Hitting the Road

I'm getting ready to hit the road in just a few minutes. Keep an eye on the blog for updates and videos. I'm taking my Dell with me this time, so that means I'm going to have to come up with fancy ways to edit footage. Should be fun. See ya soon if you're coming to Anaheim!

Image: virtualpilot

Are You Hearing No Enough?

As sharpeners we hear the word "no" all the time. Let's face it, the sharpening business is a business filled with hardcore sales/cold calling, especially when we first start out. Hearing "no" can be depressing and drain all the life out of your day, but it doesn't have to. Take a look at this video I shot a couple of months ago that talks about the book, Go for No; one of my favorite sales books. View the video now, then read on:



Go for No really is a great book. It will help you see the value of going after "no" and will show that if you willing to hear this word enough times, you'll be able to achieve every goal or quota you’ve ever dreamed of.

Here is a link to the Go for No website where you can find the book: http://www.goforno.com/

Here is Andrea's Twitter Profile: http://twitter.com/GoforNo

And last, but not least, is the video I mentioned:

All Packed for the Wolff Show

We are all packed and ready to go. Keep an eye on Jim Sharp for updates on where I am, what I'm doing, and how much fun I'm having. Looking forward to seeing many of you in just a few day in California.

The Next Couple of Weeks

I will be hitting the road in a few days for a two tier trip. The first leg will take me to Wichita, KS where I'll be mixing it up with some very cool guys and gals at the SAMPE Show. This is a show that caters to the composite material and aramid fiber industry. I'll be showing off the Wolff Corru-Gator and the Twice as Sharp, as well as Wolff's top-notch modified bend trimmers that are enhanced by Wolff to cut these specialized materials.

After I'm done in Wichita, I jump a plane and head to Anaheim, CA for the Wolff Show. This is gonna be an awesome show! I will be going over all the tricks and tips that make sharpening shears faster and easier, as well as show you how to repair some pretty scary lookin' shears. You know...the kind you see that make you want to turn tail and run for the hills.

Bobby Huffman will also be there teaching how to tear it up in the clipper repair and clipper blade sharpening arena, and Mike Borsch is gonna teach us how to make some money in the world of nipper sharpening.

I love doing these shows for sharpeners! I always come away with new ideas that charge me up and help me face all the challenges that manage to creep there way into this wonderful profession known as sharpening. If you'd like to attend, there are still some seats available. Give Wolff a call at 800-888-3832 to sign up. It's only $89 dollars to attend, so the price is right and the fellowship is great! Come if you can! Here's a link to view the schedule.

Wolff Show Schedule

Here is a run down of the schedule for the up-coming Wolff Show in Anaheim, CA on October 23 - 25:

Friday
6:00pm - 6:30pm Registration and Welcome
6:30pm - 8:00pm Nipper Sharpening by Mike Borsch
8:00pm - 9:00pm Hands on Time
Saturday
9:00am - 10:00am Ookami, TAS & Hira-To by Jim O’Donnell
10:00am - 10:15am Break
10:15am - 11:30am Ookami, TAS & Hira-To by Jim O’Donnell
11:30am - 1:00pm Lunch (On Your Own)
1:00pm - 3:00pm Clipper Repair by Bobby Huffman
3:30pm - 4:00pm Break
4:00pm - 6:00pm Marketing/Sales Brainstorming Session
Sunday
9:00am - 10:00am Blade Sharpening by Bobby Huffman
10:00am - 10:15am Break
10:15am - 12:00pm Question & Answer Session w/ Speakers
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch (On Your Own)
1:00pm - 3:00pm Hands on Time
(Come to the Room & Play with Machines, Products, & Visit)

There are still some seats left if you'd like to attend. The price to come to the show is just $89 and the hotel room rate is $89/ night. Give Wolff a call at 800-888-3832 if you'd like to attend. I'm looking forward to see many of you there.

Apply Diamond Paste to the Wolff Hira-To Scissors Sharpening System

Time to get back on the horse and start posting again! Sorry for all the silence, but between work and a little bit of burn out on writing, I've taken a break from Jim Sharp.

Here is a quick video about how to apply the diamond paste to the felt disc that comes with the Wolff Hira-To Flat Hone Scissors Sharpening System. The training video that comes with the unit shows an older method we used when we started building the Hira-To and have since done away with.

If you have any questions concerning the polishing steps on the the Hira-To Sharpener, or just questions about this machine in general. Give me a call at 864-909-3381 or e-mail me at jim@wolffind.com.

NBTSG Part 2

Yesterday I posted about the general goings on at the NBTSG. Today I want to show you some of what took place during the certification process. I was very impressed with the consistency of the damage that was done to the shears and clipper blades for the test. It was very comparable to all the different challenges you'd find in the field, just maybe not all on the same shear. :)

For those that participated in the certification, I'd like to give you a hat tip. I knew by what I saw that the test was not easy, and I could tell you were going to learn A LOT! All of the participants said that it was well worth the time and expense, and that they'd do it again. Here is an general overview of what went on:



I'd also like to say, that I learned a lot from this test as well. I was fortunate enough to be involved with the judging of these shears and clipper blades, so I got to see first hand where many of those that took the test were lacking. I will be addressing some of what I discovered in On The Edge in future issues.

The next video will show some of the judging process, but it will be a week or so before I post that because I'm headed out of town. Until then, please enjoy this video. We'll see ya!

The NBTSG Part 1

I few days ago I returned from the 2009 National Beauty Tool Sharpeners Guild in Saint Louis, MO. I had a blast getting to see all of my friends and fellow sharpeners in one place to celebrate the art of sharpening.

The NBTSG was a success! There was a good turn out, plenty of vendors, and a spirit of camaraderie as we spent 3 days learning, networking, and for a brave few; testing.

This is the first in a series of videos I will be putting together about this show. It will hopefully provide a taste of what the NBTSG was like. Take a look:



The next video will show some of what happened during the certification process. Keep an eye out.