Chapter 1 An Accidental Business Is Born

Greetings from rural Australia.

I had a totally different life before I became ‘The Ironing Board Cover Lady’.

I’m Carol Jones and I was a market research consultant and on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Sydney for nine years.

My partner, Victor Pleshev, is an architect.

The ‘recession we had to have’ in Australia, starting in 1989, decimated the building industry and architects in particular.  Victor’s main clients were developers and they were the first to fall.  By early 1992 the writing was well and truly on the wall.  We had to close our business, say goodbye to our 16 devoted staff, sell our house of 19 years to pay our debts and make a new beginning.

The new beginning wasn’t a hard decision.

We’d always wanted to live in the Australian bush.

But on different terms.  Have a country house and keep our city terrace house in Balmain, where we lived.

The city terrace house had to go, but the country property was a definite possibility.

There was an extended drought in 1992 and our purchase was an over cleared, over grazed small sheep property of 54 hectares (about 130 acres) selling for the right price for us.

What attracted us was WATER!  It has a drought proof bore.

Why is that exciting?

It meant we could have the large country garden we’d always dreamed of.

I’m an expat American.  Born in New York City.  I’ve mainly lived in apartments, townhouses or terrace houses with small gardens.  I’ve always yearned for the solitude and freedom of the wide open spaces.

But you can’t have a garden without water.

Our climate here is hot and dry in summer and cold and frosty in winter. 

We have abundant winter rains but sluggish summer rains.  So a drought proof bore meant part of our dream could come true.

The location is perfect.  970 metres high, tucked between the scenic hills of historic Bathurst and the burgeoning vineyards of Mudgee.  And only a few hours from Sydney.

But!  This scenic location is in the middle of nowhere, on a road that no courier will make deliveries to.  A litre of milk is an 80 kilometre journey.

And our arrival was long before the internet and email was available.

It’s no wonder we were rubbing our foreheads, wondering how we were going to make a living.

Selling our terrace house in Balmain to pay our bills meant we weren’t independently wealthy.  Victor came with some architectural projects in tow, but I came with no work prospects at all.  And the architectural work would dry up quickly.

Victor has always designed products for his clients, so we decided we’d try our hand at product design.

Our first product was an accident.  An ironing board cover.  Designed as a gift for his mother.

His mother, Rita, was recovering from a stroke.  Her major side effect was the loss of feeling in her right hand.  Not noticeable to you and me, but a problem for her.  Holding a teacup, struggling with an ironing board cover that constantly moved, holding an iron, weren’t easy tasks for Rita.

While visiting her in Sydney in 1994 and watching her iron, she burst into tears because she couldn’t control both her iron and the moving cover on her board.

The next day we went out to buy her a decent cover.  One that wouldn’t move on her board.

We came back with a few.

None of them did the job for her.  Drawstring covers were too difficult for her to pull tight and good quality elastic covers looked like giant mushrooms on her board and didn’t fit tight.

On our drive back to our rural property in Ilford NSW, Victor mused that if he could get a multistorey building to stay up, he could get an ironing board cover to stay on his mother’s board.

And he did.

Over a period of 6 weeks, he designed and perfected The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover.

And gave it to his mother as a gift. 

And promptly forgot about it.

A few days later his mother rang.  She had orders for 20 covers!

He told her he was an architect and didn’t make ironing board covers.

She explained to him that she loved her cover so much, she rang all her friends in the Russian community (yes, they’re Russian) and they all wanted one.  And we couldn’t let her down by not making them.

So there we were, at our dining room table, cutting out and making ironing board covers.

Victor was chief of layout and cutting and I was head seamstress.  Using a pair of Singer battery operated scissors that would only cut two pieces of fabric at a time and a domestic sewing machine and overlocker.

And so an accidental business is born.

There are now more than 150,000 covers in use around the world.  All made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit our website to see why We Always Show Off Our Bottom. 

To see how far we’ve come, visit our home page, Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems. 

See you there.

The stories below are about how we started our business on the dining room table of our remote rural property. Driving on ‘L’ Plates without an instructor.

And there are plenty of stories to tell!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you and hope you’ll share your stories with me.

Take care,

CAROL

PS. I’ve made this post ’sticky’. Which means it’s always the first post. As every post has a chapter number, scroll down to the bottom of these posts, then click on Next Page, to start to read my story from Chapter 2 upwards.

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Chapter 12 Botox For Ironing Board Covers

Greetings from rural Australia.

Life is full of surprising information. Some of it is good for your soul.

Victor’s mother, Rita, who is the inspiration for The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, always gives me magazines to read that were passed on to her by friends and probably passed on to them by friends. As I’m at least 3rd in line to read them, I often feel like I’m reading history.

In an edition of New Idea, there was an article titled ‘Kooky Cures’. The story about Botox really made me sit up and read it from beginning to end.

Today, Botox is a treatment for wrinkles. Considered a trivial and vain condition by a number of people. But as with many drugs, their original purpose is lost in history.

For instance, when you come out of anaesthesia and your stomach feels like its creeping up to your throat, the injection the nurse reaches for was originally intended as an anti-nausea treatment for pregnant women.

LSD was a therapeutic drug for psychiatric disorders. But its hallucinogenic effects were quickly recognised, and appreciated, by the hippie movement of the 1970’s. This led to it being banned altogether for both medicinal and recreational use. It’s still considered by the medical profession to be a drug of merit and research continues today to study its medicinal benefits.

Botox was originally used to treat people who had uncontrollable blinking or crossed eyes. It works by interrupting messages sent from the nerves to a target area in the body. It relaxes the muscles responsible for the problem.

The cosmetic industry was quick to recognise it also relaxes the muscles in your face that causes wrinkles.

But it’s not all fluff. It’s now a major treatment for cerebral palsy. Botox is injected into the muscles that spasm, which loosens them enough for a sufferer to walk more freely, albeit with a walking frame or other assistance, and gives them a chance to benefit from a better quality of life.

Because it’s a remarkably safe treatment, the medical profession is finding more and more uses for it, such as for Perthes disease, which causes the hip muscles to tighten and the ball and socket joint in the hip to break down. And is being considered as a possible treatment for people with a serious stuttering problem.

Thinking about how Botox stops spasms, – and wrinkles – it occurred to me that that’s a common complaint made about ironing board covers. They wrinkle, jump about, never stay on the board and generally ruin your quality of life while ironing.

It then dawned on me that the crisscross tension cord is the secret ingredient and simple solution that keeps The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover drum tight and wrinkle free on your board.

It really is Botox for ironing board covers.

Although we are an accidental business, there are now more than 150,000 Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers in use around the world. All thanks to our very supportive customers.

And growing daily.

Since 1994 our covers have been made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. They love what they do and it shows in the quality of our product. They’re our heroes. I’m not exaggerating when I say that your purchase gives back to these men and women a strong sense of self worth.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

To read what our customers say about us, scroll up to the top of this page and click on the Hear This! tab, at the top of The Ironing Board Cover Lady, above the photograph of our property.

And there are more stories to come!

‘Should I or Shouldn’t I?’

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Share your stories and comments with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 11 It’s 4am And America Is Calling

Greetings from rural Australia.

Before we were connected to the Internet and email, the sound of the fax purring at 4am was a semi-regular occurrence in the late 1990’s. The operative word here is WAS. I prefer IS, but some things are not meant to be.

My first ever international enquiry was from New York City. Anna Barton. She was a take charge woman from the beginning.

“How quickly can you despatch a cover to upper Manhattan?” she faxed.

I was so startled by her request, I read it and reread it several times before it sank in that she actually wanted to buy!! From us!!!

“Today”, I faxed back.

That was brave of me. Up until then, I had never sent a parcel overseas, other than presents to my family in southern Virginia, USA.

24 hours later, at 4am, another fax. “How much?” she asks.

Wanting to know how much is serious, I say to myself.

A phone call to the post office tells me how much postage will be in incremental weights of 250 grams. So I sit down, and with my Excel Spreadsheet open, work out how much each item weighs and how much it will cost, in postage, if she chooses item A only, A&B, etc.

I really can’t afford to make a mistake, so it takes a few hours before I can fax a reply with all her options. Seriously, how long can it take to calculate a few items? Not long. But this was a big deal to me at the time and I think I went over each calculation at least a thousand times. That’s what lack of experience does to you, as well as being rattled at the thought of losing my first international order.

24 hours later, at 4am, she faxes me an order for one Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover and Superior Felt Underlay. Including her credit card details.

It’s in the post that day, before she can change her mind. I fax back her confirmation of posting. And ask her how she found out about us.

From her mother. She was given a cover as a present. And this order is for a co-worker.

Where does she work? She’s a senior executive at NBC. I was star struck!

Shortly after her parcel arrived, so did another fax. At 4am. Another order. For another co-worker.

Then faxes at 4am for people in her apartment building.

Then faxes at 4am for orders for a little boutique shop in Soho that she frequents.

For about 6 months, the purr of the fax machine at 4am was both soothing and exciting. Suddenly, we were exporters. Just like BHP.

Then nothing.

Dead silence.

Not wanting to be pushy, but wanting to know why the orders stopped, I sent a friendly fax asking how she was.

Only to hear a recording saying, “Sorry, this number could not be connected. Please check your number and try again”.

Maybe she was changing fax numbers, I thought. Optimistically.

A few weeks pass and still no 4am faxes. As I had her home telephone number, I decide to ring. This is a really big decision for me, because in the 1990’s, overseas calls from rural Australia were $1 A MINUTE.

Only to hear a recording saying, “Sorry, this number could not be connected. Please check your number and try again”.

Anna disappeared.

Never to be heard from again. Just like those ‘Life’s Little Mysteries’ you read about in Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The little boutique shop in Soho? Lost as well. We had no contact details for it. Everything was done through Anna.

We grieved over our lost opportunity.

We were no longer exporters.

Until we were connected to the internet in February 2001 and could finally establish a website.

Although we are an accidental business, there are now more than 150,000 Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers in use around the world. All thanks to our very supportive customers.

And growing daily.

Since 1994, our covers have been made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. They love what they do and it shows in the quality of our product. They’re our heroes. I’m not exaggerating when I say that your purchase gives back to these men and women a strong sense of self worth.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

To read what our customers say about us, scroll up to the top of this page and click on the Hear This! tab, at the top of The Ironing Board Cover Lady, above the photograph of our property.

And there are more stories to come!

‘From A Throw Away Comment An Event Is Born’
‘Should I or Shouldn’t I?

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Share your stories and comments with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 10 This Service Definitely Doesn’t Live Up To Its Slogan

Greetings from rural Australia.

My background is marketing and I read voraciously about the subject. Slogans intrigue me, especially when there’s a fantastic promise in the slogan. And when the service lets the slogan down, there’s nothing the company can do to rectify its image in my mind.

This is a story about FedEx.

Their slogan ‘When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight’ is revered in the marketing world as a slogan that built a company to greatness. It’s a fantastic promise and one of the reasons people use FedEx.

Unfortunately, that slogan doesn’t apply to regional Australia.

My customer, Poppy, lives in Tucson Arizona. She asks if we can send her Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover parcel by FedEx, lodged on her account.

This is what happens.

I ring FedEx Sydney. They give me the name of their agent in Bathurst, Mid-State Freight. So I email Poppy to say, “Not a problem. There’s an agent in Bathurst’.

On Tuesday, 20th November 2007, Victor and I have a reason to be in Bathurst, an hour’s drive from our property in Ilford, NSW, which is the base for our business. We go to Mid-State Freight and are told by their receptionist they haven’t been a FedEx agent for 18 months. They ring FedEx on a regular basis to tell them that because they get daily visits from people like me wanting to lodge parcels.

Their receptionist graciously gives me the name, address and telephone number of FedEx’s current agent, which is Mid-Western Regional Express.

At 2:30pm we pull into their premises only to find the door locked and no notice on the door as to business hours. I ring the number given me by Mid-State Freight. Michelle answers the phone. I ask her their address. She confirms I’m in the right place. I tell her the door’s locked. She tells me yes, it is. Brad only accepts parcels between 5pm and 6pm. The rest of the time they’re out making deliveries.

I’m infuriated! Especially as we have another appointment in Orange, 45 minutes away, and we’re now late for that.

As we’re pulling out, a Mid-Western Regional Express van pulls in. Victor gets out and tells the driver he has a parcel to lodge for FedEx. The driver refuses to accept it. Victor bullies him into accepting it and the driver reluctantly opens the office, fills out a docket, and gives it to Victor. Victor asks if there’s anything to be filled out for customs. “ Nope, mate, nothing”. He then puts the parcel in an Australian Air Express bag. Victor queries this and is told the bag will be picked up by FedEx that night.

It’s now 1:30 pm, Friday 23rd November 2007. 3 days after we lodge the parcel in Bathurst. David rings from Australian Air Express in Sydney. There’s no customs information with the parcel and we need to lodge a commercial invoice before the parcel can leave Australia.

In dismay, I ask why Australian Air Express is ringing and not FedEx. In complete surprise, David tells me there’s nothing on the bag to indicate it’s a parcel for FedEx. David then tells me to ring FedEx and complain. He quickly washes his hands completely of the transaction and it’s left to me to sort it out.

I ring FedEx. Voice mail answers the phone. I choose service feedback as my option.

Kit is on the other end of the telephone and he’s a very professional man. He listens to my complaint and begins to take down the details of my experience. He asks me the postcode of Bathurst and keys in 2795. And sure enough, Mid-State Freight is listed as their agent.

He then assures me he’ll fix everything and make sure this parcel is treated with the utmost urgency.

And that’s what happens. He emails me a commercial invoice to fill out and fax back. Then tells me that someone will ring me within the next 24 hours to give me a consignment number and date of despatch.

9am Saturday morning, 24th November 2007, Jenny rings. She gives me my consignment note number and tells me the parcel will be processed today, put on a plane tomorrow and will be in Tucson Arizona on Monday morning.

Then she ruins everything by telling me Mid-Western Regional Express has a right to establish their own business hours and they can choose to accept parcels at whatever time they find CONVENIENT FOR THEM!

I point out to Jenny that until yesterday, FedEx didn’t even know who their Bathurst agent was. And if their agent has restricted trading hours, they’re obligated to tell the customer (me) when I make an enquiry.

This goes right over Jenny’s head. She devotes even more time to telling me that their agent can choose whatever hours they like to be open.

I’m an ex-New Yorker and I don’t take kindly to being pushed around by someone when I’m the customer.

I abruptly tell Jenny she is irritating me with her defence of the inability of FedEx to know who represents them in regional Australia and to expect me to arrange my schedule to accommodate an agent. I then tell her I’m hanging up because I can’t listen to any more defence of a shoddy service. And do just that. Hang up. In a huff! Smoke pouring out of my ears!!

Victor and I have had this business since 1994. We’ve driven an hour one way to Bathurst at 10pm at night to help an elderly customer put their Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover on their board. And get home at 1am. We arrange to deliver parcels to customers that are out of our way. We accept orders and postpone debiting the customer’s credit card until a nominated day so the customer won’t be over their credit limit. Overseas customers ring at 2am to place an order. Customers who are early risers ring at 5am to place an order. Night owls ring at 11pm to place an order.

We think this is part of giving your customer the service they want and expect. We run our business for the convenience of you, the customer. And I guess, in our naivety, we expect the same from others.

How true is this saying? When you have a bad experience you tell 10 people. When you have a good experience, you may tell 3 people. Why? Because in business, we expect a good experience. And we’re so inconvenienced when we don’t receive it, we tell anyone who will listen. And sometimes it just feels good to be able to get even for the irritation and annoyance caused by their lack of care.

Hundreds of people around the world read my blog on a weekly basis. Remember this. Slogans are to be lived up to, or face the consequences. Make sure you take a close look at your slogan to see if you’re living up to its promise. If you’re not, you’re most certainly disappointing your customer.

‘When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight’ isn’t worth two cents in my neck of the woods. FedEx allows itself to be run like a business in a third world country. Open only for 1 hour a day, at a time when other businesses have closed for the day and when most people go home to spend time with their families.

Poppy will receive her parcel a week after I lodged it. It’s taken more than 4 hours of my time to drive from one agent to another plus the telephone time to make my complaint and sort out the problem.

Australia Post gets an Air Mail parcel to the West Coast of America in about 5 days. It takes me 5 minutes to lodge it over the counter on my account. I will never again accept a request to use FedEx.

Being in business is like looking after a small child. It always needs attention and if you take your eyes off the business, it can fall over and hurt itself, just like a small child.

Postscript 6th December 2007 3:30pm

I live by my own golden rule. To treat others as I wish to be treated isn’t always good enough. I also have another rule. If I publish a criticism on the internet for all to see, it’s crucial that I check back to see if that criticism still stands. That’s only fair, isn’t it?

A happy ending with Poppy’s parcel arriving on Monday, 26th November 2007, in Tucson Arizona. As promised by FedEx. And she was delighted to receive it.

And sometimes business gets in the way of good deeds. Our Christmas rush stopped me from checking with FedEx to see if Mid-Western Regional Express was still their agent in Bathurst. But the call I made today to FedEx at 13 2610 certainly did surprise me.

I enquired who the agent(s) are for my region of the Central West. I gave the postcodes for Mudgee (2850), Orange (2800), Bathurst (2795) and Lithgow (2790). Melissa graciously told me Australian Air Express was their agent for Mudgee, Orange and Lithgow. But we came to a stumbling block at Bathurst. After extensive checking, Melissa informed me, in a regretful tone, that there doesn’t appear to be any agent listed for Bathurst.

Now I’m in a real dilemma. Should I be smug that Mid-Western Regional Express was relieved of their status of inflicting inconvenience on the unsuspecting? Or should I feel contrite that they’ve lost a part of their business that perhaps helped to pay the mortgage on the roof over their heads? Woe is me, I’ve never been remotely successful at gloating over the misfortune of others.

And what do I make of FedEx? I accused them of not caring. Now look at them! Do they care after all? Is this a case of David, or in my case – Davila! – making Goliath sit up and take notice?

Or should I keep my remorse in check by reminding myself that no one from FedEx has come within snapping distance since my tirade on Saturday morning, federal election day, 24th November 2007? That I had to ring them to discover a change was made.

Gosh, life can be so complicated at times!

Although we are an accidental business, there are now more than 150,000 Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers in use around the world. All thanks to our very supportive customers.

And growing daily.

Since 1994 our covers have been made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. They love what they do and it shows in the quality of our product. And I can assure you that your purchase gives back to them a strong sense of self-worth.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

To read what our customers say about us, scroll up to the top of this page and click on the Hear This! tab at the top of The Ironing Board Cover Lady, above the photo of our property.

And there are more stories to come!

‘It’s 4AM And America Is Calling’
‘From A Throw Away Comment An Event Is Born’

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Share your stories and comments with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 9 Wow! It IS A Small World!!

Greetings from rural Australia.

Clip clop. Clip clop. The sounds of the footsteps hitting the footpath are brisk and definitely feminine. Short, light steps. Almost musical in their cadence.

It’s a balmy, early November morning. We’re at our monthly event in Mosman NSW, which is on the North Shore of Sydney Australia.

The morning sun is gently kissing our skin and we’re enjoying its warmth and promise of a beautiful spring day. The surrounding trees are already in early leaf and fragrant spring blossoms perfume the air.

It’s a blissful morning and you feel ecstatic at being alive!

The footsteps are getting closer. But still brisk and snappy. This woman has a purpose and knows where she’s going. And we aren’t her destination.

I see her round the corner of our marquee and come to a sudden halt. Almost like a car quickly braking to avoid hitting something. She stops so abruptly, she almost loses her balance.

She looks at our signage, looks at our products on display, reads the sign again, and then looks at Victor, my partner.

“You’re an architect”, she says. “Yes I am”, he answers. “And you designed this ironing board cover, didn’t you”, she asks. “Yes, I did”, he answers.

Victor’s not a morning person. Early AM he’s a quiet man of few words. But seems able to participate in this conversation. Just answer yes or no. It’s simple and doesn’t stretch his conversation skills at this time of day.

She moves around to the front of the marquee and engages Victor in the most fantastic story.

Her name is Jennifer. She lives on the North Shore, not far from Mosman. She’s an architect too.

She has a friend, Olivia, who lives in the United Kingdom.

She’s just come back from a six-week visit with Olivia. While there, she irons every day on Olivia’s Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover. Jennifer loves this cover.

Olivia’s cover is a gift from her sister Catherine, who also lives on the North Shore of Sydney, a suburb away from Mosman.

And Jennifer is determined to find out where to buy this cover now that she’s back in Australia.

Victor, warming to her story, asks her about her architectural background. They discover they both worked for the same architectural practice, albeit at different times. And also discover that in the early 1980’s, Victor also worked with her husband, who’s also an architect.

Life is full of surprises.

What Jennifer doesn’t expect, is to discover The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover so quickly. She’s been home only one day. Which is why she comes to a screeching halt when she sees our signage. She’s also delighted to discover how much she has in common with the designer of this product.

Victor, the man of few words in the morning, suddenly becomes absorbed in his new customer’s background and the architectural experiences they share in common.

He packs her order, chats a while longer, then she’s off. With a big wave and a smile.

A very happy lady who sprinkles even more sparkle and brilliance into our now perfect spring morning.

Her parting comment? “I have to travel to the other side of the world to discover some of the best products are made in my own backyard!!”

It IS a small world.

No matter who you are, it’s the day to day little things in life that really annoy you. It’s also the simple solutions that make your life happier and less stressed.

The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover is a ‘Simple Solution To A Difficult Problem’.

And you don’t have to travel all over the world to discover it. It’s here, in your own backyard.

We are an accidental business. And growing. There are now more than 150,000 covers in use around the world and increasing daily. And all our covers are made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 8 Look At This Family Tree Grow!

Greetings from rural Australia.

Every time someone places an order for The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, I scour my database to see if they’ve ordered before. Since 1994, I’ve looked at names of customers on a daily basis. Sometimes I think I know them by heart.

And what do I find?

Family trees. Both personal, geographical and corporate.

Because I give an undertaking to keep personal details confidential, I’m not able to reveal the full personal names in our family tree. But when I get emails telling me this order is going to the 3rd and 4th generation of a particular family, I can tell you I get a buzz.

A recent order goes like this. Robin is ordering for her daughter. “Can you believe you now have 3 generations of my family using your cover?” Robin’s mother purchased one for herself and then gave one to Robin as a gift.

I have quite a few unusual last names on my database. Some time ago I decided to ring to find the source of their orders. Yes, it was a brother, sister, mother or father who placed the original order. Sometimes an auntie, sometimes a grandparent.

Then we have extended families of friends. Lyn’s referred 4 friends to us who purchased the cover. How did Lyn find out about us? From her sister-in-law, Jane.

Teo’s referred at least 5 friends who have purchased. Three of her friends have gone on to order covers as gifts for their friends.

Margaret’s lost track of how many of her friends have The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover because of her.

Trish has given the cover to all her children, packed a suitcase full of them for a trip to the UK and her son gave one as a thank you present to a family he stayed with.

Then there are street addresses only a few numbers apart. Neighbour telling neighbour.

Who are the best at referring? Men! Men recognise a good product when they use it and are the first to tell their friends. Stan is a champ. We’ve got many men on the North Shore of Sydney ironing on their Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers because of Stan. And Harry isn’t slow either.

But the most revealing are the corporate addresses we mail to. Because we send all parcels Receipted Delivery, they must be signed for. So busy executives want their cover mailed to their place of work for ease of delivery. No last minute rush home to rescue the parcel from their local Australia Post post office.

And our customers come from a wide spectrum of the corporate world. The following companies have had more than one parcel delivered to their address. So it’s co-worker telling co-worker. During a coffee break or those odd moments when they can indulge in some personal time rather than corporate time.

These companies are listed below to show you how a small business like ours grows. With the help of our customers. Perhaps you recognise some of the corporate names, perhaps you work for one of these companies, but let me assure you these co-workers are vital to the future of our business!

2MCE-FM Community Radio
A Bridal Alternative
A Current Affair
ABC Science Unit
Acacia Grove Bed & Breakfast
ADA Cottage, Kandos
ADA Cottage, Rylstone
Adams Jewellers
ADI Limited
Age Of Fishes Museum
Airlie Vails Pty Ltd
Albany International
Alfred Hospital
All Seasons Motor Lodge
AMCHAM
AMP Workspace
Amrad Corporation Pty Ltd
Angela Morris Optometrist
Anglican Church Of Australia
Anna Bennett Designs
Another Planet Design & Photography
Aon
API LTD
AREC
Astra Pharmaceuticals
Attaché Software
Audrey Jillian Bridal
Austeam Appliances
Australia Council
Australia Post Business Direct
Australia Post Marketing Dept
Australian Bridal Service
Australian Business
Australian Chocolate Pty Ltd
Australian Consumers’ Association
Australian Country Style
Australian Lace Guild
Australian Securities & Investment Commission
Australis Bridal
Autumn Threads
Awarehouse Communications
Ballan Quilt and Craft Show
Baraque School of Sewing & Style
Bathurst Copy Centre
Bathurst Florist
Bathurst Health Foods & Home Brew
Bathurst Library
Bathurst Pet Grooming Salon
Bayer Healthcare
Bellevue Guest House
Bendigo’s Hat Shoppe
Bills Pets Paradise
Blayney Vet Hospital
Blue Mountains Funerals
Body & Soul Metamorphosis
Books On Bronte
Borland Australia
Bowring Macaulay & Barrett
Bridal Magic
Brides Of Bromley
Brides Of Parramatta
Brides Of Picadilly
Brisbane Implant Dentistry & Perio Care
Bruce Mann Hair & Beauty
Burke & Wills Roadhouse
Burra Heritage Cottages, Tivers Row
Business Services
Buxton Construction Pty Ltd
Canon
Canowindra Trading Post
Capitol Records: Los Angeles, California USA
Cartridge World
Celestial Arts & Craft Studio
Central West Consortium
Charles Parsons & Co
Cheney & Wilson
Chief Minister’s Dept; Corporate Services
Chloe’s Bridal
Choice Magazine
Choice Personnel Services Pty Ltd
Christina’s Bridal & Formal Hire
Cisco Systems
Clare High School
Clayton Utz Solicitors
Clean Up Australia Ltd
Cleworth & Barini Optometrists
CMRI
Communications Direct
Community Memorial Hospital: Virginia USA
Connect East
Coober Pedy Hospital
CORPimage Pty Ltd
Corporate Culture
Corporate Public Affairs, Australia Post
Count Wealth Accountants
Countryside Caravan Park
Cranberry Crafts
Creative Lifestyle Publications
CTC Productions Pty Ltd
Dairy Farmers
David Jones Limited
DB Promotions
DD By Megan Salmon
Deutche Bank AG, Sydney
Dial A Laundry
Dimension Data
Dome Books
Dominic Taranto
Drummoyne Sailing Club
EGO Group
Elegant Occasions
Embryo Designs
Emoda Couture
Empire Film Services
Enterprise Marketing
Erics Mower Centre Pty Ltd
Ernst & Young
Export Adviser TradeStart
Express Publications
F B Rice and Co
Fabric Fair
Fairview Café and Guesthouse
Fairway Motel
Fanatik
Fashion Identification
Fast Track Pty Ltd
Federation Press
Fins Restaurant
Fintechnix Pty Ltd
Forty Winks
FOXTEL Management
GEORGE
George Street Medical Centre
GHD
Gilbert & Tobin Lawyers
Gladesville Veterinary Hospital
Glanmire Boarding Kennels
Glenview Community Care Inc
Goddards Pharmacy
Gold Panner Motor Inn
Grant Samuel
Graphix Hair Studio
Grazing Management Systems Pty Ltd
Green Gables
GT Distributors
Guides NSW
Harbour View Hotel
Hazelton Airlines
Heaps ‘a’ Bargains
Hedley Garner Pty Ltd
Hi-Fert Pty Ltd
High Valley Vineyard
Hirst Investigation Service
Hollywood Bridal
House Of Hepzibah
Hugs For Brides
Hunt Leather
Hunter Valley Cheese Co
Hunters Hill Quilters Inc
Hylen Success Coaching: Canada
Ilias
Illy Caffe
In Touch Boutique
Inland Marketing Corporation
Innovations
Inside Out Interior Decorating
Inside Out Magazine
Integral Event Management
Intentia Australia
IPEC, Level 28, Grosvenor Place
J I Moore and Partners
Jen’s Sewing Basket
JL Lennard
John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd
John Heine & Son Pty Ltd
John Pearce Optometrist
Julia’s Fabric Boutique
Kalari Vineyard
Kandos Handy Hardware
Kanimbla’ Olive Oil
Kaps Patchwork: Germany
Karinya House Inc
Karratha Caravan Park
Ken’s Pet Barn
Kenson Hotel Services
Kerry Price Designs
Killara Village Quilts
Kiola Wines
KPMG
Laing O’Rourke
Land McKaig Accountants
Laura Star
Lavender & Lace
Lawler Partners
Leading Pacific
LED Retail Displays
Lee Hostel
Leeaky Hose
‘Leesa KM’
Lifestyle Matters
Limon Financial Services
Liverpool Courthouse
LJ Hooker
Locks Hair Services
Logan’s Patchwork
Lucy Watts Artwork
Macquarie Bank
Macquarie Graduate School of Management
Marriott Tree Equipment
Masson Wilson Twiney
McCoy, Grove & Atkinson
Mckellys
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Mercedes Benz Airport Express
Mobile Bookkeeping
Moneypenny Business & Tax
Moree Education Office
Morning Bulletin
Motel Riverina Leeton
Mount Eymard Retirement Villa
MRBEC
Mudgee Agpower
Mudgee Bookcase
Mudgee Carpet Court
Mudgee Veterinary Hospital
Murdan Rural Supplies
Musica Viva
National Bank
National World Travel
Nationwide Promotions Pty Ltd
Newham Rural Supplies
Nine Network Australia
NNTT
North Shore Private Hospital
NSW Dept Of Agriculture
NSW Police Headquarters
Numsbar Business Solutions
O2 Networks
Office Of The Governor
Omega Travel
Ophir Gold B&B
Orange Community Health Centre
Ord Minnett
Orica
Osman Insurance Brokers
P&O Cruises
P&O Ports
Patchwork On Pittwater
Petal Bridal Couture
Peter Hill Media Sales
Peter Shipway Real Estate
Peter’s of Kensington
Philippe Xavier Hairdressers
Phillips Fox
Pioneer Studios
PittwaterB&B
Poet’s Corner Winery
Port Melbourne Paints & Wallpaper
Premier Cork & Timber
Price’s Service Station
Prime Television
Products Of Excellence
‘Pure Blyss’ Skin Care Centre
Pussy Foot Shoe Boutique
Quay Restaurant
Quilt Fabric Delights
Quinn’s Jewellers
Rabo Bank
Radio 2CR
Radio 2LT
Ray White Real Estate
RCE Sales
Regency Jewellers Bathurst
Reiter Tooling
Restoration Centre
River Lane B&B
Riverlands Drug & Alcohol Service
RM Williams
RNCAS
Rock Around The Block
Rock Lily Cottages
Rosewood Eucalyptus Oil Farm
Rough Country Off Road
Rowville Post Office
Royal Adelaide Hospital
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
RPR Consulting Pty Ltd
Rural Press Limited
Rylstone Ag Supply
Rylstone Licensed Post Office
Rylstone Newsagency
Rylstone Shire Council
Saab Systems
Salgo
SAS
Seven Wentworth
Sew Fine Designs
Sheer Indulgence Lingerie
Shell Company Aust
Sime Darby Automobiles Pty Ltd
Sinclair Import-Export Pty Ltd
Sleepless No More Pty Ltd
Smart Presentations
Spencer Stuart
Sporte Leisure Pty Ltd
Spring Hill Wines
Spring Search & Selection
SSASS
St George Bank
St George Bank Club
St John Ambulance
Stacks Shoes Pty Ltd
Standard & Poors MMS
Stewarts
Sun Studios Australia
Suncorp
Susie Graham Living
Switzer Communications Pty Ltd
Sydney Film Company
Sydney Ports Corporation
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Tanner Menzies Pty Ltd
Teapot Ministries
Telstra Licensed Shop
Ten Capital
That Picture Framing Place
The Australian Image Company
The Bridge View Inn
The Clothing Workshop
The Curtain Company
The Hon Duncan Gay
The House of Jean Fox
The Kitchen Inn
The Lavender Shop
The Logo Works Pty Ltd
The Lonely Palate Winery
The Marketing Store
The Patchwork Studio
The Peninsula Group
The People for Places and Spaces
The Purple Patch
The Quilters Guild of NSW Inc
The Quilter’s Lantern
The RSPCA
The Salvation Army
The Spare Chair
The Westin Melbourne
Thiess Services
Thistle Hill Vineyard
Tierney House Mudgee
To Market To Market Pty Ltd
Trade Commisioner, AUSTRADE
Trumps Music Northpoint
Uniting Church
Universal Dry Cleaning Solutions
Universal Pictures (Aust) Pty Ltd
Vacy Hall B&B Inn
Vancon International Consultants
Venture Creek Pty Ltd
Vero
Village Roadshow Ltd
Vision Super
Vogue Entertaining + Travel
Vogue Living
Walgett Police Station
Wall’s Pharmacy
Wangarang Industries
Wangi Pharmacy
Warburton Road House
Wattle Flat General Store
Weekly Times Advertising
Wellbeing Pharmacy
Wenonah Lodge
Western Region BEC Inc
Westpac Banking Corporation
Westpac Staff Club
Westview Apartments
Willoughby City Council
WIN Television
Windy Hill Nursery
Woodhead Architects
Woodley’s Motors
Worley Parsons
YKK
Young Designers Gallery

We’re very proud of our customers and are always in awe of the help and encouragement they give us. They allow us to develop personal relationships with them and tell us their stories. We wouldn’t have this rich tapestry of corporate history if we sold only to retail stores.

This is our reward for staying small, friendly and personal. Nothing beats this!

Although we are an accidental business, there are now more than 150,000 covers in use around the world thanks to our very supportive customers.

And growing daily.

Since 1994 our covers have been made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. They love what they do and it shows in the quality of our product.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

And there are more stories to come!

It’s 4AM and America is calling.
Wow! It’s a small world!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Share your stories and comments with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 7. Why Retailers Turn A Deaf Ear

Greetings from rural Australia.

Our dedicated customers always ask us why we don’t have the The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover in every retail store in Australia. It’s almost like a failing on our part.

I used to want to hang my head in shame, but no more. Our quality is far too superior to appeal to most retailers. That’s not bragging, it’s unfortunately a fact of life. Major retailers think everyone wants to buy cheap. I call it the Wal-Mart/Big W/K Mart syndrome.

Sometimes we want cheap. But many times, we want quality. And we often yearn for something different. Don’t we?

When you shop in large Australian stores, do you ever wonder why there’s a sameness in product from store to store? It doesn’t matter what store you visit, everything looks the same. There’s little difference between David Jones, Myers, Coles, Woolworths, Big W, K Mart and Target.

Just about everyone complains that it’s very difficult to find something unusual. Do you?

I always wondered about this sameness. Until we ventured into the retail environment.

Major stores don’t buy product with their customers’ satisfaction in mind.

They buy product to make the most amount of money they can in the shortest time span. If enough of us don’t buy something within a proscribed period, they delete it and replace it with something else. No matter how good it might be.

Their buying criteria is very strict.

Let’s start with David Jones. A store I personally like and have made a number of large white goods purchases because they stand by their customer if you have a problem. I’ve been a cardholder there since 1970 and have never been let down by their customer service.

In the mid 90’s, our customers kept asking us why The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover wasn’t in David Jones. They associate the quality of our cover with the quality sold by David Jones.

So I rang DJ’s. On the plus side, their buyer politely took my phone call. And explained to me that she knows who we are. Also knows people come to their stores asking for The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover.

But they won’t stock it because we don’t go through a distributor. They have a policy of never buying one product only from a supplier.

Why? It’s an accounting issue. The Accounts Department doesn’t want to have too many invoices to pay at the end of the month. They prefer buying many items from one distributor. Even though this adds to the cost of any product. After all, the distributor wants their share as well.

We don’t have enough profit margin in our cover to add the distributor, David Jones and us into the profit share. You’d pay close to $75 for the cover if we did. Would you? I don’t think so.

So a door is closed.

And many small, innovative businesses that make superlative products within Australia find themselves cut off from the major stores for the same reason.

Stores like Peters of Kensington, Lincraft, Myers, all the chain stores, share a common policy. They don’t pay ‘freight’. They expect the manufacturer (us) to absorb the cost of getting their product to the stores. Many also pay their suppliers’ invoices in 60 days, a period most small businesses with limited or no overdraft, find difficult to manage.

It wasn’t so long ago that retailers paid cash for their goods before, or on, delivery. Before the behemoth stores like Woolworths and Coles began to dominate the retail industry and insisted all purchases be on account. It was a time when a manufacturer could make a decent profit and keep their manufacturing within Australia.

How long ago? Would you believe up until about 15 years ago?

When the Roth family owned Lincraft, the up market fabric and haberdashery chain, we had our cover in 30 of their 60 stores. It was a huge seller in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Perth. When Philip Roth visited the stores, he expected to see The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover on the shelves. He loved the cover because it was innovative and Australian made. And the family paid their suppliers religiously every 30 days.

When the Roth family sold their stores, the new buyer had a different perspective. Lincraft moved from a family owned, know your supplier and customer philosophy, to a discount store philosophy.

We received a letter curtly telling us the name of the new owner and his terms of trade. They were:- no price increases, no freight to be charged, and payment of our invoices every 90 days. The letter lacked empathy and interest in who we were and what we made.

We asked ourselves if this is how they’ll also treat customers. And decided, yes it was. So we withdrew our product immediately. And over time, Lincraft has become a shadow of its former self.

There’s a saying that if you swim with sharks, expect to be eaten. And large retailers are eating up Australian suppliers at a dangerous rate. If suppliers were animals, they’d now be on the endangered species list.

Many suppliers are told to compete with prices from third world countries, or be deleted from the retailers’ list. Which is why Made In Any Third World Country is the label most commonly seen on the bottom of, or sewn into, the goods you buy.

With this philosophy also comes a lack of customer care, customer service and knowledge about what they sell.

We have no department stores in my nearest regional centre, Bathurst NSW. All we have is K Mart and Big W. Plus a specialist appliance store, RetraVision, which has an enviable, helpful approach towards customer service and product knowledge. They are simply the best in product knowledge and customer care.

When my food processor did its last spin in the bowl, I went looking for a new one. Unfortunately, RetraVision doesn’t sell food processors. Big W and K Mart both do, albeit a limited range.

Big W has the largest range. When I managed to track down a shop assistant (an achievement in itself) for advice, I was stunned by her answer. We receive no training and know nothing about any of these appliances. All we do is sell them. You’re supposed to know what you’re buying.

It’s this remote, no care and no responsibility, attitude that prompted our decision to carefully choose only small, friendly retailers or else stay out of the retail network.

And another. As our customer, we’d be offended to discover a retailer told you they know nothing about our cover. To direct you to the packaging to find out whatever you might need to know that will help you make a decision, isn’t how we want you to be treated.

And yet another. We’re not prepared to be ordered to run our business to please anyone other than you.

Oh, and one more. We won’t cut corners to provide an ever-cheaper price and an ever-diminishing product quality.

Yes, there’s one more. We love helping you.

Let’s see. That makes us unacceptable to all large retailers!

Which is good. Because if we don’t swim with sharks, we can’t be eaten!

Developing a market and a customer following away from the retail sector is a hard road to travel. It requires constant energy and almost Sherlock Holmes type investigation to find you.

There’s no market segment called ‘ironer’ that we can tap into easily. Our customers are mums and dads, celebrities, professional men and women and hobbyist quilters and sewers dedicated to their craft. Plus schools, laundries, dressmakers, fashion and bridal gown designers. You come from all walks of life and all over the world.

You’re sometimes as hard to find as a needle in a haystack.

So why do we choose this path?

This is so old fashioned, but it’s true. Because we think pleasing you, one on one, is so much more rewarding.

We like the warm, fuzzy relationship we have with you. We really like seeing the family tree grow with your referrals and your word of mouth. We like your positive emails, your phone calls, your suggestions for new products and your friendship. Most of all, we just really like you!

Establishing our business like this is similar to travelling down the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her friends to find the Wizard Of Oz. Always interesting, often delightful, and we look forward to the happy ending where you love The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover!

We have 150,000 covers in use around the world, and growing daily. All made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.

This is our reward. We have 150,000 customers who no longer buy their ironing board covers from major retailers.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

And there are more stories to come!

It’s 4AM and America is calling.
Wow! This is a small world!!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Share your stories with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 6 The Sydney Morning Herald Blows Up Our Fax Machine

Greetings from rural Australia.

“In the future, everyone will have their fifteen minutes of fame”.

Andy Warhol’s 1968 throwaway line becomes the inspiration and aspiration of everyone in business.

Including us!

Ever since we launched The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover in 1994, we’ve earmarked publicity as important. The cover meets all the criteria for a successful publicity campaign. Breakthrough invention. Made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. Architect solves a difficult problem with a simple solution.

But it has one overwhelming handicap. IRONING IS A DULL AND BORING SUBJECT!

And another handicap. An ironing board cover isn’t high tech. It’s low tech, or worse, no tech.

Just one big yawn for journalists.

Until 2002.

The first break is in July 2002 with ABC Radio National. Julie McCrossin’s Life Matters program is doing a special series on Innovative Businesses In The Bush. After listening to three programs, Victor prods me into ringing them with our story.

A call to Julie’s producer, Kathy Gollan, is met with the response the series is finished. In dismay, I blurt out to Kathy it can’t be because she hasn’t heard our story yet! Then I start talking and don’t stop until I run out of air. When I can no longer breathe, I have to stop.

Kathy, sensing an opportunity to get a word in, gives me a reply that stuns and delights me. She’ll run the story the following week, if I’m available for a live on-air interview. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!

The rules for the interview are simple. Absolutely no sales hype. And just keep talking until Julie asks another question. Then keep talking until the next question. This is no problem for me as I can talk under water with marbles in my mouth!

I am allowed one piece of sales hype. To tell the listeners that The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover is sold by telephone marketing by the charity The Guide Dog Associations in NSW/ACT, SA, and WA to raise funds to train their guide dogs and pets as therapy dogs.

But I can’t give any details about contacting our company. And Julie is very adept at adhering to this!

Not expecting much to happen, I don’t tell The Guide Dogs’ in any of the three states about the upcoming interview.

Remember the Scout motto of ‘always be prepared’? Guess who wasn’t?

10 seconds after the interview ends, the public jams the incoming lines of Guide Dogs NSW with queries and orders, to the extent that no one in their offices can make any outgoing calls for the rest of the day! It takes three people in NSW to staff the switch. WA, 3 hours behind, is forewarned by NSW, so is ready!

An email to me from Guide Dogs NSW asks just one question. Who’s your PR agent?!

Flushed with a new sense of confidence, we venture forth into renewed activity to generate publicity. And are met with the familiar lack of interest.

Until Victor approaches Guy Allenby of the Sydney Morning Herald. He’s full of interest because HE IRONS!

A journalist who irons is as valuable as a Japanese princess who produces a boy child!

But he’s also full of pessimism because he’s never had, or heard of, or seen a cover that doesn’t move on his board.

To prove it, we send him one to test drive.

The deal is done. He’ll run a story about the cover and us in a Thursday edition of Domain magazine. In October or November 2002.

October and November 2002 come, go, and no story appears. So we forget about it. Chalk it up as another case of lack of interest by the publisher.

December 12, 2002 is a beautiful, balmy pre-Christmas day in Ilford. My early morning walk with the dogs down to the creek and back is pure bliss. The rising sun of early summer warms the heart and cheers the soul.

And the day just gets better.

The first call comes at 7:30AM. A young lady from Clayton Utz Solicitors wants to order a cover. “How did you find out about us”, I ask. “In the Sydney Morning Herald”, she replies. “A full-page story about you is in Domain magazine”.

Victor is just leaving for a meeting. As he goes out the door, I manage to tell him the article finally appears.

That’s the last minute I have to myself. Because the phone rings, and rings, and rings until 8:30PM!

In 2002, our website doesn’t have online ordering yet. But we do have a downloadable order form that can be faxed to us. And the faxes come non-stop until our geriatric fax machine runs out of puff at 3PM.

Victor arrives back at 4PM to be greeted by a mad woman. Me!

I race out of my office, the cordless phone permanently attached to my left ear. I frantically wave and point to the fax machine and in between phone calls try to tell him the fax has blown up and he has to fix it.

He has no idea how busy I’ve been with phone calls all day and doesn’t understand why I can’t speak in a complete sentence. Nor does he fully comprehend the language of frantic waving and pointing.

It’s as if he’s come back to unfamiliar surroundings!

But he quickly gets the gist of the waving and pointing. He’s also an excellent Mr-Fix-It and inspects the internal workings of the fax. “That’s it”, he says. “It’s sent and received its last fax”.

In the meantime, the fax telephone keeps ringing because people are still trying to send faxes. To keep our sanity, we take it off the hook.

At just before 5PM, we urgently ring Pencraft in Mudgee to organise a new fax.

Malcolm has one ready for us at 7AM the next morning. Victor is back by 8:30AM with an assurance that all we need to do is plug it in. And at the flick of the ON switch, we receive our first fax order of the day!

The phone calls continue until the 22nd of December, 2002. To our dismay, each day is as intense as the first day. We send out so many parcels, our local post office in Kandos NSW isn’t big enough to contain the daily deliveries. The overflow goes out the back door. We even deplete their supply of parcel post bags.

As every company winds down for the Christmas break, we also deplete our sewing company’s ability to supply product. Their Christmas break starts on the 17th of December and they get out all they can by then. And ditto again for our supplier of felt underlay. They have nothing left to send us by the 22nd of December, their last day of business.

This isn’t just 15 minutes of fame. This is a gala performance worthy of bringing the house down.

And no one knows why.

Guy Allenby of the Sydney Morning Herald is truly surprised at the response. Other articles that appeared that day in Domain generated no response, so he’s at a loss as to why this is so remarkable.

But remarkable it is. The calls continue well into March of 2003.

And people still remember the story. Our latest sale from that article is 2nd September 2006 at Mosman Arts & Craft Market in Sydney. Dorothy remembers it when she sees our cover on display. And takes one home with her.

There’s a conundrum in business. If I tell you we have the most wonderful, time saving ironing board cover in the world, you don’t believe me. But if Guy Allenby of the Sydney Morning Herald writes that this is the greatest cover he’s ever used, the whole world believes him. Third party endorsement is that powerful. Which is why publicity is so valuable and highly sought after.

And why we wish ironing wasn’t such a dull and boring subject!

In spite of this, there are now more than 150,000 covers in use around the world. And growing daily. All made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

And there are more stories to come!

It’s 4AM and America is calling.
The retail world has a deaf ear.
Wow! This is a small world!!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Share your stories with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 5. Bikers In Helmets! Is This A Raid?

Greetings from rural Australia.

We live and work in the Australian bush. In an absolutely beautiful part of the Central Tablelands of New South Wales (NSW).

Ilford is a little village of a few families tucked between the scenic hills of Bathurst and the burgeoning vineyards of Mudgee. We’re 970 metres high, have cold frosty winters and hot dry summers.

Our remote property is 54 hectares (133 acres) and our nearest neighbour is a few kilometres away. Our garden is a hectare (almost 2.5 acres).

Autumn in our garden is a kaleidoscope of falling autumn leaves and spectacular colour over a long period.

Spring is the harbinger of sensual pleasures that only wet winters across the Great Dividing Range of Australia can produce, with fragrance filling the air.

Intoxicating wattle, thousands of fragrant bulbs of jonquils and freesias abound, flowering honeysuckle drapes a hectare of fence line and our house, more than 200 scented roses fill the air, the 20 philadelphus shrubs in bloom for just a few weeks turn visitors weak at the knees and our thousands of lavender shrubs are billowing early musky blooms in every direction.

Bathurst is an hour away. Mount Panorama is the mecca for the Bathurst Car Races and Bathurst Motorcycle Races. At two different times of the year.

We’re also only 15 minutes away from the historic gold mining town of Sofala and a hop, skip and jump away from the Turon Technology Museum. Hill End is a little further away, but more spectacular an old gold mining town than Sofala.

All are weekend getaways for touring bikes.

Then there’s the world famous vineyards in the town of Mudgee, 70 kilometres west, which hosts annual general meetings for the Ulysses Club and other national bike clubs.

The sound of bikes on the Sofala Road, 400 metres away from us, down the dirt lane from our front gate, is a week-end given. And when it’s a serious bike convention, we’re standing at the gate, watching them ‘vrooooom’ by, in awe.

So why does a convoy of bikers coming up our dirt lane in early spring concern us?

Because we’re from the city. If we can’t see the whites of their eyes, we distrust them!

So when a group of about a dozen bikers stormed our front gate, we became a bit anxious.

The lead biker took off his helmet to reveal a full growth of beard, longish curly red hair and a full moustache. The only thing missing were the tattoos on his upper torso, which we couldn’t see because he had his leather bikers’ jacket on.

We met him at the gate. Him on one side and Victor and me on the other side with our dogs as a backup.

He politely asked us if this is where they can buy The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover.

I was sure I hadn’t heard him correctly, so asked him to repeat his question!

I’d heard him right the first time.

My next thought was, “they think we keep cash on the premises!!”

But there was something about his polite demeanour that made Victor and me think this young man wasn’t a threat.

And he wasn’t.

The dozen bikers were from the Australian Navy, on leave for a few weeks and letting their hair down.

One of their group was given a Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover by his mother and they all came to take one back to their naval base to use.

Our tentative suspicion quickly turned to a warm welcome, with the gate opened wide and 12 leather booted and leather clad bikers marching through to the front door.

They all squeezed into our tiny packing room, selected their colours, paid for their purchases, refused the offer of a cup of tea/coffee because they had a 4 hour bike ride ahead of them, and left in the same haze of dirt that brought them up to the gate.

Victor and I looked at each other, shook our heads, and said, “Can you believe that?”

And we couldn’t.

This accidental business has taught us to expect everything and be surprised by nothing. It’s also enriched our lives and given us many stories to dine out on!

The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover is a simple solution to a difficult problem.

Although it’s an accidental business, it’s growing daily, thanks to our bikers and the more than 150,000 users around the world. And all our covers are made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

And there are more stories to come!

A news article in the Sydney Morning Herald blows up our fax machine.
It’s 4AM and America is calling.
The retail world has a deaf ear.

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you and I hope you’ll share your stories with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 4 Squabbles & Tittle Tattle About An Ironing Board Cover!

Greetings from rural Australia.

It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Couples squabbling over a cover. And what can there be to gossip about? But we have the stories to prove it.

A telephone call at 6:00am one spring morning takes us by surprise. It’s an order for an ironing board cover! What a relief. We were sure someone had died!!

The caller is apologetic and explains he’s a forestry worker on his way to work. He needs the cover urgently and wants to make sure we post it that day so he gets it the next day. He isn’t far away. Just the other side of Bathurst NSW.

I do some market research when I take an order. Simple questions like:- Are you a new customer or an existing customer?

His answer? I’m both!

He sheepishly explains his predicament. He and his wife are separated. His wife took their Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover with her and left him the ironing board and the ‘tattiest cover I’ve ever seen’. He bought a supermarket cover and can’t iron on it. It never stays still. Always jumps around.

He went further. To tell you the truth, my wife and I don’t speak. But I want your cover so badly, I swallowed my pride and rang her to get your telephone number so I could order one.

I’ve seen forestry workers and they’re not known for their sartorial elegance! Why does he need a really good cover like The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover? And why does he need one by tomorrow?

With a little prodding (I’ve got to be quick:- he’s on his way to work), I discover he has a new woman in his life. He sees her almost every night and he wants to show her his best side – which is his well ironed side! Tomorrow’s Friday and on Saturday they’re going to a wedding and he needs to iron his best suit to perfection.

Lucky me and lucky him!

Every April the Bathurst Show Society stages the Royal Bathurst Agricultural Show. When we exhibited there in 2000, a previous customer purchased a cover to replace the one she bought 3 years before. We chit chatted like old friends, caught up on the latest news, and then she was off.

In July that year, she came to our exhibit at The Mudgee Field Days. She tapped her well manicured nails on our ironing board and said she needed another cover, plus felt underlay, plus pressing cloth. The whole set. While packing it up, I asked her who she was giving this to, as I assumed it must be a gift.

It’s for me, she said. My husband left me suddenly and when my back was turned, came back and took your ironing board cover off my board and took it with him!

I’ve fixed him, though, she says. I changed the locks on my house and won’t give him the remainder of his prized CD collection. It’s now part of the divorce settlement he has to negotiate!!

Samantha and Regina flatted together for quite some time. Their mother, Margaret, is a customer of many years. She bought them a cover as a present when they first moved in together.

Samantha fell in love and moved in with her boyfriend. But wanted to take their Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover with her. Regina flatly refused. Margaret says they resolved the stalemate by flipping a coin. Heads, Samantha takes the cover with her, tails Regina gets to keep it. Regina won and Samantha’s boyfriend bought her a cover as a surprise present!

Then there are the couples who both iron, but don’t like the other partner ironing for them. They bicker over each other’s ironing techniques. They have separate boards and buy their covers in their favourite, albeit different, colours.

A butler in the wealthy eastern suburbs of Sydney is a continuing source of referrals for us. His referrals are always unexpected and their stories colourful.

When I recently asked a new customer how he found out about us, I was given this answer.

“I was at a dinner party in Bellevue Hill and the subject turned to ironing. (Can you believe this? Super wealthy business moguls and their wives chit chatting about an ironing board cover!) Everyone at the table complained about ironing board covers never fitting properly or staying put. Including my wife.

Although my wife has an ironing lady, she does her own last minute touch ups. She’s always so grumpy at the ironing board, I told everyone I have to leave ‘the area’ so I don’t become a target for her bad mood as well.

As I was leaving the dinner party, the butler took me aside, gave me your telephone number and details and told me I’ll never regret this purchase. He assured me my wife will be a different woman at the ironing board from now on.

How soon can you put a Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover in the mail to me, he asks?”

No matter who you are, it’s the day to day little things in life that really annoy you. It’s also the simple solutions that make your life happier and less stressed.

The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover is a simple solution to a difficult problem.

It’s also an accidental business. And growing. There are now more than 150,000 covers in use around the world and increasing daily. And all our covers are made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit my website to find out why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And also visit my Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

And there are more stories to come!

The bikies who storm our front gate to buy a cover.
A news article in the Sydney Morning Herald blows up our fax machine.
It’s 4AM and America is calling.
The retail world has a deaf ear.

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you and I hope you’ll share your stories with me.

Take care,

CAROL

 

Chapter 3. Sewing Companies Bark and Bite!

Greetings from rural Australia.

Making the first 500 Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers on our dining room table was stretching our patience. This wasn’t what we wanted to do. As these covers were slowly developing into an unexpected business, we decided our time was better spent on market development, not making the product.

After a little searching, we found a sewing company in Bathurst, an hour’s drive from Ilford, who said they’d like to make the product. We gave them the opportunity to make a few dozen, so they could work out an appropriate price per cover, and agreed to a price. We placed an order for 250 covers to be ready for our first Mudgee Field Days in July 1994.

A few days before the Mudgee Field Days, we arrived to pick up our covers.

The first thing we noticed when we entered their building was the impenetrable barrier put in place which barred us from entering their sewing area. Prior to this day, we’d been able to freely access the back area and speak to the sewers to discuss any problems they were having and work out ways to make the sewing easier for them.

We didn’t twig to the fact this barrier was for us!

When we approached the counter, with our cheque made out for the agreed price, the business owner appeared with bad news. She told us the covers were more difficult to make than originally thought. Remember, they practiced on a few dozen, which we paid for, before setting their final price. She was adding an extra fifty cents to the price per cover.

FIFTY CENTS!

That was an unexpected $125.00, which was a lot of money to us in 1994. We said we wouldn’t pay, couldn’t pay, and we have, in writing, an agreed price.

Her response?

We could see a lawyer, if we wished, but she wasn’t releasing the covers until we paid the extra $125.00.

My response?

Initially, it was to jump over the counter and do her great physical harm!

Fortunately for all of us, Victor was right behind me. His response was to take my arm, escort me out of the building and lock me in our car while he went back inside.

As an architect, Victor’s highly skilled in negotiating with builders, engineers, clients and tradesmen and women of every calibre. His skills are honed towards a win-win situation. Everyone must feel they’ve won something at the end of the deal.

When he returned to the car with our 250 covers, he told me he convinced her, albeit reluctantly, that the agreed price was a moral issue, but she still wouldn’t release the covers. After some verbal massaging on his part, and to ensure there was a win-win ending, he offered to pay her an extra 10 cents per cover. Which she accepted and released the hostages.

My innermost feelings hadn’t changed though. I’d spent my childhood playing on the streets of New York City with the neighbourhood boys. I learned a few things from them. That sometimes taking no prisoners is a good option!

The next stop?

A sewing company in Windsor, just outside of Sydney and about a 3 hours drive from Ilford. We found them in the Yellow Pages.

The factory owner was a great guy. Affable, experienced, eager to help us and wanting to do the work. He gave us an estimated price, but to make sure we wouldn’t experience the ‘Bathurst Hostage Syndrome’, we placed an order for 50 covers so they could work out an exact price and agreed to pay whatever price they set, to release those 50 covers. If the price was agreeable, we’d place an order for more.

He rang with a price a few cents more than his estimate. We liked their workmanship, so we placed an order for 500 covers.

By this time, The Guide Dogs were selling our cover over the telephone to raise funds for the training of guide dogs and pets as therapy dogs. They were a big client from the first day. So we really needed a company to make 500 covers at a time.

And what a relief to know we’d no longer be making ironing board covers!

A phone call from Windsor let us know the covers were ready to be picked up. With great excitement we got in the car and drove the 3 hours to get them.

A girl in the office directed us to a roller door. She said the covers were there.

As we approached the roller door, the floor manager, Mary, met us. First, she hastily thrust an invoice into Victor’s hand. Then she started barking at us!

“Your covers are a pain in the bum to make!
You’re too fussy!
It is, after all, just an ironing board cover!!!!
No one here wants to make them!
Don’t come back!”
….are the words I seem to remember.

And with that, a man inside started hurling the covers, packed in plastic bags, out the roller door, bag by bag!

A ‘pugnacious dog’ had just bitten us on the hand!

Victor went into the office to talk to the factory owner. He was apologetic, but said his workers didn’t want to make them. Too fiddly, they told him. There was easier work to do.

Devastated, we drove back to Ilford hardly exchanging a word, each of us deep in thought. All we wanted was to find a company that would make our products with love and care.

A few days previously, I’d been reading Business Review Weekly magazine and remembered an article about the NSW Industrial Supplies Office. It helps businesses find companies to work with, it said. That was a different perspective. We’re the government and we’re here to help.

In desperation, we rang early the next morning. We told them our criteria. First. We wanted to keep the manufacturing in the Central Tablelands, where we lived. Second. To be made with love and care by men and women who have a disability.

We thought that was a tall order.

But they rang back within 2 hours with the names of 3 companies they thought would suit us. Victor rang all three and we agreed to meet one company that day. And it’s been a perfect match ever since.

Wangarang Industries in Orange NSW has been sewing for us since 1995. Finding them was like Goldilocks finding just the right bed to sleep in.

And like Goldilocks, I let out a great sigh of relief. This time I knew I’d sewn my last Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover!

This accidental business is growing. There are now more than 150,000 covers in use around the world and increasing every day. And all our covers are made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit our website to see why We Always Show Off Our Bottom.

And visit our Home Page at Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems to see how far we’ve come.

And there are more stories to come!

Divorcing couples fighting over their ironing board cover.
The bikies who storm our front gate to buy a cover.
A news article in the Sydney Morning Herald blows up our fax machine.

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you and I hope you’ll share your stories with me.

Take care,

CAROL