though it was no fun at all. it was a little uncomfortable. probably the most difficult thing to hear was not enough newness. she was taken to task over the company s original tag line. a millennial explained why art for the table was a turnoff. art is very expensive. we aspire to that but we know we can t afford art and we don t have tables. that was a mind blower for me because, of course, i m an artist. whoa. annie also heard that she needed to tell more of her company s story and update her logo. so much of what we do is the handcrafted part of it. the cutting, painting, the firing, the loading of the kilns, the engraving on the back. it didn t happen overnight, but annie took the feedback to heart adding more contemporary designs.
finally, when annie went to advice some students and heard the same thing yet again, it was the draw that broke the camel s back. annie did not want her glassware to be something other mothers loved. i thought, i need to do something to make sure they love it, too, and maybe refresh the brand. annie could have ignored what she was hearing. the company was doing fine. but the original ohman antique line and items that had been added weren t resinating with new clients. we still have customers from day one, even. neiman marcus, burgdorf goodman. they re still selling those pieces. i think that, you know, you have to realize nothing can last that long. she also understood that some of her long time customers were changing spending habits and would soon no longer be in the market for her bowls, platters and plates. the boomers that made the business were retiring or moving
one is called edgy and the other is called elements. we don t make just the pieceses we ve been making 30 years ago. we make killer new mod pieces. annie s daughter, who manages the company s store, says there s now dinner wear people can buy for themselves or things like cheeseboards that they can give as a gift. my generation, we re used to seeing fine china, older pieces that we may not identify with. a new tag line sustainablely hand crafted in california speaks to 90% of the work that is done by hand. and annie introduced a new logo. the fact that these are handmade here in california, not parts coming from other places and assembled here. all of those things. we were not telling that story. getting a team to accept any change is a challenge. not everyone wanted to be part
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advisers. john bolton and mike pompeo. yes. ruth marcus, jonathan lamere, thank you both and more ahead. we ll be right back. it s time now for your business of the week. annie morehouser owner of annie glass heard one too many times someone s mother loved her glassware. should have been a complement, but she took it as an indication she needed to modernize her brand. see what annie did to change her products to reach millennials on sunday morning, 7:30 eastern on msnbc. announcer: sponsored by the powerful backing of american express. don t do business without it. for a board meeting without it. don t keep it real. keep it going. or simply keep it in the family without it. and don t turn that business trip, into an overdue family trip without it. the more you live between life and business, the more you need someone at your back.