This afternoon I received a surprise shipment of pre-production sample briefcases from my manufacturer. I wasn’t expecting these so soon because my manufacturer had been wishy-washy about the delivery date all week, and he had returned part of my down payment. I thought for sure these were bad signs. But now that I have the samples I am really happy with how these briefcases turned out. There are still a few minor issues to fix, mainly on the inside of the bags, but I think we’ll be able to iron out the construction problems next week and go into full-blown production the following week. My totebags are a lagging behind a few more days, but I think I’ll get that production started end of December. I’m 99% sure I’ll be launching my bags in January.
I’ve finalized my web copy and my press release now, thanks to the help of the very talented copywriter Mary LaCoste, who is the wife of my web designer. I’m really happy with the results. If you need a copywriter reference, Mary is terrific!
Well, it’s been an exciting week. I “came out” as pregnant in cyberspace and also found out that my manufacturer is indeed a bag expert and not a scam artist. There’s still a lot to do in the next few weeks, but now that I have seen the nearly-final production sample and know I wasn’t hustled by my bag manufacturer, I am re-energized and ready to pull off this launch. I am happy as a clam.