Chrissy Weems of Origami Owl recently gave a TED talk in Davenport, Iowa. Her talk covered the origins and successes of her business, which was conceived by her then 14-year-old daughter Bella. Bella Weems went to her parents with a request for a car for her 16th birthday. Her parents told her that she must earn the money herself. With only two years to go, she could not babysit enough to earn the money. With her mother’s encouragement and support, Bella started a business making custom lockets for her friends and family. Over a matter of years, the company went from selling jewelry at mall kiosks to a serious direct selling business.
Origami Owl is a successful business because it builds on emotional connections. The locket charms chosen by each customer often have significant personal meaning. Weems shared a story about a customer who chose two sunflower charms to represent twin baby girls whom the customer had tragically lost. That kind of emotional resonance keeps Origami Owl customers coming back as they move through different phases of their lives.
Emotional Connection
Businesses that are built through an emotional connection with their customers have a higher rate of success. The emotional aspect of sales can create a great deal of resonance with the customer. Customers who received the products as meaningful gifts from their loved ones wanted to “pay it forward” and create special jewelry for others.
When Weems and her daughter had achieved a certain level of success with their business model, they decided to transition their company to a direct selling or social selling firm. With the Origami Owl brand, social sellers would receive a kit with all of the resources and information necessary to customize charms for their customers. The Origami Owl party was soon a huge success, and Weems and her daughter became the founders of a profitable company.
Gaining Investors
As the business grew, investors gathered around the company. Weems stated that she received a “life-changing” amount of money from the investors which could have made her family financially comfortable for the rest of their lives. However, her business began to suffer due to a list of changing priorities. The focus on personal service and on the individual designer (or direct sales representative) began to deteriorate.
Faced with lagging sales, Weems and her daughter made a surprising choice regarding the investors’ money. They decided to return the money and run the business based on their own profits alone. Their financial advisors were against the move but they went ahead with it.
Origami Owl’s fortunes did not suffer as a result of the decision not to go with the investors. The business was built on fundamentals of sharing their unique products with customers around the country, and the individual designers were the engine of the company’s success. Refocusing their business on interactions with the designers themselves led to a greater financial payout.
Lessons Learned
The central lesson in Weems’ Davenport TED talk is that businesses need to have a strong emotional connection with the customer to succeed. As life becomes more digital in nature, many consumers are spending less time on personal interactions and are accomplishing many daily tasks online. This has taken away the benefit of social interaction. Weems believes that businesses like Origami Owl can help to bring companies and customers together to create meaningful interactions.
TEDx Davenport included several other business leaders as well as individuals with exciting personal stories. These talks are available online through YouTube. Chrissy Weems and other entrepreneurs share their experiences and let viewers in on the secrets of running a successful business.
