Downtime

[Mojo]

Shhhhhh...... Did you hear that ? It is the sound of silence. No machines running and no phone ringing.

It is completely dead. Orders are non existent, I have one order on the boards for next month and nothing in the works at the moment. So what is an old stitcher to do ? Enjoy the peace because it wont be long before all the Q-Tip's ( seniors ) will hit Florida and all hell will break loose again.

I started our landscaping project and have the fire pit about done. We had four pallet loads of materials ( bricks, pavers and decorative wall blocks ) brought in and once those are done we have 18 yards of mulch to put down. Yesterday I spent  sometime in my woodshop and built 4 wooden urns for my kids and us. I ordered in some exotic wood from South America and Africa and the urns came out nice. They will hold the ashes of my Mom & Dad as well as Trooper a retired K-9 dog we had as our family dog for 7 years after he was retired from a Sheriff dept. The wood is gorgeous but expensive and it ate up my router bit and a saw blade. The stuff was hard as a rock.

I guess I should be nervous right now because there is no business but this week I adopted the " rats Ass " attitude. In other words I do not give a RA"s. This has been a phenomenal year for us and I have been going non stop since the first of the year. I am just coming off a month of 7 day a week sewing and I needed this downtime and am enjoying it. I am hoping things stay this way for the rest of the month. :)

Now to get back to some of my other projects. Ones I enjoy. :)

Chris

[Mike]

Last week i ran out.  All done. I did some more work on my shop ac project.   But then monday i got a small job and  then  a second small c.Over yesterday and i got one maybe, and a couple to figure next week out of towners comming. Next week.   I ised to get worried but usualy just as i near the end jobs slway come in.  This year aside crom nh winters was the first time i actually ran out of jobs.
Enjoy. The lack of rush is nice.

[Mojo]

Mike:

I may be sending that patio awning job to you. It is a Girard and will need Sunbrella. My customer just arrived back in your area. I believe he will let you sew it with white Sunguard since it is a patio awning and not always subject to UV rays down here like the slide toppers.

I will let you know.

What I should do is send you all my work so I can re-retire......lol....:)

Chris

[Mike]

No i should have you come here to train so i can retire and go fishing. Ill bring home dinner. If i dont eat it for linch

[bobbin]

My quote for 2 wing chair slipcovers was shot down yesterday.  The woman said she found a shop that would do them for half the price I quoted.  Sigh. 

Dollars to doughnuts the "shop" she found isn't a shop, at all.  I bet no taxes are being paid.  I did some calculating and determined if I opted to do the work for the price she said she'd been quoted I'd be working for under $10./hr..  I'm discouraged but unwilling to cast my pearls before swine for that kind of money!

I'll practice, "would you like fries with that?" first!

[Mojo]

Bobbin:

In the long run I believe your on the right road by turning down work based on cost. There is a thing
we used to refer to in the marketing world as " product sabotage " and it works as well for service related businesses.

By selling a product cheap you sabotage the brand as well as maybe other products. A perfect example of this would be Lexus or Mercedes making a small compact car and selling it at the same price to compete with Chevy.

The same holds true for services. By competing on price and cutting your rates you can sabotage your reputation. It is better to be known as a high end, quality stitcher then a hack who does work cheap. While your not a hack you could gain that reputation by working at Chinese labor rates.

Some people just do not get it. They think they can still get quality by paying cheap prices. I refuse to drop my prices. I compete on quality and so far it has worked. My reputation hinges on quality and I have educated my customers enough to know that quality and long lasting products is a little more expensive. Most gladly pay.

BTW, I am trying to pawn this job off on Mike because I am really not set up to do patio awnings. They are too damn big and cumbersome for my small shop. Besides, I hate to see Mike have any free time. He spends it fishing and then posts pictures on facebook of his fishing trips which ends up pissing me off because I am not out on the boat with him. :)

If Big Mike is working then he isn't fishing. If he isn't fishing then he isn't creating jealously and envy.
lol........:) :)

Chris

[Eric]

Chris, I'd like to believe your right. But people seem to be going for cheaper and cheaper. Competitor did an enclosure with makrolon for $2000.00. He keeps getting work because he's cheap. And it looks cheap also.

I need Mikes setup, going fishing.
Eric

[sofadoc]

My quote for 2 wing chair slipcovers was shot down yesterday.  The woman said she found a shop that would do them for half the price I quoted.
Dollars to doughnuts the "shop" she found isn't a shop, at all.  I bet no taxes are being paid.  I did some calculating and determined if I opted to do the work for the price she said she'd been quoted I'd be working for under $10./hr.......

I get that a lot around here. The customer will tell me a ridiculously low price that they've been quoted elsewhere. I tell them that I would be working for minimum wage at that price. Of course, then they tell me that the other guy is making good money.

Well yeah, if he isn't reporting to Uncle Sam, or putting any new supplies into the job.........he might be making a little profit.  I'd rather just get me a job as a Wal-Mart greeter. :)

[bobbin]

You know, I really don't get it.  I did a job reworking used drapery panels to fit a new room.  I cut them down, hemmed them, reworked some pleats, hung them and steamed them for the woman.  I was appalled at the labor price.  She never batted an eye. 

Just finished 10 seat "slipcovers" for her dining room chairs... reused swags that she'd tired of for the fabric... lined them, and added covered buttons and buttonholes at the back to secure them in place.  A lot of labor... never balked at the price.  She was tickled pink. 

And I thought for sure there would be issues with the prices.  Go figure, whenever I am worried about a job or the price everything seems to go OK.  When I quote a price for something that I know is going to be time consuming and "fussy" and worry that I haven't quoted quite enough I get turned down cold.  Go figure!

I like slipcovers to look snugly fitted.  I don't like the loosey-goosey, "shabby chic" look; I go for the '40s-'50s-'60s aesthetic... clearly a slipcover, but one that fits snugly and is more tailored.  I always tell customers that a nicely fitted slipcover is right in the same ballpark as a reupholstering a piece and that's it's not the "cheap alternative".  Some customers understand that, but many do not.  So I toil ever on, lol. 

[Mike]

this upsets chris !






hey doesn't that look my  arm coming out of the avatar  

[bobbin]

Lean dinner, or was that lunch?

[brmax]

Wow! i guess ya just put it on a small plate and smile. Do believe your going to have a tough time getting Chris with that for dinner
Good Luck Mike

[byhammerandhand]

In the woodworking world, there are a bunch of "blokes in sheds" that turn out stuff.   Most don't keep a good handle on expenses and are happy to work for what they think material cost is, or maybe a bit of money to accumulate for that next new tool.   One person put it this way, "They produce and excess of stuff to be disposed of at any price just to get rid of it."

Unfortunately, in any sort of a business endeavor, the hacks will be out of business.  But for a retired guy just looking to get some time away from the TV, you have to wait for them to die.

[JuneC]

My quote for 2 wing chair slipcovers was shot down yesterday.  The woman said she found a shop that would do them for half the price I quoted.
Dollars to doughnuts the "shop" she found isn't a shop, at all.  I bet no taxes are being paid.  I did some calculating and determined if I opted to do the work for the price she said she'd been quoted I'd be working for under $10./hr.......

I get that a lot around here. The customer will tell me a ridiculously low price that they've been quoted elsewhere. I tell them that I would be working for minimum wage at that price. Of course, then they tell me that the other guy is making good money.

Well yeah, if he isn't reporting to Uncle Sam, or putting any new supplies into the job.........he might be making a little profit.  I'd rather just get me a job as a Wal-Mart greeter. :)

Yep.  At least it's air-conditioned.  Just drive to work, put in your time, leave, and collect a paycheck on Friday.  And no bookkeeping.  People that work like that will be gone soon enough.  Just don't feel obligated to pick up the pieces when they come crawling back as some do.  Most, though, I'm sure are too embarrassed.

June

[Rich]

I'd really like to be able to take it easier b/c I really do believe that life is about more than just work, but I think that when I'm working, I'm supposed to be well, working. This is confirmed by my P&L, if I don't produce enough work at the right prices, I don't make much profit. That said, something was brought home to me this past week. I spent two days at a large hospital recovering a variety of chairs with cuts and tears in the vinyl. There were three employees in this particular room I was working in and I can't say the got much work done. Between personal websites, talking about sports teams etc. they didn't seem to be spending too much time on their work. Of course, I have no way of knowing if this was a typical snapshot of their days, but if I did what they did on a regular basis, I wouldn't have a business before long. It seems to me that there are probably a lot of people who work for large companies that don't require them to produce a whole lot most of the time. And yet, the companies profit by it anyway. Maybe it's just the benefits of large scale, but I don't know....
Rich