Stockist Spotlight // Sunshine No. 1

Since our first trade show last month we're so pleased to share that we have a number of new stockists. Earlier this month we took a wee trip to deliver orders to 3 of our newest stockists; The Makers Gallery & Bistro in Alloa, Rainbow Collections in Stirling then finally to Glasgow where you'll find our featured stockist. Today on our Stockist Spotlight we'd like to introduce you to the wonderful Sunshine No. 1! 

Sunshine No. 1 is owned by the lovely Suzi Nicol who we met through the Little Birds Market in St Andrews. Her shop opened in August this year and is filled with handmade goodies from across Glasgow and central Scotland. The shop has a fab retro vibe, I love the creative wall behind the till and fairground style shop signs! When we first popped in I took the chance to get some small bits and pieces for my Mum's birthday box (50 presents for her 50th!). I struggled to choose from the selection of quirky hand crafted gifts but came away with Poporopo popcorn, autumn berry jam and a rose geranium lipbalm. Had I been treating myself I'd have loved a Wee Candle Co. chocolate orange tin but the enamel mugs are gorgeous too! Sunshine No. 1 now stocks a selection of our mugs and occasion cards.

Suzi also hosts some fun looking crafty classes - head over to their Facebook page to find out more.

Sunshine No. 1 can be found at 1043 Catchcart Road, Glasgow, G42 9AF and is open 10am-5pm Tues-Sat 

10 Things We Learnt from our First Trade Show

Last month we attended our first trade show: Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn. It's safe to say it was a daunting experience, a lot of preparation went into it and we spent a fair amount of time online trying to find tips and advice. In the end it seems all of our hard work paid off and we're delighted to announce we have some lovely new stockists! We've also booked in to the Spring Trade Fair in January which we're really excited about now we know a little bit more about what to expect. We thought it might be helpful to share 10 things we learnt from our first trade fair as this is exactly the sort of post I was looking for beforehand!

1. Trial Run your Display

After spending ages on Pinterest, sketching out ideas and sourcing/making your display pieces it's really useful to try a test run of it all together. It might be tricky to set up in your home/studio but it'll be worth it if it helps fix any issues you might not think of in advance of the big day! We double checked our sizes and masking taped out the measured space in the living room then laid everything out best we could, with the products, then stood back to see what was missing - a few things! If we hadn't had a trial run we might have missed some last minute opportunities to improve our display.

2. Pack a 'Tool Box' for Set Up

We had a bit of a worry that something might be forgotten so it seemed easiest just to pack up all sorts of tools so every eventuality would be covered. Usual tool box stuff; hammer, screw driver, pliers etc along with different tapes, velcro, glue, blue tac, string, wire, pins, spare paint, brushes... you get the idea! It meant even if something got damaged we should be able to repair it, disaster averted.

3. Bring a Notebook

Your notebook is probably your most powerful secret weapon, together with a stapler and pen! You'll be meeting so many people for the duration of the event that there's a very good chance you won't remember who's who but with the help of your notebook and tip no. 8 you'll be sorted. Simply staple every business card into your notebook and write down the person you met's name along with anything that stands out about your chat with them. This way you can use your notebook to send them a personal email after, as follow ups are so, so important.

4. Pack an 'Admin Box' for Trading Days

Much like your tool box, your admin box should be filled with things you might need to keep you organised. Ours had calculators, additional order forms, a folder for keeping completed order forms, hole punch, stapler, etc. Also bottled water, snack bars and mints to keep us going when we weren't able to take a break.

5. Check Everything Fits in the Car

This one sounds really obvious but if it doesn't fit then it's better to find out before the day you're meant to be travelling so you can do something about it in advance! We're lucky ours does with room to spare but then we do have a big car.

6. Practise Conversation Starters

This also sounds daft, but if it doesn't come naturally to you (which it might not if you're working from home and not interacting with other humans every day) then you'll feel more confident knowing you've practised what you might say to make a good impression on potential stockists. This could be a simple 'hello, have you travelled far today?' or an opening statement to introduce yourself/your business.

 7. Give Everyone Something

People are quick, they have lots to see and often know exactly what they're looking for before they even arrive. If they stop at your stand, even briefly, then you have an opportunity to give away information which they might then look at after the show and see something they missed in their earlier rush. The more you hand out the more opportunities you create for potential stockists in future.

 8. Remember to ask for Business Cards

When possible if you've given someone your information, whether it's a brochure pack or business card, ask for their details in return! You can keep these in your notebook to follow up, or ask them if you can add them to your mailing list which keeps possible business relationships open for future enquiries.

9. Network

Trade shows aren't just about getting orders from shops but are a great opportunity to make friends with likeminded business owners. You all have similar experiences to share and there's no one better to get advice from than someone who's been there before. Try and find some time to see the other stands and introduce yourself to others.

10. Relax!

Relax and try to enjoy yourself, it'll show and you'll come across as more confident in your products. Let people see your enthusiasm and passion shine through!

Our Kickstarter Story // Part 2

It seems like ages ago since we were sharing the first part of our Kickstarter journey, so much has been going on since then. Here we are, 8 weeks later, with our new products finished, photographed and ready to launch!

First of all we would like to say a huge thank you to all of our lovely supporters:

Jo Gale, Lisa Stephen, Laura Forsyth, Marie McLean, Emma Simmonds, Natasha Newman, Mike Ebbage, Liz Burton, Jen Costine, Daisy Hollingsworth, Sarah Douglas, Kris Davidson, Gillian Liston, Beth Speed, Kim Newell, Janet Renfrew, Francesca Lobban, Pamela Borland, Debbie Leslie, Nyk Strong, Katherine Thornton, Clair Griffin, Suzi Nicol, Fiona Donald, Maureen Wright, Jan O'Brien, Heather Hodge, Nylah Ali, Susan Dunbar, Amber Griffin, Sally McAdam, Kirsty MacKay, Cecilie Osnes, Jade Anderson, Emma Williamson, Mafalda Johnson, Roni Lithgow, David Edwards, Alex Penter, Aileen Duncan, Shannon Laing, Sam Henry, Kath Noble, Alice Bye and also everyone who helped spread the word!

Most of you will have received your rewards in the post and we've been getting some lovely feedback and photos sent our way. We really hope you all love the new goodies!

We're really pleased with how everything turned out, even if not everything went according to plan. Our first card collection along with the new notebooks and improved earrings all came with us to our first trade fair last month (which we'll share more on soon) and received a very positive response. We're so excited to share news of where our new products will be stocked!

We'll be launching the new products on jillyjilly.co.uk on 12th October - sorry it can't be sooner but we're away on a family break just now. If you'd like to be first to hear you can sign up to our mailing list here if you haven't already done so: http://eepurl.com/Vsxxr. Keep an eye out for sneaky peeks across our social media over the next few days!

Only 1 week to go, we can't wait!

Our Kickstarter Story // Part 1

This post is a little different to usual, an insight into why and how we've used Kickstarter to help take JillyJilly to the next level. It's a bit more businessy than our usual blog topics but we thought it might be helpful to share our experience.

The Project

This year we have had so many ideas for what we wanted next for our wee business, so recently we made ourselves do some serious decision making. We realised that while we love making all of our products in the studio, it has been holding us back as we can only manage so many orders. It gives me less time to design and I've been ending up with lots of half finished collections which have to be pushed back to allow us to keep on top of making orders. We started looking at ways of changing what we make in the studio and found a few suppliers who offer the products at a quality we'd be proud to sell. 

Outsourcing some of our products will be totally new for us. This is our chance to create new ranges of designs and refresh some of the existing collections... meaning we had even more decisions to make! It's also a little daunting that we'll be passing some control onto other small businesses which will mean a new improved stock system which we'll need to get used to pretty quick. Studio clear out happening soon!

Our Deadline

Once we made the decision to out source production of 3 of our product types (notebooks, cards and earrings) we became determined to get it done as soon as possible. We realised it will allow us to reach more customers and give us the opportunity to work with new stockists. As it's less than 5 weeks until our first trade fair, this became the most obvious deadline for us! It also means we should be in a much more organised studio in time for Christmas. 

Using Kickstarter

This is where Kickstarter came in: we need to order a minimum number of each design from our new suppliers to go ahead, and the minimum is quite high. Given the deadline we'd set ourselves we didn't quite have enough funds to go ahead and place the initial orders. Initially we were looking at business grants, but after a little research we found we didn't qualify for many or the funding wasn't until next year - too late! A few friends had used Kickstarter or other crowd funding platforms before, it wasn't really something which had crossed my mind until this point. It felt strange that we would be 'asking people for money' but in reality it's more of a preorder system and such a great way to connect to customers who have supported us over the years. Kickstarter allows you to offer rewards to those who want to pledge towards your goal. It meant we could offer goody bags, new products and discounted bundles as incentives. I spent some time filling in the project details and figuring out the rewards, then doing some final calculations. Kickstarter takes a small commission as does the credit card processor, plus we can't forget about all the postage costs for sending out the rewards! Finally, after some security verification, we had to wait for the project to be approved (up to 3 working days) and then we were good to go.

Pledges

It was a little nerve wracking at first, what if nobody pledged? What if we only made it halfway to the target? (You have to reach the full goal or the project won't be funded). After sending out a newsletter to our mailing list and sharing across our social media pages, as well as telling friends and family and asking everyone to help spread the word, the pledges started to come in and we realised that this might actually work. We were getting closer to our dream for the next stage of JillyJilly!

Reaching our Goal
We only ran the Kickstarter project for a week because of our own short deadline. When it reached the end on Friday we found we had actually exceeded our target. We are absolutely over the moon that our first Kickstarter project has been funded! So... what's next? This is only the beginning so lots more work! Right now I'm finalising the illustrations for the new products, all of which will be ordered by the end of this week. It has been a wonderful motivator to see how much support we have out there and I really feel it's brought us closer to our customers. It's allowed us to share our journey and give an insight into the work that goes into running our business. 

If you're a small business owner and thinking of starting a Kickstarter project I would say go for it! You might be surprised by how many people want to see you succeed. It definitely helped having already been established for a while as well as having a social media following but I do believe it's an opportunity to really think about what you want from your business. (If you do decide to go for it, be prepared for lots of spam emails relating to crowd funding.)

The next chapter of our story should be us sharing some lovely new products! I can't wait :)

February WIP: Pebble Branding

Lots of you will know that my Mum is opening an exciting new shop in Aberdeen called Pebble, if not then here's some info: 

"Pebble will bring you an assortment of gifts, arts and pretty things with an emphasis on Scottish designers and makers. The name Pebble came from Lorraine's love of the sea which has previously been the inspiration for her jewellery collections. It is a nod to the uniqueness of her designers' work in that no two items are identical, like pebbles. Pebble will sell a range of jewellery, accessories, home wares, stationery, original art, ceramics, bath and beauty products as well as edible treats – all handmade or designed in Scotland. 

Pebble aims to make your gift buying experience satisfying and seamless. From the carefully curated products to gorgeous gift wrapping they've got it covered. They even offer loyalty cards so you can treat yourself after treating your friends and family! The shop is decorated with vintage upcycled furniture and quirky displays in the pastel Pebble colour palette giving it a fresh and fun feel"

Although I've been really involved in the whole shop planning and designing process this is my Mum's shop and not mine - lots of people have mistaken it as a joint business venture. The shop opens on 1st March so is still a work in progress but I've officially been behind the branding from logo design, stationery, packaging and website to shop sign, social media and photography. Unofficially I've been helping choose stock (candle and chocolate samples - yes please!), painting furniture, programming the till, working on shop layouts and displays and other odd jobs! 

The thoughts behind the Pebble branding was that it had to have a fresh and effortless feel. The colour palette, typography choice and use of circles mean it can easily be applied across all the items needed for a shop. The pastel tones are chosen to represent a soft seascape and the ombre effect sits really well with the liquid like font. I chose to use the circle "pebbles" with icons to represent what's unique about the shop but the logo can also be used without these. The icons are really fun for stickers and using throughout the decor too. Most of the branding and design work is done now apart from the website as we're waiting for the shop to be filled for photographing before that goes live!

The Pebble launch weekend is from Saturday 1st March 10am-6pm to Sunday 2nd March 11am-4pm. It will be a proper party with balloons, cakes and treats, a lucky dip with every purchase and grand prize draw over the weekend. Pebble is located at 198 Rosemount Place, Aberdeen, AB25 2XQ. Hope you can make it! (if not I'll be doing a blog post about it afterwards)

You can find Pebble on Facebook to keep up to date with the countdown: https://www.facebook.com/pebblegiftshop

January WIP: Business Planning

This work in progress is almost a DIY post too so may have some useful ideas! Since leaving uni I really wanted to streamline my design process for dealing with clients. These projects can involve a lot of juggling so I want it to help from start to end of getting an enquiry and sending final artwork files. I've been busy adding to my website and designing matching, yet practical stationery and forms. I think it's important to make the most of all these contact points as this is the full experience that clients will remember from dealing with me, and who says forms can't be pretty? I've worked in an office before and know how dull and formal paperwork and stationery can be, so keeping that in mind it should be a lot more fun having organised my clients into washi tape covered folders and floral sketchbooks and seeing these things scattered about the studio! So far I have my website, business cards, client questionnaire, estimate and invoice templates, letterheads and project planners. Feeling much more organised and better get on with the actual design work now!