Excited & In Love

I am tripping on adrenaline and delight at the moment; my sample fabrics have arrived from the printers in Portugal. (see image)

My heart was in my mouth as I unravelled the roll, praying they matched my high expectations. The idea of going back to the drawing board or rethinking my printing options would probably kill me. My Bespoke Chair has a tight budget and schedule to launch date; I have to avoid dead-ends or expensive mistakes.

To reach the launch date successfully, I have to make the supply and execution chains water-tight. The supply chain is the back-end which I'm setting up now; reliable fabric printers, quality chair-frame suppliers, expert uphlosterers. The execution chain will be the most critical for our customers; click "buy", a clear order sent to workshop, ready stock, timely execution and delivery to customer.

Supply Chain

• Reliable printers - tick (Portugal - I am in the process of sampling with a Thai printer too)
• Quality chair-frame suppliers - tick ( though yet to be tested on delivery promise)
• Expert upholsterers - tick

Execution Chain

• Customer clicks "buy" - tick (web developers building a beautiful and functional site)
• Order to workshop - X ( still need to develop a clear way to show the customer's unique design. We cannot get details and dreams wrong!)
• Ready stock - tick (workshop will hold rolling stock of each chair-frame and fabric)
• Timely execution - tick (workshop has proven history of swift turn-arounds)
• Delivery - X (still need to sign up officially with the delivery company)

But I can go into the weekend safe in the knowledge that my fabric printing is in great hands. The samples are exquisite. I am in love!

P.S I won another client for Bespoke Art today; a collection of funky, Brit-inspired art for a Sydney hair salon. Today is a great day - a high to remember during the inevitable lows of running a start-up.

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My Crazy To-Do Lists

I have three To-Do lists; Bespoke Art, My Bespoke Chair and my family. Working for someone else in an established company also involves long lists, but these are generated by job description, boss' demands etc etc. And generally it is not your money or dreams on the line. My work exposes my soul, which is quite unnerving. I have so much invested emotionally and financially, that I need to find ways to be organised and efficient whilst keeping my sanity.

Every Monday morning I go to my double Spin class. I use that time to think and plan the week ahead. It is a non-negotiable part of my life. They are vital to my balance and focus, allowing me to set my goals for the coming 7 days. And review the past 7 days. The harder I push myself to improve on the bike, the better my week will be. Positive mental attitude or just plain nutty? The endorphin rush feels great, either way!

I find setting goals more motivating than writing To-Do lists, but to achieve goals you need lists.

My goals this week revolved around fabric design and printing. I wasn't happy with the repeat pattern and background colour of my Vintage Britain design, so I worked on it with my graphics assistant. Although all my designs are originally hand-painted, I need Photoshop and Illustrator packages to get them ready for production.

I also finalised the samples with my Portuguese printers. After much research and a few dead-ends, I have found a printing company that produce great quality printed cotton at a reasonable price.

Short of employing a full-time, local Production Assistant, it is an advantage to have someone "on the ground" when manufacturing abroad. My mother-in-law, who lives in Portugal, is highly organised and a native Portuguese speaker, so she will be able to troubleshoot on my behalf. Though so far there has been no need. The Portuguese are well-known for their perfect English and high standards of craftsmanship. My friend is a very talented, ex Mulberry/Jimmy Choo, bag designer and produces her collection in Portugal - stunning quality and attention to detail. www.janegoodchild.com

I am learning to write very concise and precise emails, detailing what I want, how and by when. It is something I learnt from Tim Ferris' "The 4 Hour Work Week." I am also learning how to say "No" - the sooner you say it, the less time you waste.

With the launch of My Bespoke Chair set for November, I am ticking off my To-Do lists as fast as I am writing them.

Goals for August and September:
Production and delivery of 8 rolls of my printed fabrics and 10 plain-coloured fabrics.
Delivery of chairs in all the frame choices from importers.

Goals for September and October
Testing stage - designing chairs on-line and their manufacturing. Ironing out back-end glitches.
Photography of demonstration chairs for website Gallery
Start marketing campaign.

Goals for November
Marketing campaign continues
Launching

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