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Take it from one who knows. Before you start your
business, put systems in place to minimize future failure.
Reading
the tea leaves
When I started my
custom tea-blending company, I was bound and determined to do all the labels and
newsletters myself without any outside help, loans, or gifts.
 Plugging along, I
thought I was doing well. Newspapers and local magazines were willing to cover
the charm of my product. I was on cloud nine!
My troubles began when I was
contacted by "big-name" businesses for samples. In follow-up calls, I
received feedback that about dropped me to my knees. The main comment was
always the same: “We absolutely loved the product, but do you have any other
labels, or can we repackage this stuff ourselves?”
I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.
They
want to repackage my product? What a polite way of saying it looked so bad
they don’t even want to put it on their shelves! To me it was just as painful
as if my husband pulled out a photo of a model at cocktail parties claiming it
was his wife.
I took it very personally, to say the least, but knew I had to take
action quickly, to hear what my customers were saying without getting
defensive. I was never going to gain wholesale accounts that would add
credibility to my product unless I did something fast.
I hired a design company
that claimed a one-week
turnaround time for redesign to revamp the “homespun” label that I had
created myself. I was quoted a mere fifty dollars, plus the cost of printing. I
was on fire. What a great contact I had!
Or had I? Several meetings later I met
the designer to view my new label design. After being presented with their $50
bill -- plus over-inflated printing costs of well over a thousand dollars -- I was
handed the run of hundreds of labels they had printed for me from the
rough sketch on a napkin a week before.
Logo-a-go-go
I almost spit my coffee through my
nose as I sat
peering at my new labels for the first time. I had been looking forward to a
feeling similar to when I first laid eyes on my children. Now, starting helplessly,
trying to bite back tears, I saw my baby as a three inch catastrophe with a leaf
cartoon in the middle of a faded green circle. My five-year old nephew could
have been more classy and creative.
 My hands
were shaking as I wrote the check. I gathered up my purse, claiming I was late for a
meeting -- and I cried the whole way home,
having myself a real pity party. I knew there was nothing I could do about the logo from
hell, complete with the misspelled word “lose” instead of “loose” for
tea.
I soon discovered that the labels were an inch too small for my product bag. I
called the designer with my concerns, and was told there was nothing I could do because
I had signed off on the proof by agreeing via email. I never even caught it on
the blurry scan.
I had to admit to myself (and my checkbook) that
I was not a professional designer and had no idea what to look for. Even
though I overlooked the typos in my haste, I had a designer who couldn’t spell,
and should have been designing birthday wrapping paper.
Do the right thing!
 This is a common mistake for start-ups, not going
to a competent design firm to get all the marketing pieces in order
before you open your doors for business. I am speaking about business cards,
and letterhead and envelopes that match. Using custom colors, not the limited
primary color selections at a 24-hour copy shop.
Going back to the
drawing board takes time and money, and can be confusing to your existing
customers. In my case, we decided to go with the design team's advice and change
the name completely, opting for a name that was a bit more classy than clever,
and one that started with the letter “A” instead of “T” -- which normally
left us at the end of any alphabetical directory listings.
If you cannot afford to start with a trendy or
classy trademarked professional image, your clients may see you as a “hobby
turned business” in which you are not confident enough in to risk a few
thousand dollars up front.
So do it right the first time or don’t do it at
all. You don’t have time to mess around with image, testing the waters, once your doors open for business.
Take the plunge before you start. You get only one chance
at a first impression. Homemade signs and marketing materials scream "cheap" and
"crafty."
Remember that success is where preparation and opportunity meet, and there
are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
Copyright © 2006 by Lisa
Wynn. All rights reserved.
Lisa Marie Wynn is a
writer, consultant, and "fempreneur"
with five-plus years of experience as a serial entrepreneur. Her businesses
include Artisans
Cup Tea Company™, Hell on Heelz™ Fempreneurs Group, and
Artisans Press™. She has appeared in Southern Living and Southern
Lady magazines and on FOXNews, among others media. Lisa has written for publications globally, across North
America, and online. Artisans Cup distributes throughout the USA to celebrities, resorts, spas,
and hotels, and was included in the 2005
Oscars. Visit Lisa's website.
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