Monday, July 26, 2010

Protecting your Fabric Sales

By: Andrea Schuch

Have you ever wondered how to protect your fabric sales when you show clients a fabric sample with vendor information? We, at the showroom, often get back memo samples with no tag on – the problem with removing tags is that when you show your client the fabric you may not know which way the fabric runs on the bolt. If you cannot tell your workroom which direction the fabric comes off the roll, they won’t be able to quote yardage or - worse, they will give you an inaccurate quote. Linda Yackle of M.Y. Window Designs came in the showroom last week with a great example of how to get around this.

Linda uses Microsoft Word to create a postcard template. She inputs her logo and company information and a few blank lines to write on. She prints out a bunch at a time and cuts them out (4 print on one page) and replaces the fabric tags with these to show her customers. She will write on the tags the repeat information and a fabric name. She may alter the name to make it more difficult for the customer to find online. By placing this tag on, she can ensure that she knows which way the repeat runs and will be able to accurately calculate yardage. She is also helping out the showroom when she replaces the original tag since she knows exactly which tag needs to go back on it and which direction it needs to be applied by matching up the repeat information and maybe a coded name.

Below is a picture of what her tags look like (Thanks Linda for the picture!)

What do you do to protect your fabric sales?

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Working and Parenting - A Balancing Act!

As parenting is definately on my mind lately with a set of 10 week old twins waiting for me at home, I think of all the designers who come in our showroom with kids. Not a week goes by that we don't see a mom toting a child in our showroom. I'm always interested in pointers for being a working parent and when I saw Vanessa Nunley come in the showroom the other day, I knew I had to grab her! She is working on getting her book published on just that! Be sure to check out her blog below, it is loaded with great tips and stories.

Today, I am talking with Vanessa Nunley, of Vanessa Nunley Designs in Wheaton.



Andrea: Tell us a little bit about your background. Did you go to school for interior design? How did you get started in the design business?

Vanessa: I have always been fascinated with style and glamour. My obsessions began, when I was a little girl, with fashion and shoes, handbags and accessories. As I matured, I developed an appreciation for art and architecture. When I was a teenager, I was actually interested in becoming an architect, and took several drafting classes. As I entered college, I entertained the idea of fashion merchandising and design. In the end, however, I received my degree in business.

My passion and appreciation for beautiful things intensified as I began the process of making my own home. When my children were small and we’d entertain playmates, more often than not the mothers would ask me who had done my decorating. With the encouragement (prodding) of a friend, I started my own business. I sent out 80 letters to women I knew in my area and I have been busy ever since.

Andrea: As a mother, what was the biggest factor for you in making your decision to work outside of your home? What do you find to be your greatest challenge?

Vanessa: At the time that I started my design business 12 years ago, my main focus was personal fulfillment. I have always felt that I have been given an enormous gift in having the ability to be home with my children. On the other hand, being a full time stay at home mom can at times be a mind numbing experience. There really is only so much laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning and car pooling a gal can do before she looses her mind. For me, I have always felt that cultivating my creative talents has made me a more enriched and interesting person. Besides, I think that balancing motherhood and a business has sent a strong message to my children.

I think the greatest challenge for all mothers is that there are only 24 hours in a day.

Andrea: When your kids are both off to college, in what direction do you see your professional life taking you?

Vanessa: I have been laying the ground work for that for a very long time. This year is a big year for my family. My husband Chuck and I have been married for 20 years. We have two high school students; Nicholas, will be a senior and Amanda, will be a freshman. My furry son, Wrigley, remains home schooled. Over the past 5 years I have written a book that is ready for publication. It shares my passion for motherhood, family life and gracious living.

I am the More is More Mom® and my message is all about….. Creating Meaningful Life Experiences.

I have a lot of exciting things happening right now in addition to my work in the design business. I am a daily blogger. I write about; motherhood, family life, personal style, home décor, entertaining, cooking, recipes and slice of life stories. Please visit me at my website; http://moreismoremom.com

I contribute daily to the Trib Local on line newspaper by posting my blogs. You can find me at www.triblocal.com Search: More is More Mom. I am being featured twice monthly in the print version of the Trib Local for the Wheaton/Glen Ellyn area, which is very exciting!

On Monday, September 6, I will be doing a live, in studio segment on the ABC-7 News at 11 AM. I will be presenting my ideas for a fantastic Labor Day party and I will be demonstrating how to make a delicious appetizer.

October 12, you will find me at the Merchandise Mart as the featured speaker for the International Furnishings and Design Association. In my presentation I will be sharing my tips and secrets to setting fantastic, over the top tablescapes for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It is my intention to continue promoting my passion for gracious living and creating meaningful life experiences.

Andrea: You have been busy! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Vanessa: It was my pleasure. It’s always great to connect with the girls at CDT!


Please feel free to email Vanessa at moreismoremom@gmail.com and visit her website; http://moreismoremom.com

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Lights out for Incandescent Bulbs

By: Andrea Schuch

Were you aware that incandescent bulbs are on their way out? Of course, I’m sure by now you are aware of the energy savings when you use other options. The US, one of the last to do so, will phase out these energy wasters between 2012 and 2014; Australia and Europe, among others, have already done so. This is just one change you will see in light bulbs in the US.

Ever thought you would see a nutrition label on your light bulb? Well, that’s about to happen. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has announced a labeling program for light bulbs that will be seen on all light bulb packages starting mid 2011. The thought behind this is that consumers will see how much energy and money they are wasting by purchasing the incandescent bulbs; more people will start to use the energy efficient bulbs. You will also have to start buying bulbs by lumens and not watts as we are used to. A lumen is a measure of light while a watt is a measure of power.



The most common replacement for an incandescent bulb is a CFL (compact fluorescent) bulb (that spiral bulb) which contains mercury, making disposing of these bulbs very difficult. After calling my garbage company to see about disposing of them, I was told there are companies in Ingleside and Chicago that may or may not handle these bulbs and that’s it; after doing some research online I learned that Ikea also has a bulb recycling program. I called our local Ikea in Schaumburg and was instructed to bring my spiral bulbs only in – they do not except the long tube bulbs even though they also contain mercury. The lady couldn’t tell me where to take them in the store other than to ask at a service desk. This surprised me seeing as I just read that Ikea is phasing out incandescent bulbs effective this coming January 1st , that doesn’t give them much time to figure it out! Ikea – of which I generally think of for its lower-end, DIY furniture actually has surprisingly very forward thinking sustainability efforts. They have been using solar powered alternatives for lighting as well as sustainably forested wood for furniture.

Besides disposal issues, many people also don’t like the color of the CFL bulbs – finding them very cold. There are warmer bulbs now and with greater technology will come better bulbs. After all, it’s all about how they make our designs look, right? The new lighting labels will help combat this showing the light appearance on a scale from warm to cool.


Sources

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=45156

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/business/energy-environment/01iht-bulb.html

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/06/lightbulbs.shtm

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5030187_lumens-vs-watts.html

Friday, July 9, 2010

Interns: To Hire ore not to hire?

When surfing interior design blogs this week, I stumbled upon Design Sponge, a Brooklyn based design blog. I noticed they had an article on having interns in your small business and it peeked my curiosity. What did others think? The general consensus is interns are great! …If you know what to do with them and how to get good ones. So, where do you get them? We always get our interns from schools and an occasional email request. Often, local schools and colleges will have a staff member dedicated to helping students find internships and are always interested in learning of new opportunities in the community. Some schools will require a written curriculum of what the intern will be doing when they are in your office, which of course eats up more of your time to write (which you are trying to free up). Interns often have tricky schedules to work around due to their classes. Usually major specific classes are only offered on certain days and those may or may not work in your schedule. Of course interns can be found elsewhere as well – social media is big these days. Put a posting on your Facebook or Twitter page.

To pay or not to pay? Almost all internships, especially lately, are not paying positions. Or should I say, they pay with something much more valuable than the US dollar: experience, knowledge, contacts, networking. Many interns are looking for just that – a industry position they can put on their resume. Interns, for this reason, are great for short term projects. They can show an accomplishment in the field and you can have relief for that time period. Keep in mind that it takes time to train them and they generally don’t stick around after that short time. Most local schools require between 130 and 320 hours for internship credit.

What to do with them once you have them? Of course you had something in mind for the intern you just took in, but what do they want to learn? Interns often have intentions of learning specific things and we, as their sponsors, are responsible for showing them the ropes. I find as the internship progresses, the interns often think of things they would like to learn that didn’t occur to them in the beginning. Be sure to have an agenda, even a routine that they have when they come in everyday and then sprout off new projects from there. It’s nice to be able to come in as an intern and know exactly what to do if you are on a phone call or unavailable. There are always the bland tasks of opening mail and sorting through fabric returns, unfortunately there is no way to avoid doing these tasks – as an intern or a business owner. As long as you are honest about the position upfront, the intern should know what to expect and should not frown upon these medial tasks. Just make sure that these tasks are not the only thing they do or you may not get another intern from that school. Golden rule “never abuse thy intern.”

Hopefully this helps you decide if you want to take in an intern. Speaking as the intern that never left, please take us in, we’re worth it!


Sources

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/06/biz-ladies-hiring-interns.html

http://www.entrepreneur.com/humanresources/employeemanagementcolumnistdavidjavitch/article179332.html

http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobposter/small-business/article.aspx?articleid=ATL_0060HIREANINTERN&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=221baddbc4ba43228b863da5dad5dd54-331845462-VL-4&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_hiring_interns%3F