Apart from winning #SBS of course... most exciting thing that's happened for ages! I'm gearing up for Mother's Day in Australia - I sell a lot of cases there and am in a big catalogue, fingers crossed! I'm also about to launch an offer for two cases – after all the original idea was to distinguish one pair from another, though I know many people just like the designs!
I'm a graphic designer by profession and have run my own design and branding studio for many years with a partner who I met at art school. A couple of years ago I ended up with several pairs of specs (as you do) - different ones for reading, driving and playing music - I am an amateur viola player and need to read music on a stand. They all looked identical and I hadn't a clue which was which. I thought I'd be able to buy a glasses case with a symbol - a book, or a treble clef perhaps - but amazingly, nobody else seems to have come up with this idea! So I did it myself: designing them and organising the manufacture, starting with the three I needed, naturally! I added the second collection for Christmas 14: Sewing & Knitting, Cinema & TV, and Gardener's Glasses. They are very popular as gifts and I get lovely feedback from customers. I think the idea resonates with lots of people - and I am certainly not the only one with the problem - half of our amateur orchestra had sticky labels sellotaped to their glasses cases! WGAW is very much my baby - I pack all the orders myself and make the personalised cloths (available at NOTHS). I have also got some lovely stockists and would like to expand that area of the business.
• Do what you do as well as you possibly can.
• Be generous with help and advice and build up a business support network.
• Give excellent customer service - your customers are your best advertisement both via reviews and recommendations.