Introducing Rump: hot-sync two Redis databases using dumps

We're thrilled to announce our first open source project: [Rump](https://github.com/stickermule/rump)!

Rump is a tiny little tool focused on one simple thing: getting live data out of an AWS ElastiCache Redis cluster.

We faced this problem when trying to get our staging Redis containers in sync with our production cluster. At Sticker Mule we heavily use Docker and CoreOS, relying on an ElastiCache cluster for our Redis needs in production.

Lately we wanted to make our staging environment as close as possible to our production environment, and Redis is part of it. Here's the journey that ultimately led to Rump.

## Don't block

We had one simple requirement: do not block production while getting data. The single-threadedness of Redis is an important aspect to take into account.

Surprisingly we discovered that [ElastiCache ships with some commands disabled](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/latest/UserGuide/ClientConfig.RestrictedCommands.html). Basically all commands you can use to safely transfer data.

![Rump Redis Sync](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/b1b52716565b7122991bd66715fd2d16c65161d6)

### BGSAVE

The standard way of manually triggering a back up of a Redis database is issuing a ```BGSAVE```, and waiting for it to finish in the background, a non-blocking operation. Unfortunately this is disabled, unless you go with the AWS internal implementation of the snapshot feature.

### SLAVEOF

Setting up slaves is another interesting option Redis offers, and it would have been the perfect choice for us.

The plan was to set temporarily the staging Redis containers as slaves of our production cluster, getting live data. Unluckily `SLAVEOF` too is disabled, there's no way to add slaves to an ElastiCache instance.

### Existent tools

There are many awesome Redis tools around that try to simplify the administration of Redis servers, dumping to JSON, etc.

The problem is that most of the stable, maintained tools, use the ```KEYS``` command to get keys, and then operate on the keys. The ```KEYS``` command has an O(N) complexity, heavily blocking Redis when N is high, until all keys are returned. Staging containers get created and destroyed frequently and we have a good number of keys, we don't want to DoS our own server.

![rump-logo-600w](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6054ad712c1d34e3d9b01881d6e3fdf9c6031bd9)

It was clear we needed a simple tool to just do the sync. We started playing with `SCAN` to get the keys, and `DUMP/RESTORE` to get/set values.

```SCAN``` is an O(1) command, safe to run on a production server to get all keys, and because of that its implementation has to be different than ```KEYS```. ```SCAN``` returns a group of keys currently present in the DB, and a cursor to the next group.

```DUMP/RESTORE``` make the job of reading/writing values independent from the key type.

With this in mind, here's what Rump brings to the table:

* Non-blocking progressive keys reading via ```SCAN```.
* ```TYPE``` independent values operations via ```DUMP/RESTORE```.
* Pipelined ```SCAN``` and ```DUMP/RESTORE``` operations.
* Reading from the source server and writing to the destination server are concurrent. Rump doesn't store all keys before writing to the destination server.
* Single cross-platform binary, no dependencies.
* Minimal footprint, [UNIX philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy), it does just one thing with two flags.

We hope the tool will be useful to those experiencing the same troubles we had, and many, many thanks to [Redis](https://redis.io/) for supporting such a wide array of commands!

P.S. If this is of interest to you, and you're seeking an organization where talented people enjoy working, [we are hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).

Rump is a tiny little tool focused on one simple thing: getting live data out of an AWS ElastiCache Redis cluster. 

Manufacturing principles 

We use principles to guide [decision making](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/decision-making-principles-for-startups) for each area of our business. Here are the principles we use in manufacturing: 


### 1. Safety > quality > delivery > cost
It's not worth operating if we do not keep people safe. There's no reason to ship product that is defective. And, there is little value in trying to save money if we do not deliver on time. 

### 2. Design processes so that anyone can perform them
To scale, you need to make processes intuitive so that you can quickly add staff when needed. 

### 3. Judge people primarily on attendance
Attendance is a straightforward evaluation metric. It’s mostly all that matters if processes and positions are well designed.

### 4. Manage via metrics
Focus on turnaround, labor productivity, material utilization and quality. Making these a primary concern avoids distractions. 

### 5. Share metrics publicly
Metrics always improve when they're visible. The important thing is to pick the right ones to share. 

### 6. Talk to people
Keep good relations with people to stay abreast of problems and spot opportunities to improve. 

### 7. Talk to attorneys
Always get advice on how to handle personnel problems. Don't assume your instincts are correct. 

### 8. Use pay grades
To ensure people are treated fairly, design sensible pay grades and do not deviate from them. 

### 9. Do not use incentive pay
Incentives are difficult to design and maintain. It's best to design processes and positions so that there is minimal productivity variance among staff.

### 10. Recurring savings > 1 time savings
Do not fret about 1 time savings or expenses. Recurring costs are what matter. 

### 11. Don’t tolerate malicious behavior
Mistakes happen, but it's unacceptable when harmful acts are intentional.

### 12. Discuss important situations verbally
Manufacturing problems can rarely be solved via email. It’s best to talk about them. 

### 13. Err on the side of extra training
People tend to want less training, but it's best to err on the side of more. This is especially important when training is provided by 3rd parties since it's difficult to schedule additional sessions.

## Concluding thought
We aim to build the most productive and happiest manufacturing operations you’ll ever find. Our principles are designed to bring consistency to our decision making so that we are always headed in that direction. 

If you agree with these principles and are seeking an organization where talented people enjoy working, [we are hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).


13 principles of manufacturing designed to bring consistency to decision making so that we are always headed in that direction.

How Ugmonk grew from a side hobby into a profitable business 

What if you could share your unique gifts with the world?

What if you could create gorgeous, life-changing products for your obsessive customers...who buy from you at the drop of a hat?

What if you could make money doing what you love — on your own terms, without having to answer to any bosses or clients who ask, "Can you create a version with a little more red and just a tiny bit less blue?"

![Ugmonk's Jeff Sheldon Sketching & Designing](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a4654883264db65c9e1de2263cda86aa8825982a)
*Jeff, the founder of the highly-respected apparel brand Ugmonk, designing on his own terms.*

Maybe some of you have already started down this path.

For example, you might have a side business creating art and selling it on Etsy. Or, you might have a small tent at at your local artisan fair selling hand-crafted organic candles.

Or, maybe some of you are still dreaming about getting your passion off the ground. You know you have creative gifts to share with the world, you just haven’t had the time to get it going yet.

Either way, whether you’ve already started a small business or you’re still in the idea stage, the goal is usually the same: eventually evolve and grow your side hobby into a full-time business.

But, __while we dream about the day we can write our own check, it’s easy to get stuck__. You might be asking questions like...

What are the actual, no-B.S. ways to get a business started?

Where do I find customers?

How do I grow a business idea into a brand people love, represent, and obsess over?

The good news is, today we’re going to introduce you to someone who grew his side hobby into an exploding business. __A business where he gets to share his passions with the world, on his own terms, and exactly the way he wants to do it.__

Meet Jeff Sheldon, the founder of the acclaimed, gorgeous, and evolving brand [Ugmonk](http://ugmonk.com/).

## The beginnings
> Design is something that's always been in me. As a child, I'd sit there and draw for hours with my pencils and crayons."

Growing up, Jeff couldn’t stop scribbling and designing on pieces of scrap paper.

Everywhere he went, he brought pieces of paper so he could draw for hours. Shapes, words, people. It didn’t matter. Jeff was obsessed with creating beautiful designs, and refining until it was perfect.

Creating and refining beautiful designs stuck with Jeff as he got older too. When Jeff graduated college in 2008, he moved to northern Vermont to start a design job at a small marketing agency.

But when Jeff jumped to the professional world in 2008, he was unimpressed with the designs he saw. He wondered why the art and so-called “creative work” he noticed was so bland.

“I wanted to know __why it was so tough to find fresh, high-quality, unique items in a modern aesthetic__. I felt like the design culture at the time was really lacking in this area,” Jeff told us.

Coming home from his job every day, he put his design skills to work on the side. He’d sit down with a pencil and paper, brainstorming ideas until the early hours of the morning.

Every night, Jeff spent hours drawing, refining, and evolving his ideas.

After a few months, he launched a group of his favorite designs on a small batch of t-shirts under a new brand he called "Ugmonk." The designs were based on his love for typography and minimal design shapes.

![Early Ugmonk Designs](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/180fddffdcfea241ba9360c304077cc690b4ac32)
*Early Ugmonk t-shirt designs*

In August of 2008, three months after graduating and spending hours every night perfecting his designs, Jeff put four different t-shirt designs, on 200 t-shirts in total, up for sale.

After sharing on social media and sending to a few friends, Jeff’s designs were posted on a few smaller design blogs. And he sold out of his first batch of orders.

## Staying patient

> Through the first two years, I continued building Ugmonk by working late nights and weekends. I wanted to be extra-careful with my growth."

Sold out of his first batch, Jeff could have reacted by quitting his full-time job and throwing everything into the Ugmonk brand.

But he didn’t.

Knee-jerk reactions and rushing around without stopping to think was counter to what Jeff believed.

__He wanted to grow Ugmonk slowly. Methodically. With a careful eye.__ He wanted to let it evolve naturally, and he wanted to make sure everything was perfect — even if it meant intentionally slowing down the opportunity to grow.

"Ugmonk was born of __a desire to create products and designs that I personally liked__. It’s not designing for the trends, not trying to please the masses," Jeff says.

So every night, Jeff kept working in his studio. Away from the chaos and pressure, he created.

And revised.

And revised again.

In 2009, a year after Ugmonk started, Jeff hit the jackpot. He launched an insanely popular t-shirt called [And Then I Woke Up](http://shop.ugmonk.com/products/and-then-i-woke-up). It continues to be one of Ugmonk's best sellers today.

![And Then I Woke Up Tee by Ugmonk](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8187b6e03206b2832d27be331d580b10c664b3b3)
*Jeff’s And Then I Woke Up t-shirt design. Beautiful and sold like crazy.*

"When I launched the *And Then I Woke Up* shirt, I knew Ugmonk was here to stay. It got picked up on all design blogs and got a lot of positive feedback which fueled me to keep going," remembers Jeff.

The success of *And Then I Woke Up* is another chance Jeff could have taken to quit his job. But he didn’t. He still didn’t want to feel rushed with his Ugmonk brand.

Jeff put in another year building out Ugmonk on the side. He worked more late nights and weekends to refine designs, organize logistics, and pack orders by hand.

And with each new design, word-of-mouth spread like crazy and the t-shirts would sell out.

Finally, almost two years after starting the brand (and with momentum continuing to build), Jeff decided it was time to make the full-time move. He left his job so he could take Ugmonk to the next level.

## Going full-time
> I wanted to focus all my energy on creating amazing designs at Ugmonk. I decided I had to fully focus there so I could do that."

With attention now fully on Ugmonk, Jeff could expand and grow his ideas for the brand.

But in order to keep Ugmonk growing and fund his new plans, Jeff had to make sure the business was generating revenue. In other words, Jeff had to find brand "staples" he could rely on for steady income.

This flies in the face of conventional wisdom in the apparel industry. Typically, apparel companies only sell products for a year. After the year is finished, they discontinue the old designs no matter how well they’re selling.

Once again, Jeff decided to take the unconventional route.

Instead of discontinuing designs after a year, he decided to keep his most popular designs indefinitely (like *And Then I Woke Up*). Jeff wanted to give people who discovered his brand the chance to buy a design he poured his heart and soul into. 

Jeff says, "These designs are as fresh and exciting to someone seeing it for the first time as they were to me six years ago."

This gave Jeff the chance grow his business from stable income on proven designs while he focused on creating new designs that were riskier bets.

![Custom Stickers for Ugmonk by Sticker Mule](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/f26fb8ea0561553ff912c00bc5a6624c785503c1)
*[Custom rectangle stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/rectangle-stickers) by Sticker Mule*

## One-off products and special collaborations
> I don't mind asking for help. Outside of design, I never consider myself an expert who knows everything."

As Ugmonk gained more attention, the t-shirts sales were increasing. Jeff could have stopped and created t-shirts with the same designs for the rest of his life, resulting in a good living.

__But it was never just about t-shirts. And it was definitely not just about the money.__

Jeff knew he had to evolve the Ugmonk brand as his own interests evolved. "Ever since the beginning, Ugmonk has really been about my passion for design," Jeff says.

He started looking for the chance to create gorgeous one-off products — and collaborate with other experts.

"These projects apply my design sense to a new product and industry, and they [the collaborative partners] bring their own expertise."

A recent collaboration was inspired by Jeff’s love of specialty coffee. Specifically, a small local family roaster in Lancaster, Pennsylvania called [Square One Coffee](http://www.squareonecoffee.com/).

![Designer Coffee by One Square & Ugmonk](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/51818e7458b56ccdd9af2c90318342f3828fba9a)
*The Ugmonk x Square One Coffee collaboration.*

“Square One is one of my favorite coffee roasters. It felt like the perfect fit,” Jeff said.

The result is a [premium Ugmonk x Square One Coffee product](https://ugmonk.com/blogs/journal/ugmonk-x-square-one-coffee), including a limited number of hand-crafted leather Chemex collars. Unlike the t-shirts which have been around for years, once the Ugmonk x Square One coffee products are sold out they’ll be gone for good.

At the end of the day, there's no secret game plan for Jeff to get into the coffee industry. It's a way for him to have fun and combine his expertise with another expert in their respective field.

"I'm not interested in making coffee as a part of my business going forward. It was a fun collaboration that had incredible results. People loved the coffee and the design. For me, that’s success," Jeff explains.

And sometimes, Jeff creates one-off products on his own. "Not every product that I design is available indefinitely, but __I love exploring new product categories and experimenting with different types of products__ all based around the same minimalist design aesthetic."

For example, to celebrate the 8th birthday of the Ugmonk brand this year, Jeff [created a special 8th anniversary set for his followers](https://ugmonk.com/blogs/journal/8-years-of-ugmonk).

The anniversary collection includes...

* Special 8th anniversary tee made from tri-blend fabric (making it the softest Ugmonk shirt ever)
* Metal coaster laser cut from 3/16” raw steel and sealed with a matte lacquer
* Custom-designed slide-out box Jeff created from scratch to hold the tee and metal coaster in ultra-premium packaging
* Numbered letterpress card, each with a unique numbering from 1 to 200

Like the limited edition coffee products, once the 8th anniversary set is sold out it's not coming back. Jeff launched with two hundred 8th anniversary sets priced at $75 each...and within 24 hours he only had 50 left.

Combined, the limited edition coffee products and the 8th anniversary set have made five figures for the Ugmonk brand. Plus, more importantly, they’ve let Jeff express his artistic vision and grow Ugmonk in new and exciting ways.

## Quality is never sacrificed
> Quality is more important than quantity. I'm focused on refining designs and making something I’m proud of."

__Jeff refuses to let "average" happen with Ugmonk.__

Everything about the Ugmonk brand is premium, "It’s worth paying a little extra for way nicer quality. I make sure everything, from the labels to the packaging, is the way I envisioned it and the quality people deserve and anticipate.”

In a recent blog post, we were honored when Jeff mentioned he used Sticker Mule for his [premium label packaging](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) on his coffee. "Sticker Mule is really well priced, and the quality is premium," Jeff wrote.

We asked him to explain more: “I knew when I was creating labeling and packaging for anything, I had to use Sticker Mule. I didn’t even give it a second thought.”

Jeff’s obsession over quality can be seen across the other Ugmonk products too.

Coffee products made with premium leather? Check.

Tees made with an ultra-soft hybrid of cotton, polyester, and rayon? Check.

Laser-engraved coasters crafted from special steel? Check.

When it comes to quality, Jeff doesn’t make any sacrifices with the Ugmonk brand.

Never satisfied, Jeff made some recent critical changes to the brand in 2016 to make the quality even better.

Eight years after the Ugmonk brand originally launched, Jeff introduced the biggest change in Ugmonk history "over a year in the making." The end result was a total rebranding Jeff calls "Ugmonk 2.0."

![Ugmonks-Rebrand](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e1082541ce929411b0a8fa00596640507184c96b)
*The new vs. old Ugmonk logo*

At a glance, Ugmonk 2.0 might look like just a new logo and a prettier website. But there’s a lot under the hood. The redesign goes much deeper than a simple logo change.

To carefully evolve into the next phase of Ugmonk, Jeff crafted a creative brief, tweaked hundreds of logo concepts, designed a secondary logo, and even produced new custom packaging.

There were no stones left unturned. Jeff re-imagined Ugmonk from the bottom up to make sure version 2.0 matched his vision and how the brand has evolved over the past eight years. In the process, he set up the brand for success years down the line.

So with upwards growth, a new design, and the freedom to create whatever he wants, what’s next for Jeff and the refreshed Ugmonk brand?

"I don’t know honestly," Jeff tells us bluntly. "I have a few ideas, and that’s to keep things going down the same path because it’s working at a scale and at a pace that allows me to do it. Of course, remaining small and on purpose is huge too. And I'm always thinking about new product categories."

As Jeff carefully plans the next steps for Ugmonk, transparency with his fans and followers is critical. To show a full view behind the curtain, Jeff shares his insights, step-by-step artistic process, and other behind-the-scenes details in the [Ugmonk Journal](http://ugmonk.com/blog/).

Whatever Jeff decides is next for Ugmonk, it’ll be beautiful, created with the best quality in mind — and uniquely Jeff.

[Follow Jeff and the Ugmonk brand](http://ugmonk.com/) as it evolves.

Plus, while you’re starting your own side hobby, you can use the same [premium labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) and [stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) Jeff obsesses about and uses.

And to help you understand how to evolve your own side hobby into a full-time business, we partnered with Ugmonk to create two unique challenges to get your side hobby growing into a flourishing, full-time business.

## Your Ugmonk & Sticker Mule Challenge

### Collaboration challenge

"I love the power of collaborations and one-off projects. I think it can benefit both designers and artists wanting to start a side hobby, and those of us who are a little further down the road."

One-off and collaboration projects help get your foot in the door with new contacts who can help cross-promote your business, and they create a sense of urgency so your customers and fans will act quickly. And, my favorite part is collaborations and one-offs give me the chance to experiment and try something totally new.”

How can you grow your side hobby with a one-off, limited edition product or service? Or, who can you reach out to about a potential collaboration?

__Action Steps:__

1. Brainstorm 3-5 potential businesses or people you can collaborate with
2. Reach out to the expert or business you want to collaborate with (if you need inspiration, check out this blog post called [How to Get a Meeting With Anyone (and Email Scripts You Can Use Right Away)](https://medium.com/@Bitladon/how-to-get-a-meeting-with-anyone-and-email-scripts-you-can-use-right-away-9f78ffcf2f68).

![Ugmonk and Square One's Coffee Collaboration](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/39b59aede863c36dae5d6b8764e0adfbfe6f196f)

### Premium experience challenge

At Sticker Mule we love to surprise and delight customers with experiences that delight and surprise. That’s why we provide free artwork help, customized packaging, expedited shipping and we even include special thank you cards signed by our team members. Similarly, Ugmonk used ultra-soft tri-blend tees for the 8th anniversary set, instead of standard cotton like others would have. 

These "little things" add up and they can separate you and your products or services from all the noise and competition in your industry.

Similar to Jeff using [Sticker Mule’s rectangle labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/rectangle-roll-labels) for his labeling to showcase the quality of his brand, how can you separate yourself from your competition or other businesses out there with a “small” increase in quality?

__Action Steps:__

1. Spend 15 minutes writing down the different cogs in your business from messaging, packaging, shipping, and unboxing.
2. Identify 2-3 areas you can improve the quality and give your customers a premium experience.
3. Price out what the 2-3 premium experiences will cost, and pick 1 premium experience based on the cost and the potential positive impact for your business or idea. (For example, a label or [die cut sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers "die cut sticker") used to seal a box is a cost effective way to improve your customer’s experience and spread your branding.

There are countless ways to create premium experiences and grow your brand using stickers and other custom printed products. Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

8 years ago Jeff Sheldon started Ugmonk on the side. Today, Jeff runs a highly successful business that features brilliant designs and bespoke collaborations. 

How Lauren James used stickers to help build their business 

__*Bzzzzzzzt...*__

That's the sound of another text message hitting your customer’s phone.

Go ahead and add it to the tally. Every day, your customers:

- Send and receive 67 text messages
- Get bombarded with 122 emails
- Exchange dozens of Snapchats with friends
- Tune out most of the 3,000 different product advertisements they see (like yours)

In other words, your customers are overloaded with options and the digital market is crowded.

This is especially true for ecommerce companies, which make up about 12% of the Internet and where competition is brutal. The Internet graveyard is littered with failed ecommerce companies like One Kings Lane, which was valued at $920 million in 2014...but sold for $30 million this year.

For ecommerce brands, failure comes at an especially massive cost.

So with so many other ecommerce businesses out there, __how do you gain traction and separate from the pack?__

__How do you create loyal customers who keep coming back__ — and excitedly tell everyone they know about your brand?

__How do you grab the attention of new customers__ who will spend hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands on your brand over their lifetime?

Today, we're going to show you the secrets. __You'll learn:__

1. How to separate your brand in the crowded ecommerce market
2. How to retain your current customers with ease
3. How to get new customers at a fraction of the cost

We’ll introduce you to an ecommerce clothing company that created a thriving brand, grew to 8-figures in only three years, and hacked their way to success using unconventional — and effective — marketing tactics.

And the best part is, you can implement their strategies starting today.

## Joining the crowded ecommerce space

Meet [Lauren James](https://www.laurenjames.com/), an ecommerce clothing company with thousands of deeply loyal customers spending thousands on their brand.

Lauren James was founded in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Lauren and Lance Stokes.

Inspired by the blend of southern classics and modern clothing for women, Lauren fell in love with fashion and wanted to share her inspiration with the world.

![Lauren James Lifestyle Brand for Women Southern Inspired Designed Tees](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/eca2a4f996d0625236a93855010d50b465058a08)

Starting out, Lauren and Lance decided to focus on fashion for women ages 18-35. After designing a small batch of clothing, they launched a small private label line as a market test — and sold out.

With the business idea validated, Lauren and Lance knew they had a product market fit.

Next, they wanted to grow the company.

With the private label line, they successfully got their business in front of a couple hundred customers...but how could they reach thousands? Or even millions?

With so many “traditional” marketing methods overused and ineffective, they knew they had to go an unconventional route to effectively (and inexpensively) attract potential customers.

In other words, Lauren James needed to:

1. Separate their customer experience from the millions of other ecommerce websites
2. Attract new customers at a fraction of the cost
3. Keep current customers coming back and avoid churn

Embracing a nontraditional growth hacking mindset, Lance took the first step: create unique, breathtaking designs for their sweet "tees" collection. Today, they have more than 500 designs that customers love.

"We try to maximize the artwork and original content," Lance says. "A ton of time is spent on artwork for tees."

With their new beautiful designs now on tees, they needed a way to get them in front of a large audience.

__And, most importantly, they needed a way to generate word-of-mouth marketing buzz (and ROI).__

![Lauren James Tees](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/24c0a2238ecbeef08c4edc62d638673e2d46e27e)

## The surprising way Lauren James generated tons of revenue and increased customer loyalty

Lauren James decided to try a fast, easy marketing test: custom stickers.

With every order Lauren James shipped, they also sent the customer a free beautifully designed [die cut sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers).

![Life is Better in LJ Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/82971ed7a72cccc077e5891e6236c76a0c244d10)

At the start, they knew most new customers were only wearing Lauren James clothes and repping the brand once or twice a week  — not every day.

But stickers can go anywhere. Customers can put them on...

- [Car windows/bumpers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers)
- [Phones](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/phone-stickers)
- [Laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers)
- [Notebooks](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/scrapbook-stickers)
- [Water bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/waterproof-stickers)

And dozens of other places people see... Every. Single. Day.

To market their ecommerce brand, Lauren James didn't use expensive SEM management. They didn't use a PR firm. They didn't use consultants creating expensive marketing videos.

Just a few stickers placed in every order.

This simple addition to each order cut through the noise and secured customer loyalty.

> Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that."

It was crazy inexpensive word-of-mouth marketing for the creative startup, and it helped them hack their way to growth and success.

It wasn't just vague "brand awareness" either. 

__The results were in the numbers — word-of-mouth took off, organic search tripled and sales increased.__

For only about $0.10 per sticker, Lauren James was surprising and delighting customers (and seeing a direct effect on its bottom line).

![Lauren James Die Cut Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/f9e6e82f69e23d151a63b8ef5014f22c41f110d4 "Lauren James custom die cut stickers")

Today, if you go to YouTube you’ll see more than 7,000 unboxing videos for Lauren James. These videos cost the company absolutely nothing.

Lauren James’ rabid fans are ecstatic to open their Lauren James package, show the world what they got, and proudly place their stickers anywhere they can.

"Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that," Lance said.

Today, stickers are an integral part of Lauren James. And, they provide a massive ROI.

![Lauren James Box](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6929612f4c52742ec675be49ba36ae326d90392e "Lauren James box")

## Lauren James used stickers to:

### 1. Launch a blog 

"When we were launching our blog, [Styled Sweet](http://www.styledsweet.com/), we sent out special Styled Sweet stickers with every order. It drove traffic to the new blog which in turn increased social sharing," Lance says.

### 2. Create a gigantic newsletter list with ready-to-buy customers

"If you sign-up for our newsletter, we'll send you a sticker," Lance says. "We capture emails, shipping addresses, and generate future customers just for the price of a sticker. It's also a great way to create a positive first connection with soon-to-be fans."

### 3. Generate sales 

Lauren James saw such incredible results with giving away stickers that they started selling them. Today, they have over [100 different stickers their customers love](https://www.laurenjames.com/collections/all/stickers). 

![Lauren James State Stickers - Die Cut by Sticker Mule](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/045249af8f6cc6438ea18428cdd24071786d9574)

Customers often share their love for the stickers on social media or on YouTube in unboxing videos, for example a customer recently said, "The stickers are such nice quality, I'm so excited to stick this on my car" in an unboxing video.

Today, the team has grown to over 115 employees and three retail stores with more on the horizon  —  business is booming for Lauren James.

So what’s next?

Lance told us, "More sticker promotions!"

> Capturing emails and future customer information for only the price of a sticker!"

## 5 proven tactics Lauren James used to become a 8-figure business

To grow your own ecommerce business, here are 5 proven tactics Lauren James used to grow to a multi-million dollar company with 115 employees. You can start implementing these today.

### Strategy #1: Use newsletter opt-ins — with a twist

Lauren James, like most websites, tries to get users to opt into a newsletter. From the business side, a newsletter lets Lauren James nurture prospects and turn them into paying, happy customers...who come back again and tell their friends.

But, growing a newsletter in such a crowded market is easier said than done.

To combat the noise, they offer an incentive: a free sticker.

"Capturing emails and future customer information for only the price of a sticker!" Lance says.

And it’s worked — with opt-in rates far above the industry average Lauren James sends out thousands of free stickers to future customers every month.

To get start this for your own business, create an simple email opt-in page asking for a prospect’s name, email address, and mailing address. Use Wufoo, SumoMe, or any other tool that allows you to collect their email address and information.

Then, you can put the email address in a lead nurturing campaign and increase your chances to sell to the prospect by 2x or more. If you already have a large email list or email your customers regularly, try creating an "Insiders' List" and use stickers an incentive. Use this list to grow referrals, offer special deals for promoting your company online, and more. 

![Die Cut Stickers by Lauren James](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1291369f5cd509f323d73c748ccda8123243a96a "Die Cut Stickers by Lauren James")

### Strategy #2: Make an amazing unboxing experience

On YouTube alone, there are 7,000+ Lauren James unboxing videos. These videos are posted by excited fans of the brand and they don't cost the company a dime.

Best of all, they sell Lauren James’ products without Lauren James having to do anything.

To make the unboxing process special and create viral marketing, Lauren James gives beautiful stickers away for free with every purchase.

In your own business, think of one quick change you can make for your unboxing to be better.

When your unboxing is better, your customers will want to share with their friends and the world (and they’ll also want to come back and purchase).

![Lauren James Packaging and Box](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8c82391bc29e399034db3eec761cac24808a32cf "Lauren James Packaging and Box")

### Strategy #3: Create a viral sales loop so your customers sell for you

Lauren James started putting stickers in every package they mailed. Their customers put stickers everywhere — on laptops, notebooks, cars, and anywhere else.

The key lesson here is make it easy to share: it’s common for loyal Lauren James customers to give their stickers in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th orders to friends who will then visit the website (and maybe purchase).

Instead of wasting time on marketing and advertising, Lauren James puts a sticker in each order — which only costs about $0.10 extra. How's that for effective bootstrapped marketing?

[Stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and other items like [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) or [custom buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons) are an inexpensive and effective way to build a viral sharing loop so your customers sell for you.

### Strategy #4: Pour gasoline on the word-of-mouth marketing fire

Lauren James creates a viral marketing loop for their stickers, which can cost 60-75x less than traditional marketing methods.

And after seeing the success of free stickers, they realized they could sell stickers too.

Today, Lauren James sells dozens of different eye-catching stickers. This gives them extra revenue, creates free brand ambassadors, more word-of-mouth marketing, and makes their customers extra happy.

If something is working for your business, do more of it. Offer upsells or variations for customers to buy. It’s not necessary to always reinvent the wheel.

![Custom stickers by Sticker Mule for Lauren James](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/0f9933128683dbd2ce35819eb6966d9414485d5d "Custom stickers by Sticker Mule for Lauren James")

### Strategy #5: Use original designs to blow customers away (and increase ROI)

Lauren James became successful partly because of their unique designs for clothing, packaging, and their brand.

For example, most clothing companies send clothes in a boring brown box.

But not Lauren James. They send their clothing in a gorgeous pink box or mailer with stunning typography and hand-crafted care.

The same opportunity is available for every company to improve upon mundane ways most ecommerce companies do business. How can you surprise and delight your customers?

---------------







Looking back, Lauren James could have gone the traditional route to market their brand. A few thousand dollars on Facebook Ads here, a full-page advertisement in Elle magazine there...but where would they be now?

The truth is, if you follow the same traditional marketing methods in the oversaturated ecommerce market you’re going to get the same traditional results. Now more than ever, it’s critical to follow nontraditional ways to market your brand.

For inspiration, check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

How a women's lifestyle brand and ecommerce clothing company created a thriving business in only three years. 

How to win customer loyalty with every shipment 

When it comes to buying clothes online, I’m sure you’ve had great and poor experiences. If you’re looking for clothing brands that understand how to surprise and delight their customers, then you’ll love this post.

Without a brick and mortar location, online brands must think carefully about the entire customer experience from first click to the moment the box is opened — and beyond. Clothing brands  face unique challenges and opportunities. They have an especially difficult task to create a rewarding customer experience as they have to consider clothing fit, returns, and also find unique ways to spread word-of-mouth.

Sticker Mule aggregated a list of ten online clothing companies that include free, unexpected gifts in their packaging to win their customers’ loyalty. Adding a small gift or sticker to a package is often the final step in taking a first time buyer into a fan that promotes the brand online and in real life. 

*Quick note: We selected these companies based on Twitter and Instagram mentions and in no particular order. We really hope you enjoy this list and maybe decided to implement sending stickers with customers purchases in your company. If you would like to feature your own clothing and apparel company here, please email us at help@stickermule.com and include your information and customers' photos.*

### 1. Lauren James | [laurenjames.com](https://www.laurenjames.com/) | [@ShopLaurenJames](https://twitter.com/ShopLaurenJames)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/Megan_1116/status/650861221004992513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" />

In mid 2013, Lauren James was founded by a registered nurse turned fashion designer. Lauren James bases its brand on incorporating modern styles into classics and creating clothes that could be worn on every occasion. 

[Lauren James customers love that they receive small free gifts with their purchases.](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-lauren-james-used-stickers-to-help-build-an-8-figure-lifestyle-brand) Many customers share their orders on social media and take photos of their purchases with the free sticker or gift that was included. The tweet above is one such example where a customer received a sticker and a koozie as a free gift and shared it on Twitter. As customers share their purchases on social media they expose the brand to a whole new set of potential customers as well as increasing the amount of people reordering from Lauren James.

Lance Stokes, COO at Lauren James, says, “Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that. I tell our team daily that 'if you're not winning in convenience, you better be winning in experience'. The real goal, however, is to do both."

> Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that."

### 2. Fraternity Collection | [fraternitycollection.com](http://fraternitycollection.com/) | [@fratcollection](https://twitter.com/fratcollection)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/IrisIsabellegut/status/744252914781167616" />

Fraternity Collection formed its roots in Jackson, Mississippi. Fraternity Collection was started by two fraternity brothers who aimed at creating a clothing company catering specifically toward the collegiate Greek community. 

Through its stickers, Fraternity Collection has created a very recognizable brand all over the world. Their signature sticker that they send out with every order is a bowtie. Customers collect the different bowtie stickers and attach them everywhere, [especially on cars](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers) which creates an easy way for drivers on the road to recognize Fraternity Collection. Fraternity Collection also loves to send surprises to customers such as koozies. These small surprises really build the brand’s connection to the customer and help Fraternity Collection reach new potential customers.

### 3. Cotton Bureau | [cottonbureau.com](https://cottonbureau.com/) | [@cottonbureau](https://twitter.com/cottonbureau)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/Doomworks/status/748110134786809856" />

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/edcasey/status/742476127663357952" />

Founded in 2013, Cotton Bureau sells high quality, custom designed t-shirts by different designers from around the world. Cotton Bureau allows anyone to submit a custom t-shirt design, but then the Cotton Bureau team selects only the best designs to be sold online. 

Cotton Bureau has a lot of different sticker designs that they send out to their customers. Some stickers are sent out only with certain shirts while other stickers are sent with every purchase to promote the brand.These designs can be found all over social media shared by happy customers. The two most popular designs are the hotdog and ice cream stickers, customers can’t wait to receive these stickers with their order. 

### 4. Roxy | [roxy.com](http://www.roxy.com/) | [@Roxy](https://twitter.com/Roxy)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/AngAtwood/status/1076471275999150080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" />

Roxy was born when the brand Quiksilver decided to start a women's line in 1990. Starting a surf brand for women was something that had never been done before. Shortly after Roxy was formed, the brand started paying off. Quiksilver saw what a huge opportunity the women’s surf market was. Today, Roxy has expanded into a sportswear, denim and snowwear brand with many more products. 

The tweet above shows just how much customers love stickers and especially stickers from Roxy. Their [iconic black and white sticker can be found on surfboards](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/surfboard-stickers) along dozens of beaches across the United States. Customers are driven to attach these stickers mainly due to their love for the company and as a way to build and display their personality. 

### 5. Vineyard Vines | [vineyardvines.com](http://www.vineyardvines.com/#) | [@vineyardvines](https://twitter.com/vineyardvines)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/AubreyVandyke/status/619269283000881152" />

In 1998 two brothers, Shep and Ian Murray decided that the wearing suits everyday to work wasn’t for them and instead decided to create a brand that shows off “the good life”, they named this brand Vineyard Vines. Vineyard Vines sells preppy clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Today it has grown into a huge brand with many outlets and retail stores throughout the United States. 

With unique, creative designs, Vineyard Vines grew their already popular mascot (a smiling whale) into a cultural icon. The smiling whale that comes in many different designs such as the one pictured above inspired people to start collecting the stickers and even reselling them to collectors. Whenever people see the smiling whale they automatically think of Vineyard Vines and "living the good life.” The smiling whale and the Vineyard Vines stickers also took over Twitter receiving hundreds of tweets about them. Stickers have definitely been very successful for Vineyard Vines and their customers love them. 

### 6. Stark Originals | [starkoriginals.com](http://www.starkoriginals.com/) | [@starkoriginals](https://twitter.com/StarkOriginals)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/StarkOriginals/status/683422230102077442" />

Stark Originals is a very popular and fun clothing company. Stark Originals likes to have fun, play outside, and drink beer. Their designs are very creative and very often contain [really cool art featuring beer bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/brewery-stickers). The company sells t-shirts, sweatshirts and many different accessories. 

Stark Originals knows how to promote on social media well, through their Twitter account they share their sticker designs and promote that they include stickers with every purchase. This proved to be very successful for Stark Originals because customers loved knowing this beforehand and it pushed more people to order from their website. 

### 7. Rivet & Cuff | [rivetandcuff.com](https://www.rivetandcuff.com/) | [@rivetandcuff](https://twitter.com/rivetandcuff)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/rivetandcuff/status/754364858355843072" />

Rivet & Cuff is a company that first had its roots as a project determined to use technology to solve online sizing and fit. Today there are developing technology that brands and online retailers can license so that customers can find the best fit. In addition to their main goal of solving online sizing and fit they never lost their passion for jeans. Today, they have a large selection of men’s jeans from the best brands for sale.

One of their growth tactics is to send stickers with every purchase. As customers receive these stickers they usually share them on social media and paste them around the neighborhood facilitating a guerilla marketing campaign for a relatively low price.	

Rivet & Cuff explains that “At Rivet & Cuff, we take enormous pride in our brand and our logo which captures the vibe of our boutique specialty denim business. We've been selling premium men's jeans since 2013, and with every pair from day one we've included our Sticker Mule stickers as a way for our customers to remember us, and share their stories. We've tried shirts and other promotions, but our customers seem to want the stickers. They wear our jeans, but  they put our stickers on just about everything else. Our learning is that if you love your brand and your logo, and you have a passionate customer base that share your values, they'll love your brand too - and stickers are the perfect way for them to express it.” 

> We've tried shirts and other promotions, but our customers seem to want the stickers.

### 8. CLE Clothing Co. | [cleclothingco.com](http://www.cleclothingco.com/) | [@cleclothingco](https://twitter.com/CLECLOTHINGCO)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/danbobbillray/status/457930729163206656" />

Two friends, a graphic designer and an entrepreneur, founded CLE Clothing Co. in 2008. They were both looking for an awesome new project to work on and decided that a clothing company would be a great adventure. Eventually one night after talking it over at their favorite place and having a couple of beers and burgers, CLE Clothing was founded. 

CLE Clothing does a really cool thing with their stickers by sending them out with purchases but also selling the stickers on the website. This a great idea because when the customer get a sticker, they are surprised and are extremely happy that they received a product that usually costs money, for free. CLE Clothing shares their many sticker designs on social media platforms such as twitter to show off their stickers designs and promote purchasing their products. 

### 9. SidemenClothing | [sidemenclothing.com](http://www.sidemenclothing.com/) | [@SidemenClothing](https://twitter.com/SidemenClothing)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/Loser_Anthems/status/753954708021211136" />

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/_nicolastewart/status/730016437146927104" />

<YouTubeVideo videoId="gcjVYgw5SqA" />

Sidemen Clothing is a brand created by a group of very famous gamers on YouTube in association with their YouTube channel. On the website they sell many different products including clothes, phone cases and gaming controllers. 

The YouTubers behind Sidemen Clothing made the brand incredibly incredibly popular among teens. They built this amazing following through their YouTube channels where they have millions of followers as well as on social media giving the brand a huge head start through their amazing reach on these platforms. They also use stickers to grow their brand and channels, for example with every purchase they send different stickers of the brand and a certain YouTuber that is partnered with Sidemen Clothing. This proved to be incredibly successful and inspired fans to create unboxings with the stickers and share them heavily on social media. 

### 10. Runyon Canyon | [runyon.co](http://runyon.co/) | [@runyonusa](https://twitter.com/runyonusa)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/runyonusa/status/596770665736368128" />

Runyon Canyon Apparel is an outdoor company that specializes in outdoor & performance sportswear. Runyon Canyon was started as the outdoor brand of Los Angeles inspired by the Runyon Canyon and its urban wilderness. Runyon Canyon allows all people from different places to blend with the animals, art, fashion and the outdoors. 

Runyon Canyon has a great following on social media. On their Twitter account Runyon Canyon shares regularly that they send out free stickers with every purchase. This is also a really cool twist because their followers and customers get to see the design of the sticker before they order. This twist to the usual surprise is also a push for some people to order. This method proved to be very successful for Runyon Canyon because it serves two purposes, helping facilitate orders and reaching the potential customer that will see the sticker and will visit Runyon Canyon’s website in return. 

Runyon Canyon loves stickers and says, “Stickers are great way to extend your visibility and plus people think it’s really cool. We’ve seen our stickers on [Nalgene bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/waterproof-stickers), cars, books, iPads, [laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers), [skateboards](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/skateboard-stickers), skis, [bikes](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/bike-stickers), helmets… you name it.  It’s worth spending the investment just by watching the creative ways people utilize them sticker alone. Not only do stickers make a fun free gift… They also make a great way to decorate and personalize packaging and branding.”

> Not only do stickers make a fun free gift… They also make a great way to decorate and personalize packaging and branding."

## Concluding thoughts

A great customer experience, branding and packaging doesn't have to cost fortune. Resonate and evoke a positive emotion from your customers when they open your package, see stickers and pick up their apparel for the first time.

There are countless ways to delight _your_ customers and win customer loyalty using stickers and other custom printed products. Check out [more ways](https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog) Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />


Ten online clothing companies that include free, unexpected gifts in their packaging to win their customers’ loyalty. 

Content principles 

At Sticker Mule we view content as more than blog posts. Content includes everything from website copy, videos and FAQs to dashboards, emails, training guides and internal documentation. 

Vigilance about content quality helps us build a solid foundation for our future. Content multiplies as you grow so it is important to foster a commitment to crafting high quality content early. 

We created a set of principles that guides our team as they write copy, write scripts, shoot videos and create documentation. They're shared below for the benefit of future team members and anyone else that may find them useful. 

## 9 principles to help you create quality content

### Omit needless words.
Use the fewest words possible. ~~Practice by editing content after you write it to see if any words can be omitted.~~ Practice editing content to omit needless words. 

### Omit needless information.
Delete information that doesn't matter. 

### Use sentence case.
Camel Case Makes Reading Harder. Use sentence case. 

### Consolidate and optimize.
Combine similar content into a single optimized piece of content when sensible.

### Always be polishing.
When revisiting content fix problems when you spot them. 

### Obsessively organize.
Put content in the right place so that it is easily found.

### Use hyperlinks.
Link to additional content when appropriate. 

### Think about the future.
Good design is long lasting and so is good content. Avoid creating content that doesn’t provide long term value.

### Practice.
Crafting quality content is difficult. It takes constant practice to become and stay good. 

## Concluding thoughts

Since the internet makes every business international, content quality is more important than ever. Eventually, many of the words you write will need to be translated to support customers worldwide. If you can't craft exceptional content in your native language, it's going to be even harder to translate your message globally. 

An obsession with content quality may seem trite, but words, images and videos are all we have to communicate with our customers and each other. Making a mess of it weakens our foundation, while crafting and curating great content makes it stronger. 

Our aim is to build an enduring business and long lasting businesses need strong foundations. 

Content multiplies as you grow so it is important to foster a commitment to crafting high quality content early. 

How this hummus startup used stickers to grow 

![Black Market Hummus stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/be8bc47dbbb7be3cbd6cd2789225295b84fc8e06)

Today, we want to introduce you to Nabil Fahel — the man whetting the appetite of the tech elite.

Nabil is the mastermind behind Black Market Hummus, the hottest secret food devoured by the technology world in Canada. Here's what some of the world's greatest tech leaders have to say about his hummus:

   *"Honestly the best hummus I have ever had." -Joanne Wilson, CEO, Gotham Gal Ventures*

   *"As expected, hummus is out of this world good!" -Alex Iskold, Managing Director, Techstars*

   *"Holy smokes this hummus is scary good!" -Carol Leaman, CEO, Axonify*

Did you ever think an underground hummus business would have such ferocious supporters?

Every month, he and his team deliver small, hand-made batches of hummus to employees at Google, Shopify, Electronic Arts, Open Text, and other  of other multi-billion dollar tech companies in Waterloo, Ontario.

Best of all, he started his business for under $1,000 (and was profitable in the first month).

![Black Market Hummus Preparing for Shipment](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9614a75e918933ddc873b9de56ecf2d7ebf0b551)

## Word-of-mouth marketing

Nabil never planned to start a hummus business. Instead, [Black Market Hummus](https://blackmarkethummus.ca) started from Nabil bringing his mom's hummus everywhere. When he shared with friends at poker tournaments and tech community gatherings, they'd salivate  — and DEMAND he bring more the next time.

__No paid marketing spend, no SEO, no print advertising budgets...just total word-of-mouth.__

Seeing the potential for more after sharing with friends, it wasn't long until Nabil was secretly trekking unmarked plastic containers of his homemade hummus across international borders to share at a conference. He would give it to everyone...and it worked.

> How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

As the word-of-mouth snowball continued rolling, even diplomats wanted in — one day, a Canadian diplomat got Nabil's phone number and reached out asking for hummus.

Nabil's response, "If you can meet me in 10 minutes, I'll bring you a container of hummus."

The Canadian diplomat didn't even bat an eye.

The Mayor, diplomats, poker friends, conference goers...Nabil couldn't fill orders fast enough, so he thought about how to expand on a shoestring budget. In Nabil's words, "How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

At this point, Nabil didn't even have a name for the business. But after talking with a friend, the name was clear.

"We should name it Black Market Hummus," his friend Tony said. "Street-side deals... international trafficking... it just makes sense."

![Custom-Food-Labels-StickerMule-BlackMarketHummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/dabb582f1647222be78cb72249592d4d032c77d0)

## Branding Black Market Hummus

Around this time, Nabil also joined [Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/) to help lead their enterprise partnerships program. As part of their employee onboarding, Nabil was required to create and build a "test" Shopify store. He decided to create one for Black Market Hummus.

With a business name, a website created, and a [free Mailchimp account](https://mailchimp.com/resources/create-your-brand/), Nabil decided to ship only to commercial addresses once a month to save on shipping costs, keep the hummus exclusive, and to make it easy for his customers to spread the word...and the hummus.

> I knew it had to be Sticker Mule."

To brand his hummus and label his containers, [he picked Sticker Mule's die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and soon after that, Black Market Hummus was officially born.

He mocked up a quick design and worked with our expert artists, for free, to revise it to perfection and make it production ready. As Nabil said, "I didn’t even shop around. I knew it had to be Sticker Mule." 

Using [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) was a turning point for Nabil. Using the stickers as labels made his hummus recognizable from across the room — and the name sparked curiosity too.

With beautiful labels now on his hummus, he started to legitimize the brand, increase word-of-mouth sales, and go from "that guy who brings amazing hummus to parties" to "CEO of an exploding hummus business."

Best of all, a pack of 200 die cut stickers cost him 3-5x less than a typical ad spend. He was able to quickly create a brand people would recognize and excitedly share with their social circles.

With his idea validated through the demand of friends, colleagues, and even Canadian diplomats — and now a brand and beautiful design to back it up — Nabil sent a single email to customers who bought his hummus in the past. He announced he was doing a large batch order and was curious who wanted to buy hummus.

__That one email resulted in $1,600 in sales.__

Already, in his very first month of "official" sales, Nabil was profitable.

Today, Nabil's business is still exploding with growth following the same strategy: using Sticker Mule [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) on all of his hummus containers, freshly made hummus shipped once a month, and delivery strictly to commercial addresses.

"Reaction from the local community has been incredible," Nabil says.

![Worlds-Best-Hummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2ef6b9712f7192853d5ffa7a9a7002b7e22db7cc)

## How to build a brand people love 

Here are the 3 lessons from Nabil about he grew Black Market Hummus for less than $1,000 into a brand people love:

### 1. Validate 
Validate your idea through friends to make sure there's demand first — and then slowly expand to other social groups, friends-of-friends, and acquaintances to keep validating. Free is okay at the start, but to truly validate you need paying customers — even if they are friends.

### 2. The power of scarcity 
Think of creative ways you can generate demand and scarcity mentality in your customers. For example, Nabil only ships once a month to commercial addresses. This encourages people to place larger orders and share with friends so they don't miss their "window of opportunity." At the start of the business, his website was locked with a password to limit demand and feed the brand’s exclusive "black market" status.

### 3. Get eyes on your brand
On a shoestring budget, get creative with marketing. Nabil used die cut stickers to create brand recognition and save 3-5x on his marketing costs. His customers were eating the hummus at work and at parties so the hummus was already visible — adding branding sealed the deal.

![Black Market Hummus delivered](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5648388f0b0a5bdcff62eabf6e254f5003a9be79)

Visit [Nabil and Black Market Hummus here](https://blackmarkethummus.ca/).

Then order the same stickers Nabil used to grow his brand on a shoestring budget [using your own logo here](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/business-logo-stickers). 

With your stickers you’ll get free online proofs, unlimited design revisions and custom stickers and labels that are weather resistant, waterproof and can be run through the dishwasher.

To get you started, we'll [take $10 off your first order](https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog) when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />


Black Market Hummus is the first HaaS (Hummus as a Service) business and has created a successful brand for less than $1,000. 

Introducing custom buttons 

![Custom pin-back buttons](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d93abe6272e07a5ca2651e68351654fd9bece0e5)
We recently added [custom buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons) to Sticker Mule. We merged Button Frog into Sticker Mule to make it easier for our customers to use one site to checkout with multiple items in their cart while offering the same great product and turnaround. 

Since launching Button Frog in April 2015, we have had a 4.9/5 review rating with 100% of customers saying they would order again. Custom buttons were the top rated product on [Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/tech/button-frog) when they launched and quickly gained a following. Within a few months, we added three additional button sizes and allowed orders of 3,000+ units.

We are thrilled to share that custom buttons on Sticker Mule are identical to those made by Button Frog. 

Circle buttons are available in four sizes: 1", 1.25", 1.5" and 2.25". Every order receives same day free proofing, 4 day turnaround and free shipping. 

Customers can also take advantage of our [multiple item discount](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/introducing-multiple-design-discount) when they add [buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons), [stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-stickers), [magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets), and [labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) to their cart at the same time.

<ButtonCta text="Create custom buttons now" href="https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons?ref=blog" />


We merged Button Frog into Sticker Mule to make it easier for our customers to order custom buttons. 

Get a return on your time sooner to grow faster 

Recently, we expanded into [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels). To do so, we made a substantial investment in new label printing and finishing machinery. Since the printers arrived months before our finishing machine, we soft-launched by purchasing a low-end finishing machine that could only make [circle roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/circle-roll-labels). 

No one would have faulted us if we delayed launching until the proper finishing machine arrived. What would have seemed odd is if all of the machines arrived and then we continually postponed launching while they collected dust. You don't make business investments and not put them to use. 

> You don't make business investments and not put them to use."

Despite the obviousness of this principle, businesses struggle with it when investments are not physical. It would make anyone uneasy to see a machine sitting unused, but it's not as bothersome if human effort is invested in a project that gets delayed. This is an unfortunate because investments of time are significantly more valuable than investments of money. We can make more money, but we can't make more time. 

> Investments of time are significantly more valuable than investments of money."

Since most projects require collaboration, as soon as anyone invests time in a project, you are essentially letting an investment collect dust if you cause it to be postponed. 

Let's consider the life of a generic project:

1. Someone notices a problem with one of our processes and suggests a solution. 
2. A product designer, reviews the problem and proposed solution and drafts a spec for the design team. 
3. The design team creates mockups based on the product spec and iterate until everyone is happy. 
4. The project is placed in the development queue to be worked on. 
5. Development begins work on the project and submit a pull request once it's ready to be reviewed. 
6. The developer waits for feedback on the pull request and iterates accordingly.  
7. Once everyone is happy the pull request gets merged. 
8. Information gets disseminated about the feature so we can make use of it. 

Realistically, once step 1 is complete, someone invested time towards a project that should yield a positive return. The investment at this point isn't huge, but it grows as each additional step in the sequence is completed. As we get further along the process, the downside of delaying becomes greater as a larger investment is now sitting idle, collecting dust.

Business growth is all about return on investment. To enjoy strong growth and solid financials, you pick high return projects and execute them quickly. Picking the right projects is incredibly difficult. Getting them done faster is not. Since returns tend to compound and this cycle repeats constantly, shortening it has a major impact on long run growth. The sooner we get a return on capital spent (monetary or human), the faster we grow. 

> Picking the right projects is incredibly difficult. Getting them done faster is not."

This doesn't mean projects shouldn't be delayed or abandoned. If you discover a project is without merit it should be abandoned. Picking the right projects matters and sometimes we start the wrong ones. 

But, if something is worth doing, then it should be completed quickly. Investments in human effort shouldn't be viewed any differently than investments in machinery. You'd feel weird seeing a machine not being used and you should feel equally weird letting your coworker's effort go un-used. 

Our team works extraordinarily well together because we share a similar perspective on work. If you have a desire to do great work in a stress-free work environment, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).


To enjoy strong growth and solid financials, you pick high return projects and execute them quickly. 

The Sticker Mule guide to Slack

![The Sticker Mule guide to Slack ](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/adc78a94269658848a6339ddef5a2992d387bc66)

Collectively, [Asana](http://asana.com) and [Slack](http://slack.com) manage the majority of our communication at Sticker Mule. We use Asana to handle task related conversations and Slack to handle everything else. Your company might prefer a task management tool other than Asana; the important thing is that you use one. 

To help onboard new team members, we created documentation explaining [how we use Asana](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/the-remote-team-guide-to-asana). I decided to also share our tips and conventions for using Slack for the benefit of prospective team members ([we’re hiring!](https://www.stickermule.com/careers)) and anyone that needs to coordinate a remote team. 


## Integrating Slack with your task management workflow

Tasks are the essence of business so it’s important to think about how Slack integrates with your overall task management workflow. To ensure our task management system & Slack play well together, we have four guidelines explaining when it’s appropriate to communicate via Slack or Asana. If you use a different task management tool like simply replace Asana with your tool of choice and these same guidelines will still apply to your organization. 

### Create Asana tasks once they’re identified via Slack.
New tasks are often identified during Slack conversations, but they should quickly be migrated to Asana where they can be easily managed. You can use [Slack’s Asana integration](https://slack.com/apps/A0F81FK1C-asana) to quickly add tasks by typing “/asana add Task Name” to create a task. 

### Avoid asking teammates to perform tasks in Slack.
It’s tempting to ask people to do things via Slack, but it’s best to create Asana tasks that can be easily recalled, assigned and completed when time permits. Slack messages are easily lost once read so it’s not ideal to issue tasks via Slack. 

### Avoid discussing existing Asana tasks in Slack.
Keep task related conversations within Asana so that they stay in context and can be responded to at the participant's convenience. Occasionally, it may make sense to have a Slack call to discuss a task, but action points from that call should be posted to Asana. 

## 19 additional Slack tips & tricks

### 1. Avoid using @everyone.
@here is less disruptive since it only notifies people that are working. Alternatively, use @mention if you want to post something publicly but only need to notify specific people. 

### 2. Use do not disturb to stay focused. 
When you need to focus on your work for prolonged periods of time use Slack’s [Do Not Disturb feature](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/214908388-Using-Do-Not-Disturb-in-Slack) to temporarily turn off notifications so you’re not distracted. 

### 3. Configure your work schedule. 
Slack lets you configure your work schedule so that messages don’t bother you when you’re off the clock. This allows coworkers to message you at night without worrying about bothering you since Slack will wait until you’re working to deliver the message. 

### 4. Mute infrequently used channels.
Some channels you’ll find yourself using infrequently. Rather than constantly leaving and joining them it’s best to [mute them](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/204411433-Muting-a-channel) so they don’t bother you, but you’re still able to use them when needed. 

### 5. Prefer Slack calls
Standardization makes training and onboarding easier. [Slack’s calling features](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/216771908-Making-voice-calls-in-Slack) are powerful and continue to improve so we are gradually phasing out other voice applications. The one exception is we still use [Zoom](https://zoom.us/) for video conference calls. 

### 6. Use group chats. 
Don’t hold the same conversation with multiple people individually. Instead loop teammates into conversations as needed by using group chats. Slack also lets you quickly convert a group chat into a group call. 

### 7. Create custom emoji.
Ask your design team to spend a day creating a few [custom emoji](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/206870177-Creating-custom-emoji) for the team to use. We rather enjoy inserting emoji-fied versions of each other into chats. 

### 8. Setup a few trigger words.
Don’t go overboard, but creating a few triggers that insert random nonsense into your chats is a great way to add amusement to your day and confuse new hires when they first stumble upon them. 

### 9. Create private channels for trips & meetups. 
Private channels are a great way to keep everyone in-sync during a company trip or meetup. We recommend creating them before the trip starts so everyone is aware they exist. 

### 10. Add a profile photograph.
We highly recommend [adding a profile photograph](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/204092246-Editing-your-profile) so that coworkers can put a face with your name. Although we’re remote it’s still good to see each other so that when we do meet there’s already some familiarity. 

### 11. Hangout in your team’s dedicated channel.
We create a channel for every team and encourage team members to primarily use that channel to discuss work and life with their teammates. 

### 12. Use Zight to share screenshots.
[Zight](https://zight.com/) is a handy tool for sharing screenshots via shortened URLs. Slack automatically inserts the image into the chat when you share a screenshot via a Zight link. 

### 13. Archive inactive channels.
It’s easy to create a lot of channels so you should occasionally cull your channel list by archiving ones with low activity. You may want to abandon a channel entirely or merge the  channel into another one with a broader purpose. 

### 14. Edit existing messages instead of sending new ones.
If you mistype your message it’s better to edit your message than sending a new one. Slack lets you easily do this by hitting the up arrow. This reduces confusion and the number of notifications others receive.

### 15. Set highlight words

![highlight words in slack](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/513f69fb28040936d004022e3077eea408a6ee78)

If you mute channels that you do not use frequently, it can be helpful to set a few highlight words based on your role. 

For example, if you are a content manager you might set “blog” as a highlight word. (To find highlight words after the initial notification, click on the “@” symbol located at top right.)

### 16. Use keyboard shortcuts
Slack has a ton of amazing [keyboard shortcuts](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/201374536-Slack-keyboard-shortcuts). My favorites are CMD+K (Quick switch), CMD+U (Upload a file), Shift+Enter (Create a new line), & Alt+Shift+Down Arrow (Next unread message) and CMD+/ (view keyboard shortcuts). 

### 17. Use the mobile app (optional). 
If your job involves being away from your computer a lot then the mobile app is highly recommended. 

### 18. Cross post content instead of uploading twice (optional). 
Slack has a handy feature that lets you cross post content across channels & messages instead of uploading twice. This is especially handy when you’re on mobile with limited bandwidth. 

### 19. Star specific channels & team members (optional) 
Starring a channel or a team member places it above all other channels and direct messages. This makes it easier to find and send a message to the people you interact with repeatedly.

## Conclusion
Slack is the fastest adopted and most heavily used application at Sticker Mule. It quickly replaced email and increased our cohesion despite being an entirely remote team. 

I hope this document helps both our team and others get more value from Slack.

Our team works extraordinarily well together not just because we share the same tools, but because we share a similar perspective on work. We all tend to be [humble, independent, logical, thoughtful and autodidactic](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/characteristics-we-look-for-in-team-members). 

If you have these characteristics too, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).

Get the Sticker Mule secrets to using Slack with our remote team. Here are the guidelines we use, and suggest for other remote teams, as well. 

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