Kudos to DWR

Someone at Design Within Reach is keeping an eye on the bloggersphere and I commend them for commenting on my last post. I also commend them for keeping track of the blog world and social networking - as that's something I'm hoping to do more of in the new year.

I should also add that while I didn't end up purchasing the shelving system through DWR, the rest of our house is essentially something straight out of one of their catalogues and up until this incident we've always been really happy with them.

So DWR and I are now even.

Marketing Plan v. 1.0

I've been working on the 2009 Marketing Plan for a few weeks now. It sorta gets worked on in bits and pieces as the inspiration hits me. Truthfully, most of it is in place with the exception of the "social networking" piece. I've decided that I need to spend more energy on buiding up our retail sales (in addition to our wholesale sales) and one of the ways I want to work on this is via social networking. The only problem is that despite being relatively web savvy, I really have no idea how to go about this. So in my usual fashion I've purchased a book or two from Amazon and am trying to learn about it that way as well as asking friends who are much more in the know then I am. I even signed up for a Twitter account - though I have yet to figure out what the heck to actually do with it.

The only concrete part of the social networking plan I have figured out is that I need to spend more time being part of online communities/forums that relate directly to my industry and my end consumer. Though I do find it ironic that technically that part of my marketing plan is basically "spend more time screwing around on the web." As if I don't do enough of that already!

So Much for Procrastination

I got a call today from Design Within Reach that the great cube shelving system I ordered - despite saying they were in stock on their website - is not only backordered but won't be coming in at all. So glad it took them 4+ days to figure that one out.

I did find four sets available new on ebay so I bought them. It was actually even cheaper on Ebay then the Design Within Reach sale. But after I purchased it I learned that the sellers address is something like ebayorders @ DWR.com (dwr= design within reach). So I'm not holding out hope that these cubes are actually in existence. The better half is telling me to keep my hopes up and that this may be a DWR liquidator and that he wouldn't have put them on ebay if he didn't actually have the quantity listed online (he said he had 8 units and I ordered 4 of them) but until I actually see them I'm going to be highly skeptical.

Keep your fingers crossed for me because now that I've gone ahead and spent the money on them I'm fallen in love with them and really don't want to have to figure out an alternative. They're just too perfect!

Last Minute Holiday Gift Idea

While it is the holidays, I received sad news last night that a dear friend's dog passed away. It reminded me that if you are searching for any minute gift ideas, one that pretty much any animal lover would appreciate is a donation to their local animal shelter.

If you do have pets at home and would give them an extra hug in Soleil's name I'm sure the newest addition to puppy heaven would appreciate it.

Sometimes Procrastination Does Pay Off

Back in the Fall, while attending one of the tradeshows I had to go to, I saw a few vendors with what I thought was just the best booth display setup I had seen (short of the companies who invest $gazzillion in their booth displays which is just not feasible for little ol' me). It essentially is a modular bookshelf made up of squares that you could adjust and reconfigure as you desired. So you could build what looked like a pyramid out of the boxes, or a simple "bookcase" of boxes. The flexibility the system gave you was unmatched from anything you could rent from the tradeshow company. But it gets better - the entire system could be broken down into flat pieces and was relatively light which is key for shipping from tradeshow to tradeshow. Add to that the fact that you don't need tools to put it together which technically would require you to hire a union man at $30/half hour and it really is the perfect system for tradeshows.

I found out that the system came from Design Within Reach (tried to find a photo but it looks like they just took it off their website) and have been keeping an eye on the item. I almost bought it a few months ago when they were offering free shipping which would have saved me about $50 but ended up not doing it for one reason or another. Then yesterday I ended up showing my sister the units and realized that they had been marked down from $245 per set to $95 per set. That's a drastic savings! Not to mention that you also got free shipping. Needless to say I went ahead and ordered them yesterday and ened up saving myself $588 in unit costs and $50 in shipping. That is a pretty great savings! Not to mention, what the units ended up costing me is equivelent to what I typically pay to rent tradeshow furniture at just one show. Which means by the time I hit the second show next year I will have saved money.

Course I just got an email from the company saying that the item is backordered but since they don't charge my card until it ships and I don't technically need it until August I'm not going to worry about it just yet and bask in the glory of my $638 saved plus the additional approximate $400 per show I will save on tradeshows going forward.

Working Like A Dog

Just in case there's any question about whether or not I'm working while home for the holidays I present this picture as evidence.

Home Sweet Home

I'm home...well, the parental home. And yes, the picture is a picture of my home. Extra points if you can name the town. While I love where hubby and I currently live, I absolutely adore my so-called 'hometown' (didn't actually grow up here but my whole family is here and, in truth, I didn't really grow up anywhere since we moved around a ton. So this is as good as a hometown as any). I want to buy a ranch in this general area one day and have tons of dogs, bunnies, goats, horses, riding cows (a cow that can be saddled - strange but true!). Best of all, I think hubby actually wants the same thing too - or at least he says he does. I think we're still at least 15-20 years away from that actually coming to fruition but it is good to have goals. In the meantime, I always look forward to coming home.

The benefit of running my own business is that I am able to escape for a few weeks every December to come home. This year things got a little crazier then usual as I was frantically trying to get the house ready for an appraisal as we're hoping to refinance, and then also trying to get out of town before the massive storm hit the Pacific Northwest. I honestly think I got out just in the nick of time though the two day drive still had us going through some pretty miserable conditions.

But I'm home now, the dogs are with me (the reason for driving), and I even brought home some inventory and - surprisingly enough at this late stage - have even had a decent amount of orders. Mostly retail but also two wholesale which really surprised me. Do you really want to place a wholesale order and then request ground shipping? It won't get to you until the 22nd? Apparently they did and who am I to argue.

As I mentioned above, hubby and I are hoping to one day move out this way. It dawned on me that to help move that goal along I needed to make some goals for my business. And not just 1 year goals - but true 5 year goals that include both revenue targets and what that would do for the business. IE - at revenue figure X I ccan hire on a fulltime manager. At revenue figure Y I can start to pay back the loans that were used to cover startup costs. The funny thing is - and I didn't plan it out this way - it looks like my goal is for the company to grow by approx 75%each of the next three years which is on target for how much it grew this year. Nothing like ambitious goals in a down economy!

When Did I Become Old & Jadded?

First of all - the CBS exposure has netted exactly zero retail sales. But, more importantly, I've been able to use the fact that we were on to build our reputation amongst our retailers. Both the small ones and the bigger one - and the BIG one we're going after. While a little extra revenue at the end of the year would have been nice the real goal was how I would be able to leverage the exposure so it's working on that end.

On an total aside - I had a rather interesting experience in my workspace on Monday (sorry, it's actually been a crazy week). As I've mentioned before, it's a joint workspace with a number of small businesses working in there. However, non of them could be considered direct competitors to me though some of them are direct competitors to one another. Until Monday when a new company came into the space to look at it and they are a direct competitor to me. We're differentiated so not 100% directly competitive - but close enough to make my skin itch. That being said, the owner I met was very very nice and I think we'd get along as individuals. However, I made some comment about a tightening economy and he looked at me and said - in all seriousness and, honestly, with the slightest tinge of glee in his voice - "It's a good thing we're in a growth industry." I was so caught off guard by his optimism and joy at his foundling business that I was stunned into silence for a minute. The look that crossed my face must have been one of utter confusion because he follwed up with "Right?" in the same hopeful tone. And while on the surface we are in a growth industry, I was stunned that he didn't seem to have any understanding of how hard it is to grow in this business. And then toss in the fact that the entire small retail market - the distribution for most of our business - is just going to get hammered in the next year with this economy. On the one had his excitment was refreshing but on the other it seemed...dare I say it...terribly nieve.

But then again, I was just that person three years ago. I was convinced that all I had to do was make the product and it would literally sell itself. I can now laugh at my former self. Laugh very very hard. But when did I become so thoroughally jadded? Then again, I just sent off samples of a new product to BIG company in what is being called the worst economy since the Great Depression. So I have to believe that there's still enough of the optimistic nieve fool in me.

Speaking of watching newbie entrepreneurs lose their optimism and become jadded - check out this article in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/business/smallbusiness/11hunt.html?ref=smallbusiness

We Were On!!!

It was apparently a slow enough news day that they did feature our product this morning. Hooray! If you want to check out the online link (which is not nearly as interesting as the video which I'm going to try and get) you can see it here.

They not only showed our product but also the 'finished' items which I sent. And while the finished items didn't look totally perfect, I'm willing to bet that I'm the only one who would notice because I am just that obsessive.

UPDATE: Just got the video.

Slow News Day Tomorrow

slow news day tomorrow...slow news day tomorrow...slow news day tomorrow...slow news day tomorrow...slow news day tomorrow...

Ironically, the question of whether or not to order in more raw materials to build up inventory ended up solving itself when I realized one of the raw materials - which I have to order from a third party - wouldn't get here in time so I'm limited by how much of that I currently have. And it turns out I have enough to make about another 300 units which is what all my other raw materials will make. So I opted to simply focus the next two days in my production space on getting those 300 or so units made and then that's it.

And while two more really busy days will be good for me - and hopefully the business will continue with retail orders - I actually only have two more days in my production space this year. Truthfully it's a good thing too. It's that time of year when all of us in the production space are grumpy, tired, overworked, and basically just on one another's nerves. Like a family who has spent too much time together, we're driving one another crazy and need some time apart. Wednesday is my last day in the space and I'm as yet undecided whether or not I'll also take January off (not off from work - just off from my production space) partially to save money and partially to conserve my sanity. We'll see, a few days off and I'll likely be singing a different tune.

In the meantime....slow news day tomorrow...slow news day tomorrow...slow news day tomorrow...

And Just When You Thought It Was All Over...

So I wake up yesterday morning preparing for my "Friday" in my workspace since lately I've been working in there Sunday - Wednesday. Not long after I wrote the rant about the sales rep you see below I got an email from - of all people - a producer for The Early Show. You know, that big national show on CBS every weekday morning. Yeah, the one that's seen by apparently 2.8million viewers every day (based on the only stat I could find from January '08). Um, Wow.

They had heard about us (no idea how, I asked but they never told me) and they wanted to know if they could have samples for their gift show centered around my industry that will be broadcasting next week. They even offered to return the samples after the show. I, of course, said yes and told them they could just keep the samples and share them with the staff. So I boxed up a few samples yesterday and dropped another $75 to get them overnighted. If nothing else I'm keeping FedEx in the black these days.

I'm hoping I'm being smarter about it this time then I was with People Magazine. I realized while looking at the People Magazine spread that I think one reason I may have gotten cut is that I don't think I sent the right photo. I sent some damn good photos but not something that worked with their layout. I totally blame myself for that oversight. I even worked as a freelance writer for some major consumer publications at one point in my past - I should have been thinking like a reporter and not a product manufacturer. At the end of the day a reporter (for a consumer publication - not necessarily a news organization) is looking for photos that will fit properly with their layout and I don't think what I sent was right.

So this time, trying to approach it more like a journalist, I tried to envision what would look good on TV. One box of product wasn't enough so I sent one of each variety (a seasonal and an 'everyday' version of the product they requested). Then I realized that I should probably send more than one of each so that they can show the boxes closed up and beautifully packaged but also show what the inside of the box looks like. And, since the product is a 'make-it-yourself' type of thing I also sent them several samples of the finished product - which are damn cute if I do say so myself - figuring that the final product is also part of the visual appeal of the product. Now I need you to pray for two things for me - an incredibly slow news day so that they don't preempt the segment with late-breaking news (and heh, a slow news day is really a good day for everyone being that there are no emergencies) and that they actually choose my product this time. If you're interested, the segment is supposed to air sometime during the Tuesday morning broadcast. You can garuntee I'll be glued to the TV with a cup of coffee starting bright and early at 6:59am.

Course now I'm vexing over how much product to have on hand. Will this segment air? If so, will they choose my product? If so, will people be intrigued enough to click through and buy? And if so, how much do I need to be prepared for? Part of me thinks I should just suck it up and build up as much inventory. Not including what I have on hand, I could essentially spend approx another $1200-$1500. That would leave the opportunity (assuming all of the above align correctly) to make about $5000-$6000. Yet the other part of me, while knowing that $1500 is peanuts for many businesses, is just sick and tired of putting things onto the credit card and is just ready to get it paid off and take a rest through the end of the year. Plus there's that little voice in the back of my head that worries that I'll spend the money and it won't result in any additional sales. The good news is that I can just use the products next year so they wouldn't totally go to waste, but I'm thinking that AMEX wants to get paid sooner rather than later. Got any advice?

Cutting Dead Weight

I have a few outside sales reps who work around the country. They are actually general industry reps in that they rep a number of similar products and go around to stores in a given area. And even though the economy is doing poorly they are all, for the most part, doing a good job for us and earning that 15% commission.

All but one that is and that one has managed to get under my skin in a way unlike any other person I work with. First and foremost, she says that she's not a sales rep but a "consultant" to the industry and that her clients are high-falutin' stores that spend big bucks. As such she demands a 30% commission. And me, in my stupidity, granted her that. In my defense, she was the first rep I ever started working with - but still - 30%!

30% would be one thing if she actually brought in business but she doesn't. This past year she's opened a grand total of one new account for me and that was only after I called her to let her know that our business relationship was done due to the fact she hadn't brought in any new stores. To top it off, the new store she brought in and insisted was a premier customer and needed Net 30 terms (they don't pay upfront but will pay 30 days after receiving the merchandise) then never paid. I hounded them for weeks and finally around the 90 day mark I got a credit card. So let's see, I just let you hold onto my money for 90 days and now, instead of getting a check, I have to pay credit card fees on top of that - and a 30% commission?

Then I got another email from said sales rep this morning asking - in all caps - when the order for a new company was going to ship. Only problem, she never sent me the new order so I have no record of it. It's gotten to the point that anytime I get an email from her or her assistant my stomach just automatically tightens. There is so much disorganization on her end that I'm always rushing to get an order for her out the door so that I don't look like the incompetant fool to the store. And again, for this honor I'm paying 30% commission.

I'm done. For a while I thought it wasn't worth it to burn a bridge but I've come to the decision that working with her is causing me more anxiety then it's literally worth. And truthfully, I'm not sure I want my brand to be connected to her in any way shape or form. She is one of those companies who, assuming there's no huge bankroll partner behind her, I just don't think is going to make it through this economy and, like a rat on a sinking ship, I want off.

I just wrote a very short but sweet "this relationship will end as of 12/31/08 letter to her. It hasn't been sent yet but it will, shortly. I dread the followup call that I'll receive from her but I know this needs to be done. In fact I've known for a long time and have been too wussy to deal with it head on but the time has come.

Cool Tip of the Day

www.helpareporter.com

It's essentially a poor man's PR Newswire. From what I gather, a journalist/social networking expert started the site and it's a way to bring journalists together with the "expert sources" they need for their stories. You sign up as an "expert source" and are emailed up to three times a day with a list of the queries this guy receives over the course of the day. If there is something on the list that you are qualified to talk about then you email the reporter directly. The reporter gets their sources and you get free PR for your product/company/service/etc. In exchange you promise to never contact journalists for something you are not qualified to talk about and never mine the list to use to send pitches. On the same hand, the person running the site promises never to sell the mailing list to anyone so you don't have to worry about spam.

I signed up last night and so far am decently impressed with both the range of topics covered in each email - everything from LifeStyle to Business & Technology - but also the range of journalists looking for sources. In today's list there were people from small blogs to CNN and the Oprah Show. While nothing on today's list was something I could talk to I did find a blog that was looking for holiday gift ideas in an industry that a friend of mine runs a small business so I sent the information over to her and she's going to follow up tomorrow. Hopefully something positive will come of it for her and perhaps down the road I can be an expert as something.

Well...Now It's Official

No People Magazine. I knew it was too good to be true. I knew it was a long shot - one hell of a long shot. But I can't lie, I am a little bummed. Not sure if I'm more bummed about the fact that I spent $100+ to have samples overnighted to them (per their request) or the fact that we're not featured. I know it was a long shot but it would have been so nice. So very very nice. Oh well, try again next year, right?

This weekend has been a good reminder that I do need to spend more time and energy focusing on the retail part of my business. I've built and am continuing to build up a good wholesale base though this next year is going to be hell on wheels for wholesale I'm guessing with many stores having credit and other financial issues. I'll definitely keep focusing on wholesale (both big and little stores) but since I have a retail componant on my site I might as well see what sort of traction I can get from it. Lots of ideas that I need to write down into a marketing plan which is something I'm hoping to actually get to before 2009. Then again, now that the People Magazine thing didn't come through I can probably stop working so hard in my workspace and spend more time on things like that marketing plan. ....SIGH... Ok, onto bigger and better things.

No People Magazine

No People Magazine. At least not this week. I had been hoping that their holiday issue would come out this week since last year it came out December 3rd. Apparently the lateness of Thanksgiving this year has pushed their holiday issue back and it's not this week's (based on the Dec. 1 issue I just saw at the drugstore). This week is dedicated to the world's sexiest men - I definitely don't qualify. Next week perhaps? Who knows. Course I don't even know if we're in it or not. In a way it's like when we were kids and just waiting for Christmas to arrive. And not knowing if you were going to get all those gifts that were on the list you sent to Santa or if all you'd end up with was coal for your less than perfect behavior over the course of the year. Only this time I don't even know when/if Christmas is coming. Will it be next week? The week after? And when it does finally arrive, will we get gifts galore or coal?

"You're Not Trying To Make Money"

A quote from my beleaguered husband this weekend: "You're not trying to make money, you're trying to build a business."

Funny, I thought we were doing this to make money? Actually, I know he's right. You can't build a business without pumping some money into it. In the grand scheme of things we haven't funneled a ton of money into the business (if you don't count the opportunity cost of me working for someone else) but right now it feels like every penny coming in is going out two-fold. Not a great feeling but it is what it is. Right now I'm buying up packaging in case the People Magazine thing hits. Unfortunately the good people at People won't share with me whether or not we're being featured and even if we are I'm not sure if that will result in 1000 sales or zero sales. But, like the boy scouts, it's best to be prepared. Thankfully if it doesn't hit I can always reuse the packaging next year. Just means I'll have to carry the inventory cost until next holiday season. Ah well, it will just join the rest of the packaging that is taking over our shed and threatening to overrun my husband's lawn equipement.

So, no word from People but lots of other good stuff going on. Not necessarily in terms of sales (though we are still getting in orders) but I did have a conversation with another small business in my industry where we shared ideas and came up with some joint ways we could market ourselves and split the costs. My gut is telling me that the whole splitting costs thing is going to be very important in the new year. More about all of that later though as I need to spend a few minutes turning my brain away from work. I've been sleeping horribly for at least a week (if not more) mainly because I find myself waking up at 2am and my brain absolutely racing through business issues. Except last night where I dreamt a friend and I met on a beach and talked for two hours. Think that was my subconcious' way of telling me that I've been crap at keeping in touch with friends these past few months? So a few minutes of nonwork time before bed and if that doesn't work I'm hitting the benedryl.

Sometimes All You Need Is A Good Belly Rub

I can't lie, I've been really tired and grumpy lately. The business is still going pretty strong - which I'm overjoyed about in this economy - but my part-timers have been cutting back their hours. I'm not totally against that as it cuts down my cost but does increase the amount of time that requires me to work. I know...complain, complain, complain.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I was super-grumpy yesterday when what I thought would turn into a leisurely day spent getting some goodies ready for Thanksgiving turned into a FULL day of work. To make matters worse, it was correcting other people's mistakes. Mistakes that customers had made as in "Oops, I really meant to order XYZ, can you send that out yesterday and I don't want to pay anything extra." I try so hard to provide good customer service but honestly there are times that it takes all my willpower not to flip out. So I ended up spending all day correcting those mistakes and basically watching money flow out the door. In my own defense, I also had my first PT session that morning which left me very tired and in a decent amount of pain that even a handful of aspirin didn't do a whole lot to alleviate. I'm sure that added to my mood.

And here's the ridiculous part - I felt horrible about the fact that I didn't have time to spend with my dogs. Yes, I'm a crazy dog lady. While I'm not "dress them in foo-foo outfits and carry them around in my purse"- lady crazy, I am absolutely head over heels for my girls and have had a tremendous amount of guilt over the lack of time I've been able to spend with them due in part to the broken leg and in part because I've been so busy. Normally I would be out running with them most mornings (and with my husband) and while I'm not a great morning person, especially in the winter, I did love spending that time together as a family. So that's been gone for awhile as has any free time in my schedule to simply go out and play with them. I was hoping to spend some time with them yesterday and couldn't. To make matters worse, the younger pup just kept following me around and whining which just added heaps and heaps of guilt to what I was already feeling. It was one of those days where I seriously questioned whether my husband and I should try and have a kid because the guilt I felt was simply overwhelming.

Today is significantly better. It's a glamorous day of house errands that includes taking in one car to the shop, dropping paints/oils off at the hazmat transfer station, and taking the other car to costco to get new tires. Such is the life of a work-from-home entrepreneur. But I have been able to spend some time giving good belly rubs. And neck rubs. And behind the ear rubs. And playing Fetch (which my dogs seem to think is either A - a game of keepaway or B - look at me questioningly when I throw something and force me to go get it...they love that game!). Spending just a short amount of time doing that this morning has been just the restorative I've needed.

Though it does raise a question that has been nagging at the back of my mind. As we start to think about having kids, how do I balance this business and a child? A child, especially a baby, simply can't be ignored because you have five mistakes to fix or fourteen orders to get out the door by 5pm. And if I go the nanny route will that just leave me with an incredible amount of mommy-guilt for not putting my child first? Or is guilt just one of those things that comes with motherhood? Like at the same time they hand you your newborn they also hand you a massive sack of guilt that you get to carry around for the next 18+ years.

Two Quick Things

1. Something cool I just learned - Paypal can automatically print out my packing list and UPS shipping labels for any retail orders I receive. How cool! Not only does it save me a boatload of time but the shipping cost is also automatically taken from my paypal account (I use PayPal for my virtual terminal for wholesale orders and for my processor for retail orders) so I don't have to put it onto the already over-worked business credit card. Ok, I realize that I probably should have figured all of this out before but that would take away the excitment that comes from flying by the seat of my pants at times.

2. I found my space today. The space I want to get and build out when I move out of my current workspace. I'm still at least a year away from it but I did find my space today. It's currently a tri shop but they're moving into the neighboring building. Not only would the building work well for me from a layout standpoint...but it used to be a tri shop!

I think that last statement is proof positive that I'm not ready to rent my own space. :)

I'm No Expert...

I had an interesting experience yesterday in my workspace (yes, I was working on a Saturday). There were a few of us entrepreneurs in there and as I was getting ready to leave one of them stopped me and asked my opinion on marketing and advertising. While it's a subject I love, I was a little caught off guard because her business model and mine are completely different - as are our industries - so I'm not terribly well-versed in what would work for her specifically. Instead I gave some broad suggestions such as going after PR by sending local publications press releases from time to time with a "hook" or something that would make them interested in mentioning you as well as looking into any blogs that may write about your area to traditonal and e-advertising. While we were talking a third entrepreneur joined our conversation and started asking my opinion about what she should do for her business.

Which made me wonder, when did I become the expert? Or, perhaps more importantly, when did I start being viewed in my workspace as someone who knows anything about what they're talking about? I have yet to break even and my marketing and advertising costs are astronomically high in relation to my actual revenue. Part of that is due to the fact that I don't play in a limited local market but am trying to get the word out throughout North America (thank you Canada for being one of my biggest buyers!). So I certainly don't see myself as an expert. I was very frank about the fact that I wasn't yet making money from the business and gave them an idea of what just my tradeshow costs for 2009 were looking like to give them an idea of my spend. Regardless, they seemed to value my opinion. All of which I found interesting because for whatever reason I've somehow become labeled as an expert - or at least as close of one as we've got in our workspace.

In other news - I'm still convinced that 30-50% of my current small retailers are going to fail in the next year given the economy. I just get the sense that many of them are too underfunded and many of them started their businesses because "they love to shop" not because they came in with any real business experience. Now I may be proven wrong at the end of the day but in the meantime I'm spending a lot of time thinking other distribution avenues. The problem I'm faced with is how a different distribution model may affect my brand - and brand is KING and paramount to success in my mind. So do I think about creating a subbrand? I'm just not sure yet.

A Surprising Day

It shouldn't have happened this way. But somehow I just knew it would cause the universe enjoys irony. Do you remember my new machine? The machine (actual machine not pictured) that I spent a good deal of our limited operating budget on and that was buying it used (and going up to Canada to get it). As I think I may have mentioned, the machine is formulated to work one but and while similar to how i needed it, was not quite the way I envisioned it working for my company's purposes. Yet I got a bee in my bonnet, found a used one nearby, and went and put down cold hard cash for it not being 100% sure it would work as I needed.

And then I proceeded to spend the next several months trying, retrying, retrying, retrying it to no avail. I knew the machine was working properly but I just couldn't get my product reformulated in a way that worked for the machine. Needless to say I was frustrated. Then I broke my leg and we simultanious entered the crazy holiday buying season so the machine has been sitting on the shelf just waiting.

Yet I knew if I was going to seriously talk to BIG company I needed to get the machine working properly so today, after months of being on the shelf, I pulled it off and decided to try again. There's no reason why today should have been any different then any of the other days I tried previously but for some reason it was and I actually got the formulation right. It worked! And it worked well! I can't tell you how excited I am. Now I can confidently call BIG company tomorrow and know that I'm not promising them something I can't actually deliver. This machine can also be used on some of the other new products I was thinking of introducing next year which will speed up production time indefinitely so hopefully we won't be caught behind the 8-ball like we were this year.

HOORAY!!!

S.L.O.W.I.N.G D.O.W.N

It's not totally slowed down yet but I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The big order is out (and the invoice is going to Accounts Payable via FedEx tomorrow so just 60 short days until that money is - hopefully - in my hand), and the majority of my small retail orders are out. Unfortunately I'm also literally out of product so I'm frantically making enough to get me through this week and then I'll start all over again next week. I can't say it's the most productive way of doing business but I am getting the orders out the door as promised and, at the the end of the day, that's what counts to my retailers.

I can tell it's going to be a very interesting holiday season. While on the one hand I've had more orders from smaller retailers this year then ever before (and continue to get an order or two in every day), I'm starting to see signs that retailers are nervous. I have one who's called me twice looking for suggestions on how to display the product so as to move it more quickly. Taking it a step further, I finally got paid today for a shipment that went out early September. I so VERY rarely give Net 30 terms (with the exception of this big company) and was convinced to do so by that sales rep. Let's just say I won't be making that mistake again. I'm none too pleased but at least it looks like I'm going to get paid which I was beginning to think wasn't going to happen at all.

And lastly, I heard from my old employee. Remember her - the one I LOVED despite the fact that she moved to another city. It's not certain yet but it looks like she may be headed back this way after the new year and looking for a job. I need to run some numbers and see if I can at least get her a consistent 20hrs a week as she really is a special person.

Other than that - this is going to be a busy week. Get most of the rest of the orders out or at least ready to go next week as scheduled. Contact BIG company and try to get them interested in seeing samples from my company (and if so, I need to get to work ASAP on those samples). And contact People Magazine to see where that whole process lies at the moment. Last I heard we were still in contention so - deep breath - I want to see how we're faring and when they expect that edition to launch.

I know that busy is good - very good! - in this economy especially. But this small slightly slower window to catch my breath, clean the house, actually cook a meal every so often, and play with the pups is just what I needed at this juncture to recharge my batteries.

And It's Gone...

Here's a picture of my shipment from one side...

and the other. What I forgot to get was a picture of my crutches up against the order because that made the entire order fulfillment process indefinitely harder.

40 boxes (which was accidently labeled as 41 and I didn't realize until partway into the process. I never was good at basic math. Or advanced math for that matter). All full of product. Customs documents filled out - hopefully correctly. NAFTA form filled out - hopefully correctly. All the other paperwork required for the shipment filled out - hopefully correctly. Now I just need to send in the invoice and wait my 60 days to get paid and hope that I didn't make too many mistakes along the way to be handed a bunch of chargebacks.

It feels great to have the shipment gone but at the same time I find myself a little anxiety ridden that some of the paperwork may not be correct and as such will have issues getting across the border since the shipment is destined for Canada. Maybe the anxiety is due to the fact that for the first time since I got the order it's actually out of my hands? Before if it didn't get done it would have been my fault. Now there are a myriad of things out of my control that could happen to it - all of which are running through my head. I think I'm just tired!

No rest for the weary though. I'm going back to work tomorrow to work on getting the orders out that need to go out next week. And apparently my company is one step closer to getting that coveted People Magazine spot. Nothing set in stone yet but we're getting closer. Both exciting and somewhat frightening. Actually, very frightening.

But for tonight I'm going to try and put all of that out of mind and just sit and relax with my better half and my pups. I've missed them.

My Ring is Back On!

Don't worry, my wedding band wasn't off because due to any marital unhappiness. It's been off for the past two + weeks due to the fact that every single day has been spent working with my hands. Either producing my product, packaging my product, or putting it into the shipping boxes. The vast majority of that is now done. Just one more order to get out tomorrow and this week - this crazy, crazy week - is done. This, for me, was the week from hell. In addition to having to have the bigger order ready to be picked up (and it still waiting to be picked up) I also had several thousand $$$ worth of orders that had been placed by smaller boutiques that needed to ship out. By Sunday at 10pm I had the bigger order ready to go but didn't have anything pulled together for the week's orders. Usually by that time the week's orders are ready and waiting for FedEx. So every day this week has been a frantic attempt to make enough product, get it packaged, and get it to FedEx before the 5pm pickup. It's been frenetic and exhausting...but done.

I still have a number of orders to ship out next week but have this weekend to start to get that pulled together and ready to go out the door so I - hopefully - won't be as horribly behind as I was this past week. So the wedding band is only on temporarily until I start to prep for next week but I'm taking 24hrs or so to take a mental break and try to make headway on the piles that have taken over the dining room table. And after next week it will all start to slow down. Unless of course People Magazine comes through. Fingers crossed!

The Benefits of Being an Endurance Athlete

I had a thought last night as I was at work late finishing up the "bigger" order. One of the benefits of being an endurance athlete that no one talks about is the ability to sit in one position for 11 hours straight doing the exact same task over and over and over. We were finishing up packaging last night and my part-timers dropped like flies as we worked through the process. But me, well, in all honesty, my back and neck didn't hurt much more then they do on a six hour ride in the aero position. And the monotony? Heck, I could at least grab a few Hersey Kisses and munch on those - something that would never be in my Bento box on a long ride and FAR better then any clif/power/combination (though the new jelly bean electrolyte thingy's are pretty darn good!)

I may not be getting a heck of a lot of training in right now (or for that matter, any training in) between the broken leg and these orders. But right now my ability to hold a painful position for several hours while letting my mind wander is finely tuned. And trust me, those skills will come in handy next tri season! Perhaps this current training regimine will even help me land on the podium a time or two next year. :)

And now back to the workspace to get out all of the retailer orders that have to go out today and tomorrow. I'm hoping this is the last long horrible day.

Attitude Readjustment

I'm going to bed in no more than 45 minutes. After running on minimal sleep in a fairly physical job for the past two weeks straight I'm exhausted and it's impacting who I am, my attitude, and the job that I'm doing. So rather than staying up late tonight doing work that could be done, I'm going to bed and will get to my workspace early tomorrow morning to hammer through the day. If nothing else, the sleep will help me substantially. Also, to reward myself for what will likely be a very long day, I'm going to pick up one of those new Starbucks hot coco's that I've been eyeing for the past few weeks. I'm also picking up one for my loyal part-time employee even though he'll be in working for another person tomorrow. Do you think the hot coco will be seen as a bribe by the other employer?

Worth It?

(sorry, small rant ahead)

I need all this craziness and hecticness to be worth it. I know in my heart of hearts it is because I'm building something from scratch and no one ever said that would be easy. But sometimes I just need the reminder that all the hard work, the not spending time with my husband and dogs, the waking up in the middle of the night with worry, the dishevieled home since that's where 50% of the packing is currently taking place, the no paycheck, and the general turning my entire family's lives upside down is worth it.

I did a very quick scan of quickbooks last night and I realized two things:
1. In the next two weeks I'm sending out the same dollar amount of revenue as I did all of last year (as such I'm exhausted and eaten alive with worry and stress)
2. At the end of the day, after the credit cards have been paid off for the year and all revenue is accounted for, I will likely break even.

Don't get me wrong, breaking even is a great thing to do and something every new business strives for. But to work this hard and not see a penny of it return to your pocket is a little tough to swallow right now as I prepare to spend another fully day in my workspace after having been woken up by eastcoast phone calls first thing this morning.

The business is definitely running me right now, running me ragged. And I just want a reminder that it is all worthwhile and will pay off in one form or another at some point.

Being Grateful

It's not yet Thanksgiving but I am thankful for a lot of things right now:
1. My company is getting orders faster then we can fill them. It's keeping me incredibly busy (14+ hour days 7 days a week) but right now so many of my friends and competitors are slower then expected. Therefore I am SO thankful to be busy. Tired, yes. But thankfully busy.
2. FedEx is one of the greatest companies in my mind right now. Not only do they stop by my house to pick up all the orders going out the door, my FedEx person even dropped off more supplies for me since she knows my leg is broken (even left a nice little note!). And today FedEx freight called me up to make sure that someone would be around to sign for an important package tomorrow. They didn't know it was important but I was waiting for it so I'm so thankful that I know to expect it and can be around.
3. Easy returns. I'm having to return some packaging that didn't work out as planned and the company I order from makes returns so incredibly simple. That means that not only do I get my money back, but I also get the boxes out of my house. A house that my husband affectionally referred to as "a bomb shelter."
4. In two weeks 95% of the orders for the year will be out the door. That is something to look forward to right now!
5. Not related to the business but something to be happy for nonetheless - my husband isn't totally opposed to a "UnThanksgiving" meal this year. No pumpkin pie, no turkey, no stuffing. Right now I'm thinking mini hors d'ouvres and triple chocolate cheesecake. Not that I don't like typical Thanksgiving food, but right now I'd prefer to spend the time reconnecting with my husband and dogs rather than spend the day in the kitchen.

Planning for a Recession

I was doing some work at home last night and had CNBC on in the background to keep me company while my husband was away at a business function. In time, The Big Idea and Mad Money came on and they were talking about how certain companies would better weather the recession because they saw it coming versus those that were completely caught off guard. Now they were talking about bigger companies but I started thinking about how it applied to my company as well. For a while I've thought that we were headed into a recession (mainly thanks to a finance professor who, back in 2006, pointed out that the yield curve was inverted and as such we would likely enter a recession in 12-18 months. Turns out he was exactly on the mark!) so I've tried to plan accordingly.

That meant doing things like trying to cut back marketing expenses (ironic given that I was a marketing major at bschool) since it's sometimes tougher to determine the ROI of those activities or, at the very least, being much more strategic with the few marketing dollars we have been putting out there. I think we've done a good job but I'm also looking forward to figure out what we are and aren't going to do next year. Topic #1 - I've nixed an east coast tradeshow in the spring. Too expensive, too far to travel, and the east coast is - right now - being harder hit by this economic downturn then the west coast so I just don't think my products would play well there right now. Course it's a gamble since other folks I talked to had a great show there last year.

The economy is also impacting the types of new products I'm thinking of introducing next year and the price points that will be feasible for those products. And it's also weighing on my mind as I think about the next steps for this company. If we're at max capacity right now with the way things are currently organized I want and need to figure out a better way to grow. But if the economy is such that sales may take a huge hit I'm obviously a little nervous about dumping capital into business expansion be it on increased production space or additional personnel. It's a fine line, made even finer in this economy, and I'm trying to determine the right balance so that at the end of the day not only are we one of the businesses who have survived, but that we can emerge as a leader in, what will be initially, a smaller competitative landscape so that we can be positioned to thrive as the economy gets back on its feet.

Being More Efficient

If the company was more streamlined and more efficient I'd have more time to put down all the thoughts that are currently running through my head. But I literally don't have the time to stop. As Martygaal posted in response to my last blog post, I do need to become more efficient and figure out a way to make this business run with less "me" time actually having to be in there doing it. However, part of what makes our product so unique is the fact that it's not put together by teenagers getting $8. Trust me, I tried it and they just don't care enough to make the product look the way it should. Or they just quit (or never show up in the first place) which then puts the onus back on me. My hope is to spend some time over the holidays figuring out a way to bring on another employee or two to work with me and take some of the load off. However, it's hard to get people who want to stay, even if you pay well, if you can only offer 20-30 hours a week and I just don't think I'm at the point where I can offer more hours, especially during first and second quarter which are typically pretty slow. So I'm sort of trying to walk a fine line between finding the right person and paying them enough to make them want to stay and be motivated but also not breaking the bank on employee costs since, at some point, I'd actually like to be able to take a salary from the business...or at the very least start to repay some of the loans I wrote into the business to get it started.

And We're Off

The big order from the bigger company came through on Wednesday morning. It's about 50% of what my company made in 2007. It also needs to ship the first week of November. Yes, I know that it's already October 16th...I'm choosing not to realize how close the first week of November is. So I've been spending the past few days ordering in all the packaging (and a few pieces are backordered so please please please let them come in in time), renting more workspace time and the office in the workspace because if I have to do all the packaging in my house my husband will leave me - and I won't blame him, and I've been scheduling in employees to help with the load.

Thankfully yesterday I had the foresight to tell one of our online wholesale partners that our products were going to be backordered until Nov. 10th. In addition to this big order, I still have to fill all the orders that came in at the tradeshows so my hands are pretty full as is. Then this morning a decent sized order came through the wholesale site so I'm so glad I don't have to worry about it (or, realistically, even think about it) until after this big order ships.

So I'm basically going to be working around the clock for the next three weeks but it's all good. I just need to figure in a way to hit up the HUGE Title Nine sale next week. You know, the important things.

Ah Crap!

Thankfully other people are more organized then I am because left to my own devices lord only knows what would happen. A few weeks ago I gladly offered up some product for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington because 1. I'm a huge cyclist (well, when the leg heals) 2. I'm good friends with someone on the board and 3. Said someone also has great connections into the WA wine scene (just kidding Erin!). So my friend called and asked if I would be willing to make a donation to their silent charity auction. More than happy I said...and then it promptly slipped my mind.

The Bicycle Alliance is apparently much more organized and called me on Monday wanting to know when they could pick up the donation. "Ummm...yeah...how about towards the end of the week," I said as I desperately starting to think about what I could add to the promised gift basket. We agreed that they'll come pick it up tomorrow.

Which meant I had to run around today to pick up things like...oh, the actual basket that the gifts will go into. Since I'm in a little bit of a whining mood today I'll take a moment to whine about how what should have been a 30 minute errand ends up being a 90 minute one because I'm just so damn slow on these stupid crutches. Sometimes I wish I had actually asked for a temporary handicap tag for my car so that it wouldn't take me 15 minutes - not to mention many many explitives - to get across a parking lot. But on the plus side - my arms have never been stronger or looked better!

So I'm sitting here looking at the basket and figuring out what's going to go into it. I'm fairly confident that I'll be able to pull off something that looks pretty snazzy (she says with hope!). I'll post a picture later tonight after I get it done.

* To my Board Member friend Erin - I'm so sorry it slipped my mind. But I will get you something that will look great and hopefully raise a lot of money. If not I'll owe you a trip to Trophy AND Theo Chocolates (as well as a personal donation to the Bicycle Alliance)

Foiled By Christopher Columbus

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that Christopher Columbus risked life and limb to find North America (though some would argue how does an individual "discover" a country that's already inhabited by Native Americans - didn't they "discover" it?). But Columbus Day just seems to be more of a pain then it's really worth. For the record, no one I know has the day off - myself included. Why the problem? Well, the problem lies in the fact that given that noone has it off, it's just not on my radar. I was completely caught off guard yesterday by the realization that mail would not be delivered or picked up today. Unfortunately I sent in my business credit card bill a few days in advance of when it was due, as usual, completely forgetting that the USPS was shut down today. As such, it appears as though I'll have a nice little late fee from AMEX. And yes, I could blame myself for not looking at a calendar and realizing a holiday was coming up but I'm going to choose to blame Christopher Columbus.

Holding Pattern

In the last few days a bunch of things have been going on which would make you think I'd be running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. But since nothing has actually "closed" I'm sorta sitting here in an anticipatory holding pattern trying to get what can be done actually completed but not letting me get too far ahead of myself. Did that even make sense? Well, here's the rundown so you can see for yourself:

1. Our new product won an award as one of the top ten gifts to give this holiday season from an online industry publication.
2. Said publication also submitted their list to People Magazine who has asked that we send samples (which I did) so now I'm sitting here waiting and hoping that they like what they see (and slightly terrified that if they do like what that may mean from an operational standpoint).
3. Received a ceist and desist letter regarding the name of our new product from another company. Said letter is on its way over to my trademark attorney as you read this (in all honesty I'm not too worried about it - he'll either think that I am in violation in which case I can easily change the name to something that is still recognizable or he'll think that I'm not in violation and we'll go about registering the name to avoid this hassle in the future).
4. Left a message with BIG company on Friday. My contact there had told me to call her last week but the week totally got away from me so it didn't happen until Friday. Sadly I never heard back from her yesterday but in all honesty I think it was best as I wasn't functioning at my highest yesterday (I really needed coffee, but do you know how hard it is to get coffee to go when you're on crutches? Really, someone needs to invent some sort of cupholder for crutches). I hope to talk to her next week.
5. Lastly, I'm in negotiations with the bigger company regarding the order they're interested in placing. They like our stuff and want to place an order but we're going back and forth on pricing. Sadly, the item they're most interested in is the one I have the least margin on so I just don't have a ton of wiggle room before the product starts to lose money for me. So I'm waiting to hear back from her but hoping this doesn't take too long because she wants the products shipped the first week of November which, since I have to order in raw materials, is cutting it really close and is starting to make me really nervous. So I presented her with my final price yesterday and it appears as though it's being mulled over. To sweeten the deal though I did happen to mention that apparently People Magazine was interested in the product.

The Good & The Bad

Ok, here it is, the Good & the Bad of the Chicago tradeshow. Let's start with the bad news first:

The Bad:
1. It's obvious that the economy is having an impact on retailers. Even more apparent that it's currently hitting the midwest harder then the west coast at least based on sales and interst at this show versus the Las Vegas show. Part of it though, is that I think more of the west coast retailers who used to go to this show are now going to the Las Vegas show since it's closer and cheaper for west coasters to attend.
2. Fewer buyers = fewer sales.
3. My hotel. Now I'm the type of person who can happily camp without a shower for days on end but I'm finding that when traveling for business - especially when at a tradeshow where you're on your feet (or in my case, foot) all day - you really want a comfy room at the end of the day. My hotel was a little subpar in that area. Next year I'll up the ante, pay an additional $8/night, and stay at the nicer hotel that's right next door (and gives out free chocolate chip cookies!)

And now the Good Stuff
1. At first blush it appears that we at the very least broke even on our show costs with the orders we received. In this economy I'll take that as a win.
2. Reorders - we had a lot of retailers who have placed orders with us in the past who came by and placed reorders. In addition to the revenue and the opportunity to show them our new products, it was a chance to show them that in this economy we're still around and still planning new products.
3. A potential new Northeast sales rep. In talking to some other retailers, this rep is really the best rep in the industry and is doing this as a real business as opposed to so many other reps who, it seems, do this as something on the side or because they think it will "be fun." Best of all, since we're in the Northwest, we've made very little headway into the Northeast so if we can go in with him and make headway in that region then hopefully it will be win-win for all parties.
4. A new booth setup. I really liked how one booth had set up their merchandise so I asked where they got their booth furniture. They told me and it's not too expensive. Plus it turns out that this week said company is running a sale that includes free shipping. It's on my to-do list tomorrow to place an order.

And we're Back

That's it - no more flying with "the leg" (as I affectionally call it). That was my last flying trip of the Fall and, I believe, the last flights I have to take for 2008 as I'm driving home for the holidays this year. Flying with a broken leg has got to be one of levels of hell in Dante's Inferno. Everyone is in "airport" mode which means they have no awareness of their surroundings outside of themselves and their luggage. If their luggage happens to careen widely into you - well - that just sucks now doesn't it. Being in O'Hare especially had me on high alert as it's a bunch of business travelers with roller bags full of business papers and business things on their mind. They are obviously far superior to those of us not dressed in business suits and as such they rule O'Hare. (said with the utmost affection to my husband and other business travelers out there) On the plus side though, apparently I looked sufficiently pathetic after United moved my gate from one side of the terminal to the other and I had to crutch my way down there dragging my bag behind me like some half-crazed bag lady that they bumped me up to first class. Did you know they serve warm cookies and milk on United First Class? Almost makes it worth the cost of the ticket!

The tradeshow was good and I'm putting together a list in my head of the highlights and lowlights which I'll get up here in the next day as I'm sure you're sitting there going nuts with anticipation. Sadly however I've decided that Chicago just doesn't agree with me. I spent two years there in grad school and the entire time my skin was a disaster. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the poor grad school diet or grad school hours - nope, it was Chicago. This was confirmed this weekend when after only a day in Chicago my entire body broke out in hives. Yes, too much information I know. But let me tell you that nothing is as much fun as being stuck out at the airport for a tradeshow and having no access to a pharmacy. The thought crossed my mind to find an emergency room but at this point I think my health insurance is going to cut me off for being too expensive and I didn't want to add fuel to the fire. You think I'm kidding? Last week the insurance company sent me a note basically asking who they can sue to make back the money their spending on fixing my broken leg. I told them that I was sure the US Forest Service would anti up that money without a problem. They don't currently find me too amusing.

So anyway, according to the doctor I saw today, I am suffering from a massive allergy attack. Either an allergy to some normal Fall allergin - and it's just made worse by the fact that my immune system is already overtaxed with trying to heal the leg. Or, and this is the fun one, it's a metal allergy to all the new hardware in my leg. When the doctor mentioned that possibility I must have looked like i was about to break into tears because he quickly followed it up by saying it wasn't likely...but was still a possibility. In the meantime, I'm choosing to believe it's an allergy to Chicago. Or, more correctly, the Rosemont Convention Center - which - if you've spent any time in there, you would probably agree with me.

Off to Chicago

I'm headed off to Chicago and am not bringing my computer as traveling right now with the broken leg is hard enough already not to mention trying to get through security with a rod in the leg and various computer equipement in the bag (I'm good at setting off metal detectors these days!). So it may be quite around here for a few days until I get back on Monday. Unless I can sneak time at the fancy business center in my Crowne Plaza hotel!

But before I take off I thought I'd leave you with this:


Hmm, that photo didn't come out very big. So sorry. Anyway, anyone out there who is an operations person would be proud because, to ease the growing anxiety I was feeling about the feasibility of filling production for this potential "bigger" company, I built out a production schedule (on the advice of my husband who, like usual, was right - hate that he's always right!). In truth, mine is a lot prettier then the one you see above because, don't you know, looks do count. I figured if I had to devote several hours to figuring out the logistics of this potential order then it might as well look nice so I added lots of fun colors (the colors do actually coordinate to different tasks and positions - but I did pick fun colors like fuschia and magenta just to make me smile). I built out a 30 day schedule based on the initial amount said "bigger" company indicated they may be interested in and, while it may kill me, it is doable. Granted, I will be living at my production space and never see my dogs or husband, but it's not like I've been a bunch of fun to live with lately anyway so I'm not so sure my abscence would be missed by any of those parties.

Course the production plan basically assumes that all other business will stop or, at the very least, be able to be fulfilled with existing inventory. Which, if Congress doesn't get off their butt and do something about the economy in the next few days, may very well be the case as I anticipate retailers will be nervous to place orders this weekend given the state of the economy.

And just to keep things interesting - I have a phone call with BIG company next week. They are apparently interested enough that they gave me access to their vendor portal which, being the dork that I am, I just printed out to take and read on the plane.

With all of this wheeling and dealing I can sometimes see glimpses of the possibility that this business may actually go into the black at some point. Now I just have to play my cards right with all parties and get the deals done!

Breath

...just breath....

A few weeks ago I got an email from a "bigger company." Actually they are a BIG COMPANY but are looking to launch a new section into some of their stores that has to do with my product line. It's not a complete launch into all of their stores which is why they are just referred to as "bigger" and not BIG. But in truth, it's BIG compared to the independent retailers I'm used to working with. Anyway, they were interested in seeing some of our products so I sent along a catalogue and heard nothing. Figured the usual, nothing was really going to come of this, so didn't put too much thought into it. The other day, after a really poor night's sleep, I decided to follow up (again) with a(nother) phone call and this time I got a response in under two hours. Turns out the person I had been dealing with had been moved onto something else and I now had a new contact person. Let's just say, she's a go-getter and seems really excited to bring our products into the store.

So I went from thinking this wasn't going to happen to thinking that she may order in several thousand dollars worth of merchandise for the holiday season and while it would make it hard work given the time crunch it could be done. Then today she emailed me a preliminary list of products and quantities along with a request for samples (which are going out Express tomorrow) - let's just say that the amount she's talking about would be more than my company's total 2007 revenue.

Breath....

It's exciting, it's overwhelming, it will be a logistical and operational nightmare. Then add to it that I leave on Wedns for the last of the season's tradeshows and typically come home really busy from it (though given the current economy who knows!). Regardless, I can't let this fall through the cracks. It's too good for the business. So I've sent along the information she requested and the samples as well as a reminder that all of our stuff is handmade so if she wants it by the holidays I need to get to work on it ASAP.

It's really exciting...it's really overwhelming. I vacilate between focusing on it and all the moving pieces that would need to be pulled into place and going to friends' blogs so that I can stop my warpspeed brain by losing myself in someone else's world. I'm thinking that I need to stop the pain pills so that I can start drinking again. Either that or start taking more pain pills.

Breath...

Getting Ready for the Wind

The wind of the Windy City that is. Though so as not to be accused of spreading a myth, Chicago was nicknamed the Windy City not because of the wind whipping off Lake Michigan (which, trust me, it does with a gusto in February!) but because the politicians were considered long-winded. There's your random fact for the day!

History lesson aside, I am getting ready to head to Chicago for the season's last tradeshow. This is my third time going to this show but, sadly, for the first time I actually had to rent a hotel room. For the past two years I've stayed with friends of mine but it appears they've now all left the midwest. It's really too bad because nothing makes a tradeshow more manageable then knowing that at the end of every day you're going to get to catch up with friends on a comfy couch with a glass of wine before retiring to a soft bed. This year I will be enjoying the comforts of the Crowne Plaza.

The other bummer is that my hotel, like the convention itself, is out by the airport. Rosemont, for those who know Chicago, is lightyears away from Chicago in terms of being able to take advantage of what the city has to offer. And one of my favorite things in years past has been to go back to my favorite city haunts (I did my two years of business school in Chicago so I know the city decently well and absolutely love it...expect when it's cold enough to freeze my car doors shut...then I wasn't so thrilled with living there). While I know that I could jump on the el and get downtown, trying to do that from Rosemont after the show closes at 6pm everyday and with a broken leg just isn't going to happen. Which means that I'm stuck in Rosemont and the glory of O'Hare.

While I know the area is used to holding conventions and hosting business travelers, I'm fairly confident that I'll be able to find some decent food for dinner at the end of the show everyday. It's during the show I'm a little more worried about. In year's past I used to stop at a Panera Bread as I drove to the show and picked up a huge fresh salad which I would munch on during the show. Yummy and healthy. Since I won't have a car and there doesn't appear to be a Panera within crutching distance, it means I'm left to fend for myself for lunch from the selection offered at the Convention Center. For all the strides that Chicago has made in the culinary world, the convention center is very much stuck in the "cafeteria" type food mindwarp that just doesn't sit well with my stomach. The solution? I'm bringing snack foods with me that are healthier and will hopefully keep me from starving during the day. In fact, on today's to do list is "Make Chex Mix." Ok, maybe not so healthy but it is good and will keep me happy.

Where's My Coffee?

I always forget how exhausting tradeshow season is. Every day is filled with making product for orders, filling orders, shipping orders, billing orders, and then turning around and starting all over. Yes, this is exactly what a company wants to be doing all the time but during tradeshow season it's done at a frenetic pace and still it doesn't feel like we're keeping up. Then add to it the final packing of items that have to go to the next trade show, the sending out of marketing material, and basically trying to keep all bills paid on time while also maintaining your sanity is just exhausting. Then try doing all of that with a broken leg.

Which brings me to a really important lesson I've learned through all of this. Having help - and being able to ask for help - is priceless to a business. As I think I've mentioned, my mom is in town helping (for three weeks - basically from one show through to the next) and I've also hired someone who comes in and does packaging twice a week. Between the three of us we've been able to pound out a ton of inventory and get the shelves stocked and ready for orders to ship out. Plus my mom and I have shipped out a ton of orders that had to go out already so things are running smoothly - and they definitely wouldn't have been without the help.

The other day I also ended up grabbing another part-time employee from another person in my workspace who was going on vacation. He worked with us this past week and will help out again on Monday. Thanks to his help we've honestly been able to get more done then I ever anticipated. So while I'm still frustrated by how slow I am thanks to the broken leg, I've learned how much more can get done when you hire the right people to help (should be an obvious point but it was one I was hesitant to learn).

It's a good lesson to learn. Especially given that we received a call from a bigger company yesterday who may be interested in bringing in some of our products for the holidays season. Not on the magnitude of BIG COMPANY but enough that it would be a really good test of our operational system and how fast we can turn product around if needed. I'm excited for the possibility of the exposure it could give my company and the revenue it could bring in, but also excited to see how I would figure out the operational needs of the company to be able to meet the deadline. In the meantime though, I'm going to go get some coffee.

The Big Question

Despite trying to read reassuring things into my dreams, what impact is this economy going to have on my business? My product is not a necessity - I know that clearly. And a large portion of my buyers are retailers who count on some level of credit (be it credit cards or lines of credit) to fund the spending they need to bring product into their stores. We're not there yet but at what point do you look at the economy and say that throwing money into a small business is not the best financial move. (Then again, throwing it into a big bank also doesn't seem like the best financial move.)

I won't lie, I'm a little bit scared. I'm scared about how this is going to impact the immediate short-term of my company with one of the industry's biggest tradeshows next week. I'm scared about the longterm of my business. And I'm scared that perhaps I made the wrong decsion and had I been working for a big company for the past few years out of business school at least we would have more money in the bank (again, not that that's necessarily a safe place these days, but you know what I mean). And I'm scared that if things go horribly wrong (more so then currently) that I've backed myself into a corner where I'm not highly employable especially when up against other MBAs who have been in the "outside" job market for several years.

Fun nightime thoughts...good times!

Dream Interpretation

I had a really odd dream last night. Most likely not connected to business at all but odd enough that it still has me thinking about it.

At some point in the middle of the night I dreamt that I was at a swim meet getting ready to compete in the 200yard freestyle. As a little background, I've swum competatively all my life - including college - and the 200 free was one of my events. As another little piece of background, dreams about swimming are usually my anxiety dreams. In those dreams I am typically at a meet and can't find my cap or goggles prior to my event. Other races are being swum and it's getting closer and closer to my turn but I can't find those blasted cap or goggles anywhere. When I have those dreams I've found that I'm typically vexing over something or another in my waking life and it's spilling over into my dreams.

This swimming dream was different. In this dream I was in Lane 1 waiting to start the 200 yard freestyle. This was the trials of trials/finals meet (as in, if you had one of the top 8 times from trials you would come back and swim finals) and as I stood there before the blocks I was totally calm. Somehow I knew that I was going to make it back to finals that night and I also knew that I was going to swim a 1.51.89 (one minute, fifty-one seconds, 89 tenths). For the record, the fastest I ever did swim a 200 was 1.51.99 (just under the 1.52 wire!) so somehow knowing that I was going to PR at trials and that the time would be good enough to have me competing at finals seems like a huge leap of confidence. But I stood there and I just knew that to be the case.

Sadly, I never did get to watch myself swim the race in my dreams. Given that I'm still two weeks away from being allowed back in the water - and likely four+ months away from being allowed to dive off a starting block - I don't see myself doing a 1.51 200 yard free anytime soon. I would have enjoyed watching and experiencing the race in my dream.

So how to bring it around to business? Now this is a long shot so bear with me, but I've been thinking this morning about how my swimming dreams are usually related to anxiety and much of that time it's related to the business. Perhaps this is my body & mind's way of telling me that everything is going to work out just fine. Even better than fine, you're going to have a PR so not to worry about it. Just stand behind the starting block confident that you are going to do what's needed to be done to be successful. It's a nice thought, isn't it? Course then again, perhaps it was the drug cocktail I need to take to sleep pain free every night? Nah, I'll go with Option A.

Now Waiting

I sent off said email to BIG BOX today after agonizing and rewriting it all weekend. I finally had it narrowed down to a trim three lines that (hopefully!) reminded them who I was and what our product was and then (hopefully!) piqued their interest in a potential future product release. After having it checked and rechecked by multiple proofreaders (my husband and mother) I finally sent it off this morning.

Now I'm trying to keep myself calm and remind myself that I'm likely looking at a week or more before they even get back to me. Of course, the highly unprofessional part of me - the part that loves immediate gratification - is whining about how come they haven't answered my email yet, maybe I should have reworded the email, perhaps I should have approached them another way?

Yeah, as usual my lack of patience is making me a blast to be around. (then add to that the broken leg and limited mobility...don't you wish you were here!)

Crafting the Next Big Thing

I'm in the midst of crafting a follow-up email to some BIG buyers. Here's the brief story:

While at the tradeshow last week two people came over to the booth oohing and aahing over our products. They loved the products and the packaging. Turns out, they admitted on the sly, that they were one of the BIG BOX retailers (they admitted it on the sly since many in the industry see them as BIG BAD - no they are not a "W" company). Personally I have no qualms with the BIG BOX retailer because it's one that we shop at to begin with and I think they're doing a good job given their market and customer base. While they were visiting the booth I had an interesting conversation with BIG BOX about their future plans for the company and their new focus on working with smaller entrepreneurs. Interesting...very interesting.

Of course the minute they left my mind began swirling about the various ways my business could leverage that information and could we possibly angle ourselves to be the next entrepreneur said BIG BOX works with. I have some ideas but while I pull them together to see if they look as good in reality as they do in my head, I wanted to drop an email to BIG BOX to basically remind them that they met me at the show and pique their interest in what we may be able to offer them. In my usual ocd way, I've written and rewritten the three line email numerous times and finally think I have a version that says what I want it to say without sounding A. overconfident or B. desperate for their business. It's a fine line to walk between those two!

Now that I finally have the email to where I want it I'm almost anxious for Monday to roll around so that I can send it out. I know enough not to pin my hopes onto this and the chances of this thing actually coming to fruition is slim to none. But it's still nice to think about the possibilities, right? (Actually, the operations and production challenges scare the daylights out of me when I stop to think about those implications so I choose not to worry about those until they are something that needs to be worried about.)

Ramblings

I tried to find a fun picture to put with this post but as I type I'm not yet even sure what the post is going to be about. There, nothing hooks a reader like an opening like that!

First random topic - overdoing it. I think the fact I slept 11+ hours last night and could easily have gone down for a nap today is a good indication that I overdid it the last three days. My mom and I have been going nuts both in my workspace and at home getting product ready and getting orders filled and out the door. Last night I set a "we don't do anything before 9am rule" - little did I know that I wouldn't even be up by 9am! I still had a fair amount of work to do today and while I didn't get everything done I hoped to, I'm a lot more relaxed and feeling more at ease then the past three days.

Second random topic - Google Analytics. I love it. Why didn't anyone ever tell me about it with my old website? We now have it hooked into the new website and I'm simply loving the information it provides me...for free nontheless. And yes, the fact that I knew nothing about Google Analytics outs me as the technophobe that I am.

Last random topic - My business bank account. It's with WAMU. So far I have no complaints though I don't do anything but basic banking with them. However, are they going to get bought or are they going to go under? If they go under my funds are well within the 100K FDIC insurance quoto so I will be able to get my money back - but how long will it take? Is it worth the headache to move the business account, and the associated merchant account etc, to another bank? And if I make the move, how do I know that the new bank is safe? Honestly one of the things I NEVER thought I'd have to worry about as a small business owner is whether the money the business earned (aka - I sweated over and made) would be safe in a major banking institution. But then again, I never thought I'd see Merrill, AIG, and Lehman all go out one way or another in the same week. At the very least, I'm thankful not to have taken a job with one of them out of business school - not that they would have hired me anyway.

The Power of Partners

I'm going to keep this relatively short b/c my leg is hurting and I'm exhausted from the 8+ orders my mom and I managed to get out the door today (hooray!) so am thinking that a percocet is about the perfect thing to finish the evening with right about now. However, I was thinking today about how much 'partnering' has benefited me and my company.

I'm not talking about official partnerships that you send out press releases about. But those smaller partnerships and networks that can, when leveraged, really pay off for the company. I think I mentioned before that all my tradeshow materials went out via freight (and are currently on their way to the next trade show in Chicago). At this point I certainly don't have enough stuff for a full pallet so I partnered with another local company - who technically is a competitor - so that we could share a pallet and split the cost. We both get our stuff to the shows easily at half of what it would have cost us to do on our own.

Then tonight I placed an order for new packaging material. Even though I placed it, the order is technically done in combination with a friend/entrepreneur who lives near me. With our combined order we were able to get the cost high enough to qualify for free shipping - otherwise shipping would have cost both of us approx $40. For us, right now, that $40 is a huge savings.

And lastly in my list of examples tonight, the order that is coming in tomorrow that was made with another one of the entrepreneurs in my workspace. We both order materials from the same provider but said provider requries a minimum amount before we can place an order. So, again, we combined our orders and together were able to meet the minimum needed and are able to get the materials we need. That saves substantial amount over having to potentially purchase the materials at retail prices versus the wholesale price we pay with this provider. More savings!

As a wise friend of mine in the industry once told me, to be able to compete with the big guys we small businesses HAVE to develop partnerships that help give us some sort of economies of scale. Otherwise they can too easily push us out of business.

Shipping Central

As I type my husband is currently marching up and down the stairs bringing down boxes of product from our guest bedroom down into the living room. And once again, as tend to happens this time of year, the living room has begun to look more like a shipping warehouse then a place of rest and relaxation. As is typical for these shows, I have a bunch of orders that need to go out in the next two weeks and then there's a bit of a lull until the next group of orders has to go out closer to the holidays (which is perfect as it allows me more time to build up the necessary inventory and make sure it's ready to go).

Since I can't walk and have been told that I'm not allowed to climb our 100+ year old stairs (which apparently are so steep they no longer meet modern building code but are grandfathered in because of the age of our house) my husband and I have also reconfigured some of the dining room to make room for the printer and other necessities for the shipping process that are normally kept upstairs and out of the way.

The last part of the equation will hopefully come together tomorrow when my mom arrives in town for 2.5 weeks to help out with orders, dog walking, and general house care (yes, I truly am that incapacitated right now). I'm not sure that a "Day at the Spa" gift certificate is going to be enough to thank her for 2.5 weeks of unpaid labor. Perhaps "Month at the Spa?"

And we're back

Sadly I did not win the $12M jackpot on the slot machine I played. But then again I only played $3 so some could argue I didn't give the machine a fair shake. Other than that $3 lose though we did make some good money. I just got home and am exhausted from the show so I'm going to keep this short (for now) but in a nutshell the show went really really well. When I added it all up yesterday it turned out that we had more than broken even on the show based on the orders written at the show. That's great news as we will typically get in followup orders in the two weeks after the show so the usual goal is to at a minimum break even at the show itself. I think the show was better this year though with a twist. We had far more people really coming by the booth and spending a considerable amount of time asking us questions about our products, wanting to know the best way to display the products, etc. This is in contrast to a lot of the folks who came by last year mainly looking to see if we dropshipped (no, we don't) or if we were handing out free samples. And while not everyone we spent time with placed an order, I and other vendors got the sense that many retailers are delaying their buying decisions to a little closer to the holidays given the current uncertainty in the marketplace. However, I do think we're going to get a good number of followup orders as we start to get to the end of Sept and into October as despite the economy, retailers still need to have something to put on their shelves for the holidays.

So all in all I was really happy with the show. We also made some great new contacts that could have the potential for great business down the road if I can swing it correctly. Plus, despite the broken leg, I realized that Vegas is a much nicer town if you're not staying at the rock bottom barrel hotel on the strip. This year I split my time between Treasure Island (while not the top of the top, it was a marked improvement over where I stayed last year) and the Four Seasons (my better half was in town on business so I stayed with him when he was there) and the fact that the rooms were nicer and more appealing to go back to after a very long day on the showroom floor made a huge difference in my attitude. This is the second year in Vegas though where I still haven't made it to hang out by the pool. Last year I couldn't find the stupid pool thanks to the maze-like design of the crappy hotel, and this year my doc has put a hold on submerging my leg for a few more weeks. So I will be going back to the show next year and hopefully third year will be the charm when it comes to finding a little time to relax by the pool.

Viva Las Vegas

I'm heading out to Las Vegas tomorrow at the crack of dawn for the first of our two biggest tradeshows of the year. Right now I'm just hoping that I actually have everything I need since my brain seems to be very sieve-like lately (ie - forgetting to call in for that board meeting for the nonprofit I work with - just absolutely slipped my mind!). Thankfully my dad flew in this week to help me get things ready and he'll be at the airport with me tomorrow morning to help check me in while also checking himself in to go home. Then my mom is flying into Las Vegas to help me out at the show (and do some shopping - she loves Las Vegas shopping since she lives in a very rural area with no stores) so hopefully with her help I'll get everything needed done this next week.

On the plus side, the company's new website is up and running well. I've mentioned the new secure wholesale section before and we've already had three orders placed on it so it's already starting to pay off. Best of all, two of the orders are "pre-orders" for shipment November 1 or later so it gives me plenty of time to get the orders ready to go. Right now I need all the extra time I can get!

Keep your fingers crossed for me that we have a spectacular show but yet at the same time I figure out a solid plan of attack on how to deal with all the potential orders. Sort of a catch-22 at this point but things always seem to work out in the end. Right?