Holmes service jelly, etc.. I need your input!

[JohnRobHolmes]

Nut swingers and grown men playing with toys take heed!


I've been going through a bit of a wash cycle in life over the past six months or so. The cliff notes version is that I got married, have moved Holmes Hobbies to a larger location, got a shop for Holmes Bikes, and have been setting up a new production line for Motion Control. Now things are getting back to normal and I can take a step back and look at life. Moving the biz has really helped focus me, nothing like a fresh start and more space! So what do I see?

While I really hate to say it (like the first step of admitting any problem), it is becoming obvious that my time is being spread very thin. On slow days I get about 2 hours of email work (average 3 minutes each). I like to spend about an hour every day on the forums. I typically have four hours of logistics work per day. An average of two hours per day is spent handbuilding and refurbishing motors. Then we have wheelbuilding activities, accounting, prototyping, and other blah blah blah's sprinkled in. I also like to eat lunch.

Being a man that likes to keep some sort of sanity, I try to keep work less than 60 hours per week so I can spend some time with my honey and have hobbies like braiding my dogs luscious coat while I use my toes to smear grape jelly on the sliding glass door. What I am needing to do is hire out more work to keep up with everything. Great problem to have! But difficult position to play all the time.

What I am having an issue with is the transition from hiring work on a pay per job basis to hiring full time hourly workers. I already hire a lot of labor out of house. In house part time help is no problem, but is inherently unstable in the consistency of help because of work variations. Hey I need ten hours this week but twenty next. Sure, a full time employee would solve all my problems and give me LOTS of free time, but I am not quite to that point. Hell, I feel big having a shop and health insurance! Being a self made man without a trust fund or family business to siphon from, I can't just throw money at it and watch the work get done. Although I wish I could. Think of all the grape jelly I could buy if I had a clone of me doing all the work...

So where is the rub? What is the secret to transforming into a better company without hiring a bunch of leaches? What size undewear do you wear? Got any good brands of grape jelly?


Give me your secrets to life.


(P.S. Maybe if I switched to preserves I could get more work done)

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Idea one: make a big fire so lots of sticks can fit in it.

Idea two: make a really big jelly jar

Idea three: Get a job at jelly factory

Idea four: Hire intern from jelly factory to make me coffee

 

[BigSki]

What is the secret to transforming into a better company without hiring a bunch of leaches?

I hope that this is just a statement w/ a dash of humor tossed in and not your honest attitude towards a future full time employee. :shock:

I would think that you might want a trusted person under your wing to learn how to run a part of your business exactly the way that you want it run so that you can have a bit more time to oversee/manage the other projects that you have going. Maybe you have 'too many sticks in the fire' right now??

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Totally a dash of humor, the entire post should be taken with a whole salt lick. And I do have too many irons in the fire, but most of them share a handle at least. Like the bikes and the hobbies. At first glance they don't seem similar, but in the end I just work with the same type of electronics all day. And build wheels cause I love it.

 

[hotwheels000]

Get a job....problem solved:mrgreen:

Sorry, I dont really have any usful insight.

 

[slickwillie]

I don't have an answer for you, but did the order I placed today ship yet? If not, what's the holdup?? What, are you busy or something?

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Get a job....problem solved:mrgreen:

Sorry, I dont really have any usful insight.

We don't need useful insight, this is chit chat! Although I am taking recommendations on jelly. I'm mostly just venting, I have my goals laid out and action points on getting there. I just want to hurry up and get that corporate jet :ror:

I have actually thought pretty hard about getting a job to see what would happen. Hold down customer service for about three hours a day, hire out logistics fully, and have a day job to give plenty of cushion on the budget and some fresh perspective on life. I think I would need that full time employee first though, as training the employee after I got a job would be pretty tough! Interesting thought to entertain, at the least.

Sounds like a lot of work to have a boss though, or have times changed?

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

I don't have an answer for you, but did the order I placed today ship yet? If not, what's the holdup?? What, are you busy or something?

Records show the order was placed at three PM. I see that it shipped a few days ago and you should have received it just a few minutes after the order was placed. It may have been an hour late on delivery though, our Order Predictor module needs some work. if this is not the case I suggest you call your local postmaster and give him my secret code. Don't join him in the back room if he offers.

 

[eric113]

Slap everything with jelly and call it fawking day.

 

[Meatwad]

Get an intern. Hell you don't even need to pay an intern. The only skill at first that's a deal breaker is the production of a perfect cup of coffee. And if said person happens to be an industrious individual that responds to the whippings, then its your choice whether or not to hire.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Yes, yes, yes!!! Post two shall be updated with all of these awesome ideas. If I could have coffee flowing all day, no telling where I could go!

 

[pro beater]

what state is the new shop located in? if its close to me , i'd be willing to intern for knowledge , hell, i'm still running brushed 55 turns with nimh stick packs, then again i run scalers

 

[TattooKenny]

John, have you thought about paying a small hourly wage + commission? This way you not killing yourself with a huge paycheck to someone without the sales. You get the help you need and they get paid when you do;-) I've worked like that a few times and it made me bust my ass and put real pride into my work. I knew if I wanted to make any money that I had to get it done and help spread the word. Food for thought. Having someone there to help you will make things a lot easier for you I can tell you that. The good thing about hiring anyone is that they can be replaced anytime. And you might go through a few before you find that great employee. That's just part of business.

 

[losikid]

I think you ought to get off yer bum and release that brushless esc :mrgreen:. Once you get the racing crowd buying your products then you're swimming in money, and can hire plenty workers. But the crawlers are a small niche, with small profits to be made.

 

[Chris_The_Battery_Man]

I feel ya on some...VERY small levels.


If you want my HONEST opinion....


I have been working in this field since 02'. And through much shadow lurking, and careful note taking, I have decided to start my own thing because I feel I have absorbed all that I can from witnessing a business start from a garage, and grow into this.(WOW, long sentence)


With your particular problem, I would recommend finding a young kid, eager to work after school. But you will be looking for the right individual. Someone who is loyal, and isn't just there for JUST a check. Someone who wants to learn, and to help the business grow. Start him/her out part time with hours after school. This will probably give you that break you need at a good point in the day. This may be hard to find in a person. But I think it's worth it.

We have had many employees here, that were just here for the check. Could care less about anything else. And when it came down to just asking if they could stay an extra 15 minutes, to get a $3,000 order out, it was like pulling teeth. I have also had employees that would come in 20 mins early, to beat mail pickup so a customer would get his stuff on time. Those are the people you want. The ones that care not only about their check, but keeping the customers happy.


And one thing as being an employer.... Treat ANY of your employees well, and they will likely work harder. My boss treated me very well in the beginning, and I was always willing to go that extra mile to make sure shit got done. Ultimately, I figured if I worked my ass off, then the business would grow, and it would end up with more $$ for everyone. We have our differences now. But all in all, he is a great boss. One of the things I hear the most complaining from friends, is their boss. NOT the job, or the work, but the boss. My ol' lady is going through crap at work, because the owner is a total arrogant prick. He has absolutely NO consideration for how his wanting to change things, will make his employees jobs twice as hard. I feel like you're a good and smart enough guy that this wouldn't happen. But treat any employee well, and if they are worth keeping, they will go that extra mile because they will see a future working for you.


If you can find a self motivating, honest worker that is not only thinking about payday, I think you're golden. Dont be afraid to reward them for good work when they go above and beyond, and allow them some fringe benefits. If you do this, I bet you will be very happy.


Hope it works out for ya. You have my # if you want any more input"thumbsup"


And PS, My grandma makes the dankest preserves:mrgreen:

 

[stewbaru]

Heh, you need me, 20 years ago.

 

[pitcher2103]

records show the order was placed at three pm. I see that it shipped a few days ago and you should have received it just a few minutes after the order was placed. It may have been an hour late on delivery though, our order predictor module needs some work. If this is not the case i suggest you call your local postmaster and give him my secret code. Don't join him in the back room if he offers.

hahahahha

 

[CrawlinClodKiller]

If using rasberry jelly get the seedless kind. Avoid the seeded kind at all costs. You don't want those things stuck under your nails trust me.

 

[Turn'Nburn]

Take some grape jelly and add a bunch of your favorite barbecue sauce to it, then marinate and grill some mean ass pork chops.








On a side note, I can't wait for your new mini brushed/brushless esc!
Keep up the good work! "thumbsup"

 

[docsrcrepair]

Its not easy brother.. "thumbsup"

I gave up making tube frames about 10yrs ago,thought a hobby shop would be the next best thing..bought into one with a buddy and his GF.. WRONG move..LOL :shock:..Then I went into doing repairs for a LHS,made ALOT of money till the owner was watching me and figured it out and saw the $400+ I was making a week and soon decided "he didnt need me",needless to say he isnt doing as many repairs as I was nor making the sales he was .. so I just went back to what I got into the hobby for..stress relief from my day job..lol Nothing is as soooooothing as taking a traxxas rustler,shoving a mid block picco 26 into it..gear the hell out of it..and watch it self destruct at really high speeds into the neighbors house :shock:

I wouldnt suggest this move for you though :lmao:
Buy stock in smuckers, hire a really hot assistant that will walk around in a short skirt and soon you'll be divorced and all of your problems will go away "thumbsup"