Are you supporting your own or the theives who rip them off?

Do you check labels when you buy for yourself, your family and friends? I sure want to believe, if you are a crafts person trying to make a living selling handmade, that you support your own industry.
An artist friend just showed me something she bought for her garden that I knew to be a knock-off of a local crafter.  I couldn’t hold my tongue. This is a woman who has been complaining that she can’t get the price she believes her work should command and that she doesn’t know how she’ll make it as an artist if people are “too cheap” to pay what her work is worth. So, I called her on it. I asked where she bought the piece (although I could guess) and if she knew where it was made. She said she hadn’t checked the label. I asked if she knew that it was a copy of a US crafter and she said she did but couldn’t afford his work  because (get this- “I’m just a struggling artist” ) and that even if she could, it was for “outside after all.”  I was livid and laid into her, as only a good friend should do: “If you aren’t willing to pay the extra for made-in- America, how can you expect people to pay for your work rather than buy a similar piece made in China?” For the record, I’m not talking behind anyone’s back here. I told her she was going to be the subject of my public rant. I said I wouldn’t use her name but I have to admit it’s tempting.
If you’re in the industry, you likely know the difference between a knock-off and a licensed piece made with the artist’s permission for which the artist receives a royalty. One is stealing, one isn’t. Who are you going to support?
So, the next time you are exhibiting at a trade show or crafts fair and you’re worried about making enough to cover your booth fees and travel costs, plus net a profit, ask yourself how often you buy the knockoff because you’re “just an artist and can’t afford” the higher priced handmade version. There’s no question that it’s tough to find certain items made domestically and that when you do they are often pricey. But so are those designer brands that you think are made here. Look at the label of your $200. handbag. Or the sweatshirt you picked up in our nations capital or, better yet-anything decorated with our starts and stripes, including an American flag. If you’re having trouble making it as a crafter, ask yourself if you are supporting your fellow artists. Yes, you may pay more than if you buy the same item made oversees but the answer is to buy two pieces made by hand rather than four made in China. I’ll hop off my soapbox now, but…please, please support your own.

Some Entrepreneurs are asking “What Recession?”

In the waiting room at the Mayo Clinic yesterday, I picked up a Forbes Magazine. It’s not typical to see an outdoorsy “Field and Stream” looking image gracing the front of a business publication but the  cover of the April 13th edition featured a man with a walking stick surrounded by the most magnificent Retrievers. The headline read, “What Recession?”. While I am hearing these words from my entrepreneurial friends, it was refreshing to see this in the media. The handsome man on the cover , dog breeder MIke Stewart, was one of six featured entrepreneurs whose businesses are thriving in this economic climate. Stewart has a long list of customers waiting to pay him $12,000 for one of his dogs.  Also featured in the article was  Charles Morgan,  grandson of founder HFS Morgan. IN the 100th year of production, Morgan has an 18 month waiting list for the 150,000 Aero 8. Morgan’s sales are up 14% over last year.   32 year old , Sacha White didn’t inherit an auto empire. Vanilla bicycle’s founder started as a bike messenger, saw a need and filled it. White has a 180 unit backlog, a four year wait for his handcrafted bikes which sell for an average of $7000. He says most of his customers are middle class.   Ninety year old Stanley Bogdan and his son Stephen  have  salmon fishermen waiting in line for their handcrafted fishing reels which sell for $1300 to $2300.  Samuel Zygmuntowiczhas a five year backlog for his handcrafted violins and cellos which sell for $53,000 to $90,000 and are played by YoYa Ma and have been called superior to a 1686 Stradivari violin in large venues like Carnegie Hall. Zygmuntowicz says he wants to keep his instruments priced low enough that they are sold to musicians as opposed to collectors. He only produces six instruments a year, despite 15 hour work days.  He says “you need to understand how the  moves you make today will behave further down the line.” And while many people are putting off cosmetic surgery, Dr. Yan Trokel says his signature “Y-lifts” are in demand. He plans to license other surgeons in his procedure but will keep expansion slow “within the limits of quality control.” 

So, how are these entrepreneurs thriving in an economic downturn?  A common thread appears to be quality control and supply vs demand. Slow, calculated growth and thinking ahead.. Having a distinctive product, staying small and flexible. Morgan made sure to make few enough cars to not have an inventory glut when the great depression hit. And like his grandfather, Charles is focused on “efficiency over expansion.” 

What lessons can you take away from these unlikely entrepreneurs? If you are uneasy starting an upscale business in this climate, take it from these entrepreneurs who are thriving in an economic downturn. Decide what what will make your product stand out.  How is what you do different or special enough to be exclusive, to be coveted? Take it slow, make calculated decisions and start now.