Art comes in many forms, from paintings to luxurious pieces of clothing. For Austin, TX based small business, Square Feathers, designer and founder, Ron McIntyre, home furnishing and art pieces are his canvas, using elaborate color pallets and u
nique fabrics, he creates , hand sews and assembles one-of-a-kind decorative pillows that are sure to inspire conversation.
But translating this passion into a lifelong and sustainable career didn’t happen overnight. Six years ago, McIntyre moved to Texas, unemployed and looking for a way to turn his passion for design and décor into a profession. One yard of fabric later, McIntyre created and sold his first pillow out of a garage.
Although his business model was beginning to form, McIntyre knew his company lacked consumer awareness and he needed to address it quickly.
Within the first few months, McIntyre sought out his local FedEx Office for help with everything from creating hanging tags to product catalogs and mailers and then took to the road armed with the materials he needed to begin marketing his product face-to-face. Six years later, Square Feathers e has expanded to furniture and artwork. Along with this expansion, came the need to increase awareness about these new products with existing and potential customers.
McIntyre turned to FedEx Office again, for its direct mail services to create a personalized mailer to inform customers of his new adventure. He was able to customize his distribution list by simply answering questions on the website and worked with a FedEx Office team member to print the postc
ard, address it, add postage and mail it.
McIntyre says the biggest misconception about his work is that owning a small business is easy, when in fact, the hardest part is the back end: paperwork, finance, order entry, email requests, voicemail requests, marketing and more.
At the end of the day, he emphasizes the importance of providing a great customer experience. And with small business partners like FedEx Office at his side, McIntyre can focus on just that – providing good quality products and service to the Square Feathers customer.
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