I'm giving you a warning ahead of time that this blog may seem like I'm rambling. Good reader, pull up a chair, a cup of coffee, and have a read.
I've made just about every mistake there is when it comes to running a business. However, at the same time, I have learned from many of those mistakes and I have adapted. Earlier in the summer I ran a July 1st sale. I didn't really do any planning or preparation. A couple social media posts, an e-mail and voila....a sale! What I didn't factor in was that this would be one of our largest sale events- EVER! While the day started off well, about one hour into things, we lost power. This added more work to an already stressful day. I also ran out of boxes and office supplies. I have since learned that before running any sort of sale, I need to make sure I am truly prepared or ready for the big event.
This summer was certainly an interesting one. In the last couple of years, Summer has been traditionally very slow for my company. People are usually travelling or away from home. This year things were very different. Even my family had planned on a big trip this summer and our plans also got cancelled. We changed things up and at the last minute, rented a cabin. It was a great treat to get away from home and take in nature. Side note: There's something very meditative about drinking a hot cup of coffee watching the sunrise and the calm water on the lake. Once back to the city, -needless to say, things were still very busy.
It looks like September and maybe Autumn, is knocking on the door. I hate to say it, but I do think the leaves are starting to change and I'm seeing cooler temperatures in the mornings and evenings. While no one likes to hear "back to school" (except parents- maybe) it can be a time to reflect on another season gone by and a reflection of the season to come. This Summer we added 4 new product lines such as Noble Otter, Hendrix Classics, Bartigan & Stark and MacDuffs. We also brought back Stirling Soaps. Each of these artisans are passionate about the products they make and I'm really proud to carry them in our online store. Fall will be exciting for us as we add some more new products from Artisans. We have a couple of products coming to us from Israel and Australia (to name a few)
I've had quite a few suggestions from customers on various products to add to my online store. Keep them coming! I love hearing from you. My commitment is still to promote the Canadian Artisan. When I first started our Canadiana Collection the goal was to showcase all of the products we carried that were made in Canada. At the time, we had over 3 dozen different products. We've grown that collection to over TWO HUNDRED different products made locally or across Canada.
Where was I????
In many ways, our shaves can also change or adapt to the new season. A customer of mine shared a great photo of his shaving den at the cabin. It's quite different than his shave den at home. I find I go into "Back to School" mode with my shaves. I tend to steer more towards wood notes or warmer scents in the fall versus the lighter citrus notes one might expect in the Summer. Then again, there are no rules for shaving when it comes to picking your scent. I also decided I wanted to spend more time learning more about the craft of traditional wet shaving. So in a way, it's back to school for me too! One lesson learned in this hobby- just have fun with it.
Time to go fulfill some orders.
May all your shaves be smooth.
Photo Credit: Yan Berthemy via Unsplash.
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