Peek at label design for Ursa Major Shave Cream

So it's been a while coming but here's a look at the shave cream label we have in development. Now if there was ever a time to comment on this blog, this is it! We would love to hear from you. What do you think? Do you love it? Hate it? Indifferent? Let it fly!

In the meantime, we're off for a bike ride before hitting the pub for well-earned Trapp's lager!

Awareness re: rampant use of toxins on the rise

In case you missed it, one of the most popular articles on the NY Times web site this week, New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer, cites a new report by the President's Cancer Panel linking the widespread use of suspect toxins in personal care and other industries to the alarming rise in cancer rates, notably among children. A few sobering excerpts:

“Only a few hundred of the more than 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States have been tested for safety,” the report says. It adds: “Many known or suspected carcinogens are completely unregulated.”...

Some 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and they include Democrats and Republicans alike. Protecting ourselves and our children from toxins should be an effort that both parties can get behind — if enough members of Congress are willing to put the public interest ahead of corporate interests...

One reason for concern is that some cancers are becoming more common, particularly in children. We don’t know why that is, but the proliferation of chemicals in water, foods, air and household products is widely suspected as a factor.

Can't wait to get our products and brand out there. Pretty soon we'll have lab samples ready to send out if you're curious to try our products. Email us if you're interested.

Help wanted: bright part-timer for summer '10

We're looking for a smart whippersnapper summer intern/staffer to help out with some important projects Jun - Aug. Work will span from the cerebral to the rather mundane: online research to develop our wholesale account target list, competitive analysis for future product development, runs to the post office, seeding our brand in the appropriate online communities, local guerilla bear marketing, etc. 10-20 hours a week, on a project basis.

This will be a paid internship which could lead to a full-time position. Low hourly wages will be supplemented with generous quantities of robust natural premium skin care for men. Gig is probably ideal for someone - male or female - finishing up high school or an undergrad. Will require at least one visit/week to our global HQ here in Stowe, as well as runs to local stores, post office, etc, so having a car or a bike with a trailer and strong legs will help.

Please note: we're only interested in exceptionally motivated, bright and responsible people who have a genuine interest in sales and marketing, premium products and sustainable entrepreneurship. Dead-beats need not apply. Drop us a line - oliver dot sweatman at gmail dot com - if you're interested; otherwise, please pass this along to other folks if you have any good ideas. Thank you!

(We took this photo but can't recall the artist. Pretty sure he/she is local/VT-based. Anyone have any ideas? Let us know and we'll list the artist here. Thanks.)

Not letting perfection become the enemy of good

We just got back from our weekly trip to Burlington. This time to visit with a local artist who is working on a bear logo for us (promising) and also to meet with a couple of local entrepreneurs who've expressed an interest in investing in our company. Overall, very productive!

One of the entrepreneurs passed along some advice we've heard before, but this time it really stuck: "don't let perfection become the enemy of good". That's good advice, and very timely for us as we finish up our product offering, packaging, etc. It's a natural tendency for entrepreneurs to try and "perfect" their offering before going to market, but that can be a fatal mistake and we're not going to fall for that trap! 

Separately, this wine label has caught our attention... literally, meaning "The Big Black" or Black Sheep, there are obvious parrallels with Ursa Major ("Great Bear"). We like the big black iconic illustrated sheep, the texture in the background, the typography, the uncluttered layout, the translation tip-off for those of us who aren't Francophiles and - most of all - the golden glint in the sheep's eye! The spirited copy on the back label doesn't disappoint either. Finally, the wine is tasty and reasonably priced.