Somedays

As you can tell from my earlier post I was feeling a tad frustrated.

Ali and I - We've been working such long hard hours to bring this community some good communication tools and as much solid information as possible. And I think I am just a bit over tired.

I know that there will always be the odd person who will not pay their bill for advertising in the paper. I know you can't win em all - it just hurts when you let friendship get in the way of business or vice verse.

I enjoy the work I do. That in and of itself is a large reward.
I enjoy giving back to a community as great as this one is. So yah, once in a while I spout off, get it off my chest and then pull up my big girl panties and get on with it.

Forgive me for being a wee bit human today?

BDB

Pit Bull wanted....

I have come to the conclusion that I need a business manager as I am quite obviously too trusting of people.

I need an office manager/business manager to run all things financial around here.

I have far too many people who owe me money and guess what, the ones who owe me the most are people I thought were friends so I never made them sign anything. A hand shake or a hug was all that sealed the deal.

Yah - I need to learn how to CMA (Cover my ass). Its a sad testament to humanity that your friends are the ones who rip you off, use and abuse you and then when it comes time to pay their bill...I am sure many of you have been where I am.

Since Grande Prairie is the worst place to live when you are trying to find staff I guess I am going to have to invent some one to be my business manager.

I think this person needs to be part pit bull, part Maxine - someone who just doesn't really care who you are...you are going to sign a contract first.

Right now I am sitting with bad debt from people/businesses totalling almost $7,000
Thank goodness I have a husband that pays the bills or I'd be living in a cardboard box.

It is sad - when I look back over all of the security changes we have had to implement on our site because of spammers and dishonest people.

I look at how I have had to change the way I do business - paperwork out the arse to deal with because everything now has to be in writing.

Yes I need a pit bull for an office/business manager so if any of you has one you can recommend - contact me please!

If you are lucky enough to live where you can still ride - PLEASE stay safe out there.

Otherwise have a great Friday

Belt Drive Betty

Progress...

We are making progress but we have had a small set back. We are having to completely redo our events calendar. I don't understand half the terminology used when it comes to the web site but the general gist is that the new content management system and upgraded calendar didn't like the info coming from the old one and it messed up the tables. Soooo hopefully we'll have that fixed by next week. Then we can start updating and adding all of the 2009 events - man it's gonna be a busy summer based on what I am seeing.

Anyway - I need to get back to work, almost finished BC and hope to have the Yukon & NWT phone book information complete by tonight.

Then the three prairie provinces and if all goes well we go to the printers by Monday/Tuesday!

Have a Wonderful Thursday and I'll chat with you again tomorrow.

Ride like they are out to get you if you are fortunate enough to live where you can be riding.

Belt Drive Betty

Things that make you go hmmmm

I was doing some research on the Uno - I wanted to find out more about it. I went on to the Dragon's Den web pages on the CBC site and was reading the comments about the funding of the Uno and there were a ton of opinions similar to mine - great concept, safety issues, insurance and approval issues. Some say it's an improved version of the Segway, others say Bombardier's Embrio which won Business Week's 2003 Design Awards for its category.

The Uno is fueled differently from the Embrio (pictured here) but they are very, very similar to each other.

To see the Uno: http://www.the-uno-tomorrows-transportation.com/


I was highly puzzled by this astute group of people on the Dragon's Den deciding to fund the Uno.
If you have watched the show - they evaluate businesses and their viability and then decide whether they will fund them or not. Now if you sell 20% of your company for 1.25 million dollars that means the company is worth 5 times that - in the case of BPG Technologies - Mr. Gulak's company that designed the Uno that transcends to 6.25 million dollars.

I am not puzzled any more. Brett Wilson - one of the Dragons is on the board of directors for BPG Technologies Inc. Whether he became a member of the BOD before the Dragons Den show about Gulak's invention or after is not clear. But I was right - the funding of Gulak and the Uno has a whole ton to do with the brilliance they see in this kid and I quote from the BPG Technologies web site: Brett said, “I invested in UNO because it is an exciting project but my investment is also a call on the creativity and genius of its inventor – Ben Gulak. I really do expect UNO to evolve considerably from its prototype to whatever commercialization version becomes – and I am excited to be a key investor in this stage of the evolution of Ben Gulak and UNO.”

So there you have it - I give full kudo's to the kid for securing the funding and I have NO doubt that he will go far...he's obviously brilliant - but - what does this do to the credibility of the Dragon's Den show?

If you watch the show - they are pretty hard on people who have business concepts and valuations that appear off....

Anyway - enough musing.

I was at the cenotaph with hubby yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by the number of children who were present. It seems that more and more young parents are getting it.

I am not sure about the indoor service in Grande Prairie or how well attended it was - I never go to indoor services. I guess it's a throw back from my younger years. I remember my dad who served 7 years in the RCAF saying "Our soldiers put up with all kinds of horrible conditions no matter where in the world they are deployed. The battlefield offers few amenities - so if they are willing to sacrifice their lives and comforts - you can put up with the cold for an hour - it won't kill you. Its a showing of respect." Those words, that attitude has stuck with me all of these years.

While at the cenotaph I recalled Cpl Mike Starker of the Canadian Veterans MC who was killed in Afghanistan in May...I had met Mike in Calgary in January...I can only imagine how JD, Mass, Anthony, Dave were feeling yesterday....

Keith from Saskatchewan wrote me saying " I realized how much we as a crew(scooter people) outcasts, have to be thankful for! Our veterans history made us what we are today! The way they broke ground to make biking a freedom for all to enjoy! Just in a grateful mood for what I am today, and have been thinking bout my Dad the last couple days, he wouldn't talk about it(war) I still wonder why at times but we as a family always gave him the freedom not to!
Asked once, left it alone!"

Many people have a reason to remember - what is yours?

Please, if you are lucky enough to live where you can still ride - Stay safe, ride like they are out to get you...

Belt Drive Betty

Lest We Forget

Today I hope you will take 1 minute of your time to pay your respects and give thanks to the men and women who have served this country in the various theaters of war around the world.

I don't care if you have to work today or whether you are driving somewhere...one minute, that's all that is being asked of you - compare that to the ultimate price many of our soldiers have paid - they and their families have sacrificed that you and I may stay free....

It is because of them that you have the right and freedom to be who and what you want to be.

Lest we forget....

I watched with interest last night the Dragon's Den. It featured the young man that Glenn Roberts from Motorcycle Mojo first introduced us all to, the young man who built the Uno - Ben Gulak from Milton, ON.

While the concept of the Uno is cool - it has some serious issues - I was really taken aback when the Dragons agreed to fund it - I think they were more interested in the young man himself and his brain - the other thing that seriously pissed me off about them backing his invention is that the R & D plant is going to be in the USA...I thought the Dragon's Den was Canadian.

I wish them all well, I do not see a serious market for the Uno given it's obvious potential for safety issues. I don't see it being comfortable to ride and for the average commuter - where do you put the mail much less a quart of milk?

No - I don't think the Uno is the next great thing - but I think the 16 year old who conceived it and the 19 year old they saw last night - Ben Gulak - I think that he's what they invested in.

If you are into green machines check out our lifestyles page - Motorcycle Reviews & News....there are some pretty cool green machines out there with far, far more potential in the market place than the Uno!

I have a lot of work ahead of me today before I head to the Cenotaph....

Please - if you are one of those lucky dogs who lives where you can still ride...PLEASE - Ride like they are out to get you and can not see you! Stay Safe.

Belt Drive Betty

Little Things...

I just put this Thursday's newspaper, The Busted Knuckle Chronicles, to bed and I have to tell you how pleased I am. It looks WONDERFUL.

It's a little thing to some but a huge thing to me that the paper is so full of Rider Powered News that there was NO room for my editorial! It's pleasing to see it start to really happen that this community - from Coast to Coast is writing this paper - sharing their news with the rest of us.

I am putting it out there right now - If your riding club has a news letter and you want to share stories from it to the broader community - send them in! This week's newspaper is a pretty great representation of where we are growing to with this newspaper and the web site....

Provincial Sections!

I really want to increase the size of the paper so that we can provide the news to you in provincial sections.

I'd like it to go to 16 pages - Consistently...

I see it being broken down this way:

BC - 3 pages
AB - 3 pages
SK, Manitoba, YT, NWT - 2 pages - shared?
ON - 2 pages
QC - One page
Atlantic Canada NB, PEI, NS, NL - 2 pages - shared - One page
Front Page - Special Events, News - Stories
Thoughts/Word search - One page
File 13 - My editorial - One page

In order to support one page I need to fill 1/3 of the page with advertising.

This allows for 2/3 of the page to be content IE: Events Pages, Posters, Stories, Articles, Important Information....

What do you think of this idea?

Your thoughts and feedback would be deeply appreciated....

Have a great one!

Belt Drive Betty

A nice quiet Sunday

Well for once there's nothing much at all in the news and since it's build the newspaper day that suits me just fine.

It's a big job laying out the paper every week and one I enjoy thoroughly.

I want to bend your ear a bit about getting involved here. Come on over and join www.beltdrivebetty.com we'd love to have your input and feedback.


We have tons of ways for you to get the message out about your riding club, your town or your business.

We'd love to have you submitting you clubs news to us! We'd love to get to know your town and it's people so how about getting involved?

Anyway - I am going to build the newspaper so you have a great day and I'll chat at yah tomorrow!

If you are lucky enough to still be riding - please ride like everyone else around you is blind and can't see you....

Stay safe and have a wonderful Sunday...

Bel Drive Betty