Product Development

Every day the phone rings with an aspiring designer looking for a way to build his or her product. The first, and foremost, point I stress to them is to be prepared for a long haul. While a skilled team can, and will, deliver a proto and samples quickly, the reality of 'quick-to-market' is rarely successful for a number of reasons.

First, designs need refinement. Often times the best laid plans don't end up being the best laid plans. Not a bad thing, just that after using the item for a while the designer found some useful additions, and subtractions, from the original form. Maybe the design itself sounded great, but functioned poorly. Or maybe, it just needed to be tested for durability.

Second, launch dates are great motivators, but often times they enforce the old adage that 'haste makes waste.' I believe it is good to have a goal, but more often than not folks rush to the finish line prematurely. In our opinion, the product will be mature for the market after it it is properly developed.

Third, be prepared. Prepare your vendors for your upcoming plans. Prepare your family members for your mood swings. Take copious notes, and record conversations for future reference. It will help making life easier knowing what can and can't be done. Keep production time lines in order, and remember that when everything is an emergency, it usually turns into an actual emergency, and will need a doctor to fix it.

Next week I'll lay out some planning tips for developing products that should shed some light on why good planning makes for good companies.

A US Bag Maker

We are a US manufacturer of bags. We also have an office in China. Some people ask us, in fact more than some, if we are in conflict with ourselves and our clever name. Well, yes, and no, and sort of. You see, 'globalization' has created a world market for our raw materials, requiring us to seek those things that is still made overseas, in small factories and large alike, where the humidity is stifling and the hours are long. I want to bring bag makers back to the US. I want to see the US recover the market it shed and the jobs it lost. Textiles may be down, but we are not out. Until such time as we rebuild our infrastructure in the US, we struggle to find a balance between building stateside bags and importing others. I can tell you this - We employ about 20 folks. If we lost our import arm, we would reduce that number to half. If we continue to find some sort of balance, we can continue to grow and hopefully grow the company to 30 people. It makes more sense to continue the growth, contribute to the economy, and continue to be The Last US Bag Company.

Holidays

Loving the holiday season this year. Fortunately, the usual junk food has arrived by the masses so we can all put on a little insulation during the cold. Mike looked at me the other day wolfing down a maple bar and just shook his head. C'mon Mike, who doesn't love a maple bar? I dragged butt the rest of the day, leaving a wake of sticky crumbs in what can only be described as a sugar induced coma circle. Can't wait for tomorrow's truffles!

So much work to do for the upcoming move. Planning, preparation, purging, procrastinating. Not necessarily in that order. Hopefully the usual quiet time around the holidays will give us some much needed catch up time. That is, of course, if we don't stuff our cranial orifice with high fructose corn syrup. Either way, I love the holidays and look forward to time with family and friends, co-workers and clients. Thanks again for a great year! Now pass the egg nog!

Tacky Santa, and Carson, WA

What is it with inflatable Santa? Today I saw one with Santa in a helicopter. What the heck? When did Santa get a Sikorsky? Did I miss something, or did turning 40 turn me into a stodgy old man? On the street next to us, it's Santa in a wife-beater tank holding a brewski... Hope that was after his flight... People, just because Wal-Mart sells it doesn't mean you are obligated to buy it! They're NOT cute, trust me. My wife just pointed out how nice it is to see them flat all day, too, like poop on a lawn, in technicolor. There's a lawn fashion faux pas crisis people! Help!

One step closer to a new location - planning stages on the building for expansion in Carson. Looking forward to a facility we can continue to grow in!

Top 10 Thanksgiving List

Top 10 things I am thankful for:

10. My dog.

9. The Twilight Series - Nothing better than pastie vamps acting poorly.

8. Congress - There are more ridiculously inept people than I!

7. US Armed Forces - Thanks for your service...

6. Jim Harbaugh. 9-1, 'nuff said.

5. Legos

4. Bull trout

3. Morgan Freeman's voice

2. Turkeys

1. My family and friends

Moving soon!

Well, we have been hard at work looking for a new location to house LUSB. For almost 15 months we have been making offers, viewing locations, and assessing our needs for future growth and stability. While we haven't firmed up our ultimate choice, we are close to making a commitment on a new location not far from where are now. Stay tuned. The one thing I know for sure - it will be a much welcome move from where we are now as the space has become very confined... target date for a move is 1st quarter...

Reflections

It has been a long week. I just returned from China on a whirlwind trip of factory visits and meetings that were highly productive. Although I will count the trip as a major success for us, I truly walked the streets of China with a heavy heart, thinking about our beloved Joe. Often times I would reminisce about our foolish behavior in the office, or count the many successful programs he and I worked on. It is difficult to lose a friend, a coworker, and a moral compass like Joe. His spirit will continue to live in all of us at the office. His smile will continue to infect us all.

Joe might not have liked visiting China. We ate frogs, duck blood soup, eel - you name it. It was all good, enjoyed every minute! I am not sure Joe would have liked that part. Traveling in a taxi most places is always an adventure there. Almost a disaster in waiting. I don't think he would have enjoyed that at all. Sometimes the toilets are not like ours - again, might have been hard to see Joe thinking those were OK. What Joe would have loved was the adventure, the unknown, and the experience of it all. The great thing was, he was with me the whole time. His spirit travels well...

Overall, time heals the grief we feel when we have loss. I think in some ways, this last trip was the best thing for me this week, allowing me some alone time with Joe in my heart, and some reflections on how he has affected my life. I have to learn to appreciate the time I did have with my friend, and not focus on the time I might not. Thanks again, Joe, for the friendship. I think about it, and you, every day.