Many people ask me why I don’t hire more employees to handle order volume. We do have two hired employees who package and attach the clasps. But I am still the only one stamping, cutting and filing your bars! There are several reasons for this. It’s not that I don’t want to pay someone to help. It’s that for now, I am the only one that can stamp your orders with precision. This is because we use specialty custom fonts. Each and every one of our stamps require a huge amount of precision to get the letters to connect properly. We also cut and hand finish al your bars, which take skill and care. I value quality over quantity, which is why I have decided that I will not outsource this very important step of the process.

However, having said that, I am also a wife and mother to 3 young children who need me. For the last year, I’ve been pulling 14 hour work days at least 4-5 days a week. My children need me and I cannot be away from them for so long. (And I’m pretty sure my husband misses my cooking!) I was hoping to be able to stay open 24/7 but because I value quality so much, I cannot.

Therefore, I am going to have to continue to open and close with order volume. I will do my best to stay open for as long as I can, but I will need to close when I reach capacity. This will vary during the slow/busy seasons. I will continue to find more support in areas that can alleviate some of the workload for me. And I only close and open because I want to make sure that each necklace receives the time that it deserves. I don’t like to cut corners around here, and you all know I take pride in the fact that each thick bar is made one at a time with craftsmanship! I want to continue with this standard of excellence in quality. Please be patient with me. I’m so sorry I won’t be able to stay open all the time but I do promise the following things:

9 THINGS I PROMISE TO YOU!

1. I aim to shorten turnaround time so that you can get your goodies as fast as possible, with smaller batches.
2. I’ll keep the website viewable when we are not taking orders.
3.  I’ll update my social media often with opening dates as much as I can and also send out newsletters for when we open.
4. I’ll occasionally send newsletter subscribers coupons and goodies.
5. I’ll always vary the opening times so that you all have a chance to order regardless of what your schedule looks like
6. I will try to do smaller, shorter batches so that you don’t have to wait too long to open.
7. I will do my best to respond to emails within 24 hours.
8. I promise to continue offering high quality, thick and luxurious bars and fresh new designs!
9. I will share a little more behind the scenes and blog a bit more!

Sooooo the point of my very long post is this: I cherish and value every one of my customers, and I want to continue to spend ample time on each necklace that you order. But, I’m also a mom of 3 littles, so I need to only take on as much as I can handle at once without compromising on quality. I’m doing this because I value you. I would much rather take fewer orders and know that they are done with care, than send out a ton of orders that are not done properly. I know that it will be frustrating at times. I know that some will choose to purchase elsewhere because of the opening/closing. (I promise my necklaces are worth the wait!) And I promise to do my best to open as much and as often as I can, so that there are plenty of chances to snag a necklace and to update you, but please know that I will need to open and close continually because I care about your orders!

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO GET YOUR ORDER IN:

1. Sign up for the newsletter!
2. If you don’t want the newsletter, you can sign up to be notified for your item of choice! You can do this by viewing any listing on our website when we are closed. If you are not on the newsletter you will need to do this for every opening that you want to be notified for as I send these notifications personally to each person that requests them.
3.  Check Social Media often!

Thank you to everyone who made it to the end of this lengthy post. I’m constantly learning and stretching to run this Mint & Birch gig while being a mother/wife at the same time. It’s not easy, but I do cherish the relationships that I have built with each and every one of you! I say this a lot, and I will say it again: I sure am a lucky gal!

xoxo,
Jessica
Photo by McLachlan Studios

The post Quality over Quantity: You can’t pour from an empty cup! appeared first on Mint & Birch.