we've made it!!!

it's been quite a tough few weeks but we've finally got all our stock and this morning, our webstore has gone live - http://www.funkyrascal.co.uk/.

even up until tuesday this week, it was a daily rollercoaster of emotion as we received first good, then bad news about our online merchant account and payment gateway. despite allowing plenty of time for the relevant security details to be checked and whatever else it is they do, it still came down to a narrow squeak as to whether we would be able to launch the site today.

however, it all worked out in the end and we even received our major everyday clothing line, maxomorra, yesterday lunchtime. which didn't really help to be honest! something like 2500 items of clothing needing sorted, counted, cross-checked, scanned, inventoried and hung in the shop when all we want to do is get the webstore up. however, since it's critical to the site, it's a good thing it did arrive.

so we're a multi-channel business now. better go and read some more of my new bible, "eMarketing eXcellence", and get on with the next phase...

the light grows stronger...

we now have the most gorgeous wall of colour in the shop! it's all due to one of our key brands and we'd always planned that the shades and hues would co-ordinate but i couldn't have imagined how well. WOW!! yes, it deserves an undeserved double exclamation mark.

as soon as i'd got the colour wall about sorted, our next delivery arrived... it is amazing the power that a bunch of brown boxes can hold over one.i had a reasonable idea what they contained but the excitement in slitting the tape and unveiling a plethora of new colours, shades, patterns, designs... yup, it's just like christmas, it really is!

so we're happier - definitely. we've got confirmation of all the other orders and we can really see the light at the end of what seemed like a very dark tunnel. when we had the UP of pre-xmas it was very hard to take the weeks (and weeks) of mid-winter consumer gloom in small-town cupar. it's still not fab but just putting a couple of new manequins in the window this afternoon got  3 or 4 people into the shop.


we indeniably need the webstore but it is heartening to see some of our regulars reappearing and still new customers discovering our oasis of funky! 2 more weeks of hard work, nailing down the webstore, getting the marketing programs sorted and if we're not buzzing by early april, i'll be one p!ssed off puppy ;-)

the first proper downer...

it's only when you encounter your first really tough period that reality kicks in. and it's only once you can see a glimmer of light that you can begin to put everything into perspective.

it's been a tough few weeks. we knew that jan and feb would be a bit bleak. couple the traditional down period of retail with the continued woe of the british consumer fueled by ken clarke's welcoming words about the "calamitous" outlook for the middle classes of britain and we weren't expecting a great deal. however, despite a bargain sale going on, we bottomed out last week with pitiful sales and a sad lack of any real progress in the prospective appearance of our spring/ summer stock from our 2 key brands.

so we've got no new stock, customers who've seen it all, delayed deliveries and a sudden hiccup in the schedule of our online store. in fact the hiccup was a blessing in disguise. i would have hated to have launched with a bunch of out of season stock - definitely not how to make an impact.

but a week down the line and things are looking brighter... we've got longer to get on with the webstore and make sure it's right (it was always going to be a big push); i've reworked the cashflow and revenue forecasts and we can still survive; and joy of joys, thelimited new stock we have received is going down well and beginning to draw customers back in.

we knew it was never going to be easy but coming from my personal background of big corp relative comfort and with anne's similar experience coupled with the fact it's still really her shop, we were feeling a tad sorry for ourselves. it's our first mini crisis of which i'm sure there will be more and larger ones. but when it's your own business, your own money, your own family then it all means so much more.

an experience to learn from and next season, we'll take all of this into account... and then something else'll bugger things up ;-)