Delivery of the Glowforge

I last updated stating I received my Glowforge in this blog post here. 

Glowforge is currently focussed to shipping to their Amercian customers.  As a Canadian and who also works in the same industry as FLEX, I anticipated this and had mine shipped to a US mailbox and hoped the exchange rate stays towards my favour when I need to pay the taxes

The past few weeks, there’s been dozons of complains of how the shipments seems come in with surprisng amount of damage beyond the expected wear and tear of gound transit.  When mine arrived, I was releived that the package actually came in good shape

UPS delivered or the mail post box stored my box upside down.  It’s upsetting that those ‘This side up’ stickers was obviously ignored.  I was pretty worried about it.  There’s an internal cooling system and what if that leaked?   What if that put pressure on the internal parts, especially the tube?  Nothing could be done about that then so off we went back home.

Funny though, when we returned to Canada, the officer seemed suprised when declared “Laser Cutter”.  I was a little worried, but he sent us in to pay the taxes and we were on our way!

I’m not going to bore you with any unboxing videos as there were equally excited owners out there who already took the time. There’s two good ones so hyou get a sense of the size

From Tom Stringham.  He recorded with a headband camera

Or from Zach Malloch. 

Since the machine was delivered upside down, the warning note inside stating to read the manual first got shifted and fell into the box where I didn’t see it.  Please note, please:

Read the MANUAL

There’s a specific order to unpackage and set up the unit.  Had I not watched those videos before hand, I’m pretty sure I would have broke something.  The Glowforge in a temporaty home in the family garage.  Due to restricted living quarters, I wasn’t able to set up my studio.  I’ll take those photos when she’s moved to her final place.   

Thoughts about the GlowForge

Recall back in 2015 how excited I was to invest in the crowdfunding campaign to purchase a Glowforge.  By Oct 11, 2017, two years to the day I placed my order, I still haven’t received my machine.   During this period of time, the company has delayed shipping several times due to parts, design, logistics issues and many other reasons.  Each time resulting in disappointment.  Review the forums, many owners are simply fed up, some cancelled, some complain, many hanging on.

I’m in the group who stayed with it for the long hual.  Admittingly, I needed encouragement to avoid cancelling.  However, I try and remind myself that it’ll be worth it.  Here’s my personal reasons:

We can afford to wait

The money did not come out of the family budget, it came out of my profits out of Cindy Ho Designs. Even if I did use family funds, my husband would have supported the purchase.  He always say thatI never spoil myself.    Some owners took out loans or sold personal posessions in order to get into the initial crowdfunding.  Many took on embarrassment and conflict from friends and spouses.

Glowforge has a Business Plan

Startups are always poise some risk, especially when they have to rely on crowdfunding.  Look what happened to TIKO3D, who ran out of money as a result of the founder’s inexperience and arrogance. 

I researched the founders and the investers before placing my order.  I felt confident they will produce as promised.  I also researched TIKO3D.  I invested feeling that was a good chance I wouldn’t reap the reward. 

Disclaimer: I was one of the lucky few who actually received the TIKO3D.  It’s a nice product, it’s too bad that they failed their venture.

The Glowforge is still a really great deal

A similar machine was $5000 to $8000 in 2015.   I purchased this machine for just under $2000 with shipping included.   Even with the delays, the Glowforge is still a great deal.  Also with the purchase if you can get 10 new customers sign up through your referral link you’d get $100 discount for up to 10 new customers.  I was lucky enough to get 10 (so far).  If they don’t cancel before they receive their units, the machine will only be $1000 plus import tax

Production Units are Shipping

Owners has been posting their feedback online and in the forums.  Most are loving their machines and sharing their experiences.  When you see the potential and hearling people using their machines reignites my excitement as I know the machine exists.

Glowforge are Quick to Resolve Issues

There were a few machines damaged during shipping, one actually had the glass lid and tube smashed.  That’s the fault of the courier but Glowforge were quick to jump to replace or correct the problem

Was there a moment that I wanted to cancel?   

The only true time I was angry after waiting over a year.  Glowforge announced users had to return their machines to them to replace the tubes when they wear out.  After the warrently period, the shipping cost is on the customer.  If outside the USA during the warrenty period, all shipping cost are on the customer.     There was no way I was going to ship my 32 kilogram (70 pound) machine for tube replacement.  Anytime you move anything, there’s always risk of damage and the shipping cost would have been at least $300-$500.  In one announcement they shut out all International customers as the cost was too high.  This caused enough uproar thath Glowforge resinded and will figure out how to instruct the users to replace these tubes themselves.

Do I still think holding out is it worth it?

When I wrote the above, it’s been in draft for a few weeks as I haven’t had alot of time to write.  Guess what, I received the machine!  After all the heartache and negative emotions:

YES IT IS WORTH THE WAIT

I’ve only been using it for a couple of days now, however, so far, it’s been great!  I will be writing more on my experiences with this machine as my time allows, however, if you want to see projects on the go, please follow my Instagram account: @CindyHoDesigns.  If you have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know. 

For any of you are holding out, please hang in there

Tips You Should Do At the Start of Every Work Day

The first few hours of your have a significant effect of your level of productivity.  It sets the pace of the day and how my morning starts usually direct or derails my focus.  Having a good productive start gives you greater control of critical tasks, achieving better results and ultimately greater success to both your career and well being.  For me I don’t like ending the day feeling unproductive and distracted.

Arrive on Time and Keep it Consistant

You’d think it’s obvious to most of us to show up and work your expected hours.   Many don’t have a consistent start time.  This affects how your peers or managers who were already in the office perceives you.  You can feel they are silently judging you.  Worrying about your reputation is mentally draining and can affect your day.  If your routine or commute requires you to arrive later then your peers, keep it consistant and try to leave after you served the minimum 8 (ish) hours.   Peers are more forgiving when they know your set hours and it’s obvious that you need to come in later.

Take a Deep Breath and Relax

Seriously.  Take. A. Deep. Breath.  Many come into work stressed due to the terrible morning commute or running late due to morning errands.  As soon as they arrive they dive in to the issues of the day.  Slowing down and taking a moment before you start does wonders.  In the morning, I actually meditate with a cup of coffee.  I try not a tackle anything work related.  I savour that cup.  When I do start the day, I’m not starting it in a harried state that probably affects the quality of my work

Be a Morning Person

(or at least pretend to be)

I’m a hard core night owl.  I regularly work on my small business at night since that’s the only time I have to give it attention.   On average it’s 4 hours a night so I go to bed at 12:30AM and wake at 6:00AM the next day.  I still have a day job that still deserves my 100%.   If you are not a morning person, you need to “suck it up” and at least have the façade of having a positive attitude.  You don’t need to be the extreme and come in singing the days praises.  A politer “Good Morning” without the tired grumpy tone in your voice will suffice.  After practicing for a few years it actually became part of my professional personality.   Your attitude has a direct impact on its effects to others

Organize your day

That first hour is the best time to assess your priorites and focus on what you absolutely need to accomplish.  To my earlier point, that is why I savour my first cup of coffee.   I don’t dive into the never ending new emails.  Sometimes I write a top 5 to do list after thinking of what I left off the previous day but only if I have alot on my plate.  90% of those emails are not true priorities.  If it was that important, I’d have an phone call, voice mail or a post it note on my monitor.   My take is if someone take the time to pick up a phone or write a note, that task is extremely important to them.  Those are the people that I will break my ‘savour my coffee’ rule as it doesn’t happen very often.  Their gratitude is usually more motivating and still sets a positive tone to my day.

Fireside Chat with Dan Sharpio, CEO of Glowforge (Ubiquity Dev Summit 2016)

Recently, I thought what was the last thing I really got excited about.  It was preordering a Glowforge during its original crowdfunding campaign .  Alot has happened since that preorder.  The most devestating was when they made the decision to push back the shipping date due to major issues with their power supply. 

My background is in supply chain in the electronics industry.  Trust me, it’s an extemely critical component.   Any of you who were upset over the delay:  You do now want your investment to fail you within 24, 12 or even 6 months after you started to rely on it?  It’s always better to be late and disappoint your customer then to ship a poor quality product. 

People will alway remember poor quality, they will forgive and forget.

I haven’t been following the progress or the forums so started to search found this insightful interview with Dan Sharpio, CEO

Fireside Chat with Dan Sharpio, CEO of Glowforge (Ubiquity Dev Summit 2016)

It’s worth the the hour long interview!   It wasn’t really about the product but more of the business around managing and working a start up.  There’s so many backers who are still eagerly awaiting this product, so much so, I was shocked to hear statesments of backer sacrifices:

• This is the car I sold to buy my Glowforge 
• Oh yeah me too, this is the car I sold to buy my Glowforge
• I took out a loan against my 401K
• I already let my boss know I will give my notice when I get this so I can go and start my company

As a CEO owner, the risk is more then just releasing a product, it’s also on his  and the company’s reputation.  He absolutely cannot allow a subpar product to be seeded into the market.  If it fails, there won’t be any future business and support for any of us.

This one statement resonates with me:

Realignment of where some of the skills that made you successful at a large company may in fact contribute to your failure to a small company. 

Then summarized an example of how to manage a beaucracy effectively.  How that is a core skill in a large company to manage your career motives, agendas and directions to make everyone to know how much value you give to the company.  In a smaller company, you create you value for yourself by making your company valuable.

After listening to this interview, what I realized was that I lost passion because I chose not to continue learning and trying to grow.  I was waiting for something to happen that’s completely out of my control.   

Sometimes you need to listen to a innovator who is walking the path that you want to take.  I hope to meet Mr. Sharpio one day on a professional level.    

(Actually maybe I shouldn’t.  I’m sure I’d have illogical geek fangirl moment)

Which Vinyl Do I Need?

For awhile I was experimenting with vinyl cutting with some scraps that I was lucky to rescue from the recycling bin at my work.  When I purchased my BossKut Cutter, it was originally intended just for paper and cardstock.  Sticker cutting was not part of the plan.  When I decided to get into producing and selling some decals, then it became research to finding the best vinyl to use for my customers.   I found that this flowchart created by a great blog Clever Some Day easily sums up what is the best vinyl for your application.  If you follow the link, she has a PDF that you can download and print for your reference. 

I’ve Never Met a Hater Doing Better Then You

When I first started my adventure with Cindy Ho Designs, it wasn’t an easy start.  Many hours designing and perfecting my work on top of setting up my shop on Etsy.  All the while, having others diminish my goals, dreams and classifying my work as a hobby shop.  In their mind, I started this business because I became a mom and started to make crappy craft stuff for a little extra pocket money. 

They got in my head in the beginning.  Today I’ve evolved and now dismiss my haters.   I have more supporters who love what I do.  My first supporters actually are my Creation family! (my day job)  May of my co-workers follow me on Instagram and asked me to make custom cards after posting some on a whim.   My biggest supporter who really helped me hold it together is my wonderful husband.  Couldn’t do it without him.

Happy New Year – Now Let’s Hustle

  Can you believe that 2015 just crept up on us and we are already a week in!  Amazing.  I hope you all had a wonderful time of rest this past holiday.  One resolution I plan to keep is to hustle more with my foil prints!

Canada Post

As a Canadian trying to make the leap from hobby to small business, you know every penny nickel counts.  Shipping to the USA and overseas can be tricky and more expensive to us compared to our American neighbours.  Myself I’ve underestimated shipping and taken a loss here and there and chalked it up to ‘now I know for next time’

I’ve been working actively on Cindy Ho Designs for one year.  I thought it is time to share what I learned so far about shipping.  The first thing you need to do is research the Canada Post website.  Everything you need to know is there but you will note that it’s not the most user friendly website to navigate.  Only advice is to have the patience and take advantage of the information offered.

Purchase Postage Stamps Online

My first products only required the standard sticker stamps.  It was not a fun errand because every time I went to the post office, there’s always a 10-20 minute line-up and the clerk seems uninterested to provide you the customer service you deserve.  How silly when I found out you can purchase these online and they’ll ship it to you for free if you are not in a rush!  For the past year, I’ve opened an personal account with Canada Post to purchase postage stamps.  I realized halfway through the year that I should have opened a Venture One Account which caters to small business.  A Venture One account opens you up to access special deals and discounts.

Another Tip:  If you shop at Costco, you can purchase a 100 units of domestic stamps at a slightly less then face value.  I don’t recall the exact savings but it was around $3.00 to $4.00 dollars discount

Canada Post Venture One

Go to the Canada Post Website and sign up for a Venture One card.

• It will get you some discount rates on shipping, but personally I find the PayPal shipping rates to still be lower.
• Discounts on mailing supplies
• If you're signed into your Venture One account, you can order mailing label pouches, stickers, stiff shipping envelopes and so on for little or no cost to you.

Shipping Labels

Gradually I advanced to products that required padding or needs to be boxed.  Just a few years ago, international shipments required a trip to the post office.  The packages measured and weighed before knowing the cost of mailing it to any destination.  With a day job and a full time mom, this was difficult to squeeze that on the ‘to do’ list.  Today with e-commence, you are able to get estimates off the Canada Post website.   With a and even print shipping labels in the comfort of your home or office with a Venture One account.

If you ship internationally, you must have the Green Customs Sticker on your package.  If you have a Venture One account, you can order some at no cost or pick up some at your local post office.

Shipping Labels Using PayPal:

If you have PayPal account, you are able to print out Canada Post shipping labels whenever you receive a sale.  The pricing is the same as going to the post office and it’s great as it’s also a custom form if you ship internationally.  Just don’t forget to sign it. 

Note:  the labels print on a 8 x 5 inch size, but there’s confirmation receipt that prints under it.  If you are using Avery labels, it will print on the 2nd half thus wasting a entire sheet.

Shipping Labels Using Etsy

Etsy partnered with Canada Post to streamline the shipping process for their sellers.  When a sale is made, sellers have the option to create the labels and then pay for them when the monthly invoices are due.  I like using them as their labels are sized on a 4 x 6 inch.  This is excellent if you use Avery.  However, my default currency is in US dollars and sometimes you lose out after currency conversion.   I tend to create my label with PayPal since I can pay in Canadian

Shipping Labels Using Canada Post

I have not yet shipped using Canada Post Venture One yet due to the convenience of PayPal and Etsy.  I’ll provide an update when I expand my payment options outside of PayPal. 

What about Oversized Letter mail and Packages?

If you ship a lot of Oversized Letter mail and Light Packet parcels, be aware that 2 centimetres thickness restriction is extremely important. If the thickness is larger then 2 centimetres will push the cost of your package to the more expensive rate.

• If you consistently trying to measure your package thickness, you can purchase a special plastic template from Canada Post.  Many small business sellers call it the “slot of doom” because when you have one millimetre too thick, they make you pay the more expensive rates. The product number is 540008029.  I don’t have the template since I don’t ship a lot of thick packages yet.  I have a calliper that helps me measure my package heights.  If you like a good inexpensive one, I got mine at Harbor Freight in the USA
• UPS Express Envelope and DHL Envelopes are exactly 38 CM in length, the maximum allowed length for Canada Post to classify as Letter mail.  Just turn it inside out and re-tape together

I know this really scratches the surface of Canada Post shipping.  I hope however this will help those who are just starting out in small business shipping from Canada to save a little time and money.