Lessons learned and then some!

[sabakakrazny]

so, this was the first year I've been doing horns, and the first time time I've done work thru the holidays of December, and boy, did I learn some valuable lessons! I seriously underestimated what I'd be up against , and that included some of these:

Holidays are rife with all sorts of anti-work issues - such as holiday closings of post offices, suppliers, and weird shipping delays from same.Wound up trying to chew thru a bunch of this.

Family shizzola, guaranteeing work gets shorted for time such as illnesses, sudden arrival of and schedule interference by inlaws, relatives, family days, MOAR relatives, and such things. Never mind the work delays due to you just don't dare tell the lovely relations to piss off, I'm workin! and keep any peace at all.

Tension, tension and MORE tension, mostly due to all of the above.

And a wicked bad dose of this years flu, which did nothing to help.

Shipping delays getting the stuff out to customers, mostly due to the above. ( Its the customers that suffered, and while the work got done in nice fashion, getting things shipped out in December has been a major hair pulling excersize.) They've been patient with me, but probably are even as we speak tapping toes, looking at watches and muttering under their breath - and I do not blame them, either! I hate doing business that way.

As usual, the bright point has been my customers, all of whom to a one has been ( so far! ) both understanding and patient, more than I expected and probably more so than I deserved!

I'm contemplating next year making December a NO_GO month, just so i can be sure I can better service my customers and because if these are common hurdles I have more doubts that I can manage the service I think they should expect. ( I haven't really had any problems on that any other month of the year )

So, out of curiosity, am I the only one that finds taking commissions during December a challenge, or is this just me being a dumbass? ^.^

Ideas? Suggestions would in no way go amiss.

[wAUrrior]

Take commissions for Christmas/Yule at least one month in advance and set a cut off date for new commissions. You do great work and are easy to work with. Deadlines force your customers and yourself to plan better. Also you know you will have a dead period with zero new commissions. Also you can't plan for illness, shite happens. Keep up the excellent work!

[Pitbull Armory]

I hear you. Winter is tuff to get stuff done even without the hollidays, Freezing shop, snow, wind storms, flooding, power outages, etc. I never plan on getting much done in december. Course it dont really matter since I dont keep an order list anymore. So much nicer.


Take care


Pb

[The Iron Dwarf]

sold out of forges, been making more all through the holiday and its freezing

[Pitbull Armory]

Forge work is the only kind of work I like in the winter )

[kaolin]

I agree with wAUrrior. Set a cut off time that lets you get the work done and out the door before the holiday silliness begins. Maybe set up an Etsy store of finished horns that can be purchased up to two weeks before Christmas but no later. And, you can not plan for an illness especially a really nasty one. Your customers, and family, just have to accept that one and hope it doesn't happen again every year.

[SvenskaFlicka]

Yeah, I learned some of these lessons the hard way this year too. I became ill for a week, and then with visiting family, and half of my yarn suppliers being shut down for the holidays, it's been difficult to restock and fill orders.

Thankfully, all those ordering custom costumes have been understanding.

[Jeff J]

Good for you for recognizing the issues. A lot of industries use the holiday season for re-tooling, cleanup, organizing, etc. with no pressure for deliveries or such. Maybe you ought consider it in the same way.

[knotwolf]

I have found over the years that this is by far the hardest time of year for my business, and sadly, have come to dread the holiday season. Aint no fun bein po at X-Mas.

In addition to the usual issues of shipping complications, weather issues, materials problems, etc, many of my customers are low on cash from the season. Paying the armorer is fairly low on most lists anyway, and this is routinely the most difficult season to pay even the basic bills of life.

I'm currently working around bad glasses I can't afford to replace, deciding whether to pay the rent on my shop or my apartment, refunding the down on a cancelled order, and wondering how to replace the air compressor that blew up yesterday. Not meant as a "poor me" list, just an example of what this season is like on a yearly basis. My gal does her best to convince me I can make it through, thankfully she has more faith in me than I do.

If I was good an anything else I'd probably wise up & do that instead.

Lots of good advice in the previous posts, hope I can put some of it to good use.

R

[Bender]

December shipping is a bitch. I'm still waiting for word from welding supply on when they are getting my back ordered mt800 rose tip heater shipped.

[seanjohnson1]

Not an armorer, but i have been selling alot of my collection off the last 2 x-mas seasons...HOLIDAYS SUCK!!!!

Money problems, flu, delays in mailing, post office screw ups, work problems...i thought some people on here were gonna want to kill me on how late i got stuff out to them--and from their view i DID deserve it...

I think HOLIDAYS are awful for any mail order business and/or craftsmen

PS everyone was quite nice to me thru my difficulties--- so thanks all!

PS and if ur reading this, the last of my cash refunds to make amends for my 2-3 months late is going out 1/10/13.

Thanks again everyone! i really love this Archive and i am trying to repair my reputation after the "great screw up of Sean Fall/Winter 2012..."