Archives for "Thoughts"
Favorite posts of 2011
As we all look forward tonight and tomorrow, I hope you all plan for big things and reach your goals in 2012. I hope that, if anything, your new year surprises you.
Going through the posts from last year and reflecting, I ran across some favorites that I wanted to re-share. Some of them were important milestones for me, and some I wanted to share because there was a lesson to be learned (for me!) I hope you enjoy!
Dealing with rejection in business
August and everything after
July was bananas. It was Steves “Dirty Thirty” (i was the only one who called it that) so we went to Atlantic City for a few days to celebrate, and to finally have a vacation. Between our day job schedules, his writing, and my Metropolis we never really get much time to be together. So it was nice to catch up.
I also got my ass OUT. It was so terrifying…I actually WENT to a Whole Foods to talk to a buyer. I’m much more comfortable hiding behind email. Anyhow, I went there with a freakishly calm demeanor and, as we say, “gave them the business.” And that is how I landed my first Whole Foods account*
*Okay they haven’t ordered YET but when I followed up with a phone call (!!!!) I spoke to ANOTHER buyer who knew who I was and explained the reason for not ordering yet but assured me it would be very soon they placed the order.
Even if it never happens and the deal falls through, this has been a fantastic motivator to get Metropolis up and businessy. I’ve been getting my business things in gear and ready (insurance, bank accounts, and the like) and just forced myself to accept that if I want to play business, Im going to have to do business things.
Plus on top of all of this i launched the new line this past Monday. I’m very proud of how professional it has turned out. I will miss the pulp horror fun aspect but, again, if I want to play business I know I’ve got to be willing to change.
This month will involve some serious evaluations on my future plans for Metropolis. I very much want to move on from the street festival/craft show scene and into tradeshows but I know the cost of doing this is prohibitive…which is why the street fair scene becomes a necessary evil. I would love to get away from all of that come 2012 and I think this month will involve taking time to sit down and figure out my strategy.
and also making a crapload of soap.
Just ASK
Just a little note to say
Don’t be afraid to ASK.
I asked a magazine for their editorial calendar, and by reaching out I got a feature coming in October. (Don’t want to jinx it, I’ll post it when it’s up)
I asked Whole Foods buyers to take a chance on me. Most of them requested samples.
It’s hard to ask for what you want when you know it could really be a boon for your business. Let go and just ask for it.
Hello?
So, hey there.
I know, I’m really sorry I’ve been gone. And if you’ve all stopped checking the site, well, I don’t blame you. Maybe I can bring you back with my charm and repartee, or maybe you’ll just be bored at work one day. For the record, I don’t have any resolutions to start blogging regularly or things like that…posting so early in the new year is more of a culmination of “I’ll get around to it/I should get around to it/Is it still live?” thoughts.
I’ve been doing the things I’ve promised you I would: keeping Metropolis up and running, reading lots of business books (group reviews soon), and scraping by.
I got a job offer that I couldn’t refuse. There, I said it. I am no longer fully self-employed…it hurts a bit to say it, and those that I’ve told have given me the sympathetic look along with “hey we’ve all gotta do what we gotta do.” comments. But, to be honest, I’m not completely broken hearted like I thought I would be. It’s a job doing nerdy website things for companies whose products I will never afford, it’s very chill atmosphere, and I’ve been able to pay off credit cards (I didn’t know you could actually do that!) so that’s good. Metropolis keeps chugging along, and the good news is that I have noticed growth in the past months. I know that’s really not a fair estimate since, hell, everyone does better during the holidays, but people have bought things in January. JANUARY. That’s pretty cool…I was getting used to sitting around until April, but damnit, the people are dirty and demand soap!
We’re also moving soon to Bay Ridge (also in Brooklyn), which is very exciting for us. Living in Boro Park/Bensonhurst has been more problematic than advantageous and Bay Ridge offers a lot more to do. So while we’re not exactly “movin on up”, we’re “movin on laterally to the left” and that’s okay with me.
Book reviews soon. Stay tuned and welcome back.
Insanity
Because I am never satisfied I have decided to expand my empire…or start an empire…or just, you know, make myself a lot poorer (who thought it was possible!).
If you've been reading this awhile then you know that I've had a bit of an identity crisis with Metropolis. I love my company but I know that, as it is right now, it's unlikely to become a big mainstream company. It's most definitely a niche…some people will get it, some people won't.
So I've begun another side company to go along with this. I won't really feature that much here because….I don't know really. I'm just keeping it as a separate entity. It won't be at craft shows, art shows, street fairs, etc. The brand is fancy, possibly even schmancy, and I'm going at this in a traditional business strategy…well, other than finding massive amounts of funding. sigh.
I guess I should add that it sort of sounds like I'm hiding this because I'm ashamed or insecure about it and I just want to clarify that's not it at all. Handmade Brooklyn is about Metropolis and the stuggle to keep this little punk rock soap company (and myself) afloat. I know that Metropolis won't ever get into spas or resorts unless they've got a sense of humor. So rather than waiting for THAT to happen, I decided to bend a bit to their will. Also Metropolis feels a bit more personal to me than the other company…Im excited to have these two entities but my heart belongs to Metropolis.
And I'm rambling. Hopefully you caught my point.
ANYHOW. We are super-social-media-streamlined now. There's a Twitter and a Facebook page. I don't know what to do with the Facebook page, except announce updates to the blog. I guess it's mostly for vanity.
I would recommend you follow the twitter though. I'll be posting all of the good business articles I stumble across. Fun reading material, indeeed.
Me + You = Friends?
Friends & Sponsors
