Blue Eyed Sun

Blue Eyed Sun - gorgeous greetings cards

Media Coverage

  • The Prod-Cast interview with Jeremy Corner from Blue Eyed Sun

    The Prod-Cast

    I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Alex Ryan on The Product-Cast (aka the Prod-Cast), brought to you by the Gift of the Year and supported by the Giftware Association.

    Having worked for wholesale gift supplier Paladone, Alex has extensive experience marketing to retailers. He also has some fantastic guests on his podcast, which is well worth listening to. Alex is a marketing consultant and recently presented the Gift of the Year Awards 2021 ceremonies.

    It was a fun episode as I shared how Blue Eyed Sun got started, what it was like to meet the Queen, how it felt winning Gift of the Year and my tips for winning the People's Choice Award.

    I've listed some of the highlights below. Click the play button on the image below to hear more.

    01:00 Why I love the Prod-Cast

    03:30 'Jeremy Corner' in 30 seconds

    06:30 'Blue Eyed Sun' in 30 seconds

    08:30 Why trade associations are so important

    18:40 How Blue Eyed Sun got started

    24:30 When we started GreenMagpie.net

    30:15 Why I made The Greeting CardProject

    35:00 Being an Export Champion with the DIT and meeting the Queen

    40:00 What it's like to win five Gift of the Year Awards

    46:45 Why our new award-winning Bioloco products are so eco-friendly

    48:50 How Blue Eyed Sun has reduced plastic and improved sustainability

    52:00 Tips for winning the People's Choice Award at the Gift of the Year

    Hope you enjoy listening and thanks to Alex for having me on his show.

    Listen to Jeremy on other podcasts below:

    Let's Talk Shop Podcast

    The Marketing Disenchanted Podcast

    Sage Advice Podcast talking about Business and the Environment

  • Bioloco Loop flasks featured in Gift Focus Magazine

    Bioloco Loop Flasks - Gift Focus Magazine

    We are very excited have our gorgeous Bioloco Loop flasks featured on the cover of Gift Focus Magazine. The magazine is read by leading retailers and buyers across the UK and the coverage and response has been really positive so far.

    These stylish bioloco loop flasks have been a big hit with retailers. They they make great fashion accessories and help to reduce single-use plastic waste. These elegant shaped bottles keep drinks warm for up to 18 hours and cool for up to 12 hours. Each has a capacity of 500 ml (16.9 oz) and is made of double walled kitchen grade stainless steel 304.

    The beautiful design is complemented by a unique wooden lid and a silicon looped handle. Plus these eye catching accessories are BPA-free, Phthalate-free and toxin-free. Hand washing is recommended.

    Watch a short video about Bioloco Loop and our other products here

    See all Bioloco products

    Retailers can order online here

    Click here to buy one for someone special

  • Hear the story of Blue Eyed Sun on the Lets Talk Shop Podcast

    Therese Ørtenblad - Lets talk shop podcast

    I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Therese Ørtenblad on Let's Talk Shop, her fantastic podcast for small businesses who want to grow their wholesale sales with retailers.

    Having worked for giftware company NPW, Therese has extensive experience selling to retailers and has some awesome guests on her podcast which is well worth listening to. She's also an expert that's available for consulting and has online courses for entrepreneurs looking to grow.

    The time breezed by and we had covered a lot of ground as I shared how Blue Eyed Sun got started, many of the pitfalls and failures we've experienced along the road to success and how retail is changing in 2020.

    I've listed some of the highlights below, if you are short on time. Click the play button on the image below.

    02:55 How Blue Eyed Sun got started

    05:25 Our first ever retailer

    07:20 The secret value of trade shows

    09:45 What made the business really take off

    13:15 Taking on our first premises

    13:55 Our first big multiple and how we almost lost them

    17:45 How trade shows have changed

    21:10 What really drives our business success

    22:35 How diversification has doubled our sales

    22:40 The Ladder Club for new card publishers

    24:20 What can cripple your business

    25:30 What we learned from our failures

    26:30 The growth in eco friendly giftware

    27:30 Founding greenmagpie.net to sell B2C

    29:10 How we market to retailers and B2B businesses

    32:00 Our successful blog for Retailers

    33:00 The power of a good email list

    34:15 How retailers can sell well online

    36:00 The secret to social selling

    39:45 The impact of Covid-19 on our business

    46:30 The pitfall of brokerage and multiples

    51:00 How we grew the business on two and a half days per week

    56:40 The future of retail and supply chain logistics

    57:50 How retail will be in Autumn 2020

    62:00 Which retailers have been most affected by Covid-19

    63:25 Which retailers will do well and what they should be stocking

    65:00 Fun marketing tips for businesses

    67:15 Diversity in the card and gift industry

    73:00 How to make real change in the workplace

    83:00 How the world’s consciousness is shifting

    Hope you enjoy listening and thanks to Therese for having me on her show.

    Listen to Jeremy on other podcasts below:

    The Marketing Disenchanted Podcast

    Sage Advice Podcast talking about Business and the Environment

  • How companies can increase environmental awareness - Podcast

    Sage Advice Podcast - Environmental Awareness

    I've been speaking more and more about environmental awareness at the major trade shows like Spring Fair and Autumn Fair at the NEC as well as in my column for Progressive Greetings Magazine and on this blog. It's a subject I'm passionate about and still getting to grips with in my daily practice.

    I was recently invited back to the Sage Advice Podcast to talk about how companies and individuals can get involved and some quick wins they can get started with.

    Click the play button below to listen to the short nine minute podcast:

    Links to other podcasts I've done

    Listen to Jeremy on the Marketing Disenchanted Podcast

    Hear more about Jeremy's story on this interview with Janice B Gordon

    Jeremy's previous Sage Podcast interview on How Businesses can turn to Exporting to Grow

  • BambooCup Testimonials from our Happy Retailers

    BambooCup Testimonials

    Are you a retailer that would like to make money and make a difference? We are passionate about drastically reducing the single-use plastic waste that is damaging our eco-system, our wild life and our health. It's why we started distributing BambooCup and why we are continually making improvements within our business and our lives to cut back on plastic waste.

    Below are some of the happy customers who help us to spread the word and encourage more people to change to better, more environmentally considerate habits with our beautiful products made from bamboo fibre.

    If you are a retailer, we'd love to work with you to hep drive more change for good in the world.

    Click on this link if you'd like to get involved.

    BambooCup rated as Number One Product at Autumn Fair 

    "This is the best cup in the whole show and these ones (behind me) are the very best of everything. It's the number one product for the show."

    Richard Cartwright - Co-owner of Posters

    Best Sellers and Great Service as Standard

    Priscilla Carter - Unique Creations

    "Our customers love BambooCup. They have lots of great designs that sell really well. We love the customer service we receive from Blue Eyed Sun too. They are great at taking care of any issues and have very useful point of sale materials."

    Priscilla Carter - Owner of Unique Creations in Oxford

    On Taking the Plunge with BambooCup

    Dave Weaver - The Tantivy - Tulverton "As a shop owner, it's sometimes hard to know what will work. I'm pleased to say that BambooCup sell really well. It's easy to get started with the product and customers love the fresh designs."

    Dave Weaver - Co-Owner - The Tantivy in Dulverton

    We love hearing positive stories from our retailers, so please send them to us along with a photo of you in your BambooCup display and we will help publicise your shop online.

    Click to find out more about BambooCup

    Discover all of our Bamboo Products

    Request more information for your shop

    For Consumer Testimonials follow BambooCup on Instagram here

  • BambooCup and SlideCup rated Best in Show at Autumn Fair

    BambooCup Best at Autumn Fair Long standing Blue Eyed Sun customer, Richard Cartwright, was so impressed with our BambooCup and SlideCup ranges that, after seeing all of the numerous competitors in the marketplace at Autumn Fair, he returned to our stand to tell us that ours were the Best in Show and placed a large order for them.

    It's not the first time we've heard positive feedback from customers. It's always a pleasure to have retailers reaffirm what we believe: that our gorgeous selection of on trend BambooCups with our patented bamboo lids are the best on the market. There are a lot of competitors flooding in as the rise of the green economy gains pace, so it's  lovely to be reminded that BambooCup is rated so highly by experienced retailers who recognise good products.

    Richard very kindly agreed to allow us to video him repeating his very kind words on camera and we are very proud to share this short video on our blog with you here. If you feel the same, please tell us. We never tire of hearing it and love spreading the word.

    "This is the best cup in the whole show and these ones (behind me) are the very best of everything. It's the number one product for the show."

    Richard Cartwright - Co-owner of Posters

    Watch the video by clicking on the image below:

     

    Discover all of our Bamboo Products

    Read more testimonials from BambooCup retailers

    For Consumer Testimonials follow BambooCup on Instagram here

     

  • Blue Eyed Sun meets the Small Business Saturday Bus

    Small Business Saturday 2017Blue Eyed Sun MD, Jeremy Corner, was recently invited for a Facebook Live interview with the Small Business Saturday bus in Brighton to discuss greeting cards, retail and small business.

    Small Business Saturday is held on the 2nd December 2017 in the UK. It's a grass roots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and support small businesses in their communities.

    Retailers and small businesses can get involved in a number of ways:

    1. You can register your business and advertise for free in the Small Business Finder.
    2. You can download and use the logo on your website and social media.
    3. Download the free marketing pack in English and Welsh.
    4. Have your social media amplified by sharing with the SBS team.

    As consumers, we can all get involved by shopping local on the day. Support your independent stores rather than just buying all of you Christmas presents with the big online companies.

    The Small Business Saturday bus tour took in 29 locations around the UK this year and offered free business mentoring to small businesses supported by ACCA accountants.

    The video has been viewed over 1,160 times already. You can watch the full interview below.

    Find out more about SBS

    Watch our interviews with the Startup Van

    Visiting Downing Street with the Startup Britain Bus

  • The Marketing Disenchanted Podcast meets Blue Eyed Sun

    Marketing Disenchanted Podcast

    I recently spoke to a group of small business owners at at Sage Summit in Atlanta. In the audience was author and podcaster, Temitayo Osinubi, from The Marketing Disenchanted Podcast. The podcast has featured several marketing greats including Scott Monty, Mark Schaeffer and Brian Fanzo.

    Temi invited me on his show and a few weeks we later I found myself being interviewed on my first ever podcast. We discussed all sorts of things ranging from greeting cards to digital marketing. Temi had some really great questions and I had a fun time answering them.

    We chatted about my Looking Back from Perfect exercise, the relevance of greeting cards today and being more open, random and supportive. We also discussed how this blog transformed Blue Eyed Sun, why I started The Greeting Card Project, my work at The Ladder Club as well as how to compete with larger corporations.

    Our discussion even covers fake news and the controversial ways influencers like PewDiePie, Kendall Jenner, Katie Hopkins and Donald Trump grab our attention. I also reference Louis CK, Justin Packshaw and The Start Up Van.

    You can listen to the hour long podcast now by clicking the triangular play button below:

    Read Marketing: Then vs Now

    How to market you retail business online

    See Jeremy speak about the Digital High Street at Autumn Fair

    Visit the Marketing Disenchanted website

  • Blue Eyed Sun inside the Startup Van

    StartUp Van Sage Summit London 2017

    A year ago I met with the Graham and Mark at the Startup Van pop up studio in London and enjoyed two very funny interviews on camera about business and Blue Eyed Sun.

    This year they were brave enough to let me INSIDE the Startup Van. The van has been home to interviews with hundreds of fantastic start ups and legends like Gary Vaynerchuck. We had a lot of fun again this time and the video has been viewed an incredible 6,600 times so far (Thanks Mum!).

    It's always great fun meeting up with these guys who do a fantastic job of promoting small businesses and startups looking to get noticed by the world.

    They have a ton of subscribers and followers on social media and I'm always learning from their millennial mastery of these amazing tools. As a Sage Business Expert I see them at various Sage events, a company they work closely with to support small businesses.

    We talked about The Greeting Card Project, YouTube vs Facebook, changing communication technologies and greeting cards. Click on the image below to watch the interview:

    See what card I send Mark and Graham here

    Watch my previous videos with the Start Up Van

  • Blue Eyed Sun meets the Startup Van

    Blue Eyed Sun Meets The Start Up Van

    Thanks to my friends at Sage, I recently had the pleasure of meeting Graham Hussey and Mark McDonagh from The Start Up Van at their pop up shop in Shoreditch, London. The Start Up Van helps some of the most talented, fun and influential people in the start up community to tell their story. They have quickly amassed over thousands of followers on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and are worth following if you love business and start ups.

    The interview was filmed in two sections. In the first short clip below I share the Blue Eyed Sun story. Watch it to hear how we set up our greeting card publishing business, how the business has changed over the years, what's next for Blue Eyed Sun and how we contribute to our industry through The Ladder Club and our involvement with the GCA and the GA.

    We also touch on the Looking Back from Perfect exercise which I will be sharing with  delegates at this year's Sage Summit in one of two talks I am giving in Chicago this July. The Start Up Van guys will also be there and I'm looking forward to catching up with them again soon.

    Click on the play button on the image below to watch the first clip:

    The second clip below is the Start Up Van's quick fire round where the Graham and Mark ask some fun short questions including: what valuable lesson we could teach start ups, which three people I'd have dinner with, what's been our hardest day running Blue Eyed Sun, what I love most about what we do, what musician inspires us, what's the biggest thing that's happened to us, what is our biggest regret and what motivates us.

    There's a funny moment where I completely embarrass myself answering one particular question that makes this one especially worth watching:

    Details of Jeremy Corner's Sessions at Sage Summit 2016 in Chicago

    12 Business Lessons I learned at last year's Sage Summit

    9 Tips for Social Selling that I learned at Sage Summit

    Visit The Start Up Van Website

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