Its already February

I'm not exactly sure where January went to. Is it possible to loose a month? At the end of the year I had so many plans, and they have pretty much gone to the wayside with real life getting in the way. So here I am in February trying to play catch up and struggling. Its almost like starting over again. Yikes! Promotion Promotion Promotion! So where to start.

One of the places I know I can start is updating this darned blog. Its a very valuable tool, but there is a trick to it. You have to post to it, and you have to tell people that you have posted to it! Its seriously not rocket science, but sometimes it is a mental struggle.

There are so many things I want to offer on my blog this year. New tutorials, new items, business "non" strategy. How not to do what Jessie does. Seriously, i can probably save you loads of time by just telling you what has backfired for me. One of the places I know I can start is with my shop. I did a complete inventory clean out, and decided to change my way of listing products. Where most items were created on demand, I have now gone to a complete ready made system. Yes I still do custom orders, but going ready made makes it easier to keep up with orders. So instead of the customer waiting on me to get it made, now whatever is in my shop can be shipped within 2 days. Most customers don't care if my dog gets sick, or my kids need some mommy time, they really just want their items. So by going ready made, Its already created, and the postman can pick it up!

I have also initiated a small shipping charge. I used to do free shipping and hoped that my orders got to where they were supposed to go. That kind of backfired. Sometimes orders don't get to where they need to go, and then there are a few people out there that will say they never received their item. It is the way of the world. By having a small shipping fee I am able to do delivery confirmation. It is protection for the buyer and for myself. Lets face it, Paypal really doesn't care how many times I say I shipped it. They want a numeric code as proof, and proof is what paypal will have!
I have also added some new Items to my shop. I have ventured out from my simple camera straps. I know offer a range of items. There are Composition book covers, Thread Catchers, CD Visors, etc. I want to eventually add some baby items, and some kitchen wares.
I am now offering a new product sale. I have decided to load new products into the store on Friday, and offer them at a 15% discount for the weekend.
I'm really excited about these new changes, and cant wait to get this rolling along again. Its going to be a bit uphill for a while, I know that the next month will be insane trying to drive in business. You only get out of this what you put into it. isn't that what they say? And lets be honest, I have the sewing part down already, Its the part where I have to tell people about it that is going to be the uphill battle!

Something to remember. people cant use ESP to realize that they cant live without one of my handmade, one of a kind items!