5 Business Lessons I Learned From Creating A Cat Calendar (Yes, really.)

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If you’ve been within 10 feet of me in real life or on social media for the last month, I’m sure you’ve heard me natter on about what is probably the most awesome/ridiculous project of my professional life: the 2014 Puss In Books calendar. While this is not my first calendar/rodeo this year I really, really went all out.  A separate website.  A professional photographer.  The whole nine.

And here’s what I learned (and don’t worry, these are lessons any business can benefit from, cat-related or not)

1. Ridiculous, just-a-joke ideas can lead to awesome stuff
I work on a lot of Serious, Important things and I have some clients who even intimidate me a little bit - six-figure building industry recruiters, healthcare leadership consultants, fancy, complicated apps.  On Yes and Yes, I interview people with major medical issues and really tough jobs.  With stuff like that, I wrote off the idea of a calendar based on cats, dressed in literary-themed outfits, accompanied by quotes from famous literature.  That’s silly!  Shouldn’t I be banging out sales pages for entrepreneurs?  Or working on my book proposal?  Why should I devote time to something so silly and fun and easy? Because I wanted to.
Your lesson: Sometimes easy = right.  Just because something is fun or feels natural, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.  You’d be amazed at what happens when you stop believing that only hard work is good work.

2. Add little, personal touches to your products
I add a spoonful of confetti to every calendar I send out. (That’s not a metaphor. I literally sit at my dining room table with a tupperware container full of bulk confetti and drop it into those envelopes.)  I also include a thank you note from my cat and a handwritten request that customers take a photo of their pet with the calendar and send it to me.  Is this stuff time-consuming?  Of course.  Do people notice it and appreciate it and buy the calendar again the next year?  Also, yes.
Your lesson: Get on your packaging game.  And your thank-you note game. And your ‘tiny extras’ game.  People notice.

3. You can be more creative within boundaries
When I decided that I was going to create this calendar, I made a list of my favorite books and then spent an inordinate amount of time googling “Ponyboy costume for a cat.”  Shockingly enough, said costume does not exist.
So I changed my strategy.  I planted myself in front of Amazon’s pet costume section and started scrolling.  As I looked at the costumes, I thought about the books I’d read in high school and college and thought about what I could make work.  What books involve sailors?  Could I do something with a lobster costume? The second approach worked a lot better.
Also: I was able to find a use for this costume.
Your lesson: If you’re feeling overwhelmed by possibility or you don’t know where to start - narrow your view.  Instead of thinking “I want to make jewelry” think “I want to make vintage-inspired jewelry that incorporates foreign coins.” Instead of “I’m a health coach” think “I’m a health coach for women over 35 who work full time and live some place with long winters.”
Things actually get easier when you create creative boundaries.

4. How long do you think it’ll take?  It’ll take longer
One of my travel rules is ‘everything will take twice as long and cost twice as much and you’d expect” While that didn’t quite hold true for this project, I probably would have been happier if I’d mentally doubled my estimated costs and time.  Any time you do a project involving other people or even a self-contained project with lots of moving parts (photos! layout! website! marketing! printing!) there are lots more things to screw up.
Your lesson: Pad your budget and time frame. Be pleasantly surprised when things come in faster or cheaper than you’d expected.

5. Involve your readers and followers
In previous years, I involved my readers none in the calendar process - or follow up. This year, I asked them to take photos of their pets with the calendar and the results have been hilarious. It’s hard to track exactly how many more sales I made through those photos, but I’ve really enjoyed captioning them and sharing them - and that’s just about as important as sales. ;)
Your lesson: Ask your readers to get involved!  Offer them discounts if they send you photos of your products in use!  If they have a social media account, @mention them when you post their photo!

Tell us about your biggest product launch!  What did you create?  How did it go?

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13 Comments

Moi

Hi Sarah,
from experience I can confirm that your packaging skills are amazing!
I was so taken aback when I found a handwritten Thank You Note in the 2010 calendar of yours.
Gosh, how time flies by, I guess I have been reading your blog a long time now

XXX Moi

Nolwenn

I love how quirky your cat calendar is,
I adore your blog, you’re totally honest with the ups and downs and this is something I appreciate.
I wanted to make a calendar with my art (I am a mixed media artist) but end up not doing it because I don’t know how to actually do the calendar part of it (In the past, I used a printer with templates, was way easier but I wanted something different this year), Any suggestions ? Thanks

Take care

sarahvon

Hi Nolwenn!

I’m lucky that my BFF of 25 years used to be a graphic artist so she does the calendar part for me :)

The Dame Intl

Sarah thank you for this! I have a little idea brewing which I have a feeling good be a big ting! These tips will help me realise that dream and I’ve added this post to my weekly web roundup :)

Joanna

I love all your posts, but this one I am especially loving right now. Such excellent, succinct points, and I love how it validates the concept of a “silly business idea” and makes it credible/meaningful.

Yay, Sarah!

j

I love the handwritten note and the personalized packaging, but I gotta disagree respectfully on the confetti.

I have received a number of letters with confetti in them in my life (including your amazing calendar), and it always gets everywhere. I end up with confetti in my couch or my carpet or my hair, and the vacuuming lasts longer than the initial delight.

I love the thought behind it - just prefer other methods of personalization. :)

Vanessa

You’ve done a fantastic job with this calendar. Thanks so much for sharing the lessons you learned along the way.

Diana Rendina

Hi Sarah,

I’ve been buying your calendars every year since you started making them (I think I only missed one) and this one is by far my favorite. I love that you took a crazy idea and went with it - it came out fabulously. And the confetti was an awesome touch.

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