The Infection

Sometimes something small and unimportant becomes big and scary and very important - but only when you least expect it and only when your whole life is focused on something else. We have been working on an extra special, extra large wholesale order this past month and it has consumed so much of our life that when Doug started talking about his leg hurting again we both just brushed it off. We all kept working and powering through the long and sleepless nights. But last week, when the pain became unbearable, we started paying more attention. As you know, he had an infection in a torn muscle and was on antibiotics for a few weeks that we thought has done the trick. But it just wasn't healing, and in fact, it was becoming worse. So, back to the hospital we went, and found out that the infection has spread to his lymph nodes. Back on antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and bed rest.
 

The holidays are our busiest season and for being self employed, we don't take days off. We work endlessly to get orders out and we love it. But this has been scary. Infections are scary, and being in so much pain you can't walk, that's really scary too. So no matter what, no matter how many pending orders we have, no matter how much work we have, being healthy comes first and I feel lucky we have so many understanding, caring customers and friends.  

We are the kind of people who have to be drug to the doctors office kicking and screaming. We writhe in pain, cry, scream, cough up blood and chop the tips of our fingers off - and still insist that a doctor isn't necessary. But this experience, it has changed us. An infection in your body can be deadly and it is something that you don't take lightly. It took Doug almost a month before he let me take him to the hospital, and when the pain came back, it took a few days for me to convince him he had to go. We spent all night there, and when we got home and crawled into bed, we both felt better. I don't know what I would do without Doug and a fear of the hospital just isn't worth the risk. 

Anyways, long story short, we learned a lesson, Doug is already feeling a little bit better but is pretty confined to the couch for a little while and still in a lot of pain. We are leaving for Florida for Thanksgiving on Wednesday and I'm hoping a quick vacation and family time will do everyone good. We get pretty spoiled when we go home. 

Have you ever been hurt/sick and not done anything about it? I know there are lessons to be learned in all of this - tell us about yours. 

Holiday Gift Guide for Dads and Dudes

I am a born gift giver. I love giving gifts and I love the holidays because it is just another reason to give gifts. Also, I love supporting handmade and small businesses, as you know. So for the next month, I am going to try to do one of these a week. Enjoy!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

love,

Beca

Five Awesome Tips to Amp Up your Customer Service

In the last 10 months of making sunglasses, we have experienced so many different customer interactions, and have learned so much about how to have great customer service, even when things go wrong. It would be selfish of me to not share some of my experiences and lessons learned. Even if they are just reminders rather than tips, I hope they help in your everyday interactions with customers.

{via Little Minnow Designs}

1. PLEASE AND THANK YOU GO A LONG WAY You are providing a service. Or a product. And in turn, your customers are paying your bills and helping you be self employed. It is a win win situation, and deserves a big ole' thank you. I end each and every email with thank you. I probably start most emails with thank you. It is so important for my customers to know how much I appreciate them, whether it's appreciating their purchase, or appreciate them being understanding when an order takes longer than expected, or whatever may be the case as to why you need to say thank you. Say thank you! SAY THANK YOU! And throw in a please every now and then for good measure. And just so you know I do as I say...here is a blurb from every single listing in our shop Thanks for looking and please contact us if you have any questions at all! You can visit our shop at www.etsy.com/shop/tumbleweedsoddities

{via Quill and Fox}

2. BE REACHABLE This is 2012. If you own a business, by God, get a smart phone that links up to your email and be accessible. I can't tell you how many times a customer has emailed me with a last minute request and because I was close to the computer or my phone, I could accommodate them right away before they just clicked elsewhere to another shop. That doesn't, by any means, mean you need to be answering emails at 3:30am and stop everything you're doing to respond to customers. If you work from 8am-6pm, make sure you are available during those hours to respond to customers and let them know your work hours up front. I tend to work all the time. If I'm able to, I'll answer emails. This isn't very healthy, but it's true. And just last night, I got a last minute email from a groom looking for very very last minute gifts for his groomsmen. Because I was still up working and had my email close to me, i was able to help him out and we received a large order from it. You also may get a last minute email from a magazine or newspaper that needs a photo that night, or the next day, and if you're not "ON" then you're going to miss out. Owning a small business online, you don't get the face to face interactions some business owners do, so email really is the only face-time your customers get. Make sure it counts.

{via Clean Wash}

3. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY AND DON'T MAKE PROMISES YOU CAN'T KEEP. This has been my biggest downfall. I want to say YES YES YES to everyone and everything! But remember you are human, you can't say yes to every request. And most importantly, your customer will appreciate the quality of your product over speediness of shipping. And be honest, if you can't complete an order in a timely matter, tell your customer. Communicate! And over estimate. If you think it will take 2 weeks to complete an order, then tell your customer 2-3 weeks. They will be pleasantly surprised when they receive their order soon, and you are safe in case you encounter problems along the way. If you encounter a customer who isn't happy at any point along the way, don't give-up. Do your best to accommodate, and if you can't make them happy, offer a refund. It's the last step, but it is always an option.

{via Amanda Catherine Des}

4. BE PATIENT WITH LANGUAGE AND CUSTOM DIFFERENCES Your customers come from all over the world. They may be using a translator or they may be using limited English language skills. They may have perfect English, but have very different customs than you. When communicating with customers or potential customers, be very clear. Don't assume they read your policies (they probably haven't) and don't be vague, it only leads to problems later on down the road. Ask as many questions as you need to, and don't ignore a question or email that you think is obvious. I get emails daily asking whether we ship overseas. Of course, in our policies and on each listing it says that, but if somebody is looking at our shop with a translator, it may not show up, or they just may have missed it, so I always reply with the shipping cost for overseas and instructions on how to choose overseas shipping.

{via Winged Feet Design}

5. FIND A SPECIAL WAY TO SAY THANK YOU. Remember, you wouldn't have a small business if you didn't have customers, and no matter how much communication you have with each and every customer, a special hand written note, gift, or coupon code got a long way. From my own experience as a seller, things go wrong. They do. Surprise! It's a small biz dirty little secret. But when you make a mistake, if something breaks or you ship the wrong order or are slow on shipping, do something special for your customer. Sometimes that means paying a little extra for shipping. Don't break the bank, but give them a partial refund if they have to wait especially long. Send along an extra gift if you have to replace an item. It means the world to your customer and will make you feel good at the end of the day.

{via Dondalees}

Do you have any great tips to share on customer service, or a sweet story of having great customer service/receiving awesome customer care? I would love to read them in the comments! Thanks for reading!

xo,

Beca

Local Business Spotlight // eloS

I have been meaning to stop into eloS for the past week or so, but you know me, homebody + busiest person alive right now, but this evening, after a quick post office run, we had about 45 minutes until Tao opened, so we walked the two blocks down to this new little shoe store. Being that we own a small business on Adams Avenue, I get a little amped when I see other new shops opening, especially when they are not dollar stores or another nail salon. eloS is not quite like the other popular shoe stores in town, I am more familiar with Mint, as it was right next to the bakery where I worked. Mint is street wear for hipsters, fashionistas and Urban-Lumberjacks. eloS is a bit different, valuing comfort and quality over the hippest trend.

I met Lisa, the owner of eloS when she stopped into our grand opening, and she is definitely well versed in the world of footwear. A long time shoe designer, Lisa has curated quite the selection. From Clarks to Keds, the fact remains, if you're looking for shoes that last, eloS is the place to go.

facebook // website

So, if you're in Normal Heights, make sure you make plans to drop into eloS, they are right down the street from us! Also a great place to get holiday gifts, while supporting a small business!

xo,

Beca

There are few things greater than a to-do list of orders that is completely checked off. I won't show you the back side or page two, but when I look at this, it fills me with joy. I am coming down with a cold. OF COURSE! Of course I am coming down with a cold, right now, when we are this busy! But I'm going to power through it.

You know, I guess it's taboo to talk about when it comes to blogging. Or as my bestie Danielle said"the unspoken rules" but I'm going to say it, loud and clear. We're so broke. It's been rough. Go to the grocery or ship out orders. Pay the internet bill or buy materials. This or that. What can be put off, what is most important. Can we wait to pay the rent, can we get away with only paying half the phone bill. Do we eat ramen {mmmmm} so we can put gas in the van. Now before you go all crazy and point your little fingers up at that list, let me explain something to you. Our product isn't cheap to make. Of course we have a reasonable mark-up, but it isn't cheap. Our supplies don't grow in trees {err...wait a second.....} and for many of our wholesale orders, we don't get paid until after the product is delivered.

I always took my paychecks for granted you know, they paid a bill or two, or went to groceries. Having our own business is hard, and stressful and scary. We work 12, sometimes 18 hours a day and aren't making enough to buy groceries. Wouldn't that scare you? We are bound to the habits of etsy shoppers and etsy's newest policies/searches/ads have us biting our nails and over-checking the email. It's just the truth.

I'm glad for everything we have and so thankful for certain orders that have been placed recently, because without the support of our wholesale orders, we would be even more stressed out. Thankful isn't even a big enough word. So, yeah, bills suck. Being a small business owner is hard. We are grateful.

That is all for now. I feel yucky and need to finish some work tonight before I can hit the pillow.

xo,

Beca

Verbal Jigsaw Puzzle

It's crazy how after a long talk with a good friend, I am realizing that if I want to make all of this, all of this, work, then I need a bit more structure in my life. A schedule. A plan. A means to an end. No, not that kind of end, just an end of the month, end of the week, end of the day. I seem to go on and on, and when I get burnt out, it means I have to put the brakes on everything because I just can't function.

This recent change in the payroll department has thrown me for a bit of a loop. You all know, I hated that job. Not what I did, but where I was and who I was around. The negativity tangled the lattices of my pies and deflated the whipping cream on the strawberry short cake. My ego was bruised and my self confidence was trampled. It really did force me into this spiral of depression. My whole week was centered around the three days that I had to go into that kitchen. I felt this brick on my shoulders, chip, anvil, whatever you want to call it. The last week, I have been sad. Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out and just plain sad. BUT, good news people. I am kicking it back into gear. We have been planning and planning for the past week or so some new projects. I haven't been this excited about the future, well, ever.

I still can't believe it has been one month, exactly since we opened the doors to the Odd Shop. I'll tell you this. Opening up a storefront has been so incredibly stressful for us. Every penny we make goes towards bills, rent, supplies, etc. We sometimes only make a few dollars a day, and although I don't care very much about money, it is crucial to us keeping our head above water.

I can't wait to get the kinks worked out on all these little projects coming up, but I will tell you, it will involve me doing a lot more baking, planing a cross country road trip, opening up the shop for classes, sewing, video (!!!) and lots more. Since I have about a million things to share, I am going to break it down to a small list. Lists are good.

1 // I discovered my sewing machine has no problem sewing leather.

2 // Rediscovering my love of shooting video

3 // A regular customer from the bakery called me tonight and informed me that he told the owners that he will no longer be coming into their bakery and asked me to start making cookies for him and his wife on a regular basis. That made my whole week.

4 // Writers block is slowly exiting the room. I feel like all I have been sharing is shop stuff and boring photos.

5 // Working on some ridiculous DIYs / recipe tutorials. Back in the game, y'all.

6 // I love not having a TV. I miss it sometimes, but really, it has changed our whole life.

7 // I sat with Doug tonight eating nachos for dinner just looking at our shop. It's so beautiful. Every inch of it.

8 // We are taking our I'm a Giant dollhouse to another level. I can't even whisper what we're doing, but you'll see it soon. :)

9 // I went on a shopping/eating/hanging out excursion with a new friend and it was really fun. We spent way too much time in anthropologie, and I was way too stoked to see that they are now carrying product from one of my favorite etsy shops. Peg & Awl.

10 // Doug and I have been watching a lot of late late late night movies when we should be sleeping. That makes me super happy.

SO, now that I am not a depressed lump, what's going on with you!?!?!

xo,

Beca

Shop Update

Doug and I pulled out the tool box last night and made some gems for the shop. I am going to spend the day working on some more new designs. The purple suede rings we made from upcycled leather sold so quickly, that I will be making some more of those too.

I love the rustic feel of this last one. It has so much character and the leather is SO soft! And isn't that coffin neat! It's backed with royal purple suede, so pretty.

I am also happy to announce that we will be working with Sleepy Pony Designs to create the tags and business cards for our shop. I will definitely share with you all when everything is done. We are working together from over 2000 miles apart, so this will be a long term project. I am really excited about it. They also make really lovely jewelery, you should give them a peek.

I have also been working on packaging our jewelery. Here are some little bags I made last night for a special order.

What do you think?

I feel like we've been pretty productive over the past few days. Trying to get through this cold and trying to not be too super bummed about having to go to work tonight. In three days, it will be our shops 6 month anniversary, which means in 6 months, my goal of quitting my day job for this business will need to be a reality. Count down begins. I signed up for the Indie Business Course through The Freckled Nest and, not to be a constant worrier about money, but I hope it's worth the $90. Prove this skeptic wrong! I'm actually REALLY excited about it. I feel like I'm going to school again!

Be on the lookout for a crazy great internet party for our shops 6th month anniversary on the 27th. Insane deals. Special offers, and a GIVEAWAY! My first (real) giveaway! Hooray! Have a great Thursday!

xo,

Beca

A List for Listmakers

Good morning!! I woke up with so many ideas pumping through me for our shop. I thin kit's because I just found out I am going to have FOUR DAYS OFF in a row this week. I am definitely getting what I asked for, I have been working like it is nobodies business and it's been exhausting. I haven't been able to put the time and energy into our shop that I would like to. So, I am making a list, and making it public so that I have more pressure to get it all done, and you all can be my cheer squad to help motivate me to be awesome! *wink wink*

1. I want to retake all of the old photos in the shop. I am NOT super happy with the mish-mash of photography.

We have come up with a really pretty place to take photos and since we plan on being here for a while, we'll be able to take consistent photos and make the shop look great. Not that I don't love the old photos, because I do, but I don't like taking the time and energy that it takes to have the infinity background.

2. Business cards!! My dear, sweet man brought home a stack of veneer (very thin wooden strips) for us to cut out and stamp for our business cards. Wooden business cards!!! I purchased a custom designed rubber stamp (that I designed!!) that should be in the mail within the next week or so, so well be making those next week I hope. I will have photos as soon as they are done. I'll also share the process, since it will be a really fun project.

(a small portion of the wood we are going to use...so pretty!)

3. I would like to up the ante on this blog, and really get a consistent design going. I am so appreciative of everyone who frequents this little space! I want to make it easier to navigate and more fluid.

I will not be changing the format of how I write or what I write about, since it is who I am and I will always include my personal life with our shop and our art. It is all the same to me. But design wise. I may also be buying some more ad space for March. We bought ad space for Sometimes Sweet in November, and it was our first time, and Danielle's first month having sponsors, so it didn't do too much for us traffic-wise, but I am up for trying it out again.

Any suggestions on some blogs we should sponsor?

I am also thinking of doing some weekly features incorporating items in our shop with other shops on etsy, or something of that nature. I don't know yet, but I'll work on it. You will start seeing some changes for the better on here soon!

That's it for now, I have some fondant to play with. (Photos to come)

Have a great Saturday and I will probably be adding more to this list after this week!

xo,

Beca