Archive for December, 2006
The holidays feel like a relay race to me. Lots of little sprints to lots of little events. With each holiday “get together” there’s a gift to prepare, today is all about preparing for the marathon road trip we have in front of us tomorrow. Then, still some last minute shopping to do. It’s never ending, but I’m feeling really groovy right now.
Way back when we first decided to start this business, part of my motivation for going into it was the creative power between my husband and myself. And then we embarked on actually starting the business and it’s a long learning process and you get your head buried in it and in all honesty, there not a lot of creative work happening. At least for me, because I had no schooling, I had to learn HOW to get products developed, WHO could do the production (who does production for that matter) and on and on. But now we’re here, and the business is started and running and we have no choice but to call on that creative power or drown.
And YES!! YES!!! YES!!! My husband came up with a truly brilliant idea for a promotional item for our celebrity event, which turns out to be a brilliant promotional item for us in general. I’m so excited about this and feel so much that THIS is why we’re in business together and that this one idea is going to set us apart from the other companies that are represented. It’s beautiful.
And it’s the WOW factor that was missing from our display and gift bag ideas. And I’m never never never happy until we have the WOW factor. It’s simply not worth it without a WOW factor. And we have the WOW, and WOW am I giddy…
Now I have to get to packing.
December 21st, 2006
I think we might have a prayer of meeting our two big deadlines. Celebrity event (watch us scramble like blind mice) and KIDShow. Won’t we all be interested to see how KIDShow goes? Will it be worth the money we’re about to spend? Huge blessing is that my dad just retired and he’s going to come to our house and stay with our kids for the week. Bless his heart. I’m sure my mom will join him and they can have a jolly olly good time.
We’re in the buckle-down phase now. I’m going to fess up and be completely honest that I haven’t gotten one scratch of a sketch to my pattern maker yet. I definitely got de-railed by planning for this celebrity event, but have faith in our ability to roll with the punches. So, we’ll slim down our offerings even more. Even if we just go with our blankets, which are completely developed and ready-to-go, at least we’re going and we’re going with something to be proud of. But we’ll get beyond that.
For all of these things, merchandising and display comes into play. I can’t believe how many aspects there are to this business. We need to sit down and figure out display options that we love for:
- In-store displays
- Celebrity event (marketing event) displays
- Trade Show Displays
In-store displays: We need our blankets to be well-displayed, and sprawled out enough that customers can see immediately that there is a name appliqued onto the blanket. We need solutions for wall hangings, shelf displays, and floor displays, and we need to keep it simple. They MUST stand out.
Celebrity Event: Signs and wall displays will double for marketing events and trade shows. Capitalize on dual-usage as much as possible. Marketing event table display for gift-ines; marketing materials and coupons will be different than trade show materials.
Trade Show Display: More space than the marketing event for display options, different size and shape of table, and garment racks provided. Different set up, but definitely can keep it along the same lines as the marketing events. It should be a marketing event anyways.
We need to study merchandising now. Or more, just work up some mock displays and get it right. At least it’s something new and exciting. Need to take some time to brainstorm with my eyes closed, but don’t see that happening until after the holidays. My husband is with me all the way, and he does just as much as I do to plan and prep for this, I don’t know how any of it would be possible otherwise. Eternally greatful for his belief in this business.
December 20th, 2006
This morning I’m starting to feel the pressure of prepping for the celebrity gifting suite. Oh boy. I’m excited, nervous, and stressed – and all equally. And that’s ok. Keeps me moving, right?
We’ve done the initial braindump of everything we need to have ready to go by January 11. It’s a big list. Now, the schedule, so I can break down and prioritize all those items. Most of the items fall into two categories: Product & Marketing Materials. Which will be good stuff to have developed for KIDShow – it really is all going to work together well.
But the stress comes from the insane list of stuff to be done from ordering the gift bags with our logo, to designing the coupons and catalog, getting it all printed and that’s nothing to do with getting enough sample product together. Sometimes, when I sit down and write things out, it calms me down, helps me to focus. Right now, it’s stressing me out.:-)
What I do need to calm down enough to think about is deadlines baby. I want to have it all together a week ahead of time, and have that last week to work up sample displays. So that gives me three weeks with a trip out of town for Xmas in-between.
OK. From there I know we have three weeks for product and marketing materials. Think about printing time and delivery time for the marketing materials and I should have them done in a week and a half to be safe. I need to have those ready for printing by two days after Christmas. I should have the final prototype of all products by the same time, just to be safe.
If final prototypes are finished in a week and a half, that gives a week and a half for any necessary production. The other consideration is custom items – I’m going to have only two weeks before the event to get personalized orders completed because that’s when we’ll start receiving confirmation of the attendees. Our contractors are prepared for these rush orders.
Now I’ll just take a look at all the tasks that fall under each of those deadlines and break down my priorities. Wow, I stuck with writing it out a little and I feel a lot more sane. Except that the deadlines are totally insane, but we’re not going to talk about that.
We can accomplish amazing things, we can accomplish amazing things…
What’s really laughable is that all of that is just the event prep. We still need to do all the other business running junk (like newsletters are due and we need to keep the sample process moving for the tradeshow). But, everywhere I’ve ever worked it’s been insane deadlines and too much to do and somehow we all roll on…
December 16th, 2006
Ha Ha, I was going to write everyday. I can barely keep up with myself everyday, much less on top of everything. Kids are starting the holiday break and that means a less-hectic schedule for us. Less running around anyway. Met a friend for lunch today and ended up in this same random strip mall that has a wonderful CUSTOM baby / child boutique that is going to be a great match for our products, so that was fortuitous.
I’ve had all of these projects just h-a-n-g-i-n-g over my head for a couple of weeks; I was knocked down with the flu, and I’m just finally caught up. I have done some planning for the gifting suite. It was flattering to talk to the event planner, because she raved about how excited she was to have OUR products represented – even if it was just a lot of sunshine, it was nice to hear it.
Here’s what’s big in my life right now and I don’t care how cheezy it sounds – positive vibrations. I got into such a rut – and could feel how much thinking about being in the rut made the rut worse – so, I had to remind myself of what an optimist I truly am and get myself out of the rut; faith and hard work helps a lot too.
Something cool for me is that I’ve devised a new product that I’m really excited about and believe we can realistically launch by for the celebrity event. And I’m really excited about it and the labor is simple, the design is simple and this is good stuff. I feel strongly that we need a hot product that is at a good price point. Our personalized blankets are hot; getting a lot of buzz, but they are still on the pricey side of baby gifts. I know that the sales will continue to build, but how nice it’d be to have an item that’s HOT and accessible by a larger demographic. This will be a great KIDShow item too. I’m working on the first pattern to get a prototype, so I can find out if my idea will work the way I envision it. But if it does, it’s full of all sorts of potential.
Oh, I saw a whole blanket tag about not leaving bedding in the crib with infants, so I’m going to have to look into that and see if I can find standard wording. It was much more detailed than “not intended for bedding”.
Isn’t there always so much to do?
December 15th, 2006
It’s amazing how fast things can change. A couple of days since my last update and we now have a new deadline in our schedule. We’ve been invited to participate in a pre-golden globes event, a gifting suite. We get to give free Baby Fabulous schwag to celebrities and there should be good press and we can take pictures. So, we have to have a certain number of items available for gifts and the date is one month away.
This doesn’t change things too drastically. Still working towards KIDShow as our main market deadline, but I definitely want to have a couple of things ready for the January gifting suite too. I’ll know more tomorrow about how much we can swing, what kind of variety would be best, etc. I’m very excited, but mainly just feel a huge need to buckle down and guarantee we’re ready for this. We have to be, we have to be. I feel it’s a golden opportunity.
This week is creeping away from me. My pattern maker is just waiting on me. I forever underestimate how long tasks will take me to complete. But I’ll meet my Friday deadline. Always meet my deadlines. I’m still reeling from yesterday’s – getting a swatch ring to one of the local boutiques. Worst – forgot I had my kids in the afternoon, so it was my first appointment where I had no choice but to bring the kids along. It went fine and I made a new friend. It’s the small things, – like the appointment going smooth in spite of it being the end of the day & in spite of having my kids with me- that make a BIG difference.
OK – tonight is about working on technical sketches. And a plan for the gifting suite. Priorities, priorities.
December 6th, 2006
Ok, here’s what I came up with for the next eleven weeks we have to prepare for market. At this point, I have a pattern maker lined up and waiting for my sketches. I have already tested the sewing contractor & I know both the theme for my collection and the styles I need to sketch out.
A project schedule is always based on three things: time, resources, and money. Once I’ve sourced all of my fabrics, I’ll do a cost estimate and from there we’ll determine how many designs we can realistically produce. There could be cuts. I need to remind myself to keep revisiting this schedule, sticking to it, and revising what I need to revise. This schedule plans for 3 revisions of the patterns.
Week 1: Dec. 4 – 10 – Technical sketches to pattern maker. Source fabrics.
Week 2: Dec. 11 – 17 – First draft patterns back & first draft prototypes; fit meeting. Color cards (storyboard) complete.
Week 3: Dec. 18 – 24 – First revisions to pattern maker (Goal is to have 1st pattern revisions back in-house before the holidays)
Week 4: Dec.25 – 31 **Holidays Here*** 2nd Draft prototypes & Second round of revisions to pattern maker
Week 5: Jan. 1 – 7 Third draft patterns back & Third Draft prototypes. First mockup of trade show booth.
Week 6: Jan 8 – 14 Must have FINAL patterns!! Cut & in sewing contractors hands (with final prototype).
Week 7: Jan 15 – 21 Give 21st as sample deadline (3 sets each??)
Week 8: Jan 22 – 28 All the final pieces are together (from care labels to packaging baby!!)
Week 9: Jan 29 – Feb. 4 Barring all fires, must have Final samples in-house and beautiful
Week 10: Feb. 5 – Feb.11- Final mock up of trade show booth
Week 11: Feb 12- KIDShow setup in Vegas
Feb. 13 – 15 SHOWS ON!!
December 3rd, 2006
Wow. I’m really excited to see someone feature us in their gift guide – because it was a complete surprise. Makes it somehow the most flattering of all. There are some other cool children’s products featured also. Check out Children’s Market. Very cool. Now we build our press page on our site. Three unsolicited pieces of publicity.
This is a really nice thing to have happen right now. Like a breath of fresh air. It still all feels like building blocks, but these are great building blocks to start off with.
I figured out the project schedule and development deadlines in order to make KIDShow by Feb. 13. I’ll post them tomorrow. Gosh, I hope things get crazy soon. 
December 3rd, 2006
OK!!!! It’s all done in my head. The Fall and Holiday line. In my head, in my head, in my head. One of my dearest friends gave me some insight into myself this year (because one of her dear friends gave her some insight into herself & we’re very similar). She told me to pay attention to how much work I’m really doing in my head and not knock myself down for being a procrastinator. And it’s so true. So much happens when I close my eyes and go inside and focus.
Today I drew out the plan for my whole line. And I feel good about it. Here’s the key points and next steps:
- Small Line: I’m already going bigger than I had originally planned because I’m doing a couple of boy’s designs too. I would slap myself on the wrist for this if it didn’t feel so right in my gut. Still, it’s small. 7 designs (8 maximum – which is about double what I originally planned) – and 2 colorways for each design.
- Technical Sketches: I need to do drawings of each design that are technically accurate and contain the design specs. Mainly, measurements and finished lengths. This is one of the hardest parts for me. I was learning how to do it on the computer, but I’m not sure if it’s easier to do it on sketch paper. I think I’ve mentioned this before but my pattern maker always gives the pattern back to me with a better technical sketch than I handed over. How’s that for awesome? But I need to get better so she doesn’t have to redo my work. Bless her patience.
- Source Fabrics: I’ve heard it’s best to get the fabrics first and then do the design. I agree that this is the best way to be inspired and do a design. I’ve been careful to do designs with standard types of fabric that I know are easy for me to source. The only challenge will be for me to find a new print or weave that I’m happy with for that design. I’m taking this route with a couple of my designs because I want to capitalize on some of my previous work and what sold well. But I know this will make sourcing the fabric more of a pain for me. On project runway they certainly did the sketches first, looked for the fabric second. Of course, they often changed their designs after they selected the fabrics. Either way, this is bound to be a journey for me.
After I’ve got the fabrics and technical sketches solidified, I take my spec sheets to the pattern maker. I’m so happy this came together in my head because I was in this wierd fog where no new design ideas were coming out and it was making me nuts.
P.S. I’m also prepared to cut my line down even more based on fit testing and costing estimates. We’ll see.
December 2nd, 2006
