Throwing mugs globally - to Ireland!

One of the best things about being a web based business is the fact that I get orders not only from all over the United States and Canada, but from around the world. It's pretty cool to get an order for mugs from Goose Creek, South Carolina. And it's really cool to get an order from a company in Carlow, Ireland. One such order came through the studio last summer, and a subsequent repeat order in early 2010 gave me an idea to find out more about this customer. I had a great experience working with CEO Michele Neylon of Blacknight Solutions, which is an ICANN accredited registrar and web hosting company in Ireland. Michele is a super nice guy, and is always ending his e-mails with such gems as "PS, on the video side of things, blip.tv is a good option, it lets you post to itunes as well." How cool is that? I really can't thank him enough for all the help he has given me in getting more adept with web issues and social media over the past 8 months or so with his little gems of knowledge.

I emailed Michele -- the correct pronunciation is mēke'lā (if you can read phonetics - if not, let me just say it is not at all like it is spelled) a few questions to find out more about his decision to place orders for the mugs that I very happily made. Without further ado, here they are:

Mug Revolution: How did you find out about Mug Revolution's custom logo mugs?
Michele: I was looking for custom mugs and found your site on google.
MugRev: What was your purpose in placing an order for the mugs? (ie, a gift to employees, gift for clients,  re-sale in your retail area/store etc.)
M: Exploring marketing ideas. I bought the first batch for staff and others were bought for key clients and contacts.
MugRev: Describe your experience working with Mug Revolution in working out the details of your order.
M: Excellent - Other things that impressed me when dealing with you was the speedy and accurate / helpful replies to my initial queries.
MugRev: How would you describe your custom logo mug? Did the logo come out as well as you expected?
M: We are delighted!

MugRev: You added personalization to the logo mugs. Do you think that that made a bigger impact on the recipient's response to the mug? 
M: Personalisation had a very positive impact on recipients. They love them!
MugRev: What kind of response did you get from the recipients of the mugs? Any particular comments that stand out?
M: Everyone loves them - one guy emailed me to say that he planned on using it for watching football :)
MugRev: Based on gifts your company may have given in the past, how do you think the mugs compared?
M: They're unique. Most of the corporate gifts are mass produced. Getting personalised gifts of high quality made a big difference to the recipients.
MugRev: Did the cost of the mugs plus shipping fit into your budget easily?
M: Shipping overseas was expensive, but I think the feedback we've got has been worth it. Bear in mind that a full page print ad can cost thousands of euros, while giving a unique gift to a client or key contact can pay off much more over time.
MugRev: How do you think the mugs impacted your business? Any cool stories to share?
The mugs have helped add to the buzz around the company, which is excellent. I've a few people who have told some nice stories about their mugs. At least one member of our staff dropped his and put it back together with glue and still uses it!
MugRev: Any other thoughts you'd like to share?
M: We love the mugs and plan to get more of them in the future. By the way, we've done a full blog post on them, as well as posting photos to Twitter and facebook. And, I've just added another blog post!

Many thanks to Michele Neylon of Blacknight Solutions. You can stay in touch with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter again! I loved making his company's mugs and always love hearing how they worked out for the folks that get the mugs. Should anyone reading this want to order their own Blacknight Mug, here's the link!   And Michele, I think that I will make arrangements to personally deliver your next order - I can't wait to visit Ireland!

I just turned off the glaze kiln after a 16-1/2 hour firing. I thought you would like to see a quick video!

A Happy New Year!

It definitely took some time to get back into the swing of things after the holidays.

It was fantastic to take a couple of weeks off to unwind and enjoy friends and family.

But man, was it tough getting back into the studio at first! Due to some issues beyond my control, I had no choice but to launch my new and wonderful website in October, the start of one of the busiest times of the year for me. (The other busy time is June and July with a lot of special event mugs.) So between order volume increasing and spending a lot of time with the web developer and photographer, days off were non-existent for a long stretch. Hence, when all the orders were done in December, I took a well deserved and very lazy break!

Thought you'd like to see the newest mug in the store - and a new color! For a long time I've wanted to add a red glaze (as have many of my customers over the years) and I am really pleased with the results. If you love copper reds, I'm sure you will be pleased too. Here's a photo to show you what I mean:

I've had lots of great feedback on the red which is very rewarding-a lot of time was spent in testing and experimenting with glazes and firing techniques to get the red looking like this.

As you no doubt noticed in the photo, there is a new Love Mug, just in time for Valentine's Day! It's called the personalized Love Mug, and can be ordered for Valentine's Day or any time really-love is much too big a force in our lives to only be recognized one day a year. More info.

As always, I love hearing from you, whether it is through Mug Revolution's Twitter page, our Facebook Fan Page, or in the comments. Wishing you all a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!

And thanks everyone for making 2009 the best year in Mug Revolution's history. It would not have been possible without you!