Dragons' Den

Hello,

Thanks for all emails and phone calls from people saying, "There's a company that we saw a glimpse of last night selling boxes like yours...". Actually last nights Dragons' Den featured a 4 second promotion for me and Christian appearing on Dragons' Den on the 1st Sept 20-08 (that's this Monday!!) at 9pm.

I can't tell you if we got investment or not as the BBC has told us that we can't! Damn them!!

If you sawe the little snippet last night you would have seen Christian sticking up for me and giving Duncan Bannatyne a piece of his mind... Bless him, he's like my brother!

Anyway we will be gracing your TV screen and if you want to find out more then point your browser to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dbh7k and be watching Monday September 1st at 9pm. Both me and Christian are extremely embarrased at our appearance and especially where Christian calls me 'Rainman' on primetime TV!!! Yep just like a brother!!

Anyway you may have noticed that we have changed servers on our Tiny Box Company website so the shop and products and well everything looks a lot smoother and is more secure and looks great!!!


Anyway til later,

Rachel

Founder: Tiny Box Company and Tiny Difference

Couple of big points.... AND A NEW CLUB!!!!

Hello and Wow!!!!,

I cannot believe that it has been sooooo long since I posted! So much has been happening in the Tiny Offices it is unreal...

Our big TV appearance is imminent (within the next few weeks - I will let you know when, as soon as I know!)... we are in the process of switching servers for our website... We have a new, lovely member of staff, her name is Viktoria and she is the reason why I am tapping my keyboard right now:

Y'see we will only employ people who have that extra something, that little bit of madness that makes them 'special' and hopefully we will get a good idea along the way!

Well Viktoria has just had 'Viktoria's Great Idea Number 1' and here it is...

When V started in the Tiny Offices she saw it as a stepping stone for her fortune, as well as helping us out she was secretly planning to take over the world! Unbeknown to us she was reading and studying the book was called “How to Net a million” by Josephine Monroe and she burst into the office one day exclaiming, "I know what the Tiny Box Company needs!!!???" "What's that"? I said...

Turns out Viktoria reckons that we need a box and bag 'club' (?????).

After about 20 minutes of not being able to do a thing because of the rasping laughter that ensued we came around to her way of thinking!!!

Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys and Girls the Tiny Box Company is launching (drum roll please) - The Tiny Box Company's Box and Bag club...

We are inviting you to become a member. It is free to join and as a member you are now entitled to not only go bag and box spotting and telling us of your finds but also to use secret code words such as “bagmergency”, “boxmergency” and our favourite "bag (or box) alotititus"

We are working on day trips out bag and box spotting (with Viktoria of course as our own Bag Lady... we just need to get her some cats and a shopping trolley.

Have spoken to some of our customers already about the idea... they think it's a goer. So much so LA Jewellery have already tried to muscle in on it, demanding to be Box Member # 1! But that would be unfair!!!

The benefits of course are that if going for a new job or anything then you as a member would be able to put under the hobbies section of their CV that they are an active member of “the bag and box club” and have infinite tales to tell... we will of course provide membership badges (or little boxes) to pin on and various other merchandise... You will get Box and Bag discounts and more so you will have the honour and distinction of being a member of this ohhhh so secret club!!

Need I say anymore? No, didn't think so.

So sign up now with you name (and company) at boxandbagclub@tinyboxcompany.com to start changing your life forever...

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Watkyn (Box and Bag Club Director)

Tiny Box News

Hello Pop-pickers...

I spoke at the Barbican last weekend at the huge ethical 'UK Aware' event... I was speaking in Room 2 at about 3:15 so was absolutely bushed and could not bring myself to get into a (friendly) ethical argument and get excited in the debate... which is so unlike meeeeeeeeee!!! I decided to answer the question, which was also the topic of the debate; "Is being good, good for business?" - To summarise I said that consumers see past a company just adding a small amount of Fair Trade or ethical produce in their business to be seen to be green/ethical... One needs to adopt a whole business culture rather than a shallow product offering...

Anyway some TIny Box Company news;
We have just got a new printing machine so we can do double the amount of of printing as before. Yay for us!!! We can print on anything we supply; that's boxes and bags.

We are recruiting for a new member of staff at the moment so if you call us and neither I nor Christian answer and it's a strange voice then BE NICE!!!!

We are still the UK's sole recycled only packaging supplier with no minimum order!

We have just recorded our TV show. I can't tell you which one as both myself and Christian had to sign a secrecy agreement... I know dahlink... we are superstars now!! (hahahaaa) I can tell you that it's on a terrestrial channel and will air in the next few months.

Last but not least... Is it possible to actually have everything in life? Are we better off having a life of wealth without love or experience true love and be poor??

Hmmmm maybe I am just a hopeless romantic still looking for Mr Right?? AND NO I AM NOT NOR EVER HAVE BEEN SEEING CHRISTIAN... URRRRGHGHGHGHHHHHH!!!

Christian here... I am not that bad. I scrub up well and have a beautiful girlfriend... less of the 'Urrrrghghghhhhhhh' please Rachel!!!


Sorry Christian (Bleugh!)

Rachel

Tiny Box Company for recycled gift and jewellery packaging
www.tinyboxcompany.co.uk

I hate being in the middle...

Please dear readers... it's not meant to be rude! "Get that thought out of your head!!!... Thanks".
Anyway us here at the Tiny Box Company pride ourselves on our customer service... If on the odd occasion we make a mistake (and I mean very rare!!!) we rectify it and then some. Our business has grown so much over our very first 6 months of trading as anyone who has visited the 'Tiny Offices' will confirm!

What I hate though, is the lack of concern of some people that we deal with, with this I mean when we are caught in the middle... A courier has delivered to Birmingham when it was an urgent 'next day delivery' to Devon!!! The postal service do not leave notes to say that a parcel has arrived from us and could not be delivered to a customers house usually because it won't fit in the letterbox! All of our customers are lovely and I am not just writing that because it will look good for us, it is true! But when I (and the company) is let down and we are 'caught in the middle' it automatically looks bad on us. I hate it! All I get when I try to get justice done is 'well these things do happen...' etc etc.

I have been known to actually drive orders to customers when I have been let down. I am not just talking about couriers... We had an external print job and the sample came back with the customers logo back to front!!! I mean how downright careless is this?

Now I know mistakes do happen, just ask Christian and he will tell you that I am as scatty as they come but some of the things we have to put up with you would not believe and ALL of them if not rectified at considerable time and sometimes cost to us can easily be avoided by just a little bit of pride and care in the first place.

Rant over!!! I am sorry you had to read this I needed to vent..

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Rachel

It's a trade off.

Hello!! Yes it's meeeee looking very red! I really do think that it is this extremely dodgy camera, but hey ho!!!
I wanted to post this here because I am just so proud of the 'Tiny Difference' Necklace that I am wearing. I swear that whenever I don it at least 1 person comments on how gorgeous it is. It is (I think) perhaps the nicest piece from my Tiny Difference range (here comes the plug...) You can see it without the lobster posing with it at the Tiny Difference website...

Anyway the reason that I am talking about Tiny Difference, which is my Fair Trade Jewellery company (where 20% of the profits will go back into the poorer areas to help them become self sustaining) is because I want to tell you about Eric who is one of my contacts in Africa. Eric is an honest man that I have been dealing with for over a year. He strives for a better life for him and his fellow villagers.. he's kind of like their spokesperson.

People in the poorer areas in Africa are so used to doing things their way that they (quite rightly!!) don't want to look at Western ways of doing business because they want instant results... I can so see where they are coming from from my trips to Africa. But Eric can see the potential for him and his village. Here is an email that he sent me recently;

Hi Rachel!
I wish to bring to your attention in full the situation I am facing back here which is hindering the supply of the pre order till.The production of the Pre Order is not at all the issue to us.
I am faced here with a situation of finance, $35,000.00 to acquire and furnish a working premises to accomondate about 75 craftsmen and management staff altogether if I am to be on a good footing to gaurantee sustain productivity and prompt supply of the products you have put before us, ie. Bra straps, silver jewellery, jewellery boxes and Tee shirts which we capable of producing talking about samples and Pre Order production.
I have contacted my Bank on this issue, I have showed them some of the samples we have produced for you and emails you and I have in the past exchanged.
Much as they are willing to help us out they are asking for a FIRM DETAILED OUT ORDER FOR THE VARIOUS ITEMS from your end, the orders should cover a period of One year with information on monthly orders, their unit and quantity prices and Mode of payment. They need these figures to enable them provide us with our request.This amount is to provide us with rental of the Working premises for a minimum period of 24 months but subject to renewal there after.
I am compelled to take this decision after suffering several disappointments in my attempt to produce your Pre order as getting all the craftsmen together on daily basis became virtually impossible as this was due to the fact that, African craftsmen operates as masters of their own so are used to CASUAL form of working, ie. working individuallly or in small groups at their individual work places and homes, and again their acquaintance to craft works they already are used to over the years past and their blend of such with seasonal farming and other income making activities, which they keep shuttling through like migrating birds for their daily subsistence.
These led to the conclusion to myself that this form of Labour force is not the best for our intended business activities hence the need for Proper structuring to enable me operate with FULL TIME WORKERS.
I am very confident in the success of this business, provided it is properly tackled and managed and as such I am very determined to go all out to build and grow it to success.
Please Rachel, do your best to provide me with the Firm Order as the Bank have requested as soon as possible. I believe they want to see how Serious you are with the Proposals you have put before Me for which I need this Financial assistance. Thank you!
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Warm Regards,
Eric.

In the Western worlds attempts to help with their malnutrition, disease and unemployment where we (especially I) really have a real desire to help, I can't help but think that in order for them to survive and become self-sustaining they must adopt our western ways of doing business... but the cost is that they will lose their unique way of life.

Are we right by inflicting our western policies and way of doing business on them because we are 'really trying to help them'... but they lose their way of life?

What a wicked trade off!

Rachel Watkyn

It's been so busy!

Hello,

Many apologies for not posting for a while... you would not believe how manic things have been in the Tiny Offices. I had to meet a TV agent last week. Christian came up with a TV idea that involves me and this person liked it and wanted to talk about it... CCCCCCccccccrazy! On a different TV note, both me and Christian will be on TV soon, but we can't tell you which show etc as we have had to sign a secrecy agreement!! ssshhhhhhhhh... I can tell you that it's not some no budget satellite channel that you have ever heard of. It's a big budget show that's on terrestrial TV... so big ups to us on that!!! and shhhhhhh again!!! More on when it airs etc after we recorded it etc...

In the Tiny Box offices it's been more hectic than ever... Me and him are run off our feet and it looks like we will be hiring someone pretty soon. We have to.

Anyway thanks to everyone who emailed asking 'where's your blog?' etc etc...

We are still alive.

Just.

Rachel

The Big Tiny Box Tour... minus Christian!

Hi Guys...

I decided to take a well earned day off last week, leaving Christian in charge!!! Oh what trust I have in him!! Am I sane? Anyway I went to London thinking I can unwind for a little while... I switched my phone off and relaxed for a nice comfortable 'train snooze' only to be woken by a very strange man offering me the 'London Lite' paper... I seized upon it knowing that I can complete the Su Doku in breathtaking time, and knowing that the cute guy who gave me the paper may have thought I was/am a bit of a bimbo (It's an image I sometime portray!!) anyway I opened the relevant page and HEY HO Brilliant!!!!, an unabused Su Doku had my name on it. I searched my cavernous bag for a pen... nothing... 'I won't let this stop me!' I thought. 'Excuse me!' I loudly said, "May I trouble anyone for a pen?"... this out burst was met with silence (insert tumbleweed here)... Ahhh great, now they think I'm bloody mad... why is it the closer one gets to London the quieter and less talkative one becomes. I realised just why at East Croydon; a scruffy young man with a dog got on and proceeded to give his well rehearsed story of being homeless, he had found a bed for the night... and he needed funds to book in. I truly felt sorry for him and was reaching into my pocket when Su Doku man took my hand and simply said 'No'... 'It will go on drugs'... he handed me a pen and said, 'go on then, how good are you'. I rammed the sharpened ballpoint into his... no I thought slow down Rachel... I calmly took it from him and in the 15 minutes it took to do the Su Doko and hand it back to the now Not Cute bloke, I had also given some cash to the homeless boy. Yes it does bother me that it might go on drugs, but I felt better. I got off at Victoria wondering did I give the money to pay for my own guilt or did I really want to help house him for the night? I think I know the answer...

Rachel