Fresh Start

I don't set resolutions. Probably because I know its unlikely I will stick to them.  But what I do like about celebrating New Years is the feeling of pressing the reset button. NYE is a sort of finish line allowing us to take stock, manage progress over the past year, access what needs to change. I applied this to my business even though Gumdrop Swap's boutique has not been open a full year (opened April 6th). And I determined that I was not addressing the needs of every time of customer that Gumdrop Swap can appeal to.

The key to being a successful small business is being able to adapt. Over these 8 months as a retail store owner I have learned a lot about my community and the type of customers I attract. I was surprised at how many people come in  looking for gift for a family member, co-worker, and friend. I prominently place all new items that have tags out so they're easy to access to those kind of shoppers. And I offer free gift wrap, box or bags. I even showcase samples of gift baskets and socks rose bouquets which can be custom ordered.

I initially designed the business for large families who have been storing (read: hoarding) clothing and other baby wares in their home. I figured they would benefit most. They would be so happy to clean out closets, basements, and attics and be able to get things and clothing the kids needed in return. And these families immediately saw the value in a 3 month membership to the Swap & Save Club.

But I had not anticipated people would be turned off by the commitment. I would hear things like "Well, I need to go home and go through the kids closets" (as if they were unsure if they'd have anything to swap) and I thought to myself, "Um, ok, unless your kids are done growing, they are going to outgrow some things in the next few months." Or, people would say "I wish I knew about this before! I just gave away a bunch of stuff." I had to figure out how to motivate those people to come swap even only a few items at a time. The whole idea is to get you all to stop hoarding and waiting. So, I decided to revamp the Gumdrop Swap business model slightly to hopefully appeal to all.

I got to dust off my arsenal of art/design skils (disclaimer: so out of practice) to create a few simple illustrated steps. So I present them to you here. (click on it to open separately and control speed of slides etc)

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Heavenly Bites All-Natural Desserts in Fairfield County Connecticut!

Chef Mona makes some unique and delicious baked treats! I required a taste test before creating this business card for her. I tasted the mango cheesecake which inspired the illustration on the card. She makes some other flavors I look forward to trying soon. She uses shortbread cookies for the crust instead of the typical graham cracker crust. You can taste that the ingredients are fresh. I've ordered a cheesecake for my husband's upcoming birthday! For more of my graphic design and illustrations go to the Gift of Gabby website.

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If All of the Raindrops were Lemondrops and GUMDROPS...

This is a photo of part of the word mural I painted that wraps around the boutique. During high school and after, I painted many murals in client's homes and watercolor portraits from time to time. I didn't major in graphic design in college because I prefer a more tactile medium to express myself. I haven't painted in acrylics in about 3 years. I didn't realize how much I missed it. It was invigorating to hold a paintbrush again. I did get some leg cramps and soreness from being on the ladder for hours at a time but I am happy with the final affect.

Unfortunately, the business world seems to prefer  the digital. So I  trained myself to learn graphic design so I could have a career. I've mentioned before, launching GumdropSwap has married all my talents which I once thought to be sordid and disconnected. What other career could I make use of painting, sewing, sales, marketing, graphic design, and administrative  skills? Is it still called work if you enjoy what you do?

The garment hanging system is arriving in separate shipments. I think the last boxes will come on Monday. I plan to open to the public on Friday, April 9. That will give me time to hang all the clothes and set up the display in the front window. More pictures to come soon!

Better use of my Blackberry

I used to work for a furniture company which I will not name and unintentionally advertise here. Let's just say, it was a less-than-amicable departure. But I am grateful in hindsight, because being terminated for "lack of work" inspired me to launch my own business. But, as the Design Production Manager for this company, I was on-call and it was very demanding. You would be surprised how many "art emergencies" there are for retail companies. This particular company aimed to be cutting-edge and was always meeting with potential investors and new distribution channels. That last minute presentation meant me pulling an all-nighter. I believe that's part of the reason I wasn't afraid of starting a business. Long hours are something I'm used to. I still freelance as a graphic designer and illustrator occasionally. You can see my online portfolio. I do a lot of logo and branding identity for fellow entrepreneurs. And I save money by doing my own marketing materials. Here is my latest flier!

Because, I would often miss urgent emails if I dare try to have a personal life, I felt warranted to buy a smartphone. I was perfectly happy with my crappy, no-frills phone for personal use. No need for texting or being on the internet for personal use before. So, there was a sale at my cell phone service provider and with rebate, I paid about $80 for my Blackberry Curve. At the time I didn't realize Id have to pay $30/mo on top of my cell phone plan for unlimited internet use but I was too far in by that point. A few months after my purchase, I was let go from my duties at that company. Now, I had this device that I had to make worthwhile. I must admit here that I am bad about reading manuals. I find them boring and repetitive. Give me a few bullet points and illustrations and I'm set! I figure out how to use most things by trial and error if they have buttons with labels. I fear that I even today I am only using my smartphone to about 70% of its potential. That's embarrassing.

Well, this post is for you other impatient people that don't read manuals and instructions. I just figured out how to use my phone to email blog post/drafts and text photos to my blog. You never know when I'm going to be in a doctor's waiting room or hour and a half train ride and get a genius (I use that term loosely) post idea. Now I can use my mini-keyboard to type it out and send it to save as a draft to perfect later. Here's how (Blogger users) under Dashboard, select Email & Mobile tab, scroll down to "Posting Options" then select your secret word within your unique email address to which you will email your posts. I set mine to be saved as a draft but you can choose to directly publish (aren't you daring!) Then, if you prefer, you can text to your blog. You set this up by clicking "Add mobile device" and texting a special code provided to the number 256447. Now, I can MMS msg photos from my phone instead of searching for my USB cord and backing my pics on my computers hard drive. That delays posts by days.

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