Yes! and a Happy Birthday btw
Where does 10 years go in small business - it goes by fast and it is full of surprises. Of course surprises aren't always Fun! So listen up all of you want to be entrepreneurs, 'the grass isn't always greener', here is a quick tale about 6 Nights Before Christmas - 10 Years.
Back in 2001 just after 911, we had a down turn in work. Being in the interior design contracting business, there wasn't much need for the Artisan calling. That is when I looked to a business friend and said what should we do? Good credit to Dann( my business partner/branding specialist ) said, "You know those tiles you make they are pretty cool, what if you showed someone how to make it them-selves! As in a DIY kit you could do at Home.
And this is what we did, for 3 months we worked day and night testing, arguing, writing, creating, testing, arguing... until we had a Studio in a Box.
We called the box, Tilano Fresco, Decorative Tile Making Kits. Everything you need is in the Kit to make two Fresco Tiles where you transfer your photos onto the tiles. It was like having my 1500sqf studio in a box and you made them all at home!
As hard as it was getting the idea into the box, the bigger problem? Who will sell the box? We really had no idea where to start. Fortunately we needed not to look far, a friend recommend we try Briers Home Decor on West 4th in Vancouver, a cool and hip gift store, where you could find the perfect gift for an event. So off we went( Dann & I ) that Dec 20, 2001, with mud in a box hoping the store would try our kits.
Typical entrepreneurs, we walked in with out an appointment and were fortunate, the owner was in, Sheri. Sheri was & is a passionate retailer with a keen I for her store and good appreciation for the way people shop. I remember her looking at the boxes and saying "they look great, but not quite sure the consumer will get." Of course we jumped right it to explaining the whole process completely unrehearsed, fumbling and stumbling over our brand messaging... she paused for a while after we kind of stopped..."okay, let me have them on consignment, I will put them on the shelf and let's see." Dann & I agreed, great.
That was Thursday December 20th, 2001. The next day I got a call from Sheri, "Hope you have some more boxes?" she said. I of course responded "ah...why?!" "... because all 6 SOLD!" she cried. Thus Tilano Fresco was born! We ran down to Dann's studio and started packing cases of 6... 'we have a store!'
Days later, more orders from Briers, 'Oh, oh, now what?' We have demand, but can we supply? See, we just weren't really prepared to fully commit too, since we both had our personal businesses to run. Thus the need, a 3rd partner, an operating partner to help process and grow the business. We signed sales reps locally and nationally... and then internationally. We went from on store on West 4th in Vancouver to 34 in BC, to 100's across Canada by the end of 2002.
In 2003, we started considering the marketing capital of the World, USA! So in early 2004, we were off to our first US tradeshow in Atlanta, Americas Mart. I think we took in 140 stores just from that show, now we were cooking. Things in the US are 10 times what we are here in Canada. Thus our growth was fast and that slope is a slippery one. You need to manage your growth, take care of quality assurance and customer service, financing is obviously the greatest challenge to start ups, thus we lucky and resourceful to find the help we needed at the time.
By 2006, we had over 11 different Kits(skews) with plenty of parts in every one, logistics and space become managing challenges. Bigger challenges - making a 3 way partnership work! At times it made a marriage look easy. Yet growth seems to makes everybody happy. But, by the end of 2006, although we were close to 2000 stores in North America with overseas distribution on the plans, things were changing. What we didn't see coming was the Tsunami hitting business America, then North America. This is what I call 'Expansion through Contraction', more on this in a minute.
In 2007, The Recession was gripping the global economy and retailers began to disappear left and right. We went from 2000 retailers to under 500 within a year. This where the business of running your business is not fun. Layoffs, bills, leases, landlords, trade-show marathons, traveling, moving, partnerships splits and banking challenges become the focus, instead of making a business grow. I believe it is called Survival, if you can last!
And so... here we are in 2011, it's our Anniversary December 20th. Happy Birthday Tilano! If it didn't kill us, then we are going to be stronger for it!
What is Next?
'Expansion through Contraction', this term doesn't make logical sense. But creativity doesn't really always follow logic does it, ...it looks to the possibility - in the possible. In a business sense, it means changing direction can be a very difficult task for company and time is really the only true source of clarity where to turn. If you have Time, then "Something Good is Going to Happen".
2012, looks very promising, since I will personally take on the challenge with sharing what I see possible with Tilano and Decorative Art World. I'm blessed to be in a profession as a Decorative Artist where I get a chance to create everyday with incredible Artisan products, where sometimes mistakes turn out to be wonderful outcomes. This is how Tilano Fresco started after-all. Only problem, most of you haven't ever really seen some of the crazy fun products I work with, since most are not marketed to the craft and DIY market. Well that is going to change in 2012 and My partners agree it's time to share. Starting in the new year, I will personally show and share ideas from my studio and the projects I work on, with exciting new materials for 100's of creative ideas... the way I see it, Old World Artisan fits right into today's decor, we just have to play with it a little... and that is certainly worth sharing.
- Bring the Decorative Artist in you to Life!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year!
Randy Orr, Artisan
Founder of Tilano
p.s. In-case your wondering, Tilano still sells at Brier's after 10 years, it's still one of here top performing gifts.
