"Pay-it-forward" Is it a business concept that works?

It's kind of funny. It's kind of odd. It took me to drive over a thousand miles to learn, or finally recognize that most business people do not grasp a simple concept of "pay it forward". In fact not only "do not" grasp this concept, but possibly "can not" grasp this concept.

So the question comes down to one of "Are you ready to pay it forward?"

The CAG exists for one main purpose, to "INVITE and EXCITE" people about the wonderful art and craft of ceramics.

The CAG has no ties or loyalties to any ceramic businesses. We love them all equally.

The CAG offers it's membership and subscriptions to our magazines for FREE

The CAG does not solicit or accept paid advertising in it's publications

Some business owners go "What?" But it's true. We want to create a sustainable business climate for the ceramic industry. One that stresses quality and creativity in the art form. This should not be so hard to grasp. But then when last month, a Portland, Oregon businessman, up and gave his multi million dollar business to his employees because he wanted to retire, people couldn't understand why. It was simple, none of his kids were interested, and he wanted it to continue on. The employees built the company, and they would have the most passion to continue it.

Those of us investing our time at the CAG have passion for ceramics. If YOU have passion for ceramics we are certain you will be interested to grasping the concept of "pay it forward" in your ceramic business too.

This summer we will be making a cross country tour, credentialing ceramic judges, and meeting with people where they are. When you hear of the meeting coming to your town, join us in our fireside chats! You wont regret it.

Losing face in "Social Media Networks" . . . could it be you?

Yesterday I was sadly disturbed by an e-mail from an industry friend/colleague David Vernon owner of Pampered Palette http://www.pamperedpalette.com/ and CAG Ambassador to the Decorative Painters Groups. www.iamthecag.com/cagambassadors.html

David awoke to the startling discovery that his facebook accounts had . . . disappeared. With close to 2,000 friends they were there when he went to bed, and gone when he woke up.

So what happened? Facebook has a set of protocols, of which most people who get their account terminated would never dream of violating on purpose. These were found on a site about getting disabled, but not an official facebook site. They indicated that perceived "spamming" is the number one reason. Spamming takes on a lot of odd characteristics. For example inviting too many people to join. Is there a set number? No, one group may invite 10,000 a day and have over a million members, while another may invite 25 people a day have maybe 200 friends, and they get shut down for over inviting (spamming). So bottom line . . . spam can be construed as about anything.

It doesn't appear that there is anything you can do to safeguard yourself, short of not connecting to facebook at all. . . and that would defeat the whole purpose of social media networking.

What to do . . . If you get shut down immediately contact facebook (by e-mail of course) and be persistent in follow up. This does not mean every five minutes like the little kid in the back seat saying, "Are we there yet?" But a daily e-mail requesting reason and verification would be logical.

In the mean time here is a simple way to monitor who you have as friends, and keep a database in case you have to reopen your group page.

Open your page: click on edit friends, click on friends (this creates an alphabetical list where you can delete or edit friends), start at top left corner of list, hold down (l) mouse button and drag to last person on list (all icons and names should now be highlighted), right click and hit copy on pop up menu, paste list into a word document, and save on your computer.

Depending on your computer savvy you can build a database or other resource tool of your friends. You will need to visit each friend to get an e-mail address if they provide one. But you can at least go back into facebook in the case of a lost site and re invite from their name.

Facebook is an awesome way for groups of ceramicists and artists to stay connected, share ideas, and make new friendships.

This blog is not to scare you away from facebook, but rather to educate you on being prepared. Facebook is a free resource, and we should be thankful for it. We would probably have less than 10% of the activity that facebook generated if people had to pay for it, because they wouldn't. It's sad when friends like David Vernon lose their site, but let it be an eye opener for the rest of us to be prepared. Yesterday the CAG completely backed up its info on facebook. It took a while, but now we are prepared.

OK, enough business talk, now get out your brushes, paints, and bisque and try some decorative painting techniques. Want some ideas, visit David Vernon at his blog at http://www.pamperedpaletteonline.blogspot.com/ . Besure to join his blog while you're there.

Understanding Concept Marketing - Ceramics

If you want to maximize your selling potential, either in finished goods or supplies (ie greenware, bisque, paint, add-ons), you must stay on top of the concepts in the "immediate" trends. Over the next several months anything and everything "Alice" will be hot.

Just look at the calling points:

It's a Tim Burton production - HOT

Johnny Depp stars in it - HOT

It's emoish-trippy - HOT

It's RETRO-trendy - HOT

This is not really the same Carrol story we grew up, it is, but in a different turn.

Study the imagery, the colors the design concepts, then bring hem forward. Have a shop window offering a special "Alice" night for ceramics. Have lots of inch worms, dressed rabbits, and mushrooms. The 'shroom will be HOT baby. If you do finished goods, style them and be the first on Etsy or e-bay or whom ever you like to deal with.

Think about the possibilities. Combine Arnells's mushroom molds like the sq tile plaques with BI (Bisque Imports large letters to create wall hangings that say "Alice" or "The Mad Hatter" or "Tweedle Dee' or whatever. The phrase "I'm Late" can take on new meanings.

Tone it down a notch and do classic "Alice" stuff too. Dressed dapper bunnies, tea sets, girls in dresses. And the original Cheshire cat is adorable, not so much the one in this new version (scary).

Some of you will read this, and expand your horizons, and fatten your pocket book in profits. Others will say, "It wont work for me", just like you said when Pirates came out, or Twilight or Harry Potter. Yet still shops had sell out ceramic nights because they capitalized on a current concept. Don't overstock, it may only last less than a month, but be creative! Good luck, let us know your stories of conquest and defeat in this matter.

"Is your cell phone turned on?"

I am sure most of you have seen the news about the German alternate skater who had his chance at moving up to actually compete in an Olympic event, but missed the call, literally. It seems as though he turned off his cell phone, and could not be reached in time.

Sports and the Olympics can teach us many principles that we can apply to our own businesses, yes even ceramic businesses. This example is very resonate of some of the issues that exist with ceramic shops that are not producing results. The business has become unreachable.

Sadly in my journeys I have often come into a town and found a little ceramic shop. Its' hours proudly posted on the door, but no one was there. If there is a neighboring business I will go in and ask them if they know where the owner is, or if they have a number to reach them. The response is usually the same. "They come and go, no pattern really, and have no idea how to get a hold of them." It's one thing when an emergency comes up and you have to leave your shop. But post a current sign in the window indicating when you will return. Are you in a real business? Or are you just in a pastime?

Here are some painful examples that hurt the overall ceramic industry:

• NEGLECTED or FORGOTTEN WEB Pages - We receive countless e-mails each week asking "Do you know what happened to . . .?" They searched the web for ceramics, pulled up a site, had great stuff on it, stuff they wanted to buy, but the e-mails were defunct, or no response at all. As an industry we need to rid the Internet of dead sites. Collectively it becomes our front page, we need it to be fresh.


• YELLOW PAGE LISTINGS, that are disconnected - Ma Bell is not the only one who puts out a phone book, in case you hadn't noticed. But there are many times when a listing is made, and then the business shuts down, but they leave your ad as a courtesy, year after year. In part it's a scheme to bill you for a service not used. You need to look, and if you have shut your business down, or know of someone who has, make sure the listings are gone in the next publishing.


• STOREFRONTS that become STORAGE ROOMS - In the last 20 years there have been a lot of traditional shops who have passed onto the original owner's children. The people owned the brick and mortar and it's full of stuff. But the kids don't know the first thing about running a ceramic business. It doesn't produce the revenue they thought it would. They've tried to sell it, but to no avail. So it sits there looking like a ceramic shop, but acting more like a historic tourist attraction that's only open on fifth Tuesday's from 2 to 4 in the afternoon, unless Oprah has an interesting guest. Hours are posted, but no ones home.

Simply read the postings in the CAG facebook group, "I would love to paint ceramics, but where can I find bisque or greenware?" Shops that are proactive are doing very well right now. Someone is trying to call you to buy something from you, "Is your cell phone turned on?"

Check out the upcoming issue of BLUEPRINT - The Business Journal of the Ceramic Artist Guild for more ideas on how you can get the call. (release date March 10, 2010)

Money - Naughty or Nice?

Sorry it has been 2 weeks since we last posted to the BLOG. We got really busy on some other projects here, and it got neglected, no excuses, just matter of fact.

So if this is a ceramic BLOG why is it about money? Because it is money that drives a part of the industry, but it is also money that dives a part of the industry into blind numbness.

The ceramic industry is what is known as a "Cottage Industry" made up mostly of small business people, most of them not even registered or licensed to do business, because at their level they don't need to be. Some people desire to draw a living out of their ceramic pursuits (I guess they never heard of the league of starving artists). Some want to grow and expand a business with employees and inventory and such. Most simply hope to make enough to cover the cost of their own addiction (that addiction being ceramics). And a few simply do it because it is their passion, and really don't care to make money out of it.

For the CAG it is all about passion of the art of ceramics. We are NOT a charity or a not-for-profit corporation. We are not a bunch of people thinking they should do something, but never acting on their thoughts. WE ARE a group or a league of people who share a passion for art. Everyone is a volunteer here. We want the most people to get the most out of ceramics, and so we are determined to do what we do for FREE. No gimmicks, no hidden agendas, no tricks, just a simple love for ceramics.

We are not saying that you should not endeavor to make a profit. Or if you do you are not showing your passion. this is our path, and it is different than yours. i had the fortunate opportunity when i was a young man as a manager in a major retail firm (FRED MEYER) to work directly with at times the owner and founder of the company, Mr Fred G Meyer himself. I will never forget one day sitting in the corporate office with a group of other managers and execs with Mr. Meyer. he reminded us all that profit was not a dirty word. in fact any intelligent consumer would not expect you to run your business without making a profit, it would be nonsense. But he also said "Do not take advantage of your customers, they allow you to stay in business."

One of the many purposes of the CAG is to help give you insight to building a sustainable business in ceramics that will last for years to come. We are sustainable through your support of what we do. We wish you well. And if someone says to you the CAG can't offer their services for FREE. Say "Oh, really? OK I'll take my chances and you wait and see." They wont listen to you anyway, and in the meantime your business and desire will surely grow!

FINAL NOTE: Did you see what the man did with his business in Portland, Oregon . . . he gave it away. Love those kind of stories.

Football and Lladro - PASS IT ON!

So today is SUPERBOWL SUNDAY! No other TV event captures the American audience on a grander scale than this battle of the turf. I've always thought it was funny how some stores will run special ads for "Super Bowl Widows", when surveys tell us an equal to higher percentage of women watch the game as do men. So have a great time today experiencing the game and the party that goes with it. Be safe and use good judgement in driving!

On a ceramic note, isn't this a delightful Lladro piece? The design seems so gentle, yet as it expands towards you it seems to say I'm grown up now and ready for the game. Lladro choice of somewhat muted colors has always lended itself to their sculpture. Unfortunately being able to paint this ceramic would mean you had found an illegal piece of bisque as it is copyrighted, and there are no ceramic hobbyist molds available. But there is a lot to be learned when we study artistic style, and then apply that style to pieces we get get. Wouldn't it be fun for Lladro to come teach a seminar for ceramicists.

When an artist goes from rags to riches to rags again. . .

What a beautiful contemporary headquarters this company called ENESCO has. So a few questions to you as ceramicists. . .

1. Do you know what ENESCO does?

2. Do you know what artists ENESCO has represented?

3. Do you understand the concept rags to riches to rags again?

OK, enough quizzing. As a artist/craftsman your greatest dream might be to have your designs in stores across the globe. A very noble aspiration. In toady's marketplace it is almost impossible for you to be able to pull something that off on your own. Unless of course you just won the POWERBALL lottery for like 100 million dollars. But let's say your Sam Butcher in 1989 a company comes along and spins your humble world of artistic rendering into a multi-million dollar industry, literally overnight. In case you don't know Sam Butcher is the artist responsible for Precious Moments.

In our upcoming issue of BLUEPRINT Volume2 Issue 2 March 15th, 2010. We will be talking with the marketing people at ENESCO and have some special interviews with some of the past artists who went from Saturday market vendors, to world wide celebrities with the aid of ENESCO. But what happened next? Join us and learn how this "tidal wave" process of fame can help or hinder the long term relationships developed by the artist/crafter.