PostcardPerfect.com/blog

My aunt called last weekend and left me a very sweet voice mail thanking me for the postcard I sent her. It was nice to hear from her, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy that my card made her day. I mean, that (in addition to world domination) is why I started my company.

So anyway, I figured I’d shake things up around here (since I haven’t posted much else recently) and post the card I sent her. Here are screen shots of the front and back - straight from the file that was printed.

Yeah, I call her “auntie.” You got a problem with it?

Postcard.rar - 29.9MB

As I write this, I am downloading the source code for all of PostcardPerfect’s kiosk and back-end applications. It’s kind of a weird feeling. Knowing how much time, effort, and money went into it all - there’s something unsettling about seeing it all wrapped up into a 30MB file. My mind can’t help but put an obscene dollar amount on each megabyte.

Bring 6 cups of water to boil. Add noodles. Stir for 8-10 minutes. Drain. Mix in cheese, 1/4 cup of milk, and 4 tablespoons of butter. Mix well.

I can now make mac and cheese without consulting the instructions. At $1.25 per box, it’s budget helping dinner. Know how many boxes I could buy for one MB of source code? Of course you don’t, but it’s a lot, a whole lot.

Putting business and personal expenses next to each other is intriguing. The mindsets traditionally used to evaluate the two are worlds apart. However, the value of a dollar is the same regardless. It’s an odd phenomenon.

As some of you already know, I guest posted at the very cool (and immensely more popular) IttyBiz.com last week.

Thanks to some prodding from site owner, Naomi, many of the readers headed over to PostcardPerfect.com to see what we’re all about. A few even checked out this blog and subscribed (welcome!). The end result was two days of traffic roughly 10x what I normally get.

That’s good news, right?

Well, yes - but not necessarily for the reason you’d expect. Order volume didn’t mirror the traffic spike. In fact, it wasn’t even close. (Note: I did, however, get a bunch of nice e-mails, including a few future business prospects.)

So here’s why it WAS a good thing: feedback.

The surge of analytical data, e-mails, and comments all gave me a much better picture of people’s first impressions of PostcardPerfect, and (surprise!) it’s not quite what I want it to be.

Essentially all the traffic highlighted a few current shortcomings of my quickly launched website. For example, the navigation needs some serious work. Also, a lot of people missed the point about custom postcards. Too many still see them as something only for vacations and long distance correspondence. (These babies are much, much more…)

I’m working on fixing both issues, but the real point of this post is to endorse a methodology that I once resisted.

It’s OK to launch before perfecting every detail.

I’m not saying it’s smart to jump haphazardly. Careful planning still plays a very important role in success. However, like all things, planning is subject to diminishing returns (little economic term for you). Meaning, the more you do it - the less additional benefit you receive. I’d even say that you can worsen your position by over-planning, but I’m sure that’s debatable.

A quick, imperfect, launch will cost you less time and money upfront perfecting details that customers may later veto. It will help you get to market sooner (maybe much sooner), and it will make you much more willing to accept constructive criticism later on.

Last time I wrote about it, I was admitting a mistake. This time around though, I think I did it right. That said, I’ve got adjustments to make.

——-
No planning required: subscribe in a reader.

I’ve never been a big fan of the “answer these questions in your blog and then tag others to do the same” posts. However, Naomi at IttyBiz put out a home business challenge to answer a few questions about what your business actually does. I probably would have ignored it if I wasn’t due for a post anyway. But I was, so I won’t.

Wait, talk about PostcardPerfect on the PostcardPerfect blog? That’s right. Thaaaat’s right. OK, here we go…

1) What’s your game? What do you do?
Monopoly.

I started PostcardPerfect as a way for people to send real, custom postcards without searching for a stamp. They create cards digitally, and we make them tangible by printing and mailing ‘em.

Each card has a picture on the front (usually one taken by the customer’s digital camera), and a message on the back. They are professionally printed, given a protective coating (to stand up to the USPS), and mailed out first class.

It’s simple. It’s sexy. It’s what we do.

We have self service kiosks that let users create cards on location (tourists, for example), as well as web ordering so that you can play along at home.

2) Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have a knack?
I mailed my wife a short letter every day for the three months leading up to our wedding day. It was partly a countdown and partly just a way to make her smile as she stressed over all the wedding details. She still has them all. She can’t say the same thing about e-mails I sent her during that time.

My sappy attempts of romanticism aside, I mention that only to illustrate that I really believe there’s something about tangible mail that the electronic world can’t touch. It’s personal. It’s thoughtful. It’s unexpected.

That, along with the hope of a financial payoff, is why I do it.

3) Who are your customers? What kind of people need what you offer?
PostcardPerfect has three types of customers:

1) Kiosk – People that run into one of our machines. Details here.

2) Web – People that use our online service to send holiday cards, save the date cards, invitations, etc. These are customers that want to quickly send a bunch of cards (usually 5+) without writing each one out. They send us the picture, message, and addresses – and we take care of the rest. Details here.

(Update: We now offer individual cards online too. Yay! Details here.)

3) Business – Individualized postcards provide a powerful way for companies to let consumers interact tangibly with their brand. I’m looking for companies that want to try something new. This could mean hosting a kiosk and allowing customers to use it for free. It could be integrating with us online. It could mean a lot of things. Details here.

Oh, we can also do direct mail - but that’s not nearly as fun.

4) What’s your USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the other losers?
There are no other losers. Really. If you want to create and mail a custom postcard on the spot (kiosks) - I’m the only loser that can help you. I told you my game was Monopoly.

The UPS (”unique selling proposition” for those not hip to the marketing lingo) varies a little depending on the type of customer.

Kiosk users get to easily share their experience in a personal way. Web customers get the convenience of communicating tangibly from their desktop. Finally, businesses get the ultimate promotional product. Since the postcards are branded AND personalized (read: not going into the trash) they become a unique mix of user generated content and direct mail.

5) What’s next for you? What’s the big plan?
World domination, one postcard at a time.

Learn more at postcarderfect.com. Questions? What to join the postcard revolution? Contact me: David (at) postcardperfect dot com.

David, how are your April new month resolutions coming?

Why, thanks for asking. It’s nice to know you care.

Awww, shucks…

Don’t get all embarrassed. It’s OK to care about a blogger. Anyway, to answer your question, they’re…well…they’re going.

Which means?

Well, I resolved to contact four new locations about hosting kiosks -and two of the contacts were to be by the 15th of the month.

That’s today. How’d you do?

Well, I’ve been trying to contact three companies -but haven’t been able to get the right people phone yet. It’s the story of B2B sales; persistence is key. So, I wouldn’t say I didn’t do it -but I wouldn’t classify it as an accomplishment either.

Fair enough. Keep working at it.

OK.

Wasn’t there another one too?

Yeah, I said I would launch single card ordering this month.

Sweet. When will it be live?

Well…about that…I’m running into problems. They’re technical so I won’t bore you. Let’s just say that the method I thought I would able to use isn’t cooperating. So, it’s slow going. I don’t know if it’s going to work. We’ll have to wait and see. But I have been working on it. Honest!

OK. Well, by the end of the month I want results - no more excuses.

Deal.

I’ve found it - the app of all apps. It’s improved my productivity, created break though results, opened new markets, and saved me tons of money. It has transformed my life, and it’s free!

Actually, none of that is really true. I want it to be though - which is why I relentlessly search for the next web-based tool that I won’t be able to live without. My obsession to “test ‘em all” has left an untold amount of inactive accounts scattered around the web. The same thing happens with almost frightening regularity: I read about a new tool, I sign up, I play with it for a few days (or less), and then I never come back. I’m the reason why companies have to measure active users instead of just users.

Anyway, occasionally I’ll find tools that pass the three day barrier. Some will even hold my attention for a few weeks. Very few, however, get used more than a few months. Here are three that have. I have no financial interest or affiliate connection to these sites - I just thought I’d share ‘em cause they’re cool.

In no particular order:

LogMeIn.com
Log Me In is remote access tool that allows you to control another computer and work as if you were sitting in front of it. I started using it as a way of managing the PostcardPerfect kiosks from across the country - and later installed it on my other systems.

Basically, it lets me to log into any one of my machines from anywhere with an internet connection. For example, when using an internet terminal at a conference, I can skip logging into the webmail, VPN, Messenger, etc. I just plug directly into my work computer and BAM - I have access to everything I need.

You only have to install it on the computers that you want to control, so there’s no downloading every time you need to log in from a new location. The free version has all of the features you need, and they aren’t overly pushy in getting you to upgrade. Overall, it’s quick to set up, easy to use, and very handy.

Jott.com
Jott sends messages when you don’t have access to your computer. It works like this: you call Jott (proper noun), you tell Jott who you want to jott (verb), you speak your message, and Jott transcribes it into text and sends your jott (common noun) to that person as an e-mail.

I’m not 100% comfortable with the quality of transcriptions. They’re pretty good - but there’s also a fair share of mistakes. That could be because I slur my words after a few drinks - but that’s beside the point. The point is that I don’t use it so much for other people as I do for myself.

Let’s say I’m driving to work and I have a great blog post idea (”Three Things Marketers Can Learn from the Macarena”) that I don’t want to forget. I simply call Jott (speed dial 6…which may tell you something about my social life) and speak my idea. When I get to work - it’s waiting in my inbox. There are other features as well (jott to twitter, to-do lists with reminders, etc) but I haven’t really gotten around to using them. For me, it’s just a quick way to record my thoughts when I’m on the road.

Mint.com
I didn’t think Mint would last - but I’m coming up to four months and still check it multiple times a week. It is, at the core, a financial visibility tool that pulls data from all of your accounts into one place. It’s great for me because between my company, my wifes business, and our personal affairs - we have a lot of accounts (checking, savings, credit cards, etc.) to keep an eye on.

Mint grabs all of our recent activity, categorizes each transaction, pops the results into handy charts (so I know how much I spent at Wendy’s vs. Arby’s), and fires off alerts about our financial status. That’s it. You can’t execute any financial transactions; it’s more or less read only.

Mint isn’t the place to manage your finances; it’s the place to track them. If most of your transactions are electronic or plastic, it’s a very simple (and free) tool for keeping a pulse on exactly where all your money goes.

The Wrap-up
I know these three services are good because the novelty has worn off and I still use them. They aren’t the end-all of applications, but they do work well and serve worthy purposes. If you have time, I’d check them out.

——-
Free. Useful (kind of). Web-based. : subscribe in a reader

Well, March has come and gone, and I’m proud to report that that I carried though with my new month resolution and got a lot done. The two biggest accomplishments were finishing my taxes (daunting), and launching a new website at postcardperfect.com (more below). Not to shabby…considering the little I accomplished in Jan and Feb.

FYI - offsetting your normal income with losses from a fledgling start-up is apparently a big red flag to the IRS.

Well, that…and I claimed 7 children.

Kidding.

Anyway, the website. I’m not 100% happy with it yet (I’m a recovering perfectionist), but it’s nice to have more than a one page when new people visit. The new “expanded content” site touches on the kiosks, business solutions, and can take online bulk orders. Go check it out: www.postcardperfect.com.

For April, my resolution is a little more results orientated. I’m going to accomplish two things (at least).

1) Add the ability to take single orders online (a little more complicated because I have to make the back-end efficient enough that I can handle orders profitably).

2) Speak to four new locations about hosting kiosks. To keep me from doing it all on the 30th, two of the contacts have to happen by the 15th of the month.

Wish me luck.

As March kicked off, I decided to set a new month resolution. I really like the idea because it’s much more manageable than a new year resolution. Thirty days is short enough to keep focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. On the flip side, it’s long enough that you can make some good changes and form a habit.

My resolution was to make sure I worked on PostcardPerfect stuff for at least one hour per night - 5 nights a week. Like I said in a previous post, I was starting to slack off. I wanted to get back into it and keep moving things forward.

It’s only the first week, but so far so good. I’ve found that once I get started I have no problem going for a few hours. By early next week I hope to launch a new expanded website. It will have the same look and feel - just more content.

I’m currently trying to update up all of the 19A accounting records. I’ve slacked off for the past few months and now I have to get everything in order for tax season. Not only is it not fun, it’s kind of difficult. By using receipts, bank and credit card statements, confirmation e-mails, invoices, and my memory (which is, by the way, the secret weapon) - I’m slowly pieceing it all together.

Advice for Fellow and Future Entrepreneurs: Keep the books up to date.

If you find yourself doing other things instead (like, I don’t know…starting a blog), kick yourself and get back to the books. It’s much easier to do as when everything is up to date and fresh in your mind.

According to yesterday’s press release, Redbox just rented their 100 millionth DVD and launched their 6700th location.

Not to shabby.

I’ve been a big Redbox fan for about three years now. In fact, it’s safe to say that they influenced the PostcardPerfect kiosks. Here’s two things that I “borrowed.”

1) E-mail receipts.
2) Credit card only.

Both eliminate the need for anyone to service the machine. There’s no printer paper to change, no cash to pick up, etc. The transaction becomes entirely digital, and essentially makes the business model much more scalable

What about the red postcard kioks? Actually, the color was planned prior to knowing about Redbox.

Interesting side notes:

* The Redbox corporate HQ is located about 15 feet from my desk (on the next floor up) at my day job.
* Redbox employees wear jeans every day (we often share the elevator).
* I had lunch with Gregg Kaplan, their CEO, before launching PostcardPerfect. He was kind enough to review the plan and offer suggestions.