Keeping Pace

As we begin a new year, it’s tempting to focus on all the things we didn’t accomplish instead of considering the things we did accomplish in the previous year. We are always moving forward but it feels like the days and years speed by much faster than we do. Sometimes I feel like the world needs to stop and let me catch up.

Our customers often express appreciation for our well organized and user friendly website. It is tempting to put on every idea I have and everything I know how to do but our full time web master keeps me organized and disciplined. We would be lost without her.

Last year we made big strides in our custom Styrofoam shapes, letters, and numbers, thanks to Mark, who took the initiative to learn CAD, how to use our new CNC cutter, and organized everything for the rest of us. It has enabled us to produce a quality product and opened up limitless possibilities. This year we plan to expand our custom shapes, adding a second CNC Styrofoam cutter.

Last month we changed our quantity discounts to make it easier to order. In the past, the discounts were only offered when purchased in packages, now you receive the discount once you purchase a certain amount.

We’ve been trying to find an easier way for our customers to make poufs. When I was an event decorator I used a stem machine but since most people don’t have one of those sitting around we used wood picks in all our kits. This summer, as I was preparing for a tradeshow I discovered a faster and easier method. One of my goals for the next few months is to change the directions in our 450+ kits to the new method. If you choose a variety of kits for your event they might have different methods for making your poufs but either way will work so you can choose to use the one you like best.

As I change and add new kits this coming year we will begin offering a quantity discount when ordering a certain amount of each kit. We will continue to look for ways to give you a good value for your money.

Today is a National Holiday and we are officially closed because UPS isn’t picking up today…..but that isn’t going to keep me from going to the warehouse and taking advantage of this rare opportunity when the world slows down and I can catch up.

I am excited and eager to begin this New Year. Happy New Year!

Traveling to and fro

This past month has been a busy one. We attended the Halloween Party Show in Houston to purchase new products and equipment. I am excited about our purchase of a ribbon imprinter which will enable us to custom print the ribbons around our Glamour Bases.

After being home only a few days I headed to New Jersey where I met up with my sister and business partner to participate in a Bar Mitzvah/Sweet 16 Showcase in Teaneck. While in New Jersey we stayed with our other sister and had opportunity to visit with an old family friend.

Most people would want to visit a New York City Broadway but my choice of activity was visiting Garden State Foliage where we purchase our curly ting and glitter. We purchased several new items to add to our product line.

The next day we packed up and headed to the airport, only to discover that both our flight were canceled due to weather and rescheduled two days later. We got back on the train and went back to my sisters. The great thing about an e commerce business is that you can work from anywhere so I spent the rest of my visit answering e-mails and helping the employees back home. It was a good time but I was very happy to make it back home.

On the Move

I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote. Last year was spent in survival mode and this year we are "on the move" forward.
I learned more about glitter then I ever thought I wanted to know. The glitter we previously used was plastic glitter, often called "craft" glitter. I find it simpler to call it "chunky" glitter. Our suppplier decided to discontinue several colors so we felt we were forced to change to polyester glitter which I will refer to as "fine" glitter. As so often is the case, I resisted the change as long as possible but once the decision was made I discovered the benefits. One of the deciding factors for me was that we would now have the exact glitter that is used on our curly ting so everything matches. Because the glitter is fine it seems to cover the surface better and sticks better.

As a designer, one thing frustrating is when the fashion industry comes out with a new color that we can't get products to match. When I was a balloon decorator we had to resign to stuffing one color of balloon inside another color to create the colors that weren't available. If the outside balloon popped at the event you would be left with a color that didn't belong. I recently became very excited when new mylar foil colors became available. We were able to add lime green, turquoise, and a new pink to our product line.

We have added a new designer to our staff to help with new centerpiece kits. Nancy Dicks has over 25 years experience in the floral, balloon, and special event industry. Putting new kits in production are a challenge in so many ways and take much more time then we like.

I feel like a little kid, not knowing what new toy to play with first. For the past several years we have cut all our foam with a hot wire using templates. A few months ago we purchased a digital foam cutter. Our new vinyl cutter arrived this week. It is so exciting to be able to offer more ways to personalize our designs.

Keep watching for more new and exciting things!

15 employees to 5 employees

The past five months have been filled with challenges and changes. We thought we could ride out the economic downturn but after months of sales being down we knew we were overstaffed and had to make hard decisions. After many sleepless nights and taking everything into consideration we decided to lay off everyone in our warehouse. I needed to be forced out of my comfort zone and back into day to day operations. It had been a couple years or more since I'd packed a box, now I am primary packer. I had rarely taken orders and now I answer the majority of incoming calls. Everything sits in my office as I left it when I went from my office to the warehouse July 29th. Once the decision was made I treated it as a challenge and tackled it with determination. Talking to you, our customers has given me better insight into your needs. There's a difference between looking at an order on a computer screen and actually seeing all the products together as you pack it. As hard as the decision was to lay off undeserving employees, I know it was the right decision and has been rewarding in many other ways. I know there will be a day when I will need to go back to overseeing and moving the business forward. For now, I am committed to giving you great customer service and helping you have an "awesome event."

Never meant to be a movie star

I appreciate more then ever people that have the ability to get in front of a camera and act normal. I have found that it is a lot harder then it sounds but it does get easier the more you do it.

My summer goal has been to make new DIY Centerpiece Kits and "how to videos" showing how easy the kits are to assemble. This week we added four new designs and two new "how to videos" .
It never ceases to amaze and frustrate me the amount of time and work it takes to introduce a new design.
Hollywood Glamour is a remake of a past design that was very popular. When I made the "how to video" the assembly took less then five minutes. Yes, that's "yours truly" stumbling over her words.
We added two new Race Theme Centerpieces, Celebrate the Day and Race to Win
The idea was to have similar designs but to make one more formal to be used for corporate events or theme weddings which has become very popular. They both have marquees on top for people to use in place of table numbers. We wanted to use the centerpiece name on the marquee but somehow ended up with the intended names switched. The design intended for theme weddings is called "Race to Win" and the Festive design is named "Celebrate the Day". Changing everything at this point would have only added to the confusion so we left them as is.
Yesterday I was able to finish a design we've been working on several weeks. We named it "French Quarter" because it has a Mardi Gras theme. We expect to have the kit available and a "how to video" uploaded in the next few days. If you can't wait, you can watch the video on YouTube. Consistantly finding nice affordable feathered mask is what made this centerpiece the most challenging to add. After weeks of locating product, I finished and photographed the design only to find that the mask I used had been discontinued already. I had to switch the mask, rephotograph and hope they continue to be available for a long time.
Making the video took 5 hours and I'm still not happy with the results but I feel the benefit of having the videos available outweigh my pride and embarrassment. Once the camera rolls the words just don't seem to come out right.
Designing is the fun and easy part. Making the design into a easy to assemble kit and available to order online with all the options is where the real challenge begins. We want it to be a professional design but directions easy enough for the inexperienced to follow. From the feedback we receive we feel we have been able to accomplish that goal.
Hope you have enjoyed hearing some of the details of what goes on behind the scene at Awesome Events.

I found a reason to Twitter!!

Everything I read, every seminar I attend says I need to be using Twitter but until today I really couldn't find anything to motivate me to use it. I faithfully signed up and then ignored it. Today I recognized the value all those Twitters have known all along.
It all started this morning when we started to process our orders for the day. Our customer's credit cards weren't being processed when they placed their orders. First we attempted to log on to their web site and found the processor's server down. Then we tried calling, only to receive a voice mail notifying us that they were closed. Surely we weren't the only ones in this dilemma. When all else fails, google it to find out what is going on..... wait - what's that thing everyone is talking about? Twitter will know. I logged on to my unused twitter account and there right before me was the information I'd been looking in all the wrong places for. There was a fire at the data center in Seattle. Well, that explains it. Thank you twitter! I was able to send a message to our customers when they placed their orders, explaining the situation...... It didn't stop there. Our processor set up a special account on Twitter to keep everyone informed and updated on the progress. How much easier it was to deal with all the frustrations once we had the knowledge of what the situation was. I think I've been converted!

Is there such a thing as Free Shipping?

I just returned from a two day e-commerce conference. One of the hot topics of discussion was "free shipping". As we all know, nothing is really free so who pays for it? Obviously the customer does, only now it's hidden in the cost. Worse yet, if you order multiple items you are paying more because the extra fee is added to each individually item so actually the more you purchase the more you are paying.

Have you ever had someone try to trick you into believing something that wasn't true then laughing at you for being stupid enough to believe it? I had a "friend" once that loved taking advantage of my naive trust. He would convince me to believe some crazy story then ridicule me for trusting him. That is my reaction to marketing gimmicks. It makes me feel used. I wouldn't feel right taking advantage of my customer's trust even though it has been proven time and time again that those marketing tactics work quite successfully.

When someone tries to demand Free shipping my initial thought is, "why don't you call UPS and see if they will donate your shipping fees?" No matter how you play the game, there is no such thing as free shipping.

At the conference I met a UPS representative. I was impressed that his purpose for attending was to listen to our shipping needs and to explore possible solutions to make it more affordable for everyone.