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Everything about the Magic of Microfiber Cleaning Towel

August 9th, 2010 |

We have been selling Microfiber cleaning towels for a while. The first time, we were introduced to the Mystic Maid® brand micro fiber towel, we immediately fell in love with it. It is amazing how this towel cleans, especially in glass, mirrors, and tile. It just leaves a streak free clean that I’m sure you’ll truly love. What makes this cleaning towel amazing is that it is made up of soft woven micro fibers that creates a dramatically increased cleaning surface area with millions of tiny threads and channels which enables it to pick up more dirt and absorb more water than many other cleaning towels can. The original Microfiber Cleaning Towel is Mystic Maid® that is constructed from a patented nylon/polyester fabric, originally developed for “Clean Room” applications in the semi-conductor industry. The cleaning towel is a handy 19″x13″ sized which is ideal for cleaning eyeglasses (including plastic lenses), mirrors, stove tops, CDs, DVDs, computers, photography and video equipment. So, if you want a cleaning towel that does all the cleaning for you, try Mystic Maid® Microfiber cleaning towel. One pack of 10 cleaning cloths for only $9.50. For more information about Microfiber Cleaning Towels, check out Maid in Chicago Blog. This blog talks more about microfiber cleaning cloths, how to use them and the best way on laundering and drying the microfiber cloths.

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How to Finance Your Craft Business

July 13th, 2010 |

Author: acshomeandwork

Of all the decisions start-up business owners have to make, the decision of how to finance one’s business has to be the thorniest. Do you beg, borrow or steal the money? Who can afford to finance a business these days?

There’s no easy solution, especially in this economy. But the fact is, hundreds of thousands of people have started craft businesses and galleries, sometimes on the flimsiest of budgets. With care and planning, you can too.

Don’t quit your day job
This may seem self-evident, but those nasty, time-consuming, traffic-clogged, mind-numbing, I-hate-my-boss jobs have one big advantage your business doesn’t—a steady income. And, assumably, the occasional day off.

This mixture can be magic. Your day job provides the income to pay your regular bills. Your evenings and weekends provide the time to start turning your craft hobby into a craft business. So whatever you do, don’t quit your day job on the touching hope that your craft business will be an instant financial success. Because, in all likelihood, it won’t.

Obviously, if you’re already unemployed, now might be the time for a what-the-heck, let’s-give-it-a-try business launch. But I wouldn’t give up looking for steady outside work (at least part-time) in the meanwhile. In this economy, cling to whatever income you have or can get.

You’ve got what it takes
Now for the sterling silver advantage craftspeople have over other start-up businesses: Most people don’t just pluck a home craft business idea out of thin air. They start the business by expanding an existing hobby, talent, skill or trade. That means often they already have the basic tools or materials or knowledge necessary.

This is wonderful news because, although you may need to upgrade to more professional-quality tools later on, at least you have what you need to get started. Lots of small craftspeople (ourselves included) started their businesses using hobby-quality tools and machinery. So can you.

A different way of thinking about this is to make a craft product that is compatible with tools you already own. Tools such as a sewing machine or a band saw are versatile and easily adapted to any number of crafts. And, presumably, you own those tools because you’re already something of an expert in using them. Perhaps you’ve only been making Christmas presents for the grandkids up to this point, but nothing says you can’t use those same tools (and that same knowledge) to expand your repertoire into more sophisticated crafts that are marketable and have a wider appeal.

Penny wise, pound foolish
Sometimes a smart businessperson knows what not to spend money on. Kathy Pine of WorldWise Jewelry (www.worldwisejewelry.com) spent precious time and money trying to acquire skills she didn’t need to build her business—namely, learning how to build a website and how to properly photograph her pieces.“I assumed that it would be faster and more cost-effective to do things on my own, ”she notes.“I spent literally months designing my own website (when I had no website development experience to speak of), months trying to learn earrings how to take high-quality photos of my jewelry (when I barely knew how to use my camera), and more months trying to learn how to use Photoshop (making myself crazy just trying to figure out how to resize a photo for the Web).”The results, she says, were mediocre at best.

She learned a valuable lesson: Not everything associated with running a business must be done personally by the business owner. “By using experts to help me with things I don’t know and don’t really have a desire to learn,” concludes Pine, “I’ve been able to spend much more of my time doing things that are within my area of expertise— making jewelry (and therefore making money!).”

Black-and-white
Nonetheless, starting a business will take money, and that’s a commodity that might be in short supply in your household. So it’s time to get real. Putting everything down on paper is a superb method for figuring out expenses. There’s nothing like seeing those stark black-and-white numbers that don’t lie.

“Really look at everything you expect to buy when it comes to running your business—website expenses, supplies (office, raw materials, equipment, etc.), insurance, canopies/booths, display furniture, advertising (business cards, banners, postcards), and gas and travel expenses,” advises Michelle Sholund of By the Bay Botanicals (www.bythebaybotanicals.com). “It should be outlined on paper to see it all in black-and-white to determine if you can afford to start your own business with what money you have—and more importantly, keep running it when times are tough. People must be honest with themselves financially, and not look at the new business with rose colored glasses. This way, the opportunity for success becomes greater. I know firsthand how miserable it is [to use] all your hard earned money to pay expenses that could have been avoided—like credit card debt, which is the first killer of start-up art or craft businesses. There is nothing wrong with taking some time to save extra money because you will, in the long run, save more money by not paying finance charges and other fees that comes with credit cards or loans.”

Debt is dumb
In the words of financial advisor Dave Ramsey, debt is dumb. In fact, it’s about the dumbest way you can finance your craft business. The harsh reality is, if your business fails, you’re still stuck with the debt.

Far better to adopt artist and teacher Susie Monday’s (www.susiemonday.com) philosophy of pay as you go. Sure, it’s not as quick, but it’s a far safer method. “The only feasible way for me to finance my work has been with a pay as- I-go approach, ”says Monday.“ I cash-flow my business with a really simple budget every two weeks—that’s a short turnaround, I know, but for now, that’s about as far out as I can go financially.”

Monday worked as a nanny for five years to some children who had lost their mother to cancer. This allowed her to work on her art while the children were in school.“After about five years, the kids were on their own driving,” she says. “I was out of nannyville, but I had the time, experience and had built a résumé as an artist during my off-hours. By that time, I was both selling enough and had teaching opportunities to finance my time in the studio. I occasionally have to rely on credit cards for travel, especially when I teach at a venue far from my home. Cash flow can be tricky. But I aim to pay off those cards as soon as the expense checks come in, and I have managed not to get too far into debt at any time.”

Credit card caveats
So is there ever a situation where the judicious use of debt can allow the small businessperson to get a business off the ground? Yes…but with caveats. Remember, if your business fails, you’re still saddled with whatever debt you incur. Therefore, you must approach your business like a business (a surprising number of people still treat a business like a hobby and make poor business decisions). It requires discipline and hard work.

Alicia Campbell, affectionately called “The Batty Lady” (www.battylady.com) is an example of how the careful use of credit cards thebattylady enabled her to finance her start-up business. “Starting a business at the beginning of a slowing economy is probably not one of the smartest things to do,” she admits. “I started The Batty Lady (a quilt batting supply source) in February 2008. I was on my own for financing, through the use of my personal credit cards. I probably wouldn’t recommend it, unless you have the financial capability to pay back the cards out of other income if the business fails. I have a day job in addition to my little business. Since the business is home-based, I don’t have the rental expense of a brick-and mortar store, but there are regular monthly expenses that have to be met (credit cards, website, advertising). My initial expenses were inventory, about $8,000 worth of stock needed to be purchased to cover the website and the quilt shows that I would be attending within the first few months of business.”

Campbell concludes, “I am now working on paying off all the start-up costs so that I can be a pay-as-you-go business and eliminate any interest expenses.”Campbell’s case illustrates that, even when a business succeeds, debt still needs to be paid off.

A means toward an end
Finding the money for a start-up small business is not easy. It’s not supposed to be easy. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Like anything worth doing, financing a business usually requires a complete philosophical change from immediate gratification to deferred rewards.

How can you finance a business without going into debt? You use the principles of deferred rewards. Skip the restaurant dinner and apply those funds toward your business instead. If you have a favorite vice (smoking, shopping, etc.), you could give it up and apply those funds to the business.

But even if you’re as thrifty as can be and apply all your spare money toward funding the business, life can get in the way. A new baby or aging parents may mean you’ll have to defer your business dreams for a while. Be patient.

And nothing says you can’t run your business under less-than-ideal circumstances—a cramped garage instead of a shiny new shop building; a secondhand sewing machine on the kitchen table instead of the latest model in a dedicated sewing room. Dreams that are nurtured and built slowly over time often yield the strongest successes (think oak trees).

Some of the most successful craft entrepreneurs we know are a couple who started an oil-and-incense business on a card table in their spare bedroom. Fifteen years later, they employ five people, rent a large warehouse and supply stores all over the country.

Dream big, start small. Don’t do the opposite. Remember: Bill Gates started in his garage. You can too.

Jessica Nagel Franchuk, Editor

The Crafts Report and Teddy Bear Review

N7450 Aanstad Road, Iola, WI 54945

phone: (800) 331-0038, ext. 111

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This article is originally written by Patrice Lewis, who is a co-founder of Don Lewis Designs (donlewistankards.weebly.com) and author of the monthly “Beginning Business” column in The Crafts Report (www.craftsreport.com). This article originally appeared in the August 2010 issue of The Crafts Report.

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat

June 28th, 2010 |

Author: acshomeandwork

Last Saturday was a full day watching my daughter perform at a horse show. I did not realize how competitive and difficult showing a horse is. First it’s a very long day; it’s not a few hours and its over. She was in 9 different events that started in the morning and lasted until 6:30 at night. There was some real nail biting, edge of your seat moments.

When the event was over I kept thinking about Jim McKay and ABS wide world of sports. The show always started with this really cool statement ” ABS Wide World of Sports, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”. With some really cool back ground music and great videos of skiers flying in the air. They new how to grab your attention.

I remember in the 70’s you could turn on the TV on Saturday and watch this show. The words are put together perfectly to maximize the full meaning of winning and losing. The thrill of victory, when I think of the word “thrill” I think about riding a roller coaster and throwing my hands up. (The thrill of the ride) And Victory, that is when you win. Victory was originally used as a military term. That makes sense; it takes a lot of hard work, sweat and blood to win a war. That is the same for sports. Agony, beautiful choice of words again, agony to me is like suffering. Suffering loss, heart ache, great prolong pain.

This might be a stretch when it comes to my daughters horse show. But it’s not if you think about it. That is why I love this phrase. It does not matter if it’s a little league baseball game or your business. There will be winners and losers. Life is not far. And sports helps us learn, appreciate and understand this fact.

Thomas Sole wrote a great piece how life is unfair. That is why this phrase resonated so well with me. When everything was said and done my daughter was trying to win. All the months of preparation and practicing were not just so she could show up and participate. It was because she wanted to win. And she might have put all this effort into this one day and went home with the agony of defeat. That’s the beauty of sports. After years of watching sports I finally got it. It’s about winning, not the game. Sure the game is fun, and there are some high points and low points. The great thing about sports is, it’s parallel to life’s experiences. Not only is it fun and exciting but we can all learn from these events.

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Posted in Family Bonding | Comments Closed

What you should know before you buy a flour sack towel?

June 20th, 2010 |

Author: acshomeandwork

The term “Flour Sack Towel” comes from a towel made from fabric that is used as packaging to hold flour.

Majority of the US population lived outside the city before world war two. This meant they did not have the convenience of retail stores; cities had bakeries, meat markets, and general mercantile stores. Either you baked your own bread to save money or going to the store every few days was not a good option. Generally most flour mills sold the flour in larger quantity than the 5 and 10 pound sizes we see now in stores. The best packaging was a sacking cloth made of 100% cotton. A sacking cloth is different than a linen material with a fairly tight weave or a muslin with a more loose weave. Linen can tear, if you are tossing bags of flour around in the warehouse, in bags of linen you could spill your flour. And muslin does not hold the flour as well as the tight weave of a sacking material.
Flour sack material is made in a different process than other materials. Most people think flour sacks are made from bolts of fabric like you see at fabric stores.The problem is you will not get as tight of a weave if you make your flour sack bags this way. A true flour sack towel is cut and hemmed when the fabric is still in its raw state. After the raw material is cut and sewn it then goes on to be finished into a flour sacking material. Manufacturing the towel in this order produces a more uniform and tighter weave towel. You can tell a quality flour sack towel a couple ways. One is hold it up to a light or window, you should only see vague light and not much more through the towel. If you can see the outline of the window and more, you have a very thin flour sack towel. The other way, a true flour sack towel will not have a sheen or a finish to it. It should have a flat cotton look to it. A true flour sack will be off white, some have a yellow tinge to them. A quality flour sack towel will have some weight to it. Some flour sack towels have a uniform edge and some do not. Some are hemmed on four sides and some on two sides. The hemming should not be a issue if you are going to use the towel in the kitchen. If you plan on putting embroidery on the towel you might want to consider a towel with hems on four sides. There is one more advantage to a flour sack towel. You cannot find a more earth friendly product. Not only is the cotton 100% natural, if you do throw it away it will decompose. Flour sack towels are a inexpensive way to dry dishes, use as napkins, and many other uses. Next time you see flour sack towels at your grocery store or online pick some up and try them yourself.

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Posted in Crafts | Tags: flour, flour sack, flour sack towels | 2 Comments »

Tweet Tweet

May 23rd, 2010 |

Author: acshomeandwork

Twitter has evolved into a very useful tool. Mat Drudge from the Drudge Report has twitter and figured out that he has 80 thousand plus followers and he is following one. How is this good?

You say “I thought you want to follow a bunch of people and have a bunch of people follow you”. Not so fast, let me explain. Look how fast technology has changed in the last 20 years. We went from land line telephones to cellular telephone and mobile internet. Think how fast you can get and send information. I think the President is wrong in saying there is too much information. Think of a painter at a job site, he sends one of his employees out to get more paint. While at the paint store he realizes he needs more paint. He uses his cell phone to call his employee at the paint store to get another gallon of paint. This goes on every day. From painters, to doctors to kids calling mom for a ride. We save huge amount of energy and fuel from this technology. How does this affect what the President said about information? Information created the technology for cellular phones to be smaller and better quality. This is just cell phones. Think of all the other things better technology has created and improved. Better medicine, higher quality food, new textiles and coatings, plastics, polymers, navigation, energy the list goes on.

I think twitter will evolve into an improved tool just from natural progression and usage. Still confused? Try this, one of my favorite restaurants in my hometown is Stromboli’s, the tradition for this type of business marketing is to create a website or blog and hand out coupons on the site with a map. Plus some other info to keep you coming back. Fine and handy, but I do not need a map, and frankly I do not care about coupons. I love the place. But if they would use twitter to tell me the Lasagna is $9.75 on Monday. Tuesday is something different. That is useful, you might call it spam, I do not, I choose to follow the business, and twitter is meant to be quick information. I can read Lasagna for $9.75 on Monday much faster than a email and its not tying up my inbox. I think it’s perfectly ok for a business to blast out specials and info and do nothing on the social media part of the deal.

What’s wrong with this? The restaurant, electrician, TV station can set up another twitter account for the social networking. I checked twitter, only a few local news stations are doing weather on twitter. How cool would it be, if I could have the few business I like, the news and weather I like, plus the people I like to follow in one place, that is quick and easy. Blog posting is for my RSS feed, like reading a newspaper, while email is for communicating like snail mail used to be, and twitter is for quick info I need to make my life better. Back to my technology rant, I am not saying because of twitter we will be flying around in helicopters and have robot maids like the Jetsons. No, but I am saying an improved twitter can and will add to our quality of life. Life is good and its getting better every day because of the advances of technology. Improved gathering and storage plus transportation of information, this will help all of us.

Tweet Tweet

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Posted in Social Networking | Comments Closed