When husband-and-wife-team Jesica Simpson and Jeremy Lauder set out to do something, they make sure to put their all into it. And their attitude of wholeheartedness can be clearly observed in how they run their contract printing business, Derisory Designs. Jeremy started the business in college with the plan of designing and printing t-shirts, but when Jesica joined in 2005, the two realized that they could be much more successful if they focused on printing designs from customers rather than trying to print and sell their own designs.
Since Jesica and Jeremy went fulltime in 2008, Derisory Designs has expanded to print much more than just shirts. Jesica says, “We’re a contract printer so we work mainly with clothing companies, but we also do packaging, pizza boxes, bags, posters—we’re all over the place with our clientele.”
Jesica says that she and Jeremy have always pursued success in the long term. “We take out some money from our profits to pay bills, and we just put everything else back into the company.” She laughs as she adds, “You get used to living like a pauper, but the thought is that if we make all of these sacrifices now it will hopefully lead to a bigger return on our investments later.”
This approach also means that when opportunities arise that are riskier to seize now than they might be down the road, Jesica and Jeremy don’t hesitate. They recently decided to radically alter their business by purchasing an automatic press. Jesica says, “We had a client that had her own apparel company and her designs got bought by Hot Topic so she said that she would have a need for huge runs. She said that if we got an automatic press she could guarantee us the business, but to get the press we had to move locations and take out a loan. It was our first—we had never needed one before, we’d always used our own money.” They moved to a new space to accommodate their growth, took out a large loan from Finanta Microlender, and bought the equipment. The automatic press prints upwards of 700 shirts an hour, much more than the few hundred a day they managed with their manual press.
Derisory Designs took the leap, and as is often the case it lead to a different outcome than initially expected. Jesica says, “We didn’t end up getting the order we purchased the machine for, but it has still absolutely paid off. We’ve been able to do jobs we never could have done before, and we’ve opened more doors for ourselves. Now the Hot Topic business has come up again and we can be more prepared for it.” Recently, with their automatic press, Derisory Designs completed a 4000 piece order, their biggest yet.
As far as their future plans, Jesica and Jeremy will continue to focus on investing everything into their business and looking for ways to continue growing. Jesica says, “We’d like to expand into embroidery because there’s a great market for that. We’ll invest in embroidery equipment and maybe even get a second automatic press.” Visiting their workshop, it’s easy to see how Jesica and Jeremy can keep the long term in mind. Both their fathers help out with orders and their son, Seth, spends days with them on site. Jesica says, “We would really like to be able to do this for the rest of our working lives.”
To see Jesica explain how to burn a screen, watch the following video:
To see Jeremy print designs, watch the video below:
CBS’ Money Watch just put out this article on New Years Resolutions for managing your money. It lists a number of ways to go about improving your spending habits, and making your money count for more. As business owners, there are ways to make these tips and others count, not only for your personal finances, but improving your business success as well.
Monitor Your Spending: Save for Your Business The key to personal, as well as business finances, is to monitor your spending. For business owners or aspiring entrepreneurs, this can be a great way to set aside money for your business. The article offers some good tips: using cash to keep yourself from making impulse purchases, pay bills and set aside savings automatically, and establishing basic spending rules for yourself. One way to really get a handle on your spending is to write out your monthly budget. Write down your income and then itemize where your money goes for the month. Does it go mostly towards expenses like bills, food, and education? Or are there items like entertainment or eating out or shopping that could use a little trimming to maximize your business savings?
Connect When you think about your business, it’s important to think about the community that you’re a part of. This includes your neighborhood, your city and state (you know, the people you give your taxes to that send the money back as services), and any social networks that you might belong to. Your community is the basis for your business. It’s the people who buy your products and services, it’s your peers and mentors, and it’s the talent pool from which you hire employees. Giving back to your community can be a great way to connect with people. And it can be an especially great way to raise awareness and support for your business. Plus, if you donate money to a local charity or nonprofit,, you can always write it off on your taxes!
Do What You Love! The last tip in the Money Watch article is my favorite: turn a passion or hobby into a paycheck. That’s your queue, entrepreneurs! You are thinking way bigger than this and making your passions and hobbies into a business. In the end, if your doing something you love, all the work you put in will be worth it. And, who knows, you may even find that you enjoy yourself so much your “work” feels more like having fun.
Below is footage from The Power of Story, the annual celebration of the Women Entrepreneurs' Circle. The event took place at Pumpkin Restaurant on South Street and was sponsored by Pumpkin Restaurant and Philadelphia Brewing Company. Annie Hart lead attendees in a conversation about the power of story in each of our lives and businesses, and everyone enjoyed amazing Pumpkin food and getting to know fellow women entrepreneurs!
Networking is something that comes up in the business world all the time. Some people are naturals at it—attending events regularly, schmoozing, and handing out business cards left and right. But, for the rest of us, networking can be an uncomfortable chore, or at the very least, intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are several methods to choosing networking events that will help you maximize your networking effectiveness.
Types of Events
First, there are two types of networking events to be aware of: casual, social events; and workshop-oriented business events. They create very different social environments, and you can decide for yourself how to best use both categories to your advantage. Social events are typically held by business or professional associations that you may have to be a member of in order to participate. The events are usually held in the evening at venues, such as eateries or bars, that are conducive to casual conversation and mingling. Social events can be a great way to get to know people in a group or organization that you are already familiar with.
Business networking events are usually geared around a workshop or training session and are more likely to be held during the day. The main purpose of the event is to provide information on a particular subject—whether it’s through a panel discussion, individual speaker, or interactive session—while networking is the secondary goal.These can be great opportunities for networking, without as much pressure to make casual conversation. And the topic of the event provides a great conversation starting point! Business events can also be a great way to branch out and meet people from different areas of business that you may not be as familiar with.
Here is a list of several groups that have regular networking events and listservs that you might consider signing up for!
Take a look at the latest news on entrepreneurs and events in the city!
“Perfecting your Pitch” Seminar Last Tuesday, entrepreneurs gathered at the University City Science Center for the “Perfecting your Pitch to Funders” seminar. A crowd of about 50 people gathered to learn about wooing investors and seeking funders. Adam Roth, a senior manager in the Philadelphia office of Deloitte Tax LLP, led the discussion. Panelists included Dean Miller, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Alliance of Capital and Technology; Katherine Crothall, a principal in Philadelphia-based; Gloria Rabinowitz, the managing director of Golden Seeds Philadelphia, an angel investor group; Ned Moore, the chairman, CEO and co-founder of Portico Systems. The panel discussion was “aimed at the region's would-be Bill Gateses, dreamers just a few bucks shy of making their visions the next big things in some corners of the business world.”
Read more about the event here: Philadelphia Start Ups Shine in Global Entrepreneurship Week Competition Three area startup companies-- 3SecondReceipts, Integrated People, and Neonatal Loving Care were featured at Global Entrepreneurship Week’s inaugural Startup Open run by the Kauffman Foundation. Held in Kansas City, Missouri, the competition featured companies who had experienced a “startup moment.” There were approximately 150 entries, and these three Philly companies made the cut.
Philly Entrepreneur Launches TheGuiltyMom.com Kim Ruch-Alegant, owner and coach of Freedom Healing & Wellness, recently announced her website TheGuiltyMom.com, a website for working mothers. The site provides busy moms with an e-class that allows them to eliminate guilt from their homes and offices.
Philly Startup Leaders Hosts Founder Factory Event Nathanial Turner, one of four founders of Invite Media Inc., spoke a few weeks ago at the third Founder Factory event hosted by Philly Startup Leaders. Turner shared his success story; Founder Factory is an event that celebrates the drive of local entrepreneurs.
Read more about Nathanial Turner and Invite Media here.
“Sometimes it’s as simple as piles of records, the objects and the mass of them—just digging the object for lack of a better summary.” Asking a record store owner what he likes about records won’t usually elicit this response, but for Anthony Vogdes, owner of Tequila Sunrise Records, his love for records stems not from musical talent but from his art school background. “I have no musical ability; I’ve tried. But I really like records and music and the documentation.” Anthony knows that his visual background sets him apart from most other record dealers and collectors. “I don’t really consider myself a record collector, because they’re sort of a different thing. I’ve always gravitated toward the aesthetic of records. In the download age it is thought that record labels are irrelevant and thus record stores are irrelevant, but I think that there is something to be said for an aesthetic. To me the best record labels are clearly defined by their taste and their aesthetic, whether it’s just sound-wise and sonically or also in package design.” Anthony began his own record label, Tequila Sunrise Records, before he opened his shop in 2006, and his enthusiasm for appearance clearly displayed itself in his label’s releases. “I wanted to make a record label that had a consistent aesthetic that people would like. Someone who would collect the label would keep all their tequila sunrise records together on the shelf because they all have these light pink spines—little things like that.” Having worked in a record store for 15 years before starting his own, Anthony has a lengthy background in the record industry, and this allows him to feel confident in which records he chooses to sell in his store. “I love records, music, the object, and the only thing I can offer as a brick and mortar business is to be a kind of filter. I do the weeding through of new titles and bring in whichever I believe are worth my customers’ attention.” Anthony also adds that although different people have different tastes, many of his customers are very loyal, and he is usually able to learn which genres and styles will interest them. “I know my customers for the most part and can usually take educated guesses at what will be good. I try to have an opinion about stuff without being overly opinionated.” Anthony adds research to opinion, looking at what international stores are carrying and comparing them to his own titles. “I look at other records stores in London, Berlin, Tokyo, and ones that I have always looked to as barometers of interesting trends and I see what they’re carrying.” Tequila Sunrise Records sells mostly from the rock and dance genres, along with many international titles, so sales usually happen in low numbers and diverse titles, rather than centering on a few big sellers. “If I sell 2 copies of the same record, sometimes I’m impressed. Other times, 20 or 30 copies of a record is pretty big.” As far as some of his most popular records are concerned, many aren’t exactly what one would expect. “One of my most popular was by a band called Sabbath Assembly. They were a contemporary band that recorded songs based around sort of doomsday lyrics to hymns by The Process Church of the Final Judgment—very heavy content from a record label that typically did a lot of heavy metal stuff—but it was a really catchy record, kind of psychedelic. As soon as I played it for people they were like, ‘Wow, this is really good.’ So I probably sold about 30 of those.” Another more recent success has been a reissued reggae record by a group called Dadawa. Although Anthony says that the styles and genres of the records in his store fluctuate, he remains there throughout, ready to refill Tequila Sunrise Records with new music from across the globe, and using his love for art to judge them by their covers.
For a Video Tour of Anthony's record store, check out the video below:
Project Basho (“basho” meaning place in Japanese) is a photography resource center located in Olde Kensington. Founded by photographer Tsuyoshi Ito, this center offers a community darkroom, gallery space, specialized workshops, classes, lectures, and panel discussions in the hopes of “fostering a vibrant culture of photography” and re-introducing the art form to the city of Philadelphia. Founder and Program Director Tsuyoshi Ito began teaching aspiring photographers in his apartment in Olde City, and today classes are held at their renovated building on Germantown where students come from near and far to learn the traditional craft of analog photography. Ito says his passion for Project Basho stems from “the innate joy of making something with your hands,” and creating a space for photographers to work and network.
Project Basho is one of Philly’s three big community darkrooms. The 800 sq. ft gallery space features a 14-foot ceiling and unique architectural details and provides a space for photographers to gather and appreciate the medium; their annual exhibition is ONWARD and features the work of artists from all around the world.
Visit this unique space to view and appreciate art or enroll in a class to advance your photography skills!
December is well under way, and Philadelphia is pulling out all the stops for holiday festivities. This time of year can be pretty hectic, what with the presents that have to be purchased and all of the holiday parties that have to be attended. But taking a break from your routine to invest some holiday TLC into your business or your community can be just what you need to re-energize this month. Here is a list of some networking and volunteer opportunities that might help to make your spirit bright this season.
Sharpen Your Edges Seminar Tues Dec 7th, 8:00-9:15am Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce 409 Hood Boulevard Fairless Hills, PA 19030 60 rapidfire marketing tips. We will cover marketing best practices that apply to all businesses, regardless of size or marketing budget. This will be a fast-moving, information-packed panel presentation with five top-notch marketing professionals sharing their insights into tried and true marketing principles that have stood the test of time. For more information: http://www.lbccc.org
ASTD Annual Holiday Party Weds Dec 8th, 6:15-8:45 pm Hilton Garden Inn 1100 Arch Street Garden Room All Society of Training and Development Philadelphia members, non-members, guests, colleagues and friends are welcome at the 2010 ASTD PHL Annual Holiday Party! It is going to be a great evening, with lot's going on! Networking and ice breakers will occur throughout the event. For more information: http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=441f5115-6e58-483b-8b28-673f9513a61c
Philadelphia Winter Beer Festival Sat Dec 11, 3-9pm The Blockley Porthouse 3801 Chestnut St Wait, does this count as a networking event?
YPN Networking at the Kimmel Center Dec 16th, 6:00-8:00pm The Kimmel Center 260 S. Broad Street Join Young Professionals Network at the Kimmel Center as we hear from Ed Cambron, Executive Director of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). For more information: www.greaterphilachamber.com/EventReg.aspx?eventID=2537
If you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, try working with one of these organizations:
When Matt MacMillan and Philip Tribe began their thesis project for their Master’s degrees in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, they centered their focus on one of the most important aspects of any college campus: fun. “We were looking for a fun thesis and trying to see what we could tackle as a major goal and one of our jumping off points was www.thefuntheory.com,” says Philip. The website promotes the idea of using fun to sway behavior in a social environment. “One installation they had was piano keys set up on a set of stairs in order to encourage people to use the stairs rather than the adjacent escalator,” says Matt. Philip and Matt decided to center their project on this approach of creating positive social change with fun as the catalyst.
They began their project, SustainablyFun, and started simple. Matt explains, “We began with the idea of a Coffee Cup Tree to see if we could illicit some response. We realized everyone carried around coffee cups that cannot be recycled and we wanted to draw attention to that fact in a low-fi way.” The Coffee Cup Tree was a structure with wooden poles sticking out from its base that allowed people to add their used cups to the tree to expand the design. “People came by and added their coffee cups and then after it was full, we put out a sign explaining that the cups weren’t recyclable.”
After seeing people respond to this relatively simple project, Philip says, “We started thinking about what games we could tie into our idea. We learned early on that you only have a few moments to capture a person’s attention so our pieces had to stand out and be easily understood. Linking the idea to things that already existed was a good place to start.” The engineers incorporated “High Striker,” a popular carnival game that uses a mallet to send an object up toward a bell, into their next design, Bottle Stomp. This design was more complicated than Coffee Cup Tree, and thus needed some tweaking after its first installment. “Originally we made the launchers like paintball guns shooting bottles off, but liability for this was very high,” says Philip with a smile. “So we kept the idea of air shooting things but made it in a contained environment.” Similarly, their Can Drop uses crushed cans for a game that plays off the well-known “Plinko” from The Price is Right.
One project that had a very different concept was Glowb, which served both as a public art piece and an interactive recycling bin. Glowb repurposed bottles with a different motivation behind it, says Philip. “Part of the continued thinking of what SustainablyFun could be was not only collecting recycling but also considering how you could allow people to rethink what that material could be.” Glowb has poles to hang bottles on and emits increasing amounts of light as each bottle is added.
Since the success of their projects, Matt has graduated, and Philip is in his final year of completing his Master’s degree. Both are now exploring the possibility of taking the next step to begin selling their projects. Philip says, “I think the possibility is there. It comes down to figuring out who that initial right buyer would be and the most appropriate locations. That will drive what the next iteration of the design will look like.”
The engineers have reached out to the Phillies and major amusement parks, sports arenas, and townships to find out about their current recycling systems. Matt says that one large opportunity might come through companies with products that are hard for customers to recycle. “Starbucks has all their coffee cups and getting customers to throw trash into the right bins is a major issue for them. I think that connecting people with a company’s specific products could be one great opportunity for us.”
One of the most impressive aspects of SustainablyFun is their website, which was created by Matt and Philip with the goal of allowing for clear communication. Philip explains, “You say SustainablyFun and everyone gets an amorphous idea, and then when you see one of the projects you understand a lot quicker, and the videos help you to get it even better. It’s nice to say yes this would work, but when you see the projects actually working in the videos and people interacting with them and the excitement of the engagement, it’s the total package.” For the near future, both Philip and Matt plan to maintain their attitudes toward the importance of fun and continue to look for opportunities to do more with their projects.
After searching the Internet and blogs, I’ve compiled a list of some of the best tools for small businesses to use. They are all free or low-cost and are proven to work!
1. wridea.com - Collaborate with others and organize your ideas.
2. doodle.com - Schedule board meetings, conference calls, and any other group event easily.
3. twitteranalyzer.com - Use this tool to examine in-depth stats and track who is following you on Twitter.
4.slideshare.net - Share and explore PowerPoint presentations.
5. polldaddy.com - Start conversation and engage your online readers with this free poll tool.
6. mint.com - Free money management and budgeting.
7. faxzero.com - Send faxes for free from your computer.
8. readbag.com - Store links you find but want to read later.
9. sxc.hu - Find free stock photography for your blog or website.
10. yousendit.com - Send large, important files and email attachments.
11. sitekreator.com - Start a site by just adding your content.
12. spotrunner.com - Buy, create, and manage advertising.
13. monkeyon.com - Make a to-do list of things you want other people to do.
14. chartle.net - Create charts and graphs to add to your site or presentation.
15. anyvite.com - Create online invitations and add entries from mobile, twitter, email, gCal, and Outlooks.
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