SAID THE KING
I’m the King in Said the King.
This was my company.
In the midst of a busy advertising career, I thought hey, why not start a business? So I did. And I called it Said the King.
Products were added and dropped over the years, but overall, I sold cheeky home goods.
Pillowcases
My bestsellers were a set of 2, 2-sided pillowcases you could flip to make different phrases.
The ‘Fuck, you love me’ set
could be arranged to say:
Love you
Love me
Fuck you
Fuck me
The ‘Get up, make out’ set
could be arranged to say:
Get up
Get out
Make up
Make out
Plates, bowls, and shotglasses
At the time we had a big shop to work out of and I somehow got my hands on 2 full-size kilns.
I started with slipcasting and made ceramic shot glasses.
Then I moved on to waterslide decals and created bowls and plates.
If you’re thinking, ‘wow, sounds breakable,’ you’re exactly right.
It’s also heavy af to transport and expensive to ship. Everything’s clear in hindsight.
I created several lines of coupe-style dinner plates, sold in sets of 4, each with different phrases.
The ‘Well done’ set included: Well done, Way to go, Good job, You did it
The ‘Go-to dishes’ set started with: Bacon & eggs, Burger, Takeout, Burrito, Steak, Spaghetti & meatballs, Mac & cheese, Stirfry
At first, I let people mix & match to make a custom set. Obviously this was a headache. Eventually, the ‘takeout’ plates proved to be the most popular, so I simplified and made them into their own set.
‘Done like dinner, set 1’ (for polite company) included:
<wipes mouth, kinda>, <accepts seconds to go>,
<compliments chef, regardless>, <burps, quickly apologizes>
‘Done like dinner, set 2’ (for polite company) included:
<loosens belt two notches>, <picks at molar, eats it>,
<finishes first, celebrates>, <burps, maintains eye contact>
The ‘Delish dish’ set included:
Delectable, Scrumptious, Toothsome, Just ok
The ‘Eat it’ set included:
2x Eat your fucking veggies
2x Eat your fucking food
‘Not a’ bowls featured tattooed hands with the phrase never stop eatin’
I also created an extension of the Go-to plates as bowls, featuring various dishes
‘Shots’ ceramic shot glasses came in a set of 4 with a choice of short or tall glasses
Coasters, shelves, and an end table
Over the years I also tried out some wood-based products using various production methods.
It was during this time that I confirmed my suspicious that I do not, in fact, have any woodworking skills. Sanding and oiling was my wheelhouse. And by wheelhouse, I mean a stretch.
‘Use the coasters’ coasters came in a set of 4. Each featured a different phrase with 1 word in bold. If you read the word in bold on each coaster, together they spelled out ‘Use the coasters, savage’. At shows, I would tell people to read the words in bold then wait for them to get it and they always got a real kick out of it.
I also had a 2nd set of coasters called ‘Dranks’.
‘The end table’ was an end table that held 1 bottle of booze and 1 glass.
It was for ‘the end of days, or just the end of your day’.
It was made from Toronto Ash for a design show. I made a Said the King branded one, plus 3 custom ones For Alberta Permium Rye, Jack Daniels (which wasn’t painted black, it was burned!), and Makers Mark (with a custom red lid).
‘Foreword’ was a single-book shelf that could be hung straight or on a 45.
They were available in ash, oak, and black walnut.
‘Higher ground’ was an 8-foot bookshelf with a built-in ladder.
I worked with a bunch of influencers over the years and was lucky to have lots of customers tag me in pics.
I learned about:
Creating a brand, creating for my brand (which was harder than client work, somehow), product development, production, sourcing, ordering materials, ordering materials in U.S. dollars, working with vendors, packaging, shipping, considering the unboxing experience, logistics, customer service, pricing, bookkeeping, and good old-fashioned manual labour.
Plus, sales; promotions; running and co-ordinating collab contests; website creation, maintenance, and design; wholesale and retail relations and sales; creating sell sheets, product cards, business cards, and thanks-for-ordering cards.
And setting up for and working at 1, 2, 5, and 10-day consumer shows; creating and setting up table displays, free-standing booth displays, and 10x10 booths with secret storage in the back.
Not to mention, running social accounts, creating content, social calendars, social planning tools, social strategy, strategy, working with influencers and photographers, talking to media and getting samples out. I dipped my toe in paid ads, building an email list, creating emails, creating email triggers, product photography, styling, image editing and layout.
Mostly, I learned what I’m good at (vs. what I thought I’d be good at)
and how I want to spend my time.
I listened to podcasts, read articles, asked questions, but I learned the most by doing it (or sometimes, failing miserably). Now I’m eager to apply all this to what’s next.
Select media mentions
23 Products That'll Make Your Home Obscene AF
Buzzfeed
May 3, 2016
CHCHTV: Morning Live
Morning show featured content
Jan 29, 2015
Valentines gifts from Etsy Canada
The Globe and Mail
Gift guide: Food-themed Christmas gifs
Dec 3, 2014
5 fab food ideas that look good enough to eat
Chateline Magazine Online
Home Decor, Editor's Picks
March 27, 2014
"Five favourite finds at the One Of A Kind Show!"
BlogTO
IIDEX Woodshop 2013
September 30, 2013
"Woodwork steals the show at IIDEX 2013
Gizmodo
June 23, 2012
"A secret pop-out ladder ensures nothing is ever out of reach on the extra-tall shelf"
TEAM
Me — with lots of help from friends,
co-workers, influencers, strangers, & my partner
CLIENT
Me?
WHAT I DID
Yes.
WHAT WE MADE
Actual products. A website. Social. Blog. Sales + wholesale materials.
Trade show materials + booths. People’s days when they got a badass home good.
INDUSTRY
Home goods