• about this blog

    The postings on this blog are a compilation of over 30 years of industry insights from wedding and stationery industry writer, seminar speaker and consultant Brian Lawrence from his broad experience in the retail and wholesale arena.

    Here you will find industry trends, marketing advice, new service offerings and musings. We invite you to add comments and learn from others who have businesses similar to yours. You can subscribe to the blog by adding your email address to the tab on the right side below.

What Author Seth Godin Told Me About The Stationery Industry

By Brian | Published: March 6, 2013

In 2011 marketing guru Seth Godin was the keynote speaker at the Futures Conference that took place at the beginning of the National Stationery Show. As a former National Stationery Show advisory board member and 5 time speaker, several months before the show I had contacted him offering my assistance in sharing with him some of the intricacies of our industry.

He did respond and politely declined my assistance. Having read several of books, and many of his blog posts, attended another seminar of his, I feel Seth is a visionary and outstanding speaker. However I feel he ended up delivering an interesting but more generic presentation that did not get to the heart of the stationery industry issues.

I shared that sentiment with him and he responded, “He was hired as a speaker not as a consultant”.  However he also shared with me that he felt the retail environment has serious challenges and saw an opening for manufacturers to open up consumer channels but that were very specialized and that retailer has to really work hard to define a special niche.

I realize that some of the domain names that are available on my domain name site www.weddingindustrydomains.com would be a strong platform for either a stationery retailer or a stationery manufacturer to build consumer e-commerce websites targeting a niche that is in demand:

While I was against stationery manufacturers selling direct during many of my years in the industry, it is becoming an accepted practice under ethical circumstances and this is an article that covers some good basic points. http://bit.ly/13HlghQ.

While Seth might have not been exactly in his “domain” at NSS, here are some of the domains that one might purchase for future development knowing that is an asset that can be resold in the future. For more info on the value and benefits of domain names, please click here.

Some of those domains are:

BoxedHolidayCards.com
BoxedStationery.com
CoutureWeddingInvitations.com
CustomBirthAnnouncements.com
FanWeddingPrograms.com
GreenHolidayCards.net
GreenInvitations.net
LayeredInvitations.com
MonogrammedInvitations.com
NewBornAnnouncements.com
OneOfAKindInvitations.com
PersonalizedThankyouCards.com
ShowerInvite.com
Sweet16Invitation.com
TubeInvitations.com
UniquePartyInvitations.com
UpsacaleChristmasCards.com
UpscaleGreetingCards.com
UpscaleHolidayCards.com
WeddingPocketInvitations.com
WhiteInvitations.com
YellowInvitations.com

Please contact me for pricing or browse on www.weddingindustrydomains.com.

 

    Posted in domain names, invitation industry, Stationery Industry, wedding industry | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

    The Lost Weekend

    By Brian | Published: February 4, 2013

    “The Lost Weekend” was the 1945 Academy Award Winner. It starred Ray Milland as a charming but pathetic writer who was as worse an alcoholic that can ever be depicted. The movie focuses on one weekend when he is supposed to be focused on writing a book but is on an ongoing bender of fueling his endless thirst for alcohol, having delusions of clarity on his book while drinking, but coming with nothing when sitting in front of a typewriter. The people who love and support him who can do nothing to prevent his collapse.

    I had a lost weekend based on having a cold with a level of intense symptoms and weakness that smite me down from someone who could often not sit still to someone who could not get up.  My commitment to the couch was at my condo in sunny Florida, all alone. I had gotten away to play ball and do some creative work on my own terms. I could do neither.

    However, despite the fact I did nothing but watch one channel, Turner Classic Movies, I gained from this lost weekend. I had a chance to understand the gift of health I take for granted every day. I also saw some of the greatest movies, all Academy Award Winners with actors like Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, James Cagney, Audrey Hepburn who expressed the evils and temptations of the world without shedding an inch of flesh or uttering a profane word.

    When I woke up this morning after dozing off through the Super Bowl and feeling much better, I realized that my mind had a better vacation that if my body stayed healthy.  And sometimes we just have to take vacations on our own terms and give ourselves that gift to rejuvenate the mind. I know for most of my audience which are wedding professionals, stationery retailers and wedding industry suppliers, now may not be the time.

      Posted in family, humor, marketing, personal musings | Leave a comment

      20/20 Has No Vision When It Comes To The Wedding Industry

      By Brian | Published: January 21, 2013

      I watched ABC 20/20′s show on weddings that aired Friday January 18th. I was happy to see Wedding MBA get some exposure. And their clip of Wedding MBA was using one of Chris Evan’s sales seminar. However they were showing it to try to show how wedding professionals are trained to exploit the bride. Fortunately, that ridiculous slant on sales training was refuted well by Chris when he was interviewed.

      The segment showed wedding disasters, groomzilla’s, and engagement frauds like a bride who pretended to be dying from cancer to hook her groom. They accused the industry of having higher prices just because it’s a wedding and proved proof by having 2 people call the same company for the same date for a wedding and a party, and get different prices. And they discussed how wedding businesses might look at the type of car that a bride drives to see how much money they can overcharge her.

      The show could have been more tastefully done and fairer if they also brought in people reflect the greatness of our industry rather than interviewing controversial people like Denise and Alan Fields, author of “Bridal Bargains” who support one of the underlying themes of the show that brides need to be aware of being duped every where they go.

      Fortunately, our industry has many influencers that create a truer picture and the show will be dismissed as the piece of tabloid journalism it was.

        Posted in humor, personal musings, Uncategorized, wedding industry | Leave a comment

        Leading Jersey Photo Studio Wants To Subrent Space

        By Brian | Published: December 5, 2012

        If you have a home based business looking for more exposure or want to establish a satellite location in a prominent upscale area, read about this opportunity very carefully.

        Stephen Taylor Photography, an established studio of over twenty years and one of the most caterer recommended event photographers, has a prominent retail location in thriving downtown Bernardsville, NJ around the corner from The Bernard’s Inn.  Their spacious studio has room to sub rent to several event related vendors which can result in tremendous mutual benefit. Reasons to consider this opportunity:

        1) Give your business the prominence, internet advantage and credibility that a retail location has without the retail headaches of high rent, insurance, utilities and long hours.
        2) Enjoy a location that has potential customers referred to you daily.
        3) Be part of a new concept in event marketing through education that is being developed.
        4) Cooperative advertising and marketing opportunities for a fractional cost.

        They are looking for a few reputable and established vendors (other than photographers or videographers) that have an existing clientele.

        Ideal for an Invitation Business, DJ or Band, Bridal Consultant or Party Planner, Wedding Clergy.

        If you are interested please email Stephen directly at stphoto1@gmail.com with your contact information including your current location (specify home based or office), phone, email and website. He’ll be in touch very shortly to arrange a meeting to see the space. His website will be redesigned by our company in the coming months but you can see the high quality of this work at http://www.stephentaylorphoto.com/index2.php#/home/. Owner Stephen Taylor has tremendous knowledge and industry contacts that are sure to help your business in numerous ways.

          Posted in charity, Event Planning Industry, events, invitation industry, local business, marketing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

          • Pages

          • Archives

          • Archived Posts

          • Categories

          • Subscribe for free email updates

          •   Like us on Facebook




          • Subscribe to our RSS

             Subscribe in your reader