Good Things by an Aussie Licensee!

Here's a great YouTube Promo by an Australian Licensee, check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7KCDEXKJfQ

New Product Announcement - Baby Blocks!

Just released! New Baby Blocks.

Three colors to choose from; Traditional Pearl, Baby Pink and Baby Blue. Can be hung as an Ornament or displayed on a shelf. Baby Blocks can be printed on 2 sides and have the letters A B C printed on the other panels. Great for newborn announcements, perfect for "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments.

Manufactured exclusively for BallStars and to used with their proprietary heat press equipment.

To find out more, visit www.ballstars.com or email sales@ballstars.com

Setting up Shop

Although Marshall B. Lewis runs his BallStars business from his home in Riverview, Fla., he fully recognizes the value of getting plenty of exposure in the local business community. For instance, he recently set up a display table at community league’s football game, and was inundated with requests. The table display included marketing posters provided by BallStars.

“I don’t want to be a salesman and jump on people, and with the table, they come right to me. I had samples and information that people could take with them,” he says. “I got at least seven sales, and one of the teams asked me to come back next week for a fund-raiser,” he says.

As Lewis becomes more comfortable with the camera included in his BallStars package, he hopes to shoot photos at the games. In the meantime, he’s also getting plenty of exposure via his Web site, www.bawlhogs.com, which features a full library of product images and an online design service where customers can upload their photos or graphics and purchase the product.

2009 NBA Draft - BallStars Basketballs

Here some additional photo's of the 2009 NBA Draft ceremony with BallStars Basketballs in the shot.

BallStars at the NBA Draft

Thanks to our long running relationship with Spalding, you can see BallStars custom printed basketballs on the tables of the players during the 2009 NBA Draft ceremony.

Check it out here:

2009 NBA Draft Video Recap

BallStars in Indianapolis - New Software Demonstration

BallStars exhibited a NBM Awards & Engraving Tradeshow last to showcase our latest software that we have made an option when purchasing a complete system. This software allows you to take a photo and print the ball on the spot within 1 1/2 minutes.

While at the show, we taped a short video clip. Click on the following link and scroll down the videos on the right to find the BallStars video: Video Link

To find out more about this software and our complete line of system packages please call 800-237-0653 or visit www.ballstars.com.

Getting Customers

After launching his BallStars business, Bawl Hogs, Marshall Lewis is finding it surprisingly easy to find customers. He contacted about five area high schools, sending some of them an introductory e-mail and giving others a more personal touch.

“I visited them and left some samples, and everybody loved them,” says Lewis, who lives in Riverview, Fla. “I’m happy about the way things are going.”

Lewis’ sample kit included his business card, a list of prices, and, in some cases, a ball. “I can’t give everybody balls, so I put together a PowerPoint slide showing the package and e-mailed that to the schools,” he explains.

He keeps the e-mail’s file size small enough (well under six megabytes) so that recipients have no difficulty receiving the information. “I’ve already sold eight balls,” says Lewis, who expects to receive many more orders after the schools receive funding to purchase the balls. “I’m also pursuing football leagues and a city recreational league. One team wants to give balls to all 30 of its kids. They’re just waiting until the season ends to see how the team places.”

Lewis, however, isn’t simply waiting around for business. “I’ll be sending out fliers to the basketball coaches next,” he says.

BallStars at 2009 NBA AllStar Jam Session

Here's a quick interview that the NBA Live TV group did with Marshall when we were at the 2009 NBA AllStar Jam Session in March.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlO0-HpUQAk

If you look real close, you can see our Green Screen background and photo lights that we used to drop the fans photo next to their favorite NBA AllStar Player

We were at the NBA AllStar Jam Session testing our new Photo Event System that maintains a very fast production speed enabling you produce a custom photo sports ball in under 1 1/2 minutes. This is pretty incredible when you think you have to take a photo, create the graphic, print a mirrored transfer, then press the ball in our heat press.

Our new Photo Event System utilizes optional software that can be purchased in addition to any of our complete Photo Ball Heat Transfer systems. To find more about BallStars and our available Photo Ball Heat Transfer systems please visit: www.ballstars.com

Retiring with Ballstars

Marshall B. Lewis knows exactly what he’ll be doing when he retires from the Air Force: He’ll have a successful BallStars franchise. Lewis, who designed everything from Web sites to coins during his armed forces career, purchased a BallStars Pro 5500 system in August after discovering the system’s profit-making potential.

“I was trying to find something in graphics, and I love sports too, and BallStars puts the two together,” he says. “I polled friends and family members about putting their child’s photo on a ball. Everybody I spoke with thought it was a great idea.”

Lewis, who lives in Riverview, Fla., (www.bawlhogs.com) says it’s the kind of item he would’ve loved as a kid. “We had trophies, and those are fine, but th is is more personal,” he says. “Plus, being down here in Florida, the weather is always good, so they play sports year-round. There are so many different areas to sell the product.”

Those plentiful business opportunities have given Lewis high hopes for Bawl Hogs, his fledgling BallStars initiative. “If things start to blossom, I will do BallStars full time,” Lewis says. “Then I’ll have the freedom to do whatever I want. That’s my goal.”