Everyday Struggles of Being Your Own Boss

With more and more inspiring stories coming up, such as our favorite Girls girl Lena Dunham, almost everyone dreams of being their own #GirlBoss. As appealing and exciting as it sounds to owning and running your own business, there are some pitfalls and lessons we have learnt over the years to keep our sanity! 

Does your to-do list seem toe grow exponentially? Yes? That is a good sign! It means you are innovating and growing, and don't you just want to complete everything on that list as soon as possible? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you are only one person! It is okay to ask for help. Prioritize your tasks, and use your resources as best as possible. If you are a rockstar at doing something, and your partner/staff can handle the other task, then feel free to delegate those extra tasks to others! Stretching yourself too thin is dangerous territory.

When do you stop working? Finding some time to yourself to 100% relax and take your mind off the business is almost impossible. This is the trade-off you are making by pursuing a passion since the passion becomes your life. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we are also human and humans need unadulterated, uninterrupted leisure from time to time! So whether you enjoy curling up with a good book, doing the latest Zumba fitness workout, or cuddling your dogs while binge-watching Netflix, find a vice that will help you relax. Don't feel guilty about it! Alone time is A-OK! 

Who are your biggest supporters? Family, friends, mentors - believe it or not - are interested in hearing about your well-being just as much as they are interested in your business! Forgetting to stay in touch with your nearest and dearest is a pitfall to avoid; we know ours definitely keep us grounded. Everyone has a friend that basically disappears when they start a new relationship, and don't reappear until the inevitable break-up. Don't be the friend that is in an unhealthy relationship with their business! 

What motivates you the most? We make it a mission to discuss in our Winky Family what keeps each individual going every morning. What about for yourself? Sometimes it is easy to be so entrenched with the short-term goals and achievements, that you forget the big picture and why you started this all in the first place! Find out what makes you happy every day and remind yourself of that feeling. Keep your eye on the prize! 

It took a lot of commendable courage for you to jump in to explore your own passions. Managing and multi-tasking has become second nature to you, so try to keep that stress at bay with our handy tips! If all else fails, our foolproof Feel Good Solution is to have a Taylor Swift dance party. That always does the trick! #WinkyJoy

Winky hard at work: sleeves rolled up, power tools in hand, building out the Container Park Store

"Running your own business is sometimes not unlike riding a rollercoaster.  There are these high-highs, low-lows, sometimes you do loops and you're back where you started, and sometimes you just want to throw up.  After doing this for so many years, I have really learned that the entrepreneur who make it are the ones who are able to weather through the tough times.  There are going to be days where you just feel extremely down and hopeless, and you think everything is failing.   And, if you don't believe in your business, yourself, or don't have the strength to make it through, most entrepreneurs will just close up shop.  I've had a lot of these moments myself, and it's ONLY because of my encouraging support system that I hang in there, and I can tell you - it is ALWAYS worth it. We have grown tremendously over the last 4-5 years, and we've had more wins than losses overall, it's just about keeping your eye on the long-term game." - Winky Wu

Catching Up With Lead in the Window Owner and Artist, Mya Daily

This week we're stoked to introduce you guys to Lead in the Window owner Mya Daily. Like an awesome superhero, she's a nurse by day helping to save lives and a stained glass artist by night saving homes from unadorned spaces! *BANG* *POW* *WHIZZZZ* We sat down with her to get some insight on the art of stained glass, her new store at The Container Park in downtown Las Vegas, and how she manages to juggle it all. Someone get us 3cc's of popcorn STAT!

Winky Designs: Your pieces are beautiful and quite unique! How did you get into the stained glass craft?
Mya Daily: I learned the craft of stained glass 15 years ago. I attended a 4 year bachelor of nursing program and at the time our curriculum didn't allow for “extra” classes such as stained glass that was offered through the school of art at the university I attended. I begged the instructor to let me audit the course and she kept turning me down stating, “You are in the nursing program. Your schedule doesn't allow it in your classes.” The summer I graduated I kept asking this master stained glass maker to still allow me to audit her course now that I didn't have to do it in the middle of a nursing program. She still kept turning me down. Then one afternoon I got a phone call and it was her telling me that I could audit the class. The rest is history.

W.D.: How do you juggle your nursing career with your craft and running a small business?
M.D..: I am a full time nurse. I have been a nurse for 15 years and have done a variety of things in the nursing profession. I started in labor and delivery. Then some spent some time in neonatal intensive care and burn unit. Most recently started an emergency medical transport program for high risk obstetric patients before relocating to Las Vegas and now working in a local emergency room. I am only able to keep my nursing career and run the business with my partner Ellisha by my side. We have been together for 7 years and I taught her the craft from home and luckily we both have lots of leadership and management skills from past experiences. She is able to be in the store full time for us so that is what helps us day in and day out.

W.D.: What is the craziest/coolest/weirdest custom design you've made for a client?

M.D.: It’s interesting that you ask this. I am currently working on the coolest piece I've ever had the opportunity to do for someone. It is actually a collaboration with a large company and I’m not allowed to share with who until it is accepted by this company but if you happen to stop by the shop in the next couple days you can then see the work in progress. We will be so excited to share it once it’s completed! Keep your eyes open for news from us.

Wait, this looks familiar...

W.D.: As a small business owner opening up her first store, what was the most unexpected obstacle you've had to overcome?
M.D.: The biggest obstacle to date was our initial opening date changing. We were given an initial opening date and then it was pushed back by over a month. At that point we had invested so much by putting capital into our supply, products, and employee training that the delay of having an open door for our store was a huge impact financially and emotionally.

W.D.:  Why did you choose downtown Las Vegas and Container Park specifically, to open your store?

M.D.: I have always been a fan of downtown. I like old Vegas and what it was. I have an old soul at heart and the history of downtown is always intriguing to me. Once I came to the Container Park for the first time I was hooked. I liked what it was doing for Downtown and from the first visit wanted to be apart of it.

W.D.: What’s next for you and Lead in the Window?

M.D.: Lead In The Window would love to look at opening a second location that would focus more on the supplies for the craft of Stained Glass. Offering hundreds of varieties of glass, lead, and other items needed for doing the craft. We would also like to spend more time offering courses to teach others this dying art.

Thanks Mya for sharing with us the crazy cool art of stained glass! We love the detailed pieces...and your awesome hair! You can expect us to be taking some classes once that rolls out. I wonder how many pieces we'd need to make a glass replica of our doggy's face?...

You can stay updated on the goings on at Lead in the Window by following their Facebook page, visiting their Etsy store, or simply going down to The Downtown Container Park in Las Vegas if you're in town and snagging some beautiful pieces!

Lead in the Window

707 Fremont Street Suite 2250

 Las Vegas, Nevada

5 Tips For Opening a Successful Store

Opening a retail store can be a great way to sell your own designs (say, bracelet wrap watches and cool fashion accessories?), fashions from other designers, or a combination of both. We had the amazeballs opportunity to open our first retail location in Las Vegas, Nevada in December 2013. Mostly focusing on our wholesale and online channels, we wanted a store front what would allow our business to promote brand recognition and brand exposure. Most people that have worked for a big box retailer know that when you open a new store, you just deal with moving product in and training staff. Most do not realize the amount of planning and little details that go into opening a new store. As a small business owner, opening your own store can set forth several challenges such as construction, product delays, or even lack of planning. It takes a lot of work to open your own retail store and make it a success! The following tips can help your store opening process be a successful one.

The Winky Designs flagship store!

1. PICK A THEME

First and foremost, pick a theme for your store. Take your business partner or your team to a local mall to generate and create ideas. There are sometimes hundreds of different stores in a mall; however, to help you narrow down some of the stores, look at stores that carry similar products that you’ll be carrying. Pay close attention to staging products from a visual standpoint: How are their windows set up? What type of fixtures do they have? What type of props and visual displays does every store use? What type of counter will your register be on? While on this journey at the mall, keep your phone charged so that you are able to take pictures, not to copy, but to remember the ideas that you did like. Take notes of stores that you may want to revisit. This team exercise should inspire you to gather ideas, thoughts, and paint a picture on what your future store can look like.

Pick and theme and communicate it throughout the store

2. HAVE A DETAILED FLOOR PLAN & TIMELINE

As soon as you know what unit or space your business will be occupying, come up with a detailed floor plan. Have a mock floor plan drawn out with spacing, the types of fixtures you have in mind, and a timeline to get these actions done. Give yourself time to compare prices locally and online for fixtures, displays, and hardware. Smaller businesses usually have smaller budgets and look to minimize cost as much as possible. For a small start-up business, a detailed floor plan is very important from a branding perspective. It is important to convey to the customer exactly what your business is about and what you are selling. It may be the only shot to win a customer for life. With no set vision of what your store will look like, it could be confusing to the customer what you are trying to sell in your store and therefore could hinder your potential sales. Having a detailed plan and timeline in place will allow you to be able to react to any other changes that will come up.

Plan your space efficiently to maximize selling

3. ADDING TO YOUR SPACE: MIRRORS

Simple things can add to your space like adding mirrors in your store. If you are working with a small space there are plenty of ways to make a small room appear larger than it really is. Through creative use of mirrors, you can trick the eye into thinking a room is larger, eradicating the claustrophobic or cluttered feel that many small rooms carry. Strategically placed mirrors can brighten a room and brighter rooms are often viewed by the eye as being larger than they really are. Mirrors, especially larger ones, add a sense of depth to a small space, making it appear larger; however, larger or customized mirrors can be quite expensive and can vary anywhere between $300-$900. Using a series of smaller mirrors combined can create the same effect you would get from a larger mirror and will save you a lot of money. Home Depot and Lowe’s have standard size mirrors at great prices, which will allow set up costs to be as minimal as possible.

Adding mirrors opens up the a small space and adds depth

4. ADDING TO YOUR SPACE: SIGNAGE

Another way to utilize your wall space is by adding life style photos and posters of the products that you carry in your store. Life style posters are a great way to showcase to the customers how your product will look on a live person. These posters would make a good substitute for a store that doesn't have mannequins.

Most small businesses will only have one person working in the store at a time. Have pricing around the store that can be easily seen and that is type written. Typing out a sign is much more professional than a hand-written one because it is easier to read and has a neater appearance. This will help with indirect customer service when you are busy helping someone else at the moment. 

Signage should match the theme of the store

5. POS SYSTEM

Buy a cash register to hold money and a merchant account to accept credit card payments at your store. The register should be electronic and able to capture and report a history of your cash sales. Having credit card capability will make it easier for your customers to pay and will keep you from losing sales if you are a cash-only store. There are many pos systems out there; however, Square is one of the more commonly used systems. Square will take credit card transactions through an iPhone, iPad, or Android. Smaller businesses are using Square because it’s cost efficient, simple and easy to use. Square advertises a transaction fee per transaction of 2.75%, however it’s negotiable! Just ask them. Square helps you eliminate receipt clutter and saves you money with printing and receipt paper. Most of all we are doing a good deed saving the environment. Most customers will be ok with “going green” with no tangible receipt printed out, however, there will be “that customer…” (haha), that will demand it. In this circumstance, have a receipt pad available just in case. They are available at Staples or an Office Depot type supply store.

iPads are portable and much less expensive than a traditional POS system

Taking a little bit of time and thinking your plan through before the opening process starts will save you a lot of hassles in the future. Advice for anyone thinking about opening their own store or going to start the process soon, the Winky Designs Team would say, “It’s time…to be prepared and make this store opening a successful one!”

The hard work pays off !

What's An Internship Like? Gedalya, Our Winky Designs Newbie, Sheds Some Light On the Subject

“Internship on Wednesday”. The words look so foreign on my calendar’s to-do list.  As I rolled this new concept around in my mind, I all of a sudden froze and asked myself…what am I getting into?

Perhaps I should start at the beginning? My name is Gedalya Krycer, but most people call me “G”. I’m a graphic design student at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. Until very recently, I was just going about my business trying to finish my homework for the next day’s class and rushing to get to some other class on time. You know, the usual all work, no sleep college hustle and bustle. Then out of the blue, BAM, the phone call came that would change it all.   

It was my girlfriend on the line and she asked “Hey babe, how do you feel about starting an internship for a company called Winky Designs? A friend of mine just left there and a design position just opened up.” After a moment of panic from hearing those words and internally screaming at myself “YOU ARE TOO BUSY FOR THIS!!!”, I agreed to do it. Now understand I never worked for a company before in my life. My work experience in design is freelance and tutoring in graphic design programs. Working for a boss as opposed to a client was a new prospect for me and frankly it was kind of nerve wracking and scary. Yet two days, one interview, and a lot of schedule shuffling later I found myself standing in front of Winky Designs’ front door. 

I opened the front door and was greeted by a bunch of smiles. Taken aback by the friendliness, I put my bags down and set up my laptop. The atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant. The workroom was big, bright and full of informal tables with people working on laptops. Everyone was super cheerful and happy which surprised me because I was led to believe from Hollywood movies that the work place is a grind stone of deadlines and judging bosses; however at Winky Designs, this is not the case. Winky, the boss, keeps a relaxed and cheery atmosphere that immediately put me at ease.

Since this is an internship I was tasked with doing work, of course. My first job was to redesign the company’s wholesale catalog from the ground up. It was a challenge in many respects since I was not very familiar with the brand or its products. (Remember, I first heard of Winky Designs and then got the internship position within a few short days.) I learned however that the more complex the catalog became, the more tricks I discovered to make it easier to design and user friendly to interact with. I now know the wholesale catalog is an ever-growing beast with new products being added every few weeks.

My next project was to design the new Iconic Collections which happens to be my favorite product offered at Winky’s. It was very exciting and a welcomed change of pace. Winky and I brainstormed and came up with all the different themes and elements. Then I went to my computer to design and layout those icons on the watch. It was exciting for me because I never thought I would have something like a watch design for my portfolio. I cannot wait to get my hands on the actual finished products!

Over all, this experience for me has been good and turning into straight-up great. I certainly have a lot on my plate between the internship and school. Time management is crucial because every second I have counts, but my fear of the unknown has diminished and confidence has risen in its place. I actually feel that I’ve learned a lot during my time here. Not textbook school learning, but rather a real world level of education that's priceless.

The wonderful news is that this special education won’t stop here because I've been asked to stay on as a paid employee! The offer sent me giddy with happiness and I can't wait to start! I feel like all the sleep lost and long hours I’ve put in has been worth it because the sense of accomplishment is a wonderful thing.  I know I’ll continue to learn a lot from Winky Wu and her amazing team.

Reflecting Back to the Beginning

Hey guys! My name’s Vanessa and I am a part of the 7 person team here at Winky Designs. We’re a very close knit group of young women (and 1 guy!) who believe passionately in our brand and products. Our fearless leader, Winky Wu, is the founder and designer for Winky Designs and came to create the brand in a very unconventional manner. So pull up a seat and grab some popcorn, I’d like to re-introduce you to Winky Designs and its founder Winky…And yes. That really is her name.

Winky doesn’t have a degree in designing nor is she a big follower of the luxury fashion houses dominating the editorial spreads and red carpets. She loves honest, accessible, and affordable style and this proved to be a catalyst for Winky Designs. In 2011, Winky worked as an accountant for Mattel, Inc. in Hong Kong and it was here that she found the importance of bringing joyful designs to people across the globe. Also during this time, she fell in love with Ray, an American gentleman, and was determined to make their long distance relationship work, so she decided to leave the corporate world and start her own business! You see, she needed the flexibility that owning your own business affords in order to uproot her life to move to the US so she could finally be with the man of her dreams. But “Why watches?!” you ask. Although she wasn’t a high-fashion kinda lady, Winky loved accessories and it was while conducting some research, she discovered a huge gap in the wristwatch industry. She noticed watches were either very high end Swiss movement timepieces you cherish forever or no-name cheaply made watches you can find on sale 2 for $10. Winky wanted to fill that gap with her own high quality brand of affordable stylish watches that would bring a smile to whoever would wear it. She got in touch with some factories, tried her hand at designing….and the rest (as they say) is history. Thus, Winky Designs was born!

Since our inception in 2012, Winky Designs has grown leaps and bounds by promising to create products that inspire self-expression through the design of joyful, functional fashion at affordable prices. After only 2 years of being in business, we already sell our watches and accessories in over 200 retail stores and an online store which has shipped to customers in over 25 different countries. It’s evident we love what we do. You can tell from the playful collection names and colorful designs that we simply cannot live without the small pleasures in life like dessert before dinner, fruity cocktails after dinner, and kind words. We realize it is these small joys in life that inspires us to tell our store through our products and brand. We don’t want to be another mass market brand (although they’re great!). As we head into 2014, we aim to tell our cheerful story to whoever will listen and to those who listen and love us, we are forever in your debt. It is for you whom we design for. *Bear hugs*

Downtown Container Park Grand Opening

Today we celebrated the grand opening of the Container Park in Downtown Las Vegas and it was absolutely Ah-mazing! Even though the morning was cold enough to make a Chicagoan feel at home, the love from the locals at the new mixed use space was enough to warm this Las Vegan’s (cold cold) heart.

There was everything from a juggling mime to awesome performances and speeches to kick off the ribbon cutting ceremony.

 

 

It has been a long arduous road to open up our first retail store, but nonetheless satisfying. We are thrilled to be able to offer all locals and visitors to Vegas a little taste of what we at Winky Designs are about: joy, laughter, and beautiful fashion watches and accessories.

Winky Designs is OPEN FOR BUSINESS!! Visit us on your next trip to Vegas and snag yourself some lovely bracelet watches (you can schedule us inbetween the clubbing and pub crawls ;) )

707 Fremont St. #2070 Las Vegas, NV 89101

New York's Newest!

The New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) is the show that started it all for us. Winky Designs first publicly launched at the winter NYIGF market in the “New York’s Newest” section back in January 28, 2012.  When we got our first wholesale order I almost yelped in joy!   As a small emerging business starting out in New York, I had no clue what expect from the first show.  I read the NYIGF manual 3 times from cover to cover, and spent weeks in preparation.  I was also the only person manning the booth (which is completely exhausting!) but my family was kind enough to help me set up and disassemble after the show.

7 months later, as we’re preparing for the Summer NYIGF starting August 18, I reflect back on how much things have changed!  We now have over 80 wholesale customers around the USA, and sales reps in over 30 states.  This time around, we’ll have a kick-ass corner booth, manned by a team of 4 trained and smart “Winky Designs” girls.  I could not be more excited!

Check out our NYIGF catalog, or if you’ll be attending the show, be sure to stop by to say hello to us!   We’ll be at New York’s Newest Booth #5632 (NYIGF Javits Center) from Aug 18 – 21.