This is where OTHER THOUGHTS comes into play!

Only in a small town could you wave to or be waved to by at least 8 out of 10 cars! And then stop in the middle of the road to visit with a friend without being honked at... because the car behind you wants to say hi to them too!

Only in a small town can you walk in the diner and sit at any one of the full tables and visit with an old friend....and the waitress brings you our order without even asking you what you want!

Only in a small town can you miss the director of the chamber at their office, drive past the coffee shop and notice the only Prius in town and know that they are there!  ( and stop in to let them know you missed them and maybe even join them for lunch! )

Only in a small town can you go to the bank every Friday and know they will have either lunch  (an employee cook off of some sort) OR cookies and brownies waiting for you! 

IN HOUSE !!

In setting up business, you’ve read that I’ve had to locate ‘manufacturers’ of the items we chose to sell for MTD …  and in doing this, we have to pay a ‘middle man’ to do the work for us. This is a huge chunk of money out of our bottom line.  Having someone do the printing on our clothing for the past year has cost us approximately $3000  already! And that is just samples, store stock, inventory on a handful of items and filling the orders we’ve had. Needless to say, profit is coming very slowly at that rate!  And that is just the clothing printer! If I add in the jewelry and household gift printer then the photo lab for the artwork and the other printer for the note cards. Well, you get the picture! That is where some sleepless nights and hard decisions came into play! Many phone calls and web searches to find the right machines. Talking to a lot of different people that use the machines to compare what their thoughts were on them, trying to decide used or new…  a LOT of sleepless nights!   ...
    

Charity Pink

In going through the selections of clothing for Moon Talk, I ran across a color selection by Anvil that was ‘Charity Pink’.  In reading about their line, I found that Anvil donates a portion of the sales of ALL their Charity Pink clothing to Cancer Research.  That motivated ME to think along the same line… Why couldn’t I do that and make a difference too?  I know Moon Talk is a small company but if everyone thought that way, no one would ever donate to any charity.  RIGHT? SO WHY NOT?

Catching up....

I think everyone is caught up to date,  as far as previous 'start-up' goes.  There is a LOT of work going on right now that will be shared.  Thanks for your patience and interest while I made up for lost time!  Now it's time to start logging 'real time' and seeing where we go from here and what if hard work is paying off!

I was able to take the time to visit with my daughter and grandson in Oregon ( and do some marketing) .... now it's BACK to REAL TIME!   Keep checking and I'll have new posts on a weekly (may be pushing it!??) basis now! 

Thanks again for following us and keep the comments coming! Moon Talk has been built on the interest and comments of our friends!

Have a GREAT weekend!!
B~

Lead or follow...

I read this today on Seth Godin's blog and thought it was worth sharing! 


Keith Richards tells a great story about Charlie Watts, legendary drummer for the Stones.

After a night of drinking, Mick saw Charlie asleep and yelled, "Is that my drummer? Why don't you get your arse down here?"

Richards continues, "Charlie got dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, shoes, shaved, came down, grabbed him and went boom! Don't ever call me "your drummer" again. You're my ... singer."

No drums, no Stones.

Who's playing the drums in your business?

Now for the hard work!

            NY opened my eyes! I found out I still had a lot of work to do to get Moon Talk out there!  Marketing, pricing, ordering, storage, record keeping ALL OF IT!  SO back to the drawing board with my business plans!  As mentioned before, I know I do not have the mark up I need to have, so in order to make this work for me,  I’ve got to lower my costs!  This is one of my first steps, purchasing the equipment to create all work in-house!  In order to do that, I need to reorganize the studio, rid of anything out there that is blocking my vision and cluttering my mind.  SO I set about advertising all my studio equipment.  I sold my overhead lighting, back drops, back drop hanging system, everything!  NO CAMERAS were harmed during this stage!!    I kept all my cameras! That is one thing I will NOT part with! It would be like cutting off my own arm! 

The Real deal… New York!

 You’ve read the facts… now for the rest!

Once we decided that the NSS was really going to ‘happen’ we were already deep in preparing for the show, as mentioned before.  SO much happened during this time! We were very emotionally involved with our daughter and an adoption that fell through, our printer that HAD been doing our work was pregnant and decided not to do any more printing for the duration, Bob’s car broke down, I had kidney stones (first ever!), My friend that was going to go with me decided she couldn’t manage it…. and everyone else was busy.  Money was a HUGE stressor!  Sleepless nights continued!

NEW YORK…. NEW YORK…. !!

 Just the facts!

The National Stationary Show in New York, was the first show that was highly recommended  to Moon Talk …. I wasn’t sure if we were ready or not, BUT WE started planning!

First came contacting the NSS to find out more about the show, what was expected, booth size, dates and most importantly COST! YIKES! Was I ready for that? Patti was a great help with all my worries! 

I had to make a go of it! It took a LOT of planning and sleepless nights!  Not to mention all the $$ we had.... not only for entry and travel but also for product to show!  But through perseverance it all came together!...

Cropping out the CRUD….

Photography has been a huge part of my life! From the time I was a child, I was always taking photos of my dog, cat, pet mouse…. My dad’s horse….  Etc…..

That eventually grew in to a love of photography as an adult. I honed my passion into a talent and learned to ‘see’ things totally different than other did. 

As I learned more about photography and the ART of creating what you want to see, I quickly learned that you can make something beautiful out of something you see every day!   This is what I call “cropping out the crud’   It is something that we can all learn to do in life in general! 

AHHH… Time for the real thing! The CATALOG!

Talk about time consuming! I don’t have a major in graphic arts, I don’t have a program on my computer that can handle a large volume of photos and text and do all the work for me. IF I’m going to do it, it’s going to be ALL ME… it’s going to be work!  As far as things with Moon Talk go (to this point) I’ve done the actual work myself. I like it that way! The logo design, the photos, the tag line, the product research… etc…. I am a very independent person. If you know me… you will agree! I DID NOT say stubborn! I said INDEPENDENT!  There is a difference! ;-) 

My computer was bogging down and giving me ‘issues’ as I was working on my poor attempt of a catalog.  I was rather proud of my ‘poor attempt’ but I was getting no where with it and my laptop was threatening to crash! NOOOO!!!!!

Models …. And the catalog shoot!

I LOVE FACEBOOK! What can I say!??  It has been such a boost for Moon Talk! I have used it for every step of  growth for MT!  When it came time to start thinking about putting a catalog together, I just put it ‘out there’ that I was going to have a ‘shoot’ at out local library on a certain Saturday and needed ALL AGES of models… Everyone showed up; Mom’s and Aunts with infants from 2 months old up, toddlers, school age kids, teens & adults!  I piled clothes on a table, they chose what they wanted to wear. We walked around the library and shot away! Some models lasted longer than others, some took longer than others… I DID make sure we got a model release from EVERY one that was there!  SO if you think of doing something like this yourself, make sure you cover your behind… put together a simple model release, have them sign it!  Then KEEP IT!

FaceBook …Twitter.….LinkedIn…. and may God bless…. !

Many decisions have been made with the help of FaceBook. I will put words out there and ask for ideas…. thoughts… preferences….  I’ve put product out there and asked what people think of it,  would they buy it…. Would they rather see something else?  A LOT of things have been tabled because of lack of interest!  I have told my ‘friends’ that they are the ‘foundation’ of Moon Talk and together we are building a strong foundation for a strong future!  I hope they DO realize how important their opinions are to me!  They are my buyers… I can like… LOVE something, BUT IF they DON’T, it isn’t going to sell!  It’s as clear as that! You have to please your customers !   They will let you know what makes them happy!  It may be a simple ‘like’ on your page  or a page full of comments! 

Pricing and profit margins…

That was a toughie! I have dealt with selling to the general public before and made a decent profit with a minimal mark-up. BUT this is a different ball game all together!   It’s even in a whole different ballpark!  Here is how it’s SUPPOSED to be done!  Take the cost of the item that YOU PAY… PLUS ANY packaging, printing and incidentals…multiply that total  cost by 2 – 2 .5 times…  THAT is your WHOLESALE PRICE… Then the retailer is going to take THAT price and mark it up at least  100% if not 150%!  OUCH!  Is the end price going to be a price point that the consumer will laugh at??  It’s a fine, fine line that you are walking here. IF you have a sales rep that you have to pay… in the gift market, the real reps charge 15% of sales…  you HAVE to have that margin built in! IF YOU DON’T…. the fees are going to eat your profit and you will go under real quick! That is where I am stuck!  My product is high quality and Made in the USA. You pay for that!  I won’t lower my standards. I believe in sticking with what you believe in. I believe in 100% cotton and organic whenever you can…. As well as Made in the USA. I KNOW I can get cheaper products buying from China, but what is that doing for our own country? ....

LLC, Inc, CEO, IRS, IRA, M-O-U-S-E…

Let’s take a step backward…  Before the launch, a lot of other decisions had to be made!  I had something really cool here. I plan on doing something with it, I KNEW that… but HOW do I go about it, LEGALLY  and protect my ASSet’s…. 

Well to start with, I looked at our circle of friends. An old and dear friend of ours was an attorney, Mark. Another was our tax and business advisor, Brett. Another very good friend was our bank manager, Debbie then there is Steve ( more about him later!) !  We had all those bases covered.  Now we just needed to talk to all of them, get their advise and diligently follow it. They were ALL very successful business people and would steer me in the right direction. I had no doubt! ...

The 'launch' and how it happened.....

 I had been wearing one of my "Faith" Tees one day and a good friend that owns a local pharmacy.... "Day's Healthy Living Pharmacy" asked me about it.  I told her about the design and the products and she got goose bumps! She asked me if I had thought about selling them. I told her, Yes, but I wasn't sure just how I was going to go about it. She responded that she would like to carry them in her store!  The door was opened! The light bulb went on!  More planning....more preparing....& more money spent! A LOT more money spent! Inventory had to be purchased... a price point had to be worked up. Printing had to be done!!  Selling wholesale to retail is a WHOLE lot different than selling direct to the customer!  You have to allow yourself to make money and there still has to be a margin for the store to mark  product up to make money themselves!  VERY tough! Needless to say... I worked it out, but it all took time. I DO NOT "keystone' prices ( that is 2-2 1/2 x's the wholesale + any packaging material costs)  so I am NOT making what the suggested profit is.  And I DO NOT recommend  the stores "keystone" their mark up either. BUT I cannot control what they do!....

Lessons learned early ...

I was the last of 8 children born to Jean and Fred Diersing, so needless to say, my parents were 'up there in age'  My mom was one of 13! Death was something I learned about early in life.  All 4 of my grandparents died when I was 6-7 years old.  With my grandmother dying in our family room one week after my 7th birthday, the day after my communion.  Then my favorite uncle... the first time I heard the word CANCER...  My favorite aunt.. I could NOT understand this one! She was a NUN! She devoted her life to GOD! HOW could HE do this to her? AND BRAIN CANCER?....

Lot's of samples and dirty dishes!

Like I mentioned before,  we purchased a lot of different brands and styles of Tee shirts to test for quality, wear-ability and durability.  I bought clothes retail, on clearance and did research on wholesale companies. I compared prices on suppliers, shipping costs and yes... customer service! Who was willing to work with me? A SMALL start up company that needed a LOT of help and hand holding?  I found the one I was looking for and the lady that works with me is great! It so happens their prices are the best, they are about the closest so their delivery is overnight!  AND if I have an order over $150 it is FREE!  She even went tot he trouble to go back to the warehouse herself to see if they had an item that was 'out of stock' when I only needed ONE !  IT pays to have someone you can work with and is willing to work WITH you!  She will suggest items for me and gives me an extra discount on anything I try that is new or that she suggests....

Grant applications:

The following two entries are a couple of essays I had to write for a couple of grant applications.... I'll let you know later how they did! But They pretty much tell the story behind MTD!  The nuts and bolts of the biz.

More about MTD....

After having a small portrait studio for about 20 years, and using my experience and knowledge of photography, the inspiration for Moon Talk happened one beautiful fall night. It was the Harvest Moon and was so big I felt inspired to photograph it. In making those photos, i felt the need to do 'something different'   and having 'painted ' with light before ( but never trying it with the moon) i gave a few squiggles a try... impressed... i tried to make a letter... hmmm, it worked! let's try another... it worked too! after several attempts and several 'deletes' (thank goodness for digital!)  and some beautiful moments with nature, i was able to create the entire alphabet !  That following year I took time to play with various designs, learned photoshop and finally after a total of three years trial and error, the final designs were created!  Hence, Moon Talk Designs' was born! (The name even came to me in a dream! )   I felt it was more than a sign that I need to take this as far as I possibly could!   I have also designed several 'charity pink' products and donate a portion of the proceeds to various cancer agencies....

More about MTD....

After having a small portrait studio for about 20 years, and using my experience and knowledge of photography, the inspiration for Moon Talk happened one beautiful fall night. It was the Harvest Moon and was so big I felt inspired to photograph it. In making those photos, i felt the need to do 'something different'   and having 'painted ' with light before ( but never trying it with the moon) i gave a few squiggles a try... impressed... i tried to make a letter... hmmm, it worked! let's try another... it worked too! after several attempts and several 'deletes' (thank goodness for digital!)  and some beautiful moments with nature, i was able to create the entire alphabet !  That following year I took time to play with various designs, learned photoshop and finally after a total of three years trial and error, the final designs were created!  Hence, Moon Talk Designs' was born! (The name even came to me in a dream! )   I felt it was more than a sign that I need to take this as far as I possibly could!   I have also designed several 'charity pink' products and donate a portion of the proceeds to various cancer agencies.....

the who and the why....

I am Bobbie J Sutton. A 'retired' Mom, a 'housewife and mom' all my 'married life'.  Other than a few part time jobs and a self run
photography/framing business, about to start a new phase of my life! I am MADLY in love with my husband of nearly 40 years,
and ready for him to retire so I can 'bring home the bacon'.  I have been a photographer/artist all my life. I married young and started raising our family young. At this time in my life our children are all grown and raising their own children. NOW it is time for ME to find out who I AM. Moon Talk is going to help me do this!...

The beginning it was Moon Phrases....

In the beginning... I was just making neat things for family members and friends. Individual names framed, then Tee shirts. We got so many compliments on these items and people asked where we got them that we just kind of fell into the market. Bob was sold when we made a trip out West one time and the flight attendant stopped me and asked me where I got my Tee shirt ! That sold him! It was a go after that! We did a lot of market research. Purchased different brands of clothing trying to see what we liked. We were looking for the best yet affordable. In children's wear 100% cotton and organic was a MUST! MADE in USA was a must in ALL categories! We found local printers for almost all our work. And refined processes and designs. We stuck with positive and affirmative words for the adult products and wholesome words for the children's products. Jewelry was our biggest ( and still is) stumbling stone... we want to do so much more with the designs. but are limited as to what we can design on our own! There is room for growth in that dept! We are still testing the waters in the home decor dept. Since we have to pay high premium to have it printed our prices are still rather high. But as we hone in on our products and our market... we'll figure it out!

The beginning of Moon Talk.....

In the beginning... I was just making neat things for family members and friends. Individual names framed, then Tee shirts. We got so many compliments on these items and people asked where we got them that we just kind of fell into the market. Bob was sold when we made a trip out West one time and the flight attendant stopped me and asked me where I got my Tee shirt ! That sold him! It was a go after that! We did a lot of market research. Purchased different brands of clothing trying to see what we liked. We were looking for the best yet affordable. In children's wear 100% cotton and organic was a MUST! MADE in USA was a must in ALL categories! We found local printers for almost all our work. And refined processes and designs. We stuck with positive and affirmative words for the adult products and wholesome words for the children's products. Jewelry was our biggest ( and still is) stumbling stone... we want to do so much more with the designs. but are limited as to what we can design on our own! There is room for growth in that dept! We are still testing the waters in the home decor dept. Since we have to pay high premium to have it printed our prices are still rather high. But as we hone in on our products and our market... we'll figure it out!

In the beginning... I was just making neat things for family members and friends. Names framed, then Tee shirts. We got so many compliments on these items and people asked where we got them that we just kind of fell into the market. Bob was sold when we made a trip out West one time and the flight attendant stopped me and asked me where I got my Tee shirt ! That sold him! It was a go after that! We did a lot of market research. Purchased different brands of clothing trying to see what we liked. We were looking for the best yet affordable. In children's wear 100% cotton and organic was a MUST! MADE in USA was a must in ALL categories! We found local printers for almost all our work. And refined processes and designs. We stuck with positive and affirmative words for the adult products and wholesome words for the children's products. Jewelry was our biggest ( and still is) stumbling stone... we want to do so much more with the designs. but are limited as to what we can design on our own! There is room for growth in that dept! We are still testing the waters in the home decor dept. Since we have to pay high premium to have it printed our prices are still rather high. But as we hone in on our products and our market... we'll figure it out!

The joys of small town living!

I have always lived in a small town. And I have never regretted it!
Especially just last week! I had some photos to print at our local drugstore one hour Kiosk.  After getting them printed and paying for them, I left the store to work on my album.  Several days later, I had lunch with a good friend and she pulled this stack of photos out of her bag.  Without even realizing it...I had walked off and left several photos still in the machine ( and who hasn't done that?)  The store found them later and knowing that Kerri was a friend of mine, entrusted them to her to get them to me!   NOW that is 'small town' !!   I LOVE IT!

What Moon talk is all about!

Bear with me!  Blogging....  is a first for Moon Talk !!

Imagine a beautiful clear night sky, with stars as bright as you have ever seen... and a FULL MOON so large you feel like you can hold it in your hands!  THIS is exactly what was the inspiration for Moon Talk and ALL the designs created by Moon Talk !

Wanting to remember the feeling that night sky gave me, i took my camera out and started photographing the moon. BUT just plain photos were not satisfying my artistic desire!  I came up with an idea to use the moon to create artwork... I started playing around and ended up with the entire alphabet by trailing the light of the moon!

It took a couple of years to work these letters into actual product. But it has been done now and the products are BEAUTIFUL if I must say so myself!  We hope you will check into the website and get a better idea of what I am talking about!   We choose inspirational and positive words and phrases, on clothing, Jewelry and Home Decor,  for you to share with the world!

I will post more later... but or now, I just wanted to get this 'out there' to share with you.

(Please keep in mind that the design is  Patented   and copyright protected !  I have done my homework! :-)