Some years ago my intentions were to create income so that I could have unusual items to furnish and fix up the house my spouse and i were building. We had gone for a construction mortgage at vancity who would release funds at certain stages of construction.
(those of you who know me know i dont gloss over words so those i offend get used to it)
Vancity at the time was at best second guessing what a construction loan entailed and for us, the foundation went in. Vancity didnt loan us any money even though we had been approved. The walls went up again Vancity didnt give us an advance on our loan, they said now the doors and windows had to go up. Okay did that. Then it was insulation and it just went on and on.
We thought we were smart paid off our credit cards and not borrow but barter. Well that would bite us in the ass later.
Rob had just opened a steel shop and I was the grunt or gopher who grinded down the columns and beams and did the measuring nothing that stood out. I decided to take a welding class and that was pretty boring except we could design one thing using the material in the shop. Well one day earlier Rob took me to a decorative steel supply shop and instantly I was hooked. I can do this.
I had the advantage of working with an engineer and one of the best welders so for me the skies the limit, ask and answered. Needless to say I didn't go to class I worked on my project in my own shop and was designing beds and gates instantly. Passed the class.
One day I was in Fort Langley and went passed the Little White house of ? I spoke with the owner and was showing her pictures of pieces I could make into beds. She ordered one and before you know it it sold before it got into the shop. Second bed sold two weeks later. At the time I was bearly making any money on the beds and after the second bed she wanted to put me on consignment. An established business wants to put me on consignment when she is making money off of me in a short time frame. Not going to happen. My money was going to finance my designs and the shop I decided I could open with no money.
Now if this isn't embarrassing. I would spend $800.00 a week renting a space in the center of the malls so I could sell my wrought iron beds. I knew I was an original and there wasn't many places to sell one of items and the mall had lots of people. This was the most boring and unproductive thing I could have done so to increase my presence I would paint and refinish furniture to go with my wrought iron beds, but I couldn't sit still in one place to sell. The phone at the shop was ringing constantly and I was out doing whatever. Before long I would have a following who would be at the mall at 8:00 Monday morning to buy items I had designed and worked on to sell the next week and the remainder of the week I didn't have anything to sell as it was sold before I set up.
Rob was also starting his business with no money and yet every one gave credit which was great except if one person didn't pay he was hooped. Being an engineer everyone paid him being a subtrade no one paid him. Our house wasn't being built because both of us were to busy on our businesses and no one paid us. I would have someone owe me $100.00, tell me what they had just bought at some high end store and state "you don't mind if I pay you later?". What ? We would have garnishee orders served to us or we would be in court every two weeks it was terrible. The jobs were done better than anyone could have done them but he was a subcontractor now.
Well you can't kick us to much so we learned to go to court with out lawyers who liked the dog and pony show. No more garnishees and we even had a form letter for the supreme court saved on our computer. No more bullshit. Business was business.
It is just amazing the things you encounter when owning your own business.
When I decided to open my own shop I thought I was going to be different. Better service, delivery and etc. I wasn't prepared for the phone calls of the "the armoir is on the floor and it had fallen down 3 days ago because I couldn't put in the screw in so my family just lived with it that way. Or the 10:00 at night deliveries and on it went. At the time I didn't care I was just excited to see if I could make my business work and what i could do. looking back at all this I'm thinking what an idiot. I still don't care as I was trying to make it work.
We eventually found our stride and our businesses were taking off. I was designing beds and items for the movie industry. In underworld 2 the old guy died in my bed. I thought they bought the bed for a romance scene. Doctor Doolittle designed the falcons cage and other items and I finally had a 12 by10 room that I called a shop.
I would take photos of items that I had designed and painted but would never look at them again. Let's move on. The other day I joined pinterest and posted my photos and wow. Other than what Monica had posted I had never really stopped and taken the time to view my products and the only thing I had to say was look at the mess one person can make. I was for the first time really proud of what I had accomplished.
Being in a warehouse setting is so different from a retail setting and moving to this new location has been very difficult. I get hung up on paint colors so I mix my own. I get hung up on so many small things because I want the right feel and look and in so many instances things will get put aside until I know what to do.
I know now that I'm not going to ever have the liberty style shop As my shop is where everyone comes in with ideas and yes where everyone knows everyone's name and everyone helps everyone and we do everything we can encourage the customer or client to design or buy what they want.
We have many upholsterers that we work with. A cabinet maker who makes modern furniture. A furniture maker who makes whatever. A concrete maker who designs concrete sinks, counters and fireplaces. We weld. We have a structural engineer who we keep his eyes rolling. These people make ReVamp original.
So our shop is always a mess and I'm going to stop apologizing for it as we do amazing things. Go on Pinterest and type in my name Deen Hannem and you will know what I am talking about
Deen
