Honey Bee Home, Six Months On...
Wow, can you believe that we launched six months ago? It's been an amazing journey so far.
The day of the launch, there was a massive problem with WorldPay, as the card payments hadn't gone live properly. Cue one frantic hour on the phone and a lot of apologies via social media later, there was a resolution. Phew.
As time went on, the selection was beautiful but I had to set about finding something unique for the Autumn season. Honey Bee Home really stands for adding luxury detail to your home but in a way that matches your lifestyle.
For me personally, I like a lamp but I don't want the commitment of plugging it in and having to choose one place to keep it. I'd also noticed that micro LED was hot in design. That's where the concept for the Autumn Glow collection came from. It had to contain LED lights and be battery operated.
As Christmas was coming up, I toyed with a couple of different ideas. A bauble boutique? Ornaments only? Christmas tableware? Wreaths? Eventually. the Monochrome and Metallic collection started to come together. I found one particular design of bauble and it went from there.
Six months on, what have I learnt?
Good customer service lies in how you handle complaints I knew this already but it's a much different story, when you have to put that into action. Sucking it up, taking one for the team and making sure that your customer is happy is difficult but absolutely must be done.
Things get broken in the post
Thankfully. it's only happened a couple of times but when it has, I've been hugely disappointing. I've learnt that you can really never be too careful, when it comes to your packing. I ask myself 'is this too much bubble wrap?' and then I add some more.
It's okay to make mistakes
Mistakes in business are what drive most people to grow. Success is great and there's been plenty of that but the 'what on earth do I do now?' moments have been where my 'a-ha!' ideas have come from.
I've had to learn not to be disheartened by ideas that didn't take off (bet none of you remember Q&A Tuesday) or by people who say they're going to buy something because they love it but then don't. I've watched people place items in their basket and then click off. I'm learning not to take things personally.
I've found my style of photography
And a bit of a passion for it too. Upon launch, the wonderful Yasmin Qureshi took the product photos. I loved them. I still do. Only, as time progressed, I realised that taking the photography in-house for now is an effective option for where we're at and in a happy accident, I've created our in-house style, with a black background.
So, what's next for Honey Bee Home?
It's difficult to say, really. I have a lot of big ideas for the brand and until things are confirmed, I obviously won't say too much. I'm always on the look out for home accessories that I think my customers will adore and we're really developing an aesthetic that people immediately recognise. That's important to me.
I'm exploring adding more delivery options to the website. I'd love to get more creative with the content. I'll be blogging more on here. I'd like to see our community grow.
One thing I think I need to focus on is being more personal, as the actual person who started Honey Bee Home, so expect to see a little more of me here.
Finally, I'd like to say a huge 'thank you' to each and every one of you for being on board this year. I love what this is becoming and I'm excited for how it looks in 2018.
Melissa xo
The day of the launch, there was a massive problem with WorldPay, as the card payments hadn't gone live properly. Cue one frantic hour on the phone and a lot of apologies via social media later, there was a resolution. Phew.
As time went on, the selection was beautiful but I had to set about finding something unique for the Autumn season. Honey Bee Home really stands for adding luxury detail to your home but in a way that matches your lifestyle.
For me personally, I like a lamp but I don't want the commitment of plugging it in and having to choose one place to keep it. I'd also noticed that micro LED was hot in design. That's where the concept for the Autumn Glow collection came from. It had to contain LED lights and be battery operated.
As Christmas was coming up, I toyed with a couple of different ideas. A bauble boutique? Ornaments only? Christmas tableware? Wreaths? Eventually. the Monochrome and Metallic collection started to come together. I found one particular design of bauble and it went from there.
Six months on, what have I learnt?
Good customer service lies in how you handle complaints I knew this already but it's a much different story, when you have to put that into action. Sucking it up, taking one for the team and making sure that your customer is happy is difficult but absolutely must be done.
Things get broken in the post
Thankfully. it's only happened a couple of times but when it has, I've been hugely disappointing. I've learnt that you can really never be too careful, when it comes to your packing. I ask myself 'is this too much bubble wrap?' and then I add some more.
It's okay to make mistakes
Mistakes in business are what drive most people to grow. Success is great and there's been plenty of that but the 'what on earth do I do now?' moments have been where my 'a-ha!' ideas have come from.
I've had to learn not to be disheartened by ideas that didn't take off (bet none of you remember Q&A Tuesday) or by people who say they're going to buy something because they love it but then don't. I've watched people place items in their basket and then click off. I'm learning not to take things personally.
I've found my style of photography
And a bit of a passion for it too. Upon launch, the wonderful Yasmin Qureshi took the product photos. I loved them. I still do. Only, as time progressed, I realised that taking the photography in-house for now is an effective option for where we're at and in a happy accident, I've created our in-house style, with a black background.
So, what's next for Honey Bee Home?
It's difficult to say, really. I have a lot of big ideas for the brand and until things are confirmed, I obviously won't say too much. I'm always on the look out for home accessories that I think my customers will adore and we're really developing an aesthetic that people immediately recognise. That's important to me.
I'm exploring adding more delivery options to the website. I'd love to get more creative with the content. I'll be blogging more on here. I'd like to see our community grow.
One thing I think I need to focus on is being more personal, as the actual person who started Honey Bee Home, so expect to see a little more of me here.
Finally, I'd like to say a huge 'thank you' to each and every one of you for being on board this year. I love what this is becoming and I'm excited for how it looks in 2018.
Melissa xo