January 2010
52 posts
Almost
Readers,
Since September we are working full-time on this project and we passed through ups & downs. The project almost collapsed in December when all producers where dropping us one by one… we even thought about producing in Asia. Which was a move translating our desire to launch this project because we strongly believe in it but an idea that we quickly forgot as it was really not a...
“Pour tous problèmes il y a une solution, car si il n’a pas de solution, il...”
– El master
Heading to the factory
8.00 am and we are heading to the factory. Many important decision today and we will also start to make the prototype in the 6 colours that we want.
Big post tonight!
Yesterday was such a busy day that we forgot to post about all the decisions and steps we made.
First of all we developed another sample based on a totally different pattern and it looks like we already have jojo’s second model of sneaker!
Afterwards we received the material for the upper part of the shoe and we were really pleased with it! We are not there yet but we are getting closer...
On fire!
Suite a 1h30 de debrief sur Skype avec Chris, une chose a dire, la team est plus en forme que jamais!
Plusieurs bonnes nouvelles concernant les informations necessaires pour l’importation, le dossier de presse et les picto des graphistes.
Jojo prend de plus en plus vie, du moins sur papier!
Aussi, ca fait du bien a toute la team de voir du concret, des proto et des photo de jojo.
Demain...
Today's conclusions
In one sentence we could say that we achieved bigger steps by being here 1 day than by waiting 2 months in Brussels to see a prototype!
So that’s good news!
However, we still face the enormous band challenge! As expected, we decided which materials we will use. Hopefully, we ask to 3 different companies and we hope to get the first samples already on Wednesday, which gives us one trail...
To do's
To Do List for Friday:
1) Finir le Dossier de Presse 2) Finir les pictos 3) Faire la liste des villes + magasins quon va contacter a partir du Lundi 1 fevrier pour le distribution tour.
Breaking news
I am sure that hard work will not kill you Chris… You can push the limit!
Here on the opposite side of the planet, tomorrow will be one of the most decisive day of jojo’s pre-existence! Indeed, we need to choose the material we will use for the upper part of the shoe an if we get it wrong it won’t be possible to meet the deadline.
To cut a long story short, tomorrow’...
C'était un échauffement!
Indeed, those 2 first days were used to make sure the project was up and running with the One, but real stuff will start monday morning as our favorite Designer is arriving here this afternoon.
According to many different sources, he is ready to rock the shoe world!
Today’s schedule, big debrief this afternoon with Joachim, decision on materials and sole. After we will probably enjoy...
Today's Brazilian activity
This morning we picked up the last at a factury and then we when to the one’s atelier to make the pattern.
According to the guy here, we might face a problem at the production because the last is too thin for the kind of sole that we want.
Unfortunately it takes time to make the pattern so we will only see the result on Monday morning.
During the afternoon we were supposed to see...
Here comes the weekend.
My gosh.
Time flies. It’s the weekend again.
It’s been a good end of the week. Just saw some interesting graphical work for Jojo.
Quite satisfied about the press-release. We’re getting there!
Puss Puss.
Brussels - Brazil
That s it.. Alone on the boat! But actually I feel quite confident! Have so much to do, but have the positive feeling I will/can manage to do everything..or at least it s good to think that I m capable :)
Here it s -2 degrees! Lucky boy!
First impression
You probably don’t know it but we are facing a big challenge in the shoe construction as the design we want is really knew. In one sentence, we have to find the right material.
But before all that we had to copy the last. We will get it tomorrow morning. That’s good news.
At the beginning of our material hunting trip I was really scared. But after visiting 4 different manufactures,...
Finally...
After a 24 hours trip I finally reached The One’s city. Hopefully, it passed relatively fast as I watched 3 movies, 2 Friends, 2 DH, 2 GossipGirls and 2 Entourage episodes.
First good news, it’s almost 32degrees here.
First bad news, forgot that I don’t understand a sh*t of Portugueuse!
Go!
Car-Train-Plain-Plain-Car.
No it’s not the new Daft Punk song, it’s today’s program to reach “l’atelier Bresilien”.
Dream about the Exit seat…
Time to go!
Tomorrow is the big day! Mat is heading to Brazil for make the shoes of jojo. 3 intensive weeks with one objective: make the best sneaker shoe!
We will keep you posted as much as possible!
Small post, need to pack everything…
Time to go!
Tomorrow is the big day! Mat is heading to Brazil for make the shoes of jojo. 3 intensive weeks with one objective: make the best sneaker shoe!
We will keep you posted as much as possible!
Small post, need to pack everything…
A lawyer and...
hehe,
yes Matt, we definitely need a lawyer, and an accountant ;)
Numbers aren’t really my cup of tea!
He is legally alive!
jojo is finally legally alive!
We went to the notary this afternoon, big legal step. Howver, we were a bit lost with all this crazy explanation about legally legal issue…
Our next legal step = hire a lawyer!
J-3
Brazil is approaching!
Still 2 days to “fix” everything here and to prepare the DECISIVE trip!
We will stay more or less 3 weeks in Brazil to develop the perfect shoe! Big challenge but no choice.
Leitmotiv: Make it or… MAKE IT!
you aren't crazy, you're just an entrepreneur →
You aren’t crazy—there are good reasons why starting a business feels hard. Like any big change in life like getting married or having a baby, entrpreneurship has its ups and downs. Once you get over the initial rush of your launch, certain that everything is going to go according to plan, you run into some snags. Your website developer disappears with your site half done. A sure-thing client...
Making it better
Good questions can raise important issues.
That’s exactly what happened today!
Chris and I were asked incredibly basic and meaningful questions about jojo. However, it was one of most difficult presentation exercise we ever done with jojo! Because we realized that all our answers were describing and shaping jojo, the project and that answers were sometimes unsatisfactory,...
Today was a good day
Our production trip is approching and we need to finalize so many things before next Wednesday!
However, today we undertook some important challenges:
Negociation with the Brussels Fiscal Authority, negotiation of credit line with the banker, logistics analysis…
Not so simple to create a shoe brand!
But we keep on working, step by step.
Today, was a good day, we managed to pass a few...
No comment but...
What my friend and associate just wrote is true.
We are struggling to launch our own project. Others are struggling to breathe and to live.
But this motivates me even more. For now, our project focuses on environmental issues, but if we manage to make it work how we want it to work, solidarity and humanitarian causes could be the next thing we work on.
Petit à petit, we will be able to help.
...
No comment
What happened today in the world reminds us how lucky we are and to relativize.
jojo is sad.
“Quand il n’y en a plus, il y en a encore!”
– Colours Chief Officer
Learning of the day
Since the beginning of jojo’s story we met many people to discuss about every aspects of the project. Most of them gave us incredible inside about professional practices, rules, limits…
However, and probably not to be discourage, we like to naively believe that everything will work as we would like!
I think that when starting a project you need both, a bit of reality and a lot of optimistm....
“A cette heure ci il n’y a pas de mauvaise idée!”
– jojo’s friend
Last Week.
Last week has been great for jojo.
We worked well, and were highly motivated. There is still a lot to do before Matt flies to see the producer (the 20th of january) and there will be a lot to do when he’s away..
Exciting, and frightening…
Tomorrow is Monday, again, time flies!
“Un mauvais buzz, c’est un pet qui sent la rose…”
– Anonymous
jojo's official website →
Payday.
Today was payday. Big step thus. The fact that we both invested cash to be able to create the company might explain why we were so positive and motivated today ;)
Everyday I feel this is all getting more real…
Big meeting tomorrow, presentation to someone who don’t knwo much about the project. Great to have new, fresh and objective critics.
Go! Go! Go!
enough for today.
It’s been a good day of work.
Found one or two more ideas on how to create the buzz and on the packaging.
I will talk with Matt about it tomorrow.
Press Release seems good to me. Many arguments, we will have to choose!
Also managed to get a Communication Plan draft. Eventhough it’s pretty theoretical, I guess it’s important to write it down once and for all.
Tomorrow, we...
