Thank you!

Remember how we made lemonade out of lemons? Well, here's an update...

Since that blog post and with the help from friends, family and organizations such as Supplies for Soldiers, Operation: Action Pack, Help A Service Member Out, and Armed Forces YMCA, we have mailed over 30,000 packs of Action Wipes to Military personnel serving our country in Iraq and over 5,000 to non-profit organizations in the U.S.!! (It gives me goosebumps every time I think about it.)

We have received numerous letters, emails and tweets from soldiers thanking us for the donation, but really, it is we that are grateful. This was a minuscule act in relation to what they go through everyday to protect our country and our freedom. Our hearts, prayers and thanks go out to them.

Having received permission, I'd like to share a couple letters with you...

Was On Patrol & Visited A Village. The Local Sheik Said That There Was A Man W/ Burns All Over His Body So I Went & Checked It Out. Since I'm The C.O.'s Personal Security & Personal Medic. The C.O. Asked Me If I Can Help Him. His Story Is He Got Burned Working W/Asphalt. I Figured He Was Planting An IED/EFP. But I Gave Him The Benefit Of The Doubt. So I Started By Irrigating His Burns. Then I Needed Something To Scrub It Down. The Only Thing I Had Were Action Wipes! So I Used Those. Then Applied Cream To Heal His Burns. Who'd A Thought I'd Be Using Em To Treat A Burn? Can't Leave The Wire W/Out A Few Action Wipes In My Pocket! Combat Tested & Approved! - R.C. Kirkuk, Iraq

Martha van Inwegen - I apologize for this letter taking so long. My name is Sgt. Simon Adam Martin. I believe my friend Jordan Cole gave you my address here in Iraq and I received your Action Wipes. First let me tell you that your product is an excellent contribution to the field gear carried by soldiers. It is most beneficial for those men who are not provided the luxury of a shower. Also as a former US Army Ranger, I know that this product would be most beneficial to the Warriors who spend much time in Direct Action. With you permission, I would like to share some of the wipes you sent me with my comrades and offer them some information about your product.

Next let me say how nice it is that your towels are reusable which seems to coincide with the environmental approach of your company. As a student of Landscape Architecture, in my civilian life, I appreciate any approach toward a more sustainable product or process. Finally let me say how appreciative I am of your consideration for me and my fellow soldiers. It is so special to have companies, regardless of political views that are supportive and considerate of the men and women who leave their lives, families, and friends behind to support the cause of freedom.

From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank you for your help, your product, your support, your thoughts and your prayers. - Adam Martin, S.

Deception and Lies

A couple days ago, I received a voice mail from Lifetime Channel's The Balancing Act. I was advised the producers were working on a story line that offered solutions for women on the go and wanted to speak with me about Action Wipes. Not being an avid TV watcher, I went to their website and checked it out. My first observation was that each show had a topic specific sponsor.

Now, having been pitched by just about every infomercial company out there, I was leery, but curious at the same time. So, I returned their call and asked if they were trying to sell me an infomercial (typical costs range $25-70,000), advertising or banner space. The appointment setter assured me that they were not an infomercial house and that they were not trying to sell me anything, they simply wanted to speak with me to see if Action Wipes would make for a good story line. So we proceeded to arrange a conference call with one of the shows producers.

The call with the producer lasted 40 minutes today. In that time, we spoke about the history of Action Wipes, why they were perfect for women on the go, how we've been using social media (Twitter specifically) to get the word out, how the show could give us exposure and more. She was enthused and advised that the product would fit really well, however...

1. Being on the show was by invitation only.


2. Though she was an executive producer, she still had to go through an internal approval process.


3. If approved, they would then create a 3-5 minute editorial piece.


4. I would then be considered a content partner and thus I had to ensure them I would contribute to script.


5. The script would be written with an educational tone, as this was NOT an infomercial, NOR a commercial.


6. "If" they decided to promote me, their PR team would begin writing press releases immediately, I would get exposure via their half million daily viewers and 800 thousand email subscribers and, through their magazine partner, Women's Day.

As she walked me through each of these steps I could hear the excitement in her voice rise. I just listened silently simply saying "ok" after each sentence and thinking "here it comes"...

And, here it is... "All" that is expected from me is to work with the PR team, cross promote through our mutual websites and pay a "scheduling" fee of $39,700.00.

So while they did not "lie" when they advised they were not selling me an infomercial, they did deceive me. Deception is as bad as a lie, it's dishonest and it sucks. Big time.

If you want truthful, honest reviews on Action Wipes, just go to the following blogs. We did not pay for their view... with some however, we did send them the product to test, but with a note that stated "Please, be honest. Good or otherwise, we want to hear your feedback". Others purchased the product from our website and posted a review. So here they are - good and otherwise :)

Girl Meets Bike

Commute by Bike

The Bike Diva

Karl McCracken

Mike Martin Racing

Jill Will Run

SoCalCycling.Com

Jack and Adams Bicycles

Healthiest Life 4 Me

Bike World News

KiltRunner

BikeCommuters.Com

Joe Jacobi

Camping Blogger

Bicycle Frenzy

Naturally Savvy

Bike Skirt

Ultrarob

RunnerDude's Blog

Mike On His Bike

Iron Man Past and Future

Bike Jax

Transparent Racing

Running Relays

Of Blogs & Bulls

Boneshakerbike

Sonya Looney

Academichic

Glastonbury Festival Essentials

Heeb

The Gear Caster

Bike Commuting in Columbus

Bicycle.net

Ontri.com

Dirt 4 Life

Climbing

LA Cycling Examiner

PROBIKEWRENCH

Bikejuju

Lets Go Ride a Bike

MTB Law Girl

Bike Date

Travelling the World

We love our fans - they have taken us to places we can only dream about. Here is where Action Wipes have been recently:

• Across America with Janet Christensen and crew (RAAM Team Osprey)
• Mt. Everest with Karen Lundgren & Paul Romero
• Denali - the highest peak in North America with Eric Larsen.

Let's Make Lemonade

As many of you know, I've been very excited about the launch of our new single packs. We have spent weeks and weeks working through the package design, tweaking the formula so that it's just right, approving samples and eagerly waiting while the packs were printed and filled.

So you can imagine my excitement when UPS delivered boxes filled with the new singles last Tuesday, May 26. The delivery was well timed too as the existing inventory of multi-packs is quickly dwindling. I was so excited that I asked my UPS man to open one of the boxes right away so that he could see the fruit of my labor and gush with me as to what a great product I had created. I was like a little kid at Christmas, holding my breath as he slowly cut through the tape.

With eyes big as buttons, I saw a glimpse of the beautiful orange color and blue swoosh upon shiny white packs. But as I reached in and held them in my hands, my big button eyes quickly turned into saucers! My excitement was extinguished and disappointment quickly set in. This was not the packaging material I had approved!

As the UPS man and I began testing them, we noted that the scent was spot on, the foaming action and wetness was right - but something else was off. I then realized that the fabric was not quite the same weight as my standard wipes. As tears started rolling down my face, all I could say was "how could this have happened"? After all, I was at the factory when we created the first run of single packs (the plain packs created for teams, clubs and companies wanting to co-brand the wipes.) The only thing that was suppose to change with the second run was the printing on the packs.

While they are beautiful and work just as I intended, they are not what I promised you or the retailers and distributors that had received samples.

Needless to say, I quickly called my manufacturer and advised them of the situation and we immediately arranged a face to face meeting to discuss how to rectify it. (The great thing about working with U.S. companies, aside from keeping the money here and folks employed, is that I can meet with them as needed.) Having met this past Friday, I'm happy to report that we are working to correct the packaging within the next couple of weeks.

So this is where we turn those lemons into lemonade...

I now have thousands of single packs that I can not put into retail stores, though they still have the same great Action Wipes formula, same big-size wipe, same refreshing scent and clean feeling. So, here is what we are going to do - we are donating the wipes to our military troops! All I'm asking is for help with the shipping fees. The U.S. Postal Service has a special flat rate fee of $10.95 for boxes sent to an APO/FPO address and a flat rate of $10.35 for boxes sent to a U.S. base address. These boxes will hold about 100 single pack wipes each - enough to share with others.

So, If you have a loved one or a friend serving our country and would like to send them some of these Action Wipes, ORDER NOW. I can guarantee you that these will go fast, so put your order in right away, and please, let other military families know about it too.

If you're a non-profit with an upcoming outdoor or athletic event, contact me right away and we'll do our best to help you too!

Official Google Blog: Bike to Work Day 2009

Official Google Blog: Bike to Work Day 2009