"I love your marketing!" - lots of people
I was going to call this "The Marketing Trap," but decided maybe that was too negative. People sometimes tell us they love our marketing, our brand, etc, and I'm always flattered... because they probably don't realize what an intensely personal compliment that is.
Russ and I built this company from nothing. We started with a $17.50 grocery trip, making our first batches of soap in our living room (of a loft where we lived with a lot of other people). I've written almost every word on our packaging and our website (with some periodic help from our friends) from those early days in 2013 to now.
We've developed and grown over the years -- when Russ and I started this business, we were newlyweds! -- but the whole idea for Outlaw has stayed the course: We want to be a different kind of company based on genuine connections with our customers, exceptional products, and unconventional scents.
In order to have genuine connections, we have to be ourselves.
That's why, in everything from our customer service, to our order fulfillment, to our production team, we hire people we know will be able to be just naturally themselves, and then we celebrate that... and similarly, we celebrate YOU, our Outlaw friend.
Over the years, we have learned that Outlaw customers are EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE. We didn't realize the level of awesomeness that we'd attract just by making scents that are interesting to us, and being ourselves. And we're so glad.
This isn't just a veneer of marketing... I think of it as (hopefully!) a new way of being in business. The internet makes it possible for me to write a blog, and for you to respond, and then for us to have a conversation, either with me, or with our customer satisfaction team, or both.
And not only does that happen on Facebook, particularly awesome conversations get posted into our company Slack chat channel, where everyone gets to read and appreciate them.
The other day, I even took a customer comment and put it on our order confirmation forms, because it was just too good.
THAT'S SO COOL. And it's new, and it's unique, and it's why we fricken' do what we do every day.
If you want to see our workshop and the folks behind the products, you can watch our Casual Friday live Facebook videos, where we introduce folks and show you the people you're connecting with just by being part of Outlaw.
It's a joy to be able to write openly about our struggles with supply chain, our hopes for the future, our product development, our business, and our admiration for our customers. I mean, really, what more could a person hope for? And yeah, you don't need to be dragged along through every crappy day I have (and I'm not much into whining anyways), but this is all from the heart.
Thanks for being amazing.
