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OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote: i've found that small companies (even fairly sucessful ones) rarely manage to keep multiple social media feeds going baring the occasional 'new stuff to buy now' post (and even then you often find they fail to post it on all their feeds)
I suspect it's because a lot of it is not done in any sort of formally allocated business time, but more likely when the person who does it is fiddling with their own social media, and suddenly thinks, oh yes i need to post something for the business too
The other trap is waiting until you've got "meaningful news". Big firms like GW have so many things going on at once they have stuff to talk about all the time. Even if a specific X thing hasn't got anything happening for a whole year or more; you've got YZQWER to talk about. Smaller firms and esp smaller firms in trouble might have nothing to really say that anything meaningful has changed. Things are just chugging along however they are (or they aren't and everything is standstill). So there's nothing to "say" and certainly nothing positive to say.
The more time passes without any closure the less good will I have and, in fact, the more bad will. If this is how Hasslefree is choosing to handle the situation then good riddance.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Small companies can ping from time to time to remind us they exist.
"Hey Johnny from Sussex just painted up one of our Goblins, check out the whole line in our shop" kind of thing.
Even memes, polls and whatnot can help get people to check you out.
Obviously this does not apply to Hasslefree since they don't even have a site any more... But other companies can do more to keep up a presence.
While I agree I also understand that many of these companies were formed before the "social media" boom and as such they are not wired to do marketing like that.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Small companies can ping from time to time to remind us they exist.
"Hey Johnny from Sussex just painted up one of our Goblins, check out the whole line in our shop" kind of thing.
Even memes, polls and whatnot can help get people to check you out.
Obviously this does not apply to Hasslefree since they don't even have a site any more... But other companies can do more to keep up a presence.
While I agree I also understand that many of these companies were formed before the "social media" boom and as such they are not wired to do marketing like that.
By the social media boom you mean 20odd years ago now right?
I totally get that not everyone is as keyed into the online world nor has the resources or output of a firm to be a social media machine; but at the same time posting a few updates a month (or even one) on a social media site isn't rocket science and should be within the capacity of most firms even one-staffer firms.
There used to be updates on both the Hasslefree facebook and the Hasslefriesian one. There would be WIP of new sculpts on Hasslefriesian and then posts about new sculpts or old ones that were just now becoming available or available again on Hasslefree... but that was 5 or so years ago when I actually followed them.
Smokestack wrote: There used to be updates on both the Hasslefree facebook and the Hasslefriesian one. There would be WIP of new sculpts on Hasslefriesian and then posts about new sculpts or old ones that were just now becoming available or available again on Hasslefree... but that was 5 or so years ago when I actually followed them.
Hasslefriesian is Kev White's page, he doesn't post any more since he works for Forgeworld now and can't be directly associated with HF.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Small companies can ping from time to time to remind us they exist.
"Hey Johnny from Sussex just painted up one of our Goblins, check out the whole line in our shop" kind of thing.
Even memes, polls and whatnot can help get people to check you out.
Obviously this does not apply to Hasslefree since they don't even have a site any more... But other companies can do more to keep up a presence.
While I agree I also understand that many of these companies were formed before the "social media" boom and as such they are not wired to do marketing like that.
By the social media boom you mean 20odd years ago now right?
I totally get that not everyone is as keyed into the online world nor has the resources or output of a firm to be a social media machine; but at the same time posting a few updates a month (or even one) on a social media site isn't rocket science and should be within the capacity of most firms even one-staffer firms.
Go tell them that... You barely see anyone doing good Socials.
On that subject the boom itself was more like 10 or 15 years ago, not when the social thing started but when the relentless volume churn of news and content geared up at full speed. Before that we had slow forums, FB fragmented news and clunky websites.
What I want to say is one post once a month on any platform is not picked by any algorithm and is invisible content. You need to play the game of constantly putting up news mate.
Truly, it might be the end of an era. The era of boomer part-time businesses that aren't beholden to anyone and can drop everything the moment they no longer feel like it.
I feel like part of the problem is UK law where businesses apparently have zero regulatory oversight until they make 90k annually.
(where I come from, a high schooler selling anime doodles at a con would have to be VAT-registered)
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/09/09 15:26:47
The old meta is dead and the new meta struggles to be born. Now is the time of munchkins.
lord_blackfang wrote: Truly, it might be the end of an era. The era of boomer part-time businesses that aren't beholden to anyone and can drop everything the moment they no longer feel like it.
I feel like part of the problem is UK law where businesses apparently have zero regulatory oversight until they make 90k annually.
(where I come from, a high schooler selling anime doodles at a con would have to be VAT-registered)
Not going to address too much of what you posted seems naive the idea that Boomers are past and the future is better (XD) I would end up off topic but well Hasslefree was far from a partimers back in the day. Not sure how many decades they have on their backs but they produced loads of amazing miniatures.
Well ignoring the nonsense that there is no regulatory oversight until they reach 90k (when they have to register for vat) I was surprised to find out that they are no longer registered as Hasslefree but Black & White games.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09197984/filing-history Is their finances if anyone wants to have a look.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/09/09 15:54:29
So, after the previous newsletter things went from bad to worse. Because of course they did, it's us
Firstly, we could not recover the database or website at all. I had an older backup that we could use to rebuild but no database recovery of orders etc.
Secondly, while the website was being rebuilt, I left the house for the first time (other than doctors) in months. I went to the cinema in fact.
Three days later I was in hospital, I couldn't breathe, or rather I could breathe but sounded like radio interference when I did. Crazy infection that went to my lungs. I'll add more detail in the bottom section, this part is just for info purposes.
So while the website 'was' rebuilt, I was off work again. We had some tough decisions to make. The upshot of which is we are re-opening.
We'd recently restocked, we still have a warehouse and infrastructure 'and' it is the best way to make sure we can fulfil our KS obligations to boot.
The website is being recalibrated with a correct inventory, the code I'd added over the last year is being re-introduced/checked and we are hoping to re-open next weekend.
If you need to contact us in general, our domain name email is still down so please use BWARTEMIS at GMAIL dot COM.
Also please make sure you are following our FB Page as I will be re-manning that and giving updates there.
"I Have an Oustanding Issue"!
We are Re-Opening Shortly
Hi Everyone
So, after the previous newsletter things went from bad to worse. Because of course they did, it's us
Firstly, we could not recover the database or website at all. I had an older backup that we could use to rebuild but no database recovery of orders etc.
Secondly, while the website was being rebuilt, I left the house for the first time (other than doctors) in months. I went to the cinema in fact.
Three days later I was in hospital, I couldn't breathe, or rather I could breathe but sounded like radio interference when I did. Crazy infection that went to my lungs. I'll add more detail in the bottom section, this part is just for info purposes.
So while the website 'was' rebuilt, I was off work again. We had some tough decisions to make. The upshot of which is we are re-opening.
We'd recently restocked, we still have a warehouse and infrastructure 'and' it is the best way to make sure we can fulfil our KS obligations to boot.
The website is being recalibrated with a correct inventory, the code I'd added over the last year is being re-introduced/checked and we are hoping to re-open next weekend.
If you need to contact us in general, our domain name email is still down so please use BWARTEMIS at GMAIL dot COM.
Also please make sure you are following our FB Page as I will be re-manning that and giving updates there.
"I Have an Oustanding Issue"!
If your outstanding issue, either order or a mispack/breakage etc, has not been resolved while we have been closed please re-contact us on the email BWARTEMIS at GMAIL dot COM and please title your email with 'OUTSTANDING ORDER'. All in caps
I will be moving between home and the warehouse all week and those flashing up on my phone will get a quicker response.
We do have stock, we do have your payment details etc. we just were not able to follow up on the more difficult ones to track down and resolve while I was off work (especially those who paid via Stripe).
We should be able to resolve your issue fairly quickly.
If you contacted us and haven't had a reply, please forward it and change the subject to the above. I will be digging back through emails but this will make it much more speedy for you.
We really want to get these last outstanding issues resolved before re-opening.
Personal Word from Art
*sigh* Yes, I know. The word 'again' basically covers it all.
The dumbest thing is, while it is tangentially related to my condition (shot immune system and antiobotic resistant), it's not even my permanent condition that was an issue.
I was feeling well enough to go to the damn cinema, I thought we could handle the server catastrophe about as well as could be expected and decided to take a small break before the hard work of rebuilding started.
And suddenly I'm toast. There wasn't even anyone 'in' the cinema with me! I went in the daytime specifically to avoid other people.
So we try again, we have help for sending orders etc. so that's not a worry but if I fall sick again, we do not carry on with the business as it stands. It will be restructured, likely moved and go from there.
For now, that is plan B though. I'm masking it up whenever outdoors and avoiding people in general and the symptoms of my permanent condition are under control.
I would l also like to extend my sympathies to any of the other companies who got caught up in the 'great hobby server meltdown of 2024' and closed down as a result. It was such a curveball and I'm sorry for anyone who couldn't recover.
Oh, I know the above is AI art, nobody is missing out on commissions or anything They are just being used in place of generic images with just words on or whatever. It's just a new tool, we'll all live through it. Wait, I probably shouldn't tempt fate about that.
Ok, I'm going back to the jobs list for re-opening. Expect more updates.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: At this stage I'm not sure reopening is such a good idea.
I really do like Hasslefree but it not worth anyone's health.
I agree. If going to the cinema is too much I would really try to avoid any and all stressors. A much smaller operation might be manageable, but not something with all these obligations. Of course, starting something new would invite a ton of backlash so that isn't much of an option either.
If anyone was asking me I'd recommend they sell the business. HF has some great models and I would love for them to be available from a consistent source.
Issues with order fulfilment and communication have been going on for quite a while.
The Kickstarter I think is just a wash. Unless a lot has been done behind the scenes I've no expectation anyone will ever get anything.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: If anyone was asking me I'd recommend they sell the business. HF has some great models and I would love for them to be available from a consistent source.
Issues with order fulfilment and communication have been going on for quite a while.
The Kickstarter I think is just a wash. Unless a lot has been done behind the scenes I've no expectation anyone will ever get anything.
Agreed. There have been much smaller and less known ranges that switched ownership during the last couple of years, it shouldn't be that hard to find someone for hasslefree. While the brand itself is burned, the miniatures are still positively received.
I tend to agree with the people above. I do sympathise with them, and wish them luck with the reopening but I’m not sure I would feel confident ordering from them currently. I would imagine there are about 500 other people from the kickstarter who feel very similar.
I nonetheless would not recommend ordering anything from them. The lack of any movement on the Kick Starter and long-standing fulfilment issues trump any appeal the models have.
Email and more health issues here:
Spoiler:
Happy Halloween Everyone, long time no see!
Well that was a not very fun few months. For those of you who don't know, our entire website and database disappeared in a catastrophic server meltdown.
(It actually affected a number of other hobby companies who you may have read about on their pages/newsletters).
Pretty disastrous, but fixable, unless while you are waiting for the website to be rebuilt from scratch you pick up a hospitalising lung infection.
More details on that at the bottom, we'll keep up here brief. We are back! The website is up and running, there are still tweaks to be made to get it back to as good as, if not better than, before but it's working so we're re-opening!
New Releases are below, both Metal and Resin. New Images for those will be uploaded and advertised on FB during the coming week and will be in the next newsletter.
So, on with the show!
The Big 2024 Halloween Extravaganaza!
Our biggest event of the year!
Use the code 'HALLOWEEN2024' to get a whopping 20% discount off everything*.
Input the code on the 'basket page', at the bottom left, under the order details.
If you are entering your Paypal / Card details, you have gone too far!
We've also updated our system so the code can now be used multiple times by the same customer. This means if you come back for a second order within the sale it'll work again, try to make sure to mention in the second order comments box that you already ordered please, so we can do something about the double postage!
The sale runs until November 10th
Oh, and for the big spenders, as always during promotions we have...
*discount does not apply to new releases
Halloween Goody Bags
Anyone spending £100 or more* will qualify for a Halloween Goody Bag. Goody bag will contain a variety of 'things', a free mini (see below), some 'bitz' such as small minis, sand, cogs or armoury parts and, of course, extra Halloween candy.
Your free mini will be matched to your order as best we can when picking. If you prefer to have your mini be FANTASY, MODERN or SCI-FI then please write that word in the comments box where it says 'Order notes (optional)'. under your shipping address.
*Actual total paid, after discount, postage, VAT etc.
Larger spends qualify for larger goody bags with extra freebies, no limit on goody bag size
On their facebook page back in 2021 they showed some Space Dwarves miniatures which I quite liked, are those not available? I can't see them on the site anywhere
Mentlegen324 wrote: On their facebook page back in 2021 they showed some Space Dwarves miniatures which I quite liked, are those not available? I can't see them on the site anywhere
it's hard to know without asking since their whole site was lost including images etc (along with a bunch of other wargaming websites hosted by the same IT company), so they've had to re-do everything so while the site is back up i'd bet there is stock they have that they haven't re-listed yet, but equally they;re short of cash so a bunch of stuff will be out of stock awaiting the next production run they can afford
you could try emailing to ask if you know what you're after as they're fairly helpful when emails get through and people are healthy
The other problem is they tend to release too niche models, that really are just a sculptors vanity project, in all honesty, who wants a model of a trump look a like, yes it's on point for satire but really ??
Bubbatron wrote: The other problem is they tend to release too niche models, that really are just a sculptors vanity project, in all honesty, who wants a model of a trump look a like, yes it's on point for satire but really ??
You'd be surprised. People on both sides of the aisle would be interested in some of them for different reasons whether to troll, convert, or use as originally satirically intended. I was specifically waiting for the one once it hit the website to order along with some other long ago released figs as I had lingering doubts in the company as even years ago they were notorious for delays in website order deliveries (though at the time they did eventually deliver). Unfortunately, I now have significant doubts that anyone will get the KS figs (let alone when they'll get to the website) and most of the figs I wanted from the website went out of print in the intervening years anyways. Hasslefree stuff is so niche that I've never seen the fig that I want the most hit the secondary markets like ebay despite having a saved search for it; super niche is pretty much their business model. I'm a big SG-1 fan from back in the days when it was on Showtime (and the cable company accidentally hooked up my college apartment for it when they did the neighbor's apartment) and but the urge to buy those figs has mostly passed.
The other problem is they tend to release too niche models, that really are just a sculptors vanity project, in all honesty, who wants a model of a trump look a like, yes it's on point for satire but really ??
So... I'm going to need to pull this apart a little...
they tend to release too niche models
HF have been around for 20 years at this point - with an enormous range (the modern adventurers is 200+ by itself). In terms of 'what' to release... I think there good. Thats really not there problem, it never has been.
Releasing a variety is great - it means when people shop in the store they'll pick up a few other interesting figures at the same time as that particular thing they wanted. They'll also remember HF, and come back next time... Its how a lot of these mini companies have worked so well for decades (Reapers another example). Its also how early GW operated...
that really are just a sculptors vanity project
So two points there.
Firstly, Kev had a self proclaimed vanity project - the Grymn. They were such a vanity project that they went out of stock regularly..
Secondly... this isn't GW. Kev sculpted what he wanted to sculpt, but always with an eye on what was selling. Take for example, female Knights, or the modern troopers - theres loads, some similar, some different.
Basically what I'm saying is that sculptors will make what they want, but will always have in there mind what sells; because sold miniatures pay the bills. On the flip side, most sculptors cant force themselves to sculpt something they simply aren't interested in. Theres a balance, and HF clearly had it right.
who wants a model of a trump look a like, yes it's on point for satire but really ??
They don't make one model - they make 4 (and thats excluding the one in the kickstarter as well). He's got a fascinating face and people are clearly buying it; thats a great combo for a sculptor.
Also... here's goat boy - hes out of stock... people buy the weirdest things in this hobby.
Just to reinforce that point, here's an entire range of (mostly british) political figures. No, I dont get it... but someone clearly wants it...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/10/27 01:05:01
Bubbatron wrote: The other problem is they tend to release too niche models, that really are just a sculptors vanity project, in all honesty, who wants a model of a trump look a like, yes it's on point for satire but really ??
I do.
I want 2 infact.
The 1st will be included in one of my Imperial Guard Penal Legion squads.
The other will serve as the leader of a mob of Chaos Cultists.
