Expanding my Business

The Stinkerpants Blog

November 9, 2009 in Running A Business • Running Stinkerpants

Over the past few months, I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching and business plan writing, and I’ve decided that it’s time to make some changes in my business.

Specifically, it’s time to expand. I need to create products that are not custom so that my husband and I don’t have to live in a cardboard box down by the river. I’m only partially kidding (haha).

I’ve been blogging here for about two years, and I’ve really come to value your opinions and feedback. I’m hoping you guys can help me out: what would you like to see Stinkerpants do next? It doesn’t have to be wedding-related: anything you can think of. I’m looking for specific items to pursue, not just generally “kid’s products,” you know? If I use your idea, you’ll be the first to get whatever it is, I promise.

Any ideas? A billion thanks for helping me to build my business, both in the past and in the future. I really appreciate all of you, lurkers and commenters alike. :) Thank you.

Back to all blog posts

Thanks so much, Melissa! Great ideas!
Posted by Sara • Stinkerpants on 2010-08-26 20:49:57 Great Idea- Congrats on the baby! I think you should do templates (insert couple here) for major cities and advertise at the latest amrketing place “Cupcake Shops” lets face it it would be a faster turnaround the couple would be personalized. Speaking of templates you could sell business cards templates postcards etc,etc, on sitesl ike inkd.com or vista print just imagine template on here we could click to a get B-Day wedding invites save the date. I could go on but my point is you wont be re-inventing the wheel everytime it would still give the couple personalization and selling business cards templates on other sites gives you a way of continually making money.
Posted by Melissa on 2010-07-03 19:54:12 Thanks so much, Veronica! I actually have a few cards featuring black women, but they haven’t sold at all! I’m leaving them up because I have faith that some day, white people won’t think it’s weird to get a card with a black woman on it. I should definitely do more greeting cards for gay weddings specifically. I try to make sure that the cards don’t mention gender so they can be used for any type of wedding, but more gay specific would be good. :) Thanks so much for your input!
Posted by Stinkerpants on 2010-07-03 19:53:38 I would love more diversity in your greeting cards! I have a black friend who is gay, and I know she just bought a ring propose to her girlfriend, I would LOVE to see a “Congratulations on your Engagement” card featuring two women of color! There is a big market for gay weddings (despite the whole prop 8 mess passing), I think that would be a great gap to fill!
Posted by Veronica on 2010-07-03 19:53:01 PS: Hi Jason!! I haven’t seen you in awhile and it’s nice to hear from you!!
Posted by Stinkerpants on 2010-07-03 19:52:33 Wow, thank you so much for all of your continued feedback! You guys are so great and have given me a ton to think about!!
Posted by Stinkerpants on 2010-07-03 19:52:01 What about using the skyline images that someone referenced on tote bags? Or doodle pads? Journals with animals on the front cover?
Posted by Chrissie on 2010-07-03 19:51:23 I think your animal drawings would be really cute as vinyl wall graphics for kids rooms.
Posted by Sarah E on 2010-07-03 19:50:56 I love these ideas! I’d totally buy a cute baby tee with a witty comment on it. I love the baby onsies idea. I’d also love: 1. A pack of thank you cards with multiple designs. 2. City-personalized items. Like a SF tee with the SF skyline. Or a print of different skylines large enough to hang in a house. So many things you can do! :)
Posted by Kelly on 2010-07-03 19:50:10 We love our notecards. (I just saw the J&P entry under “Thank Yous”) We get compliments on them whenever we use them. What about a partial custom portrait card to be used as note cards? (think Sears or Olan Miller) You create a set of back drops to choose from. (frame, clouds, grassy field, etc.) Customer send you the their pics and you draw the just faces. No bodies. This way you can standardize it. The price is determined by how many faces (human or animal) are requested. You can also develop a line of stickers to customize the cards. Basically hats and accessories that would fit on your standardized heads. (santa hat, witches hat, balloons) So people can get a custom look for a bit cheaper. And if they want to update their cards as their family grows or their kids get older, or they get new pets, you have the template and can charge for the “alterations.”
Posted by Jason on 2010-07-03 19:49:22 I loved your ABC cards/images, and I wonder if you could do any more with them, since you’ve already done the drawings? I could imagine lots of cute stores near me carrying products with those images or images like them.
Posted by Kimra on 2010-07-03 19:48:49 Do you have an affiliate program? I know I would love to rep your wedding related products.
Posted by Kathy on 2010-07-03 19:48:17 WOW, you guys are AWESOME!! Thank you so much for all of these great ideas!!
Posted by Stinkerpants on 2010-07-03 19:43:28 I love the idea of baby stuff – onesies, bibs, etc., and maybe some frameable prints for nurseries (a variety of animals, that sort of thing).
Posted by Lisa in Oz on 2010-07-03 19:42:52 I love the idea of doing monogram stationary… you could do notepads, To Do lists and Grocery lists w/ magnets on the back.
Posted by Ali on 2010-07-03 19:42:19 Notecards. I think illustrated notecards would be awesome.
Posted by Sharon on 2010-07-03 19:41:44 I covet your Alphabet poster for the nursery that doesn’t yet exist, for my children who won’t be born for years. :-D Therefore, I agree with everyone who says you should consider children’s books. I also wonder if you could do more prints and posters… This is exciting!
Posted by schmei on 2010-07-03 19:41:25 I agree with Bri – I think children’s book illustration! I also have no idea how you get into that…
Posted by Jade on 2010-07-03 19:41:01 I agree with every other comment! Doing something like boxed notecards would be perfect (Thank you notes, blank monogram cards, blank animal cards). I also love your backgrounds… maybe some blank cards with cityscapes (San Fran, New York, DC, Austin, Seattle, etc). Maybe you could do half custom, half not … like, create a site where users could pick a completed drawing and then put the drawing onto whatever medium they want (notecards, stationary, envelopes, picture to hang in their home, etc) Hope this helps :)
Posted by suzanne on 2010-07-03 19:40:35 What about stationery sets – notecards, letter paper, memos/post-it notes? I really like the cityscape backgrounds you have in some of your custom work (e.g. the Golden Gate Bridge for SF couples), so a few variations of generic couples against backgrounds featuring different cities might be cute.
Posted by Zoe on 2010-07-03 19:39:05 comics would be cool :)
Posted by honeymyheart on 2010-07-03 19:38:34 I love the idea of stationery. You could even do a line of monogram stationery using the alphabet letters you’ve already illustrated. I’m also a huge fan/hoarder of blank cards (designs or illustrations on the outside, nothing on the inside). They’re so useful to have on hand for any occasion, and since they’ll be completely blank inside, you could illustrate the outside with whatever tickles your fancy. No clever phrasing needed.
Posted by joy on 2010-07-03 19:37:59 Definitely greeting cards and notepads. I use notepads like a mo-fo. Maybe some cute ones with headings specifically for To-do lists, grocery lists, to-blog lists? Weekly menu lists? Can you tell I’m a listy person? Heh. Greeting cards – I’d love to see cards for thank you, birthday, seasonal, get well soon, new baby etc.
Posted by alittlecoffee on 2010-07-03 19:37:18 I’d love some Stinkerpants notepads and sets of Thank You cards. I’m still stuck on stationery, though… having a hard time coming up with non-stationery items. I would wear a “this is what love looks like” t-shirt all the time, I’m sure of it! What about waterproof stickers that I can put on my water bottle or laptop cover?
Posted by Marianne (MsPurple24) on 2010-07-03 19:36:50 I keep hoping that you will come out with a set of non-customized thank you notes. Thank you notes would be an attainable way for me to have some Stinkerpants stationary that I would definitely use. As for specifics…you could do animal themed ones…city-scaped themed ones…holiday themed ones…etc. Also, the initial stationary would be fantastic…note cards with an initial and a spunky illustration.
Posted by Ryn on 2010-07-03 19:36:21 I like the idea of calendars or planners. You could do cute illustrations for holidays, instead of just writing, “Christmas Day” in the box like most calendars/planners.
Posted by Courtney on 2010-07-03 19:35:48 I love Turtle and Andrea’s ideas! (I’m not good with ideas, but I thought I’d see what other people suggested.) I love your animals, love stationery, love baby onesies (and my friends seem to be producing kids at a breakneck rate)… and bibs and t-shirts. In fact, the t-shirt idea might be my favorite. Well, except for all the others. (Sorry, I’m no help, but I can offer enthusiasm!)
Posted by Marisa on 2010-07-03 19:35:22 I think your designs would work well on baby bibs or onesies. I’d definitely buy one for my niece. I also like the “this is what love looks like” graphic.
Posted by Jane on 2010-07-03 19:34:45 Have you ever considered children’s books? Writing them yourself or illustrating others? I have no idea how to get started on that, but I could totally see you coming up with something dynamic!
Posted by Bri on 2010-07-03 19:34:16 What about monogram stationery with all the alphabet letters on them. The generic gift that still looks custom! Or downloadable invitation suites people could purchase and print themselves.
Posted by andrea on 2010-07-03 19:33:45 I also really love your animal drawings. I think it would be great to have a calendar of cute little animals. What about notebooks? I’m thinking Lisa Frank for adults (minus the hologram unicorn!).
Posted by Amanda on 2010-07-03 19:12:15 I think your animal drawings are the best– and you could see them in lines of greeting cards, frameable prints, stationary, blog headers, or if you want to go into textiles: on babies’ one-z’s (or whatever those things are called, bibs, aprons, tea-towels.
Posted by Turtle on 2010-07-03 19:11:39 I loved your "this is what love looks like" graphics and would really like to see them on other items. Possibly t-shirts?
Posted by Erin on 2010-07-03 19:11:09 Maybe you’ve done these already, but what about birth announcements (I’m thinking something with the stork) or children birthday party invitations or party theme items. I’m thinking of those over-done ones in the aisle at Target. I don’t have kids, but definitely think you could liven up those types of items!
Posted by Heidi on 2010-07-03 19:09:58

Stinkerpants

The Stinkerpants Blog