Chapter 8 Look At This Family Tree Grow!

Every time someone places an order for The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, I scour my database to see if they’ve ordered before. Since 1994, I’ve looked at names of customers on a daily basis. Sometimes I think I know them by heart.

And what do I find?

Family trees. Both personal, geographical and corporate.

Because I give an undertaking to keep personal details confidential, I’m not able to reveal the full personal names in our family tree. But when I get emails telling me this order is going to the 3rd and 4th generation of a particular family, I can tell you I get a buzz.

A recent order goes like this. Robin is ordering for her daughter. “Can you believe you now have 3 generations of my family using your cover?” Robin’s mother purchased one for herself and then gave one to Robin as a gift.

I have quite a few unusual last names on my database. Some time ago I decided to ring to find the source of their orders. Yes, it was a brother, sister, mother or father who placed the original order. Sometimes an auntie, sometimes a grandparent.

Then we have extended families of friends. Lyn’s referred 4 friends to us who purchased the cover. How did Lyn find out about us? From her sister-in-law, Jane.

Teo’s referred at least 5 friends who have purchased. Three of her friends have gone on to order covers as gifts for their friends.

Margaret’s lost track of how many of her friends have The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover because of her.

Trish has given the cover to all her children, packed a suitcase full of them for a trip to the UK and her son gave one as a thank you present to a family he stayed with.

Then there are street addresses only a few numbers apart. Neighbour telling neighbour.

Who are the best at referring? Men! Men recognise a good product when they use it and are the first to tell their friends. Stan is a champ. We’ve got many men on the North Shore of Sydney ironing on their Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers because of Stan. And Harry isn’t slow either.

But the most revealing are the corporate addresses we mail to. Because we send all parcels Receipted Delivery, they must be signed for. So busy executives want their cover mailed to their place of work for ease of delivery. No last minute rush home to rescue the parcel from their local Australia Post post office.

And our customers come from a wide spectrum of the corporate world. The following companies have had more than one parcel delivered to their address. So it’s co-worker telling co-worker. During a coffee break or those odd moments when they can indulge in some personal time rather than corporate time.

These companies are listed below to show you how a small business like ours grows. With the help of our customers. Perhaps you recognise some of the corporate names, perhaps you work for one of these companies, but let me assure you these co-workers who tell each other about our product are vital to the future of our business!

ABC
ADI Limited
AMCHAM
AMP Workspace
Amrad Corporation Pty Ltd
Astra Pharmaceuticals
Attache Software
Australia Post Marketing Dept
Australian Bridal Service
Australian Business
Australian Securities & Investment Commission
Bayer Healthcare
Bowring Macaulay & Barrett
Canon Office Systems
Cheney & Wilson
Choice Personnel Services Pty Ltd
Cisco Systems
Clayton Utz Solicitors
CMRI
Communications Direct
Connect East
Coober Pedy Hospital
Corporate Public Affairs, Australia Post
Count Wealth Accountants
Cowley Hearne
DCB Advertising and Communications
Dome Books
Dominic Taranto
EGO Group
Ernst & Young
Fanatik
Federation Press
Fins Restaurant
FOXTEL Management
GHD
Gilbert & Tobin Lawyers
Grant Samuel
Hunts Leather
Illy Caffe
Inside Out Interior Decorating
Integral Event Management
Intentia Australia
Int'l College of Tourism & Hotel Management
IPEC
James Hardie Industries
JL Lennard
John Heine & Son Pty Ltd
John Holland
Limon Financial Services
Liverpool Local Court
Macquarie Graduate School of Management
McCoy, Grove & Atkinson
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Moneypenny Business & Tax
Musica Viva
National Bank
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Nine Network Australia
North Shore Private Hospital
NSW Dept Of Agriculture
Office Of The Governor
Ord Minnett
Osman Insurance Brokers
P&O Ports
Peter Hill Media Sales
Peter Shipway Real Estate
Phillips Fox
Pioneer Studios
Premier Cork & Timber
Prime Television
Rabo Bank
Radio 2CR
Royal Adelaide Hospital
RPR Consulting Pty Ltd
Rural Press Limited
Spencer Stuart
Spring Search & Selection
Standard & Poors MMS
Stewarts
Sydney Ports Corporation
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Tanner Menzies Pty Ltd
Ten Capital
The Logo Works Pty Ltd
The Marketing Store
The Peninsula Group
University Of Tasmania
UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building: Fashion Design Section
University Of Tasmania, School of Fashion Design
Village Roadshow Ltd
Vision Super
Weekly Times Advertising
Westpac Banking Corporation
Willoughby City Council
WIN Television

We’re very proud of our customers and are always in awe of the help and encouragement they give us. They allow us to develop personal relationships with them and tell us their stories. We wouldn’t have this rich tapestry of family history if we sold only to retail stores. This is our reward for staying small, friendly and personal. Nothing beats this!

Although we are an accidental business, there are now more than 75,000 covers in use around the world thanks to our very supportive customers. And growing daily.

Since 1994 our covers have been made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. They love what they do and it shows in the quality of our product.

To learn more about The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, visit our website at www.interfaceaustralia.com.

And there are more stories to come!

It’s 4AM and America is calling.
Wow! It’s a small world!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Share your stories and comments with me.

Take care,

CAROL