Be warned, this is not going to be a coherent post. I'm just so tired everyday...
So Tian Fen Lan did not get to launch in the month of March at all.
That's a bummer because I do have so many pretty designs coming in.
Spent donkey hours looking at all the colour charts, till my eyes see stars and I wish that the world is monochrome.
Can't wait to flood TFL website with gorgeous bags!
Customers have left comments on my Formspring, TFL's twitter and more commonly, emails that they are anticipating the next collection.
One customer even said she had been resisting the malls to get her new bag because she wanted to see what's up on TFL first.
This is like a dream come true for any blogshop owner. It shows that along the way, your blogshop has become a small part of what makes them happy. How nice to be able to make girls happy! =))
Happiness! My senior in Bizad has a habit of saying this whenever something makes him happy. Happiness! =D
Even with no launch, I was still working at least 8-10 hours every day. 我有在做工！
Replying mails, invoicing, packing parcels, sending some to PO, sourcing for new designs, liaising with my suppliers, repacking the stock around the house so that the house looks tidier, scruntising colour charts, reassessing sample designs, writing lengthy emails to my web designer with amendments to the site draft & logo, pondering about how & where I wish to bring TFL this year and basically just allowing 80-90% of my life to be consumed by work.
Reminder: to live a more balanced life in 2011.
Reminder: to live a more balanced life in 2011.
Things did move slower and I pretty much savour life at a slightly less hectic pace.
Somestimes work can get so rushed that I don't seem to have the luxury of mental space to enjoy doing TFL.
But I'm still hoping that the bags will come raining in soon!
If I have more financial strength, hope I can stock up on the inventory so that it can last me through this post-CNY period and I can still do launches while the factories rest.
Bags are so expensive to manufacture. The cost price is at least 50% more!
Storage space and cost management are always 2 factors giving me headache.
Bags are so expensive to manufacture. The cost price is at least 50% more!
Storage space and cost management are always 2 factors giving me headache.
I'm so looking forward to Tian Fen Lan's new website!!
My designer has just sent me a 3rd draft, which looks more promising.
My weekend nights are going to be burnt. I wish I can take a shorter time to make important decisions like these, but I get too worried that I will miss out something.
I hope my customers will like the site and enjoy faster processing time too.
Think my site look so backward sometimes. -_-
I have no idea how other busy blogshop owners can handle invoicing & verifying payments manually, when their items sell out so fast.
I'm already dying from the current workload...
I'm already dying from the current workload...
I didn't want to do anymore backorders for the Taiwan bags since last Dec.
Things can get very messy and stressful, chasing for the bags to arrive on time and sometimes backorders get cancelled abruptly by the supplier after a 1.5 month wait.
Not easy at all to send such emails to the BO customers, without incurring their wrath sometimes.
But requests started building up and since there is no launch right now, I do have a bit of capacity to handle the BOs, so do place your orders soon if your coveted item is available for BO.
I might not be able to anymore of it once the new collection arrives. =)
2011 has started out to be very promising so far.
Been able to keep in line with only launching TFL-manufactured items so far.
No, it's not definite that I will only be selling self-manufactured items but I do hope that they will make up at least 80% of the products sold as they are really of better quality!
Had a interview done with Shin Min, though I don't know when the article will be out.
Another unexpected surprise was Tian Fen Lan being featured on CLEO 2011 April issue!
Last time when I read about other blogshops being featured or their owners being interviewed on newspapers & magazines, I wondered if Tian Fen Lan would ever has her chance.
It is really a blessing within the short span of 2 months, these opportunities came knocking on the door.
感恩，感恩再感恩！
謝謝你們看得起添芬藍！
It was through CLEO that I learnt of this flower, gerbera, their signature symbol!
Been so long since I read fashion magazines and because of CLEO, the Husband got me one and he was the one who was flipping through the pages looking for mention of Tian Fen Lan. =D
I thought it might be an item that was featured but boy, I was so thrilled when it turned out to be a dedicated space on one of the pages.
How lucky & grateful Tian Fen Lan is to CLEO!
A customer told me about it when she said she knew of TFL through CLEO and I was just tweeting this the other day:
Nothing is possible if no customer believes in Tian Fen Lan. =)
I will still be building castles in the air.
With such a promising start, I'm so looking forward to what else is in store for Tian Fen Lan this year!
I have a vibe that it's going to be a very fulfilling year (actually because I consulted my geomancer, hehe)
Thank you to the supporters of my bag blogshop!
Let's shop the world, one bag at a time!!
Can't buy so many at one go, as there are people in other parts of the world who need our help too. (-_^)v
Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu
