Q&A: Biggest challenge

So, I've received some requests to answer the questions I posed the other day to start the ball rolling. I swear, it's not my split personality that's asking. She's in Jamaica right now.

Question: What was the biggest challenge in starting the business?

Hands down, it was manufacturing a product that had not been made before. When I introduced the Soap Rolls at the first trade show, I had no idea what kind of response I would get so making the soaps on my kitchen stove didn't seem like a problem. With an immediate influx of orders and no real down-time in the first year, I was literally making them 24/7 (or as my Mom likes to say, "24 hours times seven days a week") When larger orders that I couldn't possibly make on my stove came in, I quickly realized that the business was extremely limited. I contacted all the soap manufacturers in the U.S. but wasn't being taken seriously. Because of the shape, no one wanted to do something different or they had minimums that were impossible to meet (or so I thought) I found one manufacturer that would do it with a minimum of just 24,000 pieces but they were so terrible that I couldn't reorder from them. The quality of the soap was sub-par and they repeatedly lied, so I had to go back to making them on my stove. I finally found a great manufacturer that had the right machinery and treated me like a human being - hallelujah! When we later took a tour of the manufacturing facilities, it was surreal to see our soap being produced right next to Dove and Dial bars. I knew I was a pipsqueak client to them, but they never treated me that way. We have manufactured over 375,000 pieces with them to date.

Tips:

• Have a method of mass production ready. Or at least know how to go about setting it in motion before you create a product. When you're in a time-crunch, it's not the best time to negotiate and you're more likely to jump at anything.
• Find an industry trade show. Like you would look for a show to sell your wares, look for a place where all your vendors would be.
• Sign a non-disclosure agreement. Put something in writing to protect yourself.
• Don't be loyal! I know this sounds bad, but keep your eyes open for new suppliers all the time. You never know when your vendor will raise your pricing or go out of business. Even if you don't switch suppliers, keep information on other options, just in case.

What were your biggest challenges? How did you overcome them?

Being a "good girl"

If you're anything like me, negotiating deals is not your strong suit. My need to please people + my eagerness to make a deal work = not such a great deal for me... until I read "The Good Girl's Guide to Negotiating" by Elizabeth Austin and Leslie Whitaker. These smart women must somehow know me because they pinpointed every problem I have with negotiations. As a woman, we have "a reservoir of untapped negotiating skills. You're probably a great listener, a keen observer of nonverbal cues, and an expert at putting yourself in another person's shoes." Surprisingly, the book taught me not to be a shark - but rather to use these personality traits to my advantage.

"You don't have to choose between being a good person and getting a good deal. A negotiation is truly successful when both sides feel they've struck an equitable bargain, one that feels good to you the day you make it, and when you look back years later."

Another great thing about the book is that it's not just for business deals and getting raises - it includes chapters on selling your house, buying a car and talking to a doctor.

Let me know what you think of the book!

Q&A: Reading business books

Question:
When do you read biz books, mags, etc? It may sounds silly, but I struggle with reading trade pubs, etc. Although inspirational, I find the time on the weekends, at nite, etc. - when I'm trying to wind down. They often stress me out again. Any suggestions? - Jill

Three suggestions...

• When I'm stuck in a creative rut during the workday or feel like I'm not being productive, I'll take 30 minutes and read a biz book. That way I don't feel guilty for not working, and it usually jump-starts my brain!
• I try to intersperse business-related books with fun fiction. Sometimes I have the same problem where I feel overwhelmed when reading a particularly intense business book so mixing it up with either leisure mags or chick lit allows me to go back to that book later and get more out of it.
• I only allow myself to read a small portion at a time. That way I don't read so much that I can't process it and use what I've learned. Keep in mind, it's only worth your time if you're really getting something out of it.

Hope that helps! Happy reading!

My own personal new year

On the eve of my birthday, as I do every year, I like to recount the past year... successes, mistakes, high and low points. It's a chance to reflect on where I am and what I want out of the next 365 days. I know that most people do this at the start of the new year, but doing it on my birthday makes it a little more personal. Instead of resolutions, which focus on what not to do, I like to pay attention to what has been working, what I want to accomplish, and where I hope to be this time next year. I think about what I could have done better last year, try to learn from it and move on.

Do you make time to reflect and assess? Is it at a random time or on a milestone?

Bring it on, people!

I've been getting a lot of encouraging e-mails about the blog - which is great - but I'd love to interact on here as well so we can get a dialog going. I'm totally open to questions, comments, and suggestions. Here are some ideas to get it going...

• What was the biggest challenge in starting the business?
• Do you find it difficult to work at home?
• What do you do when you're stuck in a creative rut?
• What's in your 8-track player? (I don't have an IPOD, so I feel like my simple CD player is a dinosaur)
• How do I build a creative support group?

If you want the answers to these, or other mind-blowing questions, feel free to post. Otherwise, I'll have one of my other personalities post a question... and then it will just be sad.

Whole Living

As part of my ongoing quest for creativity, I often pick up magazines that I wouldn't normally read. Getting a peek at something outside your world might spur an idea that you wouldn't have come to otherwise. I was flipping through a gardening magazine once (If you know me, you know what a rarity that is - Kevin has the green thumb, mine is black.) Anyway - it had a blurb about a mango festival which gave me the idea to contact stores in the area about our mango soaps, and it worked! At the very least, you're almost guaranteed to learn something new!

Body + Soul isn't a magazine I subscribe to - but it wasn't a huge stretch. I found this on their web site and thought you might like it...

10 TENETS OF WHOLE LIVING
* Happiness is a choice. You can make that choice today and every day.
* Good health isn't a gift; it's a habit you can cultivate.
* Stay connected to the natural world. It will feed your soul.
* Think more about what you should eat more than what you shouldn't.
* Nurture your spirit. It's the source of your strength.
* A healthy, fit body is not enough - true fitness engages the spirit.
* Laugh at yourself. You're funny.
* Believe in yourself. Your intuition is rarely wrong.
* It's never too late to take the first step toward your aspirations.
* What you pay attention to will thrive.

Work like a Slave

I'm excited to share my first book recommendation, "Rules for Revolutionaries" by Guy Kawasaki. I was in Boston a couple of years ago and had some time to kill so of course I made a beeline for the bookstore (what Starbucks is to coffee addicts is what Barnes & Noble is for geeks like me.) I stumbled upon this book and couldn't put it down all day. Kawasaki was the "chief evangelist at Apple Computer and an iconoclastic corporate tactician who now works with high-tech startups in Silicon Valley." I really enjoy his straight-forward, easy-to-read manner of writing and found this book to be inspirational and fun to read. His 3 steps to success in the marketplace: Create like a God, Command like a King, Work like a Slave. Well... at least I've got the last one mastered.

While I'm at it, I might as well share his other book that I just finished "The Art of the Start", a quick-read about launching any type of business. My favorite part was about creating a Mantra instead of mission statement. Mission statements are out - they all sound the same and they are too long to really remember. Instead, choose a quip that's bold and concise.

Sidebar #1: I just went to look at "R4R" and realized I must have loaned it to someone. If you are reading this and you have my copy, I will find you.
Sidebar #2: I wrote an e-mail to Guy and got a personal response within minutes! How fun is that?

What if?

A great way to jump-start creative thinking is to pose the question, "What if?" That's actually how I came up with the idea for Soap Rolls; by removing the constraints of "this is how it's done" thinking - I was able to see that soap didn't have to be in bar-form. I'm a huge believer in throwing out the rulebook (in business, especially) and opening yourself up to possibilities. This applies to everything from hatching an idea to getting PR to picking packaging (and I'm sure much more!)

"The real key to asking what-if is allowing yourself to probe the possible, the impossible, and even the impractical for ideas. After all, you're only limited by your imagination..." - Roger von Oech, Ph.D. in A Whack on the Side of the Head.

Here's to creative rule-breaking!

Jump in!

After 7 years of running my own business, I'm looking to interact with an online community of innovators, store owners, soap-lovers, outside-the-box-thinkers, empowering moms and mavericks with like minds.

My background: I am the founder of What Fun! Inc., a company that specializes in creating innovative bath products. I designed and created our flagship product, Soap Rolls, to refute the notion that soap had to be ordinary. I came up with the idea for Soap Rolls while stuck in traffic; I realized that some things in life don’t have to be boring. [take a breath!] After experimenting with glycerin soap, I made the first Soap Rolls on my kitchen stove and did so through the first year of the business. Seven years later, over 400,000 soap rolls have been produced (thankfully not in my kitchen) and have been sold in over 1500 stores across the country and internationally. [you're almost done!] I have recently joined up with my sister to start “Itsy Bitsy & Bold”, creating clothing that has playful images and inspiring ideas to encourage kids to be creative, confident and powerful. [not long now!] I am a graduate of Florida State with a degree in Graphic Design, and experience in advertising, marketing, and product design. I live in Annapolis, MD with my husband, and our naughty golden retriever, who ironically has eaten a bar of “Irish Spring”, but no soap rolls. You can’t win ’em all.

What I love: Spending time with my family, Spontaneity, Brainstorming sessions, "Sex and the City", Traveling, "Gilmore Girls", Business books that I get a lot out of, Decadent bath products, making lists.

Things that make me laugh until I'm crying: Will Farrell's scene in Wedding Crashers, my husband 99.9% of the time (he has to have something to strive for), Jon Stewart, my sisters impersonations.