Coronavirus Delay Updates
We're going to get through this
Micaela Brown
Founder & CEO of Blush & Whimsy
To say it is a challenging time would be an understatement.
My brother is getting married this fall, and those of us in the wedding party were told to buy our bridesmaids dresses and the wedding dress THIS WEEK to ensure it arrives in time. Wedding dresses are delayed.
A friend of mine bought an adorable tutu for her daughter's 1yr birthday in May from a store on Etsy, and was told it might not arrive in time because of product delays.
Our new product manufacturer in the USA gets their cosmetics tubes from China. They can't fulfill our order due to delays.
This week, New York instituted a series of economic support initiatives offering 0% interest loans for small businesses, and grants for those with employees. New Mexico doesn't have these initiatives for our small businesses, and we're struggling. New Mexico doesn't have any reported cases of the virus, thank the lord! The effects though, are far reaching.
Blush & Whimsy
Our necklaces were scheduled to be ready in January to ship to our guests, and have been delayed. HOWEVER, the factory told us they will ship this week. I know to expect logistics delays because airlines have cut flights, but I can tell you the Moon & Stars necklaces that were featured in the "Everybody Wins" gift bags given to Oscar nominees are on their way!! As soon as I find out dates, I will let you know. AS SOON as the charms arrive, I will arrange to have ALL HANDS ON DECK to get those necklaces together, packaged, and shipped to you asap!
Lipstick packaging is going to take a while longer. The manufacturer is backlogged with orders, and said they would notify us when our boxes are in production. Once in production, I'll have a better understanding of how long it will be until they arrive. The virus lives on surfaces for several days. Customs will be handling shipments, but they need to be cleared for the virus before going into the mail system to our warehouse. We are closely monitoring the situation and working with officials to ensure all procedures are followed and everything is safe.
Lessons for later
Large companies have the capital to open multiple manufacturing facilities, and if there is a problem at one, quickly move to another. However, this time it seems that even large companies are having the same issues the small businesses are having in terms of having inventory delays.
As Blush & Whimsy continues to grow, the major lesson I've learned is to have an additional backup fund for products if something happens to a factory and we need to quickly move to another manufacturer. In this case, we paid for our products, they are delayed, and we don't have the capital to pay another factory to make them. I'll keep diversifying where we get our ingredients so that I can mitigate the risk of something like this happening again.
Blush & Whimsy is self funded, I started the company with NOTHING in 2016. I launched (and failed) an indiegogo campaign that raised $2500 and opened up preorders on our website which brought in a total of $5,000 for our first product order.
I believe if I can take the company through our first major challenge in 2018 AND the coronavirus, we can get through anything! Blush & Whimsy will celebrate 3 years of shipping products this July. Our first 3 years in business has taught me #allthethings!
These challenges have taught me several things:
Once we recover from the Coronavirus delays, I'm going to focus more on building capital so that we aren't in a panic when something like this happens. It's happened twice in 3 years, so it is safe to assume we can expect another disruption.
I'm thankful and grateful for those who are ready and willing to help us keep the lights on while we wait for products. Hugs, coffee, and wine are always appreciated ;) I'm honored by the continued support of all of you - you've believed in us from the beginning and we wouldn't even be here without you.
How you can help
There are so many small businesses struggling! The best way to help is to purchase something. Anything coming in helps; income keeps our lights on. There may be delays, but rest assured we have your order and WILL NOT LOSE IT. You have no idea how important you all are to us! #yourekindofabigdeal If there is anything we can do to help you, please let me know!
Thank you for giving me your time to read this. We love you. Appreciate you.
Warm Regards,
Micaela Brown
