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!
Congratulations! That is great press and I did see the Posh Tots email, everyone should click on it, they did a great job. Ahhhh, BabyBox. Katherine's the best and was my very first account, years ago. Where would we be without our great channels that go above and beyond for us?
Posted by: London | November 13, 2007 at 08:36 AM
How funny that that was both our first accounts! Great to know she takes risks on those of that really needed a break! Thanks for the comment and the kind words - baby steps....
Posted by: Jamie Lentzner | November 13, 2007 at 10:07 AM
That is wonderful ... good for you and right at the holidays, perfect!
Posted by: Julie Swanson | November 13, 2007 at 03:20 PM
Congratulations Jamie! That's sweet! That PoshTots newsletter feature is AMAZING! I bet you get TONS of sales for the holidays! Talk about getting a break in the beginning - my first thing to paint EVER IN MY LIFE was my cowboy crib for WarmBiscuit! That Vickie is a Saint! lol Oh man. I think back at the CAHONES I had to even try it. Man...
Posted by: Lea | November 15, 2007 at 08:27 AM