Learning Opportunity
A lesson in commerce. My daughter and I spent several months discussing, designing, and creating a series of mugs for me to sell in our online store at Gatewood Press. The goal was to create something with the potential to sell not only to the fans I have for this blog, but to a broader base. To that end we even advertised on social media. I used the approach in 2021 when I published my last book, with good results. The results this time? We sold two mugs.
What did I learn? It’s hard to create a product people want, and even if they do want it, they might not want it now. Our advertising metrics showed that well over 3,000 people saw the ads, and a fair number of them clicked the links. Both sales went to a family member and a friend. I also re-learned that uncertainty is the name of the game in business as in life. Nothing is promised, and divining the will and intentions of your audience or your friends is difficult, because a mind is a hard thing to read. In the end, what they do is what counts.
And I’m not writing this to generate sympathy sales. It’s about the insight into trying and failing, accepting rejection, and understanding that commerce, and life for that matter, is relatively unsentimental. Customers were the object of my affection. I pursued them and failed. The reasons are most likely myriad, although I know the best product is one that satisfies a need. And it’s obvious no one needed another coffee cup, regardless of the picture or witty saying on the outside. Fair enough. What I can fall back on is that I did the best I could and maybe I’ll hit the mark next time.