First First Thursday

Last week, the Hoquiam Business Association started a new event we're calling "First Thursdays!" Similar to the First Thursdays (or Fridays or Saturdays) in many other cities, businesses stayed open late and hosted local talent and served up some great deals.

After all of the hard work, it was so great to see this event come together. My shop was packed and everyone seemed to be having a good time... I'm guessing the wine helped.

Oh, and we had a photobooth.

Make Something

Truth: I've watched/listened to this video three times tonight.

I find this talk by Adam Savage at the Maker Fair to be so very inspirational - and I don't even know what he's talking about half the time. I mean, all of the techy/sci-fi references. I do not make these types of things. (I think the best thing I made as a kid was a replica of Garth's car from Wayne's World out of a cardboard box, complete with a rooftop licorice dispenser.)

However, it seems like anybody who makes anything can have a very similar experience, whether it's hats, space ships, quilts or businesses... yes, I've always thought of myself as a "business artist" and this talk confirms my feelings about this.

Every. Single. Thing. Adam talks about here is so relatable to me right now with regards to my business. For instance, I feel like the fact that I own a business and it is what it is has almost come from somewhere beyond myself. It was just something that I had to do. I don't really remember making a conscious decision to own a business, I've known from a very young age that this is what I was meant to do and I never really questioned it.

For instance, when I was in second grade I started planning events at my house where I would invite my friends over to have a snack and work on a craft project together. Apparently the Girl Scouts weren't cutting it for me. Anyway, now I do that for real and get paid for it. Boom.

I also love that he talks about creating things based on a desire. The reason I'm drawn to entreprenuership is because it gives me the opportunity to create the things I wish existed. My desires keep me going when things get tough. I've never been one to sit around and wait for somebody to do something about [instert whining here]. If something isn't meeting my expectations, I start seeking out a way to fix the problem. Some of these things I desire may never even happen, but at least I'll know I spent my time working toward something instead of wasting time complaining.

And I'm so happy he brought up the point about knowing that 70% of the way through a project he starts to become unsure of the whole thing but that through awareness of this fact about himself, he can power through. I go through the exact same thing with nearly everything in life, but especially when I'm working on huge projects. I always hit a point where I'm like "WTF am I doing?" and I want to just walk away from it and get a "normal" job. Then I have a moment where I remember that I've felt exactly this way before and that I should stick it out for at least another week and see how I feel then. Turns out, I usually get my mojo back.

This is especially inspirational to me right now because I was starting to forget how or why I ended up where I am. Luckily, despite all of the stress of my business, I had a really great and refreshing week and this talk really capped it off. I'm hoping that my desire to make things in my community will inspire others to do the same.

So...

I saw Pickwick play at The Wonder Ballroom in Portland last night - amazing, as always.

 

They played with Radiation City and Pearly Gates Music. They were totally great, despite some seemingly off balance sound issues in the venue.



Ummm turns out the dude in Pearly Gates Music is Zach Tillman, brother of J. Tillman (aka former Fleet Foxes drummer [aka Father John Misty]).

You Guys...

... we have an awesome new blogger at Go Go Grays Harbor and if this post doesn't make you want to leave the city and move to the middle of nowhere, I don't know what will.

Living In Secret

Adventures in Grays Harbor

The weather in our nook of the Pacific Northwest has been amazing lately! After three weeks without a real day off, I finally had myself a couple of days off to enjoy the sun and finally bust out the old camera.

After sleeping in until 11:30 am (*gasp*) I actually had the energy to get in a short run and some yoga before starting my day. I've decided that I desperately need a more regular exercise routine, not just for the physical aspect but for the mental benefits. (Note: add more yoga to my life)

A friend from high school/my old college roommate was in town for the weekend so we decided to grab our cameras and go exploring. Every time I do something fun in this town, I can't help but think about how ridiculous it is that I'd never done it before! What in the world was I doing the first 18 years of my life? Oh, right... eating cheesy fries at Denny's and filming every minute of our sleep overs wherein we hosted fake beauty pageants and remakes of the movie Scream.

Anyway...

Hoquiam is pretty cool. 

We parked at the Farmer's Market and walked along the river, taking pictures of the old pilings and talking to people who were stuck in their car waiting for the bridge to go up. Once it came back down we crossed the bridge and wandered the other side of the river and then back over the big bridge.

Later in the evening, once our other friends were finally off work, we went out to Westport for dinner at Bennett's Fish Shack (my favorite) and a climb up the viewing tower for sunset. It was pretty glorious.

And the fun didn't stop on Friday! I find the best way to get away from work is to literally get away from it, so I went up to Lake Quinalt with a friend to take in the awesome view of the mountains and the water. The Lodge isn't so bad either.

Dieter Rams On Good Design

Just reading this article from Fast Company...

Consumerism vs. Creativity

Is consumerism killing creativity?

When I saw a friend post this article on Facebook, I had to immediately read it. Why? Because I have felt for years that consumerism and creativity are at odds with one another.

A major part of why I moved back to my hometown after nearly 10 years of living in bigger cities was because I wanted to be somewhere that had potential. A place that didn't already have everything figured out. In the city, I could get anything I wanted in a reasonable amount of time and whenever I felt bored I would just go to the mall for some retail therapy.* I truly think that this ease of life just made me lazy and greedy.**

Now, I live in a town of 20,000 people (ish) and the only mall is practically empty. We have Walmart, which I do not dare enter for many, many, many reasons. As far as retail therapists go in this town, there are few. And I love it.

I love that going shopping isn't even an option here. I love that the nearest Target is 45 minutes away. I also don't even care. I've realized that I can get by with very few things and that it is much more satisfying to mend a torn piece of clothing than to go out and buy a new one. However, I do still get the thrill of the hunt from my frequent thrifting adventures - though I have even tried to limit my purchases there to things I absolutely cannot live without.

In the mean time, while I haven't been shopping, I have been making so many things and creating so many new projects I can barely keep my head on straight (but seriously, I may need to cut back on the creative projects - it's all about balance, right?).

*I'm not a fan of this phrase.


**sorry for my rant on consumerism. I'm pretty sure I was a buddhist monk in some past life.

New Shoes

I had a pretty lucky weekend. At least, with regards to thrift store shopping. On Friday, I picked up some practically brand new white keds from the local Salvation Army for three bucks and I quickly realized that these shoes were literally a blank canvas begging for some sweet designy type stuff. So, I stole this herringbone pattern and spent a few hours drawing it on the shoes with a Sharpie. 

Halfway through...

I'm also becoming quite attached to my store's tagline of "make something" and I think I should probably work it into everything I make from now on.

PS -  I spent nearly the entire time while I was drawing these lines listening to 60's folk music after I discovered the music of Father John Misty. Listen to my favorites over here.

Apple Quilt

Last week, I finished this Apple quilt for Caitlin in Austin, Texas. Of course, it is made from t-shirts (since that is my specialty) and I was so excited when I got her box of shirts. They were so colorful and all of them had very small designs or words printed on the front. I knew that the average t-shirt quilt would not do for these t-shirts, so I created this:

This has to be one of my all time favorite t-shirt quilts! Shoot, I even cut out that tiny apple to sew on the monitor. I'm quite proud of myself.

It's May Already?!

Oh, blogger. You tempt me.

I was going to come here today to write "I'M BACK!" but let's get real... remember, I'm the girl who set a goal to write every day this year and after exactly 31 days I took 2 months off... for shame.

I would love to write here every day, but I know that isn't an achievable goal for me right now. However, I do think an achievable goal is to write here when I feel I have something to share. And I believe in achievable goals. (I also believe in ridiculously unlikely goals, but that's beyond my point)

So, I'M BACK! I never really left.

Since January I have opened a new retail store in downtown Hoquiam, Washington. Joined a number of committees (currently trying to implement an art walk in Hoquiam - easier said than done). I became a member of the Paleo diet movement and failed because I really love ice cream (going to get back on that wagon soon). I started playing synth and singing with a local band. I'm debating selling my car and becoming a full-time bike rider/walker. Consequently, I'm trying to find a way to make the perfect bicycle cape... or I might just buy this one.

I've been trying to grow our blog project, Go Go Grays Harbor, with a fellow local bloggers. I'm trying to find time to start a number of creative side projects. My business Queen B Quilts is incredibly busy. And I really need a day off!

So, I'll be back to talk about some of these things along with all of the random things I'm making and thinking about these days.

Time flies when you're having fun

So, I guess I broke my resolution to blog every day... In the last 7 days I've driven to and from Seattle twice, started 3 or 4 new quilt orders, painted my new store and now I'm in Long Beach, WA for a short mini vacation with my mom (what I'm actually calling a corporate retreat).

So I guess that's my long excuse.

It seems I've been very distracted this week.

Photo Friday: SNOMG

This week has been full of snow. 15 inches!!

Things You Forgot Are Awesome

Snow Days

Like, legit snow days where you're actually stuck at home. Not adult snow days where you still have to go to work.

Dairy Queen Blizzards

Granted, eating these doesn't make me feel good afterward but they are so delicious.

Stretch Pants

I don't care that people are always saying "leggings are not pants"... they are comfy. At least I'm not wearing flowery ones like I did when I was 10.

Living Room Dance Parties

What else am I supposed to do on snow days??

SOPA SOPA SOPA

Unproven Money Tip #1

Today, I wrote a post for the blog Go Go Grays Harbor about the economics of buying local. Living in a small town has made it more difficult to buy local, strangely enough, but I seem to make it work. I've also been developing some not so common financial rules to live by in my head. Might as well start writing them down.

1. Stop using coupons.

Have you seen that crazy show about coupon hoarders? I can't stand it. They might be getting awesome deals, but who in the world needs 200 bottles of gatorade?! Even if it cost you only $5 for those... that's $5 you could have just kept in your bank account because you have no real need for gatorade. There, I've said it.

I realize that I am somewhat unique in this world of mass-consumption because I favor simplicity and minimalism, but I'm just saying it might be something that more people could embrace which might lead to more savings and more intentional spending.

So, my theory is that you should never buy something with a coupon. Not that you shouldn't buy things that are on sale, but you shouldn't buy them BECAUSE they are on sale. Do you eat bananas every day? Yes? Oh and they're on sale this week? Great! Do you eat Hostess Cupcakes everyday? No? They're on sale this week? Step away from the packaged sugar bomb.

I think that if you're willing to pay full-price for something, it's probably something you actually really really want and/or need.

People around my town always complain that there's nowhere to shop local, but I think that what they actually mean is that they can't find massive amounts of things they don't really need or want but are on sale.

I used to always shop in the sale section of clothing stores and I'd come home with a ton of clothes, many of which either fell apart after being washed. Or I realized I didn't even like it in the first place but can't return it because it was on sale... oi. It makes me cringe to think about the money lost in those moments. With all that money back, I could probably buy myself a new floppy hat and a boat and live the rest of my life on some beach in Mexico.

So, tip #1: No coupons. If you don't want to pay full price, don't buy it.

Music Monday: Doe Bay Sessions

Is it crazy that even on beautiful snowy days I can't help but think of how much I wish I was at Doe Bay?

Photo Friday: Photo Bombs and T-Shirt Quilts

I can't believe it's Friday already! What the heck did I do this week? Who knows.

Tonight I'm heading out to the Quinalt Beach Casino to check out the Grays Harbor Idol competition. I can't wait to see what these people got! Then I'm hoping for no snow this weekend so I can make it up to Seattle for the Gift Show. *Fingers Crossed*

I went to a lovely wedding last weekend and got to see some great friends, though they are total hams for the camera. It was hard to get a photo without them posing.


Photo Bomb - Do you see it?


And I was super excited this week to see one of my t-shirt quilts on Geek Crafts! This one is pretty cool, since it's made of all beer t-shirts.

Spam, You Complete Me...

I recently went through my email and actually unsubscribed from a number of junk email lists that I've somehow become a part of over the years.

Here's the funny thing. Emails make me feel important and I worried that I wouldn't get any emails anymore after I unsubscribed! It's ridiculous, I know, but I finally did it.

Due to the fact that I'm also a little OCD and MUST keep my unread emails at a constant level of zero, unsubscribing actually gave me so much extra time! I no longer get distracted by unwanted emails and it turns out I still get real emails too.

Boo-ya email. I win.

Adventures in Retail: Getting Organized

The work on the new business continues!

Turns out opening a business is a daunting task and because of my impatient nature, I always try to do everything at once. So, I'm constantly making short movements toward designing the interiors, buying products, setting up a POS system, networking, getting all of the licensing taken care of... and trying to get some sleep!

I'm sure my stress level will decrease once the space build out is complete, but until then I feel like I'm on pause. It can be difficult to imagine how all of the products will fit in the store without being able to work with the items in the space.

What have I done to get organized? I started an excel spreadsheet and listed EVERY item I'm looking at buying and included the minimum order number and associated prices. Seeing this all layed out where I can easily manipulate numbers has been incredibly helpful.

I also grabbed a Word doc and started dropping in pictures of the things I'm looking to buy. I'm a very visual person and this helps me to visualize the store and how much space each of these items might take up or if they all make sense together.

We are also trying to figure out a way to purchase enough but not too much. We don't want to overdue it and spend all of our money right at the gate.

We are still on track for a March opening! I will keep you up to date as things move along.

Going Paleo

Today, I officially started the Paleo Diet. I've been experiencing a variety of weird symptoms lately. It might just be heartburn, but I've also been wondering if maybe I have a food intolerance. So, as much as I love Macaroni and cheese, beer and ice cream, I'm officially going Paleo.

Fun./We Are Young

I'm a little bit obsessed with this song.

Photo Friday

I'd like to share some photos from the week each Friday. This was a pretty short week since Ive been in Oregon for a wedding. Nevertheless, here they are!

Oregon!

Kind of a crazy day, but I'm sticking to my commitment! Even if it means blogging from my phone at 11:20 pm at a bachelorette party somewhere outside of Corvallis, Oregon.

I guess that's all I have to say. See you tomorrow!

Aaaack

I'd like to keep you updated on the process of opening a new store, and at this point my feelings and thought process look something like this:









From the top: my modern met, Pinterest, uranophane, etsy, trendy traveler, reason to breathe

Thoughts on Social Media Marketing

I recently downloaded two new apps on my iPhone and they have quickly become addictions: Instagram and Words with Friends.

While browsing through my twitter feed, I saw someone mention that thanks to instagram, twitter and a few other networking sites - they were done with Facebook.

Individuals and businesses often start using social media outlets without realizing it's differentiating factors, or what separates each of these sites. Understanding the potential for each site can be quite helpful in deciding where to spend your time.

Facebook
This is by far the biggest and most popular social networking site. Everyone, including probably your grandmother, has a profile on here. It's incredibly easy to join, easy to navigate and incredibly addicting. I find that it's difficult to remember what life was like before I joined 7 years ago. However, over time they have made so many changes that it has made it drastically more difficult for businesses to gain new fans. Ads are expensive and, in my experience, have very little return. Many people who are your fans may never even see your posts, because they don't interact enough with your page for facebook to put your updates on their newsfeed. Facebook pages are most useful when you can get your fans talking about your company and sharing links. So as far as Facebook goes, you've got to make it interesting or your updates will go under the radar.

Twitter
This is my personal favorite. Twitter is an ongoing conversation between you and your followers. In the "twitterverse" it is the norm to "follow" people you don't actually know, but people whom you might like to know. It is most effective to have a personal twitter account where you update your followers on everything from a new product line to your thoughts on the tv show you're currently watching. People on twitter like to share and the more you share, the more people will start to notice you and respond to what you're saying. On twitter, frequency is key.

Foursquare
The world of Foursquare is a strange one. Checking into various locations in order to gain points. Points which don't actually get you anything, I might add. The strangest part is that it's kind of addicting. I love trying to beat more of my friends each week and it can be really useful if you have a business with a physical location. You can offer discounts or prizes for checking in, which will hopefully spread the word that you exist. The bad news? I think there are some feelings of dissaproval on twitter and facebook for those who constantly check in on Foursquare. Also, it's pretty easy to forget to check in and therefore forget about Foursquare altogether.

Pinterest
Ok. Not only is this site fun and addicting, but it can be very useful. You can create a network of followers and then link to the items you sell so that people can share and reshare and share some more. This is great for businesses who sell lovely looking products because it's very visual.

Instagram
This is another great site for those visual people, like myself. On twitter, I hate clicking on links to see photos. It takes too long to download and throws me off my social networking game. Instagram is so perfect because it is just like twitter, except you upload a photo. Not only that, but people can comment on the photos right there and the comments stick with your photo - rather than just being out there floating in space like they do on twitter. Instagram is also fun because of all the ways you can make your photos look more interesting.

Words with Friends
Dare I say this is a social networking device? I think this game is so successful because you get to stretch your brain by playing a game, that is basically Scrabble, and you can chat with your friends while you play. Almost like real life...

Finally, I'd like to mention that it's a good idea to connect all of your social media outlets together. Makes life a lot easier. And there are many many other sites out there which I haven't mentioned and you might find very useful. The important thing with each of them is to know their purpose and how they can be a help (or a hindrance) to you and your business.

2012: Bring It On!

I'm here to announce that 2012 is the year I get my s*&% together. I've made some big changes as of late (the chaos of which has caused me to neglect this blog) and now that I'm at the ripe old age of 27 (for the record I first entered 28... I don't even know my own age) I feel as though I can actually commit to committing to real live commitments.

First of all, after my travels around the country and seeing all that this lovely nation has to offer, I decided to move back to my hometown of Aberdeen, Washington. What sane, single, 20-something would do such a thing? Actually, not sure if I'm totally sane. Anyway, after living in Seattle and Portland, I realized that having a tight community is very important to me and I actually found it back in my hometown.

Which brings me to my projects for the new year:

A few friends and I have launched a blog called Go Go Grays Harbor! We got a little bit tired of hearing people complain about the area and say that there isn't anything to do so we're bound and determined to prove them wrong. We are still forming and will soon be posting daily about interesting local people, restaurants, activities and sharing some of our random thoughts and interests with people near and far. We also threw an awesome Ugly Sweater Roller Skating party just before Christmas. Since I love event planning and promotions, I'm quite excited by all of the opportunities that may stem from this project.



The bigger project coming up is my new business, a retail shop in Hoquiam, Washington. I will release more details as we move along, but I am so very excited to finally have the opportunity to create a real live space where people can visit and find awesomely awesome things to make them happy! Oh, I really can't wait! Plus, part of the space will be dedicated space to Queen B Quilts, so now people can come by any time to get started on their t-shirt quilt.

With so much happening in my life, I decided that I might as well throw daily blogging on the pile. I hope to give you all some insight into small town life as well as the process of opening a new business. I plan to share as much as possible with you to hopefully help and inspire you to take on the big projects in your life.

Resolution Time

New Year's Eve is fast approaching and, of course, I'm starting to think about resolutions. I actually haven't made resolutions, at least real ones, before. I think one year my resolution was to be more boring (read: stop doing so much) and by the end of the year I found myself bored. At least I succeeded, right?

This year I'm thinking of committing to daily blogging... however, I find this very scary. It seems like a daunting task. What if I run out of things to say?! On the other hand, looking at blogging as a commitment actually changes my perspective about it entirely. Committing to something actually means making a real plan to prevent failure, so I've already started making notes and thinking about my purpose in blogging and what message I want to send.

So, it looks like I have three days to make a final decision, but it's looking like a good option.

What are your New Year's resolutions?

Merry Christmas!

Retail Innovation

I've been thinking a lot about the type of retail operation I would like to have someday and my thoughts have been all over the place and confusing. Why? Because I've been thinking that I want to do something that is new and different than any other retail shop out there.

Well, it seems that someone beat me to it! This short video is super inspiring. I love seeing what new and innovative projects people are working on... even if I thought of it first.

Check out the story about this New York store starting a retail revolution.

All I Want For Christmas

It seems that this song has turned into some kind of meme. There are so many lip syncing videos to this it's ridiculous. However this is my favorite!

Nice Shirt, America

Holy moly! It's been so long since I wrote here!! I'm planning to give this blog a lot more attention... starting now.

I successfully completed my 6 week road trip around the country, on the search for America's best t-shirts! One thing is for sure... this project may never have an ending. I got a lot of great photos of people in their interesting shirts, but I want MORE.

You can read all about the trip over at Nice Shirt, America and check out all of my photos on flickr.

Stumptown Coffee

Social Media 102

Social Marketing 102: How to be Interesting without Getting Overwhelmed from I Heart Art: Portland on Vimeo.

I just spent this morning watching this video from a workshop called "Social Media 102: How to be interesting without getting overwhelmed" hosted by I Heart Art PDX and taught by Diane Gilelland of Crafty Pod.

The video is 2 hours long, so I hope you have some spare time, but it will probably be worth it for you if you are looking to take your business and your marketing to the next level. There are a couple of things I took away from this:

1. Do what works for you (and your customers). Don't do everything just because people say you are "supposed to." The thing about social media is that it is about you. It's a very personal thing and people will see right through you if you kind of hate using twitter, but do it anyway. Basically, no half-assing it (pardon the swear) because it will probably do you more harm than good.

2. Social Media Marketing works because you get involved in a community. It is a form of permission marketing. People have to choose to listen to you and once they have chosen you, you must keep them involved! Someone asked a question about getting readers to their blog but it came out that they don't typically comment on other blogs. This made me think of the Theory of Reciprocity. Basically, you are more likely to do something nice for someone who has done something nice for you and vice versa. If you want people to comment on your blog, tweet to you, retweet your tweets, become your friend on facebook (and in real life) you should probably do the same for them.

Over the past few months, I have personally found twitter to be my new best friend. I get the most feedback and the most blog views from twitter. Facebook fans tend to be more loyal, I think, but they also tend to be absent most of the time. Plus, Facebook seems to be making some changes that makes it even harder to reach new people (anybody notice that you can't suggest to friends anymore?). Twitter just seems more social to me... but that's my two cents. Do what works for you.

Finally, I'm so intrigued by this that I would really like to talk to be IRL (in real life) about this stuff! If you are in the Portland or Seattle area (or anywhere in between) and want to meet up for an hour to chat about business stuff and grab coffee, please let me know! You can send me an email at britta.folden[at]gmail.com. I would love to take what I learn from these conversations and share it here on my blog!

The Future of Work is Now

.



I like this idea of no lines between work and play. As opposed to the image of "well-rounded" as a pie divided into different slices or categories, we should probably be using a venn diagram.

As risky and as scary as it may sound to live a life where you seem to have so many things on your plate and without the security of a job with regular benefits and vacation time, it seems to me that this way of life actually has potential for building a more solid foundation and for making us all happier and better connected. In this way, we rely on each other. There are no boundaries! We should always be looking for ways to collaborate and help each other in the world. And think of the potential! If we continually move along to where we can contribute our best effort, the actual output and quality of our work over a lifetime will be much greater than if we spend our life finding ways to fill our time at a 40 hour a week job.

So, does this scare anyone? Living your life project to project is a risky thing! It probably should scare you. And maybe that isn't such a bad thing. Most likely, living on the edge of failure will actually propel you to work harder to succeed. What risks have you taken lately?

Weekend?

I kind of can't believe it's Monday. I got caught up making some new things for my shop and pretty much forgot to leave the house this weekend, for the most part.

Do you ever do this? It's funny to be home in front of a sewing machine on a Saturday night, but when I'm in the mood to make something I have to do it!

I'm about to hit the road now. See you soon Seattle!

Easy?

"Nobody said it was easy... but, no one ever said it would be this hard." - Coldplay

Sometimes, I get tired of hearing quotes about how simple life is when you find a way to do what you love for a living...

Really? Really?

I'm just saying, I think sometimes those statements can be misleading. If you want to be successful, you have to work hard. Is there any way around that? It might be more interesting if you can make a career at something you love, but it sure ain't easy.

Adding Value

How do you increase sales? Is it by getting your message in front of more people through advertising? Maybe. Is it by offering sales and discounts? Sometimes.

Those strategies can work, but they both have a few problems.

Advertising: If you can manage to find a good website or magazine to advertise in that reaches your target market, it will probably be very expensive. And how many people actually pay attention to advertising? We see tons of ads every day (even if you don't watch TV)... how many do you remember? How often do you see an ad and decide to click on it or remember it later?

Discounts: A discount offered for a short period can cause those potential customers who are busy sitting on the fence to finally make a purchase and maybe you end up getting some good business out of it. But what happens when the sale ends? My guess is that you've just sold to a sector of people who just want a deal and they'll probably wait until your next deal to come back again.

So, what else is there to do?

What about adding value? This strategy will grab people's attention, push those fence sitters off balance and possibly help your company's image overall. There are many ways you can add value.

Increase the quality of your product. Use your creativity and change something about your product so that it actually increases in value. For instance, I offered an upgrade to a wool backing on a quilt for one lucky customer once. I got an order right away. This can come in the form of a giveaway or a limited edition of your typical product. This also provides a great excuse to share something new on your blog or through a email newsletter.

Give your customer a good experience. If you offer a service, maybe you can find a way to keep them up to date on your progress. If you sell a product online, maybe you should think about your packaging. I once ordered a camera lens from Photojojo and in the package they included a tiny green toy dinosaur. It was so random but also it made me smile. Make sure your customers get that good feeling when they think of your company.

Support other small businesses. This month, over at Queen B Quilts, I'm offering my customers a free cupcake with every order. Not only will this hopefully (fingers crossed) increase sales, but it's just fun and it gives me the opportunity to support another small business simultaneously.


What strategies have you used that have shown results?

Forget Perfection

James Victore Live at AIGA SF from Hillman Curtis on Vimeo.

There is something I just love about James Victore's persona. He has a sense of clarity of thought to every word he says that I really admire. I also like that he takes risks and isn't afraid to poke fun at the idiosyncrasies of the creative process.

He touches on the idea of "perfection" as being, basically, a waste of time as well as being uninteresting.

This is one of my favorite topics and also one of my biggest personal pet peeves. As you might notice over there right above that picture of me is the quote from Chris Campbell: "the only way to train for a startup is by starting." And Victore says this in his lecture, perfection will keep you from starting new projects. I have also previously posted about an inspirational blog from Seth Godin about the fact that many of us entrepreneurs feel compelled to start our own businesses. Compelled.

For me personally, there really is no choice in the matter. I have to start things. I have to create. I love thinking about the future. I love facing challenging circumstances. I know that this is the path I have to take if I want to gain major fulfillment in my life.

Still, there is a desire for perfection. Or, maybe if you flip it around, it's actually a fear of failure and rejection. I love Victore's rebellious attitude about this, because I think that's what we all need sometimes. I dare you to spend a day thinking only radically positive thoughts about your work and taking some time to explore the weird ideas you might come up with throughout the day instead of pushing them aside, possibly forgetting about them completely.

Seems to me that starting a business is a mix of gut instinct, experimentation and commitment. When you have a good idea, go with it. Develop it. Push it to it's outer most limits. Get out of your comfort zone.

I love hearing people I admire, those who are out there achieving their goals, talk about how scary it is. About how they actually feel a little bit sick to their stomaches all of the time... and how that's when they know they're doing the right thing. It is such a great reminder in those times when you have some goal you really want but the risks seem high, that you must keep going.

And, again, forget about perfection. If you really want something, go for it. There will always be reasons to hold off until tomorrow, so just take a step in the right direction now. Yes, now.

We are All Designers Here

We are all designers. And design, as defined on Wikipedia (it's legit), is: a specification of an object, manifested by an agent, intended to accomplish goals, in a particular environment, using a set of primitive components, satisfying a set of requirements, subject to constraint.

So, if we think like designers when creating our businesses, maybe we should ask these questions:

What is your object?
What is your business all about? What are you selling?

How am I involved in the creation of this object?
You probably can't do it all alone. It is important to realize your strengths and focus on those. If you really just love knitting and would rather avoid marketing all together, you may want to find ways to outsource those tasks that cost you a lot of time and cause you dissatisfaction.

What goal is it accomplishing?
Are you going into business because you need to unload all of those stuffed animals you just made? That's great! Do you want to be completely self-employed within a year? Awesome. But you should define this right away so you know where your priorities lie.

How will it be created?
This might be considered the Research & Development stage. Find your suppliers. Perfect your craft and make sure you have the right systems in place to produce the amount of items you plan to sell, according to your goals (see previous question).

What makes it functional?
How will people find your business? This is a big, big question to answer and one that will come with a lot of trial and error. The most important thing is to make sure that there is a clear path to follow from first meeting to the sale and even the delivery and feedback. It is a continual loop and you need to be conscious of every step along the way.

What is it not?
This might be one of the most important questions to ask yourself. Design is all about creating order and function in the simplest way possible. Simplify your business. Find your focus and find a way to perfect that one thing so that your customers clearly understand what it is you are trying to do.

Pumped Up Kicks

I know this song is a little bit scary if you listen to the lyrics, but it's also a great motivator when you're feeling a little bit defeated in the business world.

Going to dance around to this now...

Duh.

Man oh man, I have been busy! But it's a good kind of busy... I'm trying to finish up a few HUGE quilt orders while simultaneously launching my new project Nice Shirt, America.


What started as just a way to add some purpose to a cross country road trip has turned into a million new business ideas as well as a few revelations.

A comment on a previous post from Diane got me thinking. Where do I find my customers? Who are my customers? People always ask me that and I've always just said "people so obsessed with something that they have a t-shirt collection to prove it." How vague.

Still, I spent all of my time posting my links to style blogs and trying to connect with other crafters. I did the occasional ad in a high school newspaper or posted flyers around town or on some college campus, but I have to admit: I have NEVER gotten any paying business out of these efforts.

Why? Well, I think I have a few challenges. First, I offer a service. People have to feel like they are in need of this service. This can be a challenge because it's hard to reach people who have never even considered making their t-shirts into a quilt. They don't even know such a thing exists. Most of my current customers are people who have thought of this idea already and are in search of someone to accomplish it for them.

Second, my product would be considered a "luxury" item. It's a big purchase. So, my customers must really love these t-shirts. I think the economy adds to this challenge, but I'm not too worried about that at this point.

Lastly, I've always been asking myself "How do you find people with t-shirts?"

I kind of had a "duh" moment with this... and only AFTER I had started my Nice Shirt, America blog. I started the blog because I am genuinely interested in t-shirts and I wanted to talk to people on the streets about it while traveling around the country. Sounds like the best vacation ever to me. After thinking about it for a while I realized: This is it! This is how to market to people who love t-shirts... write about t-shirts. My business has very little to do with quilts, turns out. I'm pretty sure that my customers don't go to craft fairs and they don't really care about recycling (not that they *don't* care, it's just not their main motivator). They love their t-shirts! So, here I am to showcase that.

Of course, this project is an experiment. As with most marketing endeavors, it's difficult to predict the likelihood that anything will actually increase sales, but I think it's worth a try. I'll keep you updated as time goes on.

But the challenge for you: take a hard look at your product and your customers and find out who they really are.

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Gotta Fight

via That's Wright