Result on August 2008

This month, the selling is really turning upside down. We just able to sold a couple set of bra also one of my marketing, the ar- ie, had quite, She said it was too hard. Her friends mostly reject to buy the bra said they were too troublesome to wear and because they're already old (in their 50ties) sagging breast are accepted, aiyo....., on the other hand, their daughters usually don't want to buy because they said 'aiyo.. look like amah amah ones, no padding, no wire and can't push up, no sexy at all'

I think the most obstacle is to change people mind set about a good bra. We have long been brain washed that good bra and everyday bra must able to push up your breast to maximum so (men will ogling on them) and must with thick padding that will create illustrated curve behind our tight T-Shirt.Well, I usually think also this way before, so, I can't blame people who think my bra is amah amah ones.

I think maybe I've to asked the owner to publish about the benefit of Elling bra in our local newspaper so people will acknowledge it.

How about me? This month I hardly sold at all, I'm busy with my new design project and furniture making, really can't find spare time to sell bra.
and because it was still unknown, we count on friends, relatives to promote them mouth to mouth and also 'Now women' who found out from internet. I got several buyer from these 'now women' thought and I'm really glad about it.

After all, what Bu Fanny, the owner, told me before are true : elling bra is not instant business. It's customer oriented and direct selling business. Have to be patient to build a strong base to success.

I think it apply in every business we're doing, we can't expect instant result, but built step by step. I'm still making my step, wish I'll not fall down.

Elling Bra as Maternity Bra

What's the requirement of a good maternity bra?

First: A maternity bra has to have easy access clips for drop down cups for easy access when nursing.Ensure you buy one that exposes the whole of the breast and not just the nipple, because the bra fabric left pressing on the breast may cause the blocked milk ducts.
Second: Good Support & Design: Obviously your bra needs to be made from good supportive fabric so that your boobs don't 'fall out'. The design has to be without any under wires (as endorsed by health care professionals). There are some nursing bras around that look good but lack good support (which is crucial for the fuller figure).Buy the best quality you can afford. The main things to look out for are: cotton bras, as they will help keep you nipple cool and dry; good, wide straps that are going to give you lots of support, your breasts are going to enlarge and get a lot heaver so support is vital. Above all, make sure the bra is a good fit. Not only does a bad fitting maternity bra feel uncomfortable and not provide support, it may even interfere with milk production.

Elling Bra practically provide it all.
Easy access with front clip to drop down cups, made from hypoallergenic cotton for breathable skin around breasts area, superb support design with wide un-elastic straps and wide wings to prevent breasts sagging. Most important: no under wire to prevent milk duct blockage. Also even come with extender hook so no need to purchase new bras if mummy become bigger and bigger.

So... what are you waiting for?????

Special Design Bra

I just received a special design Elling bra for women with lot far under the armpit.


The Original Design



The Modified One

By adding the brocade on the wings adding the ability to reduce the the elasticity of the wing the result is firmer hold and more comfy to wear.

Elling Bra measurement

Elling Bra size is not the same as regular fashion bra size. Example if you usually wearing size 32B, you could wear Elling bra size 30 or 32 from cup B to G, depend on your breast condition (type, size, sagging..etc).
The measurement is quite tricky, especially choosing bra cups, some of my customer, from measurement suppose to wear size 30 E but because her boobs big and sag, end up wearing size 30 H and one of my customer even have to custom made size 30 K (What? so BiG? yes... so big and sag) but no worries, Elling bra can firmer your breast so, wearer may reduce their size due to firmer breast.
The most complain I got from first time wearer were difficult to wear bra correctly. Because the bra has special design cup and mold, it's quite tricky to scoop the breast and fat into the mold and first 2 weeks, usually every 3-4 hours (depend on activities), need to be re-scooping because all the stubborn fat has return to their original place where they have 'resided' for so long but after that, the fat will meekly stay in the mold.
The other complain I got so far is the bra strap. The un-elastic strap mean the wearer must re- adjust the strap every time wearing the bra depend on body condition. Example if you're tired, you can't wear the strap too tight because it'll make you felt more tired and some numb on shoulder, instead, you must loosen it to your comfort level. Also first time wearer must not wear the strap too tight either because it'll make you felt tired and the the mold will press your chest too tight.

So, why bother design so unpractical strap? Why not use elastic strap instead? Because the un-elastic strap will prevent the gravitation to pull our breast further. By wearing the un-elastic straps meaning the gravitation force to your breast could be reduced to minimal.
We wear Elling Bra to reconstruct our breast, to make it right and beautiful. So, although maybe it'll take some of your precious time to wear it or maybe you'll fell unpractical, but it's all for better end, such like if we're sick but have to take all bitter medicines or even took a shot but we took it to heal, right?
NO PAIN NO GAIN!!!

Elling Bra Secret

Why Elling Bra so special? It has no padding, no wire, but why can reconstruct the wearer breast to be more fuller, firm and beautiful? The most important is why it works?

The secrets are these:




Also make from hypoallergenic fabrics and lifetime guarantee. See, you understand now why it works and so special, don't you?

The sells down

After calculation, stocking etc..Turn out the bra selling it was not as I expected.Last month, we only able to sold out 50 set of bras, and I expected a minimum 60 sets (assuming 1 set daily and by two seller, although now we're all four seller). Really disappointing.
My cousin a.k.a partner can't focus in selling because she has computer store to look after and her toddler, Jamine, just started her kindy and still adjusting with her new baby sitter. My marketings are still new and very depend on me to explain to customer and I'm too full to take care all of them.
This week was worse, I didn't sold at all. I was busy designing for my new design project which was more demanding and my marketings, as usual, without me kept pushing them, they just lack down either.
The most obstacle in selling was, on the first look, people usually will reject to try on the bra, the common reason was: 'Aiyo, so ugly, no padding, no wire, the bra look like my mums, so old fashion, not sexy'. And the second rejection was: 'Hah! just apiece of cloth, why cost so expensive ?' And the third rejection was: 'What? Have to strip off to be measured? Can't measured with cloth on meh? Aiyo, no lah, ashame.'
I usually, explained to them patiently ,although with gritted teeth sometime, that even it may look old fashion, but full of benefit and advantage, and with wearing elling bra the right way, our breast will even look more sexier because it will reconstruct our breast shape and those natural shape that will show out behind our dress/ T-shirt, not factory molded fashion bra's pads.The price is cheap lah consider all services they will get. And without proper measurement, it will be useless to wear elling bra.
Mostly they will understood but when my marketing dealing with new customer alone, somehow they were not able to convinced. I need to re-training them. Gosh, wish I have more then 24 hours a day, so much to do.
I know that we need more marketing and training them to boost up the selling but seem we're busy to run our own business and having difficulty to divide our time.
Must figure something out ASAP or all will failed

Elling bra update: 1 month

Good news: I and several of my friends who have been wearing Elling Bras daily and diligently have seen the result. Ours have become firmer and fuller but not maximal yet, please wait for another monthly update.
PS. This is not me...but my friend, we're wearing the same size though...hehehe

Marketing and Designing

Let me share with you why I sell bra, No, not that my design project has been cold down but marketing world always appealing me in some way. I always tell my sisters that I want to try to be a marketing especially women and children products, just to try, to challenge myself.
Architectural world is a lot different with marketing world although in some aspects still the same ' selling'. In designing, we listen to client's demand and create their dream into reality, sometime, we guide them a.k.a influence to create a good design but mostly we met clueless client who really didn't know what they want. This type of client is the one make me headache, they've money and just want to show off, they want their house to stand out but still demand: kitchen like Helena's or living room like Ellen's etc. and we, as architect, if just heading their command.... the result will be chaos.

In designing, we must have a theme, a story-line to create a type. Then from a type, we create detail which show off the owner character and needs. These process rarely applied in Medan, the houses just lack of process, don't have story lines and most of them just look similar, lack of character.

I can truthfully admitted that I'm not very enjoying myself as an architect in Medan. Maybe because mostly my client didn't give me a space to create a really good one but instead they're busy dragging me to their friend's houses and ask similar design which mostly collided each other. Usually I'd try to consult them but mostly they are stubborn.
Have you seen a house with Classic Design with all the sculptures and details but with modern minimalist interior in black and white? They just a goner, so mismatching even DECONSTRUCTION Architect Pioneers will give out a cried. BUT these are favorite here, in Medan. And I dislike them although I also design them for money (can't be too idealist, right?)

The second reason, In Medan, there is no rules in designer, almost all designer just copy the design from magazine to present to the owner and worse, just copycat others designer's project. My design has been stolen over and over and being an idealist (was) It really depressed me. HAH, all the sleepless night result of thinking and designing just being copied by others and claimed to be their own design are really frustrating.

Third, client just pay cheap for designing fee, because there're so many copycat architect and designer out there, I can't really blame them. Who want to pay high price for your services if they're doubtful if their house design is genuine one?
I have bad experience in this case once, with my cousin. She paid me only 2.500.00 IDR for her whole house design (16mx 25m, three stories) because a contractor offer her RP 2.500.000 to draft my design into CAD (I used to design old fashionably with pencil and papers on drafting machine because I felt this way represent each architect character more, it show how an architect drew lines and more artful, what an idealist me) and when I told her my fee is cheap, I only charged her RP. 5.000.000 (too cheap, even my colleageu blame me for offering too low for standard price, but she is my cousin and her father a.k.a my uncle has help my parent a lot when my DF business was down, for me it was a thank you project and I even offered her free charges but she's the one who demand me to give her the price) I tried to explain that the fee was for my painstaking design idea, not for buying pencils, erasers and papers but she just can't accept it and kept accusing me for charging her too expensive (just info, she is very very rich and has very successful husband, even her boys PS cost more than RP.5.000.000 and she bought them several). So I said ' Okay, just don't pay, I'll give you for free.'
Later, she asked her driver to give me Rp. 2.500.000 in cash. At that time I was so tempted to reject the money but DM told me not, just accepted them and let go. I donated all of them for charities, for 'kuat' or buang sial hehe.
What until now I can't understand is, she is an educated professional herself and why act so unprofessional? and also her husband is an Aussie educated, General Manager of a wooden frame company . I really really don't understand.

From that moment, I never ever accept a design project unless I also construct them ( I built a partnership with local contractor and gain fee from there). Much less fussy and gain much more money. What an experience.

In marketing, we promote the goods, educated and influence people to buy them and to satisfied with them and although just in one month, I met many characters of buyers not to mention many shape of breasts hehehe... for me, selling is much much more easy but less less money.
Before decide to be sole distributor of Elling Bra in Medan, I was tempted to set up e-store to sell cloth diapers and pads instead (inspired from www.miabambina.com and several others) but after long survey, I decided the time is not right yet, and people here just don't care about trash, hygiene, environment like us, they didn't bother at all. And the capital is huge and all the importing goods procedure make me headache.

Finding Elling Bra was really a pure coincident. I just looking for good bra for myself to reconstruct my sagging breast after nursing Megan for 1 year. I found them very interesting, promising and giving a fresh head start in Medan is also challenging. So, I and my cousin decided to become sole distributor in Medan.
So, do I selling bra for money? Yes! But mostly I do sell them for experiences and for building friendships.
Applause for me *plok..plok..plok* hehehe

Elling Bra: customer

This week, I met several amazing breast size customer. All are still young in their twenties and not married yet.

The first one only 25 years old, first impression when we met was: she is petite but with big breast. But I thought, ‘Ah, just another padded lover girl (you know … heavy padded bra)’ and she admit that she usually wearing Sorella Bra size 32 B or C. When I took her measurement, I found out that: OMG hers are very big and heavy but sagging!

From my measurement, she was supposed to wear size 28 D bra, but due to the sagging, I encouraged her to try on 28 F instead. And you know, they didn’t fit, the cup was too small. So we tried 28 G and at last 28 H. They fit like gloves and immediately her breast is lift up. I asked her to lift up her hands and make a few hops; they held on and didn’t swing at all. She was very please and she said that all this time, she found out it was difficult to find the right bras and result of being wearing the wrong size bras (compare yourselves 32 B and 28H) was her breast become sagging and the breast fat spread to her underarm and back. She bought 2 sets and promised to promote Elling bra to her friends and relatives.

The second one is fat, usually wearing Maiden Form 36 C (padded) but when we took measurement, she was supposed to wear Elling bra size 40 B. The biggest size of Elling Bra is 38 and the smallest cup on size 38 is C, because the bra designer said it was rare to find women with size 38 but cup under C but my client size is 40B, so hers will be custom made to suit her size. She was a bit reluctant to buy Elling bra at first because she said:” Ah…no confident lah…people will know that I’m so big but small breast.” I said: “You have been wearing wrong size all this time and the result is your breast will become flatter and smaller, wearing fashion bra maybe can pump out your confidence because their shape has been molded prettily but what will your husband to be thinking when you strip off and find out the real you? You want your imperfection shadowing you or you want to change them, well it’s all your choice, I can only suggest and give you advice.”

Then she decided to order 1 set of bra to try out and promised me to wear them daily.

The third one was similar with the first one, big and heavy breast and has been pressed in wrong size bra all this time. Hers even larger, cup 30H only able to close half way through, luckily I’ve sample of 30 K(custom made, I never thought I’ll ever use them) and thanks god, they fit. We’re happy and she bought two sets.

The forth one want to buy body suit, she is skinny but big belly. She wants to flatten it with body suit. I was skeptic when I help her to hook on the body suit, because her belly is hard not soft and flabby one. And as I expected, her body shape look nicer but her belly still show out. I told her if she wear it daily and with some exercise surely the belly will shrink in but she want instant result and blamed on the body suit not tight enough to somehow make her belly “whushhhh” disappear, so after sweaty season help her to hooks on the body suit, oh yeah they were very tight instead, she didn’t buy… hehehe.. tak apalah..