Check out my podcast with Greenwich Entrepreneurs...
http://www.belrayam.com/community/files/shawn_nelson_lovesac.html
-- Shawny D.
Check out my podcast with Greenwich Entrepreneurs...
http://www.belrayam.com/community/files/shawn_nelson_lovesac.html
-- Shawny D.
WATCH THIS VIDEO blog....
For YEARS now we at LoveSac have wanted to expand beyond just Sacs & Sactionals to include some other comfy stuff too. For many reasons it has eluded us....until NOW. Let me introduce to you LoveSac's BRAND NEW line of these products called..........wait for it........."Other Comfy Stuff." More importantly (and this is no exaggeration) THIS IS THE NICEST, MOST WELL DESIGNED STUFF WE'VE EVER MADE. I am telling you: if you want to give someone you love a truly unique, extremely high quality, expensive-feeling gift this Christmas you MUST watch this video and then check out these amazing products at lovesac.com.
This is just me, in my living room, showing you up close and personal how special these things are:
-- Shawny D.
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.
THE WINNER of this year's Halloween costume contest gets a (brand new) KING BLANKET by LoveSac, worth $300 (hit stores in 2 weeks!!!) THE BEST STORE overall all get a pair of (brand new) PHUR FEET Slippers by LoveSac....a prize to be coveted, no doubt. So I'll show you all the pics (in no particular order), then I'll tell you who won at the end, then YOU please COMMENT and tell me whether we got it right. ALL comments welcome.
Luigi
Northridge CA (red walls)
Nerd & Rainbow Bright at Columbia MD!
Flatiron Eddie & his world famous jacket!
Georgia, Jersey, & Pittsburgh girls.
Casey & Josh spread the word in sin city!
Hung over in SLC.
asdf46l
Christiana DE opens on Halloween! Alex as El Hombre LoveSac Magnifico, I'm inked up, Libby is doctor hottie, Brian really should grow a mullet, Batman. Batman....and the legendary Jizamm as a Pink Lady.
My Lucky lady-bug, her furry friend & Tiffany added together make for a "whole lotta woman." Clearly adding to my hardcore image.
So Casey & Josh, "The Elders" WIN for best individual costumes!!! A KING BLANKET EACH! AZ MILLS (scary crew below) WIN for best store costumes!!! SLIPPERS all around!
COMMENT HERE! Did we get it right!?
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....
God bless America??
-- Shawny D.
LoveSac lovers...YOU'VE GOTTA SEE THE VIDS BELOW (no, it is not snowing in this pic)....All of our Market Managers LoveSac Stores all over the US came to Stamford for an intensive 3 day training. In true LoveSac fashion: we work hard, we play hard. I'd write more but I couldn't do it justice. To get an idea of the (organized) chaos that ensued, just click on the videos below. First, 3 days in 9 minutes. Next, Sac Diving gets nasty. last, a flickr slideshow of some of my favorite pics of the week. If a picture is worth a 1000 words, a LoveSac video says it all...
MANAGERFEST WRAP-UP
SAC DIVING
FLICKR PHOTO GALLERY SLIDESHOW
Please COMMENT on what you think of our lunacy....good, bad, or ugly!
-- Shawny D.
Here's a new video you probably haven't seen. A compilation of our just some of the various TV appearances & celebs rockin' the Sac over the years...also starring all of our store Sac'rs from last year: LIVE IT. LOVE IT. LOVE SAC. -- Shawny D.
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.
It’s a great time to grow (believe it or not). While the recession has hit us along with everyone else, LoveSac has still been doing okay, mostly due to the incredible reception of Sactionals which are becoming increasingly popular for media rooms everywhere. With screaming deals on great locations in malls across the country, we are doing our best to gobble a few of them up. (RIGHT: THE NEW LENOX LOVESAC AWAITS A STOREFRONT SIGN - ICING ON THE CAKE) We’ll open 7 stores over the next 2 months: Atlanta, Buford, Minneapolis, New Jersey, LA, Delaware, Baltimore. In fact, the first two are now already open! I go to every store opening and work with the team to personally set up the store. I love being out on the front lines, meeting the team and also the customers. I even got to make the first sale at Lenox, one of the best malls in the U.S. That store is gonna rock. (LEFT: THE ENTIRE GEORGIA STAFF, FOR BOTH STORES, LED BY THE FEARLESS KATIE WHO IS RELOCATING FROM WISCONSIN TO TAKE ON HOTLANTA)
As I always say, the coolest thing about LoveSac is the people. Not only our amazing Sac’rs: Alex, Brian, Katie, Torin, and Jesann who worked for days (and nights) just to git ‘er done, but also the Sac fans like Mr. Zach Neuman who travelled all the way down from North Carolina just to say HI and be a part of the newest LoveSac embodiment! Little did he know he’d find himself on the wall of the store – three times! Check out this little vid….
CHECK OUT THESE PICS OF THE LENOX STORE:
On Saturday we opened up at the Mall of Georgia, in Buford, just outside of Atlanta, and two days before that at Lenox – which is THE mall in the Atlanta market. Store openings are one of the most exciting things that we get to do, but also one of the hardest things that we do. Even opening up a tiny store, like the one at Lenox (which will be the smallest store in our chain) is just brutal! Weeks of planning, ordering and coordination happens at LoveSac HQ long before my crew goes out to do the actual work. Then, it inevitably takes at least 4 straight days (all of them 20+ hours of work each day) to set it up and make it look “LoveSac.” In the middle of it, another Sac fan, Daniel Devore stumbled in to find me hanging shelves on the wall. He’s been a Sac owner for years and just came by to see about joining the team. Check him out….
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF EARLY PICS OUT OF THE MALL OF GEORGIA LOVESAC STORE:
Having opened stores since
2001, I have to say, this is the best team we’ve ever had at LoveSac and these
openings have gone more smoothly (and more inexpensively) than ever. I really think we are building a smart
business these days and it is really due to our great people, from Alex and
Doreen at HQ, to my merchandisers in training, Torin, Jesann, and Brian.
While out at a local favorite, Manuel's Tavern, for dinner we ran into a local Atlanta celebrity! Chip Caray, the voice of the Atlanta Braves, is a 3rd generation announcer. Alex, being the BIGGEST Braves fan that is not a resident of Atlanta, was pretty stokedd. Chip was a good guy. He needs a LoveSac though.
Keep an eye on my schedule
at LoveSac.com. Come out and say
HI because when you find me out on the road (as I personally hang all of that
art on the walls at each location) and say, “Shawny D., show me the money,” I
hook you up with a $25 LoveSac gift card. This week (end of July) I'll be in Minneapolis (Minnetonka) for the Ridgedale opening Wed-Sat. Next week I'll be in Jersey for the Bridgewater Commons opening, August 4 - 7, with more to follow. Hope to see you at a new LoveSac store, near you.
-- Shawny D.
Okay, so it’s not new. It’s actually the same old office, but
we actually finally moved in! Two
plus years in the same place and I feel like we never really unpacked…until
now.
WELCOME TO THE NEW LOVESAC H.Q. OFFICES
I’m not sure if any of you have ever felt
this way at home or at work, but its like we were all in such a hurry to get to
work that we just threw some furniture down, plugged stuff in, and started
typing. Wires strewn everywhere. Boxes on the floor piling up with
“stuff.” Last week I noticed that
our full-size office copier/printer/fax was actually straddling the space
between a desk and some weird table – just “functional.” Bare walls, or worse, crap taped to the
walls everywhere, crooked, out of order—just functional—barely.
(ONE OF MY ONLY SHOTS OF THE OFFICE “BEFORE”
CROWDED BY PEOPLE WEARING FUNNY HATS AT OUR BABY SHOWER FOR LUCKY)
Well, those days are finally over. And it is not like last week was
convenient or anything. In fact,
it was probably the most inconvenient time that it could have possibly
been. We are about to open 7 new
stores in 60 days! We are in final
sampling to launch about 20 new products this fall! And we are in talks with numerous new investors interested
in helping us grow our business.
CRAZY, CRAZY times.
WE DID HIRE PAINTERS OFF OF CRAIGSLIST. WORKED ALL WEEKEND. THIS DUDE PASSED OUT AND SLEPT UNTIL
NOON ON MONDAY JUST LIKE THAT – FULLY WORKING OFFICE, WITH PEOPLE ALL AROUND
HIM. SEE THE CHAOS WE WERE LIVING
IN!? NASTY CARPET, EH!?
But somehow, between many late, late nights
and early, early mornings…making for long, long days, we transformed the office
from what it was, to the Sac H.Q. that it always should have been. And all this on a shoestring
budget! We built our own desks,
made our own furniture (of course), and did most of the work ourselves. Check it out! Please COMMENT and let me know what you think. Like it or hate it, I LOVE to hear from
you.
THE ENTRY, LOOKING OUT:
CURRENT SEASONAL (TATTOO, FOR NOW) COVERS ON DISPLAY. (SAME PLACE YOU SAW THAT
PAINTER PASSED OUT, BEFORE)
THE ENTRY, LOOKING IN: THAT
IS OUR BOARD OF HISTORY. LAYERS OF
8 YEARS’ STUFF STAPLED, TAPED, TACKED UP THERE, FRAMED IN BLACK. TABLE ON THE LEFT WHERE WE WILL CONTROL
ALL THE MUSIC TO ALL THE STORES LIVE, FROM H.Q.
ENTRY, LOOKING IN: CHECK OUT
THESE SICK CUSTOM ORDER MIXED SACTIONALS COVER-SETS. PLEATHER “FORD” COMBINED WITH STUFF SO NEW ITS NOT EVEN ON
THE SWATCH YET!
“WEB CORNER”: HERE SITS MIKE AND SAMBIR, THE WEB
CREW, ON ONE OF OUR (MANY) CUSTOM BUILT DESKS. THESE ARE ¾”
THICK 8’ LONG PLY-WOOD “SLABS” MIXED, A 4X4 CUT TO SIZE ATTACHED WITH A LAG
BOLT, AND SOME STUFF FROM IKEA. WE
BUILT THEM OURSELVES. FUNCTIONAL
WITH LOTS STORAGE & SURFACE AREA.
ACCOUNTING CENTRAL: MORE SLABS. DAVE & SPENCER (PRODUCT DESIGNERS) REALLY OUT-DID
THEMSELVES WITH THESE DESKS. BUILT-IN
PLUG STRIPS, HIDDEN CORDS, SHELVES, HANGING ACCESSORIES, CORK-BOARDS…ALL
CUSTOM.
NANCY AND MY OFFICE: WE ARE BIG ON COOPERATION AT LOVESAC,
AND EVEN BIGGER ON GATHERING.
OUR OFFICE DOUBLES AS
MEETING ROOM. THE WINDOWS ARE OUR
WHITE-BOARDS—ALWAYS CAKED WITH LISTS & PLANS.
CFO’S OFFICE BEFORE: (HEE HEE)
CFO’S OFFICE: AFTER (NOW)
THE ROCKSTAR ROOM
(CONFERENCE ROOM): BEFORE
THE ROCKSTAR ROOM: AFTER
(NOW). NOTICE THE SO-NEW-THEY’RE-NOT-EVEN-ON-THE-CUSTOM-SWATCHES CHENILLE
COVERS. MURDERED-OUT LOVESAC NEON
SIGN STUCK TO THE WALL. MURDERED
OUT CHANDELIER FOR LIGHT. THE
WALLS ARE 100% CHALK-BOARD PAINT & THE WALL BEHIND THE SHOT IS BLANK – JUST
WAITING FOR SOME INTENSE BRAINSTORMING….UP THE WALLS. STACKS OF VINTAGE GUITAR AMPS FOR FRONT TABLE – TO HOLD THE
CHALK & ERASERS (NOT SHOWN).
BIT OF LOVESAC TRIVIA: THE
GUITAR HANGING ON THE RIGHT IS A LEGEND.
THE AMERICAN BUILT FENDER STRATOCASTER, SUNBURST. IT IS THIS GUITAR’S SUNBURST DESIGN
THAT INSPIRED THE COLORS FOR THE ORIGINAL LOVESAC LOG0.
THE NEW LOVESAC H.Q. IT’S GOT SOUL AGAIN. IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME.
-- Shawny D.
Born. Played. Worked. Played. Worked. Married. Worked. Won $1 Million on TV. Worked. Fathered a child.....
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