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So this is me.
This is Kickstarter.
Kickstarter is an amazing place that helps artists receive funding for their projects.
This is me on Kickstarter.
We’ve got so many growing pains that it’s hard to keep afloat so I’ve turned to Kickstarter to seek funding for Metropolis. If we want to make it work we’ve got to get some capital going and not just go craft show to craft show.
Can you help us become a really real company?
Back when I was reading The Success Principles
Anyhow one of the goals was 15% coverage of the United States, which means I would have my products in 8 states. It wasn’t overly ambitious, but I thought it would be a good goal to have for the 2nd year in business.
So lately I’ve been having some branding crisis, wondering if I’ve carved out too much of a niche, wondering if I’m losing potential money by not portraying a more, ahem, “upscale” brand instead of the “quirky” style. So I’ve been going back and forth on it. Im sticking with what I’ve got and promised myself I would revisit this in a year, giving me enough time to see where the market has taken Metropolis and if there needs to be a change (or an addition).
I was updating my shops page when I noticed “hey, there’s a bunch (sort of) of states on this page…how many states are we in?” Nine. NINE! Which means I passed my goal of 15% coverage and I’ve still got 4 months to go! Woooooooohooooooooooo!
I also remembered this post and I can now cross “6 new wholesale accounts” and “$1500 at a craft show” off of that list! I don’t know what I meant by “cut my debt in half”, Metropolis bottom line or my actual debt? Not sure…but its not important now.
So how do I feel? Great, of course…reinforced, remotivated, re…passioned? It’s all baby steps, but I’m thankful for each step taken.
Note: I have not yet done a trade show, it’s still very daunting to me though I desperately want to do one. Im hoping to do at least one in 2011…we’ll see.
Anyhow here’s a good link about booth design for trade shows
http://theentreprenettegazette.com/2010/07/14/make-your-booth-stand-out-at-a-trade-show/
I picked this book up as a recommendation from a colleague and..welll……meh.
If you’ve been reading along with me then you’ll know why I didn’t like this book: it’s nothing new. Jeffrey Gitomer talks about how he is a magical shaman of sales (my words, not his) and he will tell you how he does it, and PS he’s not going to sugarcoat his language for you so suck it up. Okay fine. I have learned that sales is a conversational thing, not a by-the-book technique, but dare I say I was…underwhelmed…at his off-the-cuff language.
Look, it’s a great book if it’s your first book on selling. But if you’ve been doing sales for awhile, or you’ve read any other book on selling then this is nothing new.
It does come with a nice bookmark attached to the book, though. Which is nice
Time to read: 2-3 subway rides
Would I? Meh….
Firstly “bureaucracy” is hard to spell, which is damning enough.
I have mostly kept out of government-y things…I did what I was supposed to do: registered my business, got my insurance, pay my taxes…all of the normal business stuff. I figured if I kept toeing the line, they would leave me alone.
“They” would be the government. Look, I’m not a radical anarchist…I fancied myself one in college but really I’m too lazy…ANYHOW…I’ve kept my head down and just kept chugging along. There was a very real threat I could be shut down with a bill called the Safe Cosmetics Act. Atleast I think that’s what it was called…long story short it got cut, which I am incredibly thankful for. That bill would’ve had crippling consequences on small beauty companies like mine; it was about creating fees of outrageous amounts (hundreds of thousands) and heavily favored large conglomerate companies, though they would have suffered along with me…they still would’ve been in business at least.
And now there is a new bill, and it has passed. The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 does…well actually I don’t really know what it’s going to do, I hear conflicting things and my brain shuts off when I start to read it.
The gist of things I’m getting is that there will be required testing for products (cool) and user fees (not cool). Many are stating that this bill will shut down small companies, but I also heard that those making less than $1 million would be exempt…so who the hell knows.
My opinion is this: I am all for consumer safety, I am thankful that the government said “no” to lead in products and enforced it. I am NOT glad that I have to jump through hoops held by an unknown person for an unknown reason. “Safety” is such a blanket word that it’s meaning has become so jumbled. Do I create a safe product? Of course I do…if I didn’t I would have lawsuits and liability claims that would bankrupt me. Do I need to prove that to someone who has a hard-on for justice because it’s election season? No and fuck you for asking.
My problem with this whole thing is that there is no concerned group of voters pushing for this. This bill was created by either A) someone who has an agenda B) someone who wants to push out the competition C) someone who has a controlling interest in these “user fees.” D) all of the above.
Will it shut us all down? I doubt it but we’ll see. If we DID get shut down I would love to see an underground handmade soap movement, wouldn’t that be fun?
Stay tuned.
Further Reading:
Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010
Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild weighs in on the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010
Hi…sorry.
I’ve been in one of my “I have no clue what to write” slumps. There have been some ups, some downs…but in my opinion it’s been fairly stagnant. But then again, I’m living it day to day. Here’s a recap:
- I was invited to apply for a spot at the intense Bryant Park holiday shops this season. I did some big number crunching and business-soul searching to see if I was ready to take that on. I very much wanted to do it, I think it would have been a big step for me…but the price tag and the amount of product/materials/SPACE I would need just isn’t feasible for me right now. I emailed them and told the organizer the truth, and asked to be kept on the mailing list for next year (who knows?), and they were very sympathetic to my plight. We shall see next year what happens.
- My sales rep has landed two accounts (I think) that will be ordering in the fall. Yay!
- I have been working on my greatest fear: cold-calling stores. It’s been rough, there hasn’t been a sale yet but I’m getting more used to it. Not comfortable with it, but used to it, if that makes sense.
- I have a big festival in Baltimore next week that I’m keeping my fingers crossed about, you cross your fingers, too!
- On Monday I will start taking business courses offered by the state of New York called FastTrac. There are two levels: one for beginners, and one for those who have been in business for awhile. I decided to take the beginner course because I don’t have a business plan (I know, I know), and I might learn something that I didn’t know I didn’t know….you know? 
I have to read 80 pages before class on Monday. Ugh it’s like college again! At least this time it’s free and there’s only 5 classes.
- Might be getting a spiffy media feature soon, I’ll keep you posted.
I was talking with a colleague about my life, how we’re still in the red, I don’t feel like I’m making any progress, etc. He stopped me and said “I think you’re making amazing progress!” He reminded me that within a year and a half, I have opened a company, moved to NYC, pushed the company enough to where I could leave my day job and pursue Metropolis full-time. And it’s funny…if someone else had done all of this I would have been astounded. But since it’s me living the ride it doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Progress is in the eye of the beholder! That’s not to say that, upon hearing his argument, I didn’t realize that I have done some mighty things…but I guess they seem just part of the day to day life to me. Funny how that works.
Hello!
Im sorry, I am a terrible blogger…I’ve known that for a long time and you’ve probably realized it, too. I do apologize for the disappearance.
I have a two day show in Philadelphia this weekend that I am preparing for but once I get back on Monday I do swear unto you, dear readers, a full and complete update of the past month.
Also working on two book reviews, woot!
I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of “Delivering Happiness” and was glad I was able to receive such a great, open look into Zappos. It’s part auto-biography, part Zappos culture but Tony keeps the pace moving pretty well through the book. “Delivering Happiness” is about Zappos CEO founder Tony Hsiehs (“shay”) life as a serial entrepreneur and how he helped Zappos become a culture-based, and consequently, successful company.
What’s really cool is that Tony offers complete transparency into Zappos and into his entrepreneur mindset. He lays out his take on business strategies and likens them to successful poker strategies (so it’s also a good book if you’re learning poker!). Tony offers not only tips on how Zappos culture can work in your business, he also offers free (i think theyre free, it wasn’t mentioned) copies of the actual Zappos Culture book if you just email him (ceo@zappos.com)!
I really enjoyed this book as a motivational tool and also as a way to learn where the focus should be when Metropolis gets bigger. It’s a useful book for both now and the future. You can also check out more details at deliveringhappinessbook.com
Bottom Line:
Would I? Yes, definitely recommend
Time to read: 2-3 subway rides