Friday, October 5, 2012

Looking back..

As many of you know, and some of you may not, at MMM we have no secrets.  We are very open about what we do and how we run things.  So for some, this will be a good reminder, and for others it may be an eye-opener.  We want you to know whats going on behind the scenes, so that you may have a better understanding of what we are doing!

Recently, I have been waking up to emails from unhappy customers.  Every morning is started out poorly because I am letting people down.  I wanted to write a lil' somethin' that might help all of you understand MMM, and myself, better.

Mindy Mae's Market was started back in 2009 doing boutiques in model homes.  We noticed a lot of people walking through and saying, "I could make that" or "I could do that for less", etc.  Thats when we pulled the plug on that, and were layin' low for a little while, until Nikki called me up with an idea.  We decided to run with it in October of 2011.  We launched the new site and got the ball rolling, things were pretty slow in the beginning but we were gaining followers and loving every minute of it.  We were still hand writing our labels, and paying postage at the counter.  There was no real system, just kind of wingin' it.  We starting learning from mistakes, and figuring out what it was we needed to do to make it work.  In March, things totally exploded.  We were having a hard time keeping up, our followers on Facebook had grown from 300 to 2,500 and sales were much more consistent.  We have continued to grow, and with a better (but not perfect) system we have been able to keep up.  We would work until 1 or 2 in the morning to ensure your items would arrive in a timely manner.  We would have a hard time "letting go" at night, or taking an evening off from shipping in order to keep our family in one piece, fed, clean, etc.  We never wanted to stop, because we didn't want to let anyone down.
In August of 2012, Nikki decided it was time for her to focus on her family and teaching career.  It is what needed to happen.  With four children, and a Masters degree, she needed to get back to the important things.. her husband, children, and her passion for teaching.  Not to say she doesn't absolutely Love MMM, but circumstances were such that she needed to switch gears.

So, I am recently a one woman show trying to find the perfect balance.  There are improvements that I would like to see made, and things that I want {and will} get better at.. until then I hope that all of you will be patient with me.  A couple of important items that you should know..

1.  I am all about making people happy.  I will always do my very best to right a wrong, or improve a situation.  I HATE when customers are unhappy with me or MMM.
2.  I ship... all the time.  So, if you haven't gotten your product, it's not because I'm sitting around eatin' bon bons, it's because there aren't enough hours in the day. Blame it on the universe.
3.  I stand by our products, if you are unhappy, I will do everything I can to make it right.
4.  I REALLY appreciate kindness and understanding that things happen.  If your order is late, or product came non-functioning/broken/etc for some reason, or if I have forgotten something, I LOVE when you kindly email me letting me know. Which leads me to...
5.  I love when you give me the opportunity to right my wrong, rather than demand a refund, or an explanation.
6.  I am imperfect.  I will never be perfect.  The system will never be perfect.  But I will always give it my all.
7.  I get 100's of emails a day, so as much as I'd love to email you back immediately, sometimes it may take time.
8. I am not Amazon, I cannot ship 1,000's of orders overnight...unfortunately.

 
I work long days, 7 days a week.  I'm a workaholic, and some may say "just hire help" but that would require us to mark items up.. and then you'd be saying "why are you so expensive" ;) My husband is extremely helpful, and understanding.  But this weekend he is taking me away.. no internet, no cell service. It is time much needed.  As much as I love each and every one of you.. I love him more, and will honor his wish to leave MMM behind for 2 days and enjoy time with him and some friends.
I promise you I will stress about orders, timelines, product, shipping, FB, emails, etc while I am gone, but I will NOT do anything about it until Sunday evening when we get back! xo

9 comments:

  1. I hope you know that you are doing a fabulous job! I've only had one "problem" and it wasn't that big, just I think one of your suppliers sent you a broken project, no big deal and you've righted it right away! I couldn't be happier with the products, but more than that, I couldn't be happier with your service! You're doing a great job, you deserve a vacation, just like every other person who works full time. Have fun on your little break!

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  2. Your doing a fab job Courtney!!! I often wonder to myself...poor girl needs some time off, I think she's always working...so glad that you are getting a weekend off. Enjoy it and eat those bon-bons! You keep doing what your doing, becuase what your doing is great!!! Don't let the downers let you down!!! Wish I was closer to help ya out!!! Have a great weekend!

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  3. Well i personally think you Rock! I dont personally know you but love your products and have never had to wait a long time to receive my products. Keep up the GREAT job!

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  4. Keep up the good work girl!! I love MMM....just wish I were rich and could buy one of everything you offer! I received my ordered in about 2 or 3 days....but of course I live probably less than 20 miles from you..lol! And you most definitely deserve a break.....enjoy your get-away....relax. And if you want to sit down once in while and eat bon-bons between shipping orders and answering emails....I say go for it!! Enjoy your well-deserved weekend away!! We love you and the work you do for us :D

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  5. Have a great weekend, Courtney! You definitely deserve some time away from all that hard work (and I'm sure Adam will appreciate some undivided attention too!). Hope you have a blast! xoxo

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  6. I think so many people get so wrapped up in big box stores - online and retail, that they forget small businesses don't have the same resources. I have always received everything quickly and I think you are doing great! Just keep doing what you are doing, but I think this post was great to remind everyone you are only one woman! :) Hang in there and enjoy your vacation.

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  7. Enjoy some R & R you deserve it! I have nothing but great feedback from everything I've ever ordered from you and you are always prompt! I love to spread the word about all my favorite deals from Mindy Mae's and wish you continued sucess with the growing pains that come along with growth!
    www.poshideas.com

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  8. Oh, no, no, no.... promise me you WON'T stress about orders, timelines, etc, etc, while you are lucky enough to be away with your husband!!! Have a great weekend!

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  9. Unhappy/mean customers are the absolute worst!! I'm so sorry you're having to deal with it. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you out in any way at all!!

    xo,
    Heather

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Thanks for participating, we welcome your sugar but you can keep the spice! ;)