Checking the Course
Today marks exactly one year since I switched from a full-time management position and started working part-time so that we could start working towards having our own little family business. And my, how time does fly! So much has changed in the past year that it feels like decades since I worked all of those hours and carried all of the stress that comes with being in middle management with a bigger company.
And the way that I remember that it's today is that today is my birthday. Birthdays are made to remember, to look back, to celebrate, to look forward into the future, to check our course. And with snow and cold putting a stop to our early spring, I couldn't ask for a better morning to look out the window, enjoy the warm heat from our wood stove, and contemplate. Not only about my personal life but considering our business as well.
With the slower, after Christmas season of winter, I often find myself wishing that we were further along, having a bigger and more robust product line with sales coming in left and right.
So today, as we take some time to look back, to see where we're at, to talk about how we are moving forward, it feels good to recognize some benchmarks that we've made and others that we are aiming at.
Seven months ago we fired up our homemade furnace for the first time. Six months ago we picked up our first "batch", raw material that we melt and turn into glass. In mid October we opened our web-store. We did a little show at Christmas and a bigger one this spring. We have two more spring shows coming up. The traffic on our website continues to grow. Even though our web store selection is small, we have plans to grow that as well. We feel the support of our friends and community and we really appreciate each of you, whether it's your kind words, asking us how it's going, purchasing our product, or just talking about us with your friends! You all are the most important part of our business and we are so thankful for each of you!
My intention isn't to paint the perfect picture with a pen. We've had some bumps along the way as well. Things like burning up an element on the furnace last week. We'll chalk that up as operator error. I've been filling the crucible with too much batch. As the glass melted it slowly ran along the top of the furnace and down on the elements. Liquid glass is a conductor of electricity and so it shorted out the element and ruined it. And replacing it takes time and money.
Another constant struggle is trying to get our items uniform. Even though each piece is handmade and unique, what we sell on the website needs to look very similar to what's in the picture. This improves the more that we make each product and we learn to repeat each part of the process. Satisfaction for a glassblower comes in seeing your hands producing exactly what's in your mind. Making the same item over and over again sounds boring, but it isn't unless it's easy. The challenge to make it better is always there. And it truly is a challenge!
We are happy with how things are going and feel good about where we are at. God has taken good care of us in the past and we are excited about the path he'll lead us on through the next year. We are thankful for each of you that follow along, and hope that you find joy on the path as well. And if it's your birthday too, or even if it's not, take some time to contemplate your own path. It's there for you! Make it good!
