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!....

Anyway... back to the launch.... The date was set!! Nov 13th!  LAUNCH DAY!! Moon Talk Designs was officially going to launch! Day's had a sign out front with a 'count down to launch' it was so neat!!
I drove by every day just to watch the count down!!
I was working with a local printer who insisted they could get the job done in time and promised it on Monday with launch being on Saturday! It was teen age boys running the company... I should have known better! Nothing against Teens... but they had no supervision!  I had to go in there daily, sit with them and do the designs with them on the computer.  Then go back each morning to check to see if the screens were done, go back later in the day to see if they had any product done, and if they didn't I stayed to help (babysit) them  to make sure they got tit done right. As soon as I left, they would quit and go to play games on the computer!  As it ended up, I had to call the owner. And fill him in on what his 'boys' were doing. long story short... they were NOT happy with me... messed up more than HALF my order!  And I was up until 4 AM  SATURDAY  (launch day! ) pricing and sorting the product that was promised to me almost week earlier....  !!  I was sick to my stomach the day of the launch... and exhausted! I think I MIGHT have gotten 2 hours of sleep!  My friends daughter came over to help... she was a HUGE HELP!  THANK YOU BETH!!!  She was also my photographer the next day!  She did a great job!!
The LAUNCH! went GREAT! MTD was a HIT!!  There were so many people there! It was catered by some very good friends!  Gary and Becky did wonders with the food! All MOON and STAR related!!  The store was buzzing! Press showed up! And the store sold $1100 worth of merchandise opening day!!  Now that was a GREAT DAY!  We went home exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time!
Let's hope the NEXT launch goes a BIT smoother!!