feistyelle blog

feisty&eco5: Miss Malaprop

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:26:00 GMT

I've known and admired Mallory Whitfield for as long as I've had feistyelle as a business. Her deep dedication to supporting handmade work and indie designers through her shop, Miss Malaprop, is one of the best examples I can think of that lifts up handmade products, eco-friendly fashion, and a passion for one's city (Mallory's a proud resident of New Orleans, Louisiana).

I first learned about her gift for constructing recycled clothing and accessories when she constructed a dress made from recycled FEMA blue tarp. Talk about a statement dress! Her FEMA tarp creations went on to be featured on BoingBoing and Etsy. In addition to being a shop owner and avid blogger, Mallory has also written for a variety of publications and websites, including Antigravity Magazine, StyleList.com, Blogging New Orleans, and Southern Flourish Magazine.

Here's what Mallory had to say about starting Miss Malaprop. Read to the end for her book recommendations for building socially conscious businesses!

Why did you create an eco-friendly fashion brand?

I've always had an interest in the environment and sustainability, even as I kid. And I've always had a love of fashion, mixing and matching, and playing with clothes. So when I started learning how to sew during high school, for me it was about taking apart what already existed and figuring out how to make it into something new and special again. This was the beginnings of my first business: called dismantled. It was a line of one-of-a-kind reconstructed & upcycled clothing. I still make some of the same stuff today, particularly my favorite denim & lace reconstructed skirts. But I've started working with a lot of other artists too, as now my long-term goal is to open up a brick & mortar boutique here in New Orleans dedicated to handmade goods, independent artists & designers, and eco-friendly fashions. I love supporting small businesses, independent makers and companies that are really trying their damnedest to make a difference in this world.

What makes your company eco chic?

I work with a lot of local artists, as well as artists from all over who are using recycled materials in unique ways. I also try to utilize supplies & services from small independent companies as much as possible, and seek out more sustainable materials wherever I can. For shipping for my online shop, I use the USPS's Cradle-to-Cradle certified packaging, as well as other recycled materials. I also include a sustainable seafood pocket guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program in all of my orders. Growing up along the Gulf Coast, I've always felt a deep connection to the water and to wildlife, and ocean conservation and sustainable fishing practices are something that is close to my heart, particularly in the wake of the BP oil spill a few years ago.

Tell us about some of your favorite artists that you work with. What are your favorite pieces that they make?

I'm really in love with just about everything that my friend Taslim van Hattum of Abiqutie makes. She does these beautiful hand-painted earrings and necklaces. She started out using a very lightweight wood that she custom cuts, but she recently started using recycled countertop pieces as well. She's inspired by a lot of world cultures and each of her pieces is one-of-a-kind - I have trouble not keeping it all for myself! I'm also very inspired by my friend Emily of Sweet Olive Soap Works. She was one of the very first artists whose work I started selling back in 2009. Her grandmother taught her the art of soap-making, so she's been doing it her whole life, and she is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about soap-making. I've really learned a lot from her. She's also very fussy about her ingredients, and she's committed to sustainability as well. She's always updating her ingredient lists if she finds out something is not as eco-friendly as once thought. And she sources a lot of local ingredients too, including Ponchatoula Strawberries, local beers, and she even grows a lot of the herbs in her own backyard! Her All Souls soap is one of my personal favorites.

What other eco-friendly companies inspire you?

We've got a great foundation of eco-friendly companies here in New Orleans. My friends Heather & Mark of UP/Unique Products and Erin of Zuka Baby are just some of the founding members of something called the Green Light District, which is a group of green-minded businesses in the Lower Garden District that have joined forces to promote sustainability in their businesses. I'm also really inspired by some of the businesses who have been committed to sustainability since way before it was cool, and have made a huge dent in the marketplace. I love the stories of Ben & Jerry's and Newman's Own. There are great books about each company that document their struggles and triumphs in building socially conscious businesses:

Ben & Jerry's Double-Dip: How to Run a Values-Led Business and Make Money Too

In Pursuit of the Common Good: Twenty-Five Years of Improving the World, One Bottle of Salad Dressing at a Time

What five words sum up your company?

colorful, playful, fun, handmade, eco-minded

Thank you Mallory! We'll add these books to our reading list. :)

feistyelle on The Today Show!

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:15:00 GMT

We were on The Today Show, literally today! Today and US Weekly contributor and author, Jill Martin presented our pieces in a segment called Fashion Emergency. Check out us at 0:50:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jill showing Hoda and Kathy Lee how our earrings are reversible:

Jill is rocking our neon yellow feather earrings:

Things I'm Afraid to Tell You

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:21:00 GMT

When I read Ez's campaign for honesty and transparency in how we present our lives online, all stemming from Jess Constable's post, I LOVED it and felt joyful relief. It's time for the online community to stop acting as if our lives are gorgeously pristine and show our lives as they are: beautifully imperfect. We're all still trying to figure out our not-glamorous-in-the-least lives, pay the rent/mortage, do the laundry, and make time for our loved ones. I know it's silly to think that everyone else's lives are professionally styled and blemish free, but all the fanciful and beautifully styled photo shoots can really reinforce that fantasy is reality. Her post and the posts of my favorite bloggers have given me the courage to share with you some things that I'm afraid to tell you:

1. I've been bad about accounting. Only recently have I gotten my finances and inventory in order thanks to some friendly pressure and Outright, Shoeboxed, and Stitch Labs. It took a while to figure out a system that worked for me and for the first time this year, I didn't have to file an extension because I didn't have all my numbers figured out on time. My company's a work in progress, just like me.

2. My work room is messy. Sure, it looks like this sometimes, but most of the time there are boxes of packaging, tissue paper, fabric, photo lamps, jewelry findings, and notes strewn all over and under the table.

3. I work full-time as an in-house graphic designer. And I'm full-time with feistyelle. People assume I work only on feistyelle, but it's not paying all the bills yet. It's challenging to juggle both types of work and lately I haven't gotten enough sleep while launching the new collection. Plus, living in San Francisco is expensive!

4. Some days I don't give a crap about my Klout score or saying something fun or clever on Twitter. Everything I share is about something that matters to me but some days I just want to make quality things, hang out with other people that make quality things, and not feel pressure to constantly document my life. If my Klout score goes up because you like what I share with you, great, but I'm not going to be a slave to an algorithm.

5. I don't see my family and friends enough and wish I made more time to see them. See #3.

So here I am, just as I am, and I'm okay with it. That said, I wrote a little haiku so that you know that I feel the same way about you.

Ripped off & what we did about it

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:10:00 GMT

Whoever first said "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," likely never had to deal with copyright infringement.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a friend with the subject line: "Stealing your design???" She'd taken a camera phone photo of some earrings at a local boutique. The design were complete COPIES of our dahlia and leaf designs.* I was livid!

A Google search didn't turn up the company name on the earring tag, but a second search showed that these copies had also turned up in a handful of Etsy shops. (A selection of our work is also on Etsy.) I began to suspect that an overseas manufacturer had stolen these designs and were selling them as their own. This would prove to be the case. A friend's online sleuthing led me to an Etsy supplier in Hong Kong that was selling both designs as painted and unpainted wood charms (for easy assembly as jewelry pieces) in a selection of colors:

My boyfriend quickly discovered Etsy's Copyright and Intellectual Policy. I followed the directions listed on the page and by that evening, I'd drafted my first take down notice for copyright infringement. I included links to listings of the Etsy supplier and the sellers who'd unwittingly bought our designs without knowing it. An IP attorney friend also proofed the notice. The next morning, I emailed the notice to Etsy Legal Department. Within hours, all listings were removed! Thank you, Etsy!!!

I was incredibly relieved. The next step was to make sure the Etsy supplier knew I was aware of their shops and that I'd be keeping an eye on them. I wrote them the following message:

As you must know by now, Etsy has removed listings of my copyrighted designs from your store, _________. I'll be checking your store and your sister store, _______, regularly to ensure that my designs do not appear in your shops again.

I can't prevent people or companies from buying our designs outside of Etsy, or outside the US, but I'll take this victory. I'm grateful to Etsy for their quick work and that I had a legal outlet to appeal to ensure the Etsy marketplace wouldn't allow for the continued selling of my copyrighted work. I also received some terrific guidance and support from SF Etsy Street Team.

As for the local store that was selling our designs, it turned out that they too had bought our designs from Etsy. They assured me of the swift removal of these items from their shop inventory.

From this point on, not much changes. I'm doing what I love, which is continuing to develop new, colorful, and fun pieces in the most ecologically responsible way possible. (Our new designs are due out any minute!) However, I also won't hesitate to defend my work in the legal arena.

A few days ago, it must've been fated that I'd flip open one of my favorite magazines, UPPERCASE, and read an article entitled, "Is Copying Ever Right?" by savvy retail strategist Rena Tom. It's a smart piece of writing that helps put our experience into perspective. I'll leave you with two quotes that really spoke to me:

"Unfortunately, many of those who want to participate in the global design/craft scene are taking shortcuts to get there. Ironically, the desire to be original leads to copying the work of others who are original."

"The best way to combat theft is to keep creating new, original work and staying ahead of the curve."

--Rena Tom, "Is Copying Ever Right?", UPPERCASE, Issue 12

*I sketch out and prototype all of our designs before they become our statement earrings, necklaces, and accessories. All designs are copyrighted.

feisty&eco5: Curator

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:50:00 GMT

I've so been looking forward to interviewing Curator for feisty & eco 5, our occasional series that poses 5 questions to our favorite eco fashion brands. I've been a HUGE fan of their clothes for years. How big of a fan you say? I literally have TWELVE pieces (and counting) and still love them all to bits. They're all super well-made, locally produced in San Francisco, fit a variety of body shapes, and can easily be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Deidre Nagayama and Stacey Rodgers established the line in 2001. They work closely to produce quality garments, minimize waste, and use organic fabrics whenever possible. Here's what the Curator dynamic duo had to say about being feisty and eco chic:

Why did you create an eco-friendly fashion brand?

We started small working with surplus fabrics in the beginning, party due to buying limitations and because we wanted to make beautiful things from items that could potentially end up in landfill. Once we had more buying power we started working with our mills to test out organic cotton. I'm very proud to have convinced our mill to try organic yarns and now this is one of their top selling items. We saw a void in the market where we felt we could put forth an organic product people were willing to spend more on.

What makes your company eco chic?

Our company is eco-chic primarily because two owners touch and decide on every thing in the collection. We test drive our samples to make sure the arms are long enough, the fabric washes well, the piece makes you feel special. One of our main platforms is we know life is messy and we want our collection to be machine washable. We want our clothes to be the ones you wear first after you wash them, the ones you pack on the trips, the pieces you select when your going to have a long day of battle but need to look good.

Tell us about your latest/upcoming collection. What were your inspirations? What's your favorite piece in the collection?

Our latest collection is due to start trickling on to the site any day. We've introduced a dye resist arrow print to jazz up some of our jersey tops and dresses. Dyed in tomato, indigo, taupey sand, and black. Adds a lot of punch to our basics. We were inspired this season by Rosie the Riveter. Last season it was Dolly Parton. This season we took a bow to Rosie! My favorite linen dress is inspired by her. It goes mid calf is a button up short sleeve dress. You can really kick some ass in it. We're also introducing an amazing legging that has a girdle effect on the top inspired by the personal need we have for this item.

What other eco-friendly companies inspire you?

The other eco-friendly companies that inspire me are the yarn and fabric mills we continue to work with that are still in US. They're the last of the mohicans. Up against so much competition overseas they use reinvention more than we do! They keep diversifying to keep their businesses to stay profitable in the USA. I was looking for a yarn product the other day and called a mill in South Carolina. Every person I spoke to was so gracious and passed me along (3 times!) until i found what I was looking for. They want everyone to stay in business, and as one person told me they're survivors. Without these companies it would be difficult for us to create a Made in the U.S.A. label. It really made me happy to be doing what I am doing.

What five words sum up your company?

Do a couple things awesome

If and when you're in San Francisco, be sure to visit Curator's brick and mortar shop in Upper Noe. It's a lovely shop full of great items and gifts. They offer free alterations on their clothes!

CURATOR
1767 Church Street
San Francisco, CA 94131

Note to self: Let people surprise you, Ice Cube did for me!

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Ice Cube studied architectural drafting? I had no idea how eloquent and thoughtful he'd be in how he understood the groundbreaking work of Ray and Charles Eames.

My note to self is: Let people surprise you! You never know what people will share with you so practice being curious and letting people grow. :)

Holding their own: Local ladies in manufacturing

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:25:00 GMT

Yesterday night I attended a panel called "Women in Manufacturing" moderated Janet Lees of SFMade and hosted at TechShop SF. Holding it down for the ladies were Sabrina Moyle, co-founder and CEO of Hello!Lucky; Rosemarie Ovian, co-owner of Cut Loose; and Adrienne Wiley, owner of Frolick. Each company is based in San Francisco and locally manufactures their work. Hello!Lucky makes beautifully crafted letterpress and digitally printed stationery and invitations, Cut Loose has been sewing and dyeing their casual clothing collections in SF for decades, and Frolick offers vintage-modern jewelry with two brick and mortar locations in the city.

As a manufacturing solopreneur, I really resonated with their experiences and lessons learned! I wound up taking a bunch of notes on Evernote from my iPhone so I'm happy to share some key lessons I've learned. (I'm noting (read: I'm paraphrasing therefore these aren't direct quotes) who responded to each question by company initials: HL=Hello!Lucky, CL=Cut Loose, FJ= Frolick Jewelry.)

On standing out amongst a sea of competitors:

HL: Be out there first. You need to keep what's different and quirky about you and your brand. Don't be afraid to be get personal. Show behind the scenes/studio shots. Be vigilant and not afraid to tell them why you're different. Craft who you are so it stands out in the customer's mind.

FJ: Customer service goes a long way. Also, I was lucky in a way as I started my company before Etsy came about.

CL: It's important to know what key (wholesale) customers want and are looking for. It's also important to have good sales reps lift up our work.

On percentage income split between retail and wholesale:

CL: 90% of our income is from wholesale. We use our stores to sell returns from wholesale and excess merchandise.

FJ: For us wholesale is 60%, retail is 40%. E-commerce is its own animal and we haven't worked enough on this. Retail was unexpected! I set up a brick and mortar store (as a studio and physical retail presence) to help pay for the workspace but found it was profitable. Now we have two stores!

HL: We rely on licensing our work. 70% of our sales come from online retail orders from our digital print jobs. We're picky about custom jobs as these can be pretty time-intensive. We love working with artists we trust and whose work we love.

On hiring help (and what they look for when hiring):

FJ: I've found that instead of having an assistant check in with me every step of the way, if you give them the tools to do their job, let them in on the whole process, then they can resolve issues and figure things out themselves.

HL: We like to hire people who are passionate and have Hello!Lucky in their hearts. They should have an entrepreneurial spirit and be resourceful, scrappy, hustling, and definitely a self starter.

CL: It definitely helps to hire someone (in production) with experience on how the product should be developed and assembled.

On landing those major (wholesale) accounts (Anthropologie, J.Crew)

FJ: These companies need to know that you're able to reliably handle orders of their magnitude. We go to trade shows five times a year. When we started doing the New York shows, that's when we got those accounts. Also, being in a showroom helps. There are sales reps that have working relationships with the buyers for Anthropologie and J.Crew and it's a matter of your work being seen by them. When I got those accounts, that's when it made sense to hire a production coordinator.

HL: Major accounts always want discounts. Make sure you have enough capacity to handle the extra work associated with these large orders.

On the benefits of Made in SF:

CL: San Francisco has an allure for those that don't live here. Buyers from other cities and countries are always telling me about the fabulous time or meal they had in SF.

FJ: The bulk of our customers are from the south (Alabama, Georgia, etc), some from small cities, and they love knowing the pieces they bought were from San Francisco!

On raising capital:

FJ: Since we don't keep stock on hand, we don't incur as many expenses if we kept inventory. We were profitable pretty soon from the beginning. Never had to raise capital. Everything I make I put back into the company.

HL: Everything I make I put back into the company too. We originally borrowed from friends and family but we wished we'd raised more capital to enable us to react and position ourselves faster than our competitors.

On social media:

HL: Social media is crucial to e-commerce sales but can potentially suck up a lot of time. It's also important to see what competitors are doing and how they're framing and branding their work. Don't be afraid to show the personality behind the brand. People like that! It's also necessary for online personality management, to see who's talking about you and how. We just hired a Director of Marketing (Go Christina Loff! Find her at @tweetsweet).

On flash sales:

FJ: Customers who buy your work through flash sales are usually not repeat customers. Also, make sure you can afford to offer you work at that steep of a discount. Scoutmob however has worked out great for us! (Scoutmob offers (free) local coupon codes for use at brick and mortar stores.) Customers treat their vouchers as if they're gift certificates, so they'll just want to spend that amount and leave.

HL: Our experiences had been mixed. Make sure you carefully read their contracts and check for loopholes. Play it safe by going with the larger, more well-known sites, like Fab.com.

Recommended reading:

FJ: The E-Myth by Michael Gerber

HL: The Art of SEO by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Rand Fishkin and Jessie Stricchiola

New coaster packaging!

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:21:00 GMT

After doing loads of online research and being practically wed to our ruler, we're digging our new coaster packaging.

Let us know what you think!

VIDEO: How to put on our hoop earrings

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:42:00 GMT

One of my goals is to document more of feistyelle. Here's my very modest first effort about how to put on our hoop earrings. Our hoop earrings can be a little tricky for some lobes so here's a quick how-to. Enjoy!

CONTEST: How do YOU rock your feistyelles? (WINNERS ANNOUNCED)

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:45:00 GMT

We're having a contest! Take a pic of you rocking your feistyelles with your favorite outfit and email us at info at feistyelle.com. Waist-up and shoulders-up pics OKAY. :) Deadline: 10/28 midnight PT. Winners announced 10/31!

Style points count! Our pair of fab judges will choose THREE winners who will each get some feisty prizes:

1st place: One pair of earrings (winner's choice) + $25 feistyelle gift certificate + a surprise gift

2nd place: One pair of earrings (winner's choice) + a surprise gift

3rd place: $15 feistyelle gift certificate + a surprise gift

WINNERS BELOW:

Here are our stylin' winners! Congrats to everyone who entered. We can't tell you how happy it makes us to see you rock your feistyelles! We'll be in touch with the winners about their prizes. And for those that didn't win, you'll receive 25% off your next order!

1st place: Jenna

2nd place: Eileen

3rd Place: Kim

OUR JUDGES:

Willo O'Brien of Willotoons.com is an artist, entrepreneur, and social supercollider, using her expertise to advise startups, coach creative small business owners (like feistyelle :), and speak at events around the country.

Lorraine Sanders, Founder and Editor of sfindiefashion.com, spotlighting the best in independent Bay Area fashion and is a great media consultant to boot.

Mighty Summit gifts by feistyelle

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:43:00 GMT

Last month, we created a special necklace for attendees of Mighty Summit, an annual getaway for professional bloggers and content creators to refresh themselves and work on their Mighty Lists, or life lists. We're big fans of Mighty Lists ourselves and all for trying new things, growth, and learning!

With growth in mind, we put together a special silver edition of our new, bestselling bamboo dahlia necklace:

I collected for some of my favorite quotes on growth, printed them into strips of cardstock (Paper Source, curry) to wrap around the gift box, and finished by stamping gold, silver, and red flowers around the edges:

I'm told the fab ladies of Mighty Summit loved their necklaces and rocked them all weekend. :)

I'll leave you with my favorite quote, by martial arts badass, Bruce Lee:

Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth.
To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest
development of one’s potential.

p.s.-- Don't hesitate to think of feistyelle for wedding party and corporate gifts.
We love thinking of custom gifts for special occasions!

What I Wore: POOLTRADESHOW

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:47:00 GMT

Corinna Dress by Sunhee Moon (yay, local SF business!), gray tights by Anthropologie, Picasso sandals by Re-mix Vintage.

Welcome to our new "What I Wore" blog series! This series is both a reflection of feistyelle and my personal style, which I'd say is preppy meets boho chic with a dash of funky. I love clean lines softened by pops of bright color and cozy textures. I tend to dress in blocks of color so it's unlikely you'll catch me in big patterned pieces. And true to my graphic design roots, I go through color palettes in my head as I get my outfit together in the morning!

The image above was what I wore one of the days at POOLTRADESHOW. I was dressing to be fun, inviting, and comfortable. The temperature at the show is fairly chilly plus long days on my feet meant my avocado green sandals and cute gray Anthro tights were a must. I love my striped dress by Sunhee Moon, a San Francisco-based company that shares my love for well-made tunics and dresses. Lastly, I have to rock my feistyelle pieces, right? I love mixing the bamboo and felt pieces, with our gold-dusted necklaces going so well with our bamboo earrings. Plus, it's fun to have the gold feather land just over the v-neck of the dress so that it almost looks like a brooch.

That's me, repping for feistyelle. Would LOVE pics of how you wear our pieces. Email me at info at feistyelle.com.

feisty & eco 5: Angelrox

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:13:00 GMT

I remember meeting Roxi Sugar for the first time at NOW Showcase and just seeing her twirl and spin as she showed all the different ways you could wear her wrap dresses. Roxi's line Angelrox is fun, versatile, and definitely easy on the eyes. Here's what she has to say about being an sustainable fashion business:

Why did you create an eco-friendly fashion brand?

Our family loves nature, planet earth, local goods, wholesome living, being American, and reducing our carbon footprint to help preserve this precious planet that supports us. We pray that future generations get to experience the bliss we enjoy! Thus, it was a natural progression for my line to focus on eco-friendly locally produced products. My intent is to design timeless products that transcend the wasteful fashion engine that encourages consumers to buy trends for one season.

What makes your company eco chic?

Angelrox designs are ideal for a wide range of body types, sizes, ages, and lifestyle needs including travel, work, yoga, mommas, plus size, bridal, and more. We offer a continuum of signature styles that can be used for a variety of activities and occasions. Versatility is key and we try to educate the customer on the multiple ways they can enjoy their purchases in order to maximize value and minimize waste.

Tell us about your latest/upcoming collection. What were your inspirations? What's your favorite piece in the collection?

Angelrox evolves guided by the angels we serve. I love all the pieces in the collection especially our wraps but my new favorites are the girly wrap, ballet tunic, playsuit, opera sleeves....all of it. I don't play favorites well!

What other eco-friendly companies inspire you?

i am inspired by any company trying to make a more ethical and environmentally friendly product as these baby steps are leading us in the right direction. We especially appreciate companies that are also philanthropic. We try to be as much as possible, donating product, time, and funds countless times per year to various charities. We're a business partner with Riverkeeper.org, which works to protect New York's waterways. I do not gather design inspiration from other companies rather from the needs of my customers. What inspires me the most is evolution.

What five words sum up your company?

versatility. comfort. balance. peace. joy.

Our symbol represents balance and our hope is to inspire to treat ourselves, others, and our precious planet with respect and harmony.

Thanks Roxi!

Why You Should Have a Party Everyday - Steve Edge

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Just finished (and loved) watching a great Do Lecture entitled, "Why You Should Have a Party Everyday" by the always colorfully dressed branding guru Steve Edge. Steve shares his storied life of working with Jim Henson, Dior, George Lucas, J. Paul Getty, and many others.

My favorite story was of him visiting his wealthy aunt at 9 years old and being in such awe of her beautiful home of treasured china and glassware, which he discovered never came out but for special occasions. She died a week later and never used a single piece of it. Coming from parents poor in finances but abundant in happiness and artistic expression, he decided, "From now on, I'm going to wear my Sunday best every day because every day you can dress for a party. And the party will come to you." He still dresses for a party ever day and truly has a party every day.

I LOVE that. I love dressing out of sheer joy. I dress for me. I dress because I love my clothes and how I feel in them.

What are you going to wear tomorrow? :)

Lesson #3 from CCE: There's no silver bullet. Research. Ask questions. Network. Repeat.

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:24:00 GMT

A little while ago, I attended the Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs, where I met lots of great people and learned a bunch that I had to share with you my top three lessons learned. Here's my final lesson: There's no silver bullet. (Here's Lesson #1 and Lesson #2.)

feistyelle is at a point where we're looking for some local manufacturing help so as I sat in sessions with speakers more experienced in sourcing, prototyping, and manufacturing, I knew what I wanted to hear: "Hey folks, there's this magical factory that makes all your dream products into reality! They're fast, rock bottom cheap, their quality is amazing, and they're based in the U.S.!"

What I did hear confirmed it for me: there's no silver bullet. You have to do your due diligence and do all of the knocking, calling, and emailing yourself. When you're searching for companies to help you make your product, you're going to find that some won't return calls or emails and fellow designers won’t readily share sources or contacts. (It's nothing personal, designers have spent years searching for manufacturers, sourcing materials, and cultivating valued relationships with these companies.) Don’t be deterred! You’ll find what you’re looking for but it'll take a good deal longer than you’ll expect, and sometimes via a connection or introduction you didn’t anticipate.

My motto is: Leave no stone unturned.

It all comes down to asking plenty of questions, talking to everyone and anyone working in the industry, testing out ideas, trying out a variety of companies, and being incredibly creative about how you make something. And then doing it all over again.

That's my final lesson learned from CCE! Check out my first and second lessons here and here.