I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year’s Eve celebrations as much as I did. I was able to spend a great night with friends who I won’t be seeing for a long time and was still able to wish my family a Happy New Year’s. At least around midnight – after all, the phone lines lock up right around then!
This is New Year’s Eve in the best city on Earth. What did you do to celebrate the New Year?
I am leaving to go back to school on Sunday, which is definitely bittersweet. I have had an incredible time at home, spending time with friends and family, being able to go back into the office, and being able to once again work with Jordan in close quarters. However, I am very excited to go back as well, as I go back and look to finalize Blue Note Grill and Devine’s (more to come below), look to make some great connections via the great startup environment down in Durham, and I look to spread the viral message of Star Toilet Paper.
There are, however, a few things left to do before I go back. Although I have only 2 days left, there is plenty of time to make sure Jordan and I are on the same page. I know I harp on this a lot, but communication is essential in a startup. I have to ensure that Jordan and I are thinking the same thing moving forward, knowing exactly what steps we are going to take in the next few days, weeks, and months. Furthermore, I have to finalize my plan for Duke with Jordan so that we can coordinate what I can do down in Durham to ensure I maintain my responsibility in day-to-day operations while taking advantage of the fact that I have the resources of a college campus and that I am embracing the community down there.
I figured I should give an update as to where I am down in Durham as well, considering it is very exciting. Where am I with Blue Note Grill? Well the advertisers are completed and it is currently in the printing process. In mid-January, you will be able to go to Blue Note Grill and use Star Toilet Paper. However, when our toilet paper reaches a venue does not mean our work stops. In fact, that is when the grunt work begins. We have many things to monitor: the consumers’ happiness, the happiness of the advertisers, and how quickly/slowly the rolls are being used to see when/if we need to re-stock, among many other things. We know that Star Toilet Paper is completely safe to use and there are absolutely no issues. However, many people do not understand that it is identical (or almost identical) to using the napkins you see with print on them at Subway or Au Bon Pain, and we have to ensure people recognize that.
Next, we have to do customer success with the advertisers. This consists of a number of different things. First, we want to survey those in the venue to see what they feel about the companies that advertised, the advertisements themselves, and to see whether or not they are going to actually use any of the coupons they see. In the past we have had great success and we only expect better for Blue Note Grill. After this, we go to the advertisers to see what it is like on their end. While it is essential for us to be able to measure QR code scans, downloads, redemptions, etc., we also need to work with the advertiser to see the effectiveness on their end. How many people who scanned the QR code actually came in? How many people used a coupon to purchase a good from the advertiser? Again, we have seen great success in the past and expect even better from the great community in Durham.
To update you on Devine’s we had a very productive break and actually filled all the slots necessary for the restaurant/sports bar. Now we need to meet with the advertisers to go over the necessary forms, ensure we know what they want on their ad, and design the ad. Next comes sending to the printer, and hopefully by mid-late February you will be seeing Star Toilet Paper in Devine’s as well!
Lastly, and certainly not least, in one week I will be on my way back from Dallas for Entrepreneur Magazine’s Growth Conference. Jordan and I could not be more excited about our trip to connect with some incredible people and to see Star Toilet Paper get honored in such an incredible light. We will definitely be live tweeting from the event so be sure to follow us @bryanstartp and @startoiletpaper to see updates and pictures from the Conference.
Well now you guys can see how busy 2013 is going to be – and by the way, did I mention that all of this is for January? Stay updated on us and be sure to subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the box at the top right of the page. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, comments below, like us on Facebook and write on our wall, or email me at bryan@startoiletpaper.com. And remember, Don’t Rush, Look Before You Flush!
Exciting article and news! Be sure not to forget grandma and grandpa with photos etc. of the conference. We will be excited, proud and waiting to hear.
With love,
Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Herb