I'm sorry... seems that no matter what I do it always ends up wrong.
And I was putting a surprise in with orders that are so late, but that will end up being wrong as well some how.
And my doctors said my reason for my heart attack wasn't from clogged arteries, but from stress. I don't know how much longer I can do this.
That's true, but that's life. You could give away a truck load of free Sabers and someone would still find a reason to gripe. Some of the gripes may even be well justified, but we're only human...and 'extra support' to catch and prevent all disasters cost money and resources that not everyone has.
Schedule set-backs in a one man operation are NOT a breech of ethics. It happens...
You just repaired/upgraded half your equipment, then spent days in a hospital, etc. Either scenario is a challenge to manage, and both occurring within a 3 month time frame is a lot to sort out.
It's easy to tell someone how to run his business (especially when most of us know zilch about owning/operating a machine shop), but it's another to try running one. I'm sure it took quite some time to find a cash flow balance where the orders coming in aligns with the prices, shop expenses, raw material orders, etc. I don't blame you for trying to start 2014 off as if the past 2 months never happened. You'll get caught up soon.
Please don't look back and stress yourself ill again. You'll get caught up. No matter what you do, some will be happy, and some will be upset. All you can do is attempt (without going bankrupt) to salvage those 'unhappy' consumer relationships the best you can on a one-on-one basis.
Even if you simply make adjustments that slow down the production pace (raising prices, longer disclosed waiting period, etc.) I hope you'll find a profitable way continue to accept orders for Sabers for many years to come.
Every state has hoops to jump through to set up any kind of shop and few people realize how difficult it is for a small one family operation. In some states attempting to move one of those hoops 1/16th of an inch can cost millions of dollars and months of snake charming. Some of us understand that...so take your time and adjust accordingly in directions and increments that'll work FOR YOU.
On the bright side, there are still people in the world who do understand some of the pros and cons of practicing a made to order master craft.
So...I hope 2014 starts out better than 2013 ended. Look for the few treasures that usually have a way of popping up in the middle of one of life's 'rough patches', and for every moment you spend 'feeling sorry or apologizing', spend 5 moving forward, and experiencing the 'good stuff'.
I was out of town on the first...so...on a late note:
Happy New Year!
cant please everyone just the way it is . Thank you
