My best networking story

I’m not good at networking but I do believe it can work miracles.  This is my best networking experience, one that led directly to getting more fabrics than I can shake a stick at (should I care to do so). 

So I was living in Atlanta at the time, making laptop bags from repurposed fabrics that I was getting primarily from thrift stores.  I joined a small networking group called Coffee Connection consisting of local businesswomen.  After introducing myself and my business, one of the women asked if I were familiar with a blogger in the area named Sustainable Patty (aka Pattie Baker).

I had never heard of her but when I went home I looked her up.  Sure enough, Sustainable Patty had a well-written and colorful blog that covered all sorts of environmental topics.  I emailed her about my business and asked if she would have any interest in writing about it.

Of course, bloggers are always looking for topics and since mine was right up her alley, she responded right away.  Turned out we lived only a few streets away from each other, so we set a date for her to come over and have a look.  We really hit it off, and she ended up writing a very nice story about me.  Sales did not improve.

But a couple of weeks later, I was contacted by Lisa, the CFO for the Jim Thompson Company, a manufacturer of high-end fabrics with factories in Thailand and Italy.  She also lived in the neighborhood, saw Sustainable Pattie’s blog, and wondered if I would be interested in receiving fabric samples from them.

Seems that they send small samples or “memos” to potential customers – typically hotels, condos, office buildings, and so on – who then choose fabrics for wall coverings, upholstery, draperies, etc.  They have to send the samples back, and the samples are stored in boxes, never to be used again.  The Jim Thompson folks store them for awhile, but eventually they have to be discarded if no one takes them off their hands.

When I visited their offices, I was shocked to find that they had boxes and boxes of samples, some quite large, most about 8”x10”.  They were absolutely gorgeous:  Thai and Italian silk; fine linen; cottons; wool; high-end synthetics.  Beautiful prints; glowing colors.  It was stunning, and all free. 

Thus began a beautiful symbiotic relationship, and all because of a networking breakfast that I attended in Dunwoody, Georgia.

Please help me find good homes for my fabrics!

My best networking story (I’ll tell you in a future post) led me to take ownership of more fabrics than you can shake a stick at (why would you want to do that…?).  In addition to the fabrics I got from other sources – thrift stores, the Sandy Springs recycling center, donations – I have, at last count, nearly 13,000 pieces of high-end fabric samples from the Jim Thompson Company in Atlanta.  Some are pretty big, but most are around 8”x10”:  silk, linen, wool, cotton, and high-end synthetics like Trevira.

"It's always 5:00 somewhere!"  Right?

This count doesn’t even include the 11 boxes I have still unopened.  I got these as I was leaving Atlanta to move to Oberlin.  On the way out of town, I stopped by for one more batch, but with so many fabrics already in stock, I didn’t really need more to count and store, so they’re in a corner in the basement.  Sorting and counting the samples inside will be a project for another day.

My working goal in life, as I realized in an “aha” moment during my SEED Ventures experience (more about that in a future post), is to turn these wonderful samples into useful and beautiful products that people will enjoy having.  I think of them as adorable puppies – tens of thousands of them! – who need a good home.

Southwestern-themed placemat with pockets

Can you help?  Of course you can!  Each trivet, placemat, coaster, and wine bag purchased saves another discarded fabric from the landfill, where no beautiful thing should ever go.  Each month I will be doing a countdown, and when I get to zero, I’ll shut my etsy store, take down my Facebook page, close my blog, and retire for real.

Insulated silk trivets/potholders

 

"Re-inspired" about Networking

On Saturday I dropped off 7 bags at Re-Inspiration, a store in west Atlanta that specializes in art and items made from recycled materials.  Kind of right up my alley, doncha think?  Owners Brooke and Julie could not be nicer, and I love the display they did.  (Photos were taken by phone and don't do it justice.)  Best of all, their one-year-anniversary open house is this coming weekend so hopefully there will be lots of traffic.

And here's the beauty of networking.  How did I find out about them?  Well, a couple of months ago I was asked to participate in a focus group for WCLK, my favorite jazz station, at Clark Atlanta University.  Each of us had an opportunity to introduce ourselves at the beginning of the session.  At the session was a young woman who was helping the facilitator by taking notes.  Afterward, she asked me if I was familiar with Re-inspiration.  I wasn't, but she encouraged me to look them up.  And I did.  If all goes well, I'll have another great networking story to tell.

My other story, of course, is how I linked up with a fabric manufacturer here in Atlanta from whom I get all kinds of wonderful fabrics.  Started with Sandra in my Dunwoody Coffee Connection networking group, who suggested I contact Sustainable Pattie about blogging about me, who did, whose blog was read by Lisa, who is the office manager for the fabric company.  Out of the blue she contacted me and a partnership was formed that enables them to responsibly dispose of their remnants, samples, and discontinued fabrics while providing me with a free source of really excellent fabrics.

I hate to network but, dammit, networking works!

Vendor Show - Worth It?

Whether the vendor show at the Alabama College Bookstore Association (ACBA) meeting yesterday was worth it or not from a sales standpoint remains to be seen.  What I believe, though, is that it's got to be more valuable to meet people in person and to show interest in their group than to pick up a phone and cold call.  Ok, that's a no-brainer.  Still, it's good to reinforce platitudes with experience from time to time.

Other vendors kept coming over and asking if I'd written any orders.  I didn't expect to take any orders - I didn't even bring order forms!  For me, it was an opportunity to show my stuff, hand out my card, give a little gift (a card wallet), collect cards, and talk to people.  Did all that, and more:

• One person did give me a custom order (although he didn't pay for it yet)
• A potential customer gave me an idea for a new product, perfect for the military student body at her school
• Another person wants to organize her colleagues to buy 12 items for Christmas giving in order to get the wholesale prices.  Fine with me!  I don't care what they do with them.
• A vendor, who shall remain nameless and blameless, offered to send me her database with college store contact information
• Another vendor is going to put me in touch with a mid-states conference organizer
• Made some great contacts at NACS, based in my home town of Oberlin, and heard a very inspirational story

So was it worth it?  Absolutely!  What would I do differently?

• Work harder on my display, in advance.  Dom rigged up something with coat hangers that was ok considering I asked him to do it the night before he was going out of town.  With more time, though, I'm sure he could have done something better.
• Maybe bring some order forms?  Doesn't hurt to give people the idea that the stuff is for sale.
• Bringing the iPad with a pdf of the catalog was a good idea that worked well, but need to get a stand for it.
• Could have skipped the opening night dinner, especially considering that I had to drive home that night to take care of the chickens and be back the next morning by 8.  Was going to blow off breakfast but the cheap side of me vetoed that idea as I'd already paid for it.  Good thing, too, because I had the opportunity to introduce myself to the entire group at once and talk a bit about my company and products.  Would have appreciated a little advance notice on that, but it was fine.

Otherwise, I think I did all right.  Looking forward to the Georgia equivalent (GACS) next week.