Eleven Easy Ways to Destroy your Business

My dad sent me this link today from the NYTimes - an article about eleven easy ways to destroy your business. Not sure if he thinks I'm making any of the eleven but it was an interesting read nonetheless. I never would have thought that space heaters could pose such a business risk!

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/eleven-easy-ways-to-destroy-your-company/?emc=eta1

I'm not getting sick...I'm not getting sick

This is not the flu. That is what I'm telling myself over and over again. People are falling like pillars around me to one flu virus or another but I'm refusing to allow myself to get sick. At least until Nov 20th - then I'll consider it. I'm just too busy between now and then to succomb to some stupid virus. Besides, the quarter-sized bruise on my arm where I got my flu shot is my insurance policy right?

So why don't I feel so hot right now?

One Down

Ok, the first order is packed up and ready to go. 2.5weeks of massive, crazy work but it's done. I love the fact that my stuff is handmade but when an order comes in for 800 units and they need it in 2.5weeks I sometimes wish I just imported stuff that was manufactured in some factory in another country. Well, not really...only a little bit.

Now I get to work on the 1200 units that have to get ready to go out the door by mid-November. Technically they need to be ready to go anytime between Nov 10 and Nov 20 but I'm shooting for the earlier of the two as I learned that if the merchandise in in their warehouse by the 19th of any given month then payment will be made in 30 days. If it comes in after the 19th then payment is postponed until 30 days after the first of the following month. Normally a few extra days before payment wouldn't make me fret but given the proximity to the end of the calandar year I'd love to get paid for both orders before the end of the year and get it booked in as revenue for this year. Plus, the sooner I can get these checks the sooner I can pay off the business credit card (thank you tradeshows for that nice little chunk of change). And I ALWAYS feel better when the credit card has a nice zero balance.

Gotta run and go get my husband's birthday cake decked out with candles. Happy Birthday to him!

Happy Birthday To Me...

(actually it's half an hour past my actual birthDAY)...

You know you're getting old when the only reason you're up at midnight on your birthday is because you're working. Even sadder when you do finally close up shop in your workspace and realize you have no one to go get a celebratory drink with because all your friends are asleep since it's a Wedns night.

Speaking of sleep...that's where I'm headed.

A Good Day

I've been working like a banshee lately and today was no exception but today was the first day when I realized that I will make the first deadline associated with one of the two bigger orders. And thankfully the second bigger order deadline has been pushed back about 15 days per the request of the company so that buys me some much needed time. Especially since they uped the order by about 25%.

Still a lot of work to do - some of which will need to be done tonight. But right now I'm basking in the feeling that this first deadline is not insanely out of my reach. Fingers crossed it holds true.

Back in a few...

Love Hate Relationship

Really busy lately trying to get these two bigger orders filled along with a bunch of smaller ones. In the meantime, here's some of the stuff I love/hate right now:

1. My new money tree - strangely enough when I killed the old one the money coming into the business dried up. Now we have a new one and we have cash flowing again. Not flowing rapidly but at least it's flowing (and thankfully more in then out). Granted Q4 is always my busiest but I think that little tree has something to do with it as well.

2. Doggie Daycare - they keep my pups happy and safe while I'm at my workspace for hours on end

3. My workspace friends - they apparently think I'm underfed as today I was given 1/2 a cake (no joke!) and a pint of fresh-made butternut squash soup (that was finished with a drizzle of fennel and toasted pumpkin seeds). Not only do they keep me fed but they always help keep me sane

4. Knitting - I've gotten into it and I love it. It also helps keep me sane. Though I fear I won't have much time for it for the rest of the month

5. Hubby - 'sanity'...enough said

6. Etsy - I'm getting an order here and order there through it but I think I'm more enjoying seeing all the cool things the uber-talented folks on it can and do make. I'm half debating whether this holiday season should be 'all-handmade' gifts for everyone. Never said they had to be handmade by me!

7. Help A Reporter Out (dot) com - Every day or so I find a reporter who is looking for information on a product catagory similar to mine. At the end of the day they may not be interested in my products but it doesn't cost me anything to send an email over to them and see what they think.

Things I'm not so in love with:

1. Working 10+ hours on my feet. My poor leg looks like it has elephantitus. But better to be busy then not busy at all.

It Must Be October

It's not the chill in the air that tells me it's so (though it isn't yet raining here in the Pacific Northwest so everyone's trying to enjoy every last day of sunshine before the rains come in. There's a reason this is the "Emerald City."). It's the fact that all of the sudden business has gone from 0-60 in five seconds flat. In addition to some wholesale orders - fewer than last year but for larger amounts - the two BIGGER orders I've been working on since June finally came through. They of course want all of their products by Nov 1. The reason I'd been working on trying to secure orders with them earlier in the year - even if they didn't take delivery until Nov - was that it's a ton of work on top of what is already a crazy-busy time. I'm learning that those BIGGER orders just don't play that way. Oh well, I'm grateful to have the business.

Speaking of which, did I tell you that I agreed to dropship for a third BIGGER client despite the fact that I hate dropshipping. But I decided that their brand was in line with what I want my brand to be so it could only help. And I honestly didn't think it would turn into too many sales because the last time I did this for a similar type company it really didn't result in orders. I finally gained access to their dropshipping system yesterday and there were already three orders waiting for me. Not sure if those were "test" orders to make sure I'm a legitimate dropshipper or real orders but either way I was pleasently surprised. Hopefully that will just continue as it's a nice little system.

So it's going to be a busy October. Which means maybe my husband and I will get to celebrate our late-October birthdays sometime...oh, mid November.

Happy To Be Home

Almost exactly 5 days after I left, I rolled in last night around midnight very very very tired. I'm really not sure what to say other then that show just couldn't have gone much worse. Here's an example: Normally I pass out over 100 brochures a day at these shows to 'interested' stores. At this show I passed out 61 over the course of 3 days. I wrote more orders my first year at this show - with only two products and only having been in business 5 months - then I did this year. It was horrible. There was just no one there.

The good news is that I have no plans to go back to that show next year. The bad news is I'm questioning how to get the company and brand to where I honestly believed it could go. What is the right strategy? Right now I'm too tired to even think about it.