Good ideas grow on trees

  • About
    • FAQ
  • Browse good ideas
  • Online Marketplaces Directory

Interview with About:Blanks owner Kjell

June 8, 2015

Interview (2)

Do you know that inkling feeling of happiness when entering a store and coming across a product that immediately just reasons with you? For me that is what happened a few weeks ago when I came across the About:Blanks notebooks in concept store Daily Poetry. I tracked owner Kjell Betlem down, and asked him all about his notebook business (and guess what: he’s willing to let go of one pretty notebook for one lucky winner!)

Upcycled notebooks by About: Blanks. Click to read the full interview with owner Kjell!
You turn old books into new notebooks, how did you come up with this idea? 

I first got the idea about 5 years ago when I was browsing the written off books selection at the library. It was quit sad, these books no one was reading anymore. One book didn’t have a title on the cover, and I immediately imagined it could be an awesome little notebook.

I went home and actually made that book. Though I first had to learn bookbinding techniques. I decided upon gluing rather than stitching, to make things a little easier. I bought secondhand machines for cutting and gluing the paper into the book and made some books for myself, friends and family.

How did you go from making your own few notebooks to having a full on business? 

People were really enthusiastic about the notebooks I made them, so I decided to build a webshop. Because of my background in graphic design and photography I was able to do this, and my own branding, without having to hire outside help. The first few months I got quit a few orders but when it slowed down I realised I had to reach out to more people. An acquaintance of mine owns a store so I took a bunch of my books to her store, and she was happy to sell them! I reached out to more shops, and soon demand was up to a level that I couldn’t quit make them all by myself anymore. Luckily I found a social employment facility where my books are made to this date.

Upcycled notebooks by About: Blanks. Click to read the full interview with owner Kjell!Upcycled notebooks by About: Blanks. Click to read the full interview with owner Kjell!

Was that a smooth transition going from full control to outsourcing the production? 

It was a bit rocky, definitely. The first working facility I worked with weren’t quit specialised enough. Around 20% of the finished notebooks had to be discarded, which was really just a waste. A few months later I switched to a different social employment facility, where they have an actual bookbinding department. This was perfect, I didn’t have to invest in any machines or anything and just a few days later my first batch of books were ready to sell.

Where do you find the old books you use for your notebooks? 

I have a few suppliers in second hand books I work with, they keep an eye out for books that could be turned into an About Blanks notebook. At times people donate their old books as well. And a while ago a publishing house rang me, they were cleaning out their old archives and asked me whether I wanted to use their old stock. They donated a lot of books to use for the notebooks, and I gave them some notebooks in exchange. In the end they purchased quit a large selection of the notebooks because they liked them so much.

You’ve had quit a lot of publicity, most notably in the national ‘Volkskrant Magazine’, which is a bit of a dream for every Dutch designer/maker. How did this happen? 

Luck really! I went to a store one day to drop off new books, and as I walked in, the store owner was chatting with one of her friends. This friend turned out to be a photographer at the Volkskrant Magazine. I told my story and showed some of the notebooks. Later I emailed her again and then it got published!

The saturday morning of the publication I woke up and still sleepy I checked my orders and 4 books had already been sold. That’s very exciting stuff.

Upcycled notebooks by About: Blanks. Click to read the full interview with owner Kjell!

I can imagine! What else is exciting about running your own business? 

Another thing that makes me happy is getting to sell abroad. When me and my girlfriend went on a holiday to Berlin, I took a bunch of books with me in my suitcase and went to visit some cool stores there. Now there are 3 selling points for About Blanks in the city!

The first time I received an order for a book from Australia, was something I found really special as well. It was just one notebook, which isn’t going to skyrocket my profits, but it’s exciting to have someone on the other side of the world enjoying your work.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though is it, running a business?

No, there are definitely times that it’s hard. In the beginning, when business was slow, I had occasional thoughts like ‘is this as cool as I think it is’ and ‘am I doing the right thing here’..  When I was working with the first social employment facility I received quit a number of books that didn’t meet the standards to be sold. I would find it hard to be harsh so I’d accept them anyway, and ended up having a whole stack of unsellable books.

Since the two years that I started About Blanks, the business has slowly evolved. Now it’s going well, demand is up to a point that I actually need to tell people they have wait longer for their notebooks to arrive. Which provides a whole new challenge!

Upcycled notebooks by About: Blanks. Click to read the full interview with owner Kjell!Upcycled notebooks by About: Blanks. Click to read the full interview with owner Kjell!

I bought a copy of ‘the Capital’ by Karl Marx for my brother, who is an economist himself and his birthday coincides with labor day. He loved his new notebook, my mum was very jealous she didn’t come up with this idea herself (she is, among many things, a bookbinder) and I obviously loved it. But one book adoring friend thought it was pretty disrespectful, throwing out such an important work to turn it into a notebook. Though I didn’t agree with him, the sentiment didn’t surprise me all together. Books are so very personal and people get emotionally attached. Have you had such feedback before?

I indeed hear it occasionally that people find it somewhat disrespectful. I think however it’s  more disrespectful to have these books lying around, for decades, only collecting dust. I much rather see people use them again.

The About Blanks notebooks are all about re-use and re-purpose, and throughout the whole process I find ways to work as sustainably as possible. Making sure we recycle the little trash we have, and using FSC certified paper. Using books that otherwise would have been thrown out at some point because nobody reads them anymore, is an important part of working sustainably.

About Blanks notebooks

What do you think the future will hold for About:Blanks? 

I definitely just want to continue to grow. Grow steadily though, because I need to be able to keep the supply steady.

Adding more cool stores to my selling points would be great too, including stores outside the Netherlands.

And then, at some point, I would probably add another product. Something based on the same values of the notebooks, enabling inspiration and creativity.I want to make people live more creatively, more mindful.

Upcycled notebooks by About: Blanks. Click to read the full interview with owner Kjell!

Finally: what are your tips for those aspiring entrepreneurs reading this? 

Make sure you build a business around a product you absolutely love and believe in, or it will be very hard to continue when things get tough. Something I’ve experienced is that I really enjoy the sales part of my business, because I believe in it. It’s very much my baby, receiving positive feedback is just the biggest compliment you could give me.

Thanks so much Kjell for this interview. Ready to stock up on About: Blanks notebooks? Visit the the online shop, and follow Kjell’s business on Facebook and/or Instagram!

Win (2)


 Give Away is closed

Give away time! Would you like to win an About Blanks notebook? Enter the give-away!

To enter:

1.) Go pay a visit to Good Ideas Grow On Trees on FB and like the page (optional but recommended)

2.) Go pay a visit to About: Blanks on FB and like the page (optional but recommended)

3.) Leave a comment below answering the following question:

What would you use your About: Blanks notebook for? 

 

THE GIVE-AWAY IS OPEN WORLDWIDE. WINNER WILL BE RANDOMLY SELECTED OUT OF THE COMMENTS, AND BE CONTACTED ON JUNE 15TH. PRICE IS NOT EXCHANGEABLE FOR MONEY. YOU’LL RECEIVE A HANDMADE NOTEBOOK PICKED BY KJELL HIMSELF.

 


 

More good ideas:

  • Atelier de l’armee Atelier de l’armee
  • KazmokKazmok
  • Interview with Elza from TrashworksInterview with Elza from Trashworks
  • Van HulleyVan Hulley
Oh yes you can share this article!Share on Facebook0Tweet about this on TwitterEmail this to someonePin on Pinterest0Share on Google+0Share on StumbleUpon0

Filed Under: Interview Tagged With: the Netherlands, Upcycled

« Ganz Cool footwear part II: Atheist shoes
Diversity cards, a Riso colour party, a bunch of Yukkies and more. »
  • Theresa C.

    Congratulations on such a wonderful small business! I am a bibliophile and always looking for new and old books to read and cherish. It’s true, you can never have enough notebooks! One of yours would be very special, and I would probably use it as a book review log 😉

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    This notebook would be perfect for a bibliophile, especially for a book review log. Nice one!

  • Neha Kaul

    Love the embossed cover! I got married recently and have been cooking on a regular basis since. I’d use the book to jot down all of the recipes I try out. I’d document all of my culinary creations as a point of reference for the future.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Yes these notebooks are perfect for jotting down recipes Neha!

  • Amy Heffernan

    Liked 😉 I would use mine for quotes 🙂 Thanks.

  • Petra Kos

    I’d write some beautiful inspirational quotes in it 🙂

  • Abby

    I would use my notebook for writing down all the adventures I go on!

  • Lindsey Ann Khatri

    Hi I’ve been looking for a new book to keep with me all the time, I am constantly doodling, jotting down ideas, copying quotes I like, making lists, etc. This would be perfect for that!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Good one Amy!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Yes I can see an About Blanks notebook being perfect for that 🙂

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Great idea Abby, to have adventures and to write them down!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    I hear you Lindsey! Notebooks always fill up ridiculously fast don’t they 🙂

  • Lisa

    I visited both facebooks. I would love to use this for writing down recipes and knitting patterns.

  • Judy Thomas

    Liked both on facebook: Judy Thomas
    I would use them for sketching craft ideas in 🙂

  • Melissa.

    I’d use it to record my to do lists

  • Vivid Laughs

    Like many of the others here, I’m a big lister! I’d keep it with me to joy down my thoughts and my to do lists

    Liked both pages on fb: Jessica Anne

  • Mai Tran

    I’d love to use it as a traveling journal.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    excellent idea Lisa!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    The About Blanks notebooks have blank pages which makes them perfect for sketching Judy!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Great Idea Melissa, notebooks are perfect for that aren’t they. And it’s small enough to carry around with you!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Thanks for the like Jessica, appreciate it!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Love this idea Mai, keeping records of your travel adventures deserves a pretty notebook!

  • Lindsey Ann Khatri

    Liked both pages on fb. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Thanks right back at you, Lindsey!

  • Michelle Faile

    I would use it during my Bible Study to take notes! Thanks for the awesome info on this company!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    You’re welcome Michelle, thanks for leaving a comment!

  • danielle porter

    I run my own small business, so I would probably use it to teep track of my mileage to and from assignments!

  • Sabrina Joy

    I’m an aspiring author so I would use it to jot down my ideas and notes! Anytime I see something that I want to use as a reference or as something for a book idea, I always write it down. Fantastic notebooks! 🙂 Liked both on Facebook. Thanks for the amazing opportunity!

  • AC

    Visited both pages. I would journal ideas for my future in my book.

  • Brenda

    I have a lot of things in my head and making lists helps me to remember, but I might have to hand this over to my husband, he’s more forgetful than me and this would definitely help. Good work.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Especially when running a business this notebook will come in handy!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    An About Blanks notebook would be perfect for an aspiring author like yourself, great idea Sabrina.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Excellent idea AC, thanks for the comment.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Maybe you and your husband should share? These notebooks are the best for keeping lists! Thanks for the comment.

  • ReanimatingOphelia

    I’m currently writing a novel, so it would be so awesome to have this to jot down ideas, observations, and sketches! The design alone is inspiring. I liked both pages on Facebook – so happy to have found these great sites!

  • Linda Madden

    I would use it for all of my important phone numbers and important things I need to get done. Thanks

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    That’s awesome you are writing a novel, jotting down notes into an About Blanks notebook would indeed be perfect!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Perfect idea, Linda.

  • Kat Poling Olmstead

    I would use it as, either, a journal or an appointment reminder. I have way too many dr appointments! Liked on FB for both (Kat Poling Olmstead).

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Both great ideas, Kat. Thanks for the comments&the likes!

  • Kat Poling Olmstead

    Thank you and you are most welcome!

  • Joe Jo

    I liked both pages.. I would use the book for a daily reminder for my son’s multiple therapies and my own appointments.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    the notebook is indeed perfect for keeping appointments Joe Jo!

  • Shwetha Prem

    I would use it to sketch and make random doodles of designs that come into my head.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    One can never doodle enough Shwetha, nice one!

  • Julie Waldron

    I would give it to my daughter, she likes to journal.

  • Mehdi Karmouch

    I would jot down all my wiches on it .

  • liz l

    This would be used as my running journal- training for my first full

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    I like this idea Liz!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    sweet!

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Good idea, Mehdi.

  • Ve Kirich

    I would use it to sketch! I like to draw! ^.^
    My FB : Varya Kirich

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Nice one, Ve! The blank pages in this notebook are perfect for that.

  • GoodIdeasGrowOnTrees

    Congrats Danielle, you won! Could you please email your details to info@goodideasgrowontrees.com ? Cheers

Copyright © 2023 · goodideasgrowontrees.com