Jan McLean

Jan comes from an artistic background. Her grandmother was a sculptress and her mother was a portrait artist. As a child she was given dolls her grandmother made in the 1950's. They had wonderful faces made from fine papier mache modelled from the faces of children, very like the dolls made in Europe in the 1940's.

Jan never forgot the dolls, and while researching her family history she decided to make a doll for her only daughter, to be passed down through the generations.

She studied dollmaking in 1983, and initially made reproduction dolls, learning her craft as she taught others.

In 1985, the wonderful German doll artist, Hildegard Gunzel, visited New Zealand. Her dolls were the most exciting creations Jan had ever seen and inspired her to try sculpting her own. Her first dolls, Chloe and Phoebe, were ‘born’ in 1987 and were followed by Poppy and Pansy. It was not until 1991, that Jan's talents were discovered when she exhibited her dolls for the first time at the great New York Toy Fair. She became an overnight success, winning her first Dolls Award of Excellence for Pansy.

Today, Jan's dolls are widely sought after and receive many international awards placing her among the top doll makers in the world. Her limited edition porcelain beauties continue to bewitch and entrance the most discerning art and doll collectors worldwide. "Each has her own cheeky or alluring expression, precocious or demure and innocent, an attitude that exudes personality."

She employs the skills of a mouldmaker, cobblers, milliners, a beader, and a jeweller. Her happy and enthusiastic team of eight works in a bright airy workshop on the many tasks involved in doll-making. It is here that Jan paints every face and with her team assembles each of her very limited ‘Original Dolls’ for her discerning collectors.

In an effort to make her dolls more accessible to more people, Jan designed and moulded a collection of prototypes in her Dunedin studio, which are now produced in larger numbers for offshore. Jan maintains full (and strict!) control of quality, spending many weeks at a time working alongside the artists and seamstresses reproducing her designs down to every last detail. Collectors are assured that Jan's reputation for superb quality and design is maintained.

Q When did your artistic abilities transfer into a real business opportunity?
In 1991, I attended the New York Toy Fair and I became an overnight success. I sold 40k of samples and got a million dollars worth of orders. The sale of samples provided me with the capital to start my business. I also won my first industry award for quality and design, similar to winning an ‘Oscar’ in the Toy Industry. I was on my way to living a life beyond my wildest dreams.

Q If you could start your business life again what key business skills would you make sure you had in hand to ensure your road to success was shorter and smoother?
Today it would be helpful to have a degree in marketing and branding, and IT knowledge. Back then it was a different world. I was younger and fearless and was thrown in at the deep end, so I learned to swim very quickly. I am currently revamping the brand, working with a brand strategist in Auckland. I need expertise in marketing and branding. I am building a ‘Lovemark’.

Q What was your first really exciting moment in business where you got that ‘Yes I can do this!’ feeling?
It was when the opportunity to become a vendor on the Homeshopping Network (HSN) in the United States was offered to me. Again, I was thrown in at the deep end and I learned very quickly how to manufacture in China and how to do all the documentation required to be a vendor. It was an exciting and scary time, and it opened up a whole new market for me. I was on national TV selling 5,000 dolls an hour and interacting with collectors who for the first time were able to afford a Jan McLean doll. They got to know me ‘in their homes’. I had to learn to do presentations on TV and flew to the United States for the weekend every month for two years. But, I was flying business class.

Q Who are the mentors/role models that have inspired you and what important lessons have you learnt from them?
There are many amazing people from all walks of life who have touched my life and inspired me. My grandmother taught me that all things are possible and I believed her. Jim and Marge Masterton, of Masterton Homes NSW, are collectors who have become valued friends. Jim taught me that failure is the best teacher of all. If you make a mistake, get over it, get up and get going and learn from it. Wendy Pye, of Sunshine Publishing, built a global business after she was made redundant. She turned adversity into opportunity and went onto become another very successful Kiwi. Her goal was very simple. She wanted to teach the children of the world to speak English.

My bedside books are the inspirational stories of famous fashion designers and their brands ... Diesel is a favourite, Donna Karan (DKNY), Mary Quant, Zandra Rhodes and Vivienne Westwood. My latest ‘hero’ is Kevin Roberts of Saatchi and Saatchi. I’m a bookaholic and adore his Lovemark books. They are an inspiration!

Q Through your career what is the most important thing you have learnt about business partnerships?
That partnerships have a high failure rate. Prospective partners can promise the moon and not always deliver. Always do your research first before committing and work with like-minded people. I never burn my bridges and always leave the door open. I never signed anything until I had the best legal advice.

Q How important is it to have a supportive and encouraging ‘partner/family’ when setting up your own business?
Essential. My husband came to work with me after 33 years at the IRD. It isn’t always easy to work with a spouse or partner. He takes care of the finances, PAYE, GST, import export and LOC, etc. He is building our dream house by the ocean. He and my wonderful staff are the ‘support team’. He understands the creative mind and is the cool calm voice of reason and tries to keep me grounded and focused ... not an easy task ... to harness someone who sees opportunities around every corner.

Q You have a huge international following. How have you become an international name in your industry?
In the beginning, it was by attending Trade Fairs around the world. Winning Awards in the industry and all the free press associated with winning or being nominated; by advertising in specialty magazines and the associated editorial; by being ‘cover girl’ on specialty magazines around the world; exhibiting in many countries, and being available to collectors; attending ‘signings’ at various doll stores in the United States. It is huge in the United States.

Being on national TV in the United States and Australia was amazing publicity. I clean my house, throw the laundry in the machine and head for the Dunedin airport. I arrive in New York where I am picked up in a stretch limo and transported to galleries and shops where I meet collectors, sign their dolls and pose for photos. Then I fly to Miami or Chicago and meet more collectors. I do a doll show on a Caribbean cruise ship before flying back home to cook dinner, put the laundry out and feed the dog. Real life in the best city in New Zealand. It is hilarious andI pinch myself often.

By supporting my favourite charities ... I have had amazing press.

Q Your dolls are collected by an amazing array of people throughout the world. Who are some of the most interesting/famous?
Collectors come from all walks of life. Film stars, authors, bankers, bus drivers, Mafia wives and mistresses, wealthy Arabian Sheiks, gay men and grandmothers, including pensioners who put treasured dolls on time payment. I’ve met them all, had cocktails in their Manhattan penthouse apartments. It is a world far removed from nursing at Dunedin Public Hospital. One collector had her whole back tattooed with images of my ‘French Floozie’ range. She can’t see her back! How weird is that!

Q Do you have a collection of dolls yourself? If so is there a particular doll you have that is most special?
I have a very small collection of quirky dolls collected on my travels. My most treasured doll is Pansy... the simple little doll that started it all for me in 1991. I have one of her along with some prototypes I have kept. I should have kept more, but at the time it was always necessary to sell them to keep the business running. I had no idea of what lay ahead and how important it was to keep samples of early works. Luckily, I have dear Dorothy who keeps records of every original doll ever made and where it went.

Q Now that you have achieved a fantastic reputation, what challenges have you had to overcome in meeting international market demand?
I struggled to keep up with the demand for the dolls in the late 90s. I painted every doll and got knackered. It was very demanding. When the HSN opportunity presented itself suddenly I was able to reach a wider audience with affordable dolls - perfect copies of my originals. Now that I could make more dolls I had to warehouse them around the world to satisfy the growing demand. The challenge was to supply a high-quality collectable in sufficient numbers without saturating the market. It was also a huge challenge setting up warehouses and systems in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. I had a tiger by the tail. I used to dream of having full warehouses ... now I dream of empty warehouses. Over time we fine-tuned the distribution and now have one warehouse in Chicago to service the Northern hemisphere and one in Dunedin, New Zealand to service the southern hemisphere. We work in five time zones and five currencies at any one time, so that was also a steep learning curve managing the currency fluctuations.

Funding mass production even though it was on a small scale was also interesting. I borrowed a million dollars from the bank for one shipment and paid it back in three months. Now I am back doing more originals, back where I started, having come full circle.

Q You have moved some of your manufacturing off-shore, what were the pros and cons for this?
It is an amazing opportunity if you can pull it off. It takes sheer grit and determination to keep control of quality. The thrill for me is seeing rows and rows of perfectly painted heads painted exactly as I would paint them. I have a wonderful Taiwanese agent who ‘ties it all together’. There are so many components to a finished doll. The painted body parts, the human hair wigs from a German factory, glass eyes and shoes from Taiwan, costumes, accessories, stands, packaging, printed material. He brings them altogether and sources the fabrics, etc. I fiercely control quality and spend weeks in the small factory checking every doll and signing them all by hand as they are ready to ship. It wouldn’t appeal to everybody, but I love the people, the culture and the food. It is hard in the northern summer to work in the factories, so I plan my production for cooler times.

Being copied was probably one of the hardest things for me to come to terms with in the beginning. But I had HSN behind me, so it wasn’t a problem. They have tried to copy, but they don’t spend the time and money on quality and they can’t put my name on anything. The world is so small now with the Internet, and collectors are now very discerning, some aren’t easily fooled by poor quality look-alikes.
If you worry about copying ... get over it. It can happen anywhere. You just have to get in there first and then move on to the next great design.

Q Is there a significant quote or saying by which you live your life?
There are many, here are some ....
‘There are no short cuts to excellence’, ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’, ‘Be authentic, live your life with integrity and be kind to others’, ‘Things you do in life come back to bless you or bite you’.

Q Ensuring that your artistic endeavors continue to earn their keep must be a delicate balance. Would you ever compromise your artistic values just to make money and how have you balanced your creativity with the business side of your work?
Never say never ... I said once I would never manufacture off shore ... and I did. I hadn’t figured on my dolls being so popular and the sheer exhaustion of trying to keep up with the demand. Balancing design and business is still a challenge. I have decided that I can only do so much and there is more to life than working non-stop. Caring for my mother before she died bought it all back into perspective. Now I don’t work in the weekends. Before I worked long and hard everyday until midnight, it wasn’t hard, I loved it ... I loved ‘the thrill of the chase’, doing new things and going to new places. I thought I was invincible. I thrived on long haul flights, stepping off the plane, wheels spinning, off on a new adventure. Now I am into compost ... another story!

Q What do you love most about business?
It is never dull and boring. Every day is an adventure. I am financially independent and can make my own decisions, and can help others. I am able to mentor a friend starting a business because I have the knowledge and can help her fast track. I have a great team who still get all excited and love what we do. They have lived together through all the ups and downs of the doll business and we all still laugh at all the amazing things we have done. I have had to reinvent myself often to adapt to the changing market, because everything has a life cycle and if you can’t adapt you die.

Now I can also use my knowledge and network to start a Farmers Market on the Otago Peninsula in the spring. I’m planning cooking classes at my beach house, a place for golden girls to gather, eat great food, drink local wines, and taste my latest cheeses. We will have great belly laughs as we sit on the balcony, glass in hand, looking out to sea, watching the cruise ships glide past at sunset. A magical life don’t you agree. Yes of course, succession planning is being discussed!

Q Is there a dream/vision/ambition you are yet to fulfill?
Yes. My dream is to build a global life-style brand for little girls - to see Lollipopgirls in every country part of a global club.

I have the products, the brand, the knowledge and tenacity, but not the mass marketing and distribution capabilities needed to bring it to fruition. I know the reality. That is my challenge for the future. Exciting times are ahead!