Interview with Renee Wood, Make Mine a Million $ Awardee, on Visioning
Renee Wood, The Comfort Company, founded an online retailer of unique and appropriate sympathy gifts. All of the products are intended to be given to, or purchased by, people who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Many of the products have been custom designed in response to requests from customers. Renee, 41, began her company in earnest in 2002, but the inspiration for the business came earlier when her sister-in-law lost her father and Renee designed a unique and special pendant for her. Other people who saw the pendant wanted similar gifts for grieving loved ones, and The Comfort Company was born.
Renee is a Make Mine a Million $ Business Awardee.
In this interview, Renee talks about her own experience with envisioning and creating first a product and then the business she has today.
Q: When you first got the idea for your product, you weren't really thinking about starting a business, right? What prompted you to create your product?
Well, I have a background in social work and had worked in neo-natal intensive care for many years. But while expecting my third child, I decided I didn't want to go back to a traditional workplace. So, I was generally open to other opportunities.
Meanwhile, something completely unrelated had happened. My sister-in-law's father died. As part of my previous work, I had helped people deal with loss, and so I wanted to do more than just send a card, I wanted to find a meaningful gift, but couldn't find anything that was appropriate. Nothing quite conveyed the message that I wanted. So, I ended up designing something myself, and having it specially made. It was a pendant made of silver.
So, yes, it's true, I wasn't really thinking of a business at that point. That came later.
Q: What happened then?
As I was talking about having made the gift, some people started expressing interest. My sister-in-law loved it and showed it to others, who began making requests. It dawned on me that maybe there was something possible here -- that maybe there was a need for sympathy gifts; a need that was not being met. As you know, it can be so difficult to know what to say or do at a time like that. It's such a taboo subject.
In any case, I started to think maybe I could sell a few online. I convinced a manufacturer to make 150 more -- a very small number by their standards. I put them online; all 150 sold, and that was the beginning. That was in January 2002. We expanded to other products and now have an extensive online catalogue. It's really taken off.
Q: So let's talk about the Visioning process -- first, for the product itself, and then for bringing about the actual business. What techniques did you use to spark the idea for the product? Did you meditate or brainstorm with a pen and paper? How did you go from concept to reality?
As a busy mom with a newborn baby, I didn't really have the luxury of meditating and having uninterrupted time. But as I went about my day, and especially during those midnight feedings of my daughter, I'd do a type of daydreaming, letting ideas percolate in the back of my mind, letting words and meaning swirl around in my brain.
I decided on a pendant, because I wanted something that would be lasting, that would be close to her heart, and that could be passed down. I chose the tear drop shape, because I wanted to tell her: you are safe to cry with me, as much or as long as we want. Your tears don't scare me. Your tears are treasures. Please feel comfortable crying. I wanted to give her permission to grieve. And I chose the forget-me-not flower in the design, because she would always remember him. I even wrote a little verse to go with it.
Once I had the initial concept, I was seized by this incredible energy to keep pushing ahead with it. I think I was awake for the better part of three days, living on adrenaline! I couldn't stop thinking about it. At some point I reached for pen and paper. And then, I made a working model in green play dough (laughs).
That model is what I took to a silversmith. I asked him, "How do I make this?" And he explained that it would need to be cast in wax, and from that a mold could be formed, and then on to the silver. It went from an idea to reality in that way.
Q: And the business? How did that evolve from your initial vision?
I didn't really set out to establish a formal business. As I mentioned, at first, I was just going to sell a few items online. And things just evolved over time. I will say that when I got my web site and started pursuing the notion of selling online, I did two things.
First, I read and did a lot of research. I tried to learn everything I could regarding all kinds of subjects. For example, how to set up a website, manage a website, establish a merchant account; and how to make, sell and market products.
The second thing I did was that I kept a mindset that it was going to work. I gave myself a year to get things going, and I never really considered that things wouldn't work out.
But things happened slowly, in small steps. I never had a grand vision and a long-term business plan. For some reason, perhaps because I was so busy being a mom, I couldn't really see beyond the next step or two. So I just kept plugging in there.
Whenever I would feel overwhelmed or lost, I'd just stop, center myself, and ask, "What's my next step?" What is the next thing I need to do to keep this process moving forward? So for example, my next step might be to find a printer. And that became my focus. Or it might be how to get a trademark, so I'd determine my options about finding an attorney or figure out the steps involved for that.
And a third thing I've done along the way is visualization. Whenever I ran out of gas or otherwise felt low, I would sit and imagine where I wanted to be, I would see myself as successful, and give details to that. So, for example, I saw myself appearing on the Oprah show (which happened to me in 2005) or I saw my products being featured in newspapers and magazines (and they are). I still use visualization on a regular basis.
Q: What advice would you give other business owners regarding Visioning?
No matter how long you've been in business, I think those early stages, when you're toying around with a new idea, and engaged in the creative process, are vital. During that time, it's important not to over-analyze or judge or second-guess, but allow the creative juices to flow. And, for me, that means not sharing the idea with others until you have it more clearly formed in your head, and are able to articulate it clearly. For the longest time, my neighbors had no idea that I even had a business. Talking about it too soon can mean that others start to offer advice or suggestions -- or worse, express doubts and objections -- and you don't need that. It can stifle the creative process and set you up to fail
Secondly, allow yourself to celebrate those small steps and let a process unfold. Don't try to force it or put limits on it. And thirdly, stay open to possibilities and keep a positive attitude. Assume you'll be successful, and you will be! Let yourself define and give meaning to what success means for you.
