Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Inside a Designer's Brain

As I am working on filling out a design brief for my new ecommerce website, I am plagued with my designer brain once again. One simple question on the form elicits 99 questions in my head. Question 1 - What will the top navigation categories be named? Translation - what should the categories be named? How will people want to search for things? Is "collection" too generic? If I organize by collection, does it still make sense to have the glasses named people names from the 1930s? What designs will be in each collection? Uw uw, I just thought of a great new design! what if I put....   Oh right, back to the task; So how many collections do I have? How many do I want to have? When and how often will they be refreshed? And on and on it goes. I was up until 1 am last night trying to answer that one question. So as my first line of defense I hop on google and visit about 60 websites looking for navigation I like, what makes sense and how that could relate to my products or brand. Four hours later, a small overwhelming feeling creeps up and starts to make my eyebrows furrow in frustration... what the HECK!? Why can't I get anything done in a timely manner? I'm pretty sure I ask myself this at least once everyday. It feels like a plague of my personality that I was just not meant to deal with time, ever, at all. I'm sure everyone in my personal life would also agree :) All I wanted to do was complete this brief tonight and now my lopsided brain has made me all philosophical... Ewwwww I hate that feeling.

As I'm ready to hit the sac, I realize that although it may be frustrating to answer just that one question, I learned a very valuable business lesson. Well maybe two lessons. Lesson 1- Everything I am doing right now takes research because it is starting from scratch. And as a start-up, it is absolutely essential to do that research. You cannot plan or execute anything good in a bubble. So yes it may add time to your task completion deadline - but without it you won't be relevant.  Lesson 2- Ease up on yourself woman! It is not your personality flaw that it takes time to do research, just do it and get it over with and stop stressing about it. And that alone will make the task get done faster.

Friday, February 12, 2010

TGIF

Today I learned a little bit more about packaging. I've been working with 1 packaging company and recently a second, because I was so underwhelmed by the first company that I had to move on. I just want some fabulous packaging that will stand out from all the other  glassware packaging out there. Everyone has cylindrical cardboard tubes. I don't want to just slap a label on the same boxes everyone else has. No no no, I am way pickier than that. It has to look good on shelf, it has to be unique in the category, and it also has to double as a shipping box. I want something sturdy enough to ship in, pretty enough to display in, unique enough to stand out, and versatile enough to be able to fit several types of stemware.  So I'm thinking a challenging but not impossible task.

Well for some reason everyone is afraid to package glass. And not just glass but the forbidden word "stemware". Maybe that is why every single packaging supplier I have found doesn't have any pre-made packaging for stemware. Wine bottles - yes, perfume bottles - yes, crystal figurines, porcelain, light bulbs, vases, computer chips, test tubes and dentures - yes. But no stemware. For one thing, each stemware glass is a different size (in height and diameter) and it's lightweight so even if one were to come up with packaging there is still a custom insert that needs to be developed per the size requirements. I'm still thinking "But there is a ton of stemware out there, how is it possible there is no packaging to be foudn?" I guess when I really think about it, all the stemware providers are very large manufacturers who most likely do their own packaging, or its no big deal to have custom pieces made because they have the quantity to keep the price down. See the whole thing about packaging is the quantity you are willing to commit to. If you only want a small number - they leave you penniless. And not only do they rip you off with price per piece, but you will get really crappy service in the process because no one wants to find the end of the rainbow (for you and your packaging) if they will only find a teeny tiny pot of gold. The bottom line is that to be smart, you have to do some research up front. Find manufacturers who are willing to deal with small orders, get referrals, and don't forget to look at pre-made packaging which you can find at Michael's, AC Moore, U-Line or other shipping & packaging manufacturers before you go custom. Unfortunately for my product and sizes, nothing pre-made works for me. So onto the 2nd packaging company.  Lucky for me, the owner started as a small business and has a soft spot in his heart for ambitious and friendly entreprenuers like me. So I sent him a ton of package examples that I liked, and what was out in the market for stemware and we'll see where we end up! 

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Blizzard Thoughts

So just a quick background so you are up to speed with where I am starting - I recently moved from NYC to Philadelphia to be able to afford my own studio and the opportunity to start a business with my husband (not quite a viable option on 1 salary in NYC). So we packed up and U-Hauled it down to Philly.  The transition hasn't been easy or fun, but we are getting there. Slowly but surely. We've had dinner with a few friends, signed ourselves up for a wine class, got a puppy and our newest gig is to find our dream townhouse which, of course, must include a garage, roof deck, backyard and large kitchen that opens into the living room with a breakfast bar. I don't think we are asking for too much do you? :) 

So Scott goes to work, and with little research so do I. I found my dream studio in an old mill building with painter wash sinks, original wood beams, lots of bright sky lights and a community of artists all around me. It doesn't get any better than this. Turns out the other artists only work about once every two weeks, there is a lack of air conditioning and regular heating, there aren't any toilet paper holders, rarely any soap and a sink that sprays your entire top half when you turn it on.  But you know what?  I kind of like it that way. It gives the entire building even more character than the cracked glass, splintering wood and old school gas heaters already had. And most importantly - it looks like an artist studio. And that's the most important right? I am an artist and I certainly don't want to be holed up in a cubicle with gray carpeting stripping me of all my creative energy, even if there are toilet paper holders and AC. Plus this is a start up - I gotta rough it! So I set up my place and start painting away. I participated in the building's yearly open house and started trying (trying being the key word here) to formalize my business plans. My art? Hand painted glassware. My nemesis? Financial projections for business plans.

My first step - The Philadelphia Gift Show. This was a critical show for me - my first time ever exhibiting and getting retailer feedback about my products. I busted my butt to have tons of designs and a somewhat decent looking display. The idea is that you sell your products at wholesale and get large orders (or more than a retail customer would purchase). I got a few new accounts (1 Hallmark store and 2 other gift shops) and some great feedback about my main competitor Lolita. Turns out no one cared about how many designs I had, and my display wasn't that great, but you live and learn :) I'm sure you've seen Lolita products - they are everywhere. She, however, gets her glasses mass produced overseas. Mine are hand made by moi in the USA.  So take that. Just kidding. But seriously the biggest thing I learned was the re-emerging market for hand made goods, and the increasing loyalty for "Made in the USA" products. It was refreshing and invigorating to hear that customers didn't like dealing with large reps, that my quality was better, and that people wanted to support an emerging artist trying to make it.  I met some colorful people and decided that my initial route to overtake Lolita in the market wasn't the only option. Thank goodness because the chances of that were slim :) I needed some retail marketing gimmicks, upscale packaging and display ideas as well as a narrowed down selection of glasses that I can keep refreshing each season or at least every year.  Man I have a lot of work to do.

So I leave the gift show with several new and overwhelming questions: Is wholesale the way to go? Should I focus on retail only? What should my collections be if I narrow down my designs? What is the best way to display them, as a set of assorted glasses or a set of all the same? A lot of people paint glassware, mine is different and yes better quality, but people are buying the lesser quality and don't seem to care - so do I go even more upscale than I currently am? And what about packaging - I know that the package helps to sell the product and definitely adds value, but how much value and what kind of packaging? These are just a few of my main tasks that I need to figure out before I can move forward. Hopefully I will answer all of these questions throughout this quest :)

Today on Hudsonater (that's my dog) - she learned how to dance! Long hours of painting means lots of knots in my back, so I put a few fingers to the toes and try to loosen the muscles. Well today while jumping around Hudson decided to join in. I held up a treat and said "Dance Hudson Dance". Turns out she likes to jump and stretch too - sweet I'm not alone!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Thank Goodness for the Digital Age

So I finally gave in today to start my very own blog.  Since I was getting hand cramps and losing valuable time trying to scribe my way through a 500 page journal chronicling my business start up adventure, I decided it would be better, cheaper and faster to type rather than worry about how meticulously perfect my hand writing is on every page of my journal. Especially since I should be caring about content, not how pretty it looks. But there you go - a stark realization that I am an artist at heart - who really cares what your hand writing looks like when I'm the only one looking at it and it gets done faster when sloppy? And that is precisely the point. Here I am trying to "start" my own business and I am faced with not only the 24/7 obstacles of business start ups, but of my 24/7 personality. It is me, myself and I in this wonderful studio everyday (and night) and bouncing ideas off myself doesn't always lead to the best outcome; but usually the prettiest!  For whatever it's worth, I'll keep you updated on the trials, tribulations and triumphs of starting your own business.  Oh and by the way, my dog Hudson joins me everyday - so I'll keep you posted on her moods as well :)