*Noted Wrap up + What’s next
Hello! I tend toward the loquacious side of things - so I will try to keep this post a bit more brief today.
Last post had a lot of fun musings about the *Noted Expo in San Francisco. TLDR, day zero was set up & the Louie awards that evening. I spent 7-1/2 hours setting up my relatively small booth (insert LOL emoji!). I changed in the bathroom and headed to the awards presentation. I met tons of people there - and I was already bone tired from aforementioned set up time! Everyone dressed up & they had a red carpet at the entry (that’s me on the red carpet in the photo attached to this post!) The food was SO good & there was a booze bar & an ice cream bar! It was a bit of a shock to my system to go from grungy set up right into fancy shmoozing, I must admit! And yet, it’s one of my super powers, too. A fine time was had & I met so many people just that first day that I went to my hotel & did a brain dump list of everyone’s name & company so I would remember!
Believe it or not, the very next morning was not only the first day of the show but also the Pitch Program put on by the GCA and I was selected to pitch as a new maker. I had to be there an hour earlier than show time - and let it be known, no, early is not my forté. I’ve grown to appreciate on-time, but early is just excessively eager & unrealistic unless it happens by accident! (*note that I do offer a card for the person in your life, or yourself, to celebrate this lifestyle - in Neon or Black & White ) —- ANYWAY! I’m trying to be brief, I swear! I was there in time for my pitch slot, how about that? But I missed the free coffee & pastries, got it? I pitched to a team of rock star stores, two industry famous reps, Katie Hunt from Proof to Product, and a rep from the Faire wholesale platform. We each had 5 precious minutes plus a paltry 1 minute for questions. Most everyone came by again later to chat more or place orders!!
The process of planning my pitch helped me hone in on my voice & values & what it is that makes Mirthos stand out from the crowd. The specific time with the pitch receivers was excellent for getting my name out there & showing I’m serious - one of my goals for the show.
Then the show floor opened to the public & Mirthos Paper was officially debuting to the world! It took a little while to get into the swing of how to talk to people as they walked by & paused. The booths were narrow & I didn’t want to block my cards or stand between buyers & the cards. I did a lot of wandering in & out of the booth space. Some buyers like to chat, some are “just browsing", some want more info, some want to decide on their own. It’s not too different from a brick & mortar - except that each booth is wildly different from the next. The visual information that is processed & decided upon during a show can be overwhelming, indeed!
I’ve had orders since then from stores that found me there - and potential for more that haven’t bought yet. I’ve stayed in touch with them. My next step is follow up for the people who did order & how to nurture those relationships. It’s also time for me to get into a better (regular!) habit of email outreach to prospective & current wholesale accounts!!
Behind the scenes, I’m developing new cards & some other new categories. I’ve already released a set of star gift tags in 3 colors that are in 3 stores as of this post. (I’m writing that for historic record. I hope to look back on this one day & chuckle at how my stars are available at 100s or 1000s of stores!) I’ve got grand plans & I want them all to happen NOW. Hahahaha! Yes, that has impeded my own steps forward, to be honest! I just made a plan of attack for the steps needed to bring each one to life. There’s a short term & long term list to help prioritize everything, too. That is a step in the right direction!
At this phase of my business, there are parts of it that I am still learning my own systems & processes. Moving forward, past the first time for so much, I’ll have a better feel for next steps without having to invent them as I go. I’ve got a lot of plans for gorgeous, magical work that I am looking forward to sharing!!
Til we write again, XO, Hilary