We just completed an order for the cooking show, "CHOPPED!" We did chopping blocks for their 200th episode!
200th episode! 
Business to Business
This last summer, we have been very busy with a new arm of our business, B2B. We were contacted by the folks at DR Horton, the national home builder, to create designs and engrave our boards for their awards at their National Awards Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To say the least, we were awe struck at the fact that they asked us to do this for them. For us, it was a big honor, and a real stepping stone into this aspect of the market. We came up with a simple "western" design that incorporated their theme of "The Great Horton Expedition." We were happy with the results, and DR Horton was as well!
We Got Featured!
So we recently were featured in two different places this week. Look at the bottom of the post for links to see where we're featured! We got featured in the Wedding Gift ideas section of 'Etsy Finds' a daily Etsy Newsletter.
We also got featured in an Etsy Blog post about business ideas for financial success. Our section of the blog post was specifically dedicated to maximizing your profit margins.
4 Lessons for Financial Success
http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/four-lessons-for-financial-success/?ref=sell_blog_post
Etsy Finds Newsletter
Growing and Changing
Moving Day It has been longer than we would have liked to update our blog, but so many changes have been taking place the last few months, the largest of which has been relocating from the back bedroom of my home into our own office and workshop within the mill that we have been working with the last year. It has been a great working relationship, and now that we are on the same property, it makes working that much easier.
Direct Check Out
After we got a bit more settled in to our new place, Etsy came out with their direct check out program. Customers no longer have to go through PayPal to make their purchases unless they choose to. We signed up for this direct check out option even though it meant not getting paid until the item shipped. Once we set up direct check out, within a week or so, our sales nearly tripled! We were overjoyed as well as overwhelmed. What was a barely manageable amount of orders with the two of us and one laser, was now becoming unmanageable. We had to consider other options.
Growing the Business
We chose to invest into another laser to double our production. We were very lucky to find the the same type of laser we currently use sitting in a warehouse in Colorado having never been used. Epilog sent it ASAP and we had it within 3 business days. It was a blessing that it came when it did because we were drowning in orders for Mother's Day. We decided to name each laser....
Looking Ahead
Sales have maintained and we are expanding in directions we have wanted to go. We are very busy and now are looking to take on a part-time worker to help with the boxing and shipping of our items. We have come to the realization that we are no longer the small home based business we started out as, and it is time to have some help.
All in all, the last two months there have been a lot of changes, all good, but challenging at times. Each challenge brings opportunity to learn and grow to become the company we want to be become.
Milestones this week ...
Wow, what a week it's been! A lot of great things have happened for us, and we want to thank all of our fans and customers. Here's a brief recap:
- We hit 200 fans on our Facebook Page, Thank you for all the "Likes"!
- We got our 500th positive review on Etsy! Thank you for everyone who took the time to leave feedback!
- We had our busiest sales day since the Christmas season. Over 30 orders in one day, wow!
- We also had our busiest week as people choose us for wedding gifts and wedding shower gifts. That is an incredible honor!
- We reached our 2500th sale this week! Thank you to each and every one of our customers!
We're looking to institute a "Design of the Week" feature, to showcase some of the great designs we get every week! Stay tuned for details!
Thank you everyone!
Tony & Belinda
Unique gifts for Foundations and Organizations - An Engraved Cutting Board
We were recently asked to engrave our cutting boards for gifts for a local school's annual "Best of" awards events. We took the Foundation's logo and added the recipients name and award to each board. We thought they turned out great, and from what we understand were well received. Looking for a unique gift for your school, foundation, or organization, consider us!
[slideshow]
Engraving Wedding Logos - A great idea for that special couple
We have been seeing a trend in custom requests from customers; Engraving their Wedding Logo into our cutting boards and humidors. Maybe it has been too long since I was married, but apparently weddings now come with a Brand and or Logo. We are more than happy to take these creative images and apply them onto our products for couples to have to remember their special day! These are a few that we have done in the last few months.
Corporate Gifts - a new take on giving to your employees
In December we were contacted by a Hospital in Arkansas to make 50 small cutting boards with their logo. They wanted to give them as gifts to their volunteers for their service. Although we were swamped with holiday orders, we opted to find time to do this custom order. In addition to it being for a good cause, it was also a way for us to look at how to expand our buisness into different markets. We would like to expand more this year into a Corporate Gifts market and give companies an alternative to the standard trophies, plaques, etc... . These cutting boards are 9" x 12" White Oak Cutting Boards with a handle. Take a look at how they turned out.... [slideshow]
Customer Showcase
This holiday season was hugely successful for us. I can honestly say we were totally unprepared, and have learned the hard lessons to be better prepared next year. When Cyber Monday came with an abundance of orders, we realized we had more than we could handle to fulfill orders in time for Christmas. One month out, we could no longer promise Christmas delivery. That was a hard pill to swallow, but we never want to make promises we can't keep. We aren't a Best Buy or a Macy's where we can afford to take your order and then send an email two weeks later saying "sorry, can't fulfill your order." We are small and every promise counts. We hope those of you that had wanted to order with us, but were unable to because of our Christmas cutoff, will come back for future gift purchases. That being said, we did produce some amazing gifts for people, a lot of which were customers own creations. I wanted to showcase some of these fun and amazing designs on our blog! These are just a few, and I will have more to show later.
[slideshow]
Thanks!
Belinda
StylishHome Catalog
One of our cutting boards was selected to be featured in the Stylish Home Catalog which showcases Etsy sellers for home decor aficionados! Please download their catalog and look through the many great items they offer!
Click here to download their catalog StylishHome Winter Collection Catalog
Thanks!