Jamie's Blog

I Don't Care

May 10, 2012.

I was reading all over the web everyone all a flutter this morning regarding the whole Mom breast
feeding her....I don't know 9  year old son (okay he is almost four.....but still) on the cover of Time Magazine.  I read a lot of comments for and against the photo.  Mother's saying it was beautiful, others saying it was gross - and so goes another ridiculous worthless argument about who is a better mother.  

I even started to get involved in the dialogue and started imagining my post on this attrocity to society.  Ya, but not for or against breast feeding toddlers, because I am more concerned with the poor boy and what he may will go through as he grows older.  I mean, was anyone thinking of that four year old boy being a ten year old, a fourteen year old or a seventeen year old trying to date a girl?  I am sure the "Boob Man" jokes will be making a big pressence tonight on Late Night TV.  That poor kid, he will most likely be ridiculed forever, even when he  just orders a chicken breast.  I seriously was gonna dedicate a whole post to it, and ask my soon to be thirteen year old what he thought.....and then I sighed and said to myself, "I don't care."

Not to sound insensitive or crash - but I don't care.  I don't need to spew my own over-inflated opinion out there (even though the irony that I just did is not lost on me).  I don't need to tweet how for/against/agast I am at the provcative pose she is making on the cover.  It's her life and it is her bed (and her son's bed) that she has to lie in....no pun intended since the story is about that type of parenting.

I Don't Care Anymore

I loved being a part of the Mommy Blogosphere for a few years (even though I detest that word).  It was fun to write for an awesome website that got tons of comments and I liked writing about controversial subjects.  Going to Blogher was amazing, meeting some of my heroes in person was amazing.  Getting all the free food, drinks & silly crap they gave away - all Amazing.  I was all about linking, commenting, blogging and staying up on the stupid Twitter feed.  

Now-a-days, I really have no desire to spend countless hours doing all that any longer.  I still love me some Facebook (and now Pinterest) but I don't want to dedicate that much time to the craft of blogging.  The end result (for me) was not as rewarding as one would have thought.   I loved it at the time.....now, ah I am going to say it, "I don't care".

It's not that I dislike or am jealous of the other bloggers out there - it just does not interest me any longer.  Sort of like battling over breast vs. bottle - those days are long gone and I don't care what anyone (or how) they feed their kids.   Everyone seems so damn sensitive these days if other people do not conform to their ridulous standards.  As long as it does not affect me and my children, "I don't care."

Now, don't get me wrong, I still love to blog/write and I will probably do it till I die, but eh.......not religously, not daily and not for profit.  Unless of course some editor comes a callin' and asks me to write a book or my super duper ever exciting memoir...then okay - I will do it.  But until that fantasy comes to life........I just don't care.

I Used to Care, But Now I Don't

I used to go after press for Jamie's Painting & Design and more importantly Jamie with a vengence.  I was a rapid Mama Grizzly Bear on a mission and I was actually quite good at it.  Maybe not so much good - but I had a good story and most times were at the right place at the right time.  Other than getting into People Magazine and on the Oprah Winfrey Show or in her magazine, I accomplished everything I ever imagined for my business in the eyes of the press corps.  

Also, I am not proud to admit this, but I used to turn green with jealousy when other entrepreneurs in my industry (or just close to it) got awesome press.  I assumed they were showered with sales, celebrity clients and calls from......Oprah of course after they were featured in some magazine.  I would obsess over it and would waste countless hours courting that very magazine that just ran a story similar to mine.....ya, not proud of that.  Eventually it would work out and I would get the press from that magazine, a newspaper, TV show - whatever, it came at some point.  

Again, sticking with the theme of this post, I just don't care anymore.  I mean if it happens that would be great - but I am not in the mood to go out and try to get it with my mouth frothing while I repeat my story for the 45th time to some reporter.  I am more a 'Been There, Done That' kind of girl.  The reason being is most of the press did not put $$$ in my pocket, or even equal sales.  Press did equal more press (which is a whole other post about people only want to write about you if some other reporter already did) but it rarely equaled sales.  I loved me some press, but I could not and can not pay for college bragging about being on Dr. Phil.  So......don't care.

I Could Care Less

I have mentioned many, many times how I kept up on my competition pretty closely for many years.  There are many reasons why I did this and I stand by my choices for doing it.  I really think you (me) need to know what is going on in your industry so that you can stay ahead.  This is especially important when you are a young company and a newbie to your industry.  You can not lay on your laurels - because frankly you don't have any.  

Fast forward to what is coming on our ten year mark this November and well, I guess I will take a peek once in a great while at other companies.  Honestly, most of my competition is gone - that is not me bragging, they just are.  Many, many small companies went away in the Recession or they licensed their work to larger companies.  

Also, the trends in the Children industry have sort of hit a lull in my humble opinion.  There are not exciting color combinations and amazing designs coming out these days.  I remember reading that in a Recession (or Depression) people go back to comfort foods, calm & safe colors and designs.  It makes sense and it made for a boring few years of designing new products.  So, now a days I will keep an eye on some othe companies but I am pretty sure if they develop a new design before I do, it won't be the end fo my company or the world.  I tend not to care if they do or if they don't.

What I Do Care About

I know this post sounded very negative and I yes I am singing that 80's song in my head as I write it, but stay with me.  As much as I enjoyed carying soooo much too much about these distractions in the past, I am glad I don't any longer.  I can focus on my business and my family.  I can spend my time caring about getting out good products and getting them on time to our customers.  I still want our customers to love our products and I still care about making them.

I still get excited about new designs.  Even though it has been two long years since I came out with new designs for my company I have worked on designs for sports teams, schools and various licensing companies.  I care about new partnerships, relationships and promotions with other companies.  I care about new customers (and old ones) instead of my competiton and my presence in the press.     I care about me and my happiness, instead of bending over backwards working 24 hours straight to please a channel partner that won't even pay me on time.  I care about my family and our quality of live instead of my blogs popularity and the number of readers I had last week.

So while the rest of the internet blows up over the latest boobie sighting, I will not be joining the conversation.   I am pretty sure my son's email is blowing up right now with this one photo being shared amongst all teenagers around the country.   I am going to spend the evening with my family and most likely explaining to my son about the dangers of a controversial photo and how it can haunt you....forever.  

These Are & Those Were The Days

As I already tweeted or facebooked (is that even a word?) we are downsizing , and we are doing it big time.  I am not saying that I was not sad (okay, yes I cried a few tears if you must know) by the huge change and pressure to downsize.  We are sub-letting space(s)  and moving some employees to work from home.  We can actually do that you know - without sounding like we losing the battle with the Economy.  I am not saying I am thrilled, but to be honest thinking smaller, meaner and leaner sounds pretty good to me these days. 

When we rented our space 4 years ago we were growing in leaps and bounds and had at any night up to 8 employees in the studio working.  It was very cramped and it was exhausting to manage everyone's schedules.  From morning till night we had people coming in and out of our home.  It wasn't their fault, heck I hired them - it was just too much for me to handle.

The Dog Days Are Over....Almost (oh and yes, yes I do  LOVE that song!)

The Economy still...uh sucks, and retail is um oh well it is challenging (I am trying my best to not be negative or have a potty mouth - so work with me) to say the least.  The Economists (the ones that are not totally bipartisan) claim that we will start seeing some real job growth and recovery in the summer of 2011.  I figure the worst is behind us and we can only get better, right?  Like I mentioned in last post - it could be worse, and right now I soooo know that.  I am thankful for all I have and I am still willing to pull up my pants by the boot straps (okay what does that even mean?  Stir-Up pants? Suspenders? Booty straps maybe?). 

Out With the Old In With the....Not Much New

Anyway - our lease is up and we are outta here.  I have actually started to get excited about scaling down and getting rid of extra baggage.  I already have a pile of decorations, frames and office decor on the table in the work room just ready to throw on Craig's List.  I also have a butt load...ton of inventory/samples/errors/duplicate orders to get rid of.  I am thinking 65% to 75% off retail to my Facebook Fans.  We won't have the space to just keep tons and tons of inventory and samples, which again is good and smart (I think).

So, while pulling a part my office space I have been doing a lot of thinking.  Just ripping nails out of walls and photographing all the samples we have in our warehouse has made me think a lot about the past, and mistakes I have made.  While cleaning out our space I came across some interesting items, and by interesting I mean all my notes, invoices and orders from our eight years in  business.  Most importantly (or most depressing) we saved them from 2005, probably the most prosperous year for Jamie's Painting & Design and the worst year for me personally. 

2005....It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times

So after pouring through the entire year in sales for 2005 I am able to look back with (I hope) an un-biased and rational eye.  The good, the bad and the oh so ugly literally jumped off the pages at me.  The orders, the notes take me right back to that year.  The way we stamped each order and signed off on the inking, the ribboning and the shipping - it was so time consuming.  I can see the mistakes we made and I can see the right decisions we made.  I can remember what it felt like, I can recall most of that year.  It was my last year of not sharing (that is code for before I started this blog) of hiding in my "in-house studio/garage" and finally realizing I was/am a really bad manager.  It was a simpler time back then, or so it seemed.

The Worst of Times in 2005:

• My Living Room had popcorn and bubblewrap  in one corner
• We never entertained because of our employees/business/supplies that flowed into every room
• My un-remodeled Master Bath was un-usable due to boxes and boxes of tiles stored in it
• My life was my business, and my business was my life
• I started work  (and my husband also) at 6:00 a.m. and usually till well past midnight 7 days a week
• We got an order for birth certificates for triplets from a channel, but one was still-born.  We refused to charge them for the 3rd birth certificate.  We got a heart-wrenching thank you letter from the customer.
• My daughter was put in the hospital the middle of December because she could not breathe.
• A few days before our drop dead date Warm Biscuit Bedding sent us a 100 page fax with more than 100 missing orders, due to a malfunction in their system (good for orders - bad that we were having a hard time filling all orders).
• At least 30 plates were shipped 2 day  (on our dime) and overnight (again us) to make our guaranteed Christmas deadline
• I was a bitch to everyone
• No really I was not a nice person

The Best of Times in 2005:

• Our orders were huge, people ordered Name Tiles for their daughter ISABELLA....now they order an I
• Everyone paid their bills on time
• Most companies gave us credit cards and they were never over their limits....NEVER!
• My employees made a lot of money and were paid top dollar to paint/ink our tiles
• I never had to take off my slippers to go to work
• That was the year Roy Disney ordered a tile
• We grew the business by 50% from the year earlier
• Darin (husband in case you are new) worked with me a lot - which I totally enjoyed.
• We had our first TV appearance at the un-godly hour of 6:00 a.m.......for one of our ornaments on The CBS Early Show.
• I got to work with some fabulous women, and I so looked forward to when they came into the office/studio/garage.

 The Past is in The Past

I am not one to really focus or obsess on the past.  I have never been that person, and I do not plan on changing.  When my friends were crying because our children stopped breast feeding, or started walking & talking - I was celebrating.  I approached parenthood like a project, with me checking of an invisible box when my child reached a milestone.    After each big event I gave a big "Hoo Ha!" and waited for the next.  I embraced change, I encouraged growth and I detested trying to hold our children back, but instead focused on moving them forward.

My business, though not as monumental or important as raising my children I have tried to come at it with the same philosophy.  It is hard for me to talk with young (wait for it, I am not being evil)  entrepreneurs that only came into their business within the last 2 or 3 years.  It is just that being an Entrepreneur during a Recession is not like being one during the Glory Days.  Yes, some things are similar - most are not.  Their growth is nothing like mine was and their losses are nothing like mine are/were.  Though in their defense they are probably smarter, leaner and more timid when it comes to taking risks.  Even as little as their companies  grow, they see the best, they are so positive - they are me from five, four or even eight years ago, an even though I do not want to go back to 2005, I wish I could talk to that me.  I wish I could give the me of January of 2005 a bit of advice.  And not that I have given it much thought (oh but I have), my speech would go something like this;

"Look Jamie I know that the last three years have been amazing and your business has been all that you can think of (or talk about - and trust me, your friends & family have all heard just about enough about it), but times are changing.  This year is going to be your toughest yet.  You will find yourself hiring a large number of employees. Please remember, with managing people comes a great responsibility.  You may (will) have to acknowledge that you are not a very good manager.  While we are discussing your weaknesses, I happen to know that  you do not separate business from personal life very well either.   Don't shoot the messenger, but this year will bring you to your knees - literally, not metaphorically.  You will be forced to accept that you can not separate business and home life and let's face it your business may (well will, but I am the wiser Jamie of 2011) over-run your home life.  Sales will be good or dare I say it better than ever."  

"Though I ask you at what cost?  I advice you to stay calm, stay sane and realize that this growth you have experienced will not keep up forever.  Look at the history of our country.  Lastly Jamie - try not to be so tightly wound and anal.  Try really hard not to be a.....uh a bitch.  You will thank me later.  Also, don't be in such a hurry to move the business out of the house.  Times are not as bad as you think, and you can work better/smarter/more efficient if you are willing to look at other options.   Lastly I would suggest you breathe, just breathe and enjoy your success - it will not last forever." 

Back to the Future of 2011

Oh how I wish like Back to the Future the Older Marty McFly could have sat me down and gave me that speech....oh wait I guess it would have been the older wiser Jamie McFly.  Anyways, if anything at least I have learned and grown from my very very hard lessons.  I hope I did not hurt those that worked for me.  I hope that they have forgiven me for the way I was.  As I look to downsize I think quite a bit about all those employees that worked with me in my garage.  I look around my now empty garage and wonder what they think of those years.  I may never know,  but I hope they know I am sorry and I wish I had handled that year better.

Top Ten Things I Didn't Share in 2010

When I was a little girl I always loved the end of the year specials on the news.  They would go over the highs and lows of what happened that year.  I was always so upset if I missed "The Year in Review".  As I got older I became obsessed with the top 10 songs of the year or the top 10 celebrities, top 10 books - I still get all sucked in to those stories. 

I thought maybe I should do that, well not 10 best things but my Year in Review on the blog.  Then I realized that was pretty much the easy way out and I would only be me just cutting and pasting parts of posts I wrote this past year.   Instead I am going to share the top ten things I did NOT share with you this year.  Sometimes I did not feel it warranted a whole post, other times I did not want to share.  Yet, here we are at the end of the year and I figured what the hell I will share what I have learned and what I have NOT blogged about;

1. The End of Warm Biscuit Partnership

Sadly we ended our 6 year relationship with The Warm Biscuit Bedding Company.  There was not knock-out drag out fight or an email battle, we just went our separate ways.  I will only say that with the tough Economy we need to be paid within our 30 day agreement or have a credit card on file - times are/were/still are tough.  Some larger companies are not able to do that - so that is that.

Truth is I really do miss working with them and the friendship I had with their founder, Vicki Bodwell.  What I miss most is the collaborative designing her like I used to do.  She was and is one of the most creative and talented people I have ever met.  Talking  to her could be exhausting at times, she would bounce from one idea to another - I could not take notes fast enough to keep up with her very active mind.  Yet, even if I was exhausted after the call I was ALWAYS energized, motivated and inspired.  I miss those calls.

2. Wall Tiles Fundraiser Project & Then Again

We did another wall tile fundraiser for a local grammar school in San Mateo.  The project lasted most of the first part of 2010 and was finished right before school ended.  When we ordered the tiles from our supplier and discussed the tiles being hung outside and in the sun, there response was something like (and yes I may be exaggerating, but they did say OK) "Okey Dokey sounds fine by us.....how do you want to pay for that?"  What they should have said was, "Um you should not have our tiles hung in direct sunlight because they will fade.....how do you want to pay for that?"

What happened is we had to do the tiles twice, because they were hung in direct sun light.  It was an unfortunate incident and I felt awful for the school.  However, I did the right thing and I got a discount when we re-ordered the tiles....again for the school.  Our supplier apologized for not being forthright and then asked for our credit card number.  A hard lesson to learn during a very hard year.

3. No Sales + Late Payments = Late or No Rent

For the first time in the last four years of renting our space we have NEVER not been able to pay rent.  This year I got to give the 'ol "Never Say Never" speech.  It was a very depressing fact and it was sobering to watch our sales slow down even more than the previous year.  If 2008 saw the Economy collapse, then 2009 was flat I would say 2010 just sucked.  Almost every one of my channels that I spoke with agreed with me - sales were worse in 2010 then 2009.  Other small business owners that I spoke with had similar experiences with their business.  So, we paid rent late and sometimes we paid it even later.  It was not my finest moment - but we survived. 

4. Businesses Are Still Closing Down

Sadly this year we said good bye to some fabulously talented women and businesses in our industry and some other industries.  Some of sales channels closed their doors, other companies focussed on direct and some artists closed up shop.  I will miss talking shop with these talented women;

• Kristen Sloop of Kootie Bug Designs
• Carrie Sommer of Sommer Designs
• Diane Cullen Page of CCC Gifts

There are countless other small boutique stores and websites that quietly closed their doors this year.  Many of them were run by some amazing women that I used to enjoy talking with over the past eight years.

5. Drooz Studio is Copied....Again

Even though I am amazed and maybe some would say a tad obsessed with artists copying other artists, I am still shocked when it happens.  And, it always seems to happen to the very talented Ms. Shelly Kennedy.  I almost wish she would just release new products she would put a disclaimer on the back of each piece that says something like;

"This original piece of artwork is great isn't it?  Please do not copy it - because I will find out.  I will not be happy and it is NOT legal.  Did you catch that last part?  It is illegal."

I do not know what or if anything happened when Shelly saw this product, her product copied and sold through another channel.  I can only imagine and hope she make them stop it.

6.  New Blog Home at The Mommie's Diaries....for a short time

After the demise of Silicon Valley Mom Blog this summer I wanted to find a new home where I could write about life with children.  I tried it out at Parenting on the Peninsula for a few months but it the end I bit off more than I could chew.  I had to blog once a week and it had to be up by 11:00 a.m Sunday morning.  I can't even blog on my OWN blog once a week let alone someone elses!  And, if you must know I do love me some sleeping in on the weekends when I am not being forced to hall my ass to some softball or soccer game.  So there.  I sadly had to give my resignation and I no longer blog for anyone but me!

7. 80 Ornaments You Say? Why, Yes We Can!

For the past three years we have gotten a rather huge order from a housing development back East.  And this year we got the same order.  We give the wonderful customer a small discount andd we make 80 ornaments for them to pass out to their entire neighborhood at their annual holiday party thing.  I had every intention of photographing the large order going out and then they were ribboned and shipped, but then I felt sort of weird about it and did not want to be a braggard.  So, for the record I am not braggin - just saying it was not all bad in 2010.

8. Celebrity Client Drew Brees & Then Some

Okay, so I have had celebrities before.  For the record Charlize Theron has my dog plates, Roy  Disney ordered a birth certificate for a relative, Oprah & Ellen have ornaments by me,  and Nicole Kidman got a birth certificate for a gift.  The woman who wrote Legally Blond once ordered 50 princess plates for her daughter's birthday party.  Larry Sanders sent a birth certificate to Adam Sandler and now I have made ornaments and a birth annoucement for the one and only Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.

These are all just cool little tidbits I get to throw out there at cocktail parties and um when I try to impress an ex-boyfriend or a reporter.  Until one of these celebs decides to either have their child's room filmed for People Magazine or wanders around outside with my birth certificate around their neck - my business won't be changing much.  But still - happy to have 'em and shout out to Mr. & Mrs. Drew Brees and his family .

9. Moving On Down....Not Up

We are leaving our rental space and soon.  We need to find smaller and cheaper space.  It may even be (though doubtful) in another city.  When we got this space we had 4 other employees and it was the smallest space available in Foster City, oh and times were booming.  Now - not so much.  The thing is we could run the company in about half of the space we use now, and I could work from home more. 

We had a perfect place that I was super excited about moving into....and yes, re-decorating smaller, smarter - I had so many ideas.  And then while signing the 35 page contract I saw on the last page in itty bitty (well maybe not but still) font there was an extra $255.42 (yes I memorized it) added on to each month's rent.  Not that much you say?  Well, no it is not - but yes, it sort of is these days.  Worst yet was that it was SNUCK in there, had I not paid attention and signed the contract I never would have known.  So, I am back to trying to find us a new rental space.

10.  Life Is Shorter in 2010

This year has seen many friends get sick, marriages dissolve and worse - people have passed away.  I have seen first hand the devastating effects of disease and the loss of loved ones.  I have vowed to live more, love better and enjoy life.  I realize that it is not the end of the world if business is slow or even if we do close our doors.  Life is so short and so precious that I pledge to live each day to all it is worth.  When asked this holiday season how business was, I was able to honestly say, "It was not great, but that was fine.  I am healthy happy, my kids are healthy - we were good." 

Here is to wishing everyone who has taken the time to read/comment/spam my blog a very happy healthy (and maybe wealthy) new year.  May you have a better 2011 than 2o10 and may you live life to it's fullest.

Ladies Don't Start a Business, Just Have Babies?

I read a blog post yesterday that really made me think about what it took to own/start a business.  Penelope Trunk, founder of Brazen Careerist wrote a post on Tech Crunch titled, Women Don't Want to Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children.  In the post she touches on many broad points and makes tons of assumptions about women entrepreneurs and mother's that own their own businesses.   She does this of course AFTER she has decided to pretty much take a step way back and let other people run her third Start-up.   She is pretty much pointing her finger at VC backed Tech companies - but she makes some bold and assumed statements about female entrepreneurs. 

Here are the highlights, if you don't have the time (or stomach) to read it:

• Starting a business can be Hell
• Women are under pressure to have kids - they have biological clocks
• Women don't want to give up their personal life in exchange for the next big Thing
• She won't even go there regarding women with young children that start a business
• She compares the stupid farms people build in Farmville to how Men and Women differ
• Women want a lifestyle business, so they can control their time, work & be flexible with raising kids

Just for the Hell of it, let me counter, question or decipher her points:

Starting a Business Is Hell

Yes, yes, yes sister  it sure can be Hell!  But uh, anyone in this day and age that does not know that has been living under a rock or is really lacking in the whole brain department.  I mean, gee thanks for starting the obvious.   I sort of loathe people that fail (and yes I know harsh words, but she did fail) at something and then tell everyone else NOT to do it.  It is demoralizing and patronizing.  I mean she is right about the whole starting a business is hell....but it is also a hell of a good time.  Those first two years for me  were mostly exciting, amazing and exhilarating.  Everything was so new and so much fun.  I was Leo DiCaprio in The Titanic, "I'm on top of the world!"

Women Are Under Pressure to Have Kids - Due to Their Biological Clocks

What?  Really? Is it real? No, it is not it was actually conceived as a metaphor for the sense of urgency some women feel regarding reaching menopause, being childless or arriving at her thirties unmarried and without a suitor.  We don't really have the biological clocks - but some of us do have the need, want and desire to have children.  I don't like the fact that she lumps all women into this nice little decisive statement.  Even though I am not who she is talking about, since I started my business after I threw the damn clock away.  I already had my children....then I started the business thank you very much.

Women Don't want to Give Up Personal life for the Next Big Thing

The funny thing is when I started Jamie's Painting & Design I thought, no I knew I was going to be the next big thing.     Okay not like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates....but I was positive I was the next Rachel Ashwell or even Martha Stewart.  I had such conviction and an ego that was huge.  I could actually taste that desire for total world domination thing.  And, for those first few years I did give up a LOT of my personal life....a lot.  Our social card was empty, I worked while the children slept, I was  thinking and talking about my business all of the time (shout out to those friends that are still my friends....I must have been hell-a annoying back then).  It consumed me, like most entrepreneurs - I was obsessed with my baby.  But, back to her statement, it is so final and um broad reaching.  She, Penelope decided to quit.  She decided she wanted more of her personal and private family life.  I mean, she is even sort of snide saying that she wants to be the center of her family NOT her company.

The Impossibility of Starting a Business with Young Children

The crazy thing is she did this, her sons are young, she even says it in the article.  But, back to the fact that she did not succeed at it, soooooo no one else should try.  I did take offense to this part of the article since I was the one who did exactly that, but then I realized she has no idea who Jamie Lentzner is or what the hell to the L what  Jamie's Painting & Design does.  Since I am not going after VC money and I don't make some snazzy tech gadget...I am not that woman she is thumbing her nose at.  But, I still don't like the statement - so there.

Playing Farmville Shows the Differences Between Men & Women

I hate, hate, hate Farmville.  I never ever had the desire or time to play it.  I have seen it, I have watched it being played...and I don't get he attraction.  Maybe I am biased due to my total disregard and violent hatred of the game but still, I am not sure about her comparision.  She claims that women build colorful fun farms and men build big McManssion farms, proving that is why so few women pitch to Venture Capitalists and that even fewer get funding.  Okay?  So I say to her - what does my (if I had one) fancy farm have to do with me asking or not asking for money?  That means nothing to anyone.  I think it proves that these men spend way too much time on their computers and Facebook.  Or the men that built these huge farms are actually over compensating for something. 

Women Want a Life Style Business - To Control Their Life

Okay now I am thinking she is looking at me.  I have said this, wrote this, blogged this, cried this and screamed this.  I like the control, but doesn't everybody?  I have yet to meet a 40 something woman that did not like being in control of her own life.  We can't stay 3 forever people - we need to learn how to get dressed, earn a living and use the toilet.  Am I right?  I think men start their businesses for the same reasons - to control their own destiny.  Most uber successful entrepreneurs (I am thinking Donald Trump not Louie my Dry Cleaner) even have enormous egos and love being in control of their own lives.

But What Kind of Entrepreneur am I?

The post, as you can imagine got a ton of comments (482 at last count) and most were from women  with and without biological clocks screaming at her.  When I first read it I did take it personally and got all, "Oh no she didn't...." and I wanted to write a nasty comment.  Then I read it a few more times and I was not as irritated as I sort of confused.  I mean, I agree with her on some parts of the article (that would be one part), but coming on the heels of deciding she can not and will not do it all, sort of sounds like sour grapes. 

I do know one thing, oh she is so not talking about me or  Jamie's Painting & Design.  She doesn't even know my name (see another Sixteen Candles reference...I think I will start slipping them into EVERY post from here on out).  She knows nothing about what I do, or other like-minded women in small industries do.  I tend to buy into the whole You can have it all, just not at the same time theory and my personal favorite quote, "Life is hard...deal with it".  But I also think that a woman should not be held back by a ill-concieved pretend biological clock, or her real biological children.....I am just sayin' from experience and all.

Going from Good to Great

September 20, 2010.

My son has been playing on a competitive soccer team for almost three years.  What started as just a fun after school sport has turned into an all out way of life for the Lentzner Family.  Our weekends are spent at soccer games, tournaments, wearing our favorite jerseys and subscribing to the cable soccer channel.  You don't even want to know what it was like during the World Cup - we were fanatic.  One summer afternoon while my kids were....wait for it, playing soccer I found myself devouring a special soccer edition of Sports Illustrated.  At that point, I knew we had gone too far.

Ball to the Walls

I am not sure when the constant banging started, but it has been at least a year.  The Thud. Thud. Thud, Thud, I would hear through out my house.  When my son was awake he was constantly kicking a ball, any ball around my house.  As the days morphed into weeks and then months I noticed he was always touching a soccer ball. 

If he could not find a soccer ball he would kick a beach ball, a basketball - hell I once found him juggling with balloons.  He was always methodically touching the ball as he walked through our home.  The ball was always with him, no matter where he was - he was tapping the ball. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.  Whether he was doing homework, watching TV or just putting clothes away - he was always touching the ball.  Walking to get a glass of water took 14 touches, 3 turns and then he balanced the ball on his right foot as he drank his water.  Taking a shower was heading the ball against the walls or trying to rainbow the ball into our sink before he did the dirty deed.  

At about this same time he started watching soccer on TV and attending any games he could.  He would beg us to stay for the next game on a Saturday, or watch his competition while he waited for our next tournament game.  While watching TV he started analyzing the plays, the tricks and he watched how the players controlled the ball.  He memorized the stats of European players.  He knew the Premiere league from the league in America.  He reads about soccer too, books, magazines, the internet - he has immersed himself in the sport.  

He's Got Balls Too

At one of our many soccer games last weekend I mentioned my son and his ball touching....err honing his ball skills, and how he was kicking the ball around our house to a few other parents.  I asked them if their sons did anything like this. 

One Mom laughed out loud and nodded at me.  She then went on to describe her son doing the exact same thing as my son, daily.  The hard word floors were easy for him to push the ball around effortlessly, in socks even.  However, not only did he have a soccer ball at his feet, most days he also had a baseball in his right hand, as he dribbled the soccer ball around the house. Talk about multi-tasking, I can only imagine him doing a maradona around the kitchen table while he practices his knuckle ball with his right hand.  I felt better about my son's 'touches', yet I still did not know why he did it.

That Kid Has Balls....Skills That Is

Like I said, it has been over a year of kicking the ball around and as much as I loved my son's commitment to the sport, I was tired of the Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.  All of my pleading, begging and crying for him to stop with the soccer ball in the house, only ended with me being frustrated and him continuing to touch the ball.  In one exasperated moment I blurted out to him while he was laying still reading in bed, "Why? WHY? Why are you kicking the darn ball around the house day after day, after day??"

Without missing a beat, or putting down his 500+ page book my son replied to me, "Remember about a year ago when Dad told you about how to be an expert?  I heard him say if you want to be an expert at something you need to do it a lot to get really good at it.  I want to be good at soccer, I want to play it and if I can't play in high school, college and professionally, then I want to coach.  And after I coach it maybe I will do something else.  Don't you remember Dad telling saying that?"

Actually I did recall that conversation, but I did not know he was listening.  We discussed many other factors about how success takes time, not always talent, the expression 'Practice makes Perfect' was thrown around.  Our children were in bed and we were having quite the late night intellectual conversation.  The original quote was after a sales meeting my husband attended, and his exact quote was, "If you want to be an expert at something you need to do it at least 5,000 times".

All Balls Out 

It is so simple, and so true - experts or even professional athletes do not succeed without lots and lots of practice.  I once saw Joe Montana speak at some Inspirational Positive Lecture thing.  He told this amazing story about how he first mastered throwing a football through a tire, then his Dad swung the tire and he mastered that.  His father just kept making it harder for him, and until he mastered it - he practiced. 

The thing is my son is quite good at soccer, he is very cerebral and he has great ball skill.  He is not by far the best or biggest on the team - but he there.  He is quietly honing his skills, practicing while others goof off, juggling while some play video games.  I am pretty sure he is not the Joe Montana of soccer, but he sure is trying to be.

Being an expert takes a long time, and is a huge commitment.  I started to wonder if I was an expert at running Jamie's Painting & Design?  I have made over 5,000 Name Plaques and Birth Certificates.  I am sure we have shipped over 5,000 products.  I have worked over 5,000 hours on my business and at the same time cried 5,000 tears.  Calling myself an expert sounds sort of pompous and arrogant, not sure I would stamp that on my business card. 

Becoming an expert takes time, not just talent.

Have I Said Everything?

I do not want to go back to the year I apologized constantly about my lack of posting - but my posts are lacking, or I am lacking the ability to post.  The last time this happened I got a large amount of emails and phone calls of people begging me to just shut up and blog.  Everyone was so sick of hearing me start each blog blushing with my head down and twisting my hat in my hands, begging for forgiveness.  I am older and not quite in the mood to ask for forgiveness these days.  I feel more like Popeye these days, swinging my muscled arms and stating, "I am what I am".

I have been asking myself how I have gotten to this point.  How could I have written all there is to write?  It is not like I have an army of apprentices that I call grasshopper.  I did not sell my business to Google or receive that most coveted call from The Oprah to feature my product.  None of those things have happened - so how could I know everything? Why do I have writer's block?  What is wrong with me?  This is what I have thought about so far:

Why This Even Started

I started writing this blog because I felt I had something to say, something that people wanted to hear.  I found nothing on the Internet that gave help, advice or even an honest view of what it took to run a business.  and not just any business, but a business run by a woman and most likely a mother.  Our problems were different, our solutions were creative and our failures were unique.  The words literally came bubbling out of me, like nothing I had ever known.  I did not realize I had so much I needed to share, or wanted to share.  I had to be vague sometimes and coy not sharing too much.  I felt that if my competition read this I would be in trouble.

As the years went by and some of my competition fell by the way side, went bankrupt or just kept hand painting, I became more open.  I am not being cruel or mocking them - I decided I just decided not to hand paint my tiles.  I felt I could either paint or I could design more and manufacture products.  I shared what had worked for me and I tried to explain how I did it.  I could produce more products (and better) for my customers, lots and lots of customers.  I am happy with my choice and I am not quiet about it.  I think my way was right, and um well it worked for me.  Yet, I am second guessing myself these days.  Did I share too much?  Was it better when I was not SO honest?

The Economy....Really Must We Go there Again?

The last two years have been hard...how many times have I written that sentence.  Anyone that can answer that question gets a years worth of SPAM and some new Ceramic Tiles for their child's room. I think I have beaten that poor dead horse enough.  Even though it has all but consumed me or the past years, I have sort of become a broken record

How many times can I discuss how hard the last two years have been?  Maybe not everyone has felt the pinch, probably the smaller the business the harder it has been.  Or it could be some industries suffered more than others?  Until the Economy rebounds and we are all spending money again, this weighs heavy me, hence why I write about it....a lot.  But, even I am getting tired of writing about it....I am sick of it - fix the Economy already!

Blogging to Blog or Blogging to Connect

Sadly, I sort of wonder if I have said everything I have to say that about running a business.  Without giving a list of my sales channels, my press releases and all of my bank account numbers I wonder if I am of done.  But still, I love to write - I enjoy to connect with others.  I am trying hard to find new topics to discuss.  I am not giving up, I am not closing down.  I am just wondering....what the hell else can I write?  (pst....that is not an open ended question either...I would REALLY like to know).

Do not worry, this is not my swan song, I am not riding my horse off into the sunset today.  I just thought I would be honest here (lying not my thing so much....but you knew that right?).  Truth be told I am frustrated.  I literally bang my head against the wall weekly, trying to figure out what to wear......write.  Not much has changed in the past few years, hence the head banging.  I am sure I will figure something out, or something will happen - it always does.

Don't Try This At Home

I have posted on this topic before, but I find that life just keeps repeating itself.  I don't want to say I put on my cranky pants today, I just feel like sometimes (being your elder and all) I need to give you some harsh lessons.  If you are an experienced business owner like moi, then this post will you do you no good.  However, if you think you may have once or twice (haven't we all?) over-stepped your bounds, read on. 

I find the longer I am an entrepreneur and own my own business the shorter my temper is and my ability to entertain idiotic odd requests.  These are in no particular order so do not think one holds more importance than another.  So if you are new to owning your own business and especially if you are a woman or a Mom, please read this list of things NOT to do:

What Not to Do in Small Business

1. Do not ask someone to borrow their biography/pitch/time line for your own publicity.  Do your own work!  Write your own biography and figure out what makes you and your company tick.  My story.....is MY STORY!  You can not use it, because it is mine.  You can try, I mean really - it is not hard I have had the story written over twenty times (and no I am not bragging), just do not ask me if you can borrow it....the answer is no.

2. Do not ask someone you do not know for contacts to a buyer, publicists, business owner or Oprah.  If you do not know them, you have no repertoire with them.  If you think it is okay to ask a total stranger for a contact that probably took them 3 years to get - then you are crazy.  Just because you read a blog post about someone does not make them required to share their contacts.  For the record, I do not know Dr. Phil personally, and I will not give you his phone number.

3. Do not copy my anyone's artwork or design.  I have gone over this for years, it is just wrong.  Come up with your own damn design....remember the Cheese it's commerical - get your own box.  If all you can do is look at someone else is doing and copy it, you are in the wrong line of work.  You are an entrepreneur, go create something amazing.

4. Do not spy on another company's booth at a Trade Show.  I mean by all means know what your competition is doing, but do not go up after they left and touch, pick, scrape and tap your competition's products.  They are probably watching you do that, and you look pathetic.  Take the high road, acknowledge them and then go back to your booth and do what you came there to do - sell products.

5. Do not screw your partners.  I believe in KARMA, and I think if you are a business owner and you refuse to pay the company's you work with then you are a big fat meany.  Worse yet is if you just up and walk away and leave those poor small companies without being paid - you suck.  Word gets around, us small business owners talk - it is not nice to steal from us.

6. Do not take what you have not been given.  Do not go and take photographs from some company and throw them all willy-nilly on your website.  We will find out.  Those photos are copyrighted and we own them.  Even though I am confident that you can copy/trace/duplicate any of my designs, that is not the point.  You have no right to offer to replicate them - it is against the law....and again not nice.

7. Do not tell one of your sales channels how you are going to copy a competitor.  Tsk, tsk, tsk on you.  You should be smarter than that now really.  All industries talk, and it does not take much to get us to spill the beans.  If you are planning on ripping off an idea one of your competitors has pretty much owned the market on, then keep it to yourself.  Your competitor will find out.....or she will figure it out.  I would actually suggest doing what you do well and minding your own business...but then again what do I know?  I have never had that happen to me.

8. Do not lie, be honest.  No one likes a liar, and we all know you are lying.  Tell it like it is - be honest.  If sales are down, own it.  If the Economy is kicking your butt - announce it.  Nothing ticks me off more than someone blogging, writing or tweeting (barf) how great business is and how the Recession is not affecting them.  Really?  Okay well if that is the case, and I doubt it - keep it to yourself.  When 95% of the country is suffering you should have the gumption to shut up, if you are doing so fabulous that is (and I doubt you are).

9. Do not blog just to get traffic.  I have been blogging for a long time, and I do it because I love it.  I am not Steinbeck, but I love to write and I felt I had something to share with other like-minded women.  If you are just blogging to brag about your accomplishments, announce a new design or because your web designer told you all the "kool kids" are doing it - you suck.  Yes, I meant that.  Blogging takes hours, it takes time and it takes someone with a huge backbone to blog about their industry and trials and tribulations of their business.  And on that note....blogging once every 3 months does NOT get you any more traffic, nor does it make you a writer.

10. Don't Lie or Fake it.  I have often written about how I would never let on how small my business was when it was run out of the house.  However, I did not lie - I always said, "We are in the studio" and that is where we were.  Faking it as an artist, designer or a very successful sales channel does not do anyone any good.  You just tend to  jeopardize your reputation.  People will find out if you are lying about your sales, employees, accounts or where you got your ideas.  Liars forget they are lying - remember that.

Okay, did not mean to be so negative....and no the Economy is not picking up.  I can honestly say some weeks are good, others are bad and a few are actually horrid.  I talk to lots ot people and this is the truth.  If you have rent and have employees - you get what I am saying.  I may not be saying it eloquently - but I am being honest.  So, to quote an old show from when I was a kid (Hill street Blues), "Let's all be careful out there."

Getting into Pottery Barn Kids

My very, very good friend London Edwards has done the impossible.  She has her products for sale in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and website.   There were ups and downs, good and bad days.  It was a very long process that started last fall and just finally came to fruition last week.  Her products debuted on the Pottery Barn Kids site late Thursday, July 22, 2010. 

If you are like me and wondering how the hell...er heck did she do that - well I found out.  Actually, I lived through it with her most of the past year. She was nice enough to answer a few questions to help others that might (like who wouldn't?) want to get into Pottery Barn Kids.

Can we get a little history about your Company, My Little Dish?

London - I started My Little Dish in 2001.  Began wholesaling immediately with local stores, I never did any local shows.  We did our first trade show in the first few months and again 6 months after that.  Even though now I think trade shows are a waste of money, but I did learn the term "Licensing" from a neighboring booth.  That turned out to be helpful in 2004 when I licensed some of my products.

How did you get into PBK? Did they contact you? 

London- They called late one afternoon. I didn't answer because it was after hours and normally don't even check voice mail until the next day. Something told me to check right away and when I did, I about fell out of my chair.  (I still have that voice mail saved on my phone.  I also have the voice mail from when she called to confirm they were adding them to the new line.)  I called them back and spoke to the senior buyer, who said they needed samples immediately could I overnight them!

I guess I should have asked her how on earth they found her, because I still do not know.  I am guessing that if the buyer was searching for personalized dishes or plates, My Little Dish would be one of the first to come up.  Something I wish I knew when starting a company, it helps to have the product name in the company name.  I can not tell you how many times I am called to paint a house, paint a sale sign at a Burger King or ask if I am hirng contract painters.

What was the process like?

London - The process was long. Actually that's an understatement.  From conception to the finished product it was exactly 8 months.  With a lot of back and forth, design changes, many more samples and dealing with dozens of different people. Everyone I dealt with was very nice, but big companies can be interesting to deal with.  Everything has to go through senior designers and buyers and they change their minds more than a teenage girl changes clothes!

Ahhhhh, like I said in the intro, I was going along with her on this entire ride, getting emails, texts and phone calls from her weekly and sometimes daily.  I know for a fact it could be very frustrating sometimes for her , especially if you are not used to collaborating with so many people on your designs.  When working with big companies (I have done it) you take the good with the bad and learn that it is not just you but an entire design team that is helping (or hindering) your designs.

How did you come up with your designs?  Was it a collaborative effort?

London - They asked me for my top sellers and told me what they were looking for (sort of in a very vague manner) and I painted all 12 designs in both girl and boy colors.  After they looked them over and told me they loved them, they started to pick them apart.  They didn't like the black, could I change text color? This pink was too light, but that one was too dark.  So after a few more batches of samples, we finally narrowed it down.  Then they sent me a few bedding samples and asked for designs based on that.  Voila! Done, sent the samples. They loved them and were going to take all of them.......then they weren't going to take all of them.  Indecisive definitely, but with so many cooks in the kitchen, I got it!  They were always very polite and very appreciative of everything, so it made the changes very bearable.  I have been very appreciative of how kind everyone has been there. You hear stories about big companies. I have stories about some big companies.  But this company has not disappointed me in the least, yet.

Was there anything crazy or funny that they asked you?

London - I can't remember anything they asked, but I can remember a comment that blew me away when talking to the first Buyer.  She wanted a price break, because (of course) they are a profit driven company.  When I asked her for the volume they thought they would do so I could run numbers, she said a similar product sold 10,000.  10,000 units? 10,000 dollars?  For a quarter, for a year what?  She said $10,000.  I assumed she meant in a year. (Which my accountant informed me that plenty of my accounts sell that much in a year, so a price break might not be worth it.)  Sooo.......I emailed her as much.  Within seconds she shot back an email saying "No, that is $10,000 a week!!!!!!!"  I began laughing hysterically.  I'm not sure why, if I found it funny, or if it scared the hell out of me.  But I couldn't stop laughing. All I kept thinking was OMG, that was for one product and they just took 12 of my designs. 

Something to keep in mind is that many companies (large and small) always give out these huge projections for what they think they will sell.  I have been doing this for eight years and never have they been correct.  Almost always (except for one Halloween Plate) they were way off.  It is very exciting and I hope that PBK is dead on, but just keep in mind that projections are not facts.

Anything else you can share for someone hoping to work with big Company?  Bit of advice? Or something you wish you knew?

London - Ask a lot of questions, kill them with kindness, don't turn down additional products they want to add, because chances are they will narrow down the line eventually after numerous meetings with other buyers.  I wish I had agreed to do the melamine, ornaments, frames and any and all they initially asked instead of being cautious.  Some problems are good to have, so take them on and worry about how you produce them later.  That's easy to say now, because I haven't started producing yet.  So ask me again in a few months, in the middle of Christmas season!

Well, actually this is only half the story, I can't wait to see how this plays itself out.  London is a hundred percent right about asking questions.  Also I would add if you are itty bitty and run your business out of a closet....maybe do not share that.  I never used to let on how small my company was - as long as I could deliver what they asked, that was good enough.

I have worked with some large and very, very large companies.(psst...Nordstrom, Target, Warm Biscuit Bedding when I was a newbie, Home Goods, Favorites Catalog, Femail Creations Catalog, The Right Start).  One store even took an entire year to pay me.  A. Year.  I am not saying that will happen here, but if you choose to work with a large company know that you are doing everything on THEIR terms.  Also, you may need to hire additional employees, rent more space, buy more supplies, purchase special packaging - added costs that you may not know when you get wined and dined by one of the big guys.

The Past Six Months

July 12, 2010.

It has been a long, long....really long last six months at JPD.  Just getting a new website up and running - even working with real engineers -  is a ton of work.  The designing, up loading, the writing copy, correcting copy, swapping out images - all of it hs been exhausting - and that is just added work on top of the every day grind of running a business during a Recession.  And I have not even done most of the work.  I have done my share, but not even close to the bulk of it.

Re-launching Jamie's Painting & Design

The relaunch is scheduled for just a few weeks away.  I am optimistic that it will go off with out a hitch and we will have a smooth transition and make tons and tons of money and live happily ever after...........uh ya okay.  Sorry, I wish I could just have all positive thoughts, write a mantra or post a fabulous affirmation on my mirror - but I can not, that is not me.  I am not negative, I am a realist - oh wait maybe a negative realist, or a realistic negative person.....food for thought none the less. 

Honestly, I am trying to just go with the punches and let it go, or just accept what I can not change.  Life running a small business can be is very challenging.  Sometimes to make  myself feel better I make lists.  Some lists are things to do, things I wish for or this list.  This is all the sort of kind of annoying things that just happened to us these past 6 months.  This list sucks.  

Jamie's Top Ten List of Things that Sucked This Year

1. The logo alone was a topic of debate for everyone and their brother to discuss.  It had to be done, it was time.   Oh hell, was it painful and I had to defend my choices, then I had to go and second and third guess myself.  I like the new logo - we are going with the new logo......change is good I think, right?  Yes - I mean YES....
2. Finding the time to upload about 300 products, prices, descriptions and images to a new site takes a..........sorry was going to use some swear words, anyhoo it takes a very long time.  Many, many hours in front of the computer just adding images to an excel spreadsheet took time.
3. The economy is not better and times are still tough.  It takes money to do things, lots and lots of money.  We can get creative with financing, we can do much ourselves - but in the end nothing is free.  Doing the whole "running a company on a shoe string" is not so fun going on year two of the never ending Recession.
4. Just like that supplies can sell out.  Our Children's China line is temporarily sold out as of about 3 weeks ago.  The distributor is based in China, and China being China has not shipped any plates to the USA in like forever.  They may not ever ship them again.  One of our suppliers has refused to carry the plates, we found a new supplier that says they will be in stock early August.  We are not sure that will happen (and of course this happened after we had uploaded all the China plates.....yep).
5. The cost of our large ornaments and the drilling of them has made us re-think the product.  With budgets tighter and trees smaller the big honking 6 inch 2 pound ornament was not cutting it.  We decided to drop the product.
6. Some of the press I got is gone....gone Daddy gone.  It just does not exist on the web any longer.  A few blog posts about JPD, an article I wrote that was syndicated across the country and my first product placement in a magazine.  Those losses sucked, but the worst was my first National TV placement.  Working with Warm Biscuit Bedding my Christmas ornament  was featured on the CBS Early Show back in Christmas of 2005.....I accidentally deleted it off of Tivo.
7.  Some of our ribbon we use for our products has been discontinued- not a huge deal, but worth mentioning.  Just go get it somewhere else you say?  Not so easy, and not so realistic.  When it is gone - it is gone.  We buy our ribbon from a wholesaler, we have worked with this super big company for ages....I can't just run into my local fabric store and demand 15 rolls of a specific springtime gingham check ribbon.
8.  The crows ate our duck eggs, well not ours but these two ducks have visited me for the past four years at the office.  The Mommy duck laid 3 eggs at the end of May in one of our flower pots.  We were thrilled with the excitement of baby ducks this summer.  Then those awful damn crows ate 'em.
9. Our fridge in the break room is dying a slow death.  It leaks water and the freezer section does not work any longer.  You have no idea how cranky some people at JPD (that would be) will get without their Green Iced Teas frosty cold during a long work day.
10. My laptop is also on it's last leg.  Getting a new laptop is exciting - but paying for it, well I think I already mentioned how tight things were.  I just can not bring myself to buy a new one till this one dies for real.  I did buy a back up drive so that I am not losing anything....I hope.

Such is Life and There is a Silver Lining

A few weeks ago a friend and I were gabbing about life, kids, gossip - it was a run on conversation we were having when we had a few free minutes.  And, as it always does with me, the conversation changed when she asked, "How is business?".  I was honest, I was brutal and I did not pretend that we were bathing in hundred dollar bills and drinking wine out of golden goblets.  As I was giving gruesome details about how much the business has changed I sort of had an epiphany.  I thought that maybe this was just a bump in the road and maybe it was sort of a good thing.

It is no secret that for the past two school years I have volunteered my little heart out at my children's school.  I have done what I would have once pointed and laughed at other Mothers for volunteering to do.  I have loved parts of it, I have hated other parts.  I have made friends, I have probably ruffled more than a few feathers.

But the point is I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to help out at school and spend countless hours with my children.  Had business been booming I never would have ventured down this road.  So after being totally honest about business I told her, "You know what is good about this?  With our sales down, it gave me the opportunity to volunteer at school, something I never would have been able to do.  I am not glad that things are slow, but I am glad at how I spent my time."

Oh jeez, look at me now!  I had go all positive energy mantra on y'all.  Damn it, I guess I am more of a positive realist or a used to be negative now realist....who would have known?

Hand Painted is the Best.....Really?

August 26, 2008.

The big buzz words for any small crafter or mompreneur just starting out is hand made and/or hand painted.  Since I never used the hand made term (cause at the time the whole craft movement was not so big) I am going to focus on hand painted.  We (me) touted that word "hand painted" quite a bit when starting out.  I can recall bragging about my hand painted tiles to anyone and everyone (and please if you were someone I talked to, I would ask that you forgive me for talking so darn much - I was just so excited). 

There were quite a few of us out there way back in the day, almost six years ago, that were painting everything by hand.  I have talked to many other mompreneurs, some new and some old that still do the ol' hand made/hand painting thing to this day.  Heck, Etsy is all about "hand made" - and that is great.  However I don't think it is such a big deal, if you humor me for a moment - I suggest you read on, just for arguments sake:

Hand Painted or Die

In 2002 I did not study the children's industry, I had no idea what was hot, who was hot or what color combination was the must have on all celebrity's baby register.  Wendy Bellisimo who?  I sat at home and painted tiles - I painted them for my friends, I painted them for my family and I painted them for my children.  I was just happy making "art" for art sake.  Mixing the paint, making it match a particular set of bedding - I was a stay-at-home Mom and I was raising my children.  I was content doing it for pleasure, read was if you will.

If Picasso Can Do It

The beginning of 2003 brought me to a cross roads, was I to continue with this hobby or turn it into a business?  I had many a conversation with my husband going over the pro's and the con's of starting a business.  He was (and still is) my biggest supporter and helped me land my first big gig (err, small boutique).  I went through all the proper channels, registering the name, getting a business license and a re-sellers permit (trust me on the last one, paying full price blows!).

I was convinced that no one would buy my tiles unless they were hand painted - in fact I was now an expert on my industry (in my own mind, work with me).  I would troll the Internet at night, looking for channels and seeing who was doing what.  My husband and I kept seeing the term "hand painted" listed when describing art by a competitor, or someone in my field.  The hand painted canvases were just starting to over take the market, and all kinds of other artists were jumping in the mix.  A few ceramic artists were also slowly joining, I was one of a few ceramic artist (as we were called).  It was an exciting time, I am proud to be a part of such a talented and esteemed group of artists....but that was then.

Being a new Mom and not Super Woman I had to hire someone, as I have stated earlier.  I hired a painter to help with my huge (22 stores, yes we were big time) stack of orders.  Mind you I was doing the painting, doing the glazing, cooking the tiles, ribboning the tiles, packing the tiles, shipping the tiles, mailing and delivering the tiles......Crazy? yep!  Sleep deprived? yep!  Cranky?  yep!

Me Love Some Painting

Here is a few fun facts if you are planning on hand painting:

1. Hand painting is hard, back breaking and exhausting work.  Don't even think of getting a manicure - I mean like EVER!  You will have paint on your clothes, you will have paint on your nails and you will dream of brush strokes, paint brushes and colors mixing together in your sleep.
2. What takes you 1 hour to paint will take someone else 5 minutes to mass produce, and almost everything can be mass produced.  There are ways to mass produce almost every hand painted item out there - no don't roll your eyes, it is true.   You may not be able to afford it but it can be done. 
3. The more you sell, the less you make.  Sadly if you are the one painting and you have 45 orders that need to go out this week - and you paint one an hour.  You are working more than a full time job.  That does not even count everything else that goes into selling that painted item (refer to what I was said earlier in the post), that is 45 hours straight.  I hope you are paying yourself like $25.00 an hour at least so you can make some money for your hard work.  You are right?  Right?
4. Carpal Tunnel - not just for computer geeks any longer. That is right ladies - you can (and will get pains in your wrists) from painting.  Also - you can't go get Joe from IT to fix it - nope, you will need to keep painting, because it will happen at Christmas time.....when you  have 126 items to paint and ship by December 21st.  Trust me - I do not lie, nor do I exaggerate.
5. Lastly, and I know you won't believe me but no one cares if you hand paint it.  I know, I know you want to scream at me that your customers care - they do not care.  I learned from first time experience, as have countless other artists.  They want a beautiful piece, they want to get a good price and they want it fast.  Sorry Charlie - but it is your TALENT that sells the art not you ability to paint a canvas/tile/plate all by your ol' little self.  We did not lose one sale - in fact our sales grew and grew - the product was better and the turn around time was faster.

By the end of 2003 and many messed up goopy tile mistakes I was done hand painting.  I (me, not you) decided I wanted to create, I wanted to grow the business, I did not want to sit and paint all day.  So I looked for ways to cut down on my painting and grow the business.

Manufacturing is the Way of the Future

To manufacture in house or to manufacture over seas, the choice is yours.  It is the way to make money for your business.  Somewhere down the road you will probably throw your paint covered hands up and say, "ENOUGH!".  The old saying, "My way or the Highway".....I could have created that saying.  I was stubborn, I had my feet in the ground, I had um no business degree.  It took us a year to get past hand painting and "making tiles" the way we do now.  We had many versions, we had many changes - we found the way to do it.  I am not saying my way is the right way, I am not saying my way is the only way - but I am saying it worked.

No Way Jose

But, but, but you say - I don't want the riches you need.  I don't want to be as successful as you.  Um,  hold on - I have to snort while I laugh.  Success my dear friend is in the eye of the beholder, and I never said I was rich.  I never said I was wildly successful - I just know that I would rather spend my waking hours creating, doing publicity, writing my blog(s) and spending time with my family.  If you choose to paint for 10 hours a day - good for you!  Go for it!  Me, not so much!  I am going to pick my kids up from school at 2:30 every day and call it a day.

While I am on my soap box I would like to state one more thing - time is money.  You are worth something, your time is worth something - especially if you are taking valuable time away from your family.  I don't mean to sound harsh, but "been there and done that, have the t-shirt" if you know what I mean?  Ask yourself if you want to PAINT or you want to CREATE, two very different things.  Not to say when starting out and testing the water you should not make your wares, but two, three, or SEVEN years down the road.....is it a hobby or is it a business?  How have you changed?  How have you grown?  Have you polled your customers to find out why they buy from you and not Joe Blow from down the street?  I have and let me tell ya - my customers never said, "Gee Jamie, your tiles are hand painted, I can see brush strokes".  Not one.

The choice is yours.....what do you say?  Still insist on hand painting?

Contest for Inovative Moms

July 28, 2008.

I have had this information for over two weeks and I feel bad I did not get the information out sooner.  I came back from BlogHer'08 with a fabulous cold, and my daughters birthday and birthday party to deal with.  I also have this um, business to run and while sick - I was sneezing, coughing (don't forget whining, as my husband will remind me) mess.  I would apologize for not blogging, but I am not allowed to so better late than never right? It is a great contest (with money for the winners) that I think other mother's would enjoy.

Mother of Invention Grant Program

Whirlpool brand is kicking off their fourth annual Mother of Invention Grant Program.  In the past three years, Whirlpool has recognized and helped more than 15 mompreneurs turn their innovative ideas into a reality.  The Grant Program provides seed money and expert guidance to help mother's turn their invention, business or service idea into a full-fledged business.

Contest Winners Receive:

• A $20,000.00 grant for the Grand Prize Winner
• $24,000.00 in grant money for four runner-ups
• Appliance prizes
• Invitation to business boot camp, where the winners will receive guidance from Whirlpool and other Industry Experts

This year Whirlpool is getting into the whole "Green Thing" by adding a new category focused on moms who create an environmentally friendly product/service or use natural/recycled materials to create their invention.  You can also read about their past winners to see if your product or idea is viable.

You can get more information to enter at Whirpool, entries are accepted through July 31, 2008.   

Eighth Entrepreneur - Debbie Killion

January 28, 2008.

Hello moder, hello fader, here I am at Camp Grenada, camp is very entertaining we should have some fun once it stops.....SNOWING! Yep, snow, snow, snow - we are up in Truckee and it coming down in buckets, and we are stuck in the cabin with let's see one, two.....SEVEN kids.  Hoping we can make it home tomorrow....did I mention it has not stopped snowing in the last 48 hours?

I thought I would post another Entrepreneur, one that is new to  the Children's Industry.  Debbie started Designs By DJ early in 2007 and her products were chosen for the exclusive Boom Boom Room earlier this month.  She is also one of my dearest friends, so this does not stink of Nepotism, but I have known her for oh, um about 15 years.  I was in college with her and were as close as could be. 

Our Past Together

We both loved the whole skits, posters, t-shirt designs all the stuff that really helps with a corporate job.  If Debbie and I could have majored in "Sorority Charity Events" we would have.  She is seriously one of the most talented artists I know....and the most fun to stay up with late at night and make costumes for "Joy To The World" Greek Week skit....uh, another story.  I am happy to introduce you to Debbie Killion:

Designs by DJ Murals & Children's Wall Art

I started Designs by DJ Murals and Decorative Painting in 1995,   painting murals, faux painting and hand painted furniture in the Southern California area.  I started my own business because I wanted the freedom to work on my own schedule.  I also wanted to reap the benefits of my own hard work.

I decided to start Designs by DJ Children's Wall Art once I had my first child.  My goal was to one day stop painting murals and focus on being a mom, while working from my home studio on the Children's Wall Art business.  I just had my second child in November and I am now focusing most of my energy on the Wall Art Business.

The Difference in the Businesses

I have found that manufacturing art is different from creating murals because I get to design exactly  what I want.  With the murals the designs were dictated by the client for the most part.  With my Wall Art I have complete control and freedom with my creations.  My favorite part of my job is being able to be home with my children while running my Wall Art businesses.  I don't have a least favorite part of my job yet....I love what I am doing.

Future Plans

My plan for the future of my business is to get my paintings into more shops and boutiques, as well as on line stores and to expand my line of designs.  I have pages and pages of new designs and products in my sketch book that are ready to be created.  The only thing holding me back at the moment is having a 12 week old baby at home.  But, I am excited to get back into my studio and bring my new ideas to life. 

Raising children and running a business is very tough, but I work on my business during my moments of freedom.  Nap times are key and having a wonderful supportive husband helps a lot too.  I look forward to see what the future brings for Designs by DJ.

Special News Bulletin

December 24, 2007.

We interrupt the 12 Days of Entrepreneur Blog Posts for a very important news bulletin.....

2008 Christmas Shopping Season at JPD

Well 2007 is almost over, and though November was slower than last year, Jamie's Painting & Design seems to be ending December with a bang.  I have spoken with many other small business owners (from other industry's) and it sounds like the economy (just to humble little ol' me) is slowing down.  Luckily we have continued to grow in other areas, streamline our processes, expand our line and continue to evolve as a company.

I will delve more into what worked and did not work for the 2008 Holiday Season once I get the tinsel off the tree, glitter out of my floor boards, the last packages wrapped, eat one more piece of fudge, sing one more verse of jingle bells (hold on Abby, I will be start singing any minute now...) and sit down, no really maybe I should sit down when I type.

12 Days of Entrepreneurs....More like 42

If you are counting we are only up to number five, and even though math is not my strong point, I know I will not get the other 7 up before the end of December - which was my original goal.  I am still, um, well missing a few interviews, but I can at least get through 10 hopefully by the beginning of January.  December sort of crept up and bit me in the ass, and I have had some family emergencies to deal with to boot.  Being the boss is nice now, and makes me realize why I chose to do this - I have the freedom to take care of  more pressing matters.

On a happier note - I would like to say that the 12 Days of Entrepreneurs is going to continue to be a  monthly post at JPD Mom.  The success has been great, and I really enjoy highlighting other successful entrepreneurial women.  Sharing tricks of the trade, telling your stories and how you did it, your secrets to success, and your nodding your head when I am crying - all good.  I would like to actually feature pioneers in the industry, established women, and new entrepreneurs that are just breaking into the industry on a regular basis.

If you are interested in being featured please send the following:

• Name and name of your company
• Family status
• Where your located, is it a home run business or out of an office
• Retail/Wholesale
• Website
• A short biography about why you started your business and a little "nugget" of inspiration for us.

The Times They Continue to Change

If you have not heard, Drooz studio has decided to close it's wholesale side of the business, and let Oopsy Daisy produce her products.  I think what Shelly Kennedy is doing is brilliant - I commend her and I am happy for her success.  I can not wait to see what the next great thing that Shelly will do, and how she will continue to impact our industry. 

I remember not so long ago when another pioneer decided to stop selling wholesale.   Back in Spring of 2004, Wendy Bellissimo left the wholesale side of the business.  The ripple around the country was huge - boutiques everywhere were told to sell or return old inventory. I remember the store owners and websites all in total dismay - her bedding was the "must have" bedding for all mothers to be.  The rumors were flying about what she was going to do next, and what bedding would replace her.  Needless to say, a couple other bedding companies quickly took her throne and all is right with the world.

How wonderful for the customers of Drooz studio to NOT have to wait a whole year to see what she is doing next.  Again, great move by Shelly - it sounds like a win-win situation to me.

It makes you wonder, only history will tell who will be remembered and who will quickly be forgotten.  Which of us will go on to make an impact?  Who will create a major shift in this industry and who will slowly fade away? Which of you will continue to hand paint,  sew alone or make your own products? Which of us will stop doing it ALL? Who will go overseas to manufacture and who will just go down in flames?

One thing I do know is that people need to decide what they want to spend their time doing - and I think Shelly made it very clear - she loves to create.

The Year In Review

Finally, I will be posting the year in review, the highlights  and low points for JPD.  Some things were huge, some just a bleep on my radar.  Some blog posts will be remembered fondly, and others....well I am not so proud of.

Hope everyone has a very Happy Holiday and you are able to spend some quality time with your families.  My wish to you is that you (and I) will NOT feel compelled to do one of the following; check the status of an order, paint a plate, make a call, sew something, check voice mail, invoice a customers, ship a package, make a sales call, check email, sneak blackberry to Christmas dinner, post a blog......DOH, I blew it already!

We will now return your to your regular pro......er, uh Entrepreneur Blogs.......NEXT!

Fifth Entrepreneur - Amber Miner

December 20, 2007.

I am really sorry that these posts are not as frequent this month as I had hoped.  Not only did I have over 85 orders on the last day we took orders- um and everyone in the office was out sick, with sick people or a sick dog....yes, I said dog.  Sometimes family has to be priority - and that has been what I have been doing the last few weeks.  I will delve more into what this Christmas season was like (good and bad) for Jamie's Painting & Design.

First though, I would like to introduce a very inspirational entrepreneur.  I am sort of fuzzy as to how I actually met her, though I think it went a little something like this.  I was checking the stats on my blog and found someone doing a search, her blog ended up on the search just like mine.  I checked her blog out and started reading it, I was enthralled, I was inspired and I was so excited to find another business owner able to speak honestly about running her business. 

Not only had she read my blog, but we had much in common in the whole "Mompreneur" thingie-mabopper life style.  If you have not already (I recommend it highly, and tend to repeat myself....see it's listed over to the left) do check out her blog for an honest look at starting, growing and running your own business.  Amber tends to give straight from the belt, honest stories of what it takes.  Her positive attitude is something I need to try and follow - 'cause you know I tend to put my cranky pants on every once and again.

Amber Miner, Owner & Founder of Baby Fabulous

I had the idea to start a baby clothing line shortly after my daughter was born in October 2002.  After testing the market, learning a new industry, and developing our brand and company, we officially launched Baby Fabulous (b*fab) at the end of September 2006.

Reason for Starting a Business

My kids are the reason we decided to follow our own path.  Where we live, it takes two incomes to survive, so we had to put our daughter into daycare when she was just a few months old.  Just knowing that hands off time was coming up made my brain start ticking - what else can I do???  Kids changed me in so many ways, made me think about so many things - reaching your dreams, living by example, and most importantly being there.  It took longer than I thought to finally launch, bur we're living our dream, because we both work from home and we're raising our own children.

I see the future or our company big, BIG and fabulous things are in the future of b*fab.  We will continue to grown, we will continue to promote job growth in the US and someday, the b*fab brand will be a household name.  In just a year, our customer base has grown exponentially, we've got a celebrity clientele, and our products have received numerous rave reviews.  We hope to maintain steady growth and keep it on the up & up.

I really love everything about my job right now, but especially the flexibility and freedom to be  creative.  After you've given yourself to a career that makes you dread going into work, finding something you love is no comparison.  I love knowing that I've created every aspect of my job from ideas in my head.  I love the challenge, and subsequent satisfaction of solving problems.  I love the journey more than anything and that I can already look back on things I never would have dreamed I would be capable of accomplishing.

My least favorite part of my job is how tired I am, (isn't this true for every Mom though?) and that is when stuff does not work out right, the only "idiot boss" I have to blame is myself.

Following Trends & The Family Balance

Sometimes I find myself following trends, sometimes it's artwork I have seen, or flowers, or seasons.  I take inspiration from all sorts of things.  I love to blend the past trends with modern trends.  I love color, and I love to get out and be inspired by nature.  A little fresh air goes a long ways.

Balancing running a business with family life is something we work on every day and never perfect.  We are constant trying new systems, keeping what works, and when something doesn't, trying something else.  We find that as soon as a system seems to be running smoothly, something comes a long and there is a kink in it anyway.  New school schedules, new activities, new volunteer and side commitments all change our routine.  It is best to stay flexible and good communication is the big difference. 

Second Entrepreneur Interview - Suzanne Longacre

December 12, 2007

I am happy to introduce another successful entrepreneur to hopefully inspire everyone.  I have only known her a few months, but we seem to have a lot in common.  Like most of these great women I am interviewing - I met her through my blog, she read a post, and the rest is history.  We have only spoken via emails and then she was nice enough to agree to do this interview.  Her press on her site is very impressive as is her ability to stay positive in ALL situations.  Take a gander at how Suzanne did it:

Suzanne Longacre, owner & founder of Suzibella

I started Suzibella in March 2002, 11 months after my third son was born.  I left my "real job" of 10 years as a Sales and Marketing Manager for a company that designed and manufactured equipment to dry coatings on paper (exciting,  huh?).  It was definitely challenging, but not my passion.  I left that position, moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvannia, and spent 2 years having fun decorationg my house.  When my friends started having babies, it was a great opportunity to try out my creative side, and I began painting rockers, shelves,etc. to match their nurseries. 

After each baby gift I created, I received more and more encouragement to open a store and sell my creations. Wow, I thought -- this is perfect.  I can be creative and apply my business knowledge at the same time.  So it was done.  I rented a tiny space, about the size of an armoire, in a local retail store, painted up some pieces of furniture, and Welcome Baby was born.

I quickly realized that I needed to offer other products, and then needed a bigger space, and then  more spaces in other towns, and it just mushroomed.  I developed my Keepsake Box, and it was such a hit, that I decided to market it to other baby stores in addition to my own.  Then that started to take off, and I realized something had to give.  After considerable thought, I closed the retail side of my business and focused on the wholesale side. 

In the meantime, I had tried to Trademark my company name, Welcome Baby, and learned that a huge retailer had trademarked the name for their line of baby clothing.  Being the stubborn one that I can be, I decided to take them on, since I wanted to use the name for reatail stores, not products.  When I changed my focus from owning retail stores to selling wholesale products, I realized this fight would not be won.  I had to change the name, and now.  After hundreds of ideas (I wish I could say that it just "came to me" but in this case it didn't); I chose Suzibella, after Suzy Bell, my nickname as a child.

Suzibella, the Company

Suzibella is only about a year and a 1/2 old.  I quickly realized to grow, I needed another product, and although my company name did not come easily to me, the idea for the NappiSak did.  There were other products on the market for carrying diapers and wipes, but none that had both the level of function and style that my design offered.  I applied for a full patent on the NappiSak and it has been a whirlwind ever since.

I have to say that marketing the NappiSak has been the most favorite part of my job.  I decided to do the celebrity marketing route, and it was a great decision and a heck of a lot of fun!!  When I attended the Boom Boom Room last January, I learned 2 months before their birth that Marcia Cross's twins were girls.  Although I wasn't asked to keep mum, I knew Marcia was not revealing the sex so it was a huge ethical dilema for me.   Do I send the photos of the gender-specific NappiSaks to People Magazine to get the exposure, or do I respect her wishes?  After much debate, I decided not to reveal it.  I am such a beliver in karma, and the Power of Postivie Thinking that I knew if I did the right thing, I would be rewarded many times over.

Press, Celebrities & More

As a believer in the Power of Positive Thinking and the Law of Attraction, I decideed to test it.   While on the flight to LA for the Image Awards, I sent out a request that I wanted to meet Oprah.  I was sure she would be there, and you know the power of the Oprah effect.  I followed the steps; Ask, Believe and Receive.  Well, I have to say that I was totally disappointed, she wasn't even there.  And although it was an amazing trip, I was a little rocked by the fact that it didn't happen.  Though, at the Image Awards, where I actually got to walk the red carpet and meet celebrities, such as Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, America Ferrara, and LL Cool J - he even gave a shout out on video about my products, you can view it here.

I always feel it's bettter to have a positive attitude, and hapy to tell you that my request was eventually answered, just not in the time frame I imagined.  In early September of this year my phone rang, and the caller ID came up....it said Harpo.  And yes, that call IS as good as you imagine it can be.  It still amazes me how lucky and fortunate I am, every time I need something (a new supplier, a PR firm, people to work for me, etc.) it seems the perfect person or company or idea just crosses my path.  Now don't get me wrong -- it requires a ton of hard work, lots of networking, and the constant determination to be the best at what you do.

First Entrepreneur Interview - Vicki Bodwell

December 10, 2007

I am excited to post this interview about Vicki Bodwell, owner and founder of the Warm Biscuit Bedding Company.  I have had the good fortune of working with Vicki since the winter of 2003.  So, with out further ado, I would like to introduce my very first interview with a successful entrepreneur:

I had been getting Warm Biscuit catlaogs for years, always wanting to do something creative with my talent - I loved to look at them.  When I finally figured out what to do, I kept thinking of sending a product submission to them.  I finally got up my nerve and sent an email.  To my amazement not only were they interested, but the owner of the company, Vicki Bodwell emailed me immediately back.  After showing her some very rough and amateur photographs of my "warm biscuit inspired" name tiles, they agreed to feature two of my products.  I was lucky enough to have them take a chance on me, and I also got the coveted back cover of the early winter 2004 publication.  To say it was one if the highest points in my career would be true - I was amazed at my good fortune and good luck.

Today I have a large variety of products that are sold through the Warm Biscuit Bedding Company.   We have created exclusive designs, created brand new products together, I have a great partnership with this company and we continue to work very well together. 

Now looking back, some almost four years later I am honored to call Vicki one of my dearest friends.  We have been through good times and bad times, shared laughs and tears, and been able to even meet in person a few times.  She has been one of the biggest supporters, and yet also one of my toughest critics - I truly respect her advice and opinions.

Vicki Mote Bodwell, Owner of the Warm Biscuit Bedding Company

I started the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. in May of 1999, three months after Pottery Barn Kids launched!  I started my own business from a combined desire to work with fabrics, control of my own destiny an decorate a more flexible lifestyle for my family.  When we started our business, there were very few options for moms to create a stylish child's room at an affordable price.  Now, eighth years later, the category has vastly changed, with new websites and catalogs sprouting up daily.

Learning about the Warm Biscuit Bedding Company

When my son was born in the summer of 1999, I decided to stop being a computer animator for the Learning Company and stay at home with my son.  This was not a difficult decision at the time, I was miserable in my position, the job was not satisfying and I was ready to embark on a new life.  After having my son I noticed a number of different baby and children's catalogs started showing up in my mail box.

One catalog in particular stood out, The Warm Biscuit Bedding Catalog.  It had such a different look from any other catalog, I was not only inspired but in awe of the company.  I remember sitting on my couch (nursing probably) wishing I could make something worthy of this catalog,  I would go through the catalog, page by page looking at the wonderful vintage fabrics and products.

Fast forward to the summer of 2003 (check out previous blogs, seriously I do not need to re-live HOW I ended up at where I am today), when I finally realized that selling on the Internet was key to the growth of my company and I had honed my sales pitch.  I had spent many a day trolling around websites I wanted to be on - The Warm Biscuit Bedding Company was the top of my list.  With the encouragement of my husband I sent an email to them asking if they were interested in new product submissions. 

Best & Worst Part of the Job

My top favorite piece is the creative process.  I enjoy each step of the creative process.  From thinking of new products to developing them with my team.  Secondly, I love working directly with our customers.  Hearing their enthusiasm and excitement as they plan for their new baby or decorating project is enormously motivating to me.  We are lucky that this is a happy time for moms.

My least favorite part is managing the cash flow.  There never seems to be enough wiggle room to feel comfortable....yet again, that probably keeps us on our toes!

I look around my life countlessly for ideas.  From the school yard with the boys to a cocktail party with my husband.  I am always looking for trends and asking people what "finds" they have discovered.  I look at every catalog, magazine and email I can to see what other companies are doing.  I am a huge believer that there are very few true ORIGINAL ideas and most things are an improvement or adjustment to an old idea.   I love vintage, flea market patterns, so we modify and enhance images, or update an old product.  Although, I look forward to the day when we can INVENT the next big thing!

When I look for a new designer, I look for someone who wants to "partner" with us.  We want  designers who want to grow with us and help our business succeed.  We've been lucky to work with artists who are watching out for us and come to us with great product ideas.

I always refer to the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. as my 4th child.  Like any of my children, sometimes this child acts up and needs more attention.  The holidays are particularly draining and stressful.  I think every mom is stretched thin, so I don't think my life is any more difficult than my customers. Recognizing that we try at the Warm Biscuit Bedding Company to create a shopping sanctuary where they can rely on us to make their life more enjoyable.

Big Week for Betty Lou....I mean JPD!

November 12, 2007.

Well when it rains it pours, and that is always the case with my business.  Every year right around my birthday (don't worry you have plenty of time to shop still, it's not till December) I get some amazing press.  It has happened the last four years - I was starting to think that my good luck had rubbed off, used it all up and by year five - no rubbing of my magic press lamp would work this year.....But sometimes, good things continue to happen to us.

First of all we got this email sent to us last Friday and we are very excited to have our Thanksgiving Children's China plate featured in this weeks newsletter of Baby Times. 

The press is actually through one of our e-tailers, one of our very oldest and first website to carry our products, Baby Box that is.  I am happy for Baby Box and happy it is OUR plate featured.

Katherine Type of Baby Box took a risk on us way back in 2003 when we were on literally no one's radar, and on no websites or in any catalogs.  She took a risk on us even though:

A. No one had heard of Jamie's Painting & Design

B. The photographs were awful, taken in my backyard by me, myself and I.  The word professional photographer was not in my vocabulary

C. I still had not totally figured out drop-shipping or the cost of my products and I continued to tinker with the shipping cost and the cost of the tile that first year.  I must have given her a headache.

D. I was cooking tiles in my oven.  Oops, did I say oven I meant kiln? No, seriously, that is right my first year in business I was just trying to get it all done.  It was a tough Christmas and my poor oven....well let's just say we did not use it very much back then - we couldn't I was cookin' me some tile!

E. Back in the day I made myself many an error and even sent out some uh, well goopy or not finished tiles.  This is hard for me to admit, being that I am a perfectionist and all.  I did make good on the tiles, I replaced any bad ones - and I made it a priority to NOT have another Christmas like that.  Hand painting was fun, but it could not sustain the volume of products were selling, even that first Christmas.

Second thing to happen this week we are the featured company at Posh Tots and our products are featured in their newsletter.  I would like to imagine that the newsletter goes out to 200 million people - but I don't know the exact numbers quite yet, maybe not that many people.

The exciting thing is that our company name is listed in the newsletter (no not here in this photo, I am having a heck of a time saving a .GIF).  But if you click on Posh Tots you should see the fancy-schmancy rotating images newsletter that went out to everyone in the world today (I wish but I know it went out to tons of peeps).

Maybe this is not the Today Show, the Oprah show or People Magazine, but it is good Press, Marketing and even some free Advertising.  I am hoping it just adds to our sales for the year, and keeps our company in the front of peoples minds when they are purchasing products.  Not every piece of press we got turned immediately into millions of dollars (okay um NOTHING we have done has turned into a million dollars...yet).  But I do believe that every little bit helps, and it just validates your company.  It gives you a little warm and fuzzy - and it's pretty damn cool to see your company name up their in lights isn't it?

I know designers out there that want nothing to do with their products or company's getting press unless it says their name.  I know that they tend to get all weirded out and want the press for themselves - not the company that re-sells their products.  I think that is ridiculous, and selfish.  If someone from the press approaches one of our re-sellers about OUR products - but we don't get mentioned, who cares?  I am just thrilled that we were chosen.  Trust me - we have sent out free products all over the place to get some press for a sales channel.  I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth - or whatever the saying is.  Press is press, is press, is press - so I always get all geeked up about it.      

If good things come in threes I am holding my breath for number three....maybe if I wish hard enough it will happen!

8 Successful Traits of an Entre....er, Mompreneur

All the business blogs seem to be experts with information about what it takes to be a good entrepreneur (yawn).  They list these traits that are.....well for the most part very vague and for MEN (excused me while I barf in my mouth a little).  If you are female and IF you are a Mother and IF you are starting a small business....this is your list.  I always like when arm chair quarterbacks list what traits YOU should have to succeed....walk a mile in my shoes Mr. Expert!

So, I decided to list MY of best traits (no, no not ME, what I would recommend are good traits...gosh I sounded so pompous!) for a successful Mom-preneur-ish type of lady, cause uh, well that is what I am:

1. Be Creative

This is critical, and I do not mean being able to make a lovely knitted-yarn cozy to cover your Kleenex box.  You must be able to use your creativity to make sales, close the sale, if you can not pay a a lot, find other ways to "pay" your employees.  We give employees a 50% discount on products and unlimited freedom to work when they  need to work, just get the job done.  No forms to fill out when asking for vacation - make it work.  Being creative can come in many different forms - find what you are good at, and work it!

2. Follow Through Queen

Do you follow through on what you say you are going to do?  Do you still have Christmas cards from 2001 on your desk?  Are you able to continue to follow-up on sales leads, on bad partnerships from 5 years ago?  I am!   Some of the hardest calls I need to make are when I need to end a relationship or let a channel know that we will no longer be working with them.  Or to continue to be a thorn (a friendly that is) in some company's side to remind them (friendly reminder) that they were going to purchase products.  It is all in the delivery!  But I do HAVE to do it.  A fellow entrepreneur was telling me about this company that had just gotten into yet another bedding catalog - she said, "Not the most original product, but  they follow up religiously".  So keep following up - it's not the Early Bird that gets the worm.....it is the Persistent One.

3. Become Tenacious D

Are you tenacious?  If I get put off, or blown off, I mark it in my calendar and approach them again.  I spent years pursuing one of our largest accounts, and it took the right product the right time, the right email and bingo - best seller on their site, over and over!  This site is so savvy, that they dump  ( good technique) products that do not sell - my contact called earlier this year to say we had NO products to dump, we did TOO well on their site..... I continue to nurture my accounts - the squeaky wheel (the nice squeaky wheel, you do not want to be a pest) gets the attention.  I also make it a point of keeping up on what is going on in my industry.  If I am trying to get into a sales channel and they show up in an article in a trade magazine, I send a congratulations email to the owner.  This has opened many doors for me.

4. Have Some Passion 

Do you have a passion for what you do?  After having my first child, I realized I would never care as much about work as I used to, it just did not matter to me.  No fire drill that I was sent through would ever matter as much as my little boy did.  And, if I was to leave him for a job - it better be a damn good one (case in point it was not, that is why I stayed home).  The passion gets me up at 6:00 a.m., the passion sends me to the computer before I go to bed to check orders, the passion keeps me sane.  That same passion keeps this blog going and keeps me chugging along.....my life has a purpose!

5. Be The Communicator

You need to be able to communicate what you need and when you need it.  If you do not talk well, learn to write well.  You need to be able to communicate to everyone.  If you hate talking to people, then being an entrepreneur is not for you.  Tell a good story, be able to weave a tale and explain yourself.  If it takes you 25 minutes to explain what it is you do and what you sell, no one is going to be awake for that.  You need to work it, and do it quickly!  It is sink or swim, learn to talk well, write well - this helps with all aspects of being an Entrepreneur, and let's face it....your kids will love that Mommy knows how to spell Entrepreneur....

6. Information Guru

Sometimes I am privileged to meet other business owners, sometimes I meet other entrepreneurs that choose to put their head in the sand that DO not pay attention to what is going on in their given industry and I think how nice.  How nice for you to ignore the rest of us - and good luck when your company goes belly up because you chose to not pay attention.  This is really not the best strategy.  You need to be aware, if for nothing else know who to get into bed with (not literally - come on people!) and who to NOT be in bed with, to know the upcoming trends.  Information is good, it is not bad, it will NOT suck your creativity out of you, be aware, be smart - be a MAN!  To quote my very precocious little 8 year old "Knowledge is Power!"

7. Be Competitive

Now I am NOT a competitive sports person type.  I actually played sports for years - basically I did it because, the boys were playing, everyone else was, and I got to talk, meet and hang out with some pretty fun people.   Now that was sports - fast forward to my business....I am fiercely competitive, I know who is doing what, I know where things are sold, I know who my competition is and will make sure and win every time.  I know their weaknesses and I know what I can do and can't do.  Come on people the early bird gets the worm......or the smart girl gets the sale!

8. Multi-Tasker 

Now come ON!  Being a Mom you already are a multi-tasker.  Who can change a diaper, make dinner, answer the phone, clean sink, run a load of wash, feed the dog AND write 14 thank you cards at once?  Who? Who?  A MOTHER-that is who!  Multi-tasking comes much easier to women, especially Mothers!  The ability to put out ten fires at work all at the same time, and be able to stay calm...only a mother.  Trust me - if you can do these things at home you CAN do them at work!  We do not get enough credit in my opinion - we are women, hear us roar!  We can multi-task without scratching ourselves, or losing our concentration because some "buddy" sent us a video of Jessica Alba!

So, there it is - the very unprofessional, and totally honest 8 Traits of a successful Mompreneur!  I am sure you all are patting yourselves on the back and saying to your significant other...."see...I told you so!" (I know I am)

It is Your Day...Do What you Love!

This is the official eighth year that I get to partake in the Mother's Day festivities as an active participant.  I had two years with my friend covered with fur, and then there was the one year I was almost a mother....but those don't really count do they? 

Now that it is official, I like to spend the day barking orders at my family, making them pick up after me, feed me, dress me, bathe me, HELP me and proclaiming, "Because I said so!"  Okay, so I don't do that....but wouldn't that be fun?  This year my son is old enough to ask why there is not a kid's day, and I respond,"I remember thinking the same thing pumpkin when I was your age....and the answer is because EVERY DAY IS KIDS DAY!"

Two years ago I actually came down with some sort of bug, that included....well let's just say I was sick.  And then I got to try and eat a very VERY burnt breakfast in bed.  Spent most of the week (including the entire Mother's Day) in bed (in tears) sick as a dog (which made one dog super happy to spend the week with me).

So last year I decided that I would spend the entire weekend (and a 1/2 day on Friday) doing something I loved-gardening.  And, I went balls to the wall, adding flowers, plants, seeding, new bark, moving plants, planting vines uh I went a bit overboard.  I ended up wrenching my back so bad I felt sick to my stomach, again spending most of the week in bed.

This year I have spent the last two days in a germ free gardening free bubble.......for fear that I might not fully enjoy this Mother's Day.  I will speak or touch no one.  I am going to be healthy if it kills me.  I am spending today doing things I love to do or with people I love:

• Going to breakfast (love breakfast)
• Spend day with family (love family)
• Shopping for new stove (love shopping)
• Shopping for slippers (love shopping....did I mention that?)
• Get my car washed (er...love clean stuff)
• Dinner with extended family (we uh, already addressed this, love family)
• Paint (we have covered this before oh I do love to paint). 

I started to think how many people can actually say that they are doing what they love?  On a day-to-day basis, what do you do spend your day doing?  I mean you got the career you wanted but are you DOING what you love to do?  Are you working towards getting to that point at least?  If you went back to school are you studying what you want to study?  If you started your own company are you doing what you love to do?  Or are you spending all your time chasing down problems? 

What are you spending your time doing? 

Have you ever looked around and assessed what you spend your day doing?  If I am going to spend hours away from my family and kids I have decided I better be doing something I love.  Selfish - to some, to me it's the only way to live.  I have scratched, clawed and cried my way to where I am today.  I do NOT want to go back to doing things that I don't enjoy doing. 

This is not to say I do not do one of the following on a weekly basis: clean the toilet, vacuum, wash windows, chase down a lost order, order supplies, empty the garbage, ship a package, write an email, negotiate a contract, clean out the fridge, upgrade the computer, add ink to the printer, re-do a corrupt file...the list goes on and on.  However, this is life and these jobs are few and far between - I used to spend my days doing ONLY these things, day in and day out.  I used to do it all....

It has been a long road, I took baby steps, I made changes, I fought some of them, yet I can honestly say MOST days I am doing what I love....um, I need to stop writing and start painting, before someone asks me to do something else....

So - I ask you dear reader, are you honestly doing what you love? (that was uh, not an open-ended question you can ACTUALLY respond you know....go ahead respond I know who you are!  Please...don't make me beg!) 

Merry....errr...Happy New Year?

IMG_0320
Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

December 28, 2006

As 2006 is coming to a close I will be addressing my 'New Years' cards today. For the first time ever I did not send out Christmas cards. Well, one year truth be told I sent them out three days prior to Christmas and some lucky souls got them right before the holiday.

I took the advice from a good friend and fellow entrepreneur, Vicki Bodwell, she wrote about how she looked so forward to reading her friends cards, but could not ever get it together to get her own out. Her goal was to send out New Years cards after the crazy holiday season.

Each year, I also look forward to cards from friends and family, near and far. I love to see the photos and catch up on the special events of their lives. We get one card in particular that I can not wait to open and read each year. Our friend always makes her own cards, no not with a paste, glitter and some snowflake doilies.  Her cards are beautiful and creative with different paper and ribbons. They also have a 'point to ponder', an inspiration or a real good "food for thought" quote.  I save the points to ponder each year, and post it somewhere easy to read when I need some, uh, inspiration.

Taking her cue, I thought I would list my points to ponder for others that started a business or are thinking of starting one, or just take that leap of faith and jumping back into the work force, or uh, just hanging out. Here are my JPD Points to Ponder for 2007:

• The most destructive habit.................negativity, it spreads like wild fire
• The greatest sound...........................laughter, it is contagious
• The greatest joy................................giving back to your community, you should give back
• The greatest loss..............................loss of not doing, not taking the leap
• The most satisfying work...................doing what you love, and love what you are doing
• Our greatest natural resource.............our minds, it is a terrible thing for you to waste
• The greatest shot in the arm...............a pat on the back, even from yourself
• The greatest problem to overcome.......fear of not trying, go ahead and try
• The most effective sleeping pill............happiness with self, life and life choices
• The most crippling failure disease........excuses for why now is not the right time
• The most powerful force in life..............support of others, others will then support you
• The most dangerous pariah..................jealousy and gossip, it can eat you alive
• The most incredible computer..............your brain, your brain, your brain (got it?)
• The worst thing to be without...............hope, tomorrow is a new day
• The deadliest weapon.........................you, you can convince yourself out of anything
• The most powerful words....................."I can do this!"
• The greatest asset..............................faith in yourself and your vision
• The most worthless emotion................worry, it is money paid on a a debt you don't have
• The most contagious spirit..................enthusiasm!

Now go on out there and do something!!  Good luck, happy new year and happy resolutions!  I hope you all are able to make your wildest dreams come true in 2007!  To quote the sergeant from Hill Street Blues, "Hey people, let's be careful out there!"