Something really funny happened this week, but before I get to that, I want to talk about this week's update.
#1 Product Development and Collaboration
A major breakthrough in new product development and collaboration! We have a new product in development that has been going on for about half a year. Currently, it involves multiple countries, companies, and organizations. Contacting all these parties and negotiating a solution acceptable to everyone is already difficult. I personally think that the fact that we haven't met in person (due to pandemic travel restrictions making business travel difficult) will have some impact. Online communication inevitably limits the ability to build trust. Visiting the other party's company in person is much better. While internal company meetings can be faster and more convenient using video online calls such as Zoom or MS Teams, in business, if everyone has never met, establishing trust, collaborating, and handling risks becomes very difficult.
There's a project currently involving this situation, and things have been stuck for months. It gives me a headache every time I think about it. But recently I came up with a way to circumvent a certain risk that no one wants to take by taking one step at a time. This Friday, the other party even agreed, so we can move on to the next step. I'm so happy!
As for the product line, you can look forward to it, hahaha~
#2 Colleagues having hot pot
This week, a few of us from Re Pillow Co. went out for hot pot after work! It was actually one of our colleagues ' ideas ; they said we should organize monthly activities to socialize and strengthen our relationships. So this week, we did it for the first time – hot pot together in the evening. It was quite fun! Sometimes everyone gets tired from work, and getting together is always a good way to relax. Next month, we're planning to go bowling!
#3 Share at school
Last Friday, I was fortunate enough to be invited by SGK Choi Kung Po Secondary School in Ho Man Tin to share my experiences of studying and starting a business with the Form 4 and 5 students. To be honest, I'm not very good at studying or doing business; I'm just "crossing the river by feeling for stones," and I'm learning every day. I was very happy that the students were very active that day, and none of them slept the whole time. They even asked so many questions during the Q&A session that I couldn't answer them all.
We talked about many different topics that day, such as how I studied and managed my time when preparing for public exams, and how to do what I want to do while studying. If I had to summarize, I would say: read more books, do more self-study, have an open mind and a willingness to learn, and never give up even in the worst-case scenario. Whatever you do, do your best. There may not be immediate results, and it may take a very long time to see improvement, but you will definitely see results one day.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the school teachers for the invitation. I appreciate the opportunity to share some of my experience with the students. I hope the lecture was helpful, and most importantly, I wish you all academic success and excellent results in your upcoming DSE exams! Good luck!
P.S. I received a message from a teacher earlier, saying that one of the students at the gathering wanted to thank me in person. Don't be shy! The teacher also mentioned your dream to me. Keep it up! I hope you can realize it as soon as possible!
#4 New Store Location and Preparations
This week we've also been preparing for our new store location. Yes, we're planning to add another location besides our current one in Taikoo Shing, allowing customers to experience our products and buy them immediately. We've received comments from customers saying, "Next time ... Taikoo Shing is too far, the location is too inconvenient ... ! We hope there can be more stores." We've heard that. Of course, the reason we haven't opened more stores is due to cost issues. Our current operation is just barely okay ; we're small and just starting out, so opening a store requires careful calculation of monthly expenses. But we're still in the research and understanding phase, and hopefully, it will work out!
#5 Kwun Tong APM YATA Roadshow Pop-Up
This October , we'll be collaborating with Tatung Department Store to hold a limited-time Re Pillow Co. promotion at their APM supermarket in Kwun Tong. This is our first time doing this type of mall exhibition, so everyone in the company is working hard on it! Although the exhibition will be in October , we still need to prepare the preliminary work, such as designing information boards and drawing up the overall layout. We've mainly entrusted this task to two young colleagues, who are eager to try doing it all from scratch. I hope this exhibition will be a success! Please give us your support!
#6 Mysterious Project A
This week I've also been preparing for my secret project, Project A. Project A is something I've wanted to do for a long time, about 5 or 6 years ago, but I never had a suitable opportunity. This January , I brought it back into the spotlight and started learning how to implement it step by step, with a lot of learning involved. This week things have taken a significant turn, and we're getting closer to putting it into practice. I'll keep you in suspense for now; it's a big project , and I'll share more about it in future weekly journals and through other channels.
#7 Improve the instruction manual inside the packaging
This week, we updated the instruction manual inside the Re Pillow series packaging again. While there were previously some usage instructions and cleaning methods included in the box, the problem was that some people would ignore them, or even throw them away as trash … leading to confusion about how to care for and use the product. This is understandable, as most instruction manuals are filled with disclaimers and are in multiple languages, often falling out quickly after a couple of tries. Therefore, this time we've added more large print highlighting key points and usage instructions, making them easier to understand. In addition, some common questions not covered in previous manuals have also been added to the new manual.
#8 Eco-friendly Packaging
This week, we just received the eco-friendly packaging boxes that we designed and commissioned from the cardboard box factory! We've always wanted to promote more environmentally friendly packaging, mainly because pillow packaging boxes are actually quite difficult to reuse. Many of our customers have also commented that after buying pillows for themselves and finding them very comfortable, they buy more for their families, resulting in a lot of wasteful packaging boxes at home. Some customers have also mentioned that since they buy pillows for themselves, the packaging doesn't need to be so elaborate. Currently, our packaging boxes, like those of other pillow companies, are made of paper but also wrapped in a layer of matte film. Although they are recyclable, recycling companies need to remove this film layer before they can recycle them, making them less environmentally friendly and not 100% recyclable. In view of this, our eco-friendly packaging will be made from the same brown cardboard as usual, which is 100% recyclable, and the size will be more fitted than before, which can reduce volume waste and save transportation energy.
Around the end of next week, the eco-friendly packaging will be implemented on the most popular Re Pillow 2 , while the older, more elaborate packaging will still be available. If the eco-friendly packaging is well-received, we will also extend it to other products.
#9 Last: Fun Things This Week
Finally, let me reiterate what I initially wanted to write about in my journal this week – the interesting things that happened!
So, one of our colleagues who works in the sewing industry mentioned this week that he was talking to his younger sister on the phone last night, and his sister said that he recently bought a pillow that keeps him sleeping very well. So, our colleague asked him to take a picture and see which pillow he was planning to buy for himself.
But then I saw a photo my little sister sent, and lo and behold, it's the one she uses every day! 😂😂😂 Maybe her little sister is using it to style that one.
So even if it was useless before, we immediately bought one at the employee price.
100% true story.
PS
Re Pillow Co.'s product/design/business/innovation team is still essentially a "one-man band"—it's all me. So, when things get busy, it's really hectic, like this week.
Fun Fact // In the past, to make my Re Pillow Co. look more substantial, and because I felt ashamed of making a pillow by myself, I ended up with just one person for the entire company. Wow, it looked so ugly! So, I created several "virtual colleagues," such as Charlotte, Carmen, Kenneth, etc., to use as signatures for emails and messages, but in reality, I did it all by myself... Later, I gradually accepted this reality and stopped pretending. Although even now, I still feel terrible because it seems like I did everything by myself.
That's all for this week. See you next week!
#010 (07/08/2022)
#012 (21/08/2022)