Behind the Seams Story

In 2008, I worked in a factory doing international sales.
I followed up with one customer for almost two months. After we finally agreed on the price, he was ready to pay. Before sending the payment, he asked:

“Can you send me some photos of your factory?”

I got nervous right away. Our factory was old, messy, and not pretty. I was afraid that if he saw the real place, he would not place the order.
So I did something I’m not proud of. I searched online and sent him photos of a “nice-looking” building, an office, and a workshop.

The next day, he replied:
“The building you sent looks familiar. Even the logo looks the same… my dear Judy.
I asked for factory photos not because I want to see a beautiful building. I just wanted to make sure the person emailing me on the other side of the world is a real, trustworthy person, and that there is a real factory running behind you, not a scam.
A nice building can’t guarantee delivery, and a fancy office can’t guarantee quality. Those things don’t help me.”

After that, he never came back.

Today, when I’m about to share some behind the seams story, honestly, I still feel a little nervous.
I worry that some people may think our workspace looks too simple, not clean enough, or not “professional,” and then start to doubt our quality.

But I keep reminding myself: maybe people are not looking for “nice packaging.” They are looking for something real.
They just want to know how we actually make their orders, step by step.