The Ultimate Deadline

It’s over a month since I last blogged and I’m getting withdrawal symptoms.

Busy Busy Busy!

It’s fair to say that, even after seven years of trading, I have not been able to establish a pattern to my pre-Christmas business. The first couple of years were completely flat in the two weeks before the event. More recently the period has been busy with organisations getting their corporate stuff done before the end of the year. This year – so far – has been bonkers. Busy in a much more seasonal way than before with a huge number of orders for bespoke, one-off jobs which are obviously Christmas presents. And the “corporate” stuff has been there as well.

Coupled with those has been a sudden increase in orders for Sea Cadets badges. I mean a huge increase. Why that should be I can’t tell but I’m not objecting.

But it’s left me with a little bit of a problem, albeit temporary.

Felt badges are, by their nature, time-consuming to produce. Normally, I can juggle orders around to fit them in but Christmas is what can only be described as the Ultimate Deadline.

At most times of year, if an order is shifted a day or so back, it’s no big deal, as long as it is completed within the specified time but at Christmas, everyone – and I mean everyone – wants their stuff done well before that one day.

No surprises there but something has had to give. Only one of my machines is capable of producing most of the badges and at the moment that is busy doing Christmas orders. So I’ve had to place a temporary moratorium on badges. I really didn’t want to do it and to be honest I didn’t do it until long after I should have done.

Doing something like that is a terrible risk. I hope the customers who are most affected will understand and that they will all come back in January. Not least of all because I have only recently invested in a new set of cutting needles (blinkin' expensive they are too) and I need to justify their existence!

If it sounds like I am complaining about being busy, believe me I am not. Bills have to be paid, even over the festive season, so the more I can put into the bank now, the less I will have to panic later.

So keep those badge orders coming – Sea Cadets badges, blazer badges, felt patches, clothing, whatever. I’ll get everything done asap as usual.

While I'm at it, to all my customers, whatever you have bought or are planning to buy, a HUGE THANK YOU for your continued faith in me and ABS Embroidery.

And now I'd better get back to doing some work. No peace for the wicked...