Handmade in Brooklyn

Book Review: Bag the Elephant by Steve Kaplan

Megan — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

One of the goals for many companies that want to grow is to get into the big, conglomerate companies, like P&G, Bloomingdales, etc. That is, essentially, who this book is for.

But there is a caveat to that.

While reading this book, it came across to me as more of a demotivator than a motivator. It really seemed that as a self-employed team of 1, the work required to get the “elephants”, or big companies, what an insane obstacle to climb. If you’ve got a team behind you, then it seems much more managable and I would imagine that this is a worthwhile resource for those. It won’t hold your hand on how to do it, but there are some valuable ideas and examples of how to position yourself as a worth vendor.

If you’re on your own, well….you’re pretty much on your own in terms of landing the big account. That’s not to say that it couldn’t happen, but I think that this book demonstrates that even with a team behind you, bagging the elephant will not come easily, and if it’s just you running the company, you’ve got other things to worry about that are just as important as landing the “big one.”

Bottom line:

Time to read: 2-3 subway rides

Would I recommend? If you’ve got the ability to delegate serious research time and a strong sales team: yes. If it’s just you running the show: not yet.

what summer brings

Megan — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Summer is teaming up to be a busy season for me, strategy-wise (sales wise, who knows?!). In addition to running Metropolis as is, I’m also working on the new look of the company. So far it’s all coming together well, but as with most things, it’s going to take some serious budgeting and cost-measuring.

It’s also tedious as hell. Nothing like analyzing the opacity of a swirl to make sure it prints well.

I’ve also began tinkering with the idea of a new product line…okay well actually there are 3 different product lines, but I think that I might hold off on all of this until the new aesthetic is underway.

If you recall, one of my goals for the year was to be at the Natural Products Expo in Baltimore this September. At the moment, it just doesn’t seem to be shaping up for that to work unless more capital comes in quickly. I’m disappointed but not as much as you would think…I know Metropolis has grown leaps and bounds this year alone, so I think planning out my wholesale strategy (in terms of tradeshows) might wait until 2013. In the meantime, I think getting all of my aesthetically-pleasing ducks in order is the best method.

Summer also brings my vacation to Vancouver with my family and I’m so thrilled to be getting away, if for only a week. It will give me a chance to get some perspective…but also give me time to NOT think about my company (though I really can’t help myself!)

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Monday Motivation

Megan — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them! – C.J. Walker

There will always be bullies

Megan — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I was originally going to call this post “Checking my ‘bitch’ level” but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it’s not about me. It’s about them.

May has only begun and it has been the most negative month I’ve ever dealt with on Etsy. To be fair, I don’t do a lot with Etsy and don’t get involved in the community, I just see it as a tertiary source of income. Within the past 2 days, I’ve had a person convo me to simply tell me that they cannot imagine how I justify my prices, and another person give me my first negative feedback on a $2 lip balm.

There have been many times in my business life that I second guessed myself, or bowed to a demanding and unreasonable customer, but I am happy to say those days are long gone.

I told the person who balked at my prices (her convo was “I make the exact same thing. How can you justify charging this price?”) that the reason I charge what I do is that I make a living off of it while living in Brooklyn and it would probably be best for her to focus on her business rather than worrying about mine. She responded but I deleted it before reading. It wasn’t worth my time and she can have whatever last word she feels she needs.

The $2 lip balm…let me preface this with: I cherish my customers. I never have forgotten that they are the reason I get to do what I do. There are ones that have been with me through theme changes, scent changes, price increases…you name it, and I never forget to thank them and send them notes saying how much I appreciate them. I hope they know it isn’t just something I’m writing because I think I have to. The ones that have been loyal to me are worth their weight in soap.

A woman purchased 1 lip balm from me that was on sale. Okay, totally fine…I rarely have a person buy just 1 lip balm but maybe she’s just trying the (old) line out. So I send her the lip balm and soap samples and my thank you note. I get a convo on Etsy saying the following:

Hey there. Just wanted to let you know I received the package and didn’t really like the lip balm. I didn’t like the taste and the texture but I didn’t want to tarnish your reputation so just wanted to give you a heads up.

I took this to be literal as an honest feedback and a “heads up.” So I wrote her thanking her for her feedback and saying I was sorry she didn’t like it but I appreciate her letting me know. She responds with

Wow. I was expecting more than that. Now I’m disappointed in your customer service, too

That’s when I know I’m not dealing with someone giving me feedback, I’m dealing with a bully. This person, to me, is what we often refer to as a Walmart consumer: purchasing the lowest price item and expecting no-hassle returns and no questions asked but thinking nothing of it. They feel self-righteous and entitled, but make sure to point out how they’re not “that guy.” You can usually catch it through what they say…the more passive and “chill” they try to make themselves, the more of a pill it turns into.

Long story short I offered to take the used lip balm back and credit her the purchase price, less shipping because it was not defective or damaged, she just didn’t like it. She responded with

Then I would only net $2. No thanks.

And that’s how I got my first negative feedback on Etsy.

My long drawn-out point is this:

The bigger you get, the greater the amount of miserable people you will have to deal with.

They will come from nowhere and everywhere and shock you with their behavior.

Despite how they make it sound, most of the time their anger isn’t about you. It’s about them.

You will never please everyone and no one can tell you how to run your business

I wasn’t going to let the crafter with the same product make me feel bad about my pricing and I wasn’t going to let the Walmart “I never give bad feedback but this was the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER” consumer bully me into doing what she wanted. If the product is defective, yes absolutely please let me take it back and send you something extra with my apologies. When you don’t like the way a sale lip balm tastes that you bought on line? Some products aren’t for everyone.

A little ranty on my end? Sure (and sorry about that). But I hope it instills in you a little message that says

“I am a BUSINESS OWNER. I am a capable person and accept the outcomes of my decisions because they are my own.”

And as they always say, my dears:

Ignore the haters.

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Monday Motivation

Megan — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. – Nolan Bushnell