Although we weren’t in store yet, we had a launch planned for some of my fave bloggers (bloggesses as I call them because they are like the lionesses – they rule the jungle online).
While I wanted to postpone the event – and do it when we had actual product in actual stores – but I couldn’t because all of the venues I booked would have charged us… and it was just too much to change.
Desperatley trying to catch up and doing so by video seems like the quickest way to the finish line.
This part of our journey was right after a moment of success – and it was a moment of S***! And then another moment of success. These ups and downs – so exhausting.
You’ll see. Please watch (BTW: though I’m not loving the way I look in these things… need powder, but what can you do!).
Coming to you live from my home office…
After the hell of having 30,000 damaged components – and going through weeks upon weeks of debate with the manufacturer to replace them… missing shipping dates… losing the UK opportunity to star in 62 windows (and receiving a 13,000 pound bill for the screw up)… a whole lot of crying… an enormous dose of fear… thoughts of giving up… we had… finally… a moment of success!
In case you missed it, this picture shows you the kind of damage we had when we attempted to fill the components we didn’t know were cracked until we – well – tried to fill them!
Everything was going exactly as planned at this point…
And then we got “the call,” the kind of call you’d imagine getting when a loved one dies. And a loved one did die… our product sich.
See below – watch and listen! All I have to say is… OY!
More coming soon
Mwah!
Karen
Purple Lab Creatrix
I am desperately trying to catch up on the Purple Lab story from where I am in the blog to where I am in real-time. To speed up the process, I thought I’d do it by video – VLOG!
Here is the part of my story about getting a B-plan and raising money (at least the start of it).
Wait – before you click – sorry that YouTube paused on this image… it looks like I’m about to throw up!
At this point, I was about 60k in the hole. Maybe more. I was losing count. And numbers were never my strongsuit.
Could I have spent less on press materials? Yes.
Could we have tried to negotiate better terms with our vendors – i.e. don’t pay half up front but maybe 1/4? Maybe. But I didn’t and I didn’t quite know how either. In hindsight, everything is 20/20.
In case you’re wondering, I was a good 60k in the hole. And believe me, every dime of it hurt – it was a life’s savings and it was dwindling with a list of expenses still ahead.
Could I have spent less on press materials? Yes.
Could we have tried to negotiate better terms with our vendors – i.e. don’t pay half up front but maybe 1/4? Maybe. But I didn’t and I didn’t quite know how to do so and as a new company, we have such little leverage.
In hindsight, everything is 20/20.
At a later date, I must come back to Space.NK – it’s a loooong story, sort of like dating the guy you always, always had a crush on only to find out he’s a terrible kisser!
But now we’re back on the press kit. I was finally able to nip, tuck, finish.
PR 101: Editors, writers, journalists, media types, bloggers… they get hundreds of press kits and product samples every week. When you’re in their position, everyone wants you to cover them so they drench you in product.
I was saying earlier that my other goal – after Scoop – was to be in Space.NK. In the UK – the prestige chain originated in London – it is “the” place to go for beauty. Sophisticated, Calvin Klein-esque, gleaming, modern, the store is a jewel box of faceted brands – and only about 60 well-edited ones.
The store was making a play for the US and opened two NYC stores and two outside of the city. Then there was their store-within-a-store deal with Bloomie’s. A friend of mine knew the founder, a very inspiring woman whose initials are (go figure) NK, and introduced us in an email.
Purple Lab was on its way – but homeless.
You can’t get any kind of media coverage on a product if there is no place to buy it. And that meant, work on the press kit but don’t print and go out there with it yet.. wait until I had a place to send people to buy.
Here’s the thing about retailing in today’s world.
The brick and mortar retail model has changed dramatically with the increase of the internet and the decrease of the economy. More people are buying online and on HSN and QVC, which used to be kind of low brow but has become cool, full of fabulousness.
