It’s official- Goldilocks Promos is turning 1 year old in October 2020. It’s been a wild ride with us starting with 0 zero clients to so many amazing ones. We knew the first year would be hard but nobody expected COVID which did not help matters. We made it through and wanted to share some pearls of wisdom we picked up along the way. Here is what we learned our first year in business:
Murphy’s Law
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Boy does that feel like it’s true. We expect high quality and for every job to be perfect when we give it to a client. That sounds easy but normally things don’t go that way. From UPS showing up days late to pens arriving with major defects, even the smallest of jobs can do wrong. It’s how you respond and make it right that matters. We will go the extra mile to make every job perfect and to combat these issues.
Big Online Competitors
As a small business owner, I should not take it personally when people want to shop online for cheaper prices. As I startup, we understand more than anyone that money is important however when you shop online, you aren’t supporting local and you aren’t going to get a quality product. Remember those issues I mentioned above, you will now have to deal with that yourself causing stress on yourself. You are getting more than the product with us. You get our service, expertise in graphic design, and our quality.
Business is Fun!
One of clients who has supported us from the start always asks us “Are you still having fun?” every time he comes in. And the answer is always YES. Who else gets to have fun on their laser engraver and engrave on food and make fun samples all day? Be sure to check our instagram page for lots more of these!
Water Malone Baby Yoda Tiger King Throwing Axe
Network and Get Out of the Office
Andrew and myself (Alex) are naturally introverted. Well that goes out of the window when it’s your business and you want it to do well. You have to push any shyness and introduce yourself, your business, and who cares if anyone doesn’t want to hear it? You will find the people who do. We are members of the Capital Region Chamber and before COVID were doing constant events and networking groups. Also, before the shutdown, we would go to any local expo in the area and peddle ourselves there. It worked.
PIVOT
Boy did we have to pivot when COVID hit and learn a completely new industry- PPE. Everyone said our first year in business would be hard and they were really right in 2020! We had to become experts in masks, sanitizer, and more. People were shut down, supply chains were interrupted. While things are not back to normal, we have a new normal. Click here if you want to read about mask options.
Professionals
Surround yourself with people you trust and always ask for their advice. Find a good accountant you trust and don’t be shocked by the bill, you will need them. Lawyers however, stay from at all costs. I’m kidding you will need a good lawyer at times but again, make sure you have a drink nearby when their bill comes.
There is a lot more we learned our first year in business and we are constantly learning and improving. Let us know how we can help you!
Thanks,
Alex & Andrew
