The fish were telling us something

Our family is not a “pet” family. We have experimented a couple of times. We have had fish a couple of times in the past. Most of the fish lived a reasonable life, and then perished. Usually, they had plenty to eat, and often they had plenty of playmates.

Well, our most recent trip down the pet road, has not been quite as pleasant……our three fish lasted only a couple of months. The first fish died, apparently, due to some failure on our part while we were on vacation. The fish crawled up into a shell in the fish tank, and, it seems, couldn’t find its way out. His death would be considered “normal”. The other deaths have been deemed suicide. After the NORMAL death, my wife cleaned out our the fish tank. It wasn’t REAL dirty, but the mega-food pellet we put in while we were gone, does get messy. She pulled the fish out of the fish bowl and put them in a cup temporarily. And, the next time she looked at the cup, one of the fish seems to have jumped out of the cup. And, once he was discovered, he could not be brought back.

The last is the hardest to believe. The fish bowl is a BOWL. It is curved at the top. And, this morning, as I was getting breakfast, I saw something on the floor by the trash can. Upon closer examination, I discovered it to be the LAST fish. So, we now had to be led to believe that the fish JUMPED out of the bowl. And, we are talking a jump of very nearly 2 inches in height. And, then, we need to believe, he flopped on the counter for 6 inches or more. Then, when he fell to the floor, he may have flopped some more–but, not much. He was pretty crispy when he was discovered. No formal ceremony was given.

Are we ever going to have pets again? Likely, we will . But, we may need therapy before we do…

To hire OR wait and see…

I am fortunate to being a business that does not seem to be slowing–online portable sign sales. It is only my theory, but I believe the slowing economy has many small businesses choosing to spend a couple of hundred dollars for a sign. It is REAL money, but with the slow economy, they have an even greater need to stand out from their competition. Very typical customers are pizza shops, small retailers, and businesses that are ran out of homes while serving multiple locations.

And, with business maintaining OR growing, I am in the position of determining if I should stay REAL busy OR should I hire a more permanent part-time person to assist with daily tasks? (I use a couple resources, but only for a few hours per month.) And, this is the quandary I find myself in. Do I take on the overhead with the hope of growing some new market niches? Do I partner with an existing business with complimentary skills? Will the economy turn soon? Do I risk growing a mostly manageable business into something that will raise my overall overhead? (i.e. rental space, employees, various government obligations, etc.)

I have been very blessed to have my business, so I will trust the ONE who gave me the business to make everything else clear….

Reducing maintenance time of your websites

I have a couple of websites on Ebay. And, I also wanted to have websites to sell products outside of Ebay. I tried one option that allowed me to pay a monthly fee AND a percentage of my final sale. And, beyond financial issues, I never fully used the product. After additional searching, I found Prostores.

A few of the reasons I like ProStores….

  1. Cost: If you have an Ebay store, the cost is about $20/month.
  2. Convenience: If a product is on Ebay, it AUTOMATICALLY is uploaded to your Prostore. And, if you want products JUST on the Prostore, that is fine, too.
  3. Marketing: GoogleBase is an automatic part of the Prostore website. And, Yahoo is also easily integrated.
  4. Maintenance: Easy site navigation when doing backend functions.
  5. Neat little gizmos, like the one seen below, that let you show you site off in all sorts of places…
  6. Integration: I know I stated this in “Convenience” above, but this is key. If you run multiple websites with a small staff (i.e. you), then Prostores is really a choice you need to consider.
  7. Customizeable: I haven’t spent as much time on customizing as I could, but there are many templates available OR you can make your own. A Prostores site can really have the look you want to give it!

If there are any questions about how I use my sites OR if you need some assistance trying to run your own sites, please let me know.

Andy
www.Archer-Trading.com

Buying wholesale from China…..

As I have 2 different product lines I sell on line, I also have 2 methods of exploring buying from China.

My main business is in the advertising area. In April, I began the process to get a product developed in China. On this product, I chose to work with one of my suppliers and to have them interface with the Chinese manufacturer for me. What follows are the steps thus far:

  1. I signed the contract which listed the features and paid the development costs in early April. I was told it would be mid-June when the product was completed.
  2. I was told early June that the delivery date was wrong. The delivery date was incorrectly calculated based on contract date PLUS 45 days. It failed to take into consideration weekends (or so I was told), so the delivery of the sample was delayed.
  3. The sample was delivered late June. It met my expectations. But, as we discussed small changes, my supplier found justification to raise the EACH price. Some increase may have been appropriate, but I believe the exchange rate of the dollar also played a part.
  4. The supplier worked with the Chinese manufacturer to confirm the changes. It was determined I would have one of my order shipped by AIR. Once I approved, the rest would be sent by ship. I was told I could expect my final sample late August.
  5. I contacted my supplier before the Olympics. He said the Olympics would not impact the delivery.
  6. After contacting my US supplier today, he confirmed that my product was delayed due to parts from other plants.

I do not yet have my product. And, by the time I do, it would have been at least 6 months from the beginning to the end of the process.

Of course, the second option is contacting the supplier directly. And, the main issue here is the cost and time of shipping a product directly from China to customers. I am exploring the flexibility of the Chinese supplier. And, depending how it turns out, other posts may follow……

A little more SCORE counseling….

I have had a couple of correspondences with a gentlemen on the SCORE website. What follows is a scrubbed version of my recent response to some of his questions:

***************

…….. I started my business and then looked into opportunities that would allow me to grow. In your case, could this mean you start a side business doing something very similar to your present business? Are you in the “HIS PRODUCT” business or are you in a “personalized gift business”? (Is that a good three word description?)

* Could you set up a variety of “HIS PRODUCT” websites and sell them on ebay? The buyer would be responsible for the marketing and you would fulfill the orders? And, you would make money on the website sale…
* Is there an opportunity to wholesale some of the items you use?
* Are there “green” products you might use that would give you an “in” with certain groups? (i.e. Can the ‘HIS PRODUCT’ be made of something that will biodegrade rather than glass/plastic?)
* Can you donate 5% of proceeds to some charity?
* Can you set up an Ebay store (less than $15/month)? I do this right now KNOWING I will take a loss on some of my auctions, but the goal is to get eyes on my products.
* Can you do something (like the custom design idea) that will allow you to send “HIS PRODUCT” over the internet? Yes, it would resemble a email postcard, BUT you could theme it and maybe get some good use out of it. My recent logic is to develop some FREE tool that will draw people because they want to use the tool, and then offer your “paying” service on the side.

As to some of your specific questions:

1. I would not spend $22 on ‘HIS PRODUCT’ unless I was pretty far in the doghouse, BUT I am a father of 4 kids under 13. I am not your target market. If others will spend, then I encourage you to charge appropriately. BUT, if people are not spending, it would serve you well to do something with your price. Either change the content to justify an increase or decrease–your call. If it is a “soft” market, I would encourage you to look at ways to decrease the price.
2. With Google, make sure you are off the “content” network–the clicks are not of very good quality.
3. You can certainly do the “sexy” side if you want. One negative is the site may get blocked as adult content. AND, I am a conservative guy, so mixing the two would be an issue for me. However, you may want to consider a different site to market those more adult items.

***************

If you knew the product, the post might be more relevant, but if you are reading this, I hope y0u got something out of it.

Until next post….

They can’t all be great customers…

As a small business owner, you have your days when just wonder why you continue to do it. Others can go out and work their 8 or 9 hours. They come home after their day, and don’t worry about any of the stuff they left behind. (Of course, they may worry about their job.) But as a business owner, I can’t often take time off. And, when I don’t take time off, I have to deal with things like this:

First, I have already talked about my ebay web store. It has been a great adventure for both my sons and I. We cut the order, and have them shipped often within 24 hours. We really try hard to take care of the customers. However, it seems sometimes you do everything right, and it still goes wrong. Recently, this happened when we received a “neutral” feedback on Ebay. And, a neutral feedback is not so bad. EXCEPT, when you are at 100% feedback, you now no longer are 100%. After fuming a bit, I research the person who left this feedback. My feedback was, “Generic filter…low quality…Filters needs to be cut to fit.”. Feedback he left for others was something like, “High Shipping charges – $9 for Priority !?” Well, he had to know the shipping before he purchased. All of this to say, sometime you do everything right, and a customer who is having a BAD day decides not to contact a seller with a very high rating to try and work it out. They decide, “It will be fun to take them off of their pedestal of being 100%. I will give them a rating so they won’t be.” And, that is his option, and I also have options. (Ebay doesn’t let you give negative or neutral feedback anymore.) So, I have blocked this seller so EVEN if he wanted to buy from me again, he can’t.

Second, I had a rather slow day for orders. And, when I received a call from a customer who wanted me to give them a deal, I said, “Sure.” I was not making a huge profit, but I was still making something. I eventually had another couple of orders, and thought, “It was an okay day.” Then, later that evening, the customer calls and says the order must be canceled. He was having financial problems and couldn’t afford it. Obviously, I refunded his money. However, he will NEVER get that deal again.

Third, I had a customer who purchased from me. From the start, I had concerns about what she was trying to do to me. She went to the credit card company for a full refund when I wouldn’t give her a sizeable refund based on dubious evidence. What follows is the memo that was prepared to try and contest her chargeback claim.: (The customer’s name has been changed.)

1. The sign was received by Ms. Smith on 4/14/08. The signed Bill of Lading (see attached Bills of Lading that were faxed) by both the trucking company and the receiving person at Ms. Smith’s company did not indicate that there was any damage to the box or sign. Generally, when an item is damaged upon arrival, the general practice is to reject delivery so the buyer avoids being charged with receipt of goods. Ms. Smith or her representative accepted delivery. There is an unsigned Bill of Lading (see faxed Bills of Lading) that my company, SignsSeen, received from Ms. Smith on 4/28/08 which indicated damage. I contacted the delivery company who indicated the delivery was “clean” and they only consider the signed Bill of Lading as valid for delivery purposes.

2. The merchandise was shipped to a business, not a consumer address. Ms. Smith works at a Drury Inn and, from her e-mails, seemed somewhat knowledgeable about signs. No doubt the Drury Inn has received deliveries in the past and would know the practice is to reject delivery of damaged goods or understands that an unsigned delivery receipt is not valid.

3. In addition, Ms. Smith waited almost 2 weeks before contacting my company the first time to complain of any damage to the sign. The sign was delivered on 4/14/08 and she contacted my company on 4/26/08. The manufacturer requires notice within 24 hours of receipt by the buyer. It is unusual for a customer to wait that long to complain about damaged goods due to shipping and unreasonable for a customer to expect that anything can be done to rectify the situation after that length of time. There is no proof that the damage that Ms. Smith claims to have occurred due to shipping had actually occurred. Ms. Smith’s handling of the merchandise during this time period after delivery and before contacting me on 4/26/08 could have caused the damage to the sign.

4. Ms. Smith took the sign to a local sign store for customization. Ms. Smith’s local sign shop was upset that I had sold the sign less expensively than they would have sold it to her. They called the manufacturer, Wayne Industries, to complain about this. My sales rep at the manufacturer talked to the local sign company who did the custom vinyl work for Ms. Smith’s sign My sales rep informed me that the local sign company never mentioned any damage to him during the phone call.

5. I have attached some additional information that was excluded from the email thread provided when the complaint was filed. In this previously excluded information, I was very willing to work with Ms. Smith. However, throughout our email thread, Ms. Smith very typically received a same day response from me. And, I waited for up to a week or more in some cases for her response.

6. Ms. Smith is still in possession of the sign.

7. I respectfully request that you reverse the chargeback and find in my favor as there is no evidence to support that the merchandise arrived in a damaged state. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

So, I may lose a few hundred dollars if I lose the chargeback claim. Completing this was good, but it is still stressful having your honesty questioned.

BUT, the good thing that happened was I started a new website two weeks ago. AND, I received my first sale already. Not a large sale, but it confirms I am doing something right. And, although financially it doesn’t balance the negatives financially of the first three items listed, having success so quickly on a new venture is a BIG positive.

You can’t tell what type of customer is going to come your way. Most of them are honest and have realistic expectations. And, when they aren’t, you hope they go to your competition. 😉

Any thoughts?

Visit my new site at: www.archer-trading.com

Starting a new Wholesale Business Website

As a SCORE volunteer, I was recently the question, “How do I put together a business plan for a wholesale distribution company?” And, this was my reply….

Well, as many of us are doing, we are trying to find a way to make a little more money to cover expenses. And, if we are really ambitious, we are taking it to the next level. (i.e. putting together a formal business plan)

If I were you, before I dive in, I would do one of the following:

  1. Go on Ebay (or any website that will sell in bulk) and make a purchase. Then, I would try and sell it on ebay. Take some notes on margin and other issues that will be an important part of your business. I know this is a small scale, but it will give you a feel of what your purchasing price and resell price has to be to be competitive. And, it will allow you to go through the entire sales process (payment, shipping, and order tracking). This will give you some “real” data and experience to talk to bankers or investors with. It will convince them you are serious and are not afraid to get your finger nails dirty.
  2. Make some purchases (maybe you already have) on other sites. Take notes of how their process works, and how much communication they provide.

Additionally, I would:do some searches on business plans. There may be some out there that are “close” to what you want to do. If they are available to be used as templates, then pull one of those down and start. do a search on “wholesale goods”. (or similar search) They will give you projections as to what you make actually make when you sell the items. (If you do the Ebay experiment, you can possibly support the data quoted on the wholesalers website.)

And, if you have further questions, feel free to contact me directly or view what other resources are available on the SCORE.org site.

I am not Dr. Mom….

When the kids need cold medicine or a gentle hand with cuts and scrapes, they need to go to mom. But, when it comes to home dentistry, they come to dad. And, this was especially evident this weekend.

Both of my girls had loose teeth. “Dentist Dads” weapon of choice is a standard piece of dental floss. On daughter #1, the tooth was very loose. I tied a loop in the floss, and it easily went around her tooth. She put her hands over her mouth. And, a quick pull of both ends of the floss, and the tooth was extracted. Daughter #2 also had a loose tooth, but it needed more coaxing. The same technique was used, but my daughter provided all of the early floss pulling power. Dentist Dad had to nudge the string into the area between the gum and the tooth. After my daughter nearly gave up and timidly requested to sleep the night with the floss sticking out of her mouth, Dentist Dad performed the final stages of the extraction. She forgot all of her pain, and gave me her beautiful toothless smile.

Just doing me job……

My Post Office Friends…

The Ebay business I purchased a few weeks ago has continued to get the sales it seems to have gotten before. My sons and I prep the orders, and we place the items in the USPS Priority Mail boxes. I print the labels and sales receipts and stack them for my trip to the Post Office to mail. Someday, I will be ambitious enough to use my scale and to learn how to do the customs paperwork on-line, but until then, I have my post office friends.

  • There seem to be the regular visitors who check their PO Boxes every morning at about the same time. One man and one woman come specifically to mind here. There is also a gentlemen I see about once a week. He brings a big bin in and walks out with it full–he has one of the BIG PO boxes.
  • There is the fellow Ebay seller. I am not sure what he sells online, but he unloads his “Critter Catcher” truck of 3 to 4 items most every morning. He did give me a piece of advice as to what Post Office in the city always has plenty of Priority Mail boxes available.
  • The staff also has its personalities. Most of them are men, but their are two women. The crankiest of the gentlemen is nice enough, but when you look at him, his body language says, “Cranky”. The ladies are very helpful. When I purchased the business, I was not sure how to best use the “self-help” machine to mail my Priority Mail boxes. She sat over my shoulder and confirmed I was making the right choices. Now, I use the machine most of the time, but I have had a few international orders. So, until I do the online paperwork, I have to use the staff.
  • Truly, the most interesting personality is “Bob” (not his real name). He appears to be a permanently happy man in his early 50s.. He yells “Hello” and “Good Morning” to all he sees. I believe he may even shake hands with some of the staff through his PO box. I have seen him at the gas station next door, and he was getting his donut and coffee and giving all he met the same friendly treatment as his postal friends.

I list the people I see at the post office regularly, but the real focus is on Bob. He may not have been blessed with all I am blessed with, but he is very happy and spreads happiness. Some may be annoyed by his lack of a volume control and others by one of his other challenges, but he is happy and he will certainly be missed when he is gone. Sometimes people don’t remember what big things you did, they just notice how consistent you were while doing it.

What does it take to start a home-based business?

As a member of a large organization that helps small businesspeople, I often get the opportunity to communicate with new business people about the businesses they want to grow. In most cases, this is via email, but occasionally, I have the opportunity to meet with one of these clients in person. And, yesterday at Panera was one of those times.

Jill (not her real name) had a couple of product she wants to market on her e-commerce site. We did not spend much time discuss the merits of any of these products. (She had determined my role to be the “web” advisor.) She already had her business set up as an LLC. She had spoken to her accountant, and she was focused on getting her product out on the internet and selling. She told me she had discussed getting a logo and website designed for over $2,000. And, she assured me she was willing to spend less. Her accountant had recommended a program like Quickbooks. And, beyond that, I tried to recommend within those limitations. The bullets below are the point we left the meeting as actionable items:

  • PayPal: Frankly, I was surprised Jill had not set up an account already. Short term, PayPal was going to be her credit card processing. She could sign up for the “virtual machine” and other features that would allow PayPal to process all credit card transactions. And, if she ever needed to refund a payment, this was easily done with PayPal. And, since her product mix was limited, she could create the buttons within PayPal that would allow PayPal transactions to easily process.
  • Google (base & Adwords & blogs): Quite a few things for Jill to keep in mind here….
    • Adwords: This is not for everybody. BUT, if you know the right techniques, you can make sure the money spent to get traffic has a higher percentage of results. (Don’t let your ads show up on “Adsense” sites.)
    • GoogleBase: Based on your products title, you can skip to the top of Google search results!
    • Webmaster Tools: Depending where her website was hosted, this could be very helpful. When you know how your site is being found, you can try to bridge the gap and do what is necessary so you can be found using other keywords.
    • Blogger: Although there is some writing required, it is a good way to let information trickle out about your product expertise.
  • GoDaddy (or any other registrar): Jill already knew what domain she wanted, but after discussing other website options, she wasn’t sure she needed to register her domain name. I don’t know if she was sold on the idea. But, when you are a small company and want to look big, having multiple email addresses at your domain (i.e. sales@yourdomain.com, info@yourdomain.com, etc.) is a quick way to achieve this.
  • Ebay: (newsletters, etc.) After our meeting, Jill believed this was the least expensive way for her to get her website. For less than $20/month, she could load up her store and begin selling. Ebay has many features a regular e-commerce site would have, but it is just not your domain name. I really believed this to be a good quick solution for Jill as she seeks the right product mix.

Well, after our meeting, I emailed Jill the information I had on my logo designer. She replied back that ebay did not seem to be the right venue for her products. So, she wants the name of the designer I have used for some of my websites. I don’t believe I would have success with Jill’s products, but me and the other SCORE volunteers are willing to help her as much as we can. Maybe I can spend some more time on the right “products” in the future….