Happy Holidays with a Twist: Check Out Our Massive Wreath!

Have you ever heard the story of the event that launched the elevator industry?

At the time, everyone was scared that elevators would just fall. The industry was stalled, and building above 4 or 5 stories was rare.

"Can I interest you in a '7-story walk-up apartment'?" Think about how strong your legs will be after a month.

Otis, one of the two companies you’ll see on most elevators today, invested in a braking system. This system would prevent the elevator from falling if something happened to the cables (which were ropes at the time).

It worked well, but no one knew about it. They had to set up an elaborate demonstration. Organized and prepared in New York, the creator of the brakes (and an elevator salesman) stood on the elevator and asked his assistant, Jimmy, to swing his ax and cut the cables. Here’s how the event went down:

"Cut the cord, Jimmy!" the man standing on the elevator shouted.

Whack—one of three cut. The elevator screeched and lowered just six inches.

"Cut the next cord, Jimmy!" Again, the elevator squealed but only lowered a few inches.

One cable remained.

"Jimmy..." you know what he needs to do now. He swings his ax and whack—the crowd gasps as the elevator comes to a halt, only falling several inches.

"All Safe Here!" he yelled. This line was printed in the paper, and the next year they sold hundreds of elevators, up from the 5 they’d sold the year before.

Elevators, cool. But why are we talking about them here in Wreath Land?

While I was in Washington with our wreath maker, I noticed that thousands of cars drove by his retail store every day. Take a guess how a 20” wreath looks from 40 miles per hour in your car.

Nailed it, hard to see. A blur of red and green, maybe. I told him the elevator story and said, “We need an elaborate demonstration! Something the commuters can see from their cars.” He went to the back and found a 50” beauty. "Bigger.”

“Okay, give me a day."

I went home that evening, remembering this funny story, and then received a photo of something wonderful! He had built a 16ft wreath overnight! I was overjoyed.

Perhaps this was a funny story, but there’s another lesson here, one we’ve learned live. There’s something magical (to use a festive word) about working with people who just get stuff done. They figure out a way and make it happen. That’s what I love about this family in Washington and why this has been such a wonderful partnership so far.

There is room to grow, as always, and we’ve set up a solid foundation to build on.

With that said, let’s dive into a few stats, shall we?

• Total Orders: 367

• Wreaths: 471

• Corporate Orders: 2

• Days left in the season: 7

• Days until Christmas: 18

It’s been a few weeks since the launch, and it's still year 1 of a brand-new seasonal business. The foundation has been laid, and we’ve successfully tested a brand-new partnership.

Actually, we’ve even managed to negotiate a drop-shipping relationship too. Something they had not done before. Seems like another win to me.

If you rewind a few newsletters, there was a dream of selling 5,000 wreaths; we’re far from that number this year, but reaching 1,000 would still be a success. Still, a win is a win, and there are so many opportunities we can lean into next season with a brand we love and a product that is easily the best on the market.

That’s what our customers say, at least.

“Hi Jonah… (it’s Susan)… just want to let you know that we got our wreath and it’s beautiful! I think it’s the nicest wreath we’ve had! It starts our Christmas decorating now… makes you feel Christmassy right at the front door 😊” - Susan

“Arrived!!! 🎄🎄🎄 Soooo beautiful!! All of your customers will be thrilled and extremely happy with their wreath! The fragrance is amazing! 🎄” - Kathleen

“Wow, this is the most beautiful wreath we’ve ever had!!!” - Sam

Warms my festive heart.

We’re not done yet!

The season is still on, but we do have a cutoff date quickly approaching, and so we shouldn’t get ahead of our skis. Think we can sell 500 more in the next week?!!

Would you like to decorate your door too? I consider you all friends and family, and you can use our code: FandF at checkout for 20% off. Feel free to ring me with questions.

Wreath.co
Code: FandF

The last thing I’ll say is that this has been one of the most fun businesses to build. 

It has a mix of everything I love: a fun brand, a physical product, and a team making it happen. Hardly perfect, but that was never the expectation, and we can take these learnings to next year and to the next business.

Every problem we’ve encountered is an opportunity, and that just fires me up.

Alright, back to the workshop.

Jingle Howl Yeah

Jonah
wreath.co