A Day in my Showroom

As a business owner and mom who keeps her little guy with her my days have a routine but are each very different.  I’m so grateful for this weekly routine!  I have my showroom open 2 days a week…and no that does not mean I only work 2 days a week!  It means I don’t have an office assistant, it means I have availability for appointments 3 days a week- sales, install, or personal.  It often means if I don’t have appointments I am at the showroom for a few hours that day anyway.

Getting going in the morning and to the showroom ‘on time’ involves my morning routine at home going smoothly and quickly.

I wrote about that a few posts back.  I make my water cups and a sippy for Luke, if there’s leftovers for lunch, and with my iPad I add it all to my work bag.  Especially this winter for lunch I’ve been prepping and freezing soups or casseroles that reheat well, that way if there are no leftovers we still have a well balanced lunch.  Now that Luke is a toddler he knows what I mean when I say we’re going to work and will usually head to the door and put his shoes on pretty easily.

Upon arrival we bring in the lunch bag, lights on, open light on, and empty the workbag as needed.  Because my cell phone is my business phone- I handle calls and messages as they come.  Depending on if the number is obviously a SPAM call or not I’ll answer as early as 8 and as late as 5:30 if I’m able.  Luke is often ready for a snack as soon as we walk into the kitchen area here at the showroom, of course… If he chooses a yogurt we’ll sit in the kitchen and I’ll look at emails closer or do dishes while he eats.  If it's not something messy I’ve been getting pretty lenient about where food can be when we’re here.  

Then I like to tidy the space up if we left hurriedly the day before.  Put samples away if they were in the car, or laying out from another appointment and we’re done with them.  I prepare for anyone I’m expecting for the day.  I also sell on eBay so I will get packages shipped.  That pretty much sums up the morning ‘Opening Routine’.

What else? What’s next? 

Because I’m sure you’re thinking how many people in a small rural farming community really frequent a Window Treatment Showroom- you’re right traffic isn’t a huge part of my day.  I keep a running to do list I write weekly (or every other week) that include someone and done items: schedule installs, price for a customer, order, etc.  I have things that I do weekly or bi-weekly like post to socials, list eBay items, work on my website, Sunday School Planning, write a blog.  Well, I have Luke for awake type jobs and naptime jobs.  When Luke is awake and ‘helping’ or playing lovely with his toys here I can often make a quick phone call, pull discontinued fabrics, list to eBay, track orders,  and listen to Sunday School songs and coloring and building with blocks.  Naptime is usually down to business on the computer with social media planning, pricing and ordering for customers.  Most of those things can be stopped in the middle of and come back to when a customer does stop.

I also have a full basement here at the showroom- down there Luke (and Charlotte) have a play area- he enjoys a new area to play at and I have a work bench with window treatment parts that I’m currently sorting and listing to eBay- apparently 19 years in business I’ve collected a lot of parts- we usually spend about an hour down there every week.  I have so much more space down there that I ‘could’ work on some furniture pieces but I don't. I keep that at home in the Butcher Shop.  Up and down the steps would be hard on us hauling it, ventilation for sanding and spray paint, plus it's a dirty job to try and walk a way from if someone stops by.  But I’m always thinking about finding something ‘productive’ to do with that space…

I feel like in any other space where you're looking for customers to walk in you have to always be ready to hop up and say hello. Whether I’m pushing Luke on the swing, looking at fabrics, or working at the computer the customer becomes the priority.  Gratefully most notice that I’m also with a 2 year old and that if he needs something they might need to wait.  It's a showroom. I have 2 large 3 sided displays, 2 wall displays, and sample books that are all for them to look at- just don’t trip on any toys.

But Luke likes having a customer here- he’s usually so good and either hides or plays or helps along the way.  I greet the customer, ask what they are working on and show them around.  We look at products, we talk about budgets, we look at samples and hopefully schedule an in home appointment.  Of course this building was another business for many years and I still get people looking for the chiropractor- I’ve been here 4 years this spring but whatever…

This is Luke’s life too; he has toys here, a pikler climbing toy, a ceiling mounted swing, a coloring table, and a bedroom.  I mentioned this building was a chiropractors office. It had 7 treatment/office rooms- I removed 4 to become the showroom and kept 3 one for my office, one at the time for whatever, one has the printer and eBay listings.  The middle office space is Luke’s room, some toys, a cushy rug, a toddler bed (crib), and a changing table.  I enjoy having him with me. I like taking coloring breaks, I push him in the swing while I’m listening to a zoom call, we go outside and check on the sheds before lunch, we snuggle and read books before nap, he keeps me more active.  Have I mentioned I also sell portable sheds- yes really they use the parking lot out front and we check on them before lunch and on really nice days maybe twice.

This is Luke’s life too; he has toys here, a pikler climbing toy, a ceiling mounted swing, a coloring table, and a bedroom. 

I mentioned this building was a chiropractor’s office. It had 7 treatment/office rooms- I removed 4 to become the showroom and kept 3 one for my office, one at the time for whatever, one has the printer and eBay listings.  The middle office space is Luke’s room, some toys, a cushy rug, a toddler bed (crib), and a changing table.  I enjoy having him with me. I like taking coloring breaks, I push him in the swing while I’m listening to a zoom call, we go outside and check on the sheds before lunch, we snuggle and read books before nap, he keeps me more active.  Have I mentioned I also sell portable sheds- yes really they use the parking lot out front and we check on them before lunch and on really nice days maybe twice.

The challenge that gets to me the most is when most of what's left on my to-do list is computer work and nap time got screwed up and I just spend more time entertaining him than not.  Like he was cranky/sick/cold last week and just wanted to touch me all the time- I’ve never been that kind of mom!  But we figure it out.  He’s always learning with me, he knows the importance of picking up, he’s patient, he enjoys all kinds of people.  

Closing time- Tuesdays are the only day I stay until 5 no matter what. It's my business hours, it happens no matter how bored we get here. But the rest of the week I usually head home after Luke’s afternoon nap and I got a lot of computer work done.  We clean up the toys, wash dishes from lunch, lights off and head for home. 

While I was building my business and growing it I was also working at mom’s furniture and flooring store.  Those days there was a little more traffic, scheduling a flooring installer, sales floor updates, social media for both businesses, websites for both, pricing for both, ordering for both.   I got burnt out and was not getting any help from her for her business so after a couple of years of saving and praying I decided on a physical showroom.  I knew a physical showroom wasn’t a ‘need’ but to have a clean space for my business at home we would have still invested a lot of money there but not filled all the needs for my business.  I looked at several locations before choosing where I am now- I liked the separation from neighbors, a garage for receiving, plenty of space and as it turns out the big parking lot is great for selling sheds.  I’m proud of my space - I’m annoyed when people think I live here- but I guess we kinda do.  Same as it feels you might live at work. I just made it a little more comfortable and me than a retail space might be.  I’ve learned it's a rough road no matter where you're working from, that my plans aren’t God’s plans, and seasons change. Right now my season is quiet showroom days with a toddler, and I'm learning to trust that this is exactly where I need to be.

Trust in God’s Plan