Shiny Elephants December Newsletter
This festive month we introduced two new collections, had the honor of speaking at a local breakfast club, and reflected on this year's many adventures. Read on to hear all about it!
Feel the wind in your hair with the Free Spirit Collection
Earlier this month we released our Free Spirit Collection, a design inspired by a hand-me-down vintage bike Emily has been riding for years. She has appreciated both the energizing “Free Spirit” phrase across it's frame, as well as the childlike independence felt when taking it for a spin. We hope this carefree message resonates with you and serves as a reminder to stay playful and to blissfully peddle forward.
Introducing the NEW Lionheart Collection!
You are seeing it here first - The Lionheart Collection! This collection is a tribute to Emily's father, an avid reader, who shared his appreciation for great literature with bedtime readings. One of Emily's favorite stories growing up was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Her father seemed to embody the lion figure in these books - steadfast, consistent, brave, wise, and always there to patiently encourage. We just released the Lionheart coasters on our website, and have been stamping away ever since. Coasters are packaged and ready to inspire you, or to share with the Lionheart in your own life.
Our First Speaking Engagement with the Praeclarus Breakfast Club
Mid December, Emily had the honor of speaking at the Praeclarus Breakfast Club. This was our company's first opportunity to publicly share about our origin, purpose, journey, products, and plans for the future. We sincerely appreciate this group's patience, feedback, and encouragement throughout the presentation. We had an unforgettable time meeting the ladies in attendance who are truly an excellent group of business women and entrepreneurs! Thank you for hosting us!
Shiny Elephants' 2020 Journey
Wow, what a year! At Shiny Elephants we focus on the journey, recognizing the importance of celebrating each step we take, firmly believing that each of those steps will lead us to our desired destination. So get ready. We are about take a power walk down memory lane and reflect on the road we've traveled this year. Emily, founder and designer of Shiny Elephants, began to form initial concepts for this company in January of 2020. With enormous support from Yvette Bowlin, founder of The Minimalist Entrepreneur, Emily clarified her vision and started a business to create meaningful tabletop items for the home. In February Emily conquered a fear and publicly shared her reason for starting this company.
In March the team doubled in size when Chloe joined to assist with online marketing. In April we researched manufacturing, production, materials, costs, etc., and eventually decided that paper goods and textiles were the best place to initially focus our designs. In May Emily began designs for the Winter 2020 product launch, choosing to start with four collections. In June our company's name was decided, which provided much needed direction with branding and packaging. Hello, Shiny Elephants! We officially introduced our monthly newsletters in July, which has proven so important to staying connected to YOU, our most valued Fellow Travelers. August was all about prototyping, samples and user feedback. And we on-boarded our newest team member, Louella, to assist with all this, and more. September was a very exciting month with the official launch of our website. We also started production of our coasters. In (very) late October our first product, the Shiny Elephant coaster, was made available for purchase on our website, and in (very) early November we received our first order! This was a major milestone in our business. We also introduced our second collection, the Songbird. And here we are in December. This month we had our first virtual speaking event and added two more collections, the Free Spirit and the Lionheart, with a total of four winter collections available to you! There is a lot to celebrate as we reflect on the start up of our business this year. This has been a year of realizing the dream of starting a new business and all the joys and challenges that entails.
Having said that, this was not an easy year. We would like to take a moment to remember those we lost, and thank all those healthcare workers, essential workers, and family members who gave tirelessly and sacrificed so much to meet unprecedented challenges caused by the global pandemic. We are forever grateful to those who fought so hard and courageously for all of us.
Wishing You & Your families a Joyful 2021!
Thank you to Chloe, Louella, Yvette, our families, and all of you who placed an order with us, told someone about Shiny Elephants, or who have been following our journey this year. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude for your support. We are so glad you are on this journey with us!
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