Excuses For Not Participating In The #JaftexVideoChallenge #7 Are Very Lame

We at the Jaftex Corporation (FreeSpirit Fabrics, Henry Glass Fabrics, Studio E Fabrics, The Blank Quilting Corp., A.E. Nathan Co., Inc., 3 Wishes & Fabric Editions) are ready to launch the seventh iteration of the #JaftexVideoChallenge for our valued customers.  I know that I am going to hear lots of excuses as to why people won’t be submitting a video this year. It will be no different than last year, the year before that and the year before that.

Today, I am going to debunk those excuses. I will be using a recycled and edited version of the post that I created 7 years ago.  Funny how some things just never change. I hope I can convince you to participate before August 31st, 2024 when we can no longer accept submissions. September 1, 2024, will be too late for you to jump on this unique opportunity to show the world your awesome business.

I keep asking myself, “Why wouldn’t a shop owner want to create a video to be a part of the challenge and the fun?”  In my brain, there are reasons and excuses that I could conjure up if I were a timid shop owner, but all they really are is excuses.  To be honest, excuses are lame to me.  Here are a few lame excuses with my not-so-lame retorts to those excuses:

• “I never taped a Facebook live or any video for that matter.”  Ok, neither did I, until I did. I too was very afraid. And, I didn’t know anything about it at first either.  My first video was poor at best, and horrendous at worst, but I did it and have gained more confidence with each video that followed (and I hope they have improved too).  Also, know that you are not alone in the fear of being taped. There actually is a term for fear of public speaking which is glossophobia so this is a real thing. If you weren’t afraid, you wouldn’t be human. Think about how you can channel that fear into positive energy to give you the guts to step up and make a video.
• Don’t be afraid to ask others for help or advice.  Talk to family members, friends or customers who might be able to help you put together a video that will make you proud of your business establishment.  Or, just go on to Google and put in, “How to create a Facebook live,” and you will be amazed at how much help is out there….for free!  The people from Facebook (now Meta) are very smart and they have made this super easy for all of us.  Dive right in, but don’t put your head in the sand and think this is going away because social media is here to stay. Also, I am going to keep nagging the crap (can I say that?) out of you to step up to this challenge. Consumers are begging for it.  The sooner that you embrace it, the sooner you will reap the rewards….and trust me the rewards are endless as these videos will help your business thrive well into the future.
• “No one wants to see me on video.”  As I have said before, this isn’t about the acting or anything like that.  We know you aren’t a famous actor or actress.  We know you didn’t take theater in High School. Well, maybe you did. In either case, we accept you for who you are and we love that you have a fabric business to share with the amazing quilting community.  The people want to see the content (your stuff) and learn what makes your shop special and unique.  It’s about your CONTENT.  Show us all your pretties! I know you have an abundance of them. Pretty please with sugar on top and thank you! Also, your video doesn’t necessarily have to have a person in it. There are plenty of great videos without people in them. But if you do feel it should have a person in it, know that it doesn’t have to be you. Perhaps you have an employee or friend who is not shy about being on camera.
• “This video stuff is silly.”   I would bet that the majority, if not all who have participated in the contest in the past 6 years, have had some sort of positive feedback from entering the challenge and don’t think this contest is silly at all. What about all those who have participated every year since the inception of the contest? They aren’t doing it for their health!  I would also be willing to bet that some participants have had even more meaningful and very positive experiences that they are now embracing video in their business like no other….because it is working and paying off! Remember what happened during Covid? Those who had a strong video game didn’t miss a beat and in fact kicked butt. Those who didn’t, they had to spend a lot of time playing catchup.
• “My shop isn’t worth showing.”  To that, I say, let the world be the judge.  Stop selling yourself short.  Moreover, if you think your shop isn’t worth showing, maybe this is the nudge (I was going to say kick in the a–!) you needed to change things up and make it worth showing.  Your shop should be a source of great pride every single day when you walk into it.  If it isn’t, you need to deal with that right away because that’s an entirely different story for a very different and depressing blog post which I hope I don’t have to write…..ever!

• “It’s too late to win the contest as others got a head start on me.”  This isn’t about winning the contest. Although that is a nice added bonus since I am offering cash prizes (credits).  As I have said all along, this is a win, win, win for the entire industry….consumers, designers, shop owners, fabric companies, etc.  This is exposure to entice people into sewing and quilting, buying from you and learning about what you have to offer.  The prize is just a token of my appreciation for promoting Jaftex fabrics and a way to get people’s competitive juices flowing…let’s call it an incentive. Or, to be more specific and on point, let’s call it a bribe!  Don’t make it only about the prizes, make it about the abundance of rewards you will reap from today onward with your newfound efforts in creating videos for your existing fans and future fans too. 

I am sure there are loads of other excuses going through the minds of those that don’t want to participate at this time, but I beg of you all to take a leap of faith with me and all those supportive consumers…..just make a video.  I promise that you will feel really good that you stepped out of your comfort zone to do the right thing for your business, your livelihood and your customers.

To all non-shop owners reading this blog post aka consumers, thank you so much for your great support of the challengers and this entire challenge in general.  Thank you also for your continued support in spreading the word about the contest and sharing the details with all your friends and your favorite fabric shop owners.  Please don’t give up until August is over as the show must go on and we must keep spreading the fabric love. Stay tuned for a post on the rules for the challenge.