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The New Year is always a good time for new beginnings. Even though technically a new year starts every day there\u2019s something about the 1st January and the new year date that seems to energise in a different way to most other days. Perhaps the celebrations the night before focus us on turning over a new leaf or it might simply be the fact that we are heading out of the darkest days of Winter into Spring and it literally is a new period of growth.<\/p>\n
New Place<\/b><\/p>\n
At Blue Eyed Sun, we\u2019ve marked the change with a move into newly acquired premises which makes it extra special. After nearly ten years of toiling away in our old industrial units in Brighton we have a lovely new factory up the road in Burgess Hill. It\u2019s a great space that we\u2019ve refurbished and I\u2019m sure our team will be very happy there. They\u2019ve been involved in planning the design and look of the interiors. There\u2019s more light and better facilities for them going forward. The units also give us more room to grow, which is exciting. We ran out of space two years ago and although it\u2019s kept us efficient I do think it\u2019s held us back a little.<\/p>\n
Out with the Old<\/b><\/p>\n
In preparation for the move, we have been doing a lot of clearing, sorting and so on. It\u2019s my least favourite job in the whole world. I get side tracked with the detail of it and then despondent that I can\u2019t get through it all fast enough. I kept discovering interesting old bits of paperwork. Like our very first order, our original brochure and a load of rejection letters from top retailers that now stock us. The letters were a good reminder that persistence is one of the things that has really kept us growing all these years.<\/p>\n
Despite the distractions I got most of it done and I\u2019ve photographed or scanned the paperwork I want to keep and recycled the rest. My goal for 2016 is to get digital on most of our paperwork and do the full shift over to the cloud. Paperwork takes up space and most of it I only ever look at it when I\u2019m try to clear out the office!<\/p>\n
In with the New<\/b><\/p>\n
Essentially the cloud is online storage for your data files. With tools like dropbox, it\u2019s been around a while now and you can expect to see more big growth of it in the coming year or two. We have a cheap and simple NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that acts like a server which we then back up to Amazon\u2019s servers. Yes. Amazon own that space too! It\u2019s like having a Big Yellow storage facility on the internet for your digital stuff.<\/p>\n
The advantages are that you can access receipts and paperwork from anywhere in the world by logging into your cloud storage to find it. A lot of software has been moving into the cloud too, so you can do things like look up your accounts on a range of different devices. This blog post\u00a0for instance was in the cloud whilst I wrote it on my iMac at home, edited on my phone in bed and uploaded\u00a0it from my iPad to the blog\u00a0in the morning. Being able to work from anywhere has really freed up my time.<\/p>\n
New Ranges<\/b><\/p>\n
The most exciting part about having more space is that we can launch lots of lovely new designs because we now have room for the stock. Blue Eyed Sun has had a remarkable run over the last few years. Our market leading stitched ranges like Vintage<\/a>, Gorgeous<\/a> and Picnic Time<\/a> have been massive hits for us. We feel like we have so much more we can do. We love coming up with new ideas and techniques and are really looking forward to showing our customers what\u2019s new at Top Drawer Spring<\/a> and Spring Fair<\/a> this year. Even though we\u2019ve been really busy, with getting the new building ready and the big move, Jo has managed to produce over 150 new designs across 5\u00a0new ranges.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s new?\u201c has to be the most common question retailers ask publishers at trade shows. The trick is to have new of best sellers and to try some radically new ideas too (ideally ones that are on trend). Trends have been getting harder to predict of late and now move quickly because of the internet. As all designers are watching the same trend forecasts, staying fresh, original and on trend is a constant challenge for any design-led publisher.<\/p>\n In addition to new product we\u2019ve also been looking to improve our displays.<\/p>\n New Stands<\/b><\/p>\n For years we\u2019ve prepped expensive Foamex boards to display our greeting cards at shows, only to find their corners bashed after they fell of the wall overnight after the velcro used to attach them failed. It\u2019s rare for customers to mention the damaged boards and I\u2019ve always consoled myself by saying it\u2019s the card designs that really matter. We all like to do our best though don\u2019t we? I imagine it\u2019s the same for retailers. If your display and point of sale looks good it gives off a different feeling and experience for the shopper who is looking at the lovely cards they stock. It enhances it. Our stands have never looked terrible, but I\u2019ve never been thrilled with them either. I\u2019m looking forward to showing off our new cards on our new, custom made trade show displays for the new year.<\/p>\n New Friends<\/b><\/p>\n 2015 was an incredible year for me personally as I was invited to attend some amazing events at 10 Downing Street<\/a>, New Orleans<\/a> and the Rugby World Cup<\/a>. I\u2019ve made some wonderful new friendships with all sorts of interesting people from around the world. Social Media<\/a> has been a big part of all of this for me and it has led me to me changing how I operate online in 2016.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve decided to make a commitment to more connections on social media. Instead of just interacting with friends that I already know on Facebook, for instance, I\u2019m opening up to more friendships from the card industry and beyond in an effort to engage more widely with others. I have been experimenting with all sorts of new digital tools including Slack<\/a>, Blab<\/a> and Periscope<\/a>. WhatsApp<\/a> (and instant messaging in general) has been the most powerful of the lot for me so far in terms of new meaningful connections and I\u2019m excited to see where they take me this year.<\/p>\n New Commitments<\/b><\/p>\n Contribution is really important to me and I\u2019m proud to have been asked to be Vice-Chairman of the Giftware Association<\/a> and take up my post in 2016. I\u2019ve been working with the GA at committee level for five years. With new CEO, Sarah Ward<\/a>, already doing a great job it\u2019s going to be an exciting year for the GA. I\u2019m particularly looking forward to working with incoming Chairman Henri Davis<\/a> who has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in retail.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a member of the GA<\/a> and the GCA<\/a> for many years now and, having worked closely with both at committee level, they do invaluable work. Our industry wouldn\u2019t be the same without them. Even if you can\u2019t find the time to serve on their committees do join and support them as a member. Whether you are a supplier or retailer, they are fantastic resources that we don\u2019t want to be without. Remember it\u2019s not just about what\u2019s in it for you (although there are loads of benefits for members at each organisation), it\u2019s about the wider community that you are a part of.<\/p>\n What\u2019s New for You?<\/b><\/p>\n If you aren\u2019t sure where to start with your goals for the new year. Try a slight shift towards something that you\u2019d like to improve. Take small steps initially so that you can get momentum and progress. They say the one who moves mountains always starts by carrying away small stones first.<\/p>\n I hope that 2016 brings you lots of wonderful new adventures and personal development. Good luck with all of your new endeavours and goals.<\/p>\n 18 ways retailers can maximise their January sales<\/a><\/p>\n