One of THOSE days

[mk162]

jsheridan, that is a tough one.  The best response is that you bring your daughter to work.  We brought ours to work for a while and still do on occasion when we need to.  At 2 though, she is tough to corral.

And just because you are a home based printer doesn't mean you aren't professional.  Some people's perceptions are out of whack.

[Homer]

John-man - brush it off, you don't need some chick on the phone you never met telling you who's professional or not. I bet you could print circles around 3/4 of the jokers in this industry, myself included. Hold your head up and know you have to get back on the phones to feed your family. I take some stuff personal too and it's bad business, but I am an emotional guy, sometimes I get down and out too on stupid things like this. And that's what it is, pure ignorance. SHE just lost a great contact - not YOU. . .it's a new day and we're sick of kraft dinner. . .get to it.

[mk162]

Homer, well said.  3 cheers for Quasimodo!  HEEP-HEEP HOORAY!  HEEP-HEEP HOORAY!  HEEP-HEEP HOORAY!

[Shawn (EIP)]

Last thing my pops remembers is thinking "I have to fall backwards" to break the hold. It was on a weekend.
Has trouble making new memories now. Electricity is some weird crap.

And that's why I don't play with the juice.. I know me, and the last thing you want me doing is wiring anything other than basic black/white/green 110 wiring.


SO.. what was a rough day to begin with.. after a morning of dealing with my best repeat customer, who now wants 1's and 2's shirts per the 6 designs he has now, and getting him to understand that NO i can't print 1 or 2 shirts of each of your designs and do all the color changes. When you had 2 designs and 48-60 shirts per order, it was good. Now I no longer profit from your 12 pc orders so you're going to have get a minimum of 6 shirts per design, sorry but I don't care if your customers have to wait another week for their shirts, I can't print this few anymore.. well I'll have to think about that John...

As the day moves on I was making some normal and cold calls. I just got off the phone with a customer about an hour ago.. we speak for a few mins where I tell her what I can do and how long I've been doing it. We talk about shirts and artwork.. my 9 month old daughter wakes up from her nap, and not instantly seeing me.. goes into her shrill wake the dead cry.

"is that a baby I hear crying?.." yes, I'm a home based printer so I can stay home with my kids.. "I'm sorry, we only deal with professionals.." Click!

I've yet to pick up the call sheet after that one.. it shook my foundation pretty good.

I got that a few times or worst yet people  think your hurting for business so they try to haggle you down. Looking back though It feels and looks more professional being out of the house. My wife never liked the idea of strangers coming over,my kids think that anyone that visits is a friend of ours and it's ok to jump up on laps.

[mk162]

My parents ran this business out of the house...until green ink showed up in the dishwasher.  That was a sign it needed to end.

[Shawn (EIP)]

My parents ran this business out of the house...until green ink showed up in the dishwasher.  That was a sign it needed to end.

Emulsion stained tub prior to washout booth during the hobby era and showering in flip slops.

[Frog]

I got that a few times or worst yet people  think your hurting for business so they try to haggle you down. Looking back though It feels and looks more professional being out of the house. My wife never liked the idea of strangers coming over,my kids think that anyone that visits is a friend of ours and it's ok to jump up on laps.

Folks old enough to remember Dr. Huxtable had an office in his house, and rarely did his kids jump into the laps of his pregnant patients. The secret? An office and exam room! A separate place for business that just happened to be on his residential property (in his case as in many of ours, actually in his house)
This wouldn't have helped John, but it still is an important issue.

[Shawn (EIP)]

I got that a few times or worst yet people  think your hurting for business so they try to haggle you down. Looking back though It feels and looks more professional being out of the house. My wife never liked the idea of strangers coming over,my kids think that anyone that visits is a friend of ours and it's ok to jump up on laps.

Folks old enough to remember Dr. Huxtable had an office in his house, and rarely did his kids jump into the laps of his pregnant patients. The secret? An office and exam room! A separate place for business that just happened to be on his residential property (in his case as in many of ours, actually in his house)
This wouldn't have helped John, but it still is an important issue.

I should have clarified my shop use to be located in my bacement, one would have to walk through my house and my nasty old bacement wasnt such a cool place to bring customers down into. People are strange you never know who's scoping out your house for a break in or those that are funny with kids... kinda of scary when you think about it. A pissed off customer knowing where you live isn't such a good idea either.

[dlac]

We started garment dyeing neons in my wifes Kenmore.. We started getting orders by the gross, we could not find a place to sit down in that there were neons stacked in dozens, every chair, every table, every bed.. LOL moved to commerical machine in garage until zoning and health showed up, seems neighbors were concerned about semis in driveway...  Everyone has to start somewhere and sounds like the rent is right..
dlac

[mjrprint]

So today is one of those days. While unloading a truck the dockplate broke and the forklift fell and luckily got stuck on the frame. Too two other forklifts to lift it up and move the sucker. The building sup was of coarse trying to find a reason to blame us. At first he was telling us on the phone that there was no way it could have happened lol. Jackass!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattmatiks/6253556205/#

[Homer]

wish I had a forklift. . .I would drift that sucker around the warehouse. . .then I would have to get 2 so we could race. . .hmm.

[mk162]

Homer, just race on the 2 wheelers.  It's a lot of fun.  Stand on the part you put boxes on, face the handle and rock forward bit by bit and have a race.