They're Here!

The shipment of gloves came on Thursday. I wanted to share the news on Friday but I've been in "schedule is jam packed" hell! Laughing! It's really not so terrible, but when I don't have time to write, I get a little crabby.

I knew the shipment was coming, but when it arrived, it was a box that was surrounded by white light! I think I even heard angels singing. Okay, no white light or singing angels, but it was a moment that deserved some recognition. After all, it's not everyday that you stand in your hall way with a box that holds your first retail ready product. Think about all the ideas you've had in your life and how many of them you've seen through to creation. Most people will tell you they've never done it. This is my first shot at bringing a product to market, and here they are!

I called Dave before I opened the box and asked him if he wanted me to wait until he got home. Being the nice guy that he is, and knowing me so well, he said, "No, you can't wait. Open the box." He said the words you can't wait in the context of "you" being a general reference, when in fact, he knows me and knows I CAN'T WAIT! Think about the friends episode where Monica is waiting for Chandler to get home so they can open their wedding gifts and in her impatience, he comes home to every one of them opened! Yes, that's me.

I opened the box while Dave was still on the phone and I have to tell you, it was a moment that transformed this project from something cool that we're working on, to a real business venture. Holding gloves on hang tags in my hand for the first time was something special. Even Dave has been bumped up to the next level in planning after holding the product.

If you can dream it, you can have the box of it on your hall way floor, too! Laughing! Start! Start figuring out how to make it. If I did this, you can do it, whatever your "it" is. Tania's making hers happen, Sally is well on her way, and Ginelle is as well! One of many things we all have in common is that we took that first step! You ladies inspire me and I hope my news today inspires you as well! Happy Monday and welcome to a new week!

How Do You Pay For It?

How do you pay for your business? It takes money to make money and it certainly takes money to launch a product. We did okay getting the ball rolling, but now we have product ordered and need to pay for two trade shows, a booth, travel expenses, and anything else that crops up.

I know people who have relatives who foot the bill, and others use credit cards. The days of home equity are long gone for most, and banks aren't making business loans nearly as easily as they used to. So what do you do?

I'm pretty creative when it comes to fund raising. When Dave and I were planning our wedding, we got a donation of a weekend vacation and sold raffle tickets. We made over $800 and that was almost enough to pay the caterer. Yes, we got off cheap! Our friends all rallied and provided their professional services either at their cost, or in several cases, as our wedding gift. It was wonderful. When Dave was in Iraq, I got big name musicians to autograph a guitar and then the local morning DJs would auction it off for me. This money paid for shipping of hundreds of boxes of CDs and DVDs to our troops.

Have you ever sought out a creative fund raising solution? I would love to know how you raise money to make your business fly.

Is It Ever What You Think It's Gonna Be?

I say rarely. I can't say never because I try to make a practice of not saying "Always" and "Never."

Think back for a moment and try to remember a time that what you envisioned at the start of a journey was exactly what you got at the end. I look at my life and for the most part, I've laid some pretty good plans. I've taken action on most of my dreams, but the ones that have been the most satisfying are not even close to what I thought they would be when I started.

A great example is my marriage. I am married to the love of my life and can't imagine that I could be happier. When I was single and really wanting to be in a relationship, Dave was a friend of mine. He was the friend I called when I got stood up (Oh yes I did, more than once!), when a guy had "expectations" after a burger and fries, and when I was dumped in South Korea. In an instant, we were a couple, having a conversation about how the universe had shifted, and within a few months, we were engaged, and three days after that, married. After being friends for six years, I never in a million years thought this man was meant to be my husband. For the record, I fully intended to be happily married. I was not willing to settle, I just never imagined that the man who would make me so happy would be Dave!

I purposely didn't use our ZipperBack Gloves as an example because we've only just begun our journey. But I can say this, I originally set out to license our product. I was adamant that I did not want to go into the glove business. Though I don't have any big success stories in how our empire has evolved and grown, I can say that on so many levels, we have found success and have every reason to believe we will only keep that momentum growing.

Lay a plan, take action, and then go with the flow. Be open to what options and ideas are presented to you and that some of these "not your own" ideas may be really good. Though it may not be what you thought it would be, doesn't mean it won't be great!