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2.06.2011

Thou shall not steal ...

I have sat silently (at least on the blog) by and watched as others have stolen my (and others) creative ideas and sold them as their own.  Every time I see it or someone emails me I lose it.  It is wrong to steal the creative ideas of others and it hurts.  It is wrong when a stranger does it ... but when a "friend" does it its called betrayal.  I can no longer quiet my voice. 

When you own a business, especially a monogram one, there are products that you will make and sell that are standard.  The baby blanket, the fleece throw, the hat, the cosmetic bag ... I could go own but you know where I am going ... the stuff everyone carries.  You carry it because customers ask for it and it sells ... but there is little or no creative side to these products.  And then there are the products that are unique to you.  The cornerstone of your business.  Maybe even the two products that launched your business. 

To find a unique product in this business is hard.  It takes creativity, time, research and then money to launch something new.  It is very rewarding to "develop" a great product and then have it sell like hotcakes.  It is exciting and you become the source for this great new thing.  People flock to you ... you are referred to others.  You are successful. 

And then someone you know takes your idea.  Every single aspect of it and calls it their own.  Wraps it the same and displays it identically?  Seriously?  How is that possible?  Why would anyone peruse websites and blogs looking for ideas?  Do you not have any of your own?  How lame ... how sad and most of all ... how mean!

You take a risk exposing your business to the Internet.  It means all the great new ideas you create are subject to the masses ... but for the most part people in the business stick to themselves.  I know it never occurred to me to sit up all night looking to see what I could steal from others.  I am friends with a lot of the blogs I read and I respect their designs as their own.  Monogram Chick has a great site!  Pineapple Grove Gifts is a genius!  Ashley Brooke Designs is amazing!  I read their blogs but I must say I could not tell you every product they sell because it doesn't concern me.  They have their businesses and I have mine.  I do not steal ideas from anyone.  Not strangers, not acquaintances and definitely not a friend.

The worst part about it?  Nothing can be done.  My products are being sold by another at different prices.  Some are more and some are less.  They are my products and my designs.  You can call them your own and I will call you a thief.

It's that simple!
MPM

6 comments:

  1. I completely agree! This is a big reason I quit the monogram business!

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  2. I imagine this person is an "outer-circle" friend now . . . Sorry this has happened to you. It happened to me a few times in my professional career. I was watching TV one night and this English teacher who had visited our program and seen all that we were doing started doing it and claimed it as her own. Being interviewed on TV about it. I still get miffed when I think about it. I will tell you that when I have the opportunity I let people know that it was created by my co-teacher years before she started doing it. Infuriating!! XOXO

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  3. Seriously? I am constantly amazed at how some people just have no class or ethics. Sorry this happened to you. It's a shame when you work so hard on something and others take the easy way out.

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  4. Reading your thoughts today reminded me of the reason I choose your store for monogramming items. You have a unique talent for making monogramming items look simply beautiful. I am so sorry that this has happened to you.
    Sending you best wishes for continued success.

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  5. I have come back to this post and read it more than once. I have to comment because the same thing happened to me. Not with multiple products thank goodness, but with one set of stationery I had designed. And it was stolen by a friend. I was shocked to see it for sale in her shop.

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