Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network

Exciting week – Megan is in Shanghai as part of the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network, taking place along with Expo 2010 Shanghai (aka the World’s Fair).  What a terrific opportunity for Megan to have the chance not only to attend the DWEN conference, but also to be invited to speak.

Of course, with the power of technology, Megan is almost as connected to the office as she would be if she were here!  She took a laptop with her, so she is able to login to her computer here at Sew What? via Wifi from her hotel or the conference.   Isn’t technology amazing, that she can be halfway across the world and still able to access her computer here?

I got an e-mail from her last night, and she said that the conference is excellent.  I can’t wait to hear more about it when she returns.

World’s Fairs and Classic Chairs

Adam and I purchased two vintage Barcelona chairs back in 1996 right after we got married. A classic design, these chairs had previously been in the lobby at the Heinz Ketchup factory. The salesman’s big pitch included the fact that the design had first been presented in the German Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona Exposition. Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the Barcelona Chair design was timeless, and we were certain that they would not only suit us, but serve us long and well.

With our 14th wedding anniversary upon us this week I can say that we have never once regretted the investment, nor tired of their streamlined design. They hold pride of place for us now – one in our entry at home and one in our entry at the office. They remind us every day, be it arriving to work or arriving home, that premium quality and bold design are priceless. That in every product decision we make, we must ask ourselves, how will what I build today represent me tomorrow? Will this decision be lasting and for the long term? How will others perceive the piece in years to come? Am I creating tomorrow’s trash, or tomorrow’s treasure?

On this note I am excited to be traveling this June to Shanghai to attend the 2010 Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network, where I will have the opportunity to surround myself with thinkers and doers and dreamers alike. The opportunity to meet some of the very brightest women in business and discuss technology and business with them is certainly a privilege that I will cherish. And in fulfilling a lifelong dream, the Dell conference is perfectly timed with the World’s Fair 2010 being hosted in Shanghai. I’ll have my eyes and ears open to all that these amazing women, and the World’s Fair, have to offer. You never know, perhaps I’ll come home with a fresh new outlook on small business and a couple of new chairs too……

Megan

Sew What? Star of the Month – May 2010

Meet Esther, Sewing Machine Operator

Esther has been with Sew What? for 9 years

If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why?  I would go to Rome.  It’s one place in the world I admire but have never been.

Who is your favorite recording artist?  José José.

Do you have a special talent?  Scrapbooking.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?  I like comedy.

What is your favorite memory from Sew What?  When Megan told me I was hired!

What project have you worked on recently that was interesting or challenging?  I recently worked on a large colorful yellow digital piece that was oval and had lots of grommets.  It wasn’t difficult, but we had to be precise to make sure we got it right.

What’s in a Name? Thinking about Job Titles

I was thinking today about the notion of job titles. Account Manager, Purchasing Agent, Human Resources…how well do these titles really reflect what we do on a daily basis? In today’s fast-moving business world, it seems that, for the majority of us working in small business, our titles don’t really reflect all the roles that we fill.

Take Sew What? as an example.

Silvia Soler’s “official” title is Human Resources / Sales Support. But the roles she fills include: party planner, safety coordinator, receptionist, banking coordinator, conflict resolution specialist, trainer, inquiry coordinator, fabric sample coordinator, customer service representative, and so much more.

Our Account Managers/Sales Representatives (Shane, Gwen, and Violet) sell our products, but they also function (in varying degrees) as project managers, advisors, designers, graphic artists, freight quote specialist, and, again, much more.

Tammy’s title is Bookkeeper, but she is really accounts receivable bookkeeper, accounts payable bookkeeper, payroll specialist, credit manager, collections agent, backup receptionist…

Carley is our Purchasing Agent, but she could also hold the titles of dispatcher, researcher, supervisor, inventory coordinator, job material specialist, and so on.

Michelle is the Director of Operations, but she is also production scheduler, mediator, trainer, supervisor, translator…

Megan is the President of Sew What?, but she also wears many hats, including account manager, designer, marketing specialist, website developer , stategic planner – the list goes on and on.

Adam is the CFO, but he is also functions as COO, technical draftsman, graphic artist, printing specialist, IT specialist…

And myself? Well, my title is General Manager, but to me that just means that, like everyone else here at Sew What?, my role is to do whatever it takes to support our customers, the staff here at Sew What?, and the company itself. That might mean answering an incoming call, helping to track down a missing shipment, figuring out why our computer system suddenly went down, processing a flame certificate for a customer, researching a new product, completing our quarterly sales tax report, requesting insurance certificates, meeting with consultants, preparing a performance review, signing checks, or writing a post for this blog.

Occasionally, people ask me why no title is listed on our business cards. The reason is that, though we all have titles that give a general idea of our function within the company, the reality is that these titles do not truly reflect the scope of what each of us does here. Regardless of title, each of us here at Sew What? does whatever needs to be done to satisfy our customer, produce a high quality product, support our co-workers, and continue to improve the company as a whole.

In a large company, maybe you can get away with each person doing one thing, and one thing only. The Purchasing Agent purchases, the Account Manager sells, the Receptionist answers the phones and the A/R person sends out invoices. But in a small business like Sew What? that just doesn’t make sense – so why should we limit ourselves based on a title?

Sew What? Star of the Month – April 2010

Meet Ray, Company Van Driver

Ray has been with Sew What? for 2 months

If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why?  Germany (Octoberfest!)

Who is your favorite recording artist?  Rage Against the Machine

Do you have a special talent?  I think I’m funny (not funny looking!)

What is your favorite movie or TV show?  Rush Hour 1, 2 and 3

What is your favorite memory from Sew What?   Karaoke Day!  (Note: Ray is referring to our celebration of Elvis Presley’s birthday, in which we all dressed in costume as Elvis or Priscilla and sang Elvis songs on a Karaoke machine during lunch time).

Lucky Break: From Coffins to Concerts…

… How a macabre turn of fate changed everything and lead to the birth of Sew What? Inc.

I was 20-something when I arrived freshly from my native Australia and found my way into a stagecraft company specializing in amusement park installations and special events.  I hung lights, drew electrical lines, rigged sets and loved the life of a rockin’ roadie.  I’d have gladly continued down that path…but luck intervened.

The specialty event company got an unusual request: build ten coffins for a Halloween attraction at Knott’s Berry Farm.  Although that was a bit afield from their usual business, the company accepted the assignment.  But they had no one to upholster the satin linings into the coffins.  The president asked all employees if anyone knew how to sew, and I spoke up without too much confidence, “I do!”

For a week, I sat in a Carson garage-style warehouse with yards of material, a staple gun and a rented sewing machine making each casket a prop to die for.

In the process, I thought, this could be fun.  I took on other independent projects, starting with sewing drapes and linens for entertainers and party planners, then onto specialty fabric projects for Las Vegas casinos.  With my love of rock and roll, I soon began sewing drapes and backdrops for a few rock concerts.  That brought an end to my work as a stagehand and launched my new company, Sew What? Inc., in 1997.

Since that time, the company has grown into one of the leading providers of custom sewn drapes and fabrics in the concert and theatrical industries, creating spectacular sets for such A-list names as Madonna, Kid Rock, Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, and even the cover of the iconic 1000th issue of Rolling Stone.   I could not be more thankful for those clients who have trusted and supported us along the way.

I’d like to think that our formula for success is simple – personal drive and a commitment to cutting edge technology.  The results speak for themselves – the prestigious Dell/NFIB Small Business Excellence Award for business innovation, Inc 500/5000 Award as one of the fastest growing privately held businesses in America, PC Magazine’s SMB 20 Award for technological innovation for small and medium-sized businesses, and the Stevie Award for “Most Innovative Company of the Year – Up to 100 Employees.”

Who knew that sewing a couple of coffins could lead to all this?  Sometimes, the secret to success is just being there when dumb luck happens to fall on your head!

Customized coffin, anyone?

Traveling with the Latitude Z

This weekend I got my first opportunity to try out the Latitude Z while traveling.  This was a quick, easy tryout, as Adam and I, along with our son, just took a drive down the coast and stayed in a resort overnight, to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

When I got the Latitude-Z, I noticed that it doesn’t come with a built-in DVD drive.  This surprised me at first, but then I realized that, at about 1/2 inch deep, there just isn’t room for a DVD drive.  To me it is worth the sacrifice to have such a thin and lightweight computer, since all you have to do is plug the external DVD (or BluRay) drive into the side of the computer, and you are all set.  This really came in handy over the weekend – I was able to bring one of my son’s favorite DVDs on the trip with us.  I botted up the computer, plugged in the DVD drive, inserted the movie, and he was all set.  No more hotel room boredom!  Yes, I’ve been able to do this in the past with other notebook computers, but the picture and sound quality on the Latitude-Z are so much better than my past computers – the HD display in particular makes a huge difference.

The Latitude also worked really well for me to stay connected with work.  Despite being out of town for a “pleasure trip,” I did need to look up some information on the fly for a customer.  I connected remotely to my office computer, got the information I needed, and quickly sent an e-mail to the client with the information.  What might have taken an hour (calling another staff member, perhaps having someone drive to the office to look up the information) was accomplished in just a few minutes.  So convenient.  Again, I’ve done this in the past with other notebook computers, but often the display quality on a remote connection is poor, and generally the connection is also pretty slow.  With the Latitude-Z, the display was much better and there was only minimal lag time with the connection.

I also got the chance to play with a few more features.  One of the coolest features I came upon is Dell Capture.  Dell Capture is included software that allows you, through the use of the built-in webcam, to scan documents and business cards directly into the computer.  My first attempts were only partially successful (due to user error rather than the software itself), but after a little practice, I found that I could successfully scan a business card and then export it into Outlook as a contact.  Cool!  I know that there are plenty of card scanners out there, but they always seemed like overkill for  my needs.  This will be perfect for me.

So, all in all, a good weekend – a fun and relaxing time with my family, a little bit of work, and lots of fun playing with the Latitude-Z.

Staying connected with the Latitude-Z

I’ve mentioned before how lucky I have been throughout the years to see the world, often as a result of work-related projects. These days, in addition to traveling for work-related projects, I also find myself on the road to attend a variety of industry functions and speaking engagements (such as when we were recognized by Dell as a “Trailblazing” company).

As the business has grown, I have noticed one difference from my past travels, though – the need for me to stay constantly connected with the office and my clients even when I am halfway across the world. When I travel, I of course have my iPhone, but a notebook computer is now a necessity as well. With it and a wireless internet connection, I can log onto my office desktop computer (via our company network) and do just about everything I would do on a regular day at work – prepare customer quotations and orders, access documents on my office desktop or even on our company network, and so much more – almost as if I was sitting in my office at work rather than in a hotel room 100s or 1,000s of miles away.

My relationship with Dell Computers has been a huge help in this area. Recently they suggested that I try their newest notebook computer, the Latitude-Z, and I am so glad they did – it really is an incredible machine.

When I unpacked all the boxes for the Latitude-Z Package, I was impressed before I even booted up the computer. First, let me say how well it was packaged for shipping. The components were shipped via Fed Ex in several cartons – laptop itself in one box, other components in additional boxes.

Dell really does a good job in packaging the components to ensure that they arrive in good condition, using inner boxes, molded foam, and molded cardboard pieces. Nothing is going to slide around or get damaged in shipping – no way! But on the other hand, it also didn’t seem like there was a bunch of extra unnecessary packaging – just enough to keep everything safe and organized.

But it was my first look at the computer that really threw me for a loop. It is gorgeous – sleek and modern and oh so thin! Pictures really don’t do it justice. The first thing I noticed was the color. It is a beautiful Black Cherry (burgundy/black) color. The next thing to hit me was the size – it is amazingly thin and so lightweight! My previous laptop was about the same size (in terms of screen size, I mean), but it is so much heavier and bulkier. What a difference with the Latitude-Z. But even though it is thin and lightweight, it is still a good working size, at about 15″ x 9 ½”, with a 16″ diagonal screen.

I decided to spend my first excursion on the Latitude-Z exploring all that it had to offer. And it really does have some fun bells and whistles. The first thing I noticed was how great the wireless inductive charging stand is. I have never used charging pads or anything of that nature, so this was new to me. I plugged in the charging stand and set the Latitude-Z on top. The computer fit perfectly on the stand – no need for trial and error to get it in the right position. I booted up the computer, and almost instantly I saw that the computer was charging. It was time to start exploring.

I decided to check out the high definition display by pulling in some photos from the company digital file storage. The photo display was incredible – light years away from my previous laptop. I couldn’t believe the detail in the photographs – just amazing. I then opened a video – even more incredible. The detail is at least as good as (maybe even better than) my HD television. Wow! The sound is also great.

This really is a great notebook, and I am looking forward to putting it through some trials, including my first foray into travelling with it. I’ll keep you posted.

Electronic Samples??

Do you need to touch a textile in order to fully appreciate it?  Or is there a way to photograph it or shoot video of it in order to show off the properties of the cloth?

In this super-digital “I wanted it yesterday” microwave kind of world, it comes as no surprise that many of our clients don’t have time to approve samples – there is just no time to wait for samples to come in, be mailed or Fed Exed.  The projects ships next week – or worse yet, tomorrow!

And even when there is (a little) time to send out samples, think about what they may be costing us – all of us – in terms of the environment.  Let’s take a single sample pack with 4 different fabric swatches inside as an example.  As a Just-In-Time provider and a non-stocking manufacturer, putting together just one sample kit for a customer goes something like this:

• Call the fabric mill / supplier and check availability of fabrics in question
• Order a yard of each fabric from the mill / supplier to be sent to our location via Fed Ex Overnight for labeling
• Dispatch the sample kit to the client via Fed Ex Overnight

At this point, there is not even an order yet!  And at least two Fed Ex packets have been sent.  If the fabrics came from multiple mills / suppliers, or if the customer required multiple sets of the sample kit to be sent (perhaps 1 to the set designer and another to the lighting designer), there could have been 4 or 6 or 8 Fed Ex packets sent for this one project alone.  And if none of the fabrics work out, or if the design changes, the whole process may start again.

It is not about the financial cost – which could be as little as eight dollars or as much as $150.  It is about the cost to the environment to send all of these Fed Ex packets flying throughout the country (and even worldwide).  The gas, the emissions, the traffic conjestion.  Last week we sent out 7 sample kits via Fed Ex Overnight – and that’s just what went out from here – it doesn’t count incoming Fed Ex packages with samples from our suppliers.

So – perhaps the answer is to have a video archive of all commonly used fabrics – showing them in a controlled environment, subjected to the same lighting and motion.  While it would not combat the fact that the color you see on a video is probably not true to the fabric, it would give a designer a better idea of what the cloth is going to do and how it will react to lighting.  If I were a marketing student, or perhaps studying textiles, I think this would be a fascinating project to tackle.

Window drapes??

You sew, don’t you?  So why can’t you fill my order for some window drapes?

If I had a dollar for every explanation that I have offered new callers who were in the market for economical house drapes, I’d be cruising the Med right now.  It seems logical enough.  Indeed, we do know how to sew, we sell fabrics, and we make curtains and draperies.  But there are so many differences between residential-style draperies and those which we produce for the concert stage and theatre.  Here are just a few of those differences:

Types of Fabrics:  We are very limited in our fabric range compared to that of a retail fabric store.  Our materials must all be of very durable fibers, must come at least 54″ wide, must be available in large runs and have little or no dye lot inconsistency.  Many of the materials milled for our purposes are made in very commercial and utilitarian color lines.  There aren’t a lot of choices in cotton velour colors, for example – just three blues in total, 4 red tones, and one very ugly god.  Good luck finding carpet to match.

Flame Retardancy:  We typically deal in materials which are flame retardant – or treated to be such.  The laws in the United States require that we put only positively tested FR materials into public spaces such as theatres and concert halls.  In fact, the same requirements apply to all public spaces with drapery style textiles!  Many of our materials have lots of chemical flame retardancy applied to them.  Don’t know about you – but I would not want those chemicals hanging at my windows or on my bedspread or upholstered onto my sofa.

Cutting and Finishing Tolerances:  Our drapes are all hand cut and typically very big.  We once made a 1200 lb drape – it took a forklift to get it out of the building.  As you would imagine, the sizing tolerances are loose in pieces that big!  Even in a standard theatrical drape, acceptable industry tolerance would be within an inch to an inch and a half.  Of course, that would never work in a home kitchen window.  In comparison, residential tolerances would be within 1/4 to a half inch.

Sewing Machines: We use walking foot upholstery machines to create our durable and economical stage draperies and backdrops.  No blind hems, no invisible seams.  When it comes to thread, we use heavy spun nylon that is as thick as fishing line, and we stitch right through the face of the fabric!  No – just because it seems less expensive does not make it look any better in your dining room.  Trust me.

Pleating Styles:  We box pleat.  And knife pleat.  We even shirr occasionally.  But no – French pleating, triple pinch pleating, and other such fancy top finishes aren’t our forte.

So – where should you go for home drapes?  For off the shelf drapes in a variey of very nice materials and fashion colors, I personally think Restoration Hardware has the best selection.  The prices are fair for the very elegant textiles that they offer.  The sewing quality of their pre-made panels is also very good.  If you want something custom – try a local residential drapery and upholstery provider.  Ask for references first and be prepared to pay a 50% deposit (at minimum).  Let them measure and, if at all possible, let them install, too – it will be worth it to have the pieces hung and installed “just so.”  Hey – it is your HOME.

Happy house hunting!