The Rise and Fall of Glow Gadgets... (and Rise Again)
GlowGadgets.com started in 2001 and was the place to get glowsticks and UV clubwear online. I had customers all over the World and enjoyed being an entertainer at night and a retailer during the day.
Then we had our two daughters, our focus was (and still is) on them, so I continued running the business from home, with my babies on my knee, helping me.
By 2006 I had to go from Sole Trader to Limited Company and Get VAT Registered.
This proved to be a turning point.
I got busier, but was making less and less profit. I was Importing from China and trying to please my family and my customers. I was working really stupid hours and was not even getting a wage.
Everything was being paid for, by GlowGadgets, but I was doing all the work for free.
Website development, Design, Marketing, Product sourcing, Photographing Images, Creating Content, Reviewing products, Serving Customers, Running to the Post Office, Buying Supplies, Taking my daughters to play group, Family shopping, Trips to Wholesalers, Trade Shows, CES in Vegas.... It got too much.
Then I made my biggest mistake. I signed up with a company that promised to help me deal with my sales and customers. Twice as much work would get done in Quarter of the time, thanks to Streamlining the Website, Point of Sale and Shopping Cart, Stock control, blah blah.
In the first few days of swapping my website to theirs, business dropped, drastically.
The pages that were indexed and spidered by Google had vanished and the company "Looking After Me" and taking nearly £8,000 for the privilege of their service (I couldn't afford not to, according to them). Links within Google dropped. Visitors dropped. Earnings dropped.
But using AdWords to Recoup these losses, Advertising Costs Rocketed.
All This and Then the Credit Crunch Hit.
I tried so hard to do what I was doing before, but I was up against others who had money, staff and most of all, buying power.
They were selling the same products for less than I was buying Wholesale.
Don't even get me started on the Websites and Glow Companies that were using the Name of GlowGadgets to sell their wares. Despite my best efforts and resonable requests to stop, they continued.
Not that it made a difference, by February 2010, I'd had enough.
I was Broke, I had too many debts and too many products that just couldn't sell at a point that was profitable, I was a nervous wreak and my skin was shredded.
Then we had our two daughters, our focus was (and still is) on them, so I continued running the business from home, with my babies on my knee, helping me.
By 2006 I had to go from Sole Trader to Limited Company and Get VAT Registered.
This proved to be a turning point.
I got busier, but was making less and less profit. I was Importing from China and trying to please my family and my customers. I was working really stupid hours and was not even getting a wage.
Everything was being paid for, by GlowGadgets, but I was doing all the work for free.
Website development, Design, Marketing, Product sourcing, Photographing Images, Creating Content, Reviewing products, Serving Customers, Running to the Post Office, Buying Supplies, Taking my daughters to play group, Family shopping, Trips to Wholesalers, Trade Shows, CES in Vegas.... It got too much.
Then I made my biggest mistake. I signed up with a company that promised to help me deal with my sales and customers. Twice as much work would get done in Quarter of the time, thanks to Streamlining the Website, Point of Sale and Shopping Cart, Stock control, blah blah.
In the first few days of swapping my website to theirs, business dropped, drastically.
The pages that were indexed and spidered by Google had vanished and the company "Looking After Me" and taking nearly £8,000 for the privilege of their service (I couldn't afford not to, according to them). Links within Google dropped. Visitors dropped. Earnings dropped.
But using AdWords to Recoup these losses, Advertising Costs Rocketed.
All This and Then the Credit Crunch Hit.
I tried so hard to do what I was doing before, but I was up against others who had money, staff and most of all, buying power.
They were selling the same products for less than I was buying Wholesale.
Don't even get me started on the Websites and Glow Companies that were using the Name of GlowGadgets to sell their wares. Despite my best efforts and resonable requests to stop, they continued.
Not that it made a difference, by February 2010, I'd had enough.
I was Broke, I had too many debts and too many products that just couldn't sell at a point that was profitable, I was a nervous wreak and my skin was shredded.
But Then Things Started to Change for the Better.
My soon to be 7 year old daughter said "Daddy, please will you do magic at my birthday party, all my friends love magic"
I did and even though I was an Adult Entertainer, I really loved making the kids laugh and gasp.
I got a booking from a friend and they passed it on to their friends that I was available for Children's parties. Before long I was doing a party every other weekend. Word spread and my Alter Ego Chris P Tee was born.
The products and stock I still held was either given to charity or sold for peanuts on fleabay. I couldn't wait to do more parties.
The website you are looking at now was created on the 20th of April 2015. GlowGadgets.co.uk was still attracting a lot of visitors, but they were Bouncing away as the site was out of date.
So I though it was only fair to get rid of all the old pages that represented Thousands of hours of late nights and hard work. Even though I have been busy as Children's Entertainer Chris P Tee since 2011, I didn't want to let go.
GlowGadgets is Dead, Long Live GlowGadgets.
This is now a website where I will write and post thing I have that I no longer need.
Instead of listing on a Greedy Auction site, I will post here.
I will be Open and Honest about the Second Hand Goods I am Selling.
There will be No Returns, No Refunds. It like a Bootsale of my stuff. Take it or Leave it.
If it says "Scratched" "Broke" or "Working Perfectly"
Then it is, you can take my word for it. Or not and go away and waste your money buying crap on auction sites.
Or buy my crap and know that I am being honest about it.
There's nothing on here yet, but I will add stuff when I have time.
It's time to Move Away from FaceBook and start Creating my Own Content Again That I can Monitise. I'm sick of doing all the work for FB.
Email, Call or Tweet me Anytime. You Know Where I am.
Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, Glow Gadgets, Magic and Light. (PLURGGMAL!!)
Christian AKA Doc / Chris P Tee
I did and even though I was an Adult Entertainer, I really loved making the kids laugh and gasp.
I got a booking from a friend and they passed it on to their friends that I was available for Children's parties. Before long I was doing a party every other weekend. Word spread and my Alter Ego Chris P Tee was born.
The products and stock I still held was either given to charity or sold for peanuts on fleabay. I couldn't wait to do more parties.
The website you are looking at now was created on the 20th of April 2015. GlowGadgets.co.uk was still attracting a lot of visitors, but they were Bouncing away as the site was out of date.
So I though it was only fair to get rid of all the old pages that represented Thousands of hours of late nights and hard work. Even though I have been busy as Children's Entertainer Chris P Tee since 2011, I didn't want to let go.
GlowGadgets is Dead, Long Live GlowGadgets.
This is now a website where I will write and post thing I have that I no longer need.
Instead of listing on a Greedy Auction site, I will post here.
I will be Open and Honest about the Second Hand Goods I am Selling.
There will be No Returns, No Refunds. It like a Bootsale of my stuff. Take it or Leave it.
If it says "Scratched" "Broke" or "Working Perfectly"
Then it is, you can take my word for it. Or not and go away and waste your money buying crap on auction sites.
Or buy my crap and know that I am being honest about it.
There's nothing on here yet, but I will add stuff when I have time.
It's time to Move Away from FaceBook and start Creating my Own Content Again That I can Monitise. I'm sick of doing all the work for FB.
Email, Call or Tweet me Anytime. You Know Where I am.
Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, Glow Gadgets, Magic and Light. (PLURGGMAL!!)
Christian AKA Doc / Chris P Tee