Staying safe

All bad things come to an end. We will continue investing and improving until this meets its end too. It’s frustrating that aspects of the outbreak are outside of our control. The good news is we already naturally do a lot of things right to protect our staff. Specifically:

1. Our factories are in quiet, uncongested and rural towns where “social distancing” is natural.
2. We already overbuy floorspace to maintain a comfortable factory environment and expanded spacing to keep people further distanced.
3. We have stringent cleanliness standards and regularly disinfect the workplace. Last week, we trained all staff to disinfect their workplace at more frequent intervals.

Additionally, we increased paid leave for all factory employees so everyone can comfortably stay home when sick and still get paid.

Outside the factory, Sticker Mule has been a remote company from day one. Going remote is a recommended action that many companies are just now taking. Luckily, we did not need to make any adjustments to go remote. It’s already the way we do things.

My #1 desire is to keep everyone positive and happy. Everyone in the world is thinking about how to solve this problem and we will get through it together.


How we're positioned to operate safely during the COVID-19 outbreak.

10 years of Sticker Mule

10 years ago Sticker Mule was born out of frustration. No one treated customers or employees as good as we felt was possible. We wanted to do better and set out to build the best way to shop and work. 

10 years later we beat all expectations. Sticker Mule is fast becoming a standard for what it means to be a great company. Businesses all over the world copy us and that's great. 

Many people laughed when we said we'd build a mega-brand selling stickers. Luckily, we love to be underestimated.

They said it's rare to build a successful company on your first try. We did. 

They said it's impossible without high profile investors. We have none. 

They said you can't build a big brand from a small rural town. We did. 

They said you need "experienced" people with fancy degrees. We don't. 

They said manufacturing is too hard for a startup. It’s not.

They said you need to run massive losses to grow fast. We don't. 

Sticker Mule is a story for the underdogs. The people who the “experts” say can't make it. Ignore the experts. Believe in yourself. 

10 years ago, a 70 year old that never used a computer before cofounded Sticker Mule after seeing the Internet for the first time. When asked "are you sure we can do this?" He calmly replied, "we never failed at anything and we won't at this." Today we make it a habit to do the impossible. 

Our new goal is to make the next 10 years happier for everyone. Financial “success” as a never-ending goal is a crazy thing. We started Sticker Mule with a plan to be fast, simple and fun. It’s time to focus on fun.

10 years ago Sticker Mule was born out of frustration. We wanted to do better and set out to build the best way to shop and work.

New: Opt out of freebies

Surprises are one of the ways we make our customers happy. That’s why we include fun freebies in every order. Typically, you’ll get a few cute Sticker Mule stickers and maybe a button, coaster or magnet too. Our freebies change periodically to make them more surprising, fun and collectable too.

![freebie-opt-out](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6ff5bb1dd69fd4bec52cd1e203868e7e8cf1180d)

Sticker Mule freebies end up on Instagram, Twitter and laptops worldwide, but some customers, especially frequent purchasers, ask not to receive them. To address this request, we are happy to introduce freebie opt-out. 

You can now opt out of freebies in [your account settings](https://www.stickermule.com/account) (or opt back in).

While most people enjoy the free swag, we recognize it can be wasteful – especially if you order frequently.

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/sarahdayarts/status/1176924428078407682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" />

Freebie opt-out was designed 100% based on customer feedback. Hope you enjoy it!

If you no longer wish to receive freebies with your orders, you can now opt out in your account settings.

Introducing 100 days of giveaways

We’ve secretly been plotting the biggest event in Sticker Mule history…

<YouTubeVideo videoId="SRDfm3IhecU?modestbranding=1&rel=0" />

Introducing [100 days of giveaways](https://www.stickermule.com/100days) on Instagram!

Starting today, we are running the biggest giveaway Instagram (and possibly the Internet) has ever seen! For the next 100 days, we’ll be running a different giveaway everyday through our Instagram account ([@stickermule](https://www.instagram.com/stickermule)).

Here’s how it works:

1. We’ll make a post, announcing the prize of the day on Instagram.
2. The post will include instructions on how to enter the giveaway. Each day will be different, so read carefully!
3. We’ll randomly select the winner(s) and DM them the next day on Instagram.

We’re keeping the full prize list a secret for now, but some prizes will include vacation packages, Apple and Google products, gift cards, gaming consoles, and, of course, free [stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-stickers).

The fun begins today, May 1, and runs through August 8.

Sign up for notifications and learn more at [stickermule.com/100days](https://www.stickermule.com/100days)

<ButtonCta text="Follow us on Instagram" href="https://www.instagram.com/stickermule" />


We've secretly been plotting the biggest event in Sticker Mule history. Beginning on May 1, we're running a different giveaway for 100 days straight.

Introducing custom coasters 

<YouTubeVideo videoId="ZgaM2DdGIW4?rel=0" />

Not long ago, we decided to add “thank you” coasters to every order. They were an immediate hit! All over the internet, people posted their love for them and many took to collecting them. 

There was, however, one big problem. Custom coasters were incredibly difficult, even for us to buy. We knew this was something we had to fix and, today, we’re happy to announce our newest product: [custom coasters](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-coasters). 

We invented a brand new method for making coasters that allows us to provide custom coasters in full color and fast. Try them out by ordering 10 [coaster samples](https://www.stickermule.com/products/coaster-samples) for $9 or bulk order larger quantities of coasters. There’s nothing else like them on the Internet!

<ButtonCta text="Get custom coasters from $9" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/coaster-samples?ref=blog" />

Create custom coasters to surprise and delight customers and friends. Printed in full color with UV ink and made with a premium coaster board.

How we prioritize at Sticker Mule 

![How we prioritize at Sticker Mule](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ba5c4d01ca146f185c128428987c56840bda9d81)

Organizations are the sum of their decisions. Those that prioritize well prosper and those that don’t falter. At Sticker Mule, prioritization is the most important thing we do. Our growth accelerates as we prioritized better, but there's always room to improve. 


## What prioritization is *not*

Most literature on prioritization is terrible. It leads you to believe prioritization is about [time management](https://hbr.org/2015/04/time-management-training-doesnt-work) or how to use to-do lists. This way of thinking neglects that priorities are what make or break businesses.

Consider that Amazon started as a bookstore in 1994 and grew to $147 million within 3 years. Today they employ 500,000 people who handle $200 billion in revenue. They picked the right projects and grew at an extraordinary pace.

Other retailers had different priorities and either failed or are much smaller. Walmart could be Amazon, but they did not prioritize the Internet and now they are worth half as much. 

## What prioritization is

Prioritization is picking the right tasks to maximize impact. That means finding high impact tasks and avoiding low impact ones. Usually the highest impact tasks are elusive. We don’t know the highest impact projects we could pursue right now.

Prioritization might sound stressful, but it’s not. Most tasks won’t affect us. Consequently, we shouldn't stress about the backlog of tasks we “need” to do. We need to keep our minds free to pursue high impact ideas, when they present themselves, by neglecting low impact ones.

## Prioritization categories

It’s unproductive to precisely categorize every task, but it’s useful to roughly classify them in your mind. Prioritization improves with practice and thinking about these categories helps us improve.

### Growth vs. costs
It’s generally better to use our time to grow revenue than reduce costs. Time is finite. Cash isn’t. 

### High vs. low impact

High impact is better, but completing lots of low impact tasks can be worthwhile if we complete them quickly.

### Enduring vs. temporary

Tasks that provide enduring value are preferable to those that deliver value temporarily.

### Definite vs. potential

It’s better to pursue improvements with definite benefits than those with potential.

### Short vs. long term results

Quick wins are preferable, but you can build competitive advantage pursuing ideas that yield results in the long term since others tend to neglect them.

### Related vs. unrelated tasks 
Sometimes related tasks are completed more efficiently when grouped together. For this reason, we often do low impact tasks that pair well with high impact ones.

### Estimated time to complete

All else equal, tasks that can be completed faster are preferable.


## Questions

Ask yourself these questions periodically to improve your ability to prioritize:

1. What’s the most impactful thing you can work on?
2. Did you correctly identify the problems you are facing?
3. Do you know the most important problem to solve next?
4. Can you replace any planned tasks with better ones?
5. Can you delete any especially low impact tasks entirely?

## Conclusion

We aim to embed a passion for prioritization into our culture. If you think similarly and want to join our global team, [we are hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog). 

At Sticker Mule, there's always room to improve. Consequently, prioritization is the most important thing we do. 

A glimpse inside Sticker Mule 

<YouTubeVideo videoId="-mObM5qdtus?rel=0&showinfo=0" />

We created Sticker Mule to be the best place to work and shop. It was an opportunity to test our ideas about what makes an ideal customer and work experience. So far, we have not shared much about our inner workings, but since [we are hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers#current-openings-list) we think it’s good to provide a glimpse at what it’s like here.

In addition to our factories in the US & Italy, we work from 17 countries and rely on metrics to self manage. Our metrics focus allows us have a lot of fun by freeing us to not worry about the small stuff. BBQs, relaxed travel, good food and [Vinny’s wine](https://stickermule.wistia.com/medias/b0fc3ikmii) help make this a great place to work. 

Of course, the best fun tends to be spontaneous and, fortunately, our iPhones captured a few of these moments along the way. Our new video gives you a look at our people, culture and some amusing moments. Check it out and, if you’re interested in joining the fun, [apply to join us](https://www.stickermule.com/careers). 

Our team comes from diverse backgrounds and 17 countries, but we're all united by a shared set of values. 

Introducing Sticker Mule Europe 

![Sticker Mule Europe](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/af8e2a2538fa77071d35559241cab1509667c1d3)

Our European factory is open for business.  Along with it, we have many improvements for our European customers, including: 
 
__Faster turnaround__
It's only 2 days transit time for most European countries. 
 
__Free shipping__
Shipping is now free for all European countries. 
 
__VAT support__
Eligible businesses automatically have the VAT removed during checkout. 
 
__Local currencies__ 
Order using GBP or Euro depending on your preference. 
 
__Multi-lingual content__
We translated the majority of our content to 5 languages. 
 
__Local customer service__ 
We hired our first European customer service agents and began offering [multi-lingual support](https://www.stickermule.com/support/what-languages-do-you-support). 
 
During checkout, we automatically determine if your order will be manufactured in Europe and offer applicable shipping options. Your order must only include [products that we make in Europe](https://www.stickermule.com/support/what-products-do-you-produce-in-europe) to ship from Europe.

Our European factory is open for business!  Along with it, we have many improvements for our customers in Europe. 

Omit needless words 

Every needless word you omit is an investment in the foundation of your organization. Here’s why: 

## People don't read

People [read 20% of the words](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/) on a web page. A concise message is more likely to be absorbed. 

## Save time 

Extra words waste time ~~for your customers and coworkers~~. 

## Simplify translations

Be concise in your native language to make translating content easier. 

## Strengthen your brand 

Search engines may like more words but customers appreciate fewer.  

Content grows exponentially which makes it harder to maintain quality. The sooner you start [omitting needless words](http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html#13) from your organization the better. 



Every needless word you omit is an investment in the foundation of your organization.

Customer service principles 

Our aim has always been to be the internet’s favorite printer. To that end, we respond quickly and effectively to our customers to help them be as successful as possible. 

Although we can’t plan for every scenario in customer service, we use principles to give our team a framework for replying to customers. They are:

__1. Avoid negatives__

Avoid saying sorry, can’t, won’t, not able to, unfortunately and so on. People become adversarial when they read these words.

__2. Avoid patronizing__

Avoid saying anything that seems patronizing or insincere. Words like “sorry” and “appreciate” often seem insincere. Also, use exclamation points cautiously! 

__3. Be concise__

Respond in the fewest words possible. Practice by editing your responses after you write them to see if any words can be omitted. Practice editing your responses to omit needless words.

__4. Be comprehensive__

Do not leave anything to wonder, but do not overwhelm the customer with needless information.

__5. Ask coworkers for help__

Practice replying to difficult conversations with help from coworkers. 

__6. Don’t respond when upset__

Some customers are rude. Get help from a coworker or take a break if you're upset.

__7. Use saved replies__

Saved replies ensure consistency and we can report on their use to prioritize improvements.

__8. Tailor saved replies to fit the conversation__

Do not use saved replies exactly unless appropriate. Tailor replies to be clear and concise.

__9. Research the situation__

Retrieve all the facts surrounding a situation and craft your reply based on them.

__10. Research the customer__

Evaluate the customer's potential and tailor your response accordingly. 

__11. Use names__

For example, don't say "Thanks! Credit added!" say "Thanks Brian! Credit added!"

__12. Use screenshots to add clarity__

Take & share annotated screenshots to add clarity to replies when sensible. 

__13. Offer solutions & alternatives__

Use the information and experience you have to help customers discover the best possible option given the limits. 

__14. Develop FAQs when possible__

When new questions are encountered create public FAQs to document the proper response and potentially deflect inquiries. 

## Concluding thought
Of course, these principles don’t solve everything, but they lay a foundation for our team to build upon. 

To deliver outstanding service we also hire great people, relentlessly improve our training programs and collaborate with software development to devise elegant solutions to help customers. 

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


14 customer service principles that Sticker Mule uses to deliver great service to more than 100,000 customers. 

Posts by Anthony Constantino