Jamie's Blog

All Wrapped Up in Warm Biscuit Bedding

November 16, 2012.

I got a call from my past yesterday, and I heard a voice on the other line that I had not heard for over a year.  The voice of a woman that I admired, respected and even idolized at one point in my career.  If there was one person I could attribute the early success of Jamie's Painting & Design (other than my husband) it would be her.  As soon as I heard her Texas drawl it brought me back to the fall of 2003 when we first met.

Meeting Vicki Bodwell

Our partnership with The Warm Biscuit Bedding Company started in the fall of 2003, but did not come to fruition until the catalog featuring our products dropped early in 2004.  But our story did not really start then, it started much earlier for me.  After leaving the work force to become a stay at home mom in the summer of 1999, I remember getting Warm Biscuit Bedding catalogs in the mail.  I would pour over them, wishing I could do something that could be sold in the catalog.  So, wishing I had a creative outlet, other than my current one - faux painting & re-painting my hallway while taking care of my infant son.

After starting Jamie's Painting & Design in the fall of 2002 I slowly quickly started picking up boutiques and on line stores.  By the summer of 2003 I thought I had enough experience and confidence in my product to send Vicki Bodwell, the owner of Warm Biscuit Bedding Company an email.  It took a lot of time, a lot of re-writes and a swift kick from my husband to actually send her the email.  Shocking to me she replied......the Vicki Bodwell I had been following for years.  And not only did she reply, she agreed to carry my products.

Looking back I know for a fact that this was by far one of the most important and altering decisions of my company's existence.  Her decision to take a risk on a small business owner changed the direction of  Jamie's Painting & Design forever.  The doors that her bedding company opened for me were many.  Her sales were nothing we had ever seen, nor would I ever see again in the following years.  It was, and still is probably the highlight of my career in the children's industry. I do not think I have ever been more excited by anything than the prospect of working with the Warm Biscuit Bedding Company.

2004 Changed Everything

I find it hard to explain the pride and the joy I felt when I first saw my signature name tiles wall letters in the WBB catalog.   I had spent time creating a few designs that I thought would compliment her bedding....and they did.  Not only were we in the the catalog, we had the back cover - this is the primereal estate spot if you ever get your product in a catalog.  At the time I did not realize how much of an honor (and risk) this was for Vicki and her team.  Lucky for me we were up for the task and we were able to meet all of the demands of her customers.

Over the years I was able to work with Vicki and her team, we were developing new designs and new products that complimented her bedding.  She started selling our ornaments, birth announcements, plates and name plaques.  We created exclusive designs to compliment most of her bedding.  We brain stormed (eek, how I missed doing that!) on the phone for hours at a time.  I even visited her in New York three times and she came and stayed with me to attend BlogHer together.  Our business relationship quickly turned into a realfriendship.

To say it was fun when we were on that drunken ride of success together, would be a huge understatement.  We were shipping hundreds and hundreds of products out weekly.  We had press, we had excitement and everyone that had a baby knew who we were.  It was like having a bar stool at Cheers for me.  It was an amazing time to own a business, especially a woman owned business.  We were in the eye of the Mompreneur Storm and we reveled in it.  Vicki was held up (correctly) as a huge successful Mompreneur with a very successful bedding company.  It was some good times we shared..... I like to say we'll always have Paris,  I mean those memories.

Everything Good Thing Must Come to an End

Sadly we amicably ended our partnership with The Warm Biscuit Bedding Company in 2009.  We had outgrown each other and found that it was best to go our separate ways.  First we had the crisis with lead in children's products in 2007, then the recession hit all of us in the industry hard in 2008.  Things would never be the same again, everything changed.  Money was tight, orders were smaller and both our business models were changing.  As much as I missed the sales and the brain storming sessions, I missed our friendship....I missed talking to her.  

So, yesterday (and an other call today because we had a whole year to catch up on y'all) wereminisced about the good old days.  I had my own little Glory Days moment with someone that was there in the trenches with me through the good and the bad times.  Sometimes we were on the same track, other times we were not - but we always talked about it.   Talking to Vicki reminded me how much I enjoy keeping my old friends around and why I refuse to replace them.  It was just comforting to talk to a friend in the business. So, when I half joking tell her, "I used to be somebody", at least she laughs and then agrees with me.

 

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.

Taking Risks in 2010

January 25, 2010

If last year was the year of no risks and playing it safe this year is my year of living dangerously.  I have decided that to make it big you have to take big risks, do big things, make big changes and talk to big companies.  Big is scary, big is not safe, big may not always be better.  But big can pay the bills.....

Out with the Old in with the New

Last year we had plans to update the website, rebuild it, re-design it - those were some big plans.  Then, well we took a little detour and decided that maybe it would not be the best use of our time (or money) to not do that, with the smaller sales and all.  This year is different.  We have already set the wheels in motion:

A brand new website we (well not really we hired someone, I can't do everything) will be building.  It will be fantastic, from what I am told.  Our last site was built over 5 years ago and we need to change it for a number of reasons.  No one can find me, our on line sales are not even what I would call decent and our design is outdated, out everything - the time has come for changes. 

New costs money and we are going to have to pay for this.  It is my possibly my swan song for Jamie' s Painting & Design, you know let's go out with a bang.  But, I think it is more like a necessity, we need to do this and we need to do it now.  I don't know how long it will take but I am excited about it.  I am more excited about the possibility of it, the possible opportunities for us, and the whole shiny new thing!

Not Just New Accounts Big Accounts

My other goal, wish or whatever word you want to call it is going after big accounts.  I have wanted to do this for quite sometime and I have approached big companies in the past.  However, usually if they do not bite right away, or call me begging to carry my products I have sort of have gone away quietly.  But not this year. This is different - I feel like I have nothing to lose and I have everything to gain.  I am going to be bold, I am going to be risky I am going to get those accounts.

I made a list of my top companies to approach and I started doing research.  I sent the list to my husband - that way I had someone who would keep honest about it.  It is easy to have a list in my head and think about it, it is harder to have someone hold you to it.  Being the boss sometimes is hard - no one gets to tell me what to do or when to do it.  And, uh....sometimes I just talk about it....and don't really do it.  Other times I wait to the last minute to do it - a flaw of mine, yes I will own it.  I don't know any entrepreneurs that always do everything they say they will do - I am sure they exist I am just not that person - and sometimes I can only do so much.  Sometimes I am just lazy or scared too.

Experimenting When I Don't Want To

For years I have gone back and forth with another business owner over designs, colors, what to do and not to do.  I had said long ago that I need to own my style - that way no one can copy it.  Well, anyone can copy - it takes a bold person to do it, but it has been done.  I am going out on a limb (for me) and trying some new designs, some new ways, some new things.  It is not a huge thing - but it keeps things fresh, exciting - makes work enjoyable.

New Year New Changes

I am reading Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for the second, or third time.  A good friend (she is kinda smart and all) suggested that I might need to read it.  She was right, I will probably continue to read it over and over till I get in my thick skull that shit happens and I need to not run around like Chicken Little every time it does.  I start to fear I am going to some day have two children that learned this from me and in their teenage years will be freaking out over a zit.

At one time I was on a mission to have as many accounts as possible.  I  collected stores, catalogs, websites, fund raisers, craft shows - anywhere that I could pimp out my products.  As the economy faltered and then fell off a cliff I noticed we were losing accounts, some were not paying on time, or timely enough and some of our channels were drying up.  I am not going to obsess, guess or assume why this happened - it did and it's done.  However, now I have to accept the aftermath.

We have had to end some of our relationships with some accounts.  It is not personal - it is business.  I am in the process of possibly ending another business relationship due to the lackluster sales.  I already mentioned in my last post about another loss, and I have seen a few websites disappear overnight.  I have decided not to freak out though.  I want to grow the good accounts and put my focus on those.  Why spend precious time on accounts that don't do enough for me?  My new favorite quote for 2010 is still, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".

Let it Be

With 2009 behind me I have decided to just let it be, move on and not obsess over the tough year it was - and oh it was a tough year.  I am being honest - it was not as bad as I once thought - but it was bad.  I am also tired talking about it, as it is the first question out of many friends or acquaintances mouths when I see them.  I am polite, I answer with the humorous antidote and the amusing stories.  But, I am dog - gone tired of talking about the rough year I had.  I am ready to move on - that chapter is closed and I am so glad it is over.  So here's to 2010 - I am toasting a glass to a more prosperous year for me, for my industry for everyone that owns a small business.  It  can't get much worse eh?

And That's the End

January 10, 2010

Some relationships in business end well,  I have found most do not - 'cause usually someone is not happy about the ending.  Some have been totally almost 100% the other companies's fault....and then there the times when it has been my fault.  When I have once again offended someone or been just an ass.  This though is not one of those times - this is a time when I really am not sure what I could have done different. 

Now for this to ready correctly  It would be great if I could cue some Law & Order gavel sound used between scenes - but sadly I can not so you just get the facts:

Monday, January 4, 2010 9:00 a.m I came into the office to work after sending the kids to school.  We had been closed for most of the two week holiday preceding our Christmas Rush.  I got a voice mail from a physical store saying that they had an order from 12/28 and needed to give it to us and would we please call them back.  Well - first day back I forgot.  My fault - yes I will own it.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 9:15 a.m I checked voice mail as soon as I got in. I got another message from the previously mentioned store and it went a little something like this (minus the beeps that would totally let you know what store I was talking about);

"Hello this is *beep* from *Beep* in *beep* Michigan.  I left you a message yesterday saying I had an order that I needed to place with you.  My customer ordered this on December 28th and I think your office was closed but I need to give you this order and I need to know when it will be ready. Are you still in business?  Please call me back right away!"

Now you can't tell from the transcript but let me tell you she was a bit hysterical, very high pitched and squeaky if you will. She sounded very stressed.  I immediately called her back and apologized for not calling yesterday and I assured her we were still in business.  I told her we had been closed for two weeks, but we had checked voice mail and email th entire two weeks.   I asked her if she would fax or email the order so we had a record of it.   She wanted to give me the order over phone and I told her that we really liked orders to come in via fax or email so that we both had a record of it and so that we could keep it on file in our email account.  

She then asked for our fax number and email because she I guess lost it.  She said her partner worked from home and she had the email, she could only fax from the office and did not know how to use email.  Okay....I said then please fax it.  I offered to rush the order (no charge to her) for her and get it out in one week since she was so upset about me not calling her back.  Case closed.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 11:24 a.m  My mother (who works with me, does our accounting and processes orders) got a fax from *beep* store.  It was for a frame.  A ceramic frame, a product we discontinued last Fall.  The product has been discontinued for over a year.  And, if I may.......we did tell our dales channels about it being discontinued.  We sent out an email or a fax to our physical stores, our catalogs and our websites.  And for the record, and the purpose of this story I went back and checked - the *beep* store in Michigan got the email.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 11:25 a.m My mother called her back right away to let her know we could not fill the order.   She apologized and asked if she could get the stores email address, since she liked to communicate via email - so both sides had a paper trail. 

The owner of the store said, "Our email address?  Oh it's double u double double u dot *beep* store dot com. "

My mother, "Yes, that would be your website address.  I would like your email address."

Owner of store, "Oh I don't know what it is. My partner will be in tomorrow and I will have her call and give it to you."

Tuesday January 5, 2010 11:56 a.mwe receive a blank fax from the *beep* store.

Tuesday January 5, 2010 11:57 a.mwe receive a second blank fax from the *beep* store.

Wednesday January 6, 2010 2:21 p.mI receive the following email in my in box.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

Please remove our name and email address from any further communications from your company.  We've had some serious issues that we can't afford to lose customers over.  We have been trying to contact your company since December 28 via phone with no return calls until yesterday.  Then we were told to just fax in our orders without the need to call.  We like to call to verify the orders are received and that there is somebody there to fill them.  We like to talk to the people we order from especially if there is something that needs to be explained further instead of guessing if it would be understood in a fax.  We always put our customers first and go the extra mile for them, something that maybe your company should consider.

Thank you,

*Beep* *Beep*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the email response does not represent the way it happened at all I had to respond.  I also found it ironic that my customer service got called into play.  I take customer service very seriously.  Here was my response:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Beep*,

I am disappointed that you would think so poorly of my company. 

When making such accusations you may want to take your actions in to account and a few things for you to consider:

- Our company was closed for two weeks, we checked messages and I never got a message on our voice email from anyone at your store.  I mentioned this yesterday when I spoke with your partner.  I even told her I would RUSH the order for her so it would go out as soon as possible.

- Other than a discontinued product I am not sure what "serious issues" you could be referencing. 

- In the past you have faxed orders and emailed them to us.   We like the orders in writing so that there is no misunderstandings of what the customer has ordered. Why this time you would need a phone call I am not sure.  You had our fax number and email yet you did not send the order on December 28th.

- We sold out and discontinued our picture frames over a year ago and sent you am email with the rest of our customers. I am not sure how you did not see the email as every other account we had understood the frames had been discontinued.
 
- We enjoy speaking with our sales channels also, however we do not need to speak with each and every sales channel for every order.  We area small company and we have very few employees and we try to be as efficient as possible.

Lastly, I do not appreciate you insulting my company's customer service when we always put our customers first.  Your decision to not send the order to us is not our problem.   I am disappointed that you feel my customer service is so bad and that I do not care about my customers - I can assure you that is not the case.

I wish you and your company the best of luck in the future,

Jamie Lentzner

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, I never got a response and I am sure I never will.  And, since I don't plan on going to Michigan any time soon I will probably never, ever run into them.  After this email came out I had to go look and see what size of a customer we were losing: We have been with them for 2 years.  We have had 3 orders in 2 years.  Yes, that is correct 3 orders, that would be 3 products ordered.  I am sorry that the relationship ended, but I am more disappointed in the way it was ended.  I don't know if there is anything I could have done differently?  And for now....sadly that is the end.

 

Right Start It's Over

Dear Right Start,

I am breaking up with you.  This time I mean it - it is really over between us.

I want you to stop sending me these cute newsletters and emails telling me about the sales you are having.  Trust me I know about the sales, I also know that, being one of your re-sellers, none of your re-sellers are getting paid for these so-called sales. 

I wonder if your customers realize that every sale you make, you do NOT pay us, I am always wondering that.  And also, stop following me on Twitter - I mean you have got to be kidding me.  I think that is sort of mean and cruel - after all you have done to me, you follow me?  And the letters, the letters I get in the mail from your attorneys, as if I did something wrong.  Enough Already!  I know I am not getting paid, I know you are bankrupt.....believe me I KNOW!  Stop tricking me, I am forever hopeful when I see another official letter from the Bankruptcy court....I know I should not be hopeful, but I am.

What Might Have Been

I am not one to be cruel, or to be mean spirited but I must mention this - you came and  courted me!  You came after me, your buyer called one day and begged asked me to be in your catalog.  And if memory serves me correct YOU came after me once before, a long, long time ago.  Your buyers approached me at the ABC Kids Expo, once again wanting to carry my products.  At the time you  had no personalization, not much of a website and your nursery decor' was limited.  Don't get me wrong you had me at;  "The Right Start is in your booth", but I had to wait till the time was right.

Which brings me back to last Spring when my accountant took the fatal call from your buyer.  The one that sent me rushing into the office without any make-up on.  You had me all a flutter and excited.  I mean you swept me off my feet this last time, with talk of multiple stores, catalogs and your hundreds of thousands of customers.  I was giddy with the possibility of this partnership.  Who cares if you only took two of our Name Plaques and Two Birth Certificates. The numbers you threw out there - had me seeing green.

Never did I think that you would betray me like you did, even though I had known you went bankrupt before.  Not even when you had me spend hundreds of dollars on bar codes for my products ( but the joke is on you, since I drop-shipped the products you will never know if I actually used them).

It's Really Over

I just want to come right out and say this harder for me to do than I thought.  I mean I figured after you refused to pay my invoices I would have been able to end this.  It was not like you were ordering anything after Christmas, but still I hung on.  However, I stayed with you and kept hoping things would get better.  Of course as you continued to abuse our relationship - it only got worse.  Things did not get better, they only got worse. 

Not only did you refuse to pay any of my bills due to your "Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Court" thing you kept throwing in my face, you also forced me to pay my own shipping.  

Shipping that you charged your customers for and then took their money.  And then you gave me a UPS account to charge your shipping to.  But, but what happens is if you do not pay ( I am sure you know this)?   I PAY YOUR SHIPPING BILL (sorry am I yelling?)!  So, guess what happened?  Well.... THEN, THEN you did not pay your bill - cause of your ol' bankruptcy thing you are covered by the courts.  I am not covered by the courts, I am just a small business that took a chance and decided to work with you!   Well UPS came after me and forced me to pay for shipping - shipping you already got paid for.

I do want to thank you for taking my tiles off your site recently though - it was the least you could do.  Thanks for that, I am guessing you did not want me to yell at you when you tried to take an order.  Or maybe you can only sell items in inventory?  I don't know which it is is....

You Can Go Your Own Way

So Right Start, I hope we are clear, I mean how could I not be clear.  It is really over this time.  I would really love to have you listen to some great break up songs, like Fleetwood Mac if you will - I mean Lindsey Buckingham got it - go your own way!

Sincerely,

Jamie R. Lentzner (bitter ex-girlfriend, partner)

An Email Battle Royale

Forced Photo 2004
Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

March 3, 2007.

So..just so you all don't think I use this blog to totally brag and puff my chest about how great my company is, I thought I would write about a baaaad experience I had:

It has been three years since I had a parting of ways with one on line retailer, and it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It was the first and only email battle (well one with a really good friend, but we made up - thanks to her) I have had with my business - and I really learned my lesson.

I started working with a company in Spring of 2003, my husband actually found the channel on line and helped me start the relationship. At the time, this site came up pretty high on search engines and the name of the company "fit" with our products. The battle was winter of 2004 (see how young my kids are? It was me hand-painting in the garage):

If I am to have learned anything, looking back, I realize that when we started discussing pricing, listings, etc. the conversations did not sit well with me. Watching Oprah all these years has taught me something...I should have listened to that little voice in my head that said, "something is not quite right".

She had her own hand painted letters on the site, more prominent than other products. When you tried to purchase my letters (which I did) hers kept popping up, trying to get the customer to buy hers, hence change the sale to her letters.

And I was very strict on price increases, and charging the same across the board. She kept raising my retail prices, which I did not like. Looking back, the price increase was out of my control. But I wanted the retail prices to stay the same, and she ignored my continued requests, without explaining her position or prerogative.  Emails would go unanswered.

She also tried to get me to say the products were made by her, or shipped from her warehouse. She kept asking if she could say that she made the products. She wanted me to change the ship from address, I did not like this at all....

So, after situations that kept coming up and making me uncomfortable, I sent an email asking why she continued to do these things when I asked her not to. She immediately pulled my products and said she did not want to work with me any longer, no explanation. I should have left it at that....

I replied, stating the problems we had and I did not like the way she pushed her products on customers that bought my products. She then replied with a blast about how she had to pay for advertising and she could do whatever she wanted. I replied again...it was ugly to say the least.

I let it get personal. Days after the dust settled and we were both nursing our wounds, orders continued to come in from her. One after another, before she could pull our products off her site. After shipping the last of her products out, I never heard from her again. I continue to see her products pop up in magazines once in awhile, and it makes me think about the way it ended.

I should never have gotten into an email battle, it was not worth it. And, I should have trusted my gut. Now I have strict guidelines and there is no longer a grey area when it comes to who can carry my products. I don't like to work with companies that sell there 'own' creations, just for this very reason. I believe there is a conflict of interest. As for the price increase, ah - I was green and did not understand - I should have let it slide.  And, uh must I go over the whole pretending she made the products?  That one still burns me up.....

After telling my husband I was going to write about this experience, he stated I should call her up and see how she's doing, and if she wants to work together again...........isn't that just like a man?  They can let gigantic argument settle and then pat each other on the back and start all over.  If only it were that easy.  To quote my very sassy 4 1/2 year old daughter I told him, "NOT!"

Uh...what? Not enough?

IMG_0424
Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

February 1. 2007.

Blah Blah, a girl can't have enough paint, right? Or sales channels right? And, lost one yesterday, and I gained one...right? with me?  Did you read the blog?

Today that sales channel that "dumped" me.....placed another order.

Yes, kid you not. So I sent an email back stating, thanks for the order and how shall I proceed, since you are no longer carrying our products?

I got an email back stating we are only discontinuing SOME of your products....

Oh, um, okay I get it, I guess.....

I am happy the relationship, or partnership did not end...for whatever reason. I am not sure I understand after the conversation that transpired yesterday what actually happened.  Maybe they saw we are the only ceramic birth certificates?  Maybe it is too much work to pulls us off the site? Who knows?

Lesson learned - if I had been rude, mean or sarcastic the relationship would be over. And there would be one person out there thinking really bad of JPD.

So, need to go buy more paint (no seriously I do) and go after new channels....still.

I am thrilled that one of our channels (small or not) is still with us. I am sticking with my mantra, "It's not personal....it's business."

When You have had Enough

IMG_0423
Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

February 1. 2007.

Paint, I love paint. I can never have enough of it. I can never throw it away either. I have paint from our first home, just in case (used it to paint the office wall this past fall in fact) I decide to use it again. My boxes of paint continue to grow to different boxes, to cabinets, to dressers - a girl can NOT have enough paint.

Unfortunately paint is not like channel partners. I mean, I don't know if I will ever have enough sales channels, always growing, expanding to different parts of the country maybe the world! However, when do you know you have had enough? When do you decide or let them decide that.....the relationship is over? Who gets to be the dumper? Is it mutual?  Who is ending the partnership?

Which brings me what happened today to my company, I um, think I was dumped....sorry, let me back up and tell the story the way it really happened:

Being February 1, 2007 we had to make some changes, we had to raise some shipping charges (Fed Ex does this every year, I do not make a penny off of shipping) and we wanted to make sure our 150+ products got named correct when the sales channel ordered them.  So we sent out emails and faxes to our 150+ sales channels. I hate, I mean it, I hate getting an order wrong, even if it is the channel's mistake. I like happy customers, I want them to love me...er, I mean Jamie's Painting & Design products.

So, I get an email from an e-tailer stating that they have never had any problems and will keep the naming conventions just the way they are, thank you very much.

I start to respond in a nice email, stating okay you are doing this at your own risk, we warned you....then I decide to look at the website, it's been like a year or more and I should see, there naming conventions may be perfect (husband has warned me of this in the past, I need to check things out before firing back, or even sending a skud missile). So, guess what? Not only did they call one product the total wrong thing (um the name of another one of our products actually), a second product was still on the site that was discontinued TWO, yes two years ago!

So I make a call in to state my case, did not want the email to sound mean. Go through the whole, "Hi, sorry to bug, I know you don't want to change the naming conventions, however, this one is wrong, and this one was discontinued two years ago....." I get cut off and the owner gets on....I go through the same rig-a-ma-roll, state my case, blah, blah, blah........

Silence.

"Ya, you have spoken to my employees before and we just can't keep up with all your changes.. (did I mention that the product was discontinued two years ago and the other CHANGE she is referring to is the ONE, I repeat ONE time we raised our Name Tile prices in the four years we have sold them?)...so we are going to pull your products."

"Uh, I was just stating (this is me talking) and telling you the reason we have had problems is your naming conventions have been wrong and you have a product on your site that we no longer carry.....I take customer service very seriously and would hate for your customer to purchase something and get the wrong product."

Silence.

"Ya, you have spoken to my employees before and we just can't keep up with all your changes...so we are going to pull your products."

This conversation went on for ten minutes, I kid you not, same thing over and over.

So I said, fine...

Now, yes, yes, YES, I know there are two sides to every story. And this channel did not do more than $1,500 in sales for us last year. However, I do not know why you would not want to 'fix' an error on your site, and I do not know why you would complain when you have a product that is two years old....or you are calling another product the wrong thing all together - I mean really, customer service?  Sending wrong product out?  Anyone??

So, good news is that I picked up another new website today, I guess today I am just status quo.  And I really wish things had not ended....thank god they did not end bad (been there...another blog).  So at least I followed my rules with this 'relationship' that ended:

• Do not get Nasty
• Do not get Personal
• It's just Business

The more I think about it, there were lots of phone calls, lots of 'mistakes' on there orders, communication was not perfect, some lost orders that they lost and some incorrect prices, shipping costs, addresses...maybe the relationship really was over.  So, I guess I did get dumped...however I am taking some of the credit.

If at first you don't succeed.....

IMG_0100
Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

January 24, 2006.

Well, you know the old saying, about not succeeding, then try, try again? This reminds me of my daughter learning to swim, we are still trying to get her to swim. She has taken all the classes, and each year we get oh SO close and then she fizzles out like a fire cracker. Now that she is almost five and almost in kindergarten she is pressing for lessons, I think she knows we are not going on vacation with all her um 'floating stuff'.  Really, really she tries...and come May we will try again.

Which brings me to today.....each January I go back over our 'People That Want to Carry Our Products' folder and look over the companies that have contacted us.  I re-send our catalogs, emails, wholesale docs, anything they may  need to make a decision.  Then I go back over the folder of 'DAMN, why won't they take my products?" folder and re-send a kiss-ass, hey did you catch me on Ellen Show email.  Now, I know this sounds desperate and childish, but I am like a dog that gets kicked.......I come back for more.

Truth be told, following up come February or March is very hard for me.  It's not that I don't have every intention of following up on my submissions but I get so dang busy....with orders, life, kids, orders, life - seriously daunting.  And, my biggest pet peeve ( and if I have done this to you please forgive me) some of these 'channels' do not ever ( and I mean EVER) respond!  It is so RUDE!!!  Why not just send the following letter:

Dear Crafty Ceramic Lady (if that is what you call yourself),

Thank you very much for submitting your "artwork" to our (catalog/boutique/website - fill in the blank) .  We are totally NOT interested, but please feel free to submit your products at a later date........when you get some talent, or on Oprah.

Best of Luck,

Mean (Boutique/Catalog/Website)

Yes, yes, yes there are many 'channels' I would covet to be a part of, for whatever reason.  I just wish I could get an honest answer, or an answer!  I try to respond to all emails, I honestly do, even it if is to say, "No I am sorry I can not teach you how to paint tiles" or "No, I am sorry I do not have any interest in taking your artwork, placing it on tiles, showing it to my channels and giving you a royalty...uh NO thank you"  I force myself to send out these letters.  No matter how big (or small) your company is I think you need to remember the little guy.  And, know that you will not be on top forever....trust me, coke, pepsi, coke, pepsi.........if one is number one, then the other is not.

Which brings me back to, the mantra, 'try, try again'....I was speaking to a large company I met in Atlanta on Monday, the buyer was new and told me she had worked for another large company prior.  I was green with envy and stated I had tried for years to get my products in their catalog (her prior company), she said, "Well, you never got me on the phone".......case in point, you need to keep trying.

Be Over Prepared

November 5, 2006.

So, I may have written about this before, but it is such an important aspect of being an Mom and an entrepreneur.  I would like to say that I am ALWAYS prepared....but I am not:

• Last week we ran out of tiles and had make an emergency order
• For three weeks we have been waiting for one color of ribbon that was back ordered
• We had no batteries for our camera to film my daughter's Halloween Parade
• When our Printer could not use the lay out for our new brochure I had to scramble and back track to get another Printer involved
• When presenting quotes for a new component of our websites I forgot to get two second quotes (Accounting demands three quotes)
• Painting flowers in my daughters NEW room take not one but at least five coats of paint due to the dark coloring of the walls....
• Had to have a clock and two pillows for daughters room shipped over night
• Finished my son's costume hours before a big Halloween Party

However, I am getting very prepared, even over-prepared for a first ever event, gulp, I am going to be interviewed for a local TV show.  The film crew is going to film my children's rooms (hence the expedited shipping) and apparently interviewing me about Jamie's Painting & Design.

I am almost prepared (I think) I still have a thousand things to do before the interview but this I have done:

• I have to talked myself while driving about what I think they may ask me <check>
• I had my husband video tape me (oh how painful to watch myself and hear my voice) <check>
• I know the show backwards and forwards (what TIVO is for) <check>
• The rooms are touched up, spiffed, pillows fluffed, vacuumed, adjusted to death <check>
• I have researched the interviewee <check>
• I have asked for advice from other entrepreneurs <check>
• Taken advice from our publicist (bold colors bad, dark colors good) <check>
• And I have started a mantra "s-p-e-a-k  s-l-o-w-ly" <check>

And if all else fails I will tell a knock knock joke my son taught me....no I am kidding.  I feel pretty confident about the interview, my stomach IS doing sumersaults as I write this though.  The last thing a friend said to me when we spoke on the phone last week keeps ringing in my ears, "DO-YOUR-HOMEWORK". <CHECK>

And it Always comes back...

October 31, 2006.

The irony of this post is how I started my day...I read my news in the morning on www.cnn.com every day.  I always quickly scan the articles before logging on to my check email.  Today an article about Oprah giving away $300,000.00 caught my eye so I read it.  Unless you live under a rock you probably heard she gave $1000 to 300 people (oh not to forget Bank of America sponsored it too) insisting they must do something charitable with it, and then document it on there new DVD recorder.  I thought it was a great idea, and am anxious to see the show...then went on with my day.

So....today I got not one but two emails back confirming we were in two articles regarding 'giving back'.  Being the media savvy entrepreneur I always reply to emails from journalists or magazines looking for information for an article, or just sending some company information to an editor.  So, I did not think twice of sending out two separate responses to two separate requests on charitable things we did.

Let me back up a second, and mention we give back to the community, to victims of Hurricane Katrina, terminally ill children, families on EMHE (another blog), church functions, charity events, sponsor sport teams, etc.  I feel as a business owner it is my duty to give back.  I also feel blessed, lucky to have such success and damn it it feels good to help people.

I am happy we did give back, and I am happy to get some free publicity - I actually  hope it inspires others to give back too.  And I do agree with Oprah, who said, "I can honestly say that every gift I've ever given has brought at least as much happiness to me as it has to the person I've given it to," (Amen, Oprah and psst.....call me!)

Tracking Visitors to Your site

October 18, 2006.

So, yesterday we had a big spike on our website, in fact it went up Monday and continued to go up on Tuesday.  Today we are going back down.  We had 12% of visitors to our site from Lafayette, California, and 34% were returning visitors from all over the United States.  In other parts of the world they are viewing our site also, London, Buenos Aires, Singapore and even Dubai!  Last week we had a record Monday with our biggest day ever of views to pages and almost all were new visitors, it was 3 times the average amount of viewers to our site.

So...how do I know this?  And if you have a company website YOU should know this too....

It's called Web Analytics, and there are many companies that do this...it's basically tracking activity and performance on your website.  Analytics measures whatever you want it to measure, effectiveness of a marketing campaign, measures traffic to a website, measures activity of a shopper - it's Big Brother for sure!

We use a free product from google (www.googleanalytics.com), and it gives us a glimpse at what our customer is doing.  Now, don't get me wrong I don't know exactly where they live, I don't know who they are, and I don't know what they are looking at.  And I believe it can be skewed....what if one person in Malaysia (not likely) looks at my site 45 times a day?  I am told it should be cookied and they will look at each user as a different visitor.

So, back to why the spike?  Our angel ornament was featured in Country Living's Holiday Gift Guide, however it hit newsstands back East over two weeks ago.  So, who knows?  We do not have a marketing campaign that we have been wanting to track, or an advertisement in a magazine.  We do PR and that is all we do.

Maybe some day I will be able to see you Jane Smith at 456 Elm Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, looking at those Snowman ornaments over and over, and over again, tracking you as you explore our website.

Um, did I say loyal?

October 11, 2006.

I do consider myself a loyal business partner, and a loyal friend for that matter.  I have stood loyal by:

• Failing Sales Channels
• Companies that do not pay their bills on time
• Sales Representatives that do not 'represent' very well
• Contract Employees that were not working out
• Small companies that helped me develop my brand

That being said......I feel awful about something that happened today.  I have worked with a company for over three years.  It is a small business owner that has helped me in many ways.  I have gotten advice on computer programs, printers, color adjustments, paints to use, paper quality and weight, price cuts.  We have gotten free training, we have worked well together. 

However, we are now paying rent, we have an accountant, we have bills to pay.  So, for the first time ever I had to get multiple quotes, one from my friend, two others from strangers.  I got thee quotes and my loyal friend's quote was not the lowest.  We discussed it, I was honest and said I had to go with the lowest bid - I said it's business.

So, I gave the job to a new company, discussed the process and moved on.

Today, I got a call from my associate and he wanted to try to get a better price.  I reluctantly let him and assumed he could not match the price we had already established. Well, that's right he got a better price and he was asking us to go with his company.  To be honest, I was tempted to go with what I was familiar with and make my friend happy.  I almsot did, but then I thought about it for a few hours.

I had to go with my word, I gave my WORD to the other company and I had to stick with it.  I am nervous about branching out, I admit it.  I may get a raw deal, this is true.  However I have to stick with my word, even if others don't.

So, that being said I had to ask myself if i was loyal?  And yes, I still believe I am loyal, I will continue to use him and go to him for quotes, however I have to do what is best for my company.  It's not personal, it's business.  I have said THAT a number of times, so then why do I feel so crummy though?

Being Loyal in Business

October 2, 2006.

One of my favorite movies is The Godfather (1972) and the book is an incredible read also.  I have seen it numerous times and even did my final paper on it for a film class in college.  Yet, I did not realize how much I would re-use a quote from the movie after starting my own business:

Michael: Sonny...
Sonny: You're taking this very personal. Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very, very personal.
Michael: It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.

This is true 99% of the time, even for women business owners this is true.  It is NOT personal, it is business.  Yet one is it personal?  When do you decide to make it personal?  When do you decide that you need to bend the rules?  When do you decide that this time it IS personal? 

Well I decided to make it personal last week.

I started this business in late 2002, yet did not pursue the web until middle of the year 2003.  I can remember doing searches on the web for products like mine and for top children's boutiques.  I would look at them over and over, not quite brave enough to call them or submit my products.

Then one day I got my nerve up and I sent an email to one of the sites I had admired for so many weeks. I sent a nice email, with a few attachments of photos of my products.  The owner actually called me on my 'new' business line I had just put in.  She was very nice, very complimentary and she really showed me what to do with getting my products on line.  She became an advocate and a friend who was also honest about my prices, even telling me I was charging too little, where instead she could have just marked her prices up.

Long story short, almost four years we have worked together, she used to talk to me and confide in me and really help me when no one else would.  I really appreciated her honestly and willingness to help some one she did not even know.  At the time, she was one of our biggest accounts.  Now at over 150 channels and climbing,and some major companies, her company is not one of our biggest - but that does not make her channel any less important to me.

So after working together for about two years she asked me a favor, not a big one, but a favor.  I was very willing to help her out and I agreed.  It was one of those 'what if' scenarios, and I was happy to oblige her, I owed her and I was loyal.

Well, this past week, that favor came a knockin', and I remembered my promise.  I called back my friend, had asked her about our conversation over two years ago.  She was dumbfounded that I a. remembered and b. was willing to keep my promise.  I told her I was loyal, that no amount of money was worth that.

We don't talk as much as we used, back in the day when we weren't as busy we talked weekly.  I do have fond memories of one conversation though, I told her something about me being so new to the business and I was just a small company, a nobody.  She actually raised her voice at me, scolded me and said, "You are NOT a nobody, you are a somebody.  And mark my word, some day you will be very successful, I know this about you.  I know you will be very big some day and you are already a somebody.  Don't ever say that again."

I miss those conversations.....