Just Do It Guides

E-Learning Facility for First Aid now Online.

2011-08-18T21:20:00.002+01:00

Using our First Aid Training content, Planetwise have now developed a perfect solution for all businesses, from the smallest, to the largest. Ideally suited to keep all First Aiders trained, refreshed. This E-Learning solution supplied by Planetwise, A1 First Aid and Concept Filming is a full LMS (Learning Management System) and allows administrators to keep a track of employee's learning.

There is no need to send staff off site on expensive visits. Our First Aid Refresher Training is comprehensive, and available to anyone with an Internet connection. Ideally, all computers need to have sound enable to get the best out of it.

It`s available in different license agreements, with two County Councils and a National Water Board being the first to consider putting pen to paper.

For more information, contact us, or see Planetwise's website here

Health and Safety Expo 2011. NEC May 17-19.

2011-04-27T18:16:00.004+01:00

It`s fast approaching. The Royal Wedding, then an even bigger event for us - The Safety and Health Expo at the NEC. We can be found on T74 showing off our First Aid DVD, which continues to get great reviews.

Our Version 2 follows the Resus Council`s October 2010 guidelines. We also added 4 scenarios showing the First Aider in action, which have proved very popular.

Hope to meet lots of nice people, with an eye for a fine product!!

First Aid DVD - October 2010 version released.

2011-02-15T20:52:00.001Z

Together with A1 First Aid, Just Do It Guides have released version two of the popular DVD, A Comprehensive Guide to First Aid. The new version includes the latest updates, that were recently introduced by the resuscitation council, plus more general scenarios on how to deal with an incident plus a link to a set of evaluation questions to check your understanding. Mike Foster of A1 First Aid said "Version one has proved to be a very popular refresher tool for many first aiders and we believe these additions will make the DVD extremely good value for money during times when businesses are reducing their training spend".
For more details, please see our First Aid DVD website.

Kings College, London recommend our First Aid DVD.

2010-11-01T20:49:00.002Z

Kings College in London, have watched our First Aid DVD and will now be recommending it to their schools and directorates.

We continue to get great reviews from those using our Comprehensive Guide to First Aid. If you wish to see samples of our new innovative and cost effective training tool for refreshing First Aid, then please see our website here.

First Aid DVD in SHP Online

2010-11-01T20:33:00.002Z

We are starting to get great recognition for our First Aid DVD, produced in association with A1 First Aid, based in Kidlington.

SHP is the UK definitive magazine both online and offline for everything Health and Safety related. We have been featured both in the magazine, and the Online version. Click here to see.

Sales continue to be strong, with copies going around the world.

Headlines for the Radio.

2010-09-02T19:05:00.002+01:00

Our collaboration with the A1 Group on the First Aid was featured on the radio this evening. We were headline on the JACK FM Business news, featuring the partnership forged whilst meeting in the Didcot Chamber of Commerce.

Spreading across Europe!

2010-08-31T22:43:00.003+01:00

Our DVDs are moving further afield, and getting a real taste for travel. Just recently a chain of top Football Academies in Poland purchased Mini-Soccer , and liked it so much, they are going to add it to their website to allow others to purchase it.

Today, our 1st DVD went off to Romania. Again the Mini Soccer DVD being purchased after watching the many examples now available on YouTube.

Our full collection has been bought by a fan in Switzerland, and I`m sure he spends half his life watching them!!

Adding to the Photography DVD that went to Norway, and not forgetting the Computer DVDs that went to Isle of Wight, and Jersey.

Where next ?

Just Do It Guides supplies top Medical site

2010-08-30T19:08:00.003+01:00

Just Do It Guides are proud to be supplying Spervices.co.uk with their First Aid - A Comprehensive Guide DVD. A market leader in supplying all things medical, SP Services are an international company.

Just Do It Guides now supply a number of top online shops with their very successful Comprehensive Guide to First Aid.

For more information, and how to buy see our website www.firstaiddvd.co.uk.

First Aid DVD - A Comprehensive Guide

2010-08-12T16:20:00.003+01:00

Inspired by a news article in the local paper, Just Do It Guides joined forces with local Company A1 Group, a First Aid Training provider based in Kidlington. Dave Roberts met Mike Foster whilst doing voluntary work with the Didcot Chamber of Commerce. A plan was hatched in January 2010, and after numerous planning meetings, Mike scripted the basis of the First Aid Guide.

Covering all aspects of First Aid, from Heart Attack to Croup, Basic Life Support to Analphyactic Shock filming started in March, and carried on until April, when the busy job of editing all the footage together started. Voice overs were recorded, and layed onto the DVD, and gradually it took shape.

After 5 months of hard work, 7 versions and viewings by Nuco and the Association of First Aiders to check for accuracy, the DVD was sent to the VDC group for replication.

The DVD was released at the beginning of June 2010. Initial reviews were good, and sales immediate.

Only Fools & Horses...

2009-09-22T11:23:00.003+01:00

There was no frost, the clouds were dry, the wind silent and the sun was glorious so us first timers on the Market Stall were happy traders. We arrived at half 8, somehow missing the clogged Abingdon traffic and met the ever helpful Jimmy James, who showed us to our pitch.

Up went the pop up gazebo, and out came the sunshine. Customers were milling around, and we were kindly donated a steaming cup of tea by the local church. Positioning was perfect, right outside Jessops, and we knew people would be flocking to buy our Digital Photography DVD after being into there. Dave Murdoch popped in with some flyers, but they were embarrassed as they knew our product was vastly superior to anything they offer and quickly declined.

First strike was Vince`s. A customer instantly attracted to our Photo DVD, handed over a welcomed ten pound note, and relief was evident. The atmosphere of the Abingdon Market was great, very friendly Market Traders everywhere, especially our neighbour Danny on the Fishing Tackle stand, many thanks for all the advice.

Lunch was an outstanding baguette from the baguette shop in the Market Square, and soon after, another sale, this time Mini Soccer. We rejoiced, it meant we had made a profit!! Fantastic achievement from the 3 Just Do It Guys...

All and all, an enjoyable day. We packed up and left at 3, quietly pleased with our results, and looking forward to next Monday.

Marlbrough was penciled in for our next assault on a Wednesday. With another Amazon sale, and phone enquiry from an Abingdon flyer it made for a nice sunny day out in the fresh air.

Grassroots Football goes to Wembley!!

2009-09-15T11:13:00.002+01:00

As Dave Roberts and myself emerged from Wembley Park tube station into the shadow of the Wembley arch, the sun shone down on what turned out to be a great day for Just Do It guides Ltd.

We met with Ian Blanchard (Senior National Game Referee Manager) on 14th September at 2pm in a box overlooking the hallowed turf.

We chatted briefly about current footballing matters and then turned our attention to the Grassroots DVD and our plans for future productions. Mr Blanchard re-iterated how good he thought the DVD was and gave Just Do It Guides Ltd permission to use any of his quotes in any future sales campaigns related to it. He said he would also pass it onto the FA Learning department with a view to getting it fully endorsed.

The talk turned to our plans for a refereeing DVD to help potential referee's get an insight into what to expect if they wish to go through all of the relevant modules to becomming a qualified referee. From this we have now gained support from Mr Blanchard who told us he would even be willing to present the DVD and get us into academy games so that we can film candidates going through their paces.

We are also invited to a function that Ian Blanchard is hosting at the Oxfordshire FA where he is willing to introduce us to the members as a company that the FA are actively promoting and helping.

We left the meeting with more than we went into it with and also the promise of a further meeting with FA Learning once they have reviewed the DVD.

An historic day in the history of Just Do It Guides and one that will hopefully bring the company into the forefront of Educational DVD industry.

Grassroots - The official release party

2009-09-01T13:08:00.004+01:00

The DVD was officially released on Saturday 29th August 2009 (although it has been on sale since 10th!). The release was held at Didcot Town F.C at their home game against Stourbridge which Just Do It Guides were the match sponsors for.

The hospitallity showed to us by Didcot Town was second to none, the people invited to the launch were the children and the parents that were involved in the making of the DVD. After they had sat through the 65 mins of the DVD I for one was very nervous on what the reaction may be. I needn't have worried, everyone that saw it thought it was fantastic and all went on to have a very enjoyable day with Didcot Town.

The following day I decided to deliver 600 of the 7500 flyers we had printed to the local area, took me 3 hours!! we all know that unless the footwork is done you will get no reward!! Still waiting for the first order from my flyer distribution but it will come, that I am sure of!

Lots still ongoing and I will keep you all updated with how we get on.

Grassroots - The next step!

2009-07-28T21:44:00.003+01:00

All of the fine editing has now been done and the finished product has now been sent to VDC Group for replication. We now have a nervous wait for it's completion, during which time we will be planning the next step...... You can have the best product in the world but if no one knows about it then it won't sell.

We are now in the middle of figuring out the best marketing plan for ALL 3 products, all of which we think are fantastic. All four of us have a number of idea's that may produce results but as always, until we try them them we will never know. Will put some of those plans into action over the next few weeks and will let you all know how we get on.

Everyday Digital Photography - Released.

2009-07-01T09:36:00.007+01:00

5 months in the making, with 4 trips out filming, many tough sessions in the Woodcote studio creating the Adobe Photoshop Elements lessons and with a lovely sunny session at Witenham Clumps, our 2nd DVD entitled simply Everyday Digital Photography was released nationwide on Tuesday 16th June 2009.

It`s a great product, designed again for the novice upwards, it takes the viewer on a journey from selecting a compact digital camera and extras, onto taking great photos using simply techniques. From there, the main body of the DVD is using your computer as a photo gallery and creative workhorse. Watch how to transfer photos, create a well structured media library with tagging, cropping, adjusting brightness/exposure/luminance, red eye reduction plus more. We then move onto restoring old damaged photos and managing your memory cards and media library.

What good is a cracking photo if you can`t show it off ? That`s what we thought, so there`s extensive lessons on how to create an online Photo Gallery and share to your mates, how to print out photos and gifts, and how about create an online slide show video for uploading to YouTube. This is all on the 1st DVD, there`s so much more I couldn`t possibly keep your attention that long!!

Bonus time, there`s a 2nd DVD. Adobe Photoshop Elements and Google`s Picasa. A great place to get started with both programs, and we show you functionality from basic up to intermediate stages in easy to follow lessons.

All this on easy to navigate menu systems. We loved our 1st DVD Everyday Home Computing, we are even more pleased with this and already we`ve had really good feedback.

It can be seen in action just here http://www.justdoitguides.co.uk/digital_photography_dvd.php

The Grass Roots Football Experience

2009-06-30T21:14:00.004+01:00

Back in October 2008, I had a meeting in a pub with Dave Roberts. Earlier in the week Dave had contacted me with an idea, to produce a Grass Roots Football DVD like no other. I am an F.A qualified coach and help run a Mini Football team and he wanted me, with my experience to help write scripts, arrange mock games, set up football drills, fun sessions and so much more that if I listed it all now I would be here a week!

Any way, 9 months later (July 2009) we are now in a position where the finishing touches are being made and we will hopefully be sending off the master copy for replication in the next 4 weeks :0)

This has been a fantastic journey, it has been hard work but has been a very enjoyable experience. It has been such a learning curve for me, but working along side Dave Roberts & Dave Murdoch who now have the know how and expertise in DVD production has made all the difference.

Everyday Home Computing - Now availble in the Library

2009-02-20T11:28:00.002Z

We`ve had some great help from Oxfordshire County Council Library service, for permission to use their website for a lesson on the DVD, and now they have decided to add it to their catalogue, and stock it on the shelf of 6 libraries.

We sent off an evaluation copy to Oxford Central Library, after they kindly agreed to take it. They have not only decided to place that copy in the Central Library pool, but also, they have taken 4 further copies for libraries around Oxfordshire.

Many thanks to them, is fantastic to have taken it from conception, to having it featured on BBC Radio Oxford, and stocked in Oxfordshire libraries.

Christmas Sales Reports

2009-01-11T19:59:00.002Z

We had a fairly good time over Christmas, with Dave M taking the Sales crown by selling 4 in the pub on Christmas Eve. Coupled with another 4 Amazon sales, another local sale we were quite pleased, considering we had done no marketing or advertising during December.

Between Christmas Day and New Year we had zero sales, but once January raised its weary head we suddenly found ourselves some new customers. We even have had another 2 Mirror customers, that`s about 5 weeks after the article was written!!

Fulfillment By Amazon

2009-01-11T19:53:00.002Z

We took the decision before Christmas to send a stock into Amazon, who will store it in their warehouse, take the orders then pick and pack. A fantastic solution, as it offered the customer free delivery.

We sent in a stock of 101, as a full rebate for the first 100 was payable by Amazon. After commision and fees was taken into consideration, the difference in margin was negliable between us doing the despatching, and Amazon doing it. The process was fairly painless, with Thomas from Amazon doing a fantastic job for us. From sending the stock by recorded post, to moving our DVD to fulfilled by Amazon about a week had elapsed.

Once we changed via our online interface, any future orders were to be picked, packed and despatched by Amazon, meaning our input was nothing. We still stock the DVD using our own shop front end and telephone number.

This was all achieved before Christmas, and now it`s Post Xmas (hoorah) we can report back with a sales increase, we believe. So, thanks to Amazon I`d say, and we were so well looked after even though we a small setup.

Dirty Deeds and Nefarious Goings on at Amazon

2008-12-10T17:36:00.000Z

Something is a foot ( no not 12 inches…..but the old jokes are the best ). On the Amazon website someone called Tiptop_Seller is selling our DVDs cheaper than we are. Now that is a real mystery. We control all the stock and we have not sold any to suppliers. So where is his stock coming from? We are taking it as a compliment that he has chosen such a high quality product to put in his Amazon shop. But where are the DVDs coming from? A spot of sleuthing is required…

Look in the Mirror, you`ll see success!!

2008-12-05T14:45:00.002Z

Last Friday (28th) November, what we thought was a prank caller asked to buy our DVD after seeing it featured in the Daily Mirror. We placed the order, thanked him very much and put the phone down. Twenty minutes later, another prank call, or so we thought. The caller explained somebody had written into the Credit Crunch section of the Mirror, and said how good the DVD was, especially as she was an OAP.

We got excited, very excited by lunch after 6 further orders, and they were coming every 30 minutes. We found out the person who wrote in bought the DVD back at the start of November and had obviously spent time learning, and was kind enough to take the effort to let everyone else know.

We purchased a Mirror to check, and there we were, about 5 lines with our Phone number clearly written, a dream come true. Orders continued, and despatching was hasty amongst much back slapping.

To date, the Credit Crunch section has gained us 25 orders, and even today, 7 days after print we have had two further orders. We have since contacted the person in question, and thanked them very much. A real boon, and after much paid advertising reaped nothing a real refreshing change.

Thank you to our Mirror writer, if you ever read this message.

Didcot Street Fair Experience

2008-11-29T11:32:00.003Z

Cold but the rain generally held off for us. With over 15,000 people attending we knew this would be a great opportunity to show off the DVD and meet our customers.

We setup the DVD on our stall directly outside Sainsburys, and fired up the Generator and UPS. Next door the waft of doughnuts was unbearable with empty stomachs, with Dave and Lindsay giving in and taking delivery of a chocolate variety. Passing trade was good, with the DVD playing it gave them a quick glance of what the DVD offered. We laid out the flyers for the DVD and Website on the table, and handed out to all those who showed any interest.

The cold air was bearable, and there was a great carnival atmosphere in the streets of Didcot, held every year the Didcot Street Fair is a wonderful experience, organised by Jeanette Howse and the Didcot Chamber of Commerce.

We had lots of interest in the product, even though it wasn`t totally relevant for the event and we are pleased with our selling of 3 DVDs and lots of interest.

A lot of effort went into the selling and setting up, but at just £29 a stall it was cost effective, and would recommend this just to get exposure and get a feeling for what the customer would like.

Spreading our wings...some success

2008-11-18T21:14:00.003Z

We`ve just suffered our longest run without an order, 4 days. A very long and distressing period, we realised during this time how demoralised people can become, but most importantly though keep your head up, it happens. You can learn new skills from a book, DVD or web page on any subject, but Sales & Marketing is the most mysterious of them all. It almost feels as if the population is against you, and is deliberately not helping because of a reason unknown.

Each day with no order feels dark, but it is euphoria when dark is replaced by this huge plume of magnificent light in the form of an email from Amazon, that starts - "Sold, Despatch now....". It provides such a lift and reinforcing of the confidence that success is possible, but with time. Never ever expect the buying public to rush, we are all in that boat. Analyze yourself, then you realise rash purchases are rarely done.

We then progressed to sell one to Blewbury, on the Monday a copy to York which was bought via the Didcot Railway Centre newsletter, an ad that cost £7.50, the 2nd sale from there. An Amazon sale to Guernsey gave us a problem, we didn`t have the island on our map of Great Britain, so it went on the door!. We have learnt that more dedicated publications can pull in greater readership loyalty, meaning better sales.

After 4 days without a sale, 36 hours gave us 5! We were overwhelmed and rejuvenated. The best news being a sale situated a mere 5 miles from a previous Amazon purchase two weeks previous. Again, we are convinced a word of mouth sale, the best form of advertising!

We are booking a Market Stall in Abingdon for December 6th, again, we feel taking an innovative product to the public will have a greater success than newspaper advertising.

We are learning there are many downs and it does seem like a mountain to climb, keep on going, find out what helps you climb higher, abandon those big efforts that get you nowhere. We will report back with further news.

Amazon starts to flow...

2008-11-12T14:13:00.002Z

Our Everyday Home Computing DVD has been on sale now for 4 weeks. We are pleased, and quietly confident we are in a good situation.

At the weekend, we got an order which was despatched to a location just a few miles from an earlier sale so a repeat, word of mouth recommendation. Fantastic news for us. Amazon has proved a great success, at £25 a month it is great value to us, it gives the buyer confidence and the majority of our sales are channeled through here. Two adverts in the Oxford Mail gave us no immediate sales, but we are hopeful for a knock on effect at the Didcot Street Fair, and our 1st Computer Clinic.

We realise the way forward is to go and meet the public, and we have organised a one day Free Computer Clinic to all in Didcot, at the Cornerstone on Saturday 29th November. Here, we will demo the DVD and website, and discuss their requirements. Our 1st impressions of advertising are negative, but realise that advertsing alone will not make the sales, it`s in combination with promotional work, Press Releases, Internet publicity, flyers and the best method, word of mouth.

We will report back on the success of the Postcard flyers and Press Releases which are coming up. And we are preparing for our 1st outing to meet our adoring public.

Mixed results so far...

2008-11-05T11:14:00.004Z

Our illusions have been vapourised, we focused totally on the creation process of the DVD and assumed the DVD would just fall off the shelves. This has not happened, and at times we`ve become downhearted, but still upbeat.

We now know, if you are a new company it`s hard to get started on the Marketing front, your customers have to trust you first and the only way is to get out there and meet them. If you are shy or worried about meeting people, then employ someone to do the public meeting or be really brave. A great product (which we are confident we have) will not automatically sell as we assumed it would, we advertised in 2 local publications and got zero orders. But, we are going to try all avenues of Marketing, and next up is the Oxford Mail with a bolder advert and fresh approach. We will report back with our verdict.

It has been for sale on eBay.co.uk for 3 weeks, no sales, no watchers and only a couple of views. My wife who has a high rating (500) put on a copy, and she also didn`t sell, but she got a lot of views. Amazon has given us more success, we joined Amazon Merchants Pro and have had 3 orders which we deem a success. It costs £25 a month so we are only just breaking evens, but we`re hopeful our adverts mentioning Amazon will give people the confidence.

We have booked the Cornerstone in Didcot to have a Beginners' Computing Clinic, where we can listen to peoples computer problems and demonstrate the DVD & Website. We are hopefully being more public facing will kick start the sales.

We have 1000 flyers now from Vistaprint, and will start distributing these via friends and the excellent Sunkoshi Restaurant in Didcot, if you`re ever passing then go see Roshan and tell him Dave Roberts sent you.

What we didn`t know 3 months ago - Marketing is everything, and requires total commitment and much time. We will report back hopefully in months to come with a winning formula, for all those wishing to create and market their own DVD.

Another day, another lesson learnt

2008-10-29T19:14:00.002Z

What have we learnt today? – Apart from the obvious, that people aren’t queuing up to buy our DVD – The money we have spent on print advertising has shown no returns. Someone once said “half the money we spend on advertising is wasted, problem is we don’t know which half” That about sums it up.

There was much excitement in the office today, not because we turned the heating on for the first time, but because we got another sale that was not from one of the 3Fs (Friends, Family & Fools). It is our second sale from Yorkshire. Obviously they have very discerning taste.

We put the wheels in motion today for our advice day for computer novices at the Cornerstone arts centre in Didcot on the 29th of November. We are having problems thinking of a title for the day…if anyone thinks of one that we like they could be in line for a free DVD.

We had a tour of the Cornerstone and what a great building it is, not just the theatre where the acoustics are tremendous and the seating very versatile and cunningly hides away when not required, but the available meeting rooms and dance studio are extremely light and airy and all the staff are friendly and helpful. It deserves to be well supported by the local community. If you live in the Didcot area have a look at what is on and pay them a visit. There is such a variety of performances that you are bound to find something that is to your taste. http://www.cornerstone-arts.org/8.id

Dagenham - a special place close to our hearts...

2008-10-27T22:21:00.002Z

It was a Sunday evening, the weekend was dragging and darkness had arrived early upon the Just Do It Guides sales team. It was a few days since the last sale, and realisation was setting in for the Sales force, consisting of two former IT Support Experts turned Video Producers that a mountain had to be climbed, and they had to learn fast.

We had this magical vision, blinded by naivety that the whole population would be queuing up to by our DVD, a product they`d never seen or never heard of. We were over confident, but without it we would never had managed to produce a full 6 hour DVD set, so perhaps it was a blessing. With many things planned, with the help of the amazing FRS Marketing, confidence had dropped but was still high.

Then, suddenly a ding and an order on Amazon!! Excitement was suppressed until it was confirmed the order was not a friend or family member, but a wonderful man we will never meet. Unless of course we sell a bundle, in which case we`ll take him out for a big slap up meal.

This order means a lot at this stage, a real boost, we just hope we get some good feedback. A gloomy weekend, with a brighter end.

Its National Get Online Day today

2008-10-24T18:59:00.001+01:00

Its national “Get Online Day” today ( I couldn’t find any cards in Clintons – they must be slipping up) We are offering £3 off every DVD sold to mark the occasion.

One in three adults in the UK still aren’t online, and this includes an estimated 25% of parents. Not being online means those families aren’t taking advantage of the information and benefits the internet has brought to the rest of the population. And it’s disadvantaged or poorer families who are most likely to be missing out.
The digital divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have not’ of ICT is bigger than ever, and has an impact not just on the individual but on families, the economic and social health of communities, on political processes and public services. It’s time everyone had the skills, access and motivation to make digital choices and take digital opportunities.
By targeting families, the idea is that the digital natives in a family – often the children – will get the digitally divided involved. It’s a chance for families to share their ICT and internet skills, spend time together and learn how the internet could keep on helping in everyday family life

Is that the phone ringing

2008-10-24T18:40:00.001+01:00

There was an air of gloom hanging over the garage today.
Despite being warned that the DVD’s would not be flying off the shelves on the first day of advertising, we hoped that the phone might ring a couple of times. But we waited in vain. The laughter and banter was replaced by a strained silence. Every time the phone rang our spirits lifted, but only for a short time, until we realised that it was not that first sale.

Dell. the postman provided some light relief however. He showed a great deal of interest in the DVD and after speaking to him we knew there were many, many people who would benefit form our DVD and it would only be a matter of time before we reached out target audience.

Pressing on...

2008-10-17T13:53:00.005+01:00

We have quickly learnt Marketing is an art form, and should be left to the professionals. You can learn about Codecs or DVD authoring on the Internet, for Marketing, seek out someone with experience, and most importantly, someone who is damn good at it.

We have struck lucky, after joining the Didcot Chamber of Commerce, I spotted FRS Marketing, a local firm, so I made a phone call on instinct. 8 weeks on, we have nothing but admiration for Fiona Smart who fronts the company. A good marketing company, should quickly grasp your product and vision, and be able to produce a game plan that gives you confidence. Fiona did this plus more, she has booked us a big slot in Jump Ahead, a local magazine that goes to about 22,000 houses, she created a fantastic article (300 words) that covers our subject, and helps draw in a sale.

FRS Marketing are now working on flyers/postcards for us to dish out at the Didcot Street Fair, and other venues. As you would expect, a decent Marketing company prides itself on good communication, so make sure they offer this, otherwise, take your business elsewhere.

We have made 3 sales so far, with 3 gratis orders also. Jump Ahead comes out next week, we have press releases scheduled by Fiona for next month, it`s available on Amazon, eBay and our own website. And, to personal callers into the office, cheers Frank.

Emails are going out to friends and family, so let`s see sales ramp up over time. It`s still quite peaceful in the office here right now, we are hoping soon the phone will break the silence.

Order in the office ...

2008-10-17T07:54:00.004+01:00

A explosion hit the office as the first order came through the website. It quickly extinguished when we realised it was a family member, but none the less, Graham Roberts from Newark goes down in history as Just Do It Guides very 1st customer, hopefully many more will follow.

The DVD was weighed, 78p for 1st class Royal Mail and it was hastily removed from our view, ready for its journey north.

Arriving less than 24 hours later, Graham, who doesn`t get much post couldn`t contain his excitement "I`ve always been proud of my brother, for taking the plunge and wanted to support him and Dave for their great idea. Not understanding computers myself, it was a product designed for me, but I`m going to take my time going through the whole 6 hours. I think it`s great, but then again I`ve got to say that."

Ladies & Gentlemen...we got em...

2008-10-16T08:32:00.008+01:00

It was 11 months of mental perspiration and self motivation that had driven us this far, but it was Dave`s Honda Civic negotiating the burnt out car smouldering on the hard shoulder of the M40 that was driving us on today.

We were en route to London, near Wembley to be slightly more precise. Reaching the DVD replication stage created a new problem due to our beginners' status - how do we master and replicate ? Help was at hand, an email to the ever helpful Nigel Cooper at dvuser.co.uk brought back an instant response of 'use the VDC Group, one of the 3 reliable replication houses in the country'. After becoming confused with all the un-helpful information returned via a Google search, I decided to email VDC, and they responded within 30 minutes, with a very helpful and understanding manner which carried on all throughout the procedure.

As we were first timers, and only placing a small order we expected a low end of service but how wrong we were, a 1st class service, if you need CD or DVD replication we highly recommend the VDC Group, all the staff were fantastic. James Rowsell deserves a special mention for his patient, friendly and perfect example of how to look after your customers. Big pat on the back James, many thanks, even after handing them incorrect artwork and wrong tapes (basically, it all had to be re-created) he guided us onto success!! And a big thanks to Mike Seaman for the tour around the engine room, where the DVDs are created, it should be on your 50 things to do before you die list!

The boxes were loaded into the Civic, we said our thanks and goodbyes and headed home, eager to have a peep but we resisted till back in the office.

There was almost some emotion on our faces as we amazed over the wrapped up disc set, it was our work, perfectly crafted by VDC Group ready to sell, but too good to open!! We had arrived on the scene, all we had to do now, was sell them!!!

It’s a lonely job…….

2008-10-15T17:52:00.001+01:00

I am all alone in my little studio recording lessons for our internet site. Well actually it’s my dining room. It’s not the perfect spot. If you listen carefully you can hear the washing machine, the postie at the door and the damn cat meowing to be fed.

Advertising………another black art

2008-10-13T14:16:00.000+01:00

Fiona, our marketing guru, has been advising on our advertising strategy and has opened a few doors which have secured a great article, a front page banner, and an associated advertisement in Jump Ahead, an Oxfordshire magazine which has a circulation of around 25,000. She said it is a small start – It looks like the start of a roller coaster ride to me.
I thought I would have a bash at this advertising lark myself. So I designed an advert. It took me nearly 2 days to produce an advert 6.4cm by 8.8cm and it still looks rubbish. Nothing ventured nothing gained, so I have reserved a spot in the November edition of the Woodcote Correspondent (circulation 2,500).
Watch this blog to see which advert gets the best ROI (I don’t know what it means but it has something to do with the black art of marketing).

PC & Laptop suppliers miss the point….

2008-10-08T20:39:00.002+01:00

As I write this I have just seen an advert for a laptop on TV and I am quite sure that it may as well have been in a foreign language for many people. It was boasting about the number of gigabytes, the amount of memory and an Intel Duo processor. I find it quite frustrating that many PC and Laptop suppliers seem to be alienating large numbers of their potential customers by describing specifications rather than functionality. I hope people see our DVD in going some way in redressing this issue by explaining everything in plain and simple terms.

The moment of truth....

2008-10-08T20:16:00.001+01:00

We have everything in place to dispatch the first DVDs and on Wednesday ( 15th Oct ) we pick them up from the replicators. Advertising, on a small scale, is ready for the end of October and hopefully you will find them on Amazon and E-Bay within the next couple of weeks.
We will soon find out if the ethos we employed in making the DVD is what our target audience want. All that time and effort waiting to be judged by people that we don’t know and who have no idea how much effort and care has been put into creating this product – Scary stuff

Replicate, replicate...

2008-10-08T08:54:00.006+01:00

After many hours struggling with the extreme temperatures in the office, and experiencing something more damaging than El Nino - Codec & Render Hell we achieved success. We had a slight issue, what started out as a 2 hour DVD, ended up as 6 hours. It was to be two dual layer, DVD9 discs with a 16 page booklet, shopping list and form all nicely packaged.

Nigel Cooper from dvuser.co.uk (great site for anything about video making, equipment etc) recommended us to VDC Group in London, who are the top DVD or CD Replication house in the country, so we embarked on learning a new lingo. Do you understand about EAN13, DDP, CMF,CMYK, CSS,IPR or even Document Bleed ? No ? Well, nor did we. Luckily for us, the VDC Group have been bloody great to us, can`t praise them enough, it must be frustrating to have novices like us!!

We dropped off four lovely LTO tapes as masters, and drove off rejoicing at our accomplishment, only to be told a few days later we`d supplied the wrong format tapes, and they couldn`t use them. Heads dropped in the office, silence broken by Dave`s feeble plea for a strong coffee. We hadn`t read the manual, so, after a quick glance at what we should have been doing, in preference to us knowing best we despatched the correct format for the masters, and made minor adjustments to the artwork.

Time after was tense, any email or phone call greeted with apprehension and some and freezing of all reflexes for a second or two.

A year on, where we are now...

2008-10-07T09:02:00.004+01:00

A year has flown past, it started as an idea, an unrealistic aim by us, Dave Murdoch & Dave Roberts. From wild idea conceived in the White Hart Public House, Harwell Village to the VDC Group in London for replication of 1000 DVD sets.

We were kindly made redundant by a Blue Chip company after 50 joint years slaving in IT Support. Our minds craved more than fixing blue screens of death, login issues, printers failing and constant complaints about system performance, oh and of course the laptop that died thousands of miles away, and it was our fault!! If you`ve worked in IT Support, you know what I mean.

So, I did some brilliant filming courses at the OFVM in Oxford, read and learnt in work`s time so I was up to speed for my Video Production company (Concept Filming). My plan, a foolish one was to take on the BBC guys with heaps of experience with a Corporate Fronting company offering top flight production. It was then my ex-boss called me an irresponsible parent of two young children. His suggestion ? Why not use old and new skills ?

With not knowing what was to follow, off we went to script all the essentials of Everyday Home Computing. A brain storming lesson lasting 3 days, then 4 weeks of scripting gave us 16,000 words, about 50 lessons, lots of graphics and video examples. Was it possible ?