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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Why I Said Yes!

Being my own boss is not always easy.  From a practical standpoint, it's quite overwhelming.  I put on many hats.... administrator, receptionist, errand person, bookkeeper, and most recently, marketing director.

As the "marketing director," I was asked a few weeks ago if I (kiu Designs actually), would be willing to donate a clutch purse (or two) for a silent auction.  This request, like most things in life, did not actually fall out of the sky randomly....

It so happened that one of my good friends had recently purchased the Lara Clutch Purse from me after an afternoon rendezvous for lunch.  With a full belly and a newly acquired fashion statement, back at her office, she instantly developed new fans of her purse.

That was how the fundraising department of the non-profit organization where my friend work came to send me an email, boldly asking for a kind donation to their silent auction.

Why would I say yes?  Why would a small-time independent handbag designer, give away her prized clutch purses for free?

For one, it's good karma.  As a practicing Buddhist, karma helps me navigate through life and subconsciously always make the right decision ;-)  Notwithstanding, when I think about my good fortune (however big or small), I am grateful for all the positive karma that has come my way.  So here was an opportunity to pay it forward.

The rest of my reasons actually make me much more human :-)

Seriously though, the organization, California Academy of Family Physicians is a legitimate non-profit, whom, in my opinion, does important work in the field of family medicine.  I felt comfortable supporting a legitimate and altruistic non-profit organization.  Because I have many friends who work in the non-profit world, it also made me feel good about myself (which is totally self-serving, I know).

Being that I'm also a for-profit business, I also knew that I'd more likely than not be able to provide proof of this donation for year-end tax purposes.

In addition, giving also helps to market your company - however small your company may be.  Malcolm Gladwell sure knew what he was talking about when he wrote the Tipping Point. Marketing by word of mouth can be contagious, just like an epidemic.  With the right kind of individuals supporting your company (either by buying your products or spreading through word of mouth your company), your company can potentially see exponential growth in a short period of time.  This reminds me of a story about one of my friend's food blogs... but I'll have to save that for another blog post.

Saying yes also gave me a chance to test out a new bag design.  I created a new shoulder bag with a  generous 12 inch drop.  It comfortably holds a neck pillow, some magazines, and a beach towel for a sunny-day outing.  It comes with a partitioned flap pocket inside as well as a flap pocket on the outside.  I paired the shoulder bag with two clutch purses.
The 10 inch kisslock clutch purse is perfect for that "Hampton Chic" evening out on the lake (or backyard patio).  The smaller, fishtail lock clutch purse is a perfect finale to wrap up this collection.  Total retail value: $250+

Moral of the story: give, but give discerningly.  I've had my share donation requests that didn't always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy, but rather, paranoid and gullible.  Certainly, we've all had our encounters of the unsavory kind.  And if you live in San Francisco, you know exactly what I mean!

Weighing in all the pros and cons, I'm glad I said yes.  I love my bag collection and whomever ends up "getting" this bag at the silent auction, I hope, will love the collection too, and maybe, help me spread the word!