o.w.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
rose hips - beauty, light & colour
o.w.
yes, I have no spread sheet,
I have no spread sheet today
Further to my wee whinge of yesterday I thought I'd explain a little about my number one (with a bullet) o.w. (overwhelm situation). As many of you know I have a well stocked etsy shop and I sell my prints, calendars, etc also at two fantastic Nova Scotia retailers Inkwell Modern in Halifax and Dots & Loops in Lunenburg. I do not print my own giclees or calendars. I upload artwork to a server 4 or 5 times a year hoping to purchase/order just the right quantity of any thing and of any particular design and often in many different sizes. I'm considering, when deciding how many of anything to order, both stocking my shops well and also trying whenever possible to get the best quantity discount I can get (smart business gal that I am). I'm always guessing a bit what people might like to purchase & I have no system to keep track of inventory so whenever it's time to get another giclee/calendar order ready - it's much counting by hand and lots of guessing.
I pride myself on packaging my wares beautifully, well 29 Black Street/Susan Black branded & so that they are well protected and will arrive safely & in mint condition. This means I have a shocking number of product/packaging & shipping components that I must also keep an inventory of, and continually re-order. Throw in a Christmas craft fair and I become numbed by cellophane sleeves and backer cards - there is a HUGE lesson here (more on that soon).
Just a few of the product components I attempt to keep track of
- business/product cards (branding, branding, branding)
- 2 sizes of bubble envelopes for shipping
- backer/stiff cards in 3 sizes (5x7, 8x10, 11x14)
- cellophane sleeves in even more sizes
- 5x7 mats for my Lil' Art Cards
- matting tape for assembly of Lil' Art Cards
- white envelopes for Lil' Art Cards
- mailing labels
- gift with purchase bookmark and/or postcard
Excuse me while I go lie down - I hate keeping track of all this stuff, it nearly kills me and takes me three times as long as it should because I am so b-a-d at this type of activity/task - yet I love how my packages look when they are all assembled the way I want them to be assembled. So, shut up and quit whining I guess ?!?
Yes, I have no spread sheet - truth be told I don't even really know what a spread sheet is
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Thank goodness I'm not the only person who doesn't get the concept of spreadsheets. Now we are a support group!
ReplyDeleteMom does A LOT of notebook tallying ...!! HoHoHo + tail wags. ~moose
ReplyDeleteI used to do spreadsheets when I worked. You aren't missing anything but more headaches, believe me.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to add: I have received some of your beautifully packaged items, and they are so nice that I kept the package as well as the art inside. You are doing a beautiful job. Just don't drive yourself crazy. You are much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSpread sheets are lovely things Susan. Just remember the higher thread count the better !
ReplyDelete