Making Making Things Better Better April 5, 2009

I’ve been hearing a lot about crowdsourcing lately.  In general it’s a good idea, tapping the collective brainpower of your fans or customer base to generate ideas you might normally have to rely on hired professionals for.  It’s been around for a long time, (think Betty Crocker recipe contests, American Idol or the 2002 vote for the new M&Ms color), but the Internet has made crowdsourcing infinitely easier and the scale infinitely larger.  The X Prize Foundation did this in 2004 when they offered a $10 million prize for the first reusable privately-built spacecraft.  $10 million may seem like a lot of money, but it’s a fraction of what it would have cost NASA to develop in both time and money.  Why?  Because they only had to pay for success.  They got the trial and error of the other contestants for free.

In a slightly different vein, Apple recently began offering free iPhone App development courses through Stanford University and iTunes.  The cost to Apple is minimal.  They just open up the developers’ software and course materials, all of which already exist.  In return they get a huge influx of iPhone Apps, all developed free.  They post the ones they like to their App Store, and sit back while they collect their share of the profits.  Of course, the developers are getting a great deal, too.  They’re getting everything they need, from the education to the the global distribution platform, to bring a useful and potentially profitable product to market.

And that’s what can be so great about crowdsourcing.  It’s symbiotic, mutually beneficial, win-win.  It’s become so popular that there’s even a crowdsourcing project designed to make crowdsourcing better (everything good goes meta).  It’s called “The Better Project,” and while it doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of feedback yet, if I know the Intertubes, it’s only a matter of time.

So how can you use crowdsourcing in your small business?  It can be as simple as sending a survey, holding a contest, or opening up a blog post to comments.  You can also produce idea collections, as books, zines, bundles of fabric or free downloadable art.  You can even build your entire business around crowdsourcing, like Threadless or Prickie.  Either way, as long as your customers are getting something out of it, whether it’s a prize, a commission or just better products, they’ll be happy to share their knowledge.

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Biz Miss Workshop in San Francisco April 4th March 29, 2009

Reading blogs is great, but sometimes you want more.  Sometimes you want to be able to ask questions in person, as they come up.  Sometimes you want to be around other people who are struggling to do the same things you are.  Sometimes you want to learn a little more interactively than you do by just reading.

That’s why on Saturday, April 4th, I will be co-teaching a crafty business workshop with Jamie Chan (Bazaar Bizarre, Mary Jane’s Attic, Urban Fauna Studio) at the California College of Arts.  From 10am until 4pm we’ll be covering everything from marketing to pricing to leasing retail space in an intimate, interactive format.  This is a Continuing Ed. workshop, so there’s no application necessary, but space is limited, so be sure to register early.  At $75 for the whole day, this workshop is already a bargain, but I guarantee it will pay for itself in less than a week.  Bring stories and questions to share, and we in turn will provide a cornucopia of resources for you to take with you.  See you there!

Tax Season Sale on Bookkeeping Workshops March 26, 2009

Hilliard Management, the company that runs the awesome small business bookkeeping and Quickbooks workshops I’ve taken is offering them at a discount during tax season.  Normally $179 for a six-hour industry-specific class, the workshops are just $99 until April 15th.  I’m a little annoyed I wasn’t privy to these prices when I took my workshop a couple of weeks ago but at least you can benefit from my bad timing.

Studio Lighting Class was a Bust February 27, 2009

It turns out that the studio lighting class at Rayko is actually a portrait lighting class, though it doesn’t say that anywhere in the workshop’s title or description. At least of three of my fellow students and I were there to learn product photography, so the instructor, studio manager Michael Schindler, said he might add a product staging workshop in the summer or fall. I will ask that my class fee be transferred to that future workshop or be refunded.  I wouldn’t say that I didn’t learn anything in the workshop, but I didn’t learn anything that is directly applicable to what I’m currently trying to accomplish.  If I were trying to take realtor photos or shoot milk ads it might be a different story.

Policies of Truth February 19, 2009

Two customers recently complained about orders that arrived late to their destinations.  One was ordered through Etsy during the holidays.  It was an order for a single button, which was shipped using stamps and cost $0.60 in postage.  The customer left “neutral” feedback as a result. The second was ordered through my own web site using UPS Ground.  It was supposed to be a Valentine’s Day gift, but arrived the following Tuesday. That customer wanted a full refund.

Both customers, referring to quoted transit estimates on the USPS and UPS web sites, were annoyed that their shipments took two weeks to arrive.  This is perfectly understandable–I have received shipments that took weeks when they were supposed to take days and I was annoyed, too–but they left my company’s hands on time, and shipping estimates are just that–estimates.  Winter weather can cause all sorts of cross-country delays.  I would never think to ask for my money back or penalize a company for delays due to the Postal Service or UPS, especially if I had chosen a non-guaranteed shipping option like First Class Mail or UPS Ground.

Despite feeling principally certain that my business carried out its responsibilities properly, I wanted my customers to feel listened to and fairly treated.  It seemed unreasonable to offer refunds for products that were not defective and were not being returned, but I wanted to keep these customers coming back.  To the first customer, therefore, I offered another button or charm free of charge.  She declined the offer, but was glad that I made the effort, and she upgraded my feedback.  To the second customer I offered a $20 gift certificate, which she accepted as a good compromise.

I might normally think of these as expensive ways to sastisfy customers who are angry at another company’s mistakes, but they both provided a valuable service to me: pointing out flaws in the clarity of my shipping and return policies.  That’s the sort of practical education I’m willing to pay for.

Worth Its Weight: StartupNation January 27, 2009

If you don’t already use StartupNation on a regular basis, you probably live under the same rock as I do.  I was a little appalled at myself to have just discovered the site this morning.  It’s extremely comprehensive and well-written, but what differentiates StartupNation from other entrepreneurial web resources is its integration of information and services.  For example, in an article about timing a good PR campaign, you can click right to a page that gets you quotes from pre-screened PR firms.  The best part?  Everything at StartupNation is 100% free.  You don’t even need to sign up for anything.  You just visit the site and use whatever you want, barrier-free.  I’m currently loving the ten-step plan for growing your business.

In addition to the web site, StartupNation also runs a weekly radio show, which you can download as a free podcast.  It’s great for commutes, though it admittedly has a “boomer emphasis.”