Getting Started – The Strap Saver

New Year New Us!

January 27, 2021/in Getting Started, Running a Business, Shari, The Store, What's New

Welcome to our new and improved home!

We thought it was time for a makeover. Our look was, well, so 2016. Everyone deserves a new ‘do after 5 years.

For our redesign, the goal is to help our customers better understand our features and benefits at a glance. The big headline of “Get Shorter Straps Without Sewing” plus icons will hopefully do the trick. (and, they are pretty!)

Saving Straps On the Move

We also wanted to make our site more mobile-friendly, as ~70% of our visits are from a mobile phone. We have new mobile-friendly hero images (just visit us on your phone, if you haven’t already, and you’ll see!), descriptive icons and reviews from our customers. Even our mobile navigation offers a better user experience.

Our shop page, specifically, is now a full product page with more information about buying, using, and exchanging Strap Savers. No more sifting through our FAQ (which is now accordion-style and easier to use) We were also able to include some of our beautiful lifestyle images. We think that this will help to better explain our product.

Getting the word out

We’ve spiffed up our marketing plans as well. A friend has been kind enough to help us build a new adwords campaign – and offered to pitch in on some social media marketing. It’s not just about building a good website but also a great go-to-market strategy. Sure, we’re not exactly brand new but to those that haven’t heard of us, we are!

Personally, I’m looking forward to 2021 for so many reasons – and not just because 2020 was incredibly difficult (understatement, I know). Even though New Years is somewhat arbitrary (isn’t every day the first day of the rest of your life?), but humans love milestones and a fresh start. I’ll buy in to this for all of the right reasons (but none of the icky ones)

I couldn’t have done it without you.

I want to thank everyone who helped to make this happen – Beth, who did all of the beautiful design work. Marc, for all of his tech advice and general support. Courtney for her help with Google Ads and pulling me back from my scorched-earth keyword approach. And, of course, all of the friends of the Strap Saver who helped to test and offered opinions on UX.

From all of us at The Strap Saver, we wish all of you a safe and healthy 2021.

The Other Strap Saver

December 12, 2016/in Friends, Getting Started, Networking, Running a Business, Saved Straps, Shari, The Store

.Last week while Beth and I were at Made in Monmouth, I received a media email alert based on “Strap Saver”. My first thought was “Wow, who’s writing about us now?”. After a glance, my mind quickly changed to “oh no… what’s THIS?” The link led me to a twitter account @strapsaver_ with a logo that included a bra and a tweet saying “Fix your life, one strap at a time.” The product was for retrieving rogue bra straps.

I spent the next 15 minutes chewing my bottom lip and wondering what to do about it. Was someone using our product name? Didn’t they look these things up? Would I need a cease and desist? If so, how was I going to manage THAT?

To say I’m protective of this company is an understatement. I’ve worked hard to build what we have. I know I’ve taken the right measures to keep it safe, but not everything is within my control. Earlier this year, I was concerned about competition from a 3M product called the “Hold Tight Strap Clip.” Despite our trademark and provisional patent, I worried about the same potential problem – would I have to protect against someone undermining our brand? (in this case, it was more trademark than patent)

I decided to read the tweet again for insights – the hashtag was #echsinnovationexpo and the other Twitter account mentioned was for a Mrs. Something-or-Other. Slowly, the gears in my brain started turning again. It’s a high school. The Mrs. is their teacher. This product is not being produced. I think. Ok. Phew. Back to Made in Monmouth. Let’s sell some Strap Savers!

I went home that night and talked about it with Marc. We had a quick laugh over my tendency to jump to conclusions and tried to figure out what to do next. One part of owning a trademark is using it in business and another is defending it. If there was evidence that I knew about this and let it go, it wouldn’t look good for me if there was a future problem – even if this was just a high school project.

I decided to follow them on Twitter and headed to their website to contact them. I wrote to them (what I hoped was) a very nice note saying that I thought their product idea was cute but explained about ownership of the trademark to The Strap Saver. It was not a problem if this was for a class project, but if they were going to sell it, they would need to change the name. I even tossed in about needing to defend the trademark so that hopefully I didn’t sound like a crazy adult going after a school project. (file this under “things I’d never thought I’d have to do as a business owner”)

I heard back from them right away – explaining that yes, this is just a project and no, they didn’t have plans to produce it. My favorite was the closing line: “We’re all just a bunch of 14 year olds just trying to get by.” All I could think was “I hear you!”

The interaction did lead to something helpful for them. They needed an expert in the field to answer some questions. So far, no one had gotten back to them! I gave them some answers about their project and my thoughts on existing solutions to slipping straps.

While my reaction to the situation still makes me smile, I’m very impressed with these young women. They put together a great website and a very funny video. The branding is clear and the logo is cute – which I think was their goal. I think it’s important that teachers are having students do this type of work while they are still in high school. (also – maybe include a section on researching intellectual property?) Young adults will start to understand the process of developing their own ideas into viable products. This could have been Beth or I a *cough* few *cough* years ago, if we had all of the opportunities of the internet at that age.

Their project is due today. I hope they get an A.

Stop Blocking the Writer

August 21, 2016/in Getting Started, Running a Business, Shari

If you’ve had too much time on your hands or you’re related to me in some way, you’ve noticed that I haven’t updated the blog much in the past 6 weeks. I’ve been taking my own advice and finding balance. I’ve been going for walks, trying not to take on too much, or push myself too hard. Starting a new job and the business aspects of The Strap Saver have been keeping me very busy!

The update: We’re reordering again. (so, re-reordering?) We are running an awesome contest with Elisabeth Dale of The Breast Life. It’s not too late to enter to win one of 3 prize packages of a signed copy of The Bra Zone and a $25 gift certificate of The Strap Saver. We’ve also made some updates to the site and we’re promoting our relationship with Jill’s Wish*. Saving straps is fun; helping others is even better.

So despite following all of my own best advice, I’m still leaving the less tangible, more fun, creative endeavors until last. (oh no, I can’t live without my sarcasm outlet!) My fear of writer’s block has me focusing my time on tasks that will bring about concrete results. What if I get stumped? You know, because I often lack for things to say… (<- yay! Sarcasm is back!) What if I can’t make the SEO work? Blogs are great and help to relay our message, but they are also about helping our search engine results. What if in the 2 hours it takes me to optimize 600 words, I could have done 5 other things?

Well, all of that fear has gotten me a whole lot of nowhere. Writing is like any other activity. It takes practice to stay sharp. By avoiding the blog in favor of inventory, working on the books, or networking, it’s taking me a few extra weeks to get started again. There’s a long list of topics in my notebook, so it’s just a specific fear of the process.

As I think I’ve said before, awareness is the first step to change. It’s OK to prioritize, but if something needs to get done, sometimes it’s best to channel Nike. There’s only one way to complete a task! (well, two, but we’re not in a situation to hire a ghostwriter) Putting it off will only make the task bigger. Hopefully I can continue to heed my own advice and let momentum carry me through the tough spots.

Now doesn’t this make you excited to come back to Strap Central every week from now on? I’ve got lots of pent-up sarcasm to dispense and ideas to share! (and we’re not even going to talk about politics!) See you soon!

*As of 11/30/2017, 5% of all sales are donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The Extra-Strength Strap Saver

April 17, 2016/in Getting Started, Running a Business, Saved Straps, Shari, The Store, What's New

Editor’s note: The Extra-Strength Strap Saver is now available in 3/4″ and 1″ in all 3 colors: Black, Tan and Metallic! Run, don’t walk, to buy yours right now!

Once upon a time we had a wonderful customer – we’ll call her Andrea – that emailed us and said “my Strap Savers bent – is that supposed to happen?”. Wait, WHAT? They aren’t supposed to bend! She was very kind and described her situation and we let her know – quite clearly – that is not how they work. We were determined to get to the bottom of the situation and make it right for her.

Andrea was very helpful – first sending us photos and then returning the product. We sent her another set with the same result. Thanks to the laws of physics, it turns out that our ¾” and 1” Strap Savers can only take so much force and hold a finite amount of weight. As making our customers happy is our number #1 priority – they’re the boss – we went back to the labs to solve this new problem.

Thanks to the help of our engineers, we developed The Extra-Strength Strap Saver – and had it tested. The regular ¾” Strap Saver will only hold about 3lbs of weight, so we’re only recommending for regular bras and bathing suits up to a size 40DD, tank tops and light dresses. (Your mileage may vary, boob weight is not an exact science!) The ¾” Extra-Strength Strap Saver will hold up to 10lbs of weight and we think it will work best on regular bras and bathing suits size 40DDD and larger, sports bras and heavy dresses. If you’re having problems with your regular Strap Saver, let us know and we’ll exchange it for the new Extra-Strength Strap Saver.

We sent Andrea the very first pair of Extra-Strength Strap Savers to try, after all, she’d earned it by being so helpful. We were delighted to get her response:

“I just wanted to let you know that I wore the new Strap Savers the other day and I was SO impressed! They didn’t budge – stayed in place and didn’t bend AT ALL!! Yaaaay! So happy with them!“

Now that they’ve been field tested, we’re excited to offer Extra-Strength Strap Savers in ¾” and 1” to you in Metallic (more colors coming soon!) at the same price as regular Strap Savers – $15 for the first pair, $10 for each additional pair – feel free to mix and match – with free standard shipping in the US and just $2 additional to anywhere else in the world. (Don’t forget, 5% of all sales go to Jill’s Wish!)*

To recap:

Regular Strap Savers: bras & bathing suits up to a size 40DD, tank tops & light dresses
Extra-Strength Strap Savers: bras & bathing suits size 40DDD & larger, sports bras & heavy dresses

Buy yours today!

Who doesn’t love a story with a happy ending?

*As of 11/30/2017, 5% of all sales go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The Importance of Being Thankful

November 22, 2015/in Body Image, Getting Started, Shari

We’re about to celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States and it’s a time that we reflect on what we’re thankful for in the past year. I do a lot of this on this blog because I’m so grateful for everything that everyone has done to help us build this business. Even science has shown us how much being grateful can help improve our mood and our outlook on life. (I recommend it to everyone!) There’s one thing that a lot of people don’t talk about when they list the things they’re grateful for in their lives – and that’s themselves. I think there’s a stigma that the word ME somehow ties in with the adjective selfish. I think it’s past time for us to stop thinking that way, especially when it comes to appreciate all of the things that we do – for others and for ourselves. Too often, women put themselves second, third, fifth, last… and ignore their own needs in favor of helping everyone else. Well, no more! In order to be at our best, we need to take care of ourselves and it’s time that we honor this process, so this Thanksgiving I’m going to send a little gratitude in my own direction.

So, here’s a little list of the things I’m grateful that I’ve done for me in this past year:

-For planning vacations, because I know I’m a better person when I travel and take a break from regular life

-For doing my best to limit chemicals in my life, so that I will be healthier.

-For continuing to work hard to take care of health, especially when it comes to my high risk for breast cancer. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of schlepping to doctors appointments and at times it’s scary. But I’m worth the effort because I plan to be around for a long time. I have a lot of things to do and places to go!

-For finding Michele, my hairdresser. I hate messing with my hair – so much. And I’m more gray than you’ll ever know (or see, for that matter). She’s awesome and I can always count on her to give me a great cut that will air-dry nicely – she makes me look good so I don’t have to be bothered. (It’s about knowing what stresses me and heading it off at the pass – no pun intended!)

-For my hard work on this company. Sometimes I’m in awe of all that we’ve done and I have to give myself credit for a lot of the behind-the-scenes sweat.

-For my perseverance. A few years ago, my dream career fell apart due to the economy and I was able to pick myself up (and continue to do so) to find something new that I love.

-For my problem solving abilities. It may not always look the prettiest or be the fastest or the cheapest way to do something, but I can usually figure out a way to get myself out of almost any mess.

-For knowing when to take a break. Sometimes I have to stop to take care of me.

What are you thankful about you this year?

Perfecting our Pitch at Made in Monmouth

November 17, 2015/in Friends, Getting Started, Holiday Shopping, Saved Straps, Shari, What's New

Photo credit: JoAnna Peck Siminerio, Manalapan Business Development Counsel

As our business gets bigger, we’re finding more and more doors are opening. Thanks to the article in the Asbury Park Press, we were invited to participate in Made in Monmouth, a showcase of local businesses. Last weekend was the mini-Made in Monmouth event, a smaller, holiday version of the larger show that takes over the athletic facility of Monmouth University every April.

This event was very important to us – it was the first time we were going to sell The Strap Saver directly to the public. We had several things that we wanted to accomplish beyond sales. We’re still working on perfecting our message. The Strap Saver can be a little complicated to explain and we haven’t nailed down our elevator pitch. We’ve also had our first request for wholesale and we need to design a display. We wanted to learn everything that we could in this 5 hour window.

Beth did a wonderful job (as always) setting up the table. (and I brought a steamer for the tablecloths, I got a little teasing from those around us for being a little particular but presentation is everything!) In general, we received positive responses to the display of The Strap Saver in action, directly on a tank top or a bra, although many people thought that we were replacing the strap. We found that once we displayed the product sans strap, it was more clear. We think that a smaller version of the hanger will become part of our in-store display, but we still need to be clear on what the product does, in as few words as possible.

Our raffle was a success. (Thank you Marc! It was a great idea!) Although the painting was adorable, we’re happy to report that the prospect of winning a gift certificate seemed to be more enticing. We even had a small survey with our raffle and 77% women said that this was a problem and they just “lived with it” – well, no more!

We realized that The Strap Saver is less of an impulse purchase than we thought. A few of the women wanted to go home and measure the straps on their troublesome bras or dresses (we’ve already had some follow-up sales). It will do better in lingerie stores vs. a craft show – where most will go with a purpose. We did raise awareness and add a few addresses to our mailing list.

As for our elevator pitch, it’s definitely improved. We found that in order to capture their interest, leading with the question of “do you have strap problems” was a great hook. Although, overall, I’m not exactly sure what question to ask – is it about slipping straps? Stretched straps? Long straps? Which one is universal? I’ll have to play around with the language and see which one resonates.

When it comes to describing the product, we learned that talking about our product in stages was the best way to go through the features and benefits without rushing to say howawesomeisourproductandofyou’llabsolutelyloveitanditssoworth$15. We settled on “It’s a no-sew solution for shortening straps while still leaving them adjustable” and then “It works on bras, bathing suits, tank tops and all of your other strappy clothes” and then “It comes in 3 colors and 4 sizes. It’s made of ceramic-coated stainless steel, so it’s made to hold up against chlorine, saltwater and will out-live many, many bras.” and finally “It’s $15 for the first pair, $10 for each additional pair, shipping is free.” That’s not the final draft and I have a few other phrases that I copied down that I want to try – like “It’s a little metal device for shortening straps while still leaving them adjustable” – do we need to say no-sew? Does metal make it sound uncomfortable? But it does lend itself to durability. Hey, we’re a work in progress.

We already have some plans for the next show – like offering a discount for purchasing at the fair and listing our price directly on the table. We’re hoping to find something equally awesome to raffle – since it seemed to really attract customers. (who doesn’t love WIN?) So if you miss this one, we look forward to seeing you at the Made in Monmouth show on April 9, 2016 at Monmouth University.

And, if you had to sum it up in 10-15 words, how would you describe The Strap Saver?

Happy Website-iversary!

November 1, 2015/in Friends, Getting Started, Shari, The Store

YAY! One year! The blog has been up for much longer, but it was one year ago today that I pressed the button that turned on the store. Who knew so much could happen in a year? We had our first sale… and then our first sale to a stranger and then the next… and then the next and *poof* we’re a business. That was awesome. That IS awesome. It’s still a thrill every time we put a stamp on an envelope or see a new referral link to our website. (Today’s was a website from the Czech Republic, over 100 referrals in the last 3 days – thank you Google translate!)

To everyone reading this – thank you. Thank you for reading this blog. Thank you for taking the time to understand my words and the message we’re trying to send. Take care of yourself. Do something good in the world. If you wear one, wear a good bra and always make sure that the girls (or boys) are at the right height. And boobs can be really funny. Be sure to laugh a lot, too. Being happy should be the ultimate goal.

We’ve grown a lot in the last year – we are now fully stocked with all three colors in all four sizes. We’re continuing to work with Broadview Product Development and OmniFinishing to cut and finish The Strap Savers and are proud to work with the veterans at Scorpion HPC to apply the ceramic coating. We love keeping The Strap Saver 100% made in the USA! I’m pretty sure that this is the first time that any of these companies have worked on bra parts, but each one of them has a great sense of humor and I feel is invested in our success. Knowing that my suppliers are reliable helps me to sleep easier at night.

Our star managed to shine a little brighter this year, too. We were reviewed by one of Lingerie Addict’s top 7 blogs to read in 2015, A Sophisticated Pair. Erica. the owner, has become a Strap Saver advocate and a friend. You can also read more about us in a few other well-known blogs: JTouch of Style, Science and Silicone, Big Cup Little Cup, Two Cakes On A Plate, Lucy Loves and Trial by Beauty. While not everyone thinks we’re perfect (what are they thinking?? :) ), everyone talks about how well the product works. We also hit “the big time” with a great article by Devin Loring in the Asbury Park Press. I’ve been reading the APP for a long time, so it was a big boost to my ego and to our sales to have this feature. There’s just something about opening up a newspaper and breathing in that not-likely-to-be-good-for-you ink… :) (I have no idea if it’s really bad, I just imagine that it can’t be good… :) ) We even had our logo on a DeLorean mechanic helping Lyft and Verizon on Back to the Future Day!

We’ve also met some amazing women. Beth and I went to CurveNY in February and met women from all areas of the lingerie industry that contributed to our most popular blog, 10 Insider Secrets to Extend the Life of Your Lingerie. I met Angela of Sweetest Sin, a local lingerie store, who changed my mind about independent bra stores and shares my desire to work towards breast cancer education. I’m hoping we can partner on something soon! Beth and I spent an afternoon with Dana Donofree of AnaOno Intimates. In addition to her strength in the face of an ugly disease, she designs some pretty kick-ass bras.

One of our goals this year was to optimize the site and improve our search engine rankings. Thanks to the folks at Yoast, their free plugin and my strategy, we’re on the first page of results for every keyword. Traffic is up in every area of the site and I’m finding the blog being shared in new places!

We had a wonderful photo shoot – getting some amazing images. They’ll continue to appear over the year, showing off The Strap Saver, or not, as one of the merits is that the product is stealthy! These wonderful women – who shall remain nameless at their own choosing – came to Beth’s apartment and spent the afternoon in their underwear for us. (although it really didn’t seem that out of character for them…) They were lovely – and selfless, asking for nothing in return. Ladies, I will never forget what you did for us. And Ashley Card, a college student home on summer break, who should have been sleeping in, gave up a weekend to help us set up shots and take pictures. Thank you.

We didn’t get everything we wanted this year – we didn’t make it into some of our favorite websites (yet) and we didn’t make it onto any of the morning shows (yet). I’ve struggled not to throw the computer out of the window as I delve deeper into Google Analytics. (yet! This thing could go airborne any minute now.) I broke the website a few times when I was trying to improve it… (although I was smart enough to make backups so it was easy to fix!) So, these get moved to next year’s goals, as we’re not remotely done yet.

We have big plans for next year. We want to add some videos to the site (some with cats, some otherwise :) ) We want to get on those big websites and on TV. We want to expand our network and continue the wonderful friendships we’ve made in the industry. We are in the process of choosing charity partner, we want to get started on our promise of giving back. We’re considering expanding our color offerings. We’re gearing up for our annual sale. We’re looking forward to CurvExpo in February. 2016 beckons and it’s going to be a great one.

This past year wouldn’t have been possible without so many people helping us – Cheryl – my alpha tester. Ruthie, who has the misfortune of working near one our suppliers, so I talked her into helping me courier packages to save postage! (just joking, I couldn’t have a stronger supporter, I always appreciate that she goes out of her way…) Teri and Jena, talented information architects, helped me with some of the site improvements that you’ll see soon. Scott, thanks for your offer of web support – I haven’t fully bothered you about that, yet, but I will! Tiffany – thank you for sharing your excellent development skills. Shea Wong, who has been blogging since blogs began, helped me choose a strategy. Dad, for offering to help me vet a charity so that I know that our money is going to the right place and will truly help people. Abby, Jason, Kevin, Stephen, Rachel, Kim, Phil, Marion… and everyone who has listened to me blather on about this business for the past year, thanks for your patience and your feedback. (and for keeping the rolling of the eyes discreet)

And then there are the two major players in this company and in my life. Marc – you are a wonderful tech and business advisor, always looking out for me, Beth, and The Strap Saver. Thank you for always being there for me, for supporting me when I struggle and for celebrating the good times. I love you. No, you can’t retire yet but maybe soon! Beth – as I said when we started, you are the beauty that is this site. You’re always thinking and pushing me to be more creative. Your time, effort and dedication helps to make this company what it is – and your unwavering belief in me when I said “hey, let’s start a company and manufacture a product that’s never been done before and talk people into buying it!” keeps me going when I think I can’t do any more. And, of course, your friendship means the world to me, there are many times that I know I wouldn’t still be standing without you.

So onward and upward, as my mom would say, here’s to the next 12 months – I wish you all of the love and success in the world. Let’s meet again in a year and we can count all of the great things we have in our lives.

The Strap Saver compared to the Racerback Clip

I Know You Are, But What Am I?

August 3, 2015/in Getting Started, Saved Straps, Shari, The Store

As we’re gaining more exposure, we’re getting more questions – and many more comments. A lot of people seem to think that they know who and what we are – before even looking at our site. We’d like to help clear things up and tell you what we are and we’re not – we are the best no-sew bra and bathing suit strap repair solution. Below is more of what we’re not…

A racerback bra clip: This is the most popular misconception. The Strap Saver works within the profile of your strap to tighten your strap and add lift, where the racerback clip turns your bra into a…. racerback! Which is awesome if you’re concerned about your straps showing when wearing a tank top or similarly cut top. There are many different variations on this – from using a paperclip or safety-pin to as-seen-on-tv devices. While the products both modify bra straps, they do it very differently for different purposes.

Modified bra strap parts: One person suggested buying bra G hooks and using “tin snips” (that amused me, I admit, I think she was British!) to modify them and voila! Well, not so much. We tried that ourselves after we couldn’t find a ready-made solution. It had two major problems. First, the ends were rough and uncomfortable. Then, it broke. The piece wasn’t designed to hold the weight of the straps without a connection on both sides. Our engineers accounted for weight and friction of the straps when developing The Strap Saver and choosing the materials. It is specially designed to work without needing a full connection on either side.

A permanent solution that saves a single bra forever: Bra straps are made of stretchy material (I think lyrca?) and they do eventually fail. The Strap Saver will triple the strap, where the normal adjuster simply doubles it, adding months to the life of your lingerie. And, when it’s time for that bra to be replaced, The Strap Saver can be moved to another bra. Your bras won’t last forever, but with its stainless steel design, The Strap Saver will provide added perkiness over the life of many, many garments.

And then, the last comment we hear often about The Strap Saver:

If you need The Strap Saver, it’s time for a new bra. It’s hard to disagree with this one. If parts of a bra are stretched, there’s always an argument for replacement. Except, not all parts of a bra or bathing suit wear evenly. And bras are expensive, so it can be hard to justify replacing one because a single part is stretched, both from a financial and environmental point of view!

I hope that this clears up some of the confusion of what we are – The Strap Saver helps you shorten your bra, bathing suit and tank top straps without the use of a needle and thread – and what we’re not – a racerback bra clip, a modified bra part or a solution to resurrect bra from your junior high school days. (although kudos if it still fits!)

We’re having a giveaway through September 7 – $50 Visa Gift Card + $25 Strap Saver Gift Certificate. Check out our reviews on Jodie’s Touch of Style and Science and Silicone and enter our contest!

The Strap Saver celebrates everyone's independence day!

Patriotism and The Strap Saver

June 29, 2015/in Getting Started, Shari, What's New

We’re entering the swing of Red, White and Blue holidays: Memorial Day has passed, Canada Day (ok, that’s just red and white, but we love our neighbors to the north), Bastille Day, 4th of July, etc are right around the corner… and as these are firsts for The Strap Saver, I wonder about our message. When it comes to patriotism, it’s tricky to figure out where a brand belongs and where it doesn’t.

Sometimes it’s easy to figure out where we don’t belong – have you ever really looked the three words “Memorial Day Sale”? Yup. Somehow we’ve joined the words together and are missing the main part of the day – memorial. So, no, that’s not our place. Of course we’re with the families who have lost loved ones, but it’s so personal. It’s the same with brand messaging on September 11. It’s not a place or a time to remind people that your brand exists. (see White Castle and their interesting responses) We don’t want to confuse patriotism with pandering.

So clearly we’re “out” when it comes to anything like that. We hope that our customers know us to be a kind, compassionate company. We just don’t belong in those situations.

Canada Day, 4th of July and Bastille Day are better examples of positive fun (unless you were one of the people losing your head in the guillotine!). As we’re pro-pajama AND pro ninja here, we’re DEFINITELY pro fun and pro celebration! But how do we balance needing to wish you a Happy National Day if you are from Cape Verde on July 5 and recognizing the signing of Acta de la Declaración de la Independencia Argentina on July 9? (a LOT of countries fought for freedom in July. I guess the heat makes people cranky. Although it’s only in the 50s in July in Buenos Aires… so maybe not?)

I love freedom and I love a good party. National holidays can be a good time. In the US, its friends, fireworks and food, some of my favorite things. One year, we were driving down the Garden State Parkway on July 4th in a convertible at around 9pm. We were treated to the fireworks displays of about 10 towns, it was awesome. But how do we honor every country? We ship anywhere in the world and I’d hate to insult the kind folks of Kiribati by missing their special day on July 12.

I think the official decision (for now) is the celebrate the main national holidays of our customers. If we’ve shipped there in the past year, we’ll give your country a nod. It will teach us something new about the homeland of our biggest fans. We’re looking into adding the Google Translate widget to our site, so we’ll be accessible to everyone until we officially translate the site. (although, until then, likely in poorly worded text!) Maybe someday you’ll see us having a blast at Fiestas Patrias in Peru on July 28.

What do you think of brands and their response to national new events and holidays?

Calling All Bloggers to Review The Strap Saver! Contact us at media@thestrapsaver.com

Calling All Bloggers, We Need You! (And Your Straps Need Us!)

June 8, 2015/in Getting Started, Saved Straps, Shari

**Our open call is now closed! If you received a personal invitation, please reach out to us directly. If you didn’t receive a personal invitation, we’re very sorry, we’re a bit new at this and that’s why we put out this public call. :) Contact us anyone and maybe we’ll catch you next time?**

Have you ever had an expensive bra with stretched straps and wanted to fix it but you can’t sew? Have you been inundated with questions from your readers about how to handle a gorgeous bathing suit top that didn’t come with adjusters? Have you ever needed a last-minute alteration on a tank top or strappy dress and the tailor was closed? Are you or your readers so petite that every clothing shoulder strap is just too long? You’ve got strap problems, we’ve got the strap saving solution!

We’d like to give you a chance to review this amazing new invention – The Strap Saver. We’re looking for the best and brightest bloggers with an audience that has straps in need of saving! Through June 21st, we’re looking for you to try the boob-alterting Strap Saver and possibly win an amazing prize. We’ll be giving away $250 for the best review, as well as a possible second prize depending on the number of entries. (We know your time is valuable – we work ourselves!) We’ll also have a 60-day Rafflecopter giveaway of $50 + $25 of Strap Saver product for your readers. Please email us at media@thestrapsaver.com with:

Name
Address
Strap Width and requested size and color (see How To Measure Your Strap)
Blog URL
Monthly Hits
Number of Twitter followers
Number of Facebook fans
A quick sentence on why you’d love to try our revolutionary new brahblem solver.

We hope you’ll love the product as much as we do – after all, we’re not just the inventors, we have drawers full of saved straps too!