| History of BG&G Enterprises
Notes from a Novice Webmaster
BG&G Enterprises is a conglomeration of several small "business ventures" that I have developed throughout the years. I followed a traditional career path in office administration, bookkeeping, and inside sales for 25+ years, but I was always drawn to entrepreneurship. Although I worked for both large and small firms, I preferred working for small business owners. I loved setting the pace & running the show. Admittedly, the pay and benefits were not as good as with the larger firms, but there were other perks. For instance, I worked directly with my employer's lawyers, accountants, and marketing agents. Therefore, I was able to learn first hand what to do or not to do to run a successful business --- without paying their high professional service fees.
The entrepreneur "bug" bit me early in life. I negotiated my first freelance job - cleaning houses & ironing for people in my neighborhood - when I was 11 years old. But my first "real" business venture was started in the early 1980's. Part-time, I sold general merchandise via catalogs. Eventually, I opened my own flea market store where I learned to manage inventory and set prices. I also gained valuable insight into what my customers and other vendors were looking for. They wanted quality, but free or low cost products, services, and resources. Since helping people has always been second nature for me, I had no problem doing the research to help them find what they wanted.
In fact, I have always been the "go-to" person when family, friends, and neighbors needed help. From PC training to computer repair; from resume editing to scholarship searches; from setting up company books to preparing personal & business income taxes, I have done it all. I have even acted as medical or legal advocate for some within my inner circle. When these requests for help began to intrude on my personal time, instead of viewing it as a nuisance, I saw it as an business opportunity.
In December of 1996, I had become bored with the routine & frustrated with the pay scale of my regular job, so I went back to school after 20 years. Within four and a half years, I obtained degrees in industrial electronics, occupational safety and health, and industrial management. In May 2001, I was enthusiastically looking forward to starting my second career. However, just one week after graduation, I shattered my right leg. Facing a long recuperation period and no source of income except savings, I was hard-pressed to find a way to pay my bills. I was not able work a regular job, and operating my catalog or flea market business was not an option for a while. After a couple of months of bed restriction, the idea for BG&G Enterprises Online was conceived. Not only did I see it as a revenue source, but also as a way to continue to help people.
Hobbling to my computer everyday, I began to teach myself the basics of HTML (hence the name "novice webmaster"). From 2001 and 2002, I experimented with several website builders and hosting plans before finding CityMax that had all the features and flexibility I wanted and needed. Originally BG&G Enterprises was set up as a one-stop shopping site featuring general gift shop items, discounted telecommunication products and services, and a cash-back mall. After a few months, I added the education & career self-help centers. Before long, BGGE became a mega site (or monster site) with over 700 pages indexed weekly. With CityMax, that was no problem.
The year of 2003 was primarily spent doing product research & partnership development. BGGE's mission is to provide "quality, free & low cost products, services & resources". To that end, I have invested thousands of man-hours, much to the chagrin of my loved ones, researching the products that are offered on this website --- personally testing many of them. I wanted to ensure that my customers would be satisfied with my partners' "free offers" and low-cost claims. During this period, I also set-out to learn more about online marketing. Wanting to remain consistent with the free & low-cost theme of this website, I decided to market BGGE using only "free" and low cost promotional tools and strategies.
For the most part, BG&G Enterprises was put on auto-pilot during 2004-2006. Sales were good. But by the middle of 2006, I noticed a decline in online sales. After re-evaluating my marketing methods while staying abreast of the financial news, I felt it was time to shift BGGE's focus toward service - business & personal - at the beginning of 2007.
In 2008, I began streamlining BG&G Enterprises' focus even more. Because of the dire state of our economy where recent gas prices reached an all-time historical high, people have begun to recognize the economic benefits of shopping and working from home. In response, Therefore, I began redesigning the website to help entreprenuers work easier, learn quickly, & shop smarter, and still have a little fun at the end of the day.
So BGGE Custom Web Design was launched this year to allow freelance artist, independent contractors, and small business owners have a professional online presence without sacrificing quality or busting their advertising budget. Consequently, more free and low cost business resources, such as traffic generators and other business tools, have been added for both novice and veteran online entrepreneurs (webmasters).
There were other channel updates in 2008. The self-help career and education center has become increasingly popular, and it is being updated to include more low-cost services for small business owners. Most of the retail merchants from our shopping channel have been merged into the Business & Resource Directory. This allows our Retail Outlet Channel to feature more smart-shopping sites such as cash-back malls, closeouts & wholesale direct vendors, and credit card rewards. BGGE Gift Shop now features gift certificates and gift cards purchasing and redemption for the busy entreprenuer who has little time for gift shopping.
Expect more changes for BGGE in 2009. By the end of the first quarter, BGGE Gift Shop & Redemption Center will offer corporate account partnerships for businesses with has or want to set up employee reward programs. Low-cost bookkeeping and tax preparation services will be offered, too.
Entrepreneurship is my passion, but it has not been an easy road. I am not a millionaire yet. The road to my success continues to be paved with trial & error, but I find it rewarding ... and I love it.
I learned early in life that "if a tree doesn't bend during a powerful storm, it will break". Recognizing opportunities and incorporating changes when needed is how BGGE continues to evolve. So keep checking back as I update the history of BG&G Enterprises.
BJ Gray, The Novice Webmaster
Revised 12/10/08 |
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