Launching a store in a pandemic with your bestie!

by Lisa Turner

How exciting!!

Our very first blog post for our new Call Upon A Unicorn website!! (insert loud applause and a zillion high fives)

Let's just say it's been a long time coming. In fact it's been over a year since we started this journey together and as everyone tells you, entrepreneurship is a series of ups and downs as you figure it out. This has certainly been the path we've been on, but it's also a path we both have loved every step of the way and both admit, doesn't feel like work! We have both worked into the wee hours without even knowing it. It's crazy, emotional, challenging, but ohhhhh so wonderful.

Everything changed when DeNon asked; "Do you want to partner with me?"

I've been working in the film & TV industry since I was 27 and I've had an amazing career. I've worked on wonderful projects, with brilliant people and had some amazing experiences. It's truly been a fantastic career that I wouldn't change for the world but the whole time I've been working in film, something has been missing for me, something that filled my soul and made me feel fulfilled at the end of the day. No matter what project I worked on or who I worked with, I just couldn't find it. 

So, last summer after an unexpected lunch together in Toronto (that's a story for another day) DeNon asked me if I would partner with her to launch her business. Let me tell you, I didn't have to think about it for a second, I immediately shouted "YES!" and hugged her in an empty parking lot. I knew we would work well together and more importantly I was proud to be trusted with bringing DeNon's inspired designs to the rest of the world. There may have been happy tears as we both understood what an amazing adventure we had ahead of us.

I've always admired DeNon's ability to put pen to paper and draw something beautiful. It's a talent I don't have and one that I fully respect in artists. I can write, dance, swim, administer first aid, run a post production department on a major TV series, stuff 12 bikinis into a small suitcase the size of a purse....but ask me to draw you something that looks like a human or an animal? Nuh-uh, not gonna happen. You'll wonder if a 6-year old drew it, no offence to the 6-year olds who can draw. So I knew that partnering with my artist friend was the next best thing.

DeNon in her happy place, no matter where that place is. 

DeNon working outside on unicorn designs.       Artist working on iPad creating unicorn designs.        Woman looking at unicorn prints outside.

How did we do it?

Now that you know where we started, let me share how our last year of launching a business in a pandemic has played out. Oh yeh and let's remember, we've never done this before. 

    1. Figure out where & how to start. 
    2. Start. (this is more challenging than it seems)
    3. Determine where we are going to sell. (Shopify, Etsy, Amazon)
    4. Determine which unicorns we would launch with.
    5. Buy URLs.
    6. Register company name.
    7. Find a printing company that works well with us.
    8. Start to build a website. (seems easy enough)
    9. Research popular colours for our products.
    10. Start over on the website.
    11. Start sharing on Social Media. 
    12. Find a different printing company.
    13. Find mentors who have done what we're trying to do.
    14. Perfect the unicorns we launch with.
    15. Go back to original printing company (who we love)
    16. Do test print run, after test print run, after.....you get the picture.
    17. Put our designs in front of test audience for feedback.
    18. Rebuild the website again.
    19. Finalize all colours.
    20. Put website in front of test audience.
    21. Do our first real print run of all products (this is a biggy)
    22. Tweak website, tweak website, tweak website.
    23. Receive unexpected news that an investor wants to help us (I may have cried tears of joy)
    24. Partner with an amazing PR firm to help us launch strong
    25. Tackle photo shoots and last website tweaks
    26. Set date to launch....it's starting to really feel like the hard work is paying off
    27. Order more products ready for launch!
    28. BOOM! Miss launch date due to flooding in BC and products stuck on a truck. 
    29. Calmly focus on how to solve supply chain issue and finally......
    30. We launch! At 11:11 pm Toronto time on November 29, we officially opened the store together and toasted over the phone.

It has been so much work to get the business off the ground, especially during a pandemic when suppliers have shipping delays, mail is slower than normal, classes we wanted were cancelled and we weren't allowed to go into stores to look and feel paper samples. Somehow, even through all this, as DeNon worked with a toddler by her side while managing her Lyme Disease hand pain and with me simultaneously working on a documentary, we pulled it off. AND most importantly, we couldn't be more proud of ourselves. Maybe a little bit tired, but mostly proud! 

Why so proud? Well, the whole reason we wanted to do this now is because the world has had a rough go over these last 21 months and we feel like we could all use a little more love, magic, good news and positivity in our lives. The unicorn represents exactly that; positivity, love & self-belief which is what our designs are meant to bring into your home, one sweet, chic & unique unicorn at a time.

This is just the beginning of our venture into the online world as we have a lot more up our sleeves. But we both felt very confident that our baby unicorns needed to be the first products we put out into the world as they are a toast to all the beautifully unique little humans on the planet. 

We hope you feel the love, magic and inspiration that has gone into every Call Upon A Unicorn design you bring into your home. If you love it as much as we do, then this is all worth it. 

Much love and unicorn magic,

Lisa xxx

 

 

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