Remember last week’s spin about having to make up for a $1,200 sale in January 2009? Well, guess what landed this week – a $1,250 lighted cap sale to the very same customer who pumped up last January…followed hours later by a $550 cap order from another repeat customer! Monday ended just $75 short of breaking the one-day sales record that was set the day after my NY Times gift guide mention in December 2008. In February!?!
Yes, in February. More $100+ orders and the expected smattering of little ones made this my best non-December week ever -- by far – and there are still two days left to go. On the fourth day of the month I’d already surpassed all of February 2009. If sales merely meet expectations for the rest of this month, I’ll finish February with a comfortable lead over my YTD sales plan. This month is going to be phenomenal…and impossible to match in future years, but let’s worry about that in future years.
To celebrate, I gave myself another raise. Payroll has finally reached my long-term goal of 20% of net sales. I intend to leave it there permanently.
Last August I predicted “the potential for a real boom – possibly even one whose proportions will mirror the recent collapse.” I backed off from that when a dismal December took the wind out of my sails. Now I’m feeling that wind freshening. If Americans really are getting serious about consuming again, that epic boom is not just fantasy.
Of course, this remarkable week could just be a fluke. Curio City sure isn’t going to hire anyone soon; I’m too cautious to borrow money and expand when it’s still not even paying me a living wage. Just last week I was pessimistic enough about the economy to move a chunk of my own Roth IRA money from stocks into bonds.
Today, though, I feel uncharacteristically optimistic. Obama’s small-business loans and tax breaks are making me think for the first time in years about expanding Kraken Enterprises. I don't think I've written about Curio City's long-range future since January 2008; maybe I'll ponder that again next week.
So come on, American businesses: you’re going to need more employees to man the rigging. At least hire my wife. Please? Somebody?
Welcome to Curious Business
Every Friday, I post a small insight into running Curio City and/or Blue Hills Editorial Services. My most recent posts are directly below. You can also start with the first post, or use the subject labels to the right to home in on particular topics. Feel free to comment on anything that interests you.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think? Leave a comment.