Never an easy thing to do, but over the past week I have purged a few suppliers from the websites.  (There may still be some residue of their presence on a site or two.)

Most of these suppliers have been on the site for 2-4 years.  They were good suppliers.  They shipped promptly.  They provided tracking information once the items shipped.  And, they were easily available by phone and/or email.  So, why were there products removed from the websites….

1. Lack of sales – I would love to say every supplier that allows me to put their product on my site is guaranteed LOTS of sales.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  My websites have been around a few years, and despite the efforts of my SEO folks, some keywords just have never gained traction.  They know the right way to attach this dilemma, but after a few years of uncooperative sales, it is time to retire the suppliers.  In most cases, I have maintained the category and referred the web customer directly to the suppliers website.
2. Infrequent orders = Ineffective Process – This may come down to some degree of laziness, but it is a fact that cannot be ignored.  Both my assistant and I “dread” the order coming in from a supplier where the last order was more than 3 months ago.  In many cases the margins may not be as high due to the product being a less expensive item.  And, with the additional effort needed to “remember” how to place the order, the profit margin on the product goes down even more.  The supplier this most strongly applies to was a good supplier, but when the profit is less than $10 per item, it is hard justify.
3. Web Maintenance – There are two parts to this problem…both revolving pricing.  When orders are placed infrequently, the supplier does not think of you very quickly when they have to raise their prices.  When an order comes in, often customers need to be called back to make sure they still want to make the purchase.  And, of course, once the NEW price sheet arrives the web pricing needs to be updated.  If the price sheet is over 800 items, their is considerable time to update ALL items.  If only we knew which items were to be purchased, we would only up date those….
4. Ineffective Marketing Efforts – As I seek to use blogs and Facebook and articles etc to highlight the products I carry, SO many products make the marketing inconsistent.  My goal continues to be marketing the products where my margins are highest.  My incentive goes WAY down when I make so little on each sale.  This is more an indictment of me then my suppliers.

My sign business had a pretty good day today largely due to a museum that bought 10 signs off me.  Unfortunately, the museum was a museum that included the oldest profession and other related topics.
And, as if the museum was not enough, I received a tech support call from a “ranch” in Nevada that also engaged in the oldest profession.

Any lessons to be learned here?  None other than the downward spiral of society in general.

I did it yesterday!  I supposedly solved all of my web server problems.  I have been dealing with VERY slow loading web pages on SignsSeen for almost 6 months.  Numerous culprits have been blamed:

• The Google tracking codes
• Adding images in a non-normal way
• Database being too full of products
• Too many categories
• Too much happening on the front page
• Too many custom modules
• Too many simultaneous visitors

What did I do?  I added more memory–2 GB to be exact.  And, all of that would be great if the site indeed loading more quickly.  I did choose to have the server upgraded mid-morning–even though it would cause customer problems.  Fortunately, my consultants did confirm the web server effectively resuscitated. And, after the consultants get back from their Indian holiday on October 6th, I am sure my web server will finally achieve its own nirvana.

I have had built my business to be mobile over the past few years, and that mobility allowed it to move to Texas from Ohio with very few snags. But, when I built the mobility in, I did not realize how I was accident-proofing my business. In the past 6 months, both my hard drive and video have gone out on my computer. And, although I (rather my business) purchased a new computer today, these are the things I have done that have prevented the problems from crippling my business.

1. I have both a 2-Gmail accounts and 1 Yahoo account. I have had a couple of different internet carriers, but I always felt more confident sticking to an email I could control after I left their service. The assistant I hired shared the one Gmail account with me as we track customer issues, and the other Google account is my personal business email. The Yahoo account is almost exclusively personal with a couple of exceptions.
2. I set up an Efax account. The allows me to fax and print from whatever internet connection I am using. I also have a MyFax, but only for sending faxes like email addresses – sometimes the MyFax is just easier.
3. Carbonite has saved me twice just this year. After losing some pictures a few years ago, I was not going to be in that position again. As I write this, my 2nd full restore is taking place this year. If I was relying on my backup harddrive or DVD backups, I would not be nearly as calm as I am now.
4. Citrix for my Quickbooks. If my Quickbooks went down and I lost records, my business would suffer greatly. But, after downloading a file and relogging in to my account, I have full access to ALL of my business records again. And, the chat that is available within Quickbooks is also secure.
5. Google Apps: Both of my Google accounts share some files, but MY stuff stays away from my assistants view. And, what we both need to see can be shared. Yet more calm when a PC crashes. And, the “Task” list is not necessarily an app, but it does provide a way for my assistant and I to keep track of open issues.
6. I operate more than 5 websites. My consultant wrote a custom application for osCommerce that allows me to have a “Super Admin”. I can change orders and download customer data from one application. It prevents me from having to have multiple browser tabs opened for each website.
7. Google Voice and 1stVoice: They both allow me to provide one # that forwards to wherever I am. A must when you move states, AND when you are not always in your office.

I may have missed something, but if anyone else has any other thoughts or ideas, let me know.

Well, it has been quite awhile since I did a post. But, since it has, it is convenient that the subjects are tied together…

During September of 2009, I did begin the process of training a backup. It has had its ups and downs, but this is why it has been successful:

• I hired the right person – I interviewed a couple and considered a couple of others. I allow the person to work during the middle of the day while her kids are at school. The flexibility is fantastic for her, and I am able to do both business and personal things while she manages things.
• Flexibility – Although the training had its challenges and occasional frustrations, we both had the end goal in mind. The present arrangement allows her to log in from her office to both the phones and the accounting program. We chat on line if issues come up, but daily she gains a little more knowledge. And, she has every Wednesday off. This allows her to still “feel” like she is a stay-at-home mom one day a week.
• I hired a consultant – I did not want the headache of an employee, so from the start, she had the option of the hourly wage if she were an employee OR if she was a consultant. And, since the consultant wage was higher, she chose this. If she were an employee, I could dictate her hours better. Fortunately, things have worked pretty well.
• Have plenty of work for them to do – Last March, I hired a consultant in India to help with my website. She was very good at doing exactly what I told her to do. However, when it wasn’t clear, the 10 1/2 hour time difference had me on Skype far longer than I would have desired – often until midnight or after. Now, when my “American” consultant isn’t answering the phones or placing orders, she can update websites and do other minor changes to fill the slow times.
• Be honest – If they see you being dishonest with customers, they question if you will always be honest with them. And, during the training period, she saw how I tried to keep the customer in the forefront of business decisions. If the sale is not right for me or the customer, she saw how I directed the customer to a site or company that might better meet their needs.

What was the driver in hiring a consultant? Beyond the possible burnout, my wife wanted to take a family vacation over Christmas. Prior to this hire, I had always taken my laptop with me. But, on this vacation, I could leave the laptop at home and know that all customers and orders could still be addressed. It was a VERY good feeling!!

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….