prayers answered

I can’t believe I’m sitting with the last day of 2011…ready to literally leap into the NEW YEAR of 2012!  I can’t wait to see what unfolds in the coming year!!

The title “prayers answered” came to me as I was silently giving thanks for John Frisch and Leewood Press.  I knew in September and October when I was crazy busy putting orders together (doing fulfillment), that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with orders AND do the other things I needed/wanted to do to continue to grow the business.  I also knew that I needed to find a new printer.  As much as I loved working with Ken and the gang at H&H Imaging, I was paying a premium for digital printing.  It served me well initially because it allowed for smaller print runs.  Now I could see that my card business was viable as I continued to get new AND re-orders.  I needed to reduce the cost of each card and finding an offset printer would allow for that.  So when orders slowed down in November I began searching for printers and help with fulfillment.  I met with 3 different printers and for various reasons none of them seemed to work.  I also had tried solving the fulfillment problem by asking someone to help me put orders together.  She came over and I showed her what was entailed and we even put a few orders together.  We discussed how initially I only would need help maybe 2 or 3 days a week for 2 hours at a time or so.  I felt I had a solution.  A few days later I received an email from the person and she explained that she wouldn’t be able to help me as her husband had some health problems he was facing and she needed to be available for that.  I did understand and kept “praying for the highest good for all concerned”, my favorite prayer in the world.  I literally ran into Patrick from DODOcase one day while walking to meet another potential fulfillment solution.  This was a non-profit that shipped out product for various small companies.  The Non-Profit I met with didn’t “feel” right either.  I contacted the company Patrick suggested via email and heard back from them stating that they wouldn’t be able to meet till mid January.  Shit, I thought, I need to get this figured out before then so more prayers and trusting in the way the Universe works…

I was picking up an order of my new cards at H&H in early December when I broke the news to Ken that I had been looking for an offset printer.  I explained that I needed to lower my cost of cards.  He did understand and suggested John at Leewood Press.  So with that, I contacted John.  Prayers Answered!  I immediately liked him and felt that this could be the printer I was looking for…and then when I mentioned my fulfillment problem he said they could help with that too!  Bingo!  I hit the jackpot!!  John has not only met but exceeded my expectations (what one is taught to do in “Sales 101″) by having pricing for me when he said he would and returning emails.  I’ve met with him 2 more times and he continues to reassure me that we can figure out this fulfillment piece.  I realize I’m having a hard time letting my baby go…I don’t want to fill all the orders but somehow the knowledge that I’m going to pack up all my inventory so it can be transported over to his facility next week made me a bit wistful.  Yet I’m thrilled with knowledge that I’m taking a BIG step forward with this move.  And to know that I’m going to print thousands and thousands of cards at one time is another BIG leap.

I smiled when I saw that Leewood Press is located on Indiana Street.  I told John that I grew up in Indiana; he’s hails from Illinois, a fellow Midwesterner.  It all made sense…I owe Ken a big thank you for the introduction!

So I sit with the last day of 2011 giving thanks for ALL that transpired in this year.  For all the shows I’ve attended, people met, reps that I’ve contacted who have agreed to take on the line, stores that have purchased and the few workshops I’ve given, I’m forever grateful!  For recognizing that I have created a viable company that is allowing my “words and watercolors” to be out in the world “enriching and inspiring”!  For a phone call yesterday that affirmed my company will continue to grow little by little (someone who attended services at Grace Cathedral last week and who purchased my cards in their gift shop.  He called me to ask if I had a catalog I could send explaining that he is a volunteer at St. Margaret’s of Scotland church in Palm Desert, CA. …he plans to order my cards for their gift shop!)…Thank-You…Thank-You…Thank-You…

2012 Awaits!  I’ve attached one of my favorite paintings of Winter…It has been a Holiday card with Brush Dance and will be one of mine this year!

 

feeling accomplished

Just returned from dropping off 5 boxes at FedEx.  The boxes contains all I need to set up my booth in January at the Atlanta Gift Show…cards/envelopes for the racks (those are shipping new from a vendor in Chicago), cards on colored ribbons, complete decks of cards for ordering purposes, matted cards, new catalogs, baskets to hold things, order forms….you get the picture.  I systematically went through and made sure I got what I needed.  Just after I taped up the last of the boxes complete with the FedEx labels on them I remembered…business cards!  Oh Well, I’ll have to remember to take those in my suitcase.  Thankfully they are small enough that it wasn’t a big uh oh.  I feel so darn accomplished because it takes me time to do this type of work and I’m not the most organized person so thinking through and preparing for me can be (and is) a real chore.  At least it is done and I know I’ve met the deadline of December 30th for product to be at the Atlanta Gift Show Warehouse.  Good thing is when I arrive on the 12th of January to set up my booth, all my boxes will be there waiting for me!

Onto end of the year finishing up to prepare for the BIG 2012 I feel is cooking!!  The past 18 months I’ve laid the groundwork and hoping that lots of GOOD comes Words and Watercolors way in the new year.  Momentum feels like it.  I sat down today with my notebook doing my normal Monday “To Do” list.  In addition I quickly wrote down a list of goals for 2012!  I couldn’t help myself!  It felt like they were waiting to be captured on paper.  I got excited as I reviewed the list.  It’s going to be a great year!

One thing I’ve noticed is my increased confidence level which translates into optimism and with that the belief that “Anything truly is possible!”.  Have you written down your 2012 goals yet?  Looked backwards at 2011 and patted your back for all you accomplished?  Now’s the time to do so…Well maybe next week as this is the lead up to Christmas and time for celebrating with family and friends.

I always think of this week in rich Christmas colors of deep red/green and highlighted with gold but after Christmas the colors change and I see the bold blue and sparkling silver of a New Year looming!

Merry Christmas!

 

 

busy busy busy bee

I’ve been buzzing around flitting from one thing to another as I go about preparing for 2012!  I have the sense that it is going to be a breakthrough, huge year for words and watercolors!!  My confidence level has increased a zillion times over where it was about a year ago as I was still so hesitant about living my dream.  I look back at this year and am quite amazed with all the foundation that was built as I added new designs, reps and rep groups, attended shows and shipped orders.  Sales and repeat sales has me believing that this venture will continue to grow and I can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for 2012.

On my plate recently has been researching printer options as I want to shift from digital (which allows for shorter runs but has higher prices) to offset (which brings the cost down but then inventory and warehouse becomes issues to consider).  I’ve been talking to a few printers and hopefully feel as if I’m getting closer to finding the one that will be a great partner.  In addition to printers, I’m considering what new products I can add for 2012.  My 2012 Calendar is the last one I will have done with Brush Dance.  I hope to create my own for 2013.  In addition to 2013 calendars, I want to bring out boxed notes.  My Seattle rep, Suzie Gildea, suggested boxed notes of my Anytime cards.  Funny enough, as I was researching pricing last week, I got a phone call from Carol at Alden Lane Nursery who wanted to purchase more Anytime cards…because someone had come in and asked for those cards in boxed notes!  I love the affirmation that I’m on the right track!!

I’m grateful that this is December and with that a slowed down time for orders.  It’s giving me the time to do the research on printers, costs of products  plus make travel arrangements for January (Atlanta and Chicago Gift Shows), pick up my 25 new designs from printer, get new catalogs printed, and get all new product out to reps and showrooms.  Whew.  Oh yeah, hopefully will solve the problem of inventory, order fulfillment and warehousing with an idea from Sarah.  She owns a house across the street where her Mom lived for some time.  Now her Mom is in a nursing home and she and Chris have renters in the house.  One of the girls renting maybe the solution to order fulfillment and the basement over there can be the extra space I need since my 2nd bedroom/warehouse is about maxed out.  It’s all working out….and I’m grateful for the idea to “wonder” about solutions rather than stress about problems.

It being the end of the year, I’m looking forward to taking some time to assess what happened in 2011 and prepare for 2012 with clear goals and intentions.  I began the process last Friday when on a hike with my friends Steve and Lauren.  We’ve been doing some accountability with each other this fall on goal setting.  As we walked through one of my favorite parks here in San Francisco on a beautiful, sunny, afternoon talking about what we hope to accomplish in 2012 we stumbled upon the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater at the Park.  I saw that stage and couldn’t wait to jump up and proclaim to all the (empty) seats my goals for 2012!  It took some convincing but Steve and Lauren joined me in talking to the audience!!  What have you been thinking about for your 2012 year?  It’s going to be a HUGE year!!  Plan to make it an amazing one!