Tag Archives: Beth & Jim

The Beth and Jim Conversations 21

Posted by Jim on October 26, 2011 Comments Off

[Jim] Where to you see Boca Beth in 2 years? 5 years? Do you see yourself taking more of a backseat at some stage in the future?

[Beth] Very soon the Boca Beth web site of www.BocaBeth.com will take on a brand new look and with it we will be highlighting our digital downloads more and more. As a footnote I must share this: I recall starting Boca Beth in 2002 just about the time an article ran in our local paper about the phasing out of VHS tapes with the introduction of the new “DVDs.” I stated to my husband that day, “There is NO WAY VHS tapes will go away – my target market of families with young children and educational institutions will NEVER get rid of their VCR players.”

WAS I WRONG!!!

So now, with the trend towards digital downloads becoming more and more apparent in both music and movies, we are preparing our company for the future – knowing that we will phase out all CD and DVD hard product sales. Many customers ask, will we continue to sell the BOCA puppets, the maracas and egg shakers that are so adorable and safe and the bilingual coloring/activity books? My answer is – I do not know! Read on to find out why:

Currently I am looking to license our 50 Boca Beth bilingual songs to a curriculum company or a music-based children’s company that is searching for that missing bilingual musical component. If I find a home for my Boca Beth bilingual beats I plan to then phase myself out of the e-commerce business and allow my legacy of passion for 2nd language learning to continue through my licensing agreement.

Unlike you and Speekee Jim, I am not looking to expand into other languages. My focus has always been on Spanish and English only – providing customers the depth and breadth of my education and experiences in both languages. Branching out into more languages just never was my vision for Boca Beth.

In fact, I always thought our product line would have a home in TARGET stores, but that has not come to pass (whether it’s the recession, the niche product line being too niche, or simply wrong timing – who knows?).

Over the next two years I will continue to conduct a limited number of toddler times with my music & movement fun in our local Tampa Bay area here in Florida, and I hope to continue training local educators and homeschooling families on the many benefits of raising bilingual children – using bilingual music such as mine and services such as Speekee to jump start these young brains to become lifetime language learners.

[Jim] As ever Beth, you are up front and honest with our readers (-;

You have reminded me that yours is a bilingual English-Spanish product whereas Speekee is Spanish only; I can see that branching out into other languages is not necessarily appropriate for you.

I will be most interested to hear about your progress with regard to licensing.

¡Suerte!

____________________________

Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

Boca Beth Bilingual Products are sold online at http://www.BocaBeth.com – we offer award-winning CDs, DVDs, coloring/activity books that are presented in both Spanish and English with FREE shipping available.

The Beth and Jim Conversations 20

Posted by Jim on October 22, 2011 Comments Off

[Beth] Where to you see Speekee in 2 years? 5 years? What’s the long term goal you have for your subscription based service compared to your product line?

[Jim] Probing questions, Beth!

We request feedback from all Speekee TV subscribers once they bring their subscriptions to an end. We ask: What made you cancel your Speekee TV subscription?; How could we improve Speekee TV?; Have you any other comments?

Other than the general positive comments about the quality of the program, overwhelmingly what we are seeing is the request for ‘more videos’.

So there Beth is the answer to your first question. “Speekee 2″ is now in the pipeline. Naturally, we aim to extend the vocabulary range and keep the main characters from the original Speekee series together. But we’d also like to extend Speekee’s range to include more Spanish-related cultural items. Two of the cornerstones of the Speekee model, structure and simplicity, will be paramount. As the old saying goes, ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid!’ (KISS).

Moving onto the 5-year plan, I can answer that question in two words: more languages. The Speekee formula is a winning one and it can be applied to any language, with great effect and with no loss of quality or content.

Regarding the subscription service, we are finding it gives us great flexibility in terms of maintaining contact with both parent educator and child learner. This is a real advantage and soon we plan to roll out tailor made Individual Learning Plans which will be based on each learner’s personal progress in Spanish learning through Speekee TV. Longer term, we shall see. I think it will depend on how this personal customer contact evolves.

Beth, I’d like to fire back the same questions to you for next week’s conversation (-;

¡Adiós amiga mía!

____________________________

Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

The Beth and Jim Conversations 19

Posted by Jim on October 17, 2011 Comments Off

[Jim] Being without internet now for three days in the office, I find myself frequenting an internet cafe in order to deal with all the essential emails. This leads me to wonder just how dependent we are as business owners on all things internet related, such as social networking sites. What have been your experiences?

[Beth] In the past people like us with a business, a brand, a product and/or a service used to rely on print ads and direct mail (you know – those junk mail things that arrive in your mailbox or newspaper and you wonder who in their right mind still pays to advertise in that vein?!?!) to communicate our message. If we could afford it we would mix in some radio or TV for a bigger presence.

Now – with Social Media at everyone’s fingertips – we can create, monitor and change our messages and how they reach our potential customers with a click of a mouse. Want to add a little more video presence on your web site as a business owner? ¡No problema!

Get our your HD recorder or Flip Video (if you own one because they aren’t making them any longer over a Cisco) and create a cool promo spot within an hour.
Here’s the one BIG problem I have noticed over the past year: There is way too much noise out in the internet world, and our potential customers are overloaded with information. Now we need to stand out among the crowd and be noticed.

Let’s tackle THAT big challenge, and we win the race of entrepreneurship my friends / mis amigos.

____________________________

Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

The Beth and Jim Conversations 18

Posted by Jim on October 6, 2011 Comments Off

[Beth] What are your feelings on the mindset of thousands and thousands of parents around the world who insist that Mandarin (a dialect of Chinese) is soon to become THE leading world language and a must-learn for every young child who hopes to be successful in our global economy? This train of thought has taken the focus off of Spanish for many families, schools and centers who opt for second language instruction and placed it on Mandarin. Are they ‘barking’ up the wrong tree?

[Jim] Do you think they are barking up the wrong tree, Beth?

In the days when I managed a business connecting language students with private language teachers, it was a simple case of supply meeting demand. If the student, or parent, needed a Mandarin teacher I would find one – if I could! That was my job. I did not question their reasons for choosing that language; I did note the reasons so as to better inform the prospective teachers.

True enough, there was a much greater demand for Spanish.

If stories in the media appear saying Mandarin is the next big thing, an essential for business entrepreneurs of the future, then as a parent I might consider it a good idea for my child to start learning Mandarin rather than Spanish.

On the other hand, if I knew about languages, and indeed culture, I would probably choose Spanish for my child because as languages go it’s not a difficult one to learn. And while I am not particularly familiar with South American culture – though I am sure you are, Beth – Spain is very close to the UK and is a massively popular tourist destination (which is just as well for it in the current economic climate). British people are already familiar with Spanish and its cultural ways before they start learning Spanish, and I see this as quite an advantage for Spanish learners as opposed to Mandarin learners.

I don’t feel qualified to speak about the rise of China’s economic status. In this rapidly changing world, with its daily news stories about financial woes, if China, apparently faring better than many other nations, is to succumb economically in the same ways as the likes of Europe and the US, then I imagine all bets will be off from those parents who were lining up Mandarin for their kids.

Spanish, on the other hand, may have greater longevity!

____________________________

Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

The Beth and Jim Conversations 17

Posted by Jim on October 4, 2011 Comments Off

[Jim] Having watched the video testimonial on your website Beth, I was struck by the relaxed and fun interaction between the Boca and Boca’s ‘user’ (for want of a better word!). It seems like you only have to slip on the Boca Beth puppet and you can instantly be transformed into a budding Spanish speaker. Is it really so simple? What is is about hand puppets and language learning?!

[Beth] It’s funny Jim! Every time I walk out on stage to conduct a keynote on the topic of how important it is to raise a generation of bilingual children I have BOCA the puppet on my hand. I do that for two reasons – one it’s part of the building of my brand and two it’s part of the methodology I promote in my Boca Beth Program and product line.

Let’s address number one first: As a business owner I always knew it was risky choosing the name of the company to be something that includes my name in the title. That makes the brand – some would say – not viable, not sustainable. If I were to be injured or to pass away, then how does the brand continue forward and move on? Knowing that, hearing the naysayers, I also knew of very famous brands here in the United States and abroad named after people (Betty Crocker, Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rogers to name just a few). You take BOCA the hand puppet and combine him with my first name, Beth, and you have the name of my children’s bilingual product line. I have been told by parents in Australia that their children wake up asking to watch Boca Beth, by teachers in Texas that their students ask for their favorite Boca Beth songs, and by toddlers in Puerto Rico screaming out for BOCA!!! It’s a brand I have built, and I feel confident it’s been done through consistent use of the puppet BOCA pictured on all letterhead, packaging, movie clips and more mixed with the use of alliteration adding my name after BOCA’s.

Let’s address number two now:

Puppets are used in therapy sessions with young children often to elicit verbalization. What I mean by that is many specialists know that if you want to get a young child to open up to you as a stranger working with that child, try using a puppet. Whether it’s speech therapy, counseling sessions or language class the majority of young children respond positively to hand puppets, and many experts enlist the aid of hand puppets to get the child to feel comfortable and to ‘open up.’

Another thing that I have found over the ten years of sharing my Boca Beth Program and product line is many adults use BOCA on their hand as their ‘scapegoat’ for not having command of the second language. When they have BOCA on their hand and they mispronounce a word, it’s not their mistake, it’s BOCA’s (or so the adult brain translates it to be), and the adult feels more comfortable using the puppet to help introduce a second language they themselves are not fluent in.

When we had BOCA designed for us by a famous puppet designer, never did I imagine that last benefit being on the list!

____________________________

Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

The Beth and Jim Conversations 16

Posted by Jim on September 29, 2011 Comments Off

[Beth] I wish to stay in the same theme from your conversation with me last week Jim when you shared those wonderful testimonials from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I find it so wonderful with social media that potential customers can learn about our companies by hopping on Google, Facebook, Twitter and blogs to learn about what REAL people think about our company’s products and services. Word of mouth has been the way the world shops for centuries – people telling people what they REALLY think about a place of business and how their family responds to their product / service.

Here at Boca Beth we have garnered hundreds upon hundreds of testimonials from children, parents, teachers and early childhood professionals who have had a chance to bring Spanish and English together for special little ones in their lives via my music and movement FUN!

We share them online at this link within our web site where you can even WATCH live testimonials via YouTube videos.

We also share testimonials gathered through a service/company called Rate Point. Click here and look on the left side of our web site under the bright yellow box where it reads Customer Reviews. These testimonials/reviews tell future customers what people just like them think about our Boca Beth bilingual CDs and DVDs!

I really enjoy this part of being a business owner!

____________________________

Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

The Beth and Jim Conversations 15

Posted by Jim on September 25, 2011 Comments Off

[Jim] Guess who made the classic mistake of thinking his new product would immediately ‘sell like hot cakes’?

Yes indeed, yours truly. And that, after already having started and grown a business in the past (later selling said business).

The thing is, I knew the ingredients that went into making Speekee, and I knew that everything fell into place when it came to scripting, filming, post production etc. I knew it had quality – and great educational value.

But products do not sell like hot cakes unless the punters know of their existence first, and, surely, many a great product has disappeared before it has even got going.

Among the many marketing notches a business can add to its belt is a positive testimonial from the customer, and Speekee has never been short of these. Not so long ago we ran a promotion with our friends at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, in which around one hundred homeschoolers reviewed Speekee. After, I collected all the positive comments they made… over 90 of them, and you can see them here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=193986447297642
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Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

The Beth and Jim Conversations 14

Posted by Jim on September 17, 2011 Comments Off

[Beth] I live on the west coast of Florida, mid-way up the coast in a city named Tampa. I was raised only 25 miles away – closer to the beaches of the Gulf Coast and was thrilled as a child to swim in the Gulf of Mexico weekly! To this day I insist on living in a home that has a water view. Now that I live in Tampa (which is not as close to the beaches as where I grew up) we found a home on a lake, and it provides me the serenity and connection with water that I thrive on.

Our city is diverse in the mix of people, cultures and languages. Spanish is definitely the second most widely spoken language in our community. The dialects vary because the Spanish speaking people hail from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Spain. I love that the Spanish I learned in Chile and continued using for more than 30 years is easily understood by the majority of Spanish-speaking people I interact with.

As one drives around my city of Tampa you witness food trucks featuring food from many Latin American countries, local markets selling food indigenous to these countries, and stores that sell clothing specific to their cultures. I LOVE IT! It’s like traveling to a far away place without the cost or hassle of travel.

It’s hot in Tampa. It’s humid in Tampa. I opt for the must-have air conditioning compared to the cold, the snow, and the dreary skies associated with many of our more northern states here in the U.S.

This is a photo of my family on the beaches about 10 years ago!

(oops, please wait… photo coming)

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Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

The Beth and Jim Conversations 13

Posted by Jim on September 8, 2011 Comments Off

[Jim] Sometimes people ask me why I moved here, to Spain…

I usually pinpoint a few factors.

I was ready to quit Britain; I had my own language tuition business there -www.talklanguages.net (still going strong!) – and it had reached the point of needing expansion, or sale… one day I sat at my desk and a rippling wave of stress passed through my body. That was it as far as I was concerned. I knew I wanted to take the Sell It option. The process took around a year, and in the end the ideal buyer came along – an entrepreneur with money to invest, lots of enthusiasm, fluent Spanish, and the desire to make the business grow. One of the gratifying aspects for me was that the teachers I had recruited all kept their jobs (-;

By this time house prices had rocketed. In truth they were also gaining great value in Spain, but the rate per square metre in a place like Arcos de la Frontera, deep into Andalucia, was never going to rival that in the east of London, England. And so it proved… we sold a two-bed property and bought a seven-bed mansion house for the same price.

And I had two children. I knew they would be at an advantage if they were bilingual, and bilingual they now are. The way they switch from Spanish to English is a marvel to behold (-: (-;

Oh, have I mentioned the 300 days of sunshine per year?

[Beth] This is fabulous Jim! I really hope you will include some pictures of your area – your community – the people in your life and neighborhood. It really brings YOU to life!

Mi casa

: Arcos de la Frontera

The Beth and Jim Conversations 12

Posted by Jim on August 31, 2011 Comments Off

[Jim] Obviously, living here in the south of Spain I am surrounded by Spanish people, and so I have as many opportunities as I need to practice the language. Since you live in Florida, I wonder if you could explain to me and readers what sort of a Spanish community you have around you…

[Beth] I live in Tampa, Florida which reports 1 person in every 4 is of Hispanic/Latino origin. That means I come across people EVERY day in my travels throughout my community who speak Spanish and kindly provide me the opportunity to practice my Spanish. My neighbor is from Ecuador, and he comments often on how my Spanish is so fluid (and I believe he has made me his mission to maintain my fluency!).

We have a place in Tampa called Ybor City where a high Latino population lives, and their language and culture are reflected in all areas – be it the markets to shop for food indigenous to the Spanish culture, be it the restaurants and travel food buses that serve Puerto Rican fare to Mexican fare to Spanish fare and beyond! It’s fantastic to live in a community where the two, Anglos and Latinos, exist on a very harmonious level.

I am humbled when my Latino friends and new acquaintances accept me and my efforts with my Boca Beth bilingual program…it’s as if they say to themselves, “Oye, if this blonde hair, blue eyed Irish/Greek girl loves our language enough to help little children learn it, then let’s give her a big BIENVENIDOS!” And they do.

Happy Educating! ¡Sea feliz educando!

[Jim] Gracias, Beth (-;

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Speekee TV is available at http://www.speekee.co.uk/online.php – the first two weeks are absolutely free. Subscriptions are $7.50 per month thereafter, and you can cancel any time (-;

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