And so it Begins!

Today I sent out invitations to significant friends (You know who you are) to come and explore my website Cohalen's - The Garden Room.

I've spent the last three months getting to this day. Sourcing vendors, trying different website hosts, learning to use the software and loading in products.

It's been intense...and I'm not done yet. But I'm close enough to give it a test run: see how orders ship to my customers; Explore the product selection; find out how customer service and returns flow.

My hope is to grow this business naturally and organically.
Not having "too much success" to early.
And so, my plan is to gain customers slowly, person to person, by referral and word of mouth.

In the early days I plan to be able to act as a personal shopper for my customer base. If you don't see what you want, can't find it anywhere...let me have a shot of it.

I even plan to try to make regular trips to places like Amoeba Records in Hollywood to look for rare out of print items.

Also, if I can't find a vendor I can buy through at a price that is competitive for you, I can often still find your item being sold by someone I have an "associate" relationship with.
They give me a small percentage of the sale that I refer to them, you get what you're looking for at a good price. A true win-win all the way around.

I also plan to give links to some cool things I find in my searches even If I can't sell the item myself.

Here's an example:
Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey
I don't have the required license (yet) to sell alcohol, but if I did I'd sell this.
I saw it on History Channel's Modern Marvel's episode on Whiskey.
Made from local barley grains and Rocky Mountain spring water, I was impressed that they were a whiskey "micro-distillery".
They lease vats for their first wash from their a neighbor brewpub, Oskar Blues brewery. It is then double distilled in a Scotch style and a Bourbon style, then aged for two years. Made in small batches, it sells in only 30 states (so far) from between $50.00 to $60.00 a bottle.

I went to the Jamison's Distillery in Middleton, Ireland (Not far from Blarney Castle) and was fortunate enough to be one of four chosen tasters that April day in County Cork.
Before getting to "the good stuff" we toured the plant and saw the giant kettles and the casking rooms and learned about the "Angeles' share" that is lost to evaporation and how the burnt casks add to the mellow color of the Whiskey.

While I can't yet claim to be a Whiskey sommelier (there are actually courses for it) I sure enjoy the "training" have had so far.

I invite you to post; ask questions; speak of your discoveries out there on the web and just open a dialog here.

Well that's it for this blog. Who knows where my adventure will lead me next.
I'll leave you with my new favorite quote - from the movie "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium"

Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.

Till then, my friends, "take the journey"!

- Cohalen

We have Liftoff!

Today: May 25th 2008 I have launched my own e-commerce website! That's It, over there --->! On the right box area!
"Cohalen's - The Garden Room".
It's been a lot of work and huge learning curve.
I've learned how to set up a (template based) website; shopped around several web-hosts; bought my own domain name; got the tax resale number - business license and business banking account.
Then, there's the unending search for products.
It's not just finding the products, or seeing if they can be bought for a reasonable price - its making sure that I can sell them (to you) at "less than extortionate prices" (to quote Genesis).

It's been a journey of joy, frustration, discovery and mind numbing research.
And it ain't over yet.

I'm still working out email address forwarding issues.
Seeing if I have my tax, shipping return policies and other details listed correctly.

So now the scary part begins. Getting business to the site.
Asking all my friends and acquaintances to visit and buy from me.

Building the business with feedback I receive. Trying new ideas, products and keeping sane - as I just told my friend Diane on the phone a few minutes ago - One thing leads to another! (The Fixx)

Anyway - I hope you view and enjoy my site
The journey continues and I can already say - What a long strange trip it's been!
Slanche!
- Cohalen (Rik)

From Me to You

Title of an old Beatles song.
It popped into my head when I was thinking of a service I could add to my e-commerce store (as yet un-opened - stay tuned for that opening).

I thought of offering an e-concierge service to select friends.
I plan to cull some items of interest from the catalogs of products I'm going thru and present them on trial pages.

Also, if there is something I see that reminds me of your interests I might send an e-mail with photos and prices to see if anything is irresistible.

Additionally, I'll be using this blog as a record of where this journey is taking me; things I see and ideas I have along the way.

There will be hyper-linked references that will whisk you to a product or a photo or a video or an audio file that will have some connection to my comments.

Like in the movie Holy Man, when G (Eddie Murphy) is talking about Squeezing every ounce of life out of your day and Ricky Hayman (Jeff Goldbloom) tells the director to "Put up the Juicer" The essence of "higher thinking and lower prices".

And lastly, as the Beatles Lyrics mention:
"If there's anything that you want.
If there's anything I can do,
just call on me and I'll send it along
With love - From Me to You.

Till then - Take the Journey!
Cohalen