from chapter 1: what is your core message?
Does your business have a core message? Not a mission or vision statement, but a compact, core message.
If not, how are you planning on using the ideas in the book to develop your core message?
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megan
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megan, and 7 others are discussing. 
MaryBeth 4:33 pm on March 5, 2010 Permalink |
Hi Megan
Perfect question for me as I am in process of opening new Eco Friendly photography business. and Etsy Shop.
Do you know where I can find experienced writers to help with this?
Thank You So Kindly,
Crystal 9:31 pm on March 9, 2010 Permalink |
MaryBeth – I commented about Textbroker as a resource to find writers in an earlier discussion. If you have questions I didn’t answer there, please post them here and I answer to the best of my ability.
Karen 2:50 am on March 9, 2010 Permalink |
I think I may have changed my core message since I’ve started this book – for the longest time I was pushing all the handcrafted-ness of my work. when it comes down to it people are interested in the designs – and their relationship to them. duh karen!! people don’t do google searches for “hand cut sterling silver jewelry” they do searches for “peacocks” or “cherry blossoms”. So I guess my core message is more about that – fleshing out the core idea behind the designs so people can make their own personal connections. but wait, is that a core message or a vision statement? bah!
megan 3:35 pm on March 10, 2010 Permalink |
Karen – i think its somewhere between a core message and a vision statement, and that’s ok. its all about fleshing things out. you might decide that your core message is to “create designs that people relate to” – then as you’re designing, if you are stuck between two ideas, your core message would direct you towards the one that would resonate with more people.
karen 9:05 pm on March 10, 2010 Permalink
hmmmm. I think I def need to rethink my core – I’m not sure that’s what I’m going for. I guess I’m thinking ahead more about my descriptions – I should really work the angle in my write ups about the stories behind designs. (but honestly sometimes they don’t have intense back story, it’s just a cool doodle I turned into a necklace!) I do the storytelling in my blog but that’s really just a side piece of advertising, I don’t do as much in my actual shop and literature as I should. this is going to require some more thinking for sure … thanks!
gini 3:21 pm on March 9, 2010 Permalink |
I have to admit this was hard for me. What should my “core message” be as a knitter and sewer?
I didn’t think I needed one at first but after reading this chapter I realized how important that is both to making decisions about my business and to communicating to my customer.
After much thought I finally came up with the one core message of my business and, I have to say, making decisions about purchasing supplies the next day was much easier. It was simple to eliminate certain things and go towards others. I don’t know yet how this will impact my description writing but I think it will make it easier and I’m actually looking forward to it.
Crystal 9:27 pm on March 9, 2010 Permalink |
Hey Gini – Care to share what you came up with as your core message?
Gini 1:26 pm on March 10, 2010 Permalink
Of course! Like Karen I was pushing the “handcrafted-ness” of my work but I realized that (because I make handbags and hand-knits) that’s what most of my competitors were pushing too. So I thought long and hard about it and realized what I wanted to get across was the “fine details” of my items.
I used to work at Barney’s where we sold women’s socks for $45 and we sold a lot of them. What made them stand out from the $10 socks across the street at Bloomingdales was the tiny little dots on the trim, the quirky color combinations and the really fine texture and quality of the fabric.
With “fine details” in mind I purchased a higher quality thread for the topstitching on my bags. It is more durable and has a nice sheen to it, I purchased cut glass buttons for the sweater I had just completed. I could have chosen a solid black plastic button and it would have worked just fine but, for me, it was worth the extra $1 to add a “fine detail” that I could then communicate to my customer.
I hope this works and I hope I can find a way to bring those details across in my descriptions!
megan 3:33 pm on March 10, 2010 Permalink |
gini – that’s a great example of refining your core message and using it to guide your decision making!
Crystal 9:26 pm on March 9, 2010 Permalink |
Chiming in a little late here. Don’t have my book yet
It’s a 50 mile RT to the PO so I can’t just rush over there and pick it up even though I know from the tracking that it has finally arrived. But I’ll catch up eventually!
Did run across something online I’d like to share. It’s a parable that coincidentally goes along with this discussion. http://issamar.com/strategy/the-ben-ish-chai-on-marketing/ Please Note: I have no idea what the rest of the site is about as I haven’t looked. Like I said, I ran across just this story.
Jonna 4:22 pm on March 10, 2010 Permalink |
Goodness, this is tough one! Karen’s and Crystal’s examples are great! I wish there were more examples, because we need help with this one. Megan, would you mind sharing what your core message is?
As for our core message, we too have been pushing the unique handmade aspect of raku, but realize that it is an overused concept. Yes, it is absolutely true that each of my mom’s raku pieces are one-of-a-kind works of art, but there are many other artists that can say the same thing about the handmade unique art they create.
The strongest line of products that my mom has is her Koivu Collection inspired by birch trees (vases, tree branch tiles, forest tiles, witty birch eggs, etc). Koivu means “birch” in Finnish and is very important to us Finns as the country of Finland is filled with them. The national tree of Finland is the Silver Birch. Many people in Finland have their very own “home birch” in their yard “protecting” them. My mom’s yard in Lapland is full of birch trees. Just by telling a Finn, when they pick up her raku birch vase in their hand, that it can be their “home birch” even if they live in an urban jungle, creates a sense of emotion in them, because it is a familiar, but somewhat unexpected especially to someone living in a city. They will instantly remember their “home birch” either at their childhood home, grandparents house or summer cottage. They feel an emotional connection to the vase and want it.
Now, this story is great for Finns, but how about the rest of the world? And how do we make it into our core message? Perhaps, something like: “You too can have nature in your home.” Ouch, that just does not sound that good to me. Am I on the right path at least?
Crystal 5:20 pm on March 11, 2010 Permalink |
Brilliant angle for the Finnish, Jonna! And how to impart this to the rest of the world? Just share the Finnish culture so that they can adopt it, as well. Especially for people who do not strongly identify with a specific cultural heritage, the home birch would be a cool thing to embrace. And for those that already have strong cultural ties, the home birch could be a nice compliment.
Jonna 4:24 pm on March 10, 2010 Permalink |
Meant to say that Gini’s example is great too! Thank you Gini!
Tamara 4:00 pm on March 11, 2010 Permalink |
In designing knitting patterns my most important, core & compact message is Quality Craftsmanship. Beginner to advanced design, one thing I want customers to walk away with is a clear concise pattern that creates a beautiful fiber piece. I want them to be so pleased with the pattern they return for others!
Meegan 11:44 pm on March 13, 2010 Permalink |
I have an artist statement, more flowery than functional, for an academic/gallery art crowd. I am still figuring out my core message. It has to do with shared moments, dreams or memories, expressed through pattern and color.
Possible messages:
Pattern and color share the moment.
Remember a dream; create a memory with pattern and color.
Army Anecdote: My message needs to be specific while allowing for flexibility
Southwest Airlines: It will be something to steady myself on as I make decisions.
Dunn Daily and Hoover Adams: Accept my specialty and adhere to it.
finding your core and your ideal business model « craftMBA.com – business thinking for designers & makers 12:57 pm on March 15, 2010 Permalink |
[...] key component of Made to Stick, and it’s an idea many people have been working through on the book club blog. ”Finding the core” means identifying the most important idea behind your business. [...]
megan 1:01 pm on March 15, 2010 Permalink |
Hey everyone – there’s a new post up on Crafting an MBA, and I go into a little more detail about how to find your core message. Hopefully it helps some of you who are stuck.
Lara 5:30 pm on March 23, 2010 Permalink |
I’ve been toying with my core message. I have pages of ideas. I settled on the following:
“Bella Puzzles — Equal Parts Art and Mischief”
Puzzles don’t succeed without great artwork and artistry in the cutting, and without the “mischief” (tricks, deceptive cutting, etc.) there’s not much incentive for a person to buy a handcrafted custom wooden jigsaw puzzle instead of a cardboard mass-produced puzzle.
I worry that “art” and “mischief” lack concreteness, emotion, and story value, so I’m going to keep working on this.
Jonna 2:20 pm on March 24, 2010 Permalink |
Hi Lara, I just visited your Etsy shop and love the wooden jigsaw puzzles you make! What a great idea to go back in time and make them like they use to. In fact, that makes me think of them as heirloom pieces that can be passed down generations especially, when they are handmade jigsaw puzzles made out of family photogrqaphs. I sure would save a puzzle like that for future generations, but can hardly get my kids to keep the pieces together for a massproduced cardboard puzzle even when it’s new. It’s all about the value.
About your core message. That is a tough one. I know what you mean about the word “mischief” not being concrete enough for people to truly understand your work. I must say this though, your little bit of information right here was enough for me to go look at your Etsy shop. Your Etsy profile page explains your craft very well and made me understand and appreciate the work you do and I’m no puzzle expert, belive me:-D I actually, learned a new puzzle related word today: whimsies. I would put a definition for that word in your item descriptions for those of us who are not puzzle experts:-) It’s that curse of knowledge again. I just love your work!
Lara 3:58 pm on March 24, 2010 Permalink
Thank you, thank you, Jonna. You gave me my first smile of the morning.
Curse of knowledge, indeed! It’s so much easier to explain the important features of wooden jigsaw puzzles with pictures than to explain them with words. Fitting everything essential into the allotted space on Etsy is like writing a haiku.
I’ll follow your advice and define “whimsies” better in my item descriptions from now on.
Your koivu raku work is excellent, by the way. The eggs are especially fetching.
Jonna 4:05 pm on March 24, 2010 Permalink
Lara, glad I gave you a smile today. Thank you for the compliment on the raku eggs. My mom is the artist behind the koivu collection and I’m her homegrown marketing expert:-)