s of business administration degree, and Marc has nearly completed his, so both are well grounded in how to run a business as well as marketing and sales techniques. As is often the case in a new business, the original marketing plan is evolving from its original form as they begin to learn more about their market.

“I budgeted money for print, point-of-sale materials, and the Internet,” said Dominguez. “But I have since reduced my Internet marketing budget to $50 because I was not seeing a return on that expenditure. The cost per click (CPC) was too high. I was getting clicks, but no sales. I have since determined BallStars balls are a sale that needs to happen in person. Customers need to touch the ball and be swept up with the emotion of the knowledge that their child just won a game.”

26 Year Industry Expert Deborah Sexton Joins BallStars

2007-11-02T11:40:00.000-05:00

My name is Deborah Sexton. I will be a regular contributor to the Ballstars blog. I do marketing and public relations for Ballstars on a freelance basis. I have been in the decorated apparel industry for 26 years. I started out as an assistant editor for IMPRESSIONS magazine in 1981 and was editor in chief of IMPRESSIONS from 1994 to 2001 when the company made the decision to move its offices from Dallas, where I live, to Atlanta.

Since 2001, I have been running my own freelance business writing press releases, newsletters, and Web copy for companies like Ballstars. I also continue to write for many industry trade publications such as IMPRESSIONS, Printwear, CorelDraw Pro, Stitches and some of promotional products publications such as The Counselor and PPB.

On a regular basis I will be posting stories about licensees, marketing info, and any other tips or tricks I can find to help people get started and be successful with their Ballstars photo transfer ball system. If you have any type of info you'd be specifially interested in, please e-mail me and let me know. My e-mail address is dsexton@sbcglobal.net. I'm also interested in any licensees who might be willing to chat with me about what they are doing. It is through networking and sharing experiences that others can get new ideas and try new ways to sell and market Ballstars products. Do not feel like you have to be selling a million dollars worth of balls a year or that you have nothing to say. The two most recent people I interviewed, Mark Dominguez and Marshall Lewis, just purchased their systems but they were willing to talk about what it has been like getting started.

Also, I will be at the Long Beach ISS show in January. This show will have all kinds of suppliers of T-shirts and other types of apparel, screen printing equipment, embroidery equipment, and much more. If you'd like to check it out the Web site is http://www.issshows.com/. If you are coming let's hook up to say hi. Just email me and we'll set up a time and place to meet.

Dominguez Changing Careers With BallStars - Part 1 of 4

2007-10-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

Marc Dominguez, co-owner, Texas Photo Ball, Little Elm, Texas, had been in involved in the courier and transportation business for 14 years working for companies such as DHL, Purolator, and Greyhound. He was burned out and wanted a change.

He knew that he wanted to start his own business, set his own hours, and be his own boss, but wasn’t immediately sure what he wanted to do. So he and his wife, Monica, started researching potential franchise businesses through publications like Entrepreneur, Inc., and Web sites.

Ironically, it was Monica who first picked out BallStars as a venture she’d be interested in. She had been active as an athlete in high school and remembered all the trophies and awards she had won over the years and felt that this was a market with a lot of potential. “Monica was very sure that it would have been something she would have purchased or her mom would have wanted to buy,” says Dominguez.

Marc, who had been in the Marines but was not that much into sports, was not initially convinced that’s what he wanted to do, and instead chose a different franchise to go with. Since Monica was keeping her job and Mark would be the one running the franchise full time, Monica deferred to Mark’s first choice.

However, as Mark tried to set up his first choice, he ran into some obstacles. The biggest one was that he was originally told he could have the territory he wanted, but when he went to place his first order, he was told that territory had already been taken. Not interested in setting up a territory that wasn’t close to him, he then re-considered Monica’s first choice, which was BallStars.

“So really, it was the poor customer service from this first company that got me started with BallStars,” says Dominguez. “Monica showed me the Web site and BallStars made it so easy to get the franchise set up. They were very fast about getting me my system and they didn’t even have territories. They really made it an easy process.”

“We also thought that the cost was reasonable compared to the possible return. We researched other opportunities that we could get into for under $25,000 as that was our total budget. We thought it would be something easy to manage and fun to do in our spare time,” says Dominguez.

Ballstars Licensee Presents Football to Super Bowl Championship Team Coach!

2007-10-29T08:55:00.000-05:00

A proven way to promote your BallStars business is to investigate ways to get your products into the hands of sports stars and coaches who then appear in the media. Mark Buckingham, Bucks House of Color, Brazil, Ind., who lives just a short drive away from the Indianapolis Colts training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., did just that.

During the first week of training for the new season, the public is invited to watch and the coach and players hang around after practice for autograph signing and questions. Buckingham, whose two children also love the Indianapolis Colts, went with Dad to a practice during the first week of camp. Buckingham came prepared with two mid-size footballs.

The first one was created specially for Tony Dungy, the head coach, with his photo and the words “Thanks Coach for the Super Bowl Championship,” which the team had won in Super Bowl 2006. He also brought a blank football to collect some autographs on.

Another talent of Buckingham’s is he is a serious amateur photographer. He recently purchased a Sony 10.2 megapixel professional-quality camera for his Ballstars’ business, which he had ready once he got his turn to talk to Coach Dungy. “He was very surprised and he thanked me for it,” says Buckingham. The licensee also got his photo taken with the coach and the ball as well as photos of several of the other players.

The next day, after Buckingham had a chance to go home and get some photos printed, he returned and was able to get several of the photos signed as well. At this time, he was invited to a private special autograph signing event in October.

While waiting and watching the team practice, Buckingham had an opportunity to show around his custom-designed ball to other waiting fans and he handed out as many business cards as possible. And in the meantime, he is submitting a press release about his experience to local newspapers.

Many Ballstars’ licensees have found that once they begin getting out to events such as this one, showing the balls, and distributing literature and business cards that word of mouth can really get sales rolling. A great way to find out about events is local newspapers, community Web sites, and regional online calendars. Check out what you might visit and capitalize on this great marketing technique.