….continued from part one
The interview I conducted with both of them:
I love the concept behind the name of your company. I think that it is perfect for a scrapbooking company. Can you tell us how you came up with the cute name “Think Inside The Box”?
Erin: We spent endless hours on our company name…In the end Julie came up with the slogan “think inside the box”. Instead of using it as a slogan, we chose to make it our official company name…and we have trademark approval from the National Trademark Office!
How do you gain inspiration for creating your products?
Erin and Julie: As scrapbooking addicts, we figure out what we would like to have and figure that other people must need those items too.
Who came up with the idea for Think Inside The Box, the Sticker Stadium and any other products and how?
Erin: I had the initial sketch for the Stadium design. Julie helped fine tune the measurements. It was a collaborative effort.
Julie: We have LOTS of other products on the drawing board, and are waiting to introduce them.
What is the main purpose of the Sticker Stadium?
Erin and Julie: To help organize every craft item under the sun. It was originally designed for stickers, but it is perfect for storing tools, card making supplies, stamps and inks, photos, embellishments, etc.
Julie: When we discovered that this product has so many other storage uses, we changed the name to the Stadium Organizer. It is even a terrific organizer for items in every room in the house!
What was involved in getting it implemented?
Erin and Julie: That is a long story, but to sum it up, we researched plastics, international manufacturers, importing, professional photography, graphic designing, sales, marketing and so much more. There were so many obstacles, and it was challenging to overcome the statistic that 95% of all new businesses fail. We decided to be in the other 5%! Working as a team has been invaluable…when one of us gets discouraged, the other one is always there to bolster her – and the roles switch on a regular basis!
Tell us a little bit about Julie and Erin. Your stats, your family, how did you meet? How did you get started, etc?
Erin: I began scrapbooking in 1999 and have since completed 25 albums; most before my two kids were born (now ages 3-1/2 and 10 months).
Julie: I’ve been scrapbooking for over 14 years. Since I have almost NO photos of my own childhood, I determined that this would not be the case for my own family. My oldest son just left for college, and my younger son is a junior in high school. September will mark my husband’s and my 20th wedding anniversary – wow! I have a second successful business scrapbooking for others who do not have the time or the inclination to complete their own photo albums, and as of this year, I’ve completed about 16,000 album pages for others!
We met 5 years ago. Since we are at different stages in our lives, the balance has been very valuable, since we come to the business with different life experiences and attitudes. Our husbands have been very supportive of our venture, and they are “almost” always willing to accommodate our schedules – it is often a juggling act, and we’re getting pretty good at it!
Please watch the scrapbooking blog for part three of this awesome interview!