Welcome.
This blog is the start of something new, while at the same time it is what comes next in the creation of a business that has been six years in the making. My first post explains How It All Began.
Like most things that happen in life, the events that brought me to this point did not occur in a straight line. I moved to a new house in the woods after 29 years in the same house in the city, earned a Master of Social Work degree, watched all three of my children grow into adults who make me proud every day, and tried to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.
The decision to pursue a business has not been an easy one. Last spring and summer I took a series of workshops through an organization called Women, Work, and Community (WWC). Then last fall I took an entrepreneurship skills class called "New Ventures" through WWC, where I met some amazing people with wonderful ideas for small businesses of their own.
It is because of the support from the staff at WWC and the encouragement of my classmates that I have decided to take this leap.
Today I would like to announce the start of my business, Naturally Intimate Linens, which produces eco-friendly textiles. My flagship product is the IntiMat, which is a trademarked towel made of 100% organic cotton terry cloth and for sale here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10719852 in my etsy store.
This blog will be the journal of what I learn as I create new products and build my business.
Ready, set, go!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
How It All Began
This blog is what comes next in the development of a product first conceived in the spring of 2004. The product is the IntiMat®, which is available at www.SLMnaturals.etsy.com/. Below is the story of how the IntiMat® came to be.
The Tale of the IntiMat® ~
On a lovely day in April 2004, Sharon raced into the kitchen.
"I've got it! I will make and sell love towels!"
Her husband and daughter asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Well, there are times when people need something to protect the sheets. We've always called them love towels, and I can come up with another name, but everybody needs one."
Two weeks later Sharon shared the idea with her good friend and her mother. Winks and giggles followed. If nothing else, Sharon thought, this is a fun idea. Sharon and her friend shopped for fabric and talked about packaging ideas. They searched the Internet to look for a similar product and found none.
By the end of April Sharon had talked to a lawyer about the process to trademark a product name. She talked to the Technology Law Center at University of Southern Maine about trademarks, patents, and intellectual property issues. She felt compelled to go forward with development of the IntiMat® "for life's intimate moments."
Now, how would she make this happen?
Aha. There would be enough money from the state income tax return if she decided to apply for a trademark.
Then she waited for the idea to go away. It didn't.
In the spring of 2005 Sharon filed an application for trademark registration. In the meantime she made up sample mats and shared them sparingly with a few people. Feedback was positive ~ people liked the idea of a soft mat that was pretty, practical, and washable. Fleece was soft but not very absorbent. Organic cotton terry cloth fit the bill for softness, absorbency, and washability. Sharon couldn't get the terry as wide as she wanted, but she did buy a few yards from a company her daughter found online. She found the perfect satin binding for the edging.
And she waited for the next "aha" moment....
As often happens, life got busy. Sharon got a letter that the conditional trademark was approved and the product needed to be put in commerce, or she needed to apply for a six-month extension. She applied for the extension with the thought that, if this was meant to be, something would happen to move things forward. That was October 2006.
Then something did happen. Sharon and her husband bought a new house. Now she needed to take action or back away.
Sharon put the IntiMat® for sale in a local hair salon and sent a sample to the lawyer, which was required to finalize the application. Sharon was committed now, but there were more pressing issues to think about in the spring of 2007.
Fast forward to autumn. Sharon had sewn up the few yards of organic terry she had. She wanted to create an inventory and actively pursue sales of her product. Cotton Plus no longer had the original terry she bought. However, they did have a different, wider organic terry cloth available in 50-yard rolls. Why not give it a try? The heavy, six-foot long roll of fabric was delivered and Sharon got to work.
Cutting, washing, pinning, sewing...cutting, washing, pinning, sewing.... There was a rhythm to the process that Sharon enjoyed. The material felt soft and luxurious, perfectly finished with the satin binding. The product met her standards.
In December 2007 Sharon met with an accountant to get the basic information needed to set up a small business. She had business cards printed. From the beginning she liked the tag line "for life's intimate moments." At that time she didn't have the official word on the trademark, which was still pending.
As for the basket of IntiMats® at the hair salon, Sharon's contact said women thought they were beautiful, but they seemed embarrassed to buy one. Now what?
It looked like it was time to explore the options of listing the item online. Sharon's daughter took the lead in research of sales options. She determined that etsy.com was the answer.
Then a major development: On March 10, 2008 the lawyer sent the letter that notified Sharon that the certificate of registration for the INTIMATS mark was final. She owned the trademark. It was official.
It was time to take this project to the next level. On March 23 Sharon's daughter helped her open a "store" on etsy. On April 2, 2008 Sharon listed the product, complete with pictures taken with a digital camera. Filled with anxiety that the product wouldn't sell, and equal parts of anxiety about what she would do if it did, Sharon started telling people one at a time that the product was listed for sale online at http://www.SLMnaturals.etsy.com/. What to do next would come to her....
The Tale of the IntiMat® ~
On a lovely day in April 2004, Sharon raced into the kitchen.
"I've got it! I will make and sell love towels!"
Her husband and daughter asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Well, there are times when people need something to protect the sheets. We've always called them love towels, and I can come up with another name, but everybody needs one."
Two weeks later Sharon shared the idea with her good friend and her mother. Winks and giggles followed. If nothing else, Sharon thought, this is a fun idea. Sharon and her friend shopped for fabric and talked about packaging ideas. They searched the Internet to look for a similar product and found none.
By the end of April Sharon had talked to a lawyer about the process to trademark a product name. She talked to the Technology Law Center at University of Southern Maine about trademarks, patents, and intellectual property issues. She felt compelled to go forward with development of the IntiMat® "for life's intimate moments."
Now, how would she make this happen?
Aha. There would be enough money from the state income tax return if she decided to apply for a trademark.
Then she waited for the idea to go away. It didn't.
In the spring of 2005 Sharon filed an application for trademark registration. In the meantime she made up sample mats and shared them sparingly with a few people. Feedback was positive ~ people liked the idea of a soft mat that was pretty, practical, and washable. Fleece was soft but not very absorbent. Organic cotton terry cloth fit the bill for softness, absorbency, and washability. Sharon couldn't get the terry as wide as she wanted, but she did buy a few yards from a company her daughter found online. She found the perfect satin binding for the edging.
And she waited for the next "aha" moment....
As often happens, life got busy. Sharon got a letter that the conditional trademark was approved and the product needed to be put in commerce, or she needed to apply for a six-month extension. She applied for the extension with the thought that, if this was meant to be, something would happen to move things forward. That was October 2006.
Then something did happen. Sharon and her husband bought a new house. Now she needed to take action or back away.
Sharon put the IntiMat® for sale in a local hair salon and sent a sample to the lawyer, which was required to finalize the application. Sharon was committed now, but there were more pressing issues to think about in the spring of 2007.
Fast forward to autumn. Sharon had sewn up the few yards of organic terry she had. She wanted to create an inventory and actively pursue sales of her product. Cotton Plus no longer had the original terry she bought. However, they did have a different, wider organic terry cloth available in 50-yard rolls. Why not give it a try? The heavy, six-foot long roll of fabric was delivered and Sharon got to work.
Cutting, washing, pinning, sewing...cutting, washing, pinning, sewing.... There was a rhythm to the process that Sharon enjoyed. The material felt soft and luxurious, perfectly finished with the satin binding. The product met her standards.
In December 2007 Sharon met with an accountant to get the basic information needed to set up a small business. She had business cards printed. From the beginning she liked the tag line "for life's intimate moments." At that time she didn't have the official word on the trademark, which was still pending.
As for the basket of IntiMats® at the hair salon, Sharon's contact said women thought they were beautiful, but they seemed embarrassed to buy one. Now what?
It looked like it was time to explore the options of listing the item online. Sharon's daughter took the lead in research of sales options. She determined that etsy.com was the answer.
Then a major development: On March 10, 2008 the lawyer sent the letter that notified Sharon that the certificate of registration for the INTIMATS mark was final. She owned the trademark. It was official.
It was time to take this project to the next level. On March 23 Sharon's daughter helped her open a "store" on etsy. On April 2, 2008 Sharon listed the product, complete with pictures taken with a digital camera. Filled with anxiety that the product wouldn't sell, and equal parts of anxiety about what she would do if it did, Sharon started telling people one at a time that the product was listed for sale online at http://www.SLMnaturals.etsy.com/. What to do next would come to her....
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