Wow ... the things I learned about my son tonight!!!

Wow, the things I have learned about my little boy tonight have truly astounded me!

It's been a weird day really. I woke up this morning and I really just didn't want to drag the kids into the workshop with me! I turned the alarm clock off and allowed myself the indulgence of a lay in until 9.30am! I could hear the kids downstairs but there were no sounds of screaming, so I just huddled myself under my duvet until I FELT like getting up!

This evening at hub's suggestion, we all went out for a "family" meal ... the kids have been so well behaved recently and it was hub's payday - plus the freezer is pretty much totally empty, and with me clearing out the kitchen cupboards yesterday ... well there wasn't much in the house!!

Anyway, after trudging around a few different places, trying to find somewhere that didn't have a 20-30 min wait for a table for four ... we finally got seated back at the first place we went too!

The kids were impeccable with their behaviour! I was proud of the pair of them! We went to a family friendly restaurant that provides colouring pens and activity sheets

That's the background ... but the thing is ... after a few glasses of wine I was feeling decidedly squiffy so we weren't exactly hugely forthcoming about getting the kids in bed! Hub was doing some work and I was watching Dawn Porter do her lesbian thang (so gotta post about that separately!) when it occurred to me to get them into bed!

Fast forward past the whole go to bed, kisses & cuddles bit ... I'm sat here with another glass of wine and Nathan comes in telling me he has had a bad dream about colours!

THAT intruigued the crap out of me so I asked him to explain. He told me that his dream was yellow with a black hole in the middle but that sometimes it was colours other than yellow.

OMG it was fascinating. I got him to draw his dream for me and he drew a big circle (in biro) that he told me was yellow and then did a black circle in the middle of it. From there I got him to make me a list of happy and sad colours, but he re-named it colours he liked and colours he hated! Yellow was top of the hate list, followed by black and all kinds of dark colours. Top of his love list was red orange and pink together like a sunset... and that just blew my mind! He said blue is an okay colour as long as it isn't too dark, white and grey are in the middle and he absolutely loves ALL (his words) types of green.

It was fascinating and totally blew my mind. He took his list to bed with him but I plan on secreting it away later to look at properly. It smacks of being a very Aspergers thing ... and it reminded me a lot of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" ... I forget the author but it's about a boy with severe Aspergers (Nathan is mild to mid) and it was just wow ... because that boy saw yellow as a bad luck colour too. It is definitely worth mentioning to his specialist at the hospital when he's seen again.

Utterly fascinating. I saw an insight into my little man tonight that I have never EVER had before.

Dreams for the future .........

I've spent pretty much the entire weekend in the workshop! I poured all day Saturday and all day today to the point where I literally had to stop late this afternoon because I ran out of wax! LOL

I like being on top of things (no filthy comments please!!!) because it gives me a huge ego boost to look at the order board and know that I am up to date on things. I did discover from looking back on the records that I am £600 down for November on where I was last year and that isn't good... but it explains why I feel on top of things ... it's because I should be busier!! I've updated the website recently and sent out a newsletter to my email subscribers ... but beyond that there isn't much I can do.

I need a shop. I NEED a shop. I NEED A SHOP!!!

If I had a retail shop right in the middle of Brighton I would be guaranteed passing daily trade on top of whatever the website brings in. It's a student town, so every year I would have a fresh batch of blood - I mean new customers. The smell wafting out of the door would drive people inside in their droves!!!

I've actually thought of little else over the last few days. My dream has always been to have a retail shop and it's coming to the point where I think I am going to need it to stay afloat.

I have a terrific product - everybody who tries my candles tells me so! I am really good at what I do and I'm not just saying that to blow my own trumpet! I put time, effort and experience into what I do and I make damned good candles!! I have so many ideas to take the business forward and to do that I need to get my accounts up to date and then I need a serious cash injection.

With enough money I can ...

* Get the essential business tax debts paid off.
* Secure premises and pay rent for at least the first 6 months in advance so I don't need to worry for the first couple of months of trading.
* Buy enough supplies to make enough to stock the shop!
* Buy fixtures and fittings for the shop.
* Employ enough people to train up and help make / pack the stock.
* Still keep the website running.
* Pay my normal ongoing business bills (phone, water, rates, etc)

I have so many ideas! While I was pouring away today, I even thought about the decor of the shop, how I would lay it all out, what scents I would have burning at which times of year etc to draw people in! Heck I even started a spreadsheet on the things I would want to have on the shelves as a minimum by opening day! We'd have a twice weekly run from the workshop down to the shop to re-stock anything that their stock room is running low on. I'd do this as it would give me the opportunity to go down and keep an eye on things!

I'd employ three people initially at the shop. One full time manager to oversee the general running of the shop, then one full time and one part time to work behind the counter and help customers with choosing appropriate things (full training would be given! LOL I know how to sell my stuff). I could potentially also work at the shop on the manager's days off to make sure it's all running okay and sort out any problems there.

In the workshop I would initially want two people permanently packaging and wrapping. This would include packaging stock for the shop and dispatching orders out to website customers. In the pouring room I would want two other people alongside me - one making purely votives, hurricane candles, tealights and wax chunks, then another doing the pillars and larger stuff. There would also need to be one main person as a manager who would need to be trained in everything to oversee the general running of the workshop and float between the pouring room and packing area depending on where they were needed.... basically a mini-me!

The cash injection to fuel this project would also need to be enough to pay these 6 staff members for the first few months in business plus the on-going costs and overheads (heat, electric etc). I'd also want a weekly book-keeper and a monthly accountant!

BUT on top of this I could also employ party plan agents to do all of the parties for me and run all the training from the shop back room too.

The thing is, I KNOW that once this baby is up and running, I would be flying without wings! This time of year the shop would be FULL of glitter, Christmassy warm and welcoming scents and colours. Decoration would be subtle and be along the lines of greenery and berries. Not overly in your face tinsel with flashing lights ... but understated elegance instead!! I'd have the Christmas three wicks (which look stunning!) on a round table, shown off on their holders with twigs and berries all around them, foil glitters and tealights scattered across the table and just MAKE people want to re-create that in their homes! Of course the Christmas tree candles would have their own fabulously glittery display! LOL After Christmas I'd get ready for a mass January sale before launching the hearts for Valentines day! I've even planned the valentines decoration that I won't bore you with ... then there is usually a lull between March - August where I'd need to boost summer sales and garden candles plus you have father's day and mother's day where I could promote beer candles and gift sets respectively LOL .... then August - September is always hell for website sales until Christmas sales pick up, but in BRIGHTON in a SHOP I'd have all that wonderful touristy passing trade to lap up!!!

I would have large photographs all over the walls of the shop showing the candles in different rooms / scenarios. Show the romantic bedroom setting, the candles around the tub, floating candles in a garden etc. SHOW people how to use them in their homes!

I NEED A SHOP!

Where do I get a metric fuckload of money from though? I guess I had better start playing the lottery!!!!