Canterbury Tales
Hi there!
We’ve had a really hectic week again with maybe just a little bit too much packed in for comfort, but then that’s the way it has to be sometimes. Matt & I travelled to Cirencester to meet one of our wholesalers on the Monday- it was very encouraging & Sarah seems happy & relaxed with how sales are going. We feel we’ve got some ground to make up- this year got off to a very slow start & our growth is not really as strong as it should be- we need to figure exactly why this is.It’s frustrating as we’ve done a lot more marketing than usual this year & some months this year we’re down quite a bit on last year- Crikey- the trials & tribulations of running your own small business-Still, at least we’re not burying our heads in the sand. Sales with Sarah’s firm have grown this year- we’ve just lost ground on others.
Tuesday we met Alan our friendly & tres dynamique export advisor.He is taking our goods off here there & everywhere around the globe & our first order for Greece is due out next week- Courtesy of one of Alan’s wholesaler leads. This is exciting progression for us & we need to build on the export side of things.I’m planning to hop off to Greece at the end of this month to meet the wholesale company properly & learn how we can best help them get sales going.
Wed. evening Trish & I made our way down to London & stayed over to arrive bright eyed & bushy tailed for a Daily Telegraph Business Club seminar on brand building- we really got a lot out of it. Again, it’s been a good kick up the bottom for me as I think I’ve been coasting a bit & getting sidetracked with non essential stuff rather than keeping on with all important marketing & press activities. So it’s back to basics & to contacting journalists with our fabulous story & getting the brand some serious exposure.Hmmmm note to self- stop day dreaming about which colours look best as pigments in limewash (current obsession is doing up our cottage) & get serious about growing our little company- Doh!
Canterbury is today- we’re off to see our great friend Andrew Pannifer later this morning for fun & frivolity. It’s quite a drive but I LOVE listening to Jonathon Ross on the radio so all is not gloomy.
Sorry to rant on but business is just a teensy weensy bit stressy at the mo. In fact it has been all year- a lot less assured & it’s possible that our market is reaching saturation point- all the more reason to commit to export & develop new savouries methinks-
Have a smashing weekend,
Em x
