Christmas delivery cut off date

November 9, 2012 Leave a Comment

Graham here. My Christmas tip is to have a cut off date for Christmas orders.

Everything gets busy before Christmas and the mail can take longer than normal because there are more letters, cards and packages going through the post. I know that most orders get to my customers in 2-3 working days after I take it to the post office, but there can be delays in December.

My cut off date is at least a week before Christmas for items I have in stock. Custom orders need to be in earlier than that so I have plenty of time to make them up, and source paper if I need it.

If orders are local, people can pick them up if necessary, but I make it clear that anything ordered after the cut off date means there is no guarantee the order will arrive in time for Christmas, even with Express Post (and that costs extra).

I've found that having this cut off date can reduce the number of orders that get there late, last year there was one or two that arrived after Christmas day because customers left it too late to order.

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Get someone else to look after it

October 17, 2012 Leave a Comment

Graham here. My biggest money tip is to get someone else to look after it.

Looking after money is not my strong suit. I can make origami cranes and sell them. I can do a lot of things in my business, but bookkeeping isn't something I can do easily.

So, on advice of my NEIS mentor, I have outsourced my bookkeeping. I found her through the NEIS course as she was setting up a bookkeeping business at the same time I was setting up my business.

At the end of each month, I bundle up all my receipts, bills, bank statements, and anything else she needs, and then my bookkeeper enters all the information into an accounting program, reconciles the accounts and sends me monthly reports so I can see how my business is going.

At the start, I thought there was no way I could afford this, however I'm glad I did this. I know that my accounts are up to date and I can easily fill in my BAS and any other paperwork and financial reports I need to file. It also makes life easy at tax time as I can hand everything over to my accountant so he can organise my tax return.

If you are not good at bookkeeping, then find a bookkeeper to manage your books for you, and outsourcing is a lot cheaper than hiring someone.

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Stocking up

September 29, 2012 Leave a Comment

Graham here, sharing my school holiday tip.

Sabrina isn't at school until next year, so school holidays mean that she's home from Kinder. The other two are home all day anyway, so there isn't much change in our routine, except the three mornings she would normally be at kinder we try and do something fun together.

The biggest difference is more that there are no markets to attend. For me, it's a great opportunity to restock my creations and come up with some new ones. Sabrina loves helping me come up with new designs and colour combinations. Sometimes on our outings, Sabrina and I leave her younger brother and sister at home with Mum and we go to paper shops to choose some new paper for paper cranes. This is always a special time and Sabrina has wonderful taste, especially considering she's only four years old!

Her birthday is soon, and she wants a paper crane cake! So there's another product to consider…

Signing off now to get ready to watch the Hawks beat the Swans in this years AFL Grand Final, and possibly fold some more cranes while I'm at it.

Go Hawks!

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Things I Know – Being a Work at Home Dad

September 21, 2012 5 Comments

Graham here, it's my turn this week to share some things I know.

I thought I'd share some of the things I know about being a Work at Home Dad.

  1. I love being able to spend more time with my kids and being able to do Kinder duty. My kids love it too.
  2. It's hard juggling business, kids and everything else at home. It was a lot easier when I was working out of home…
  3. I have the most amazing wife. Since being at home all day with three small kids and a business, I've earned a new respect for her.
  4. There are a lot of networking groups for work at home Mums, thankfully they welcome work at home Dads too.
  5. Running a business is a tough job, and I'm learning a lot

That will do for now. What do you know?

 

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Hello from Graham

September 13, 2012 1 Comment

Hello. My name is Graham and I make paper cranes. When they are made, they are fashioned into mobiles, wall art, bouquets and numerous other combinations. I sell them through markets and online.

This all started when I was retrenched from my job just before my youngest was born. I've always made paper cranes when I'm nervous or anxious. It was my eldest daughter who came with the idea of mobiles.

I'm still looking for a job. Running my little business is bringing in some money, and I'm learning a lot. I hope this skills will help me get a new job. The biggest difference now is that I want something part time. I've been loving spending more time with my kids, but the business isn't bringing in enough money to make ends meet.

Earlier this year, I participated in the NEIS program (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme). This is where I met Sally. It was an interesting process to come up with a plan and is taking the pressure off to find a job right away.

I have no idea what the future will hold, but I'm enjoying the ride. It's amazing how my confidence is coming back, simply by making paper cranes and selling them!

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