I have been in so many meetings lately. I just wanted to share two things are are finally happening.

1) I bought a domain name. I don’t have a lease yet but I have a name!

Welcome to the world, little URL.

Makeshift Society (or maybe Make Shift Society, haven’t decided yet) is a society for independent smartypants who crave camaraderie to fuel their creativity. It’s a society for you. There will be an application process, there will be lectures and classes and fun, and there will be a clubhouse. The interiors, the branding, and the mission are all being put together right now and it is going to knock your socks off, no kidding. Members, investors, volunteers and idea makers are all being actively sought.

2) The Retail Readiness eBook is almost done. I mean it! It’s in the editing phase, and the graphics by Erin are nearly there, and the website concept is solid, and I just have to price it so I can sell it to you. Here’s a little detail from the website.

As I’ve said, the fun never stops around here. I love launching projects more than anything else, so keep your eyes peeled for lots of good stuff this summer and fall.

First up was a little time at ICFF. The furniture fair is the centerpiece of New York’s design week and while I think a lot of the cutting-edge stuff was happening at the offsite events, the fair itself always has a ton going on, including demos of making (above left). I like how the maker movement is even appearing at these big events, it’s quite new to see it happen in person in the middle of a tradeshow. I got to tour a bit of ICFF with Grace; it was interesting to watch her do her thing and scope out faves and trends. She is incredibly good at synthesizing data quickly.

Workshop attendees at the Designsponge HQ.

The next day was all about my workshops. I started it out by teaching Opening a Boutique then after a short break tackled Retail Readiness. It was a lot of fun; everyone was very interactive and asked a lot of questions. I learned things from the attendees too, which is always my favorite part. I talked myself hoarse then met up with Doug (who had amazing gifts for me) and friends to wind down the day.

Shed Letterpress made font cootie-catchers; Katharine Watson's booth included the actual blocks she uses for her prints.

Monday was super rainy so I gladly went back to Javits for the National Stationery Show. Since I was not buying this year, it was quite fun to walk the show and visit with all of the vendors I knew from the Rare Device days, plus I got to meet new makers and even some people who guest-posted on my blog. Monday night was a loud, tasty, delightful dinner with some of the design/blog world’s finest. We filled up the center table at Gobo and ordered too many dishes.

Finally, a quick meeting over at Etsy regarding their new, not-rolled-out-yet wholesale program. Their goals and mine are the same – helping makers learn about what it takes to successfully wholesale their work and streamlining the process as much as possible. We also agree that not everyone should, or has to, sell their work wholesale, so Etsy sellers should breathe easy that, fundamentally, the goals of the Etsy marketplace are not going to change.

After I visited the lovely Etsy offices, I met up with Lisa and Victoria and we popped in down the street at Studiomates and Tattly. The DUMBO area of Brooklyn is truly a hotbed of creativity and it was nice to see how different offices were configured for different needs. We finished up with lunch at Rice then it was time to go home. Bye and thanks, New York!

As animals have always been popular, I find it intriguing to see what will be the next “it” creature. At any given time, there seem to be four or five animals vying for owl-level popularity. Some become niche hits (dachshunds and flamingos feel that way right now) and others really do become ubiquitous. I often read articles declaring an animal the next big thing but each outlet seems to put their stock behind a different creature. So what turns an animal from minor hit to huge trend? Some seem seasonally-focused like sea creatures in summer and forest friends in winter. Other times, pop culture plays a part like a hit Disney film or dominant news story. Perhaps one reason owls became so popular is due to the end of the Harry Potter books and movies? I have also wondered if there is a deeper reason at play as well. In a time of economic uncertainty, did we turn to owls as symbols of wisdom? Did unicorns become popular in the 1980′s because they are creatures of fantasy much like the mindset during “the era of excess”? Plenty of psychoanalysis to ponder beyond what makes great-looking design. Hey design thesis students, a topic to consider?

What animal will dethrone owls and become the rockstar of 2012? In a season dominated by so many animals motifs, there appear to be many contenders and I feel like I see new possibilities daily. Let’s ponder a few! – Chloé / plenty of colour

images via lucky pony, bongo design, robin and mould, spool of thread and urban outfitters

images via KokofoxStudio, fawn and forest, jonathan adler and dwell studio

images via madewell, indigo, world market and first llama in space

images via kate spade, kate spade, urban outfitters and juicy couture

images via urban outfitters, riazzoli, pottery barn and urban outfitters

images via rue mag, pottery barn, anthropologie and boy-girl tees

images via anthropologie, animalia and area ware

images via mod cloth, all the pretty distractions, j.crew and bloomingdales

Will any of these animals become the owl of 2012? Or will they enjoy popularity but not oversaturation? It remains to be seen. Personally, I ready for the owl trend (much like moustaches and bacon) to take a bit of a vacation from the design world. With so many inspiring critters popping up everywhere, there will be no shortage of fantastic animal imagery in fashion and home decor. While one animal may dominate for a season or two, there is still a timelessness to animal objects. Sure, there may need to be a breather after a rather ubiquitous creature but as a whole, animals will always be a mainstay of the design world.

What do you think will be the “it” animal of 2012? Will there be many flashes in the pan or one dominate animal? I would love to hear predictions and hopes! Until next time, I am off to the shops…
– Chloé / plenty of colour

The second guest post by Ronald. Thanks so much, my friend! – Rena

Earlier this year, I attended a specialty coffee competition about an hour’s drive south of San Francisco. Predictably, most of the people there were in the industry, so it was inevitable that someone would ask what roaster I worked for and who I was competing under. I told them I was competing for the title of “World’s Best Customer.” Aside from drawing laughs, my response ended up opening the channel for something else to occur: a dialogue.

I admit to having a deep love for dialogues. All my favorite businesses stand out because they spark or fuel certain interests, which keeps me coming back. One such business is Modern Appealing Clothing, arguably San Francisco’s most fashion-forward clothing store. It has a way of burrowing seeds of knowledge into memory.

Owners Ben and Chris Ospital, and their style guru Scott, have the uncanny ability of meeting customers at eye level. I’ve brought in countless friends, whose knowledge and understanding of fashion ran the gamut, and have watched engaging dialogues form from a distance, if simply to admire it all. Their business is about selling fashion, but they don’t pander; they don’t fluff; but man, do they excel in integrity.

Another standout is CH Good Stock, nestled within a stone’s throw from centuries-old Mountain View Cemetery and tiki bar Kona Club in Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue neighborhood. While the store stocks a fine curated collection of gifts, its real treasure is owner Dana Olson, who has a compelling story behind each item she sells. She’s also a great conversationalist.

For these businesses dialogues are a risk they’re willing to embrace, and at some point transforms their customers into co-conspirators, dreamers, allies, and supporters. Which brings me back to the specialty coffee competition. That spark came from a dialogue with Kristen Nelson and Robert Myers, co-owners of Oakland’s Modern Coffee, when I had asked, “What is the flavor profile of a Sumatra?”

Ronald Pineda works in marketing and communications for Children Now, the leading advocacy organization promoting children’s health and education in California and creating national media policies that support child development. He spends his free time finding the esoteric, the underloved, and the simply-forgottens. He also enjoys channeling his inner hedonist.

Robin Plemmons artist statement at Zapow, image credit: Tara Swiger

In my upcoming posts, we’re going to talk about sharing your thing, but before we dig in, I want to start with something really stress-less, a way to get started thinking of marketing without pulling out your hair.

Whether you’re a maker trying to reach customers, indie boutiques, advertisers or you’re a retailer trying to reach your local customers – you want to find people and convincing them that they want what you offer. This is marketing.

But, oh, Marketing, that sounds huge, doesn’t it? We know there are things we should be doing, places we should show up, things we should be sharing.

Where to start?
No matter where you are in business (just-opened or 20 years strong), sharing your thing comes down to two variables:

What you offer + Who Wants It.

In my book, I refer to these variables as Your Awesomeness + Your Right People.
Everything can be filtered through these two components, because all of your marketing needs to both

1. Highlight what you offer
2. Be interesting, useful or appealing to your right people.

Until we dig into this more, you can start to look at everything you do (yes, everything!) through these filters. When you review an ad, write a description, or take a photograph, as yourself two questions:

1. Does it highlight and proclaim the gloriousness of what makes your thing special?
2. Does it matter to your customers? Does it speak to exactly what they care about most?

Even when your busy, overworked, or overwhelmed, you can ask these two questions about any decision and you’ll be moving towards more effective marketing.

To prove how easy this is, let’s try it right now in the comments. Answer the above questions about whatever is in front of you right now (and I’ll do the same!).

Credit: Nobody.

I have met the best people through my former store. There is something magical when you can have that relationship with a customer, who then becomes a friend that you can have a beer with or even have housesit for you, like my guest contributor today and tomorrow. He’s helped clean up after parties and has walked my dog. He also makes a point to support local retail, and retailers, and he talks more about this today. I thought it would be interesting for you to get the customer viewpoint on what really brings people back. – Rena

My name is Ronald Pineda, and for the next two days I’ll be covering one of my favorite topics: customer engagement. I wish I had the credentials to add professional bearing on this matter, but I don’t. You’ll just have to trust me by reading on.

The day I met Rena was one of those ridiculously gorgeous days in San Francisco. How is it I still remember this? Because it’s usually during those warm days when people enjoy window-shopping. So there I was, walking towards the Castro, when a storefront beckoned entry. Fortunately for me, I listened, pushed the door, and stepped inside.

Since you’re already familiar with Rena’s sense of style, I won’t beleaguer you with details of the rare devices on display throughout the store. What I will share is that first impressions matter—a lot. As a customer, I know instinctively when a greeting is genuine and when it’s perfunctory, and often it’s this smallest of gestures that can make a lasting difference.

It all really depends on your intention. Are you interested in cultivating a loyal customer, or do you simply see the person walking through the door as the guarantor of next month’s rent? Trust me on this: regardless of whether or not you’re conscious of it, your customer knows the answer.

Although I’m sure some of you are tempted to think that this is an oversimplification of a weighty topic, it really does narrow down to intention. What happens next—assuming your intention is to cultivate loyal customers—is a journey that you, as a store owner, and I, as a customer, create together. In short, we initiate a dialogue. (Or, if you prefer, a dance.)

With Rena, Lisa and their store Rare Device, the initial “hello” formed the foundation for a friendship. Our dialogue evolved over time. Some days, I simply stopped in to say hello and share a few laughs; other times, it was with a goal to purchase something specific that I knew Rare Device carried; and still other times, it was because I simply didn’t know: I just wanted to be in their company. All my reasons were welcomed.

Tomorrow: Dialogue matters.

Ronald Pineda works in marketing and communications for a leading advocacy nonprofit that promotes children’s health and education in California and national media policies that support child development. He spends his free time finding the esoteric, the underloved, and the simply-forgottens. He also enjoys every opportunity to channel his inner hedonist.

And here we are at the second part of the series. It’s been 2 weeks and I feel like I’ve only touched the surface of my own process into manufacturing. As you probably have guessed, the process takes a lot of preparation and legwork to get going. On this journey, I ended up going to the San Francisco Small Business Conference this week where I attended a Manufacturing 101 workshop led by Kate Sofis, Executive Director of SFMADE. The workshop revealed a lot of great insights on starting the manufacturing process and on local manufacturing, much of which, thanks to Kate, I am able to share with you today. With some initial research, great professional advice, and personal experience I have outlined a basic overview that should helpful get you going on your own process of manufacturing.

Preparing for Manufacturing:
I started writing this post and realized that there was a step before creating some manufacturing connections and it was being prepared with the knowledge of your product and your business. This will be particularly helpful in not only finding a manufacturing source, but making sure they fit for your needs.

Know your Product. At the very beginning of the process is your design. There are 2 things you need in order to start manufacturing: 1) a good understanding of your product and 2) production ready specifications also known as a tech package. Knowing your product and being able to communicate it well is key to getting exactly what you want out of the process.  I wrote a basic outline of a tech package in this post. If creating a technical spec is not in your expertise you can always hire a designer or development consultancy to create one for you.

Know your business. Next, you need to think about the business side of things and how much capital you need to make this happen. Determining a budget is important in order to be able to stay within your means and to be able to negotiate if you need to. Here are some questions to help you learn more.
- How much have you sold or will you sell?
- How much does your product take to make?  Calculate the cost of goods sold, raw materials, labor, and overhead.
- What is your distribution strategy? Are you planning to sell direct or through a retailer? This plays a huge role in your profit margin.
- Who is your consumer? Knowing your consumer will help you understand the appropriate pricing strategy for your products.
( BTW Rena has created a really, really great resource to help you figure much of this out. I know, I used it.)

Sound familiar? These are some of the same ingredients in the making of a business plan. All of these answers will help you figure out what your cost structure will be and as a result the number of units you can afford to manufacture and possibly the location of your manufacturer. Yes location, read on!

Creating Connections
Think of your future manufacturing partner as a long-term relationship. You want to make sure everything fits before you make a commitment.

Size matters. The size of the manufacturer you seek should relate directly to your production needs. What type of manufacturer do you need?
-  Cottage Industry – usually a technically proficient skilled sewer or artisan that works out of their own home. Quantities are flexible and usually very small.
- Cut, Sew, and Trim Outfit– a small crew of technically proficient workers who can make patterns, cut  materials, sew and apply trim. You have to be able to source and supply your own materials. Has the ability to do sampling and small and medium sized production runs.
- Full package manufacturers – provides a fully-costed service which includes sampling, patterns, fabrics, and production.

Near or Far. The next thing you want to think about is whether you want to have a local or long distance relationship with your manufacturer. By long distance I mean overseas manufacturing. The manufacturing process is not like dropping off your dry cleaning and then picking it up later. As you will soon see, manufacturing is a hand held process that involves helping your manufacturer understand your needs and they, in return, will teach you how they work. This is especially the case with new manufacturing relationships. Whether you decide to go local or not, really comes down to the quantities you want to produce and the price you are going to sell your products for. To see if local manufacturing makes sense for you here are some initial questions to ask:

- Will you frequently have new products/ design releases?
- Does local manufacturing play a part in your brand?
- Does the scale of your intended production fit with the capacity of local manufacturers?

The advantages of local manufacturing are the flexibility of short design and production cycles, customized orders, and locally made branding. This is where knowing what your consumer values is important. Some advantages of overseas manufacturing is having potentially lower costs per unit due to cheaper labor, higher quantity production runs, competitive material sources, and access to a larger network of manufacturers. The biggest downfalls are the legalities of importing, distance, and the communication barrier. You will also have to factor in hiring an agent and/or having to spend a few weeks abroad at a factory during development.

Where to look. How do you find a manufacturer? Well manufacturing sources are usually highly guarded trade secrets. But don’t worry there’s always a way in. Here are some pathways to finding the right source.

- Local Manufacturing Organizations, such as SF MADE, not only provide insightful advice and local resources but also help companies figure out the best manufacturing opportunities for their organizations.
- Design and Development Consultancies – They help refine your idea, work to make it manufacturable, and can find a source to bring it to life. Portland Garment Factory is a great example of a very well rounded development company.
- Ask your material sources. I’ve found that if you have a great relationship with your material sources they can  usually provide reliable referrals to manufacturing.
- Conferences and Industry Trade shows are excellent sources to find many manufacturers under one roof. Outdoor Retailer, Magic Marketplace for Fashion show, and China Canton Fair are some of the most diverse tradeshows to find material and manufacturing sources.
- Small product companies that have in house production. These companies don’t advertise as manufacturers but usually have the space and the capacity to do small runs in their down time. If they’re flexible and have a similar item in construction to yours you can ask them to tack one of their production runs.

Finding a match. How do you know if a manufacturer is a compatible mate? The process is much simpler than finding one. The following is a set of basic criteria to see if there is a match in the making.
- They have the skill set, machinery, labor force needed to make your products. Ask to look at samples of their available processes and techniques.
- They have sampling and production lead times that work with your schedule.
- Their minimum quantities work for you.
- They are reliable to make all of the above happen as promised.  Although true reliability can only be seen over time, there are ways you can find out if a manufacturer is a trusted source. Start by asking what other companies they have manufactured for and ask those companies for references.

Whew! And that was just a brief overview of the process. As you get into the process of finding a manufacturer yourself, you will discover the details that really hit home for your product and your business.  Stay tuned for the next post as I get into what to expect when developing a product with a factory.

Cheers,
Christine
Materials + Process

These links have been very helpful in my quest.
SFMADE
FASHION STARTUP
CO SEWN
FASHION INCUBATOR
DESIGNER NEXUS

IMAGE SOURCE: TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

It has been many years since I’ve been back to New York. We moved away in 2007 and I closed Rare Device NY in 2008. Then we bought an apartment, had a baby and…it’s been busy.

I am really excited to meet everyone coming to the Retail Readiness and Opening a Boutique workshops, and also to see old friends, meet new Internet friends, and do a little sightseeing with Victoria and Lisa. I’ll also be doing an extremely fast pass through ICFF and the Stationery Show. If you see us sprinting down the halls, give a yell! I’ll be back at it on Wednesday.

And! As a little treat, I am pulling in someone to guest post on Monday and Tuesday. He’s a former store customer-turned-friend, which is just one of the many benefits of having your own business.

Hello everyone! I am so excited to be a part of such an awesome group of entrepreneurs and creatives! My name is Keely and I am a graphic designer and illustrator who happens to juggle full time motherhood as well. Being my own boss has many rewards, but it is fraught with challenges as well (both on the business side and creative side of things) . I find that being on my own and working from home means I have to work extra hard to keep my creative juices flowing. Without all the day to day office interactions of a normal 9-5, creative slumps can be frequent. A little eye candy can do wonders for jolting that creative genius awake. I know how easy it is to get stuck in a rut, and no matter what your business, inspiration of any kind can do amazing things for you and your work.

Sometimes we just need to see inspiring things. Other times we need to get out of our comfort zone and challenge our process. We all get into routines, and my column will be about stepping out of the mundane, if even for a minute. A mix of curated imagery and quirky exercises will help you flex those tired creative muscles. If nothing else, it will be a little eye candy for the soul. I’m looking forward to it! –Keely

Photo (c) Erica Midkiff

Why do you need to worry about spelling things correctly when you have a spell-checker in your email, your word processor, your blog creator, and often in the comment box of blogs? While it’s super handy if you’re typing too fast and write “adn” instead of “and,” that spell-checker won’t catch the following spelling errors:

+      A misspelling that, itself, is a correctly spelled word. Example: you type “were” instead of “where.”

+      An incorrect choice of homophones. Example: you type “complement” instead of “compliment.”

+      The use of two versions of a word in the same document. Example: you type “likable” in one place, and “likeable” in another.

+      An error on something handwritten! Obviously.

A spell-checker will find words that are just plain misspelled (that don’t spell another word), and will catch simple errors when you’re typing too quickly. There are other times, though, that you have to be very careful—for me, I have to pay attention when I’m typing the word “though.” I nearly always type “thought” instead! I scan very carefully for such errors when editing.

So what are some alternatives to using a spell-checker? Most importantly: don’t be afraid to look up words! I’m certainly no spelling champion. (Though now that you mention it, I did win the school spelling bee when I was in the fourth grade. The word that stumped me when I moved on to Regionals? “Goulash.” I’m still a little bitter.) I look up words all the time, and many I look up multiple times—“embarrassed” gets me every time.

You can also study lists of difficult words and learn spelling rules and exceptions if you’d like, and I hope you’ll learn to use some common homophones correctly (particularly they’re/their/there, its/it’s, and your/you’re). But really, I suggest:

+      Use the spell-checker first. Let it catch those obvious errors!

+      Again, look up any word you’re unsure of. Most dictionaries have reputable, free online versions.

+      When editing your writing, hunt for any word that you might have misused (homophones, variant spellings, and so on).

We all misspell things sometimes—it happens. But if you’re aware that a spell-checker isn’t perfect, and neither are you, you’ll go a long way toward making sure things are spelled correctly in your writing!

For a little more help, you can find a few homophones and their meanings, as well as a list of commonly misspelled words, on my website.

: Erica Midkiff // Copy Editor :