On April 7, 2012, I shared some of my dreams for the future. One of those dreams included having my own product line. Here’s what I said…
“I love the idea of creating my own line some day. A line of what? I’m not sure. Maybe furniture? Accessories? Fabric? Again, I’m really open to how that idea transpires. I do have a few specific ideas, but I’ll keep those on the DL for the moment. I’m also really excited about the possibility of collaborating with someone else, but I have no idea who that is or what we would collaborate on. I just like the idea of it. This one feels most “pie-in-the-sky” to me right now, but so did the dream of writing a book…”
One of those specific ideas I decided not to share at that time was having a milk paint line. Just a few weeks later, the doors were flying open to that opportunity and now, eight short months later, I have a line of milk paint. It really is a “pie-in-the-sky-dream-come-true.”
Now that I am a few months in, I thought I would share some of what having a product line involves…
1.) Money. My initial idea was to start very small and just sell the paint in my space at Lucketts and online. That idea blew up when I started receiving e-mails, lots and lots of e-mails, from people who wanted to retail the paint as well. The plan changed. I decided to roll with it, but it soon became very obvious that I was in way over my head. It’s amazing how quickly $.30 labels can turn into thousands of dollars and when you need thousands of labels and boxes and stickers and color cards and bags…yikes. It gets pretty insane pretty quickly. It’s all worked out just fine, but if I had to do it again, I would definitely have sat down with a calculator before jumping into things. It also takes a while to make money on a product line with all of the initial investment and it’s good to know that upfront.
2.) Patience. It took several months to roll out the paint and it was a loooong several months. Customers were antsy, retailers were antsy, I was antsy. We all wanted the paint ASAP, but it took weeks to get the labels designed properly and stock up on the raw materials and get the website ready and then get everything assembled and shipped. If I had to do it all over again, I would get all of the design work, printing, packaging, etc. done before announcing my big idea.
3.) Flexibility. I had all of these ideas for packaging and marketing that would’ve been great if it was just me, but once the decision was made to bring on other retailers, I had to adapt. You can have grand plans and spreadsheets and a checklist, but you have to be ready to chuck it when things start going in a different direction. I do think this needs to be balanced with sticking to your guns as well. I always had to remind myself that my name would be on these products and I wanted to be proud of it.
4.) Thick Skin. This has been the hardest part for me. I love milk paint, but not everyone loves milk paint and not everyone is going to love my milk paint. I get one complaint and I take it personally and then I feel like I just want to quit the entire product line idea. When I start to feel like that, I think about the iPhone. Some people complain about the iPhone. They hate it. I don’t see how that’s even possible, because I think it’s the most amazing gadget out there (along with the iPad.) But when I think about the iPhone, it gives me comfort. It reminds me that not everyone loves everything and it’s okay if some people don’t like my milk paint. There’s no need for me to take it personally or second guess everything. I can view those comments as a positive thing that will help me have a better product.
5.) Confidence. I could also say a love for the product line. If you don’t love your product, how can you have any confidence when you’re trying to sell it or get others to carry it? You have to love it, stand behind it and believe in it. It definitely helps to have others who love it standing beside you for those days when you need extra thick skin.
6.) Help. This might sound like a no-brainer, but I’m used to being a one-woman-show and I have a hard time letting other people help me. I don’t think I’m a control freak (maybe ask my husband about that one), but I like doing things. Well, managing retailers was a lot more work than I expected, so I finally had to hire someone to help me, Faith. She’s been a life-saver. Jennylyn of Homestead House (the manufacturer of the paint) has been amazing as well. My family has helped me price, stock shelves, make samples and all of the other things that are involved with putting a line on the shelves. If you want a product line, you definitely need to take whatever help you can get!
To me, a product line really did seem crazy, but it happened. You may have an idea for a product line and I want to encourage you to pursue it. I love seeing Lisa Leonard ads on my side bar or putting on a sweatshirt with a Dear Lillie tag inside. They’re women who had a dream and pushed through to make it happen. It’s so inspiring. You may have to wait for the opportunity or timing or circumstances to be right, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. That brings me to #7…
7.) Not being afraid to try. I’m pretty conservative when it comes to chasing a dream, believe it or not. You can go for it without putting your entire life savings into it or mortgaging your house. You can start small, start where it’s comfortable and you don’t have to have a degree in business. Some things might flop, others will fly.
I look forward to seeing what new product lines start on the counter tops of stay-at-home moms, empty nesters and corporate drop-outs in 2013…
