What's new

It's been almost a year, so it's time for an update! 

PART 1/2

What the heck have I been doing besides playing golf?

To sum up:

• Inventory
• Website problems

Inventory

OMG, inventory. ugh. What I didn't plan on was having to type in all my inventory manually. Technically, I had my website company create an upload script for this. But after months of screwing around waiting for them to get it right, I ended up having to do it manually. 

Currently I have over 1500 unique items in my shop. This took approx. 6-8 months to get through.

That's a heck of a long time. What's so involved about putting in inventory you ask? 

1. Getting photo permissions.
   
   First you have to ask permission of the original owner for access to their picture archives. Not too hard, but often had to wait several days for this to get set up after filling out copyright statements, etc.
2. Trying to find the correct photo in their archive.
   
   With some companies this is a breeze. Unfortunately from the one company where I ordered approx. half of my items, neither the invoice nor the packing list contains the same item ID, which is used to catalogue the photos. They used their own original numbering system, which doesn't match up with the photo archives. That was genius guys, thanks.
   
   So I have to open their humongous ordering Excel sheet to find the item I'm looking for, then copy out the item ID used in the photo archives, then click through the archive and download the photo. It's all number based, so there isn't any way to find a product image unless you have the special item ID.
3. Editing photos.
   
   The pictures are rarely in the correct size or resolution. I will quickly run out of room on my website account if I'm uploading images over 4M for each item.
   
   In my colored partyware range, the manufacturer came up with a brilliant way to solve the hue differentiation problem that occurs when viewing colors on different monitors. Just offer one of each hue for the items that are actually all the same color when viewed in person:
   
   
   
4. Writing unique descriptions for each item.
   
   The tenets of SEO say that in order to get better scoring in search results, you shouldn't use the same description that you get from your supplier (or copy from your competition). This is why most of my items have bare bones descriptions. Having minimal descs and getting more items uploaded was more important than a verbose description.
   
   Plus this approach minimizes the chances for typos and grammatical errors in German. Writing the English descs is obviously much faster.
5. Filling out 17 tabs of information on every single item.
   
   Then switch languages and do again (ok, technically not true, since most of the information is inherited from the parent)
   
   
6. Lather, rinse, repeat 1500 times. 

OK, I'm exhausted from writing and I've still got more inventory to put in this week from my latest deliveries. And I'm excited about my putting in my Harry Potter / Hogwarts party set :)

GO GO GO

It's going live!

 

 

 

The joys of owning your own business means that you can stay up all night and work if you want to. As I'm typing this, it's 2:30 AM for about the 18th night in the row :) Which is one of the reasons you didn't get any more updates in the meantime.

 

But because I am a merciless taskmaster, I kept my poor developer chained to his desk until 9 PM on a Friday night before switching my domain to live. >:-D

 

No but really, we were supposed to go live on the 15th, but a few functions were refusing to cooperate.

 

And no go-live goes off without a hitch - in my case my suppliers gave me some bad news about delayed deliveries from England. Boooo. So the inventory is arriving next week instead of this week as planned.

 

So if that's the worst thing that goes wrong, I'll count myself lucky! There are still some small fixes upcoming - like the Blog News pic on the front page doesn't open the blog like it should...

 

But please have a look around at my page - and remember not to be shocked at the lack of items in the inventory, they are coming, pinky-swear, cross my fingers hope to go bankrupt!

 

www.allesparty.at

 

DISCLAIMER: MR. WEB DEVELOPER SAYS IT WILL TAKE INTERNIC UP TO 12 HOURS TO TRANSFER, KEEP CHECKING!

 

 

Want a tax number? Take a number

A company tax number is what allows you to buy goods for your business and claim the sales tax back from the government. No tax number? Then you have to pay the sales tax of 20% like any end consumer, even if you are buying inventory to resell.

20%

Good news for Washingtonians! According to this website, at 8.9% you are taxed less than 90% of the other states :)

I applied for my sales tax number six and a half weeks ago on July 6th.
I still do not have a tax number.

I'm guessing that's why they allow people 6 months to start their businesses, because 90% of the time is just waiting for stuff to happen while you golf.

Remember how I mentioned in my last post that my business start is September 1?
Yea, that's approximately 8 days away and I still can't buy inventory or cardboard boxes to put it in.

When I handed in my tax number request forms to the IRS, I was told "Eine Erhebungsdienst wird sich bei Ihnen melden.". This means I will be contacted by the inquiry dept to ensure that I really am planning on starting a business, because they will not hand out those tax number to just anybody.

After they decide you mean business (see what I did there? ;)), it takes another 3-5 days for them to actually issue you the tax number.

After a month had gone by, I went back to the IRS and asked where my number was. I received the standard answer that the inquiry dept. will come by. When asked how long that takes, I was told they didn't know, but that they'd write an e-mail.

Now at 6 weeks, I had to take action. I can't afford to pay 20% too much for my inventory. After being shrugged off last time I asked for info in person at the IRS. I decided to embark on the Telephone Campaign of Terror.

After being transferred around several times to get to correct department, the fun ensues :)
Here's the short version:

ME: When does my tax number arrive?
Them: I don't see anything for you yet.

ME: It's been 6 weeks. How long does it normally take?
Them: It depends.
(I can totally play this game...)

ME: On what?
Them:  Well some people are on vacation...
(I can hear her getting agitated)

ME: Please check when I am scheduled.
Them: I think they are currently working on requests started in May/June.
(Notice all the non-committal answers you get?)

ME: Fine, but when am I scheduled?
Them: I don't know. The person is normally out of the office on inquiry visits.
ME: Well then can you transfer me to their supervisor or someone who can check the schedule?
(oops, now I can hear she's pissed, lol)

Them: I can give you their extension...
ME: If they are out of the office, I'm guessing the phone extension probably won't help me. Please give me their name and e-mail address.

My phone call must have made the rounds inside the dept., because when I called the guy's extension, he already knew who was calling, haha!

Since squeaky wheels apparently get all the grease, I got an appointment for the next day. He said he would forward my documents and that I should expect my tax number by mail the middle of next week.

I'm praying that this really turns out to be the case, but the guy at least offered to call me and let me know the tax number over the phone if he sees it first.

After relating my phone story to some friends, one of them said:

"It's all just a test, if you don't have enough persistence to get information out of people who don't want to give it to you, then you're probably not going to be a successful business owner."

Wise words indeed!

 

And here's a dilbert

 

 

So what's been going on? or (Was bisher geschah)

So what's been going on in the meantime you ask? Or as my husband's work colleagues wondered - how come you have so much time to go for lunch and play golf all day? :-D

Collecting information on the steps you have to do a certain task is kind of like asking Professor Dolores Umbridge how many lines you have to write. There's just not a definitive answer. You're done when you're done.

Or perhaps an even more apt analogy is Hansel and Gretl. You find a breadcrumb which leads you onto the next one...


My random task since my last post was "What do I need to do to register my business?"

• Breadcrumb answer 1: It only takes 5 minutes (their words!) We can help you with that. Bring documents a, b, and c.

Cool! That easy? I even have all those documents ready at home...

• Breadcrumb 2: Well, before we can register your business, you will need to register your company name it in the official Register of Companies. Fill out form x and bring back. (Side Note: This is a purely optional step, but being registered in the office register gives your company a more professional rap, which is important for Webshops, which can otherwise be started by any Hans or Franz)

And at the next meeting....

• Breadcrumb 3: The form is filled out correctly, well done! But before you are allowed to submit it, you have to do an online search of registered & trademarked names to see if it's available. Then you can submit a query to do an official search of company names. Fill out query form z.

I emailed the form right when I got home. Sat around enjoying many rounds of golfing, waiting for the results from the search 1 week later.

• Breadcrumb 4: My query comes back saying the name is available and "suggests" I add a qualifier to the end of my company name that labels it in the type of business it is. Their suggestions are "Online Webshop" "Online Webseite".
  
  Since I don't want the word "Webshop" in my official company name,  I want to go back and ask in more detail about how rigid the rule is on their suggestion. I also wanted to ask why a close competitor with a similar name to mine doesn't have the name like "webshop" attached to their company name.

Sit back and enjoy the sun at the golf course because it's July and the person who answers that question is away for vacation in the meantime.

• Breadcrumb 5: Apparently the rule is this - if you use a 'fantasy name' like 'Partylicious Parties', then you don't have to add anything because it's a made-up name and not a real word.
   
  However, if your name only uses regular words like "ACME Parties", then you have to add something that narrows down what you do.
   
  E.g. if you are in event organization, you would have to have "ACME Parties Event Organizing" or in my case, with an online shop "ACME Parties Online Shop".
   

We compromised on appending "Shop" to my name and was told that would be fine for the company register.

• Breadcrumb 6: Great, looks like you're ready! But before you can submit your registration form, you will need to go to a Notary and have your signature certified so that you can legally sign documents for your company name.

Trot down to nearest Notary, sign a piece of paper and fork over 60 Euros at information desk. Apparently for only 60 Euros, you don't actually get to see the notary in person.

• Breadcrumb 7: Perfect, NOW you have everything you need. Take the form you filled out for breadcrumb 2 and submit it to the Austrian Justiz Landesgericht für ZRS Graz. (some justice building?) This will take about 10 days to clear.

10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1 and it arrives! I got even more golfing done during this time, so win-win :-D

• Breadcrumb 8: Everything looks good, but before you register your official company name, we will help you fill out this "Neufög" form, which is how you apply for not having to pay any registration fees as a first-time business owner...

But the good news was that 8 was the last step! Then it only took 5 minutes for them to send off my application for registering my company effective September 1, 2016.

Alles Party Shop e.U.
(e.U. means registered company)

So much stuff going on

Just when I felt like things were stalling a bit, a bunch of stuff comes together all at the same time.

On my way out the door to my meeting at the WKO (Chamber of Commerce), the mail carrier shoved a small package into my hands. YAY, my first marketing materials!  It was a roll of stickers I ordered last week as handouts. :)))

They come in a clever box that lets you either take them out on the flat roll, or pull directly off the backing.

Then back at my external home office...

OMG it stopped raining for the first time in 4 weeks. I had to take my stuff outside pronto!

I started writing this post to the sound of two fine looking young men taking a chain saw to the wooden beams that separate my inventory room from the rest of the house.

My handyman said "I'm a little bit scared" when he talked about cutting through those posts today. So am I :-O

As you know, my house was built approx. 80 years ago. Back at that time it was apparently a thing to have maid's quarters built directly onto the house. It's even drawn into the main house plans as "Magdzimmer". It's these rooms I'll be using as my warehouse.

Since it was originally designed as servants' quarters, the only way up to the two rooms is through a narrow spiderweb infested rickety back staircase. We wouldn't want the servants using the main staircase obviously...  ;-D

A master Zimmermann (carpenter) made a hefty door frame to act as a replacement for the vertical supporting beam you see there. How weird is it that a vertical beam doesn't go all the way to the floor? And then there is the random crossbeam. Craziness.

They are popping in the frame this afternoon. I'll be so happy to have the doorway done so I refinish the floor and start moving the racks in!

Exciting news!

But this time it's someone else's news :)

I've been following Heather's blog since we met online during a contest on Pattern Review a couple years ago. On Friday, she sent us all a teaser that big news was coming up.

And what fantastic news it was! She became a new business owner, taking over a yarn store called Itsy Bitsy yarn!

I find it so exciting to hear about other people who have pursued their dreams. Like me, she said it was something she's wanted to do since she was little. Also like me, it just took a lot of education and other careers before making the leap.

Congrats to Heather!
I hope you will all take a gawk at her blog and wish her all the best :)))
http://thingsimakeplusrocks.blogspot.co.at/2016/06/exciting-new-now-live.html

And I thought boxes would be easy to organize

I think there has been a tear in the space/time continuum. The days are speeding by!
So much to organize, so little time :)

What time I haven't spent renovating the warehouse room has been spent trying to figure out stuff like which boxes I need.


At least with gas you only have 3 options!

I never knew there were so many norms and standards. Which FEFCO box meets your needs? Check it out here,

White boxes, brown boxes, long boxes, short boxes. Some you have to glue together, some just need tape. For a little bit more money, you can get ones that you just fold together and tuck in the flap. For a lot more money, you can get your logo printed on it. How many colors? 1/0, 4/0? Pantone, CMYK...

However, the biggest problem so far is finding the right size. You can't just pick any old boxes. You have to find the optimum convergence between product size, box costs and shipping fees. 

Party plates have standard diameter of 23cm. So I need a box that has a base at least 24 x 24 cm. Cups have a diameter of up to 10 cm. So if you want to pack a box with both cups and plates, I need a height of at least 14 cm.

In order to keep shipping costs down for customers, the longest side + shortest side has to be less than 45 cm.

All of a sudden there aren't that many boxes that fulfill these measurements that don't cost an arm and a leg. My dream box would be 30 x 30 x 15 cm. But after browsing more box catalogs than I care to remember, I've come to the unfortunate conclusion that apparently isn't a standard size.

After receiving a custom quote on boxes of that size, I'll have to settle on a sub-optimum size and/or start researching importing a less expensive custom box.