Sometimes I am so busy working away doing things that I hardly notice what I have achieved. That is until I open up a new blog post and start typing!
We have just donated one of each of our Gifts of Seeds to Craft Relief, a non-profit online store created to raise money for those in need. All profits are donated to a specified charity and it is run by the lovely Therese who keeps the site in order and the donations coming in! It is great to be positioned beside products by some of the most interesting, talented crafters, artists and designers from across Australia and it’s nice to be able to give back in some way. I grew up in Brisbane so seeing all those familiar places under water and covered in mud was quite a shock. Hopefully this is one small way we can help those affected, with all proceeds of the sale of the Gifts of Seeds on Craft Relief going to the Premier’s Qld flood appeal. So if you are looking for a special gift, make it extra special by buying the gift through Craft Relief where you not only donate to good causes but also get something delightful in the process! http://craftrelief.bigcartel.com/
This weekend takes us to Sydney for a quick weekend visit. High on the agenda is visiting Joost’s Greenhouse! Very excited as we were overseas when Melbourne had its version at Federation Square. More info and pictures can be found thanks to The Design Files over here. I will also be scoping out Life Instyle, a trade show selectively showcasing the business of design. I am on the lookout for specific items which will tie into my product plans and I am excited about the prospect of being an exhibitor there in the near future.
You may have noticed that our product photography has improved, thanks to my cousin Duane who is a maestro behind the lens. Our online shop pictures look a lot more professional now and hopefully I can keep Duane busy with all my upcoming product shot needs. Being that he is based in the NT does complicate matters especially where plant arrangements are involved though, Duane can you come and visit more often please?!
All my energy has been coming from some interesting talks that I have been fortunate to attend recently! On Saturday I attended my first Creative Womens Circle event featuring Ming-Zhu Hii, the wonderful business coach, artist, writer, retailer and entrepreneur behind Orlando and Ivy (who stock our Gifts of Seeds!). Ming-Zhu talked about her motivations, the highs and lows, inspirations and many other empowering, wonderful things. You can watch video snippets of the talk here.
And today, thanks to the City of Melbourne, I enjoyed the company of many interesting entrepreneurs at a business planning workshop in the Melbourne Town Hall. Starting with business finances, John Evers led gave us some easy to understand insight into the realities of finances in business including financial projections and cash flow management. Then we spent the second half of the day with Marcus Powe who really blew the socks of me. A very insightful presentation with many valuable tidbits of information regarding business planning and marketing.
It was great to be in a room of like minded people and I discovered some very interesting businesses including Muesli Mixer (customised museli!) and Buro North (Multidisciplinary Design) Many thanks must go to the City of Melbourne for providing this great, free course (and lunch!) which I highly recommend!
That is the end of possibly my longest blog post to date. Thanks for getting to the bottom! I didn’t realise I had so much to shareuntil I started typing.
I’ve actually left quite a lot of happenings out as I am saving them for blog posts of their own when the timing is right… so there is more exciting news to come soon.
Michelle
