“Great quality leather, and the stitching looks quite heavy-grade.” –Michael in NY

“Thanks for a very good product!” –Cam in FL

“Excellent quality leather portfolio, very well made.” –Phillip in TX

“I have really enjoyed the card holder….nice product!” –Wallace in AL

Business Travel Gear Letting You Down?

 

Are You Ready For Your Business Trips To Be More Successful And Less Stressful? 

Imagine what it would be like if you never again faced this agony:

0. Fly with a laptop bag that won’t fit in the overhead bin or the space under the seat in front of you. 
0. Tear your laptop bag (not for the first or last time) trying to manhandle it into place before the “fasten seatbelt” sign comes on.
0. Soak the files in your laptop bag when running from the parking lot to the main lobby in the middle of a downpour.  (Why is visitor parking always full when it’s raining?)
0. Wrestle with the collapsible handle until you finally break it. 
0. Arrive at your meeting and set your torn-up, soaked, and broken laptop bag on the conference table for all to see.  (Or should you hide it under the table?)
0. Fight a jammed plastic zipper with all eyes on you.  (Is that sweat rolling down the back of your dress shirt or rainwater dripping down your neck?)
0. Run out of business cards to give out – and the head honcho is the only one not to get one.
0. Forget to bring notepaper to the meeting.  So you draw stares by asking your neighbor if you can borrow some.
0. Run out of ink in your one and only pen.  Your other one “walked” somewhere between home and here.  (Who on earth took it?  And is it legal to strangle them?).
0. Misplace your keys and go into panic mode.  You have less than an hour until your flight takes off and you still have to return the rental car.
0. Find out you’re missing receipts for your expense report.  Now you have to eat some expenses.
0. Follow up on your presentation after a much-too-quiet week and discover that “your solution wasn’t what we’re looking for.”

Painful to think about?  Believe me, I understand.  I’ve lived it waaaaay too many times. 

So why hasn’t somebody tackled this mess that has somehow become a given way of life for business travelers?  Why do we put up with cruddy travel gear that frays our nerves and gives those we most need to impress the absolute worst impression?

A nylon coil “self-healing” zipper.  I couldn’t get this one to heal.

 

 

 

A “reinforced” corner that magically sprouted a curb feeler.

 

 

 

Ah, the joys of a “flat tire”. Whump, whump, whump, whump….

 

That #$%& Denier rating suckered me in again!

 

Bucking the Herd Mentality

Why isn’t there a better way?  Well, there is a better way.  But there’s a herd mentality in the business travel world that works against it.  That mindset comes in a variety of flavors:

0. You’re brainwashed into believing that cheap, disposable product is actually high quality, durable product.  (Hey, it’s got a Swiss flag on it so it’s gotta be good)
0. Everybody else puts up with it, so you just need to suck it up and deal with it.  (If your friends jumped off a bridge…)
0. Your bag falling apart is actually a badge of honor and the sign of a true road warrior.  (OK, stop right there.  Do you feel the same way about your car or your clothes?)

Add “Made in [Developing Country of Your Choice]” and you have a recipe for beating a path to the mall every year or two for a replacement.  Over the course of a 40-50 year career that adds up to… how many wasted dollars?  And what about the hassle factor and your blood pressure?  And the blown deals due to looking like an idiot? 

Ultimately this recipe takes root and our junk-hassle-idiot problem stays unsolved because we’re not used to thinking about our travel gear as a vital system that helps us to be successful. 

Living the Business Travel Dream

Alright, take a few deep breaths and clear your mind.  Erase that earlier nightmare business trip scenario from your mind and instead dream about what business travel would be like if you had the right setup:

0. No more fighting with space on the plane.
0. No more worries about bad weather drowning your stuff.
0. No little malfunctions to slow you down or embarrass you.
0. No brain farts to trip you up.  Pens, business cards, paper, keys, receipts – all easy to store and easy to find.
0. Stress from your travel gear? Gone.
0. Do you look good?  Yes.  You look real good.  You come across as a confident professional who knows a thing or two about style.
0. Did you get what you wanted from that high-powered meeting?  Well, that’s now up to the quality of your thinking, not the travel gear that played a supporting role.

So, would it be a relief to be living out that kind of business trip instead of one of your usual ones?  It would be for me, and that’s what led me (I’m Shaun Mangan and I’m the “M” in M&W) and my good friend "TW" (The “W” in M&W whose identity is a secret to protect the innocent) to start M&W Traveler.

 

Outfitting Yourself With the Right Gear

The key to living the business travel dream instead of the nightmare is being outfitted with the right gear – gear that has been created by folks like us who have lived through the nightmare and know what works, and what doesn’t.  At M&W Traveler we think of ourselves as Business Travel Outfitters whose mission is to set you up with the right gear, steer you clear of the usual landmines, and help make you successful.  As Business Travel Outfitters we’ve taken a total solution approach with 3 rules for each piece of the system:

0. Tough leather.
0. Practical design.
0. Classic good looks.

Tough leather is our material of choice because it requires only a little bit of care to provide many years of good service.  It’s incredibly durable stuff that’s naturally water-resistant, strong, and pliable.  Archaeologists have uncovered well-preserved examples of gloves, shoes, boots, belts, wine sacs, bookbindings, etc. that are hundreds, even thousands of years old.  But not all leather you can buy today is created equal, so that’s why we say tough leather.  We’re talking about thick, full grain leather that is specially tanned to withstand abuse and look good in the process.  (You can learn more about the different leathers we use on our Leather page).

Practical design means we’ve taken you, the business traveler, into account when creating our designs.  Pockets, padding, lining, hardware, straps – all the details have been considered.  And where we could do something that would help you get through day after day in the plane, the car, and the conference room, we did it. 

Classic good looks is a must in a business setting.  I wish it wasn’t true, but you will get judged immediately and harshly on how presentable you are in the first moments of a meeting.  You need to look and act like the rest of the boys in the club.  And if the rest of the boys are management types, you can bet they follow the rules of “dress for success”.  So either you’re in or you’re out the minute you show up.  Hey, I don’t make the rules, I just tell it like it is.  If you show up with your shredded nylon bag, I’m sorry to say, you’re toast.

 

Succeeding With A Foolproof System

We’re not trying to perfect your hotel stays.  Suitcases, duffel bags, garment bags, toiletry bags, shaving kits – all good stuff, but not really the tools you need to make the most of your time in front of your business associates. We’re talking about the gear you use when you are face-to face with the folks that are your number one priority.  Why else are you making the trip if not to impress and influence these people?  That’s why the gear we’re talking about needs to be your number one concern.

Following the 3 rules (tough leather, practical design, classic good looks), we have put together what we feel is a foolproof system that will eliminate the vast majority of your business travel gear snafus and instantly make your trips more successful. 

There are 4 main pieces to the system:

1.  Briefcase.

2.  Portfolio.

3.  Travel Wallet.

4.  Business Card Holder.

Why these 4 pieces?  Well the devil’s in the details.  Here’s why:

1.  Briefcase. 

This is the anchor piece because it will carry your other essentials into the meeting and it’s the first thing that will be seen when you walk into the room.  Without a good leather briefcase as your first line of defense you’ll be seriously handicapped in your fight against the nightmare.  Here’s what you need in a good briefcase:

 

The right size.  It needs to fit in the overhead bins of small regional jets (not just the big ones) and under the seat in front of you.

 

Soft sided.  No bulky plastic or metal pieces that won’t conform to the space you’re trying to shove it into.

 

Flap-over design.  This is a large piece of leather that extends from the back, over the top, and down the front.  It makes for a great shield when the skies open up on you.

 

Quick release straps.  This is a must have.  There’s nothing worse than being in the security line at the airport and fearing a riot as you take 5 minutes to get your laptop out and stow your cell phone and keys.

 

Padded laptop compartment.  If you’ve ever had a computer die on you as you’re trying to fire up PowerPoint, you know how important is to protect your laptop.

 

File compartment.  This one’s a no-brainer.  The key is to use this space well.  Always keep a spare notepad in here along with a portfolio (more on that later).

 

Zippered pocket.  You’re going to have all kinds of small loose stuff that you don’t want to spill out of your briefcase.  Coins, mints, gum, flash drives – the list goes on and on.  A good metal zipper is a must for durability – avoid the plastic ones at all cost.

 

Pen and pencil loops.  Four writing utensils is the minimum.  If you carry any less, they will somehow disappear and you’ll be up the creek.  Keep those loops fully loaded.  And throw an emergency pen in the zippered pocket.

 

Specialty pockets.  A back pocket so you can quickly get to your tickets, itinerary, magazine, book, etc.  A cell phone/PDA pocket.  An MP3 player pocket.  A couple of medium-size all-purpose pockets for wires, chargers, batteries, headphones, and other miscellaneous bulky items. A business card pocket.  Keep this last one loaded with about 10 cards and only use it when you’re in a jam.

 

Keychain tether and snap.  Your keys need to go somewhere where you’ll always know they’ll be and not get lost among all the other stuff floating around.  No more panic attacks.

 

Well-padded carry strap.  If you’re making the leap from a roll-along bag, this will be important.  How well the carry strap is padded will determine how long you can handle hoofing it down the hallway with your briefcase on your shoulder.  If it’s well-padded, you’ll manage just fine.

2.  Portfolio.

There’s lots of names for this out there (folio, padfolio, conference folder, notepad holder) and sometimes more than

one meaning (Is it zippered?  Does it have a snap?  Is it actually a briefcase?  Does it hold art?).  When we say “portfolio” we mean a leather folder that holds a notepad and has a few other features.  Always keep this in the file compartment of your briefcase and be sure to use these features:

Notes pocket.  As you take notes or receive handouts, you need a place to put these until you can later get organized(trash or file).

Business card pocket.  Here’s another place to put about 10 cards.  Are you starting to pick up on our redundancy theme?  Gotta have back-up systems.

Spare pocket.  Need a place to put the business cards you’ve been given?  Or to stow the tiny pieces of paper the hotel makes you write on?  This is a good spot for that.

Pen or pencil loop.  This is not your main storage.  Use your briefcase for this.  But if you have a favorite pen for meetings, this is a good place for it. 

3.  Travel Wallet.

This is another term that has loose interpretations and you can find these in all shapes and sizes.  To us it means a wallet built especially for business travel.  When you’re out to dinner with folks you’re trying to impress, you don’t want to pull out something ugly and overstuffed, and you don’t want to be caught fumbling with credit cards, cash, or receipts.  Look for a travel wallet with these features:

Deep billfold pocket.  I know, I know, you don’t want a deep pocket because then it means a bigger wallet.  But do you really like sitting on that slim tri-fold that’s shaped more like a brick now and is giving you sciatica?  Time to let go and trade up.  You need the deep pockets to hold your receipts – especially that huge one the hotel gives you.  And if you travel internationally, then you need to fit odd-size currency in there, too.

Several well-spaced card slots.  The smaller wallets will only give you 6-8 card slots that are packed right on top of each other, which forces you to overstuff.  This is torture when you’re trying to quickly fish out a credit card, ID, frequent flier card, etc.  You need at least 10 slots with ½” spacing so you can easily grab the cards you need.

Hidden pockets.  Emergency money, spare keys, blank checks, social security numbers, passwords – these are all things that we don’t want visible when we open our wallets. 

4.  Business Card Holder.

Have you seen those guys that come into a meeting and dig around in their shirt pocket or wallet for cards to give out?  Not cool.  An easy way to amp up your image in a business meeting is to make a little bit of a show with a nice business card holder.  This is a habit you need to develop if you’ve never carried one before.  Once you do, you’ll never go back.  A good leather business card holder is straightforward:

Soft sided.  You can get metal ones that are covered in leather (or other decorations) if you’re worried about bending your cards, but they’re boxy and uncomfortable, and often have sharp corners.  They don’t open too easy either.  My experience has been that the card bending thing is a non-issue and comfort is more important.

Curved corners.  You don’t want to get hung up in the process of pulling your cards out of your pocket.  You’re making a first impression so this needs to be a smooth action.

Good capacity.  About 10 cards per pocket (20 total) is enough to get you through most business meetings.  If you have more people in your meeting or more than one meeting, then go to your back-ups in your portfolio and your briefcase.

 

There you go.  Briefcase, portfolio, travel wallet, business card holder.  These 4 items used together are the keys to living the business travel dream instead of the nightmare.  Given the right features they will do an amazing job of supporting you.  Why not include other items in the system like a passport holder or a cell phone case?  Those are handy items that we may make available in the future, but they’re peripheral items that are just not as critical to supporting your main face-to-face interactions.  Using the 4 pieces we’ve chosen will keep you out of trouble, stop you from pulling your hair out, and make a great impression on those most important to you. 

Getting Started

Ready to have your business travel gear prop you up instead of let you down?  Then click through here to Our Products page and order one of our beautiful, handcrafted leather pieces, made right here in the USA.  These are incredibly well-constructed and carry a lifetime guarantee.  If for any reason you’re not happy with the product after you receive it, then send it back to us with shipping at our expense.  We’ll be happy to credit you back the purchase price and the cost of delivery.  I promise you, this is a no-risk deal.

Not sure if you’re ready?  Want to check out our leather first?  No problem.  Shoot us an email from our Contact Us page and we’ll send you a free keyring made with the leather of your choice.  Be sure to let us know the color and leather type.  Don’t forget to tell us your address, too.

Think that there might be a better solution out there?  Well, you’re right in thinking that we have competitors that make similar leather goods, but I guarantee you they don’t think about helping the business traveler the way we do.  Still, I understand about being a cautious shopper.  Before you look elsewhere, though, check out our How We Compare page.  You may find a few surprises there that will help you in your decision.  Also, take a peek at our Testimonials page and see what folks are saying about us.

Wishing you good travels and much success,

Shaun Mangan                                                       "TW"

 

 P.S.  You can also see what we're up to on our blog and on Facebook:

C'mon Coffee...Do Your Magic

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Photography by Marc Adamus. www.marcadamus.com

 

Made in USA