February 10, 2004

All You Need is Love... And a Lot of Money....

I feel like the old "Money" song... You know the one where you hear the cash register ch-chinging in the background... Not that I have a lot of money or sales..frankly the sales are dismal for the season... and this is when I certainly need them. But its all the funds going out of here and nothing coming in. Its a mess, a scary mess.

Everything is running into over budget...But I know that this is the way of it and that eventually it will all come back to me. But its very scary to me the control freak...Yet like my ad sales guy said when he came in to pick up his layaway, "You have to move and get out of this place... Business will increase 10 fold..." I hope that he is right.

My floor guy had a communication problem, so when I didn't hear from him at noon yesterday, I called and found another guy and he met us at the store...Wonder of wonders...EARLY... Never happens and I will blow the guys cover and tell the whole town how Ray broke ranks and was on time to an appointment. He found more trouble, a broken toilet that had slowly leaked and ruined the subfloor...more work for the landlord but I am ordering the work and we will work out the details later.

This build out is going faster than an LA Taco Bell... ( they go from ground breaking to the first order going out, in two weeks...) The contractors here cant make up their minds that quickly... They don't understand that time is money and you cant wait around for the other guy.

I need about 3000.00 more than I have. Need some big sales, today!

Had a setback. Sam and Sue Lorch came to the store on Saturday. Seems that Sue was out of line to say anything to us as HE has his own ideas... like he wants to open his own "repair factory" out of their house. Pick up repairs from jewelers, do the work and return it. No customer connection at all... OK but that's not creative or anything, but that's what he wants, what she wants (which was, she said to work in a small shop in a creative way...) is not important... Feels like he can come in and undercut the current "guy that does this" Well that "current guy" is John Adair, the owner of a well respected business that I admire and know he spent a long time developing trust... You don't just rush in and get that...I wont support that.

People now take their work to John Adair, who they know is working out of his home as he lost his lease to his retail store and didn't have the money to make a move. For 15 years his store Thundering Seas Jewelers, was a staple here. He does a lot of more modern creative stuff, and has a following. His retail demise led me to open my place. People trust him and he has a repair/custom work following as well . Takes time to develop that. ( check out his code of ethics would that we all have that...)Sam wont get that over night...

I have a vision of being a place where people can bring their treasures, like grandma's wedding rings and have them lovingly worked on and restored. You would always know where your piece was, because it isn't leaving the store. You would have jeweler to talk to and a place to sit and people you know to deal with... Sort of like it was not so long ago... This is how craftsmen do business. I want someone who feels this way . Ya you wont get rich but you will have the satisfaction of doing a beautiful thing the best most loving way possible... That is the essence of Aloha.

One concern is that they don't want to teach anyone.I guess they got ripped off by people that didn't stay after they were trained. .. I only want to learn so that I can be a good business person and that is another criteria, be willing to show me how, not so I can do your job, but so that I can understand what is being done and be an educated person. I am studying the business end of the jewelry business more than the manufacturing end anyway.

If I had a nickel for everytime I said to myself how much I love the jewelry trade Id be a rich woman. If good intentions were a line of credit or that desire to be the best was a negotiable instrument, Id have wealth to do what I feel I need to do, But for now what I have is what I have and I can only be thankful that there is that much and more to come.

All you need is love... and a bit of faith... cash helps too