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Teppi Jacobsen | Episode 617
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How did you come up with your brand identity and your name The Perfect Apron?
It was not easy. I was practically ready to run a raffle or some kind of contest with people trying to come up with the name. I just kept thinking, God, this apron is just so perfect. This apron is just so perfect for everything. Then I thought, Let’s really be silly and call it The Perfect Apron because in my mind that’s what it is, so that is how I came up with the name. There is no more story to it than that.
What about the logo. Where did you go to get the logo designed?
I used a graphic designer. She was recommended by a friend. I had had the idea to make the A…I just looked at the shape of the A and thought, Oh, that could be an apron. And she took it from there. I wanted to give the idea in the logo that the panels were removable some how. For the colors, I did a little bit of research on that. Orange is considered one of the best colors to use in branding. So that is how I had that little touch of orange in there.
When you were starting the launch, how did you decide who to give aprons to to get started?
Well, I feel that social media has such a huge influence on people nowadays, and my daughter is actually in advertising and she said, You need to get your apron out there on social media some how and there are influencers everywhere. But to randomly send them to influencers didn’t make any sense so what I did was I took people that I had been following for awhile and seeing if that would be something they might be interested in. That is one of my goals is to be reaching out to more people that have very active Instagram accounts.
Have you developed a hashtag people can use so you can build a community around your apron?
Obviously I have my own hashtag, #theperfectapron. When I do posts on my own Instagram I always do pottersof instagram, wheelthrownceramics, wheelthrownpottery, andy of those hashtags seem to be the best places for me to try to build some awareness. I have been putting my own things on my own hashtag. Does that answer your question?
How have you encouraged your customers to be advocates for you?
I have been trying to get reviews on my website. There is a place there for people to review the apron. And on Facebook, people on my page have written some reviews. Also, I would love if people would wear the apron on Instagram and share it with others.
How did you go about setting your price for your apron?
Well, I would say that that has been one of the most difficult parts of this whole process.
See it’s not just a potter’s problem, it’s an entrepreneur’s problem!
Yes, pricing is the most important thing, First of all, I wanted to have it made in the US desperately. And when I got my first pricing making it here, it was crazy. That coupled with the extraordinary cost of terry-cloth, it just wasn’t possible. So then I had to start sourcing overseas and finding places that know how to sew is a challenge in itself. It’s been such an education. It’s been crazy. But as far as the pricing goes, I have had to price the product so that I could not only sell wholesale but so I could sell retail as well. What I try to explain is that you are not just getting an apron. You are also basically getting two towels per apron. I think some where along the line that needs to be really understood by the consumer.
When you outsourced your sewing, did you have to worry about minimum orders?
Absolutely. And that was another road block because the more you order the cheaper it is. But you can only order so many until you know it is viable. So that is another road block. And another hurdle to cross was that most of the companies that I went to their minimums were at least a thousand and I did not want to invest in something that I wasn’t just that sure about. I was finally able to get a company that agreed to do a 500 piece minimum. So that was very, very helpful.
When you first started did you come up with a marketing plan and what did it look like?
It looked the same plan that I follow today where I reached out to clay companies,clay studios., pottery studios, and social media influencers. That is basically where I thought my best start will be. And schools, educational facilities, things like that. To market to all of the above to try to get the product out there. My advice for anyone is just to stick with it. If you believe in it strongly enough you have to keep persisting and believe that one day it will pay off.
Book
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Contact
Instagram: @theperfectapron