Your Cart is Empty
The mug that got 10 million views and crashed a website
It was never meant to be anything more than a bit of fun.
Three years ago, Australian entrepreneur and then-HR manager Lori Phegan just wanted to blow off some steam from her day job by leveraging material she’d gathered from 20 years in human resources and turning her workplace frustrations into pithy, tongue-in-cheek slogans.
She put them on mugs, pens and notebooks as ‘inappropriate gifts’ and sold them on a basic Wix website she’d set up herself, alongside social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
But it was only meant to be a creative outlet – a way to have a laugh, vent and share inappropriate humour with other mothers – until one of her products went viral.
A mug with the words ‘I’m not feeling very talky today. Off you f*ck” took the internet by storm, racking up nearly 10 million views virtually overnight.
Demand for her products shot through the roof – and it was more than she, or the website, could handle.
“What used to happen was I'd have two or three orders maybe a day. I'd pack them, go down to the post office, write a little note to my customers,” she told Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Sarah O’Carroll on the New Investor series.
“And then my website started getting two hundred orders in per day, for a week, and I had to turn the website off.”
Juggling motherhood, a corporate job and what was just meant to be a small-scale online business, the viral mug brought everything to a standstill.
With such a stunning reception, it was all the confirmation she needed to take the hobby all the way.
“I thought to myself: this has actually got legs. This business has got legs, so let's close that website, let's do this properly, and structure ourselves so that we can actually fulfill those orders.”
The company is now a far cry from its humble roots as a little online outfit. The Inappropriate Gift Co now has operations in Australia as well as the UK, and is on track to meet its targets to turn over three million this year.
And it all started with a mug.
See the original story and video interview by clicking here
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in Making Life Fun Again
Inappropriate Christmas Cocktails... Naughty but nice
Tis the season to be tipsy...fa la la la la, la la la. Chistmas in July is a perfect time to get your besties together and have a laugh, share some inappropriate gifts and get toasty.
No fun story ever started with someone eating a salad, so you are going to need some naughty (but nice) alcoholic beverages. We have compiled an inappropriate cocktail menu just for you...
Why host a Christmas in July Party and how to make it fun!
Why host a Christmas in July party and how to make it fun!
Why throw an Xmas in July party? Because we all need some fun in our lives! It is the perfect excuse to throw a party! It is essentially all the best things Christmas has to offer; food, wine, fun games and loads of laughs, without the obligation of hosting unwanted guests, like your fucking Mother-in-law.
To make it a breeze, follow our step-by-step guide to the best ever Christmas in July!
Need some inspiration for Xmas in July party invites?
Christmas in July is always a fun party to have, make your your invites are fun too... we've got a few to share with you, see below. Make sure you read our blogs on How to throw a Christmas in July party, what food to serve and what cocktails are best if you want to have an "inappropriate Christmas in July party that your guests will never forget!
Read More