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smartie12

:hello:

Just popping by to say hello!

I've been self employed for over 3 years now making jewellery and selling it in local shops. But at the moment I have no motivation/get up and go

This time of year is my busiest as its mostly holiday makers who buy my things.

Anyone have any ideas to get my motivation levels up???(Apart from reminding me that we need the money;))

Horace

Afternoon all....no, I haven't been skiving before anyone asks, I have been incredibly busy.

Was slightly late arriving at the chamber for the new members induction, bloomin' council closing the road when I planned to get a bus so I had a massive detour:mad: Thankfully I had the foresight to ring ahead to let them know that I would be late...the nincompoops didnt have a badge ready for me despite me booking online but at least they are going to sort out their online booking system now:D. It was quite good and I ended up addressing a room full of people - about 150:eek:, the speaker was going on about the chamber and why people joined to which he had us standing up and sitting down according to our reasoning only I failed to sit down when I said that I had joined for other reasons than those listed. I was told that I would get a prize and asked for free membership which raised a laugh..and so I was told to say who I was, what I did and why I joined the chamber and I got a round of applause:D

Then we did a bit of networking - I came away with 3 contacts - one chap shoved his business card at me and said that he would speak to me at the end but he didnt (a specialist in marketing & acquisition for land, homes and investment property) and one chap runs an asian catering business and he is branching out into all sorts of food, chair covers, crockery hire, ice sculptures etc - we are going to have a meeting later (yet to be arranged) to discuss ways in which we could work together.:j Another chap sought me out and wanted to shake my hand because I had had the bulls gonads to get myself off the dole, mind you he did give me his card too - an accountant:rolleyes: still he was interested in the corporate event side of things. He may come in useful in the future - not that I am planning to sack my current accountant:D

This afternoon, I visited a local hotel which is undergoing refurbishment to have a look at their meeting rooms !!! wedding rooms together with a bedroom. I came away with some information.

Purpleroses

Purpleroses wrote: »

• [STRIKE]call tailor[/STRIKE]
• tidy office
• do more of stock check
• [STRIKE]clear emails[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]reply to e-mails that came from last night[/STRIKE]

started to tidy, still lots to do.

Glad your day went well H!

Essex-girl_2

Good Morning All

Had quite a good day yesterday but had so many interuptions (work related) so could have done more. Aim to be hard at it in office this morning and be able to escape this afternoon. Things are building up around the house & I want to do a few bits before things go out of control as normal.

Have 2 bank reconciliations to do, may get them done today, the thing with them they could reconcile immediately or I can spend ages looking for a couple of pence :rotfl:

So will go and get dressed in a mo, see DS off to school and be ready to hit the office at 9am armed with a lovely Nescafe Moca Choca raring to go!:D

Have a good day.

Wordsmith

Morning everyone.

Have been beavering away since I last posted - not necessarily achieving much, but beavering away.

Welcome, Smartie12 - give yourself some targets broken down into manageable chunks, list them on here, then come back and let us know every time you achieve a target.

Horace - you are unstoppable!

I was in my own office all day yesterday apart from taking dog for walk around the lanes. Same today. List for today:

• check editing of maths book and post it off
• edit a client's annual report (ho, hum, well I 'spose it's another cheque)
• pay for advertising on local map (€45)
• ring parents (I really shouldn't have to put this in a to-do list, but once I get my head down to work I forget everything else)

Short list, but long jobs. Still not looked at my own accounts yet ...

Have a productive day, all.

Horace

Hi all

I must admit that I am somewhat envious of those of you that have clients - I have suppliers but no clients:rolleyes: - I know that I will get them but it makes me feel a little despondent sometimes:rolleyes:

Rang the land acquisitions chap yesterday as we missed each other at the chamber to discover that he didnt work for the firm (mind you the guy that answered just said hullo and nowt else so I wondered who I had called), my details have been passed on so hopefully he will call as I am curious to know why he was so keen to chat.

I am conscious that the lease is due to expire on my flat in early August so I rang my landlord to see if I could extend it as I don't want to move - he told me that I was his best tenant because I don't cause any bother and how he tries to get rid of tenants who are overly noisy - he has resorted to telling the agents that if they send him tenants with tons of kids who run about all the time (they will get in and run and up and down stairs and generally make nuisances of themselves) and then there are others who are party animals (let's have a party at midnight and keep the volume cranked up til 5am:mad:. The agents have been told, you send people like this then I just won't use you anymore...simples. My landlord has allowed me to extend for 12 months which will give me some breathing space:D

I think that as I have so many business cards that I really need to get a book for them to go in - I do wish that my ex employer hadn't stolen mine (it was my personal one with my name on it:mad:). I might go and get one today as I need to go out for milk and the stationers is next door to the corner shop:D

I am out later but only for an hour - helping the parliamentary candidate deliver leaflets, it beats going to the gym too so very MSE:D Our parliamentary candidate may be a very useful person to know - see I no longer think of people as friends but more as to how useful they could be for me:rotfl:

Onwards and upwards.

A tip for the jewellery maker - make wedding tiaras, you will earn more money too especially if you can get your tiaras into a shop and they sell them for you.

blue_monkey_2

Hi everyone,

Not been on this thread much over the weekend. I've had a bit of work but not much and not feling very well as I started a running programme and I ended up with a chest infection so feeling pretty crap. All I have done is eat crap food because I am starving so probably put weight on when I wanted to lose it - what is all that about?? My head is buzzing the whole time from the congestion and I have had a blocked nose for 2 months now. I am sure it is hayfever and I thought it would wear off but seems to have migrated to my chest and I went and bought some hayfever stuff yesterday to unblock the nose yesterday. We shall see if it works!

I have had some sales but I have had to the take the drastic step of charging everyone when they order, not when the goods arrive. I did not want to do this but cards keep on being declined and every bra I have to buy for someone who then does not pay is more money out of MY pocket to pay and hold it in stock. The chance of the same style, colour and size selling again is very remote. It is very annoying, but now charging before I order means that I am not left out of pocket. I've also have to apply a 'no returns' rule to one of the ranges I sell as it is so expensive to buy in (£30 a bra - Eek!!) but if it gets people looking at the site then this is a good thing I suppose.

I am having a crisis of confidence at the moment, people are looking at the site but hardly anyone is buying and I just wonder what is wrong with it. Is it easy to naviagte, do people get confused by what is for sale. I do not know? Although, I found someone had looked at my site by looking for 'new boys nude' in their search engine...... OMG :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: I have a new range due in so and I am terrified that it will not sell. bought £1500 worth of bras and pants in February but I cannot sell them at all, they are really cheap Goosard bras but I think I have sold 3 since February and I just cannot figure out what is going on at the moment and it is quite scary in a way. I am also feeling annoyed that I've now tied that money up in stock when it could have been in the bank paying off some bills. I have so much listed at cost price I am scared to drop the price more but what else can I do? Has anyone got any ideas at all? What makes you buy something? Should I offer a £10 off 50 spend voucher? Or a £5 off £30 spend vouher? Free Delivery? Seriously, I need some ideas/thought. I do not have anyone I can really ask. My friends do not really use computers (are there such people around these days??) and I don't know where I go from here.

But, onto a good note. I just had a letter from the HA and we have been good tenants and our tenancy is now secure for life!!

Off to my ADHD/Autism support group shortly. Have spent this morning looking around the toy shops for some loop the loop track as my husband broke my son's yesterday. I called Mattel and they do not sell these bits seperately so I had a moan and asked why I should be expected to pay £40 for some plastic tat to be stuck at the bottom of the toy box as kids like my son (Autism) just do not get how it works, they want some track, a car and a loop the loop - simple as that. Mattel told me to..... look on eBay!! !!!!!!!!

Anyhow, I have still not done my accounts. I have to get it one as hubby has just lost all overtime and they are getting very strict - they have sacked 3 people in the last week alone and I've said just to keep his nose down and get on with work but it is a constant worry. The overtime drop means we have lost around £400 a month and heck are we feeling it. We used our OD to pay for the garden thinking we could pay it back but it is taking much longer than we thought and now this. Never mind. Onwards and upwards!! I have to see how much I lost last year to see if we are due a TC refund as I have not earned a thing I am sure of that. I also need to get this years claim in and make sure we get all we are entitled to.

Sorry to bore you all with my winging and mundane rubbish, I have no-one else to whinge to except you guys, LOL. Off to my meeting now. x

starxtrouble

Don't worry about whinging to us Blue Monkey, thats what we are here for! Better for you to get it off your chest here with us than elsewhere where it might have repercussions.

I'm not a salesperson myself, so I cant really help you there, but my general feeling is that not many people are buying anything much in the current economic climate, so its not necessarily your bad marketing/advertising/products. I know it doesnt sound like it, but thats meant to make you feel better (im not v good at that sorry!)

But I am perfectly happy to hear you whinge til the cows come home

Star

Horace

Blue - your website is ok although there is a picture missing on basques. I think its just the economic downturn everyone is going to primarni where you can buy a bra and pants set for £4:eek: (I know, I got one - its not brilliant to be honest with you and prefer the Calvin Klein one that I got when I had by big shopping spree which cost me £30).

Whinge away - we dont mind, have you thought of looking on freecycle for some loop stuff? Just a thought. Big kids...who'd have 'em (why is it men never grow up).

I took more business cards to the florist and even into the florist that dries bouquets and runs a frock exchange:D

Darn it - I pressed the button before I was finished.

Seeing Star's words yesterday reminded me of a poem that I learnt at school (written by Anonymous)

Forth from his den to steal he stole
His bag of chink, he chunk
And many a wicked smile he smole
And many a wink he wunk

Purpleroses

Hi blue! I work in sales (well kind of)
We offer free postage within the UK which seems to keep people happy. Have you thought of buy one get one half price? £5 off £30 shop seems reasonable so long as you still make a proft from it.
We sometimes sell off stock that's just not shifted in the shop on ebay. Not making as much profit as we would if it sold in the shop but at least it's selling and making us some money!

It's nothing your doing wrong that's stopping people from buying, the state of the economy has hit all retailers really badly :rolleyes: