Making room for 2022. Big Changes and an End Of The Year Sale!
Dear friends,
I have some news + announcements to make now. We made it through another wild year! Our sales grew by 20% from 2020 which is a huge feat considering our society’s current climate. This growth would not have happened without your sales and word of mouth.
Due to rising prices of materials and a rising demand in Bird Trouble… I must make some change to keep this brand’s growth sustainable.
Going into effect on 1/1/2022:
- Prices will increase 5% - 10% on Ready To Ship goods.
- Prices will increase 10% - 15% on Design Your Own goods.
I am also changing Bird Trouble’s warranty coverage too though! Now all leather-only goods have a lifetime warranty which will add more value to your purchases.
Bird Trouble’s 2022 goals consist of:
- Keep hiring the production team for more Ready To Ship goods.
- Start to hire artists for private label Ready To Ship collaborations.
- Stock our products in Brick & Mortar shops.
- Design new leather products.
- Invest in new manufacturing equipment for more precise and efficient in-house Design Your Own production.
- Offer ‘No Fringe’ options on all bags by Spring 2022. >>> Completed January 2022!
In 2021, I realized that I cannot run this growing business without Ready To Ship production help or knowing my personal monthly maximum cap for Design Your Own orders.
It was a tremendous help having a production assistant in-house at the Chicago shop. Now that I’m working out of my home again, I know it will be a challenge for me to hire an in-house assistant so I plan to make the Design Your Owns alone while maintaining a fair maximum capacity.
The production team has their own Chicago factory and their own in-house team to make the Ready To Ship goods, though skillful artisans are very hard to come by, so it’s crucial that we pay the production team a very fair living-wage labor.
There is a lot to do on the business aside from production like daily customer service, reviewing finances, designing new products, working on marketing strategies, shipping, ordering supplies, and so much more. The last thing I want to do as a founder / designer is burn out. If I don’t make these changes, Bird Trouble wont be able to offer work and growing my own family along with my career will be a big unorganized struggle. I don’t doubt these changes will help.
Considering how much you all love Bird Trouble designs, the functionality, and the longevity of our quality products - I know you’ll understand that I need to make changes to keep this small business brand healthy. It’s important to me to be completely transparent since Bird Trouble is self-funded BY YOU.