Sunday, August 29, 2010

Getting started

You know, they say that the first blog post is the toughest. Where to start? What should I say that you, the reader, will find interesting. Interesting enough to say, "Hey, I should follow this blogger because if I don't my life just won't be complete." Wow! Pretty high standards! After all, I'm just a girl, with a computer and I happen to work with Andy Bumatai selling Kona Deep.

Oh, hey...how about I tell you about my travels with Andy? You know Andy, right? Apparently he's a Big Deal to a lot of people outside of his family. He's a comedian from Hawaii - used to have a talk show on TV, has a few comedy albums out and even some DVDs. Yeah, THAT Andy! Well, let me tell you, we've only been on the road a short while, but for this girl who's hardly been out of California and who needs to learn how to "travel light," (I was just informed that our CFO has issued a decision that no checked baggage will be allowed for airline travel. WHAT? Did he not get the memo that I'm a girl?!) it has been more fun than I imagined.

Andy and I have been hitting the road in our cars. His, a red truck that his dad left behind dubbed "The Red Baron," and my silver SUV is "The Silver Bullet" or "Syl." Andy keeps tinkering with his truck, bought a stake-bed trailer aptly named "Radio Flyer," has gone through 2 (so far!) versions of bed covers, and has even rigged an iPad stand in the truck. That iPad stand has already gone through 4 or 5 revisions, and I'm sure there will be more. Just try to imagine what MacGyver would do with a cutting board, two vice clamps (or as Andy calls them, "Samoan Earrings"), a 2-foot long 1x2 cut in half and the bottom of a BBQ stand. I have suggested he patent his invention, but he has informed me that someone has already developed a car mount for the iPad. It's hard to imagine that it would be as good as the one Andy developed, but I guess we'll leave the develpment process to the "geeks" and the sales to us "Road Monsters." (Still, if you're on the road and want to make a sandwich, there's the cutting board! Got an important meeting and forgot your nice earrings, there's the Samoan earrings!  Need to swat a fly that stowed away in The Red Baron, there's two sticks to swat him with! I'm just saying...!)

So, I suppose this will (mostly) be about the adventures of sales on the road, as seen through the eyes of a girl who hardly ever traveled before. I'm seeing all of this with the wonder of a wide-eyed child. I get to hear stories from Andy of opening for such acts as Tom Jones and the Beach Boys. (Gee, I really like the Beach Boys!) I get to see really interesting reactions from fans when I walk into a store with Andy. Some play it cool, some whisper to their friends and a bold few just shout, "Is dat ANDY? Andy Bumatai just walked into my sto-a?!" (gotta say it with the pidgen accent) One guy almost started crying. I swear. I'm just a haole girl, but I get the impression that - to Hawaiians - he's like, really "Someone." When people ask Andy what he's doing now, he often responds "Celebrity truck driver." And it's true! We're visiting stores and delivering cases of Kona Deep right off the back of the truck. I really think we need to film some episodes - er, webisodes - but we've been kinda busy with that whole "selling water thing," so no filming so far.

Besides, I'm not a film maker, I'm just a girl with a computer and I happen to work with Andy Bumatai selling Kona Deep. Don't be jealous. Follow my adventures here and let me know where you are so we can come visit!

Until next time, don't just "Go Deep," go "Kona Deep!"

Stephanie

Follow us on FaceBook [dot] com [forward slash] KonaDeep