Gary Fong's Blog

OK I GIVE UP! BACK TO XANGA

2009-10-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

I thought blogger would be cooler but it's hard to format without going into html all the time. Back to Xanga! click here!

The New PowerSnoot™

2009-10-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some sample shots from London of the new PowerSnoot™. The PowerSnoot is not only a high-power intensity booster, for shooting telephoto images with on-camera flash (like wildlife or sports) but taken off the camera it gives really cool, dramatic lighting. It is totally the complete opposite of the Lightsphere®, which spreads light everywhere.

For these images, I used a Canon 5D with a 135mm f2.0 lens, and a STE-2 transmitter simply firing into a 430EX flash.

WORLD TOUR

2009-10-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

This year I've been doing public appearances around the world, from Japan through the U.S. and all around Europe promoting the slew of new products we've announced. The FlipCage, The PowerSnoot, the Lightsphere Collapsible, and my new book.

It is not overwhelming when Melissa is with me. Wherever we are, we are home. Today she went running in Hyde Park, London (and she says it's her favorite park ever, and I heartily agree). We've newly fallen in love with New York (we used to hate it) and London (I used to detest it, now I love it - I've been here four times in the last 12 months). I did a public appearance and we go sightseeing at night.

This tour is way more fun and way more activity than I ever had before. I have public appearances, then media interviews (for the book) in-store trainings for my distributors and larger stores. Business is all about relationships, and even though I only have 37 employees, the network of team members around the world who sell and merchandise my products has to be in the thousands.

One businessman had a 3 part question. He asked, what is crucial for a good business? 1) Marketing 2) Innovation and 3) Customers. Know what the answer was? 3! You can't have a business without customers!

So when it comes to running a number of businesses, when people ask how do you grow so big, how do you expand so much, the answer is customers. Especially satisfied customers.

Right now I am wondering why I am whipping up so much demand by showcasing my goods around the world. Our plastics factory is running 24/7, not keeping up and it's reminding me of the nightmare period of my life when I was running Pictage.

What keeps me going is seeing and meeting people who are enthusiastic about my products. Can you imagine what a great feeling that is?

WOW this is so cool

2009-10-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE

What I'm Reading On Kindle!

2009-10-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

Honestly, it just never gets old seeing my book in a bookstore or today it just went up on Kindle. It's a different kind of really cool because my products that are in camera stores has been fairly standard. Since I'm a new author (this being my first book) it's just shocking to see it in bookstores. I'm glowing...

My Book Is On Kindle!!!

2009-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

I just bought my book and uploaded it to my iPhone Kindle application. It is still so surreal to see my book in bookstores, or to see it on Kindle. In a way it's a vulnerable thing because you tell stories from the past, but the good thing is I picked the really funny ones. Thank you to all of you who have written reviews on the forums and comments of the big bookstores. It really makes me happy thank you! CLICK HERE

What this trip has been like

2009-10-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

This photo pretty much sums up our trip to NYC. We have had an absolute blast. We have a super fun team at the booth including Shannon Macfarland (who I met through my blog and facebook) and the really really great temps who were just so awesome. It is always so fun to see my friends here.

This picture is hilarious. The girl on the right is Jessica Seibel, and we actually used to be roommates and we haven't seen each other in 18 years. She has been working with us at GFI from her office in San Jose working sales support with Michelle Crites, who I have been working with since the Montage days. Michelle is now managing our commercial sales and on this trip we are all hanging out.

Jessica used to assist me on weddings and OMG would we laugh over the most mundane things. This photo is from last night we laughed so hard all of us almost passed out.

Photos from today

2009-10-22T20:11:00.001-07:00

Google Voice - here's why it is cool

2009-10-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Jason told me about Google voice, and for anybody that has phones in multiple locations (that would be YOU) Google voice is wonderful. Here's what it does:

It will call all of your phones simultaneously. It's trippy because I have a Verizon Phone (because AT&T sucks), I have an iPhone (because iPhones are the best) and I have SKYPE on my laptop. You give everybody your Google voice number, and then it will ring all phones. You can make it go to your voicemail message, and you can monitor the message and pickup the call if you want to speak to that person. It is really lovable.

WE ARE IN NEW YORK - COME BY SAY HI!

2009-10-21T13:26:00.001-07:00

Come by and see us in Booth 454 at the largest Photo expo in the United States, PhotoExpo 2009. We will have my new Lightsphere Collapsibles, the new FlipCage in lots of different colors and I will have a few copies of my book for signing (or bring yours from your local bookstore). It is a beautiful day in NYC and we are so glad to be back and excited about seeing you all again this year!

FIRST BOOK SIGNING - TORONTO

2009-10-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody I SO apologize if you went to the local Indigo/Chapters and the book was not there - in a huck we had 100 books shipped to the convention center so I could sign some of them.

I've been in touch with the publisher and we have a phone meeting next Wednesday to try to make sure we have advance copies in your local stores so you can get them before we arrive.

It is always a pleasure to come to Toronto, and this is Melissa's first trip here, and she enjoying it. Our friends, Joel, David and John from Gentec are wonderful hosts. Here's some pictures. I especially like the one of my two younger friends:

COMING TO TORONTO!

2009-10-14T17:20:00.001-07:00

We're leaving tomorrow for Toronto! I will be at the Henry's Photo Show - and I'll be doing my first presentation for my book tour. I'll be speaking from 10:45am to 12:30pm on Saturday, October 17th. For info (come by and see me!) click here

Please get the book at your local bookstore and bring it to the show and I'll sign it!

See you there!

Gold's lofty prices

2009-10-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

I helped a friend of mine buy some gold the other day, and since then it went up. He asked me what the prices were going to do in the future, and I said don't worry about it. The idea behind buying gold is to buy it and forget about it. Act like that money is gone and you will never see it again. Don't worry about the price because buying and selling physical gold is loaded with commissions and you have to have quite a spread before you can make efficient trading out of it. This is why markets don't like to deal with physical gold.

My wife asked me, why do you buy gold if you are never going to sell it? Why not just not earn the money? For a long time I didn't have an answer to that, but now I do. For every dollar you save, it's a dollar you don't have to earn in the future. Unfortunately the US.D is not going to sustain its value, so holding that would be really disappointing.

Wealth, at any scale means simply living on less than you earn, and stashing away savings. If you have savings, you're an investor.

This is a $60,000 guitar

2009-10-13T23:33:00.001-07:00

I don't get it. I've seen vintage guitars before and they are always smelly and look awful. They say that the tone of an old guitar is better, but these things get amplified. I don't know why they are so much other than they are rare. I have a Jackson guitar that I paid $199 for and it is my most playable guitar. It's just so cool. If you look in ebay, there is a Les Paul that is selling for $185,000.

Value: perceived or real?

I'm Speaking in New Orleans!!!

2009-10-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am coming to Pictage's Partnercon! Let's hang out! Can't wait to see so many of you again. I will be speaking at 9-11am, November 5 at the Astor Crowne Plaza. So many of our friends (from our wedding) will be there too - Denis Reggie, Joe Buissink, Mike Colon, Dane Sanders, David Beckstead

I can't wait to have this big reunion of seeing all of you again!

Melissa and I will be in New Orleans in early November, and I will be talking a TON about the state of the photography industry, how it relates to the economy we're in now, and how to be prepared rather than a victim!

Please bring your copies of "Accidental Millionaire" and I will sign them for you.

To the right is me at the Pictage offices, from left is Scott, then Jim (the CEO), me and Emily. For registration info (yes it is open to non-members!) please click here

Back to Europe

2009-10-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

In about the next thirty days, here's where we are going: Wednesday Toronto for the photo show, then to London to support Canon and their flash equipment, then to Belgrade, Yugoslavia for two days, then to Paris to meet with our new distribution partner in France - then to New Orleans for Partnercon for Pictage.

It is not hard traveling when you have your routine down - I'm going to try to show you how I pack in a blog post tomorrow.

Until then, here's a great photo I forgot to upload of my wife and the Kiefer boys in Annecy, France. We were just there and it was the best trip ever. We are spending a lot of time in Europe because I am working hard to expand internationally. This is a decision I made a while ago knowing that the US Dollar was going to crash (making my exports less expensive abroad) and so that GFI would have less reliance on the U.S.D.

For me success isn't about how much you have or earn, it's about being able to look back and reflect on good decisions. I think that's my biggest asset - that I make decisions rapidly, and I make good ones.

New Controller, Alain

2009-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

After interviewing many really qualified candidates, about a month ago I hired a controller to help with the reporting and compliance for my companies. Basically what a controller is, is a CPA with one client.

We have been really beyond our scope trying to get records together for outside services, and ours is so myriad that when you open the Fong file, you probably have no idea where you last left off.

The great thing is, Alain used to run Honda's ops in France (4,000 employees) so he is way overqualifed to run our little boutique of shops. But the nice thing is, he really likes the entrepreneurial spirit of our group, and he's excited to be able to report to me directly with suggestions on cost-cutting, etc.

Today we had a meeting for the entire morning and got so much done. Anyway so far that's my day. Now it's naptime (still fighting the cold)

Introducing, "Huggy" The Bear

2009-10-12T01:21:00.001-07:00

Article on bloomberg regarding the USD

2009-10-12T01:05:00.000-07:00

I know this should go into the "gloom and doom" blog, but I think it is mainstream enough to mention here. The USD is giving way rapidly and this "Emperor has no clothes" phenomena that the US Fed and Treasury matchup is no longer supported by China's want or need to protect its investment in Treasury instruments. IMHO China has written it off.

You can read the bloomberg article by clicking on the image below:

Now on blogger!

2009-10-12T00:34:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody - thanks for following me over to my new "Blogger" blog. Xanga was awesome in the day, but it's time to change. Thanks to Xanga for everything! It will still exist - but now I'm going to be posting on here.