New Products.......finally! Picture Frames...really!

June 25, 2007

Please sound the trumpets....big BIG announcement, look I FINALLY got new products done:

I mean, you knew I would right? RIGHT?  You did not give up on me did you?  You had faith I would not blow it?  Right? Right? 

Okay, I bet when I threw out there that I was coming up with new products you all poo-pooed me and thought na-uh.  And then I started thinking the same thing because creating a new product does not only mean coming up with a cool idea it means so much more:

Creating a whole new line of products takes time and research.  It means finding a company that manufactures the actual product you want to use, and someone to get the product to me, then get it produced, etc, etc. 

The product also needs to be assembled, priced appropriately, made sure the artwork fits the product, find the right  sales channels......starting to sound tough now?  The gist of this post is that I have finally managed to get some of our NEW products ready for the public to actually see and purchase.   I swear I am as proud as a new Mama.........well almost.

This was no easy task let me tell you.  We had to figure out the following:

• Who will buy these products?
• Wholesale and Retail Pricing, what is the markets price point
• Who makes the product? How can I get it?  Is there a need for it?
• What shall I do with it?  What themes? Who do I show it to?
• PR, do I go for it?  Do I even have a budget for this?
• Personalized or not?  Two different lines?
• What are the margins?  Will we make enough profit?
• Who will assemble the frames?

These are all questions a business owner needs to ask when adding a new line of products.  I have decided (a long time ago) that we will always do ceramic products - keepsakes, that is our thing.  Not to say we may not venture out, but Jamie's Painting & Design is about long lasting keepsakes not wooden things, not canvas, not pillows....C-E-R-A-M-I-C.

Back in 2004 we got this bug up our butt to do Christmas ornaments.  One of our biggest channels at the time had this great idea and we jumped on it, without really understanding the ramifications.  Well our ornament sold well, really well that first year.  But not fully researching it we ended up losing money by drilling the ornaments ( that were too hard of a porcelain to drill) ourselves.  We went through so many drill bits, many tears, trips to specialists, um drill bits, tears, broken ornaments - it was painful and costly. 

So this time we spent months on the process before releasing the new products.

I hope you like them - there are many more to come!  And as my husband always says, "If running your own business was easy everyone would do it"
 

Comments

[Zymeth Blues]

They're perfect for children. I let my nephews look at this post, and they found the frames cool! Who are those kids, anyway? They look so happy and perfect for the frames' designs. I wish my nephew can pose like that, too. He's one naughty kid!! LOL!