Business Mishaps

Blogging is all very new to me.  I have spent the last few days adding links and blog lists to my site.  It has taken a few glasses of wine to link my facebook to my blog but I managed to figure it out.  I probably could have gotten a friend's teenager to do it all for me in a few short clicks of a mouse since today's youth are so technical savvy but I guess that would defeat the purpose of teaching an old dog new tricks.  I am sure there is a tutorial on how to start a blog or a dummies guide book to blogging but since I have probably spent hundreds of hours watching tutorials on everything from a to z on starting a business and I am not the most patient of people, I just jumped in two feet first.  I learn quicker from hands on than visual anyway.  When I bought the Intuit Quickbooks Accounting Premier program last year, I could not wait to get home fire up the computer and dive right in.  The program is fantastic and yes it has plenty of tutorials to walk you through but I just could not wait. I had the whole ants in my pants thing going on.  I did not have a lick of inventory, no purchase orders, not even the business bank account set up but  I went ahead and added a boat load of products that I was interested in selling into the inventory database.  Not the smartest of moves on my part, and a lesson learned.  I now have a laundry list of items that I probably will never sell, that at some point, I will have to clear out of my inventory.  If only I had followed the instructions and not been so over zealous to get started.  I must be a glutton for punishment or just down right stupid because I done the same thing last week when I bought the Intuit Quickbooks Point of Sale bundle but I will leave that mishap of a story for next time.  Maybe I should write a blog on "what not to do when starting a business" or have a blog called "Jack, jacks it up again."  Well the sounding of taps played over an hour ago on post and I have lots to do tomorrow, so Aloha until next time.

Welcome

Welcome to the OutPost Blog. I am a military spouse living in Hawaii and decided last year to try something new.  I did not want to go back to school or work for someone else and since it has always been a dream of mine to own my own business in the retail world or a coffee house, I finally took the plunge and embarked on my new adventure.  It has been many years in the making and I have spent countless hours researching vendors, product lines and dreaming. Maybe it took so long to come to fruition because I was terrified, " what if I fail, what if no one buys my products" but as a dear friend always says "it was time to put on my big girl panties" and take the risk.  I have been in business now for a year and I have been slowly building clients and adding new products to my line.  I was lucky that I had a few venues to launch my business.  I started by becoming a vendor for the local spouses clubs, The Hui O'Wahine,(www.huispirit.com )and The Hui O Na Wahine, (www.schofieldspousesclub.com) at their monthly Luncheons.  This has given me visibility in the community without opening a storefront. Since we are military and can be moved at any moment, a storefront for now was out of the question because of the contracts and lease requirements, although that is the ultimate goal when my spouse retires.  I have produced a small catalog, opened a Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Honolulu-HI/The-OutPost/171344557889) and now a Blog.  Believe me I am not in it to become a millionaire, rather I wanted to launch a business that provided gifts and collectibles at a reasonable price that everyone could afford.  I have been truly blessed with the support of my spouse, family and friends but the biggest THANK YOU goes to my customers, without their buying power and recommendations to their friends, I would not be successful.  So here goes, looking forward to another year of doing business in Honolulu, HI and having fun doing it.
Aloha