Hey Tay, great ideas. I got internet back today and will think about the website more in the next little while.
Definitely go and see if the shops want them. Usually they prefer email or phone call first explaining that we've imported some oil. Less busy shops you can also just walk in. Technically, scientifically, academically, it's Siberian pine nut oil, but I'm not fussed what you call it.
I've lowered my standard of "professionalism" in favour of increasing my standard of purity and focus on manifesting/implementing/materialising the new earth as fast as possible. I identified this flaw in Megre company and so have changed direction a little. Also, person to person information is the most important way. Word of mouth is the strongest.
Cost price is probably about $16 all up. So you're right with starting point.. $25 each, rrp $40.. Or a bit less if they want a lot.. Or a bit less if they're nervous about stocking a new product. Also you can offer to buy them back if they don't sell. The investment is worth it to establish the market.. So you can drop right down to $16/$40 if it feels comfortable between you and the shop. Just make sure retail price is $40 I guess. Or maybe that will change. I trust you guys.
Keep all the money from what you sell. Take this initial two thousand as a startup investment from me to establish the brand and knowledge of the Siberian pine. Most businesses like this spend tens of thousands on crap like software, office rental and web design, so we're well ahead already. Just enjoy without pressure. Also be relaxed to move them, there's no hurry. If shop is not vibing right, then call it off. Thoughts of owners will affect quality of oil and therefore our reputation. Vendors should have a developed sense of social and environmental responsibility, and a desire to improve.
As for brochure, do you have any material for that already? Maybe I can put something together, seems a nice task I can do from a distance.
I'll admit my head's been out of the commercial collective game since news about the books arriving in Russian instead of English. I wrote an email in Russian (I had it checked for perfection), asking how we can get books in English. Their new marketing rep answered straight away in incorrect English, saying brightly that they sent us books only in Russian. I think she used an exclamation mark after each sentence.
She also told me not to post social media posts about our readers with the tags #RingingCedars or #VladimirMegre, rather keeping those to specifically relate to their products. Quite a feeling rose in me when I read that. Quite like anger, but more like extreme excitement, wanting to explain and say many things very, very fast - big rush of energy.
It would take me days to write out all those feelings. I replied with two curt emails. First, I said we were very confused why they send us books in Russian, since we speak English in Australia. Second, I asked them to clarify whether they wanted their company to be a hub for the planetary Earth movement, or only for their narrow range of products. They didn't reply to either of those messages, though Yury (the Information Officer, who does the facebook pages) sent me a nice birthday message on Thursday.
As far as I can see, their company is not currently capable of thinking much about the planetary movement. They are still operating as a hierarchy where every decision must be made by Polina alone, and the others are not allowed to think for themselves. It's very inefficient.
Anyway, for now let's enjoy the great gifts of love and life. I'm focusing fully on the big, big picture game - full transformation of the entire planet into flourishing paradise garden. I received my first marriage proposal of the summer tonight, quite a thrill but also took me by surprise. It was at her family dinner around the table at the dacha with friends. She's so young I couldn't have believed it except that her father and mother were watching me really closely, smiling and nodding. Her father said, "Did you imagine you might find a wife quite a bit younger than you?", and I honestly said, "No, I never imagined that!" They are so serious and straight forward about love and making families, it really swept me away.
The main game is to implement land allotment law in every country of the planet Earth, and assist politicians and those in leadership positions to step down and join the rest of us out here on the surface of the Earth. Thereby replacing old inefficient systems of governance with new, effective, equal ones. Most people don't understand how equality of dignity, equality of souls operates. This is the most pernicious root of the destruction on the planet earth that i've encountered so far - the belief in innate hierarchy between humans, that some people are naturally better or more worthy than others. It's a total illusion, a self-fulfilling prophecy that dooms some people to a miserable life, and dooms the rest of us to a bloodthirsty competition to scramble over our fallen comrades in an absurd struggle for the top. I think this is the ancestors' mistake - when one person considered himself higher than other people. Once, it was a completely novel idea, but now it's so common that barely anyone can imagine a world where it's anywhere different.
Well, I can imagine the world where everyone is equal. I can imagine how the government will look, the shape of the buildings it meets in, how councils will be held, what and how decisions will be made, how international relations work, how tax, the legal system, the criminal code, the administration of countries and local areas will look in that world.
Let's create a reality where everybody is equal. If anyone else can also imagine how that works, then get involved, participate, and help me create the image that we will implement. If not, then please, let's make a really solid support group of people who have got each other's back while we bring this image into reality. Here's how it goes: 1) Idea 2) Discussion / agreement 3) Implementation. Anyone can put forth the idea, but if you don't have an idea, then please just be quiet for a bit and let those of us who do have an idea, talk about it for a bit. I can make my family with just me and my girl. But to make this whole planet perfect and beautiful for everyone to enjoy, requires political organisation among people over large distances. This involves cultural diplomacy, international relations, smooth-functioning community dynamics, and a united, common image of how we would like our planet to be.
That's probably the biggest part, is actually to purge people's negative thoughts - all those people thinking every day about a catastrophic end to our society really would do better to start thinking about a wonderful, beautiful and pleasant future for all of us and our planet.
Before brains flip out - everyone being equal doesn't mean everyone is identical. It means that nobody can force or coerce anybody else to do something by violence. It's very simple. Dynamics play out naturally. Some people have more authority than others, based on their demonstrated skill, intelligence, and contribution to the people and the environment. But it is low-key, unofficial. There are no elected officials or office-bearers. All actions must be done by the voluntary will of the actor. Yes, it requires a careful attention and devotion to community consultation, effective communication and a genuine desire on the part of everybody to actually get along well, and make a lovely civilisation for our descendants to enjoy.
Yeah this has never been done on the Earth as far as I can tell. But there are definitely others who have inklings of how this works - lots of them were at Occupy Wall Street and now at Rainbow Gatherings. So let's get together and think how this is going to happen.
All I know with absolute certainty is that a new dimension is being developed now by the united aspirations of people in every continent, who wish to improve and make beautiful our magnificent home planet, and then organise ourselves stably, simply and harmoniously among one another so as to optimise the enjoyment of everyone. This is my strongest interest now, to keep developing, expanding and strengthening this network. We have to get past copper wires, nuclear power plants and WiFi eventually. Let's do it soon. We have to become telepathic, to feel one another's answers like a huge intuitive chat-room, where imagining a person's image also recalls up-to-date information about their activities, location, feelings, thoughts, and opinions on a certain matter. Soon, too, we will be able to send precise and accurate messages with specific information to one another simply by the power of our own human organisms, and the chain of living material than connects us together.
Give as many bottles of oil as freebies as you like - but only to close friends!! I mean people who you're going to have repeated contact with, and can be mutually aware of each other and continue to live and work together for the same goals. Anyway, that's up to you. They're yours to sell and do what you like with, you're the one looking after them!
Does any of that make sense? It was a bit disorganised message.
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Everything is coming along; I've been working out a few "back end" issues... firstly getting our goods into the country... secondly liaising with the business over here to see how they run things, so we can do it in alignment/alliance with them... thirdly sorting out thoughts about how we should approach things... I have a pending request now with the publishers to proofread the texts and eliminate typographic errors. I am waiting to hear what their preferred approach is. Unfortunately it's not as simple as giving them a list of mistakes to correct... there is some discussion required to verify what should and shouldn't stay from the original manuscript, and I think it's worth doing this thoroughly.
I am travelling from Moscow to Balakovo today where I'll be living for a few weeks or months, so I will definitely send you a nice email once I get set up there and have a bit of time on my hands! My current task is to establish a stable, healthy way of life, platform and base from which to create more interesting things.... it's quite a challenge among the demands of business and technological infrastructure... but I'm confident that the nice, simple, little things will prevail and look forward to producing more significant, useful publications in text, images and video soon.
I took my camera out a few times in Moscow only to find that there is precisely nothing worthy of photographing here... sorry if that sounds harsh. But it's all tremendously grey and sickly looking at the moment.. I can imagine it looking much nicer - but I think the correct medium to record that would be a painting or an animation, not a photograph!
Balakovo is a small industrial town on the Volga river, 20 hrs train ride away towards the south. It is a small city of 200,000 people and will be much quieter, with fewer large buildings and less agitation. Depending on the estimate, Moscow has 18 million people or more.
I updated our website the other day and Taylor picked up our first boxes of goods this morning. Now I am getting my Russian text books this morning. So everything is going exactly to plan.
Speak again soon.
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Everything is coming along; I've been working out a few "back end" issues... firstly getting our goods into the country... secondly liaising with the business over here to see how they run things, so we can do it in alignment/alliance with them... thirdly sorting out thoughts about how we should approach things... I have a pending request now with the publishers to proofread the texts and eliminate typographic errors. I am waiting to hear what their preferred approach is. Unfortunately it's not as simple as giving them a list of mistakes to correct... there is some discussion required to verify what should and shouldn't stay from the original manuscript, and I think it's worth doing this thoroughly.
I am travelling from Moscow to Balakovo today where I'll be living for a few weeks or months, so I will definitely send you a nice email once I get set up there and have a bit of time on my hands! My current task is to establish a stable, healthy way of life, platform and base from which to create more interesting things.... it's quite a challenge among the demands of business and technological infrastructure... but I'm confident that the nice, simple, little things will prevail and look forward to producing more significant, useful publications in text, images and video soon.
I took my camera out a few times in Moscow only to find that there is precisely nothing worthy of photographing here... sorry if that sounds harsh. But it's all tremendously grey and sickly looking at the moment.. I can imagine it looking much nicer - but I think the correct medium to record that would be a painting or an animation, not a photograph!
Balakovo is a small industrial town on the Volga river, 20 hrs train ride away towards the south. It is a small city of 200,000 people and will be much quieter, with fewer large buildings and less agitation. Depending on the estimate, Moscow has 18 million people or more.
I updated our website the other day and Taylor picked up our first boxes of goods this morning. Now I am getting my Russian text books this morning. So everything is going exactly to plan.
Speak again soon.