9pm EST I'll be live on QVC selling the best deal on a Pillowsac Rocker Package that we've had the entire year. Not only will it be a great price, but it'll be broken down into a few easy payments through QVC!
Why are we finally doing QVC!? For years we have been perfecting and refining our Sactionals. Along the way, they have not only taken over our sales at Lovesac (we sell more Sactionals than Sacs now), but we believe/hope/know that Sactionals is just one of those products that nearly everyone on the planet needs, somewhere in their home--they just don't know about it yet. We believe that Sactionals are the iPod of furniture. That said, we don't have the tens-of-millions to throw at TV ads, billboards, and the like to tell people how they work, as Apple did.
In thinking about Sactionals, TV seems to be a good fit. They have so many demonstrable qualityies. You can move them around, reconfigure them, rearrange them, change their covers, decorate, accent, makeover, etc, etc. We'd like to explore the idea of doing some kind of direct TV campaign with them...but a nice one, like Bose or Dysons has done. We've discovered that QVC is a great way to test the product's validity as an on-air sale, so just as we were ramping up to do a Sactionals program on QVC, they asked us to put together a Sac gift item for them for the Holiday season.
Tonight I'll be showing a Pillowsac Rocker Package, complete with the Pillowsac (which turns into a guest-rest), a Pillowsac Cover (Coffee, Latte, or Red Velvish), a Rocker Frame, and two matching Throw Pillows to help tie the Pillowsac into your home decor. If you know anyone who's ever wanted a deal on a Sac, tune in! Call in! Tonight I'll be "that guy."
["Gift hour with Rick and Shawn" 9pm EST which is 8pm Central, 7pm MST, and 6pm Pacific)
This will be my 7th year touring all of the LoveSac stores on what we at LoveSac call: Operation Front Line, 2009. After running the first LoveSac store day in and day out for months before we began to open more and build the company, I decided that I never wanted to get shut up in the office and lose touch with the customers who have made this company great. Not to mention our AMAZING Sac'rs who are out on the front lines making the sales, paying the bills, and who are ultimately responsible for LoveSac's success. So each year, just before the Holidays, I get out on the road and (mostly) drive to all of the LoveSac stores in the country. From LA to Boston, with each stop I am reminded of just how special our products are in our customer's lives and how great our band of young, capable, hard-working Sac'rs are at running this biz. [ABOVE LEFT: Natick MA LoveSac crew. RIGHT: Kyle & John, Sac users for years who now own Sactionals with multiple Covers]. BTW, COME FIND ME ON OP FRONT LINE AND SAY "SHAWNY D. SHOW ME THE MONEY,".....I'LL HOOK YOU UP.
This year, with so much going on, I will only make it to 2/3 of our stores before Christmas, but plan to catch the rest in the spring. [ABOVE LEFT: Bridgewater NJ crew]
At each stop I make sure that I'm not just dropping in to say "Hi" and point out shortcomings. I get to know every Sac'r by name, see who really tears it up and where our next Market Managers might be in the system! I work the store floor for hours, try to get my fair share of helping customers. I actually do the sales training while working the floor, with real customers; no role-playing here. They watch, I work. I usually make a sale or two and spend every other moment working with the store managers on merchandising training and setting their store right. [RIGHT: Columbia MD Sac'rs at the end of the 12 hour training. LEFT: Tyson's Corner D.C. crew - top selling LS staff!]
Each stop presents something new. I've wired lights, painted, re-located fixtures, hung posters, done light construction work...whatever needs doing. A typical "Front Line" day begins at 10am, sometimes noon, and runs until midnight, with all of the sit-down, hardcore training done after the store closes. We end the night by making ridiculous videos which live in infamy on the back walls of every LoveSac store and on the web forever, in the form of the LoveSac Store videos which you'll see playing in every one of our stores. Most customer's favorite part of these videos are the sections made by the Sac'rs on the Front Line visits....some better planned than others. I usually then drive on to my next location to the wee hours in the morning, wake up and do it again.
At each stop I take a new sidekick with me - usually a Manager or Assistant Manager from some other LoveSac market, with the purpose of getting to know them and further develop their skills at the Sac. They also work the floor when I'm back de-briefing the staff on the customer I just helped. I think it is always good for them to see other stores, other Managers, other ways of doing things. [RIGHT & LEFT BELOW: the new look of LoveSac, 2009 Columbia MD] NOBODY is too good at LoveSac to get their hands dirty, paint, clean, scrape, unload, setup, and go unil Midnight--or sometimes work for days straight, if necessary.
That is just our culture: this laid back, easy-going, fun company whose "laid back" people actually work harder, go longer, and are more capable than any other store in the mall....period. I love these guys. It is these people to whome we owe our deepest gratitude and respect. I dedicate this and every Front Line Tour I'll ever make to those who are really running this company, the Sac'rs on the Front Lines.
-- Shawny D.
BTW, COME FIND ME ON OP FRONT LINE AND SAY "SHAWNY D. SHOW ME THE MONEY,".....I'LL HOOK YOU UP WITH A LOVESAC GIFT CARD. Noon to Midnight... Nov 20th: Westroads, Omaha NE. Nov 22: Dallas Galleria, TX. Nov 23: Stonebriar, TX. Nov 29: Gateway Mall, SLC, UT. Nov 30: Northridge Mall, CA. Dec 1: Glendale Galleria, CA. Dec 2: Tyler Galleria, CA. Dec 6: Arizona Mills, Tempe AZ. Dec 7: Sunset Galleria, Henderson, NV. Dec 8: Layton Hills Mall, UT. Dec 10: Lenox, Atlanta GA. Dec 11: Mall of GA, Atlanta GA.
Today I spoke in LA at an event with Richard Branson as the headliner and Christian Audigier (Creator: ED HARDY shown BELOW) as the closer....what a lineup! The "Perfect Pitch 2009" seemed to be a huge success to me. With hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs and investors in attendance I know that I was inspired by all of the success stories and information shared. I love these events. The greatest thing about these entrepreneur events is also the most humbling: hearing SO MANY incredible stories of success, over-achieving and ridiculous wealth creation--all under one roof. THAT is America at its best - no matter what Michael Moore says about it. Capitalism breeds unbridled innovation - God bless America. (GOTTA see the vid below though!)
I spoke on a panel with Apprentice (2nd Season) winner, Kelly Perdew. It was fun to rewind a bit and recant some of my experience from the old Rebel Billionaire days. I was reminded of just what a rare opportunity that was. God bless America. (Me and Kelly Perdew shown right)
One of the coolest entrepreneur presentations ("pitches") of the day came from the founder of Icon Aircraft. I was blown away by his concept for a "Sport Plane," meant to tap into the "Power Sports" market (Sport Cars, Sport Bikes, Sport Boats, etc)...but for planes. This plane is SICK. Checkout: http://www.iconaircraft.com/ It will only cost about $140k and anyone can fly it, on land or on water...and tow it home on a trailer.
Finally, in contrast, I leave you with this thought - which can only be expressed in this real-life, unplanned, un-scripted, spur-of-the-moment little video that I just had to record as I watched TV the other night. THIS is the antithesis of everything that I stand for. I mean, hats off to Bob for his entrepreneurship, but OH, America - don't give in to becoming the unabashed couch potato that this ad implies that you are....
I’m always showing you what we can do with Sactionals and
(what I think is) our wicked-cool LoveSac furniture.Here are some Sac’rs personal pads as (is always the case):
customers do it better….
This is one of our Colorado Sac’rs: Shane Moss.Shane clearly has good taste.Shane chose to go with our (now
extinct) Puppy Phur, which was discontinued in late ’07 after P.E.T.A. found
out just how many puppies went into making a seven cushion sectional like this
one.(Actually, this washable
LoveSac Cover is 100% faux and 99% puppy friendly….its just a joke….its not
even really my joke….I stole it from our FlatIron, Colorado store’s blog).
I really like the way that Shane chose to do a DOUBLE Chaise
Sectional.This is a position not
even shown in our video of 69 Sactional Positions, which, by the way, was NOT
an intentional attempt at college humor.We literally just kept shooting positions in the white room until we had
gone all day.When we counted them
up, guess how many we had!?Yeah – we had to just let it ride.BUT, the point is, even at that many, the seating possibilities stemming
from LoveSac Sactionals go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on
and on and on and on and on and on on and on and on and on and on and on and on
and on and on and on and on and on on and on and on and on and on and on and on
and on and on and on and on and on on and on and on and on and on and on and on
and on and on and on and on and on, etc.
This second Sac pad is none other than Mr. Jackie Chan’s
place in Beijing China.You can
only barely tell (from the left side of the photo), but Jackie also owns a
seven cushion sectional built out of our extremely modular Sactionals, all with
Espresso PlushSuede Covers (our most popular fabric).Jackie picked up a GRIP of LoveSac gear while filming his
upcoming Hollywood release “The Spy Next Door,” in Albuquerque, New
Mexico.This film is sure to be a
hit, largely thanks to his on-set naps on the Sac in the on-set LoveSac store
shown in the film - - spoiler alert!
Needless to say, after experiencing the power of the Sac
himself on-set, Jackie raided our Cottonwood Mall location and flew home with
stacks of Sacs.Now, as you can
see, his whole entourage crashes on them after a long day of trying to keep up
with THE most energetic person I have ever met in my life.
Stores in China, you ask!?Yes, we’ve talked with him about it.Someday, it will come.
Finally, we have Hank, from Salt Lake City, Utah.I just happened to be at our Gateway location
the other day and as I was handling some biz at the counter, Hank walked right
up, and with confidence, bought himself a Sac for his upcoming college days….without
even flinching.These are my kind of customers! Hank: college will never be the same...
As it turns out, athletes from the NBA to the X Games use the LoveSac as a place of refuge and meditation before the big game, heated match, or sick trick. Long time fan of the Sac, Travis Pastrana invited me down to spend a little time with him (which means I get to winch him out of his foam pit) as he prepared for the X Games...."Oh, and bring my Sactionals with you." I believe were his orders. So I loaded up his order into my Navigator and delivered it myself, hoping to get a few Rally Racing tips out of him. I drove to Maryland to SAC TRAVIS PASTRANA'S PAD.
So in what precious little time off I do have I end up working with foam, and fluffing....at least this time it wasn't fluffing Sacs. (and it certainly wasn't that kind of fluffing either). Travis' foam pit, filled with 40,000 pieces of cut-foam blocks (should've been Sacs), needs to be "fluffed" after each and every time he goes in on one of his attempts so that the next time the landing area will be as fluffy as the first time. All I have to say is this: I watched this dude wake up, throw on a T-shirt, jump on his bike, get a 30 foot run at the ramp and bust a double back flip as his warm up trick...a trick that he originated 3 years ago and hasn't been caught up with until this year, finally. This guy is truly the best in the world at what he does. Oh - and if you don't follow action sports, just tune in to MTV this fall for the 2nd season of his hit TV show "Nitro Circus." Who knows, you may even just spot a Sac there too. In the mean time, check out this little vid of this, the 2nd ever episode of SAC MY PAD...
Even if you have seen our patented twist on furniture, the Sactionals, you need to see this new video (below). I understand that at first glance Sactionals appear just "neat sofas" that can be moved around. But if you haven't seen them in real life, you will be surprised at just how tight they are and how good they look in person...the real thing seems to always exceed expectations. I've said it before and I'm saying it now: This product will eventually become the "default" furniture for American TV rooms. It is the only changeable, washable, FedEx-able, simple, extremely modular furniture that can be taken-home-today because of the way its small packaging allows it to be stacked/stored/stocked. Watch the video past the first section to the part where it gets into the Sactional Positions. Please leave a comment and let me know: what is YOUR favorite position? I wanna know.
I honestly believe that this product is good for people. It frees them from being stuck with their furniture in an elegant and affordable way. It is reliable and guaranteed for life. I believe it will be the single-biggest furniture concept in the country once discovered, and our patents help to ensure that, but for now we are small. We are not able to advertise. Unless people happen to stumble into one of our little stores and experience these for themselves, they will never know they have this option....and most people who do end up regretting that they, "Just bought other furniture." Often people even return their recently purchased sofas and come back to pick up Sactionals. So help me get the word out! Please forward this to your friends and family, because now LoveSac is small, but someday with your help, everyone will LoveSac. WATCH THIS VID (ALL THE WAY THROUGH)....
A few posts previous there were all kinds of great comments on our Mother's Day artwork. Some loved it, finding it cute, fun, and interesting; others absolutely hated it, finding it sexist, in poor taste, and offensive. Here we go again with our Father's Day ad...Is THIS one sexist??? Comment here.
ABOVE is our Dad's and Grad's ad and window poster celebrating father's day and graduation! This is hanging in every store window now. The Sac/Squatt Cover package that goes along with this art has over 300,000 stitches in a straight-stitch embroidery using 3 colors of black, purple, blue thread making up its unique "inked" design. This is the first ever Sac of its kind. But in this case, it is the ad/poster I am asking about. What do you think? Love it? Hate it? ALL comments are welcome, and the 3 comments that I like best (the funniest, most thoughtful or well-argued comments), will win THEIR choice of an Easter Phur Cover worth over $300 (Super, Movie, or CitySac) from our last Limited Edition Line, OR a $50 in-store gift card. All comments due by Monday, June 1st. I'll annonce a winner by June 5th.
PS: Hats off to designer Alex Hinton from Salt Lake City, UT - the baddest ink artist in the land. (That is NOT him pictured above)
I look forward to hearing what you have to say! Don't hold back, either way.
I just bought a LoveSac - a SuperSac - IT IS FANTASTIC. I wanted to write you an email, as everyone is amazed that we bought one. I am known for being frugal; very frugal. I was hypermiling years ago (when gas was under $2 a gallon), I maintain a body mass index of 18.5 to save money on groceries, and wear multiple layers of clothes when flying to avoid the new luggage surcharge. I personally do not see myself as cheap, what I look for is value for money - paying twice as much for groceries and getting diabetes does not fly with me, but spending $700 on something so comfortable, that I can share with my fiancé and really unwind is worth every cent.
It will not be too long before we return to Jeremy (in Natick - he is by far the nicest employee in the whole mall) to purchase a sectional. My biggest fear about investing in furniture is as young adults we are likely to move around before buying our own abode. What fits in this apartment might not in our next - one look on craigslist demonstrates that many people waste thousands of dollars because of this. This is not a risk with your sectional, I know I can spend good money today and not worry about having to throw it out in a year when we move.
Do keep up the good work, and as you roll out with new products Jeremy will see me back at your store (unless he has been promoted by then).
Cheers,
ABOVE: Jeremy, Natick Manager
Iain
THIS JUST IN (MARCH 17, FROM IAIN VIA EMAIL):
- just to update you we did go back to Jeremy and buy the sactional. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it is the only way to go with furniture. I think we have had it for 2 weeks now, and it is FANTASTIC. Can't wait to get a big place, and buy more pieces!!!
Keep up the good work - really do love your products.
Iain
THEN, today my biz partner, Nancy, sent around a great article about how real "Value" is the new "big thing" in business today, and our Retail Director, Alex, asked the crew (via email) how LoveSac offers "value." A good response, by Dan, in Salt Lake City...
Our product has a lot of the same value as hybrid cars in the sense that in some cases it is more expensive than some of our customers would have gone with but much cheaper in the long run. Our lifetime guarantee ensures this you will never have to buy another sofa ever if you so choose. Some of The most common reasons people replace furniture are because they are moving, our furniture is extremely easy to move with, the furniture gets old and worn out looking, our cover can easily be replaced, and probably more common than anything people get bored with the same old couch everyday, if you get new covers and switch the setup it would seem as though you spend thousands and bought an all new living room set for a fraction of that cost. my favorite question that people ask me is how are we doing in this current state? I always answer we are doing great let me show you exactly why and I'll lead into a sactional demo. the story about coffee with McDonalds and Starbucks made me laugh because you should never just forget the experience to get value. Lovesac is like Starbucks coffee served at McDonalds prices with an experience that tops either of them and rivals that of your favorite local coffee house one more like you see in the TV show "Friends" and we offer free refills. [Dan, shown extreme left, above.]
Dan Bostelman
Gateway Manager
WHAT CAN I SAY? I AGREE. SMART CUSTOMER. SMART MANAGERS.
It all started with one of my favorite LoveSac Managers, Jeremy Corash (loveyaman, I mean it!) who sent around this email to all of us with his "cute cats" on the Sac, subject line: "pretty effing cute." So began an informal rivalry that day to one-up the next guy with the cutest photo of someone (or something) on a LoveSac. They're all posted below...
Now its up to you!!! SEND ME PHOTOS of your "pretty effing cute pets, kids, or self on the Sac and we'll take a vote to determine the final victor of this "Pretty Effing Cute LoveSac Photo Contest." By sending me your photo you are automatically ENTERED TO WIN THE GRAND PRIZE....
1. A LIMITED EDITION 1 POUND BAR OF LOVESAC EMBOSSED CHOCOLATE. (It is actually amazingly good chocolate. We have smashed to pieces and eaten 5 or 6 of them at LoveSac HQ recently). Plus...
2. A LIMITED EDITION LOVESAC HEART PILLOW. Plus...
3. A LIMITED EDITION LOVESAC TRAVEL BAG, BY OGIO. Plus...
4. A $100 GIFT CARD GOOD IN ANY LOVESAC STORE LOCATION.
**Top 5 runners-up each get a 1 Pound Bar of LoveSac Chocolate sent to their doorstep.
Here is how to enter: Email your cutest effing pic to me, [email protected]. LIMIT ONE PHOTO PER ENTRANT! (Only the first photo attached will be displayed/judged). Subject line: "Pretty effing cute." Attach your photos to the email and make sure to include your name, where you are from, and any explanation for the photos in the body of the email, as well as any quick blurb you have about how you LoveSac. Anyone can enter, once. YOU HAVE UNTIL MARCH 1st to enter, so DON'T DELAY!!! Entry cutoff is 11:59pm EST on March 1st. I will post all of the entries on my blog by March 3rd and voting will begin. The public will decide the winner on March 8th, and results will be posted by noon EST on March 9th.
Check out the rest of these pretty effing cute photos sent by the LoveSac crew that day....
"Meatball," from Lauren at LoveSac HQ (right):
I nominate Meatball as the winner!
He couldn’t even wait for me to put the cover on he was so excited!
"Oscar," from Casey in Vegas: (below/left):
This is my dog Oscar Lou and he wins.
Thanks,
Casey Cochran
Vegas Sac Manager
From Dan in Salt lake City (below/right):
Dan Bostelman
Fashion Place LoveSac
From Katie at Mayfair LoveSac (below/left)...I'll raise you my baby.
My now 85 lb baby.
Katie Kroncke Store Manager - LoveSac Mayfair
And last, but certainly not least, while these pics may not exactly be effing cute, the man who sent them is. Meet LoveSac's #1 Fan Mr. Wayne Vaughn who just recently sent me new photos of his favorite room on the planet, his own. Wayne has been supportin the Sac since 2002, and has more Sacs than I do! Check out his rad pad as the battle to be the biggest fan continues...
DEAR SHAWN MY BUDDY.
HI THIS IS WAYNE YOUR NUMBER 1 LOVESAC FAN.
YOU SHOULD PUT MY PICTURES OF MY ROOM AND MY COVERS ON LOVESAC.COM ON YOUR BLOG. HERE SOME PICTURES OF MY ROOM.
LOVE WAYNE YOUR NUMBER 1 LOVESAC FAN.
Thanks to all of you who have sent in your photos. I look forward to seeing many more pretty effing cute photos. Get em in and win!!!
More pics and vids from our forays at Winter X. I don't believe there was a soul in Aspen who didn't know we were there. We even got stopped by the cops again. Turns out, they could hear the LoveSac Bus's sound system from 3 blocks down--not condusive to a downtown full of condos and luxury ski hotels.
CHECKOUT THE LOVESAC VIP LOUNGE AT THE BASE OF THE WINTER X SLOPES. BOTH THE ATHLETE LOUNGE AND VIP LOUNGE ROCK NOTHING BUT LOVESAC FURNITURE (RIGHT).
THE DETERMINED MR. GLENN, FROM DURANGO, CO WON THE FIRST EVER SAC RACES (LEFT). More pics from subsequent Sac races coming soon.
1st DAY OF THE SAC RACES ON VIDEO (ABOVE)
AT NIGHT THE PROMOTIONS HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN...ROLLIN' THE STREETS OF ASPEN IN THE LOVESAC BUS (ABOVE)
A WALK-THRU ON THE BUS...GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE ABSOLUTE MAYHEM THAT THE WINTER X-GAMES ARE.
TRY TO GET A COUNT OF THE PEOPLE PILING OFF THE BUS (ABOVE)
Even baby Lucky likes to party. Thanks to my niece, Jessica, who came along to play nanny while we were busy promoting. Besides, Lucky got plenty of bus time on the ride home...12 hours to make a 6 hour drive. That's called snow on I-70 and I-15.
Is THIS Sexist??? comment & win
A few posts previous there were all kinds of great comments on our Mother's Day artwork. Some loved it, finding it cute, fun, and interesting; others absolutely hated it, finding it sexist, in poor taste, and offensive. Here we go again with our Father's Day ad...Is THIS one sexist??? Comment here.
ABOVE is our Dad's and Grad's ad and window poster celebrating father's day and graduation! This is hanging in every store window now. The Sac/Squatt Cover package that goes along with this art has over 300,000 stitches in a straight-stitch embroidery using 3 colors of black, purple, blue thread making up its unique "inked" design. This is the first ever Sac of its kind. But in this case, it is the ad/poster I am asking about. What do you think? Love it? Hate it? ALL comments are welcome, and the 3 comments that I like best (the funniest, most thoughtful or well-argued comments), will win THEIR choice of an Easter Phur Cover worth over $300 (Super, Movie, or CitySac) from our last Limited Edition Line, OR a $50 in-store gift card. All comments due by Monday, June 1st. I'll annonce a winner by June 5th.
PS: Hats off to designer Alex Hinton from Salt Lake City, UT - the baddest ink artist in the land. (That is NOT him pictured above)
I look forward to hearing what you have to say! Don't hold back, either way.
-- Shawny D.