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I was lucky enough to “pitch” my business in the elevator on MSNBC’s “Your Business” on Sunday and what a “ride” it was. My e-commerce company www.FabricWorkroom.com sells custom made window treatments, bedding, shower curtains etc. to consumers. On the elevator I was asked a question that brought me back to why we developed our business model 2 years ago. Rod Kurtz, Senior Editor, at Inc. Magazine and Inc.com asked the question “Why Custom”? A great question I admit but it actually caught me by surprise. I gave the typical answer “on air” that people “want something unique that is not offered in the big chain stores” (smart answer I thought, after a segment on big chains vs. a small local bookstore just minutes before). However, while I still firmly believe what I said, the real answer is “Why NOT custom?”

There is little doubt about the trend towards custom products from cars to jeans to sneakers and extends to how we order our Starbuck’s coffee. Innovative companies have made “customizing” so easy that literally anyone can do it! Our business model is based on a very simple concept – make it easy, make it affordable. The Internet gave us the vehicle to make it easy and affordable while capitalizing on another trend towards “do-it-yourself”. Today’s consumers are more demanding and at the same time more adventurous. Custom shopping is no longer intimidating and only for the wealthy. All these companies including FabricWorkroom.com have proven that when consumers can get exactly what they want, they get hooked.

We hear all the time from customers who never considered custom window treatments before due to the cost and the “unknown” process of working with a decorator. Companies like ours continue to break down the barriers and open up the market to those very consumers. In our $10 billion custom home decorating industry I can truly say that we have succeeded in changing the consumer landscape while expanding the market to new users. So ask yourself the next time you are thinking of an idea for a new business, “Can this be Custom?”

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Monday Morning Design

Here’s a little MMD for those of you that were out shopping this weekend for your home. It is no surprise why our phones are ringing off the hook Monday morning! Here’s the typical scenario. Your out at one of those big retail chains and you find the perfect valance for your bedroom. Perfect size, perfect style, and perfect color. You search through the pile and you are lucky enough to find 3. Yeah, your search is almost over. Then your search continues with no luck. Problem is…you have 4 windows! How frustrating is that? We hear this all the time. You wait 10 minutes to find a sales person that will help you thinking “maybe they have more stock in the back” only to hear “everything is out on the floor and we cannot reorder it”. What a drag.

This is so typical that Monday morning when your back at work (don’t worry, we won’t tell the boss) or the kids are finally back at school (at last), you sit down at your computer and surf the net for these valances you can’t get out of your mind. “Oh valances, where art thou”? You fell in love with them, you have to have them and you will do whatever it takes to find them.

That’s where we come in. Hello FabricWorkroom.com! Where have you been all my “homeowner’s” life? You come across our site and “bam” your problem is solved. You call us, email us or even live chat us and describe what you’re longing for and your search is over. If we can’t match it, we’ll come up with a solution for you, usually better, and have it at your door within 2 weeks. All 4 valances in fact. How about that! You didn’t even have to make that trip to the stores on Saturday and could have spent more time with your hubby or at the gym (ok I won’t go there) and let us do the work for you. Bonus here?…relax and get what you want.

“On the Same Note”

I was once asked a question by Rod Kurtz, Senior Editor, Inc. Magazine and Inc.com “Why Custom”? I gave the typical answer “on air” that people “want something unique that is not offered in the big chain stores” and while I still firmly believe that, the real answer is “Why NOT custom”. We make it so easy for people to decorate having custom made products “online” that everyone should be doing it!! We have opened up the market to people who never thought they could afford custom window treatments or thought it was a long process working with a decorator. Not true. I can truly say we have succeeded in breaking down the barrier of entry in this custom market. Of course, having something unique in your home and finding the quantity you need is always a bonus!

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