More Organizational Secrets :)

This is one of my most serious challenges throughout the years. It is tough to keep everything organized. Sometimes I get calls wanting me to make a product I haven't made for years, sometimes it is another artisan asking me if I could recommend a show, often it is just me trying to remember where I stored the new jars that just came in.

The easy (or maybe hard) answer is that I keep copious amounts of notes. Every supply that comes in is documented, where it came from, how much it was, and where I put it (sometimes my attic is a great storage place, but I forget what is up there).

Every batch of product I make is documented: what the recipe was, what fragrance I used, how much of what herb, etc. I can go back years and be able to make something again (or at least a close facsimile given current supply of ingredients).

Just about every time I purchase an ingredient I am sent a sample of something else. Some of these are things I can use right away or give to family and friends. But when I get samples of fragrances I keep a master spreadsheet of them to use as future reference. Every one gets put into a glass bottle and given a number. That number corresponds with a spreadsheet that tells me the manufacturer, the year I received it, the price at the time, and a description of the scent. This is handy because when someone calls me up looking for a special order they can tell me they are looking for "blueberry" and I can tell then I have 13 different variations for them to choose from (blueberry pie, blueberry syrup, blueberry bread, blueberries, blueberry-vanilla, and on and on). It is like my own little reference library or scents.

My show files are color coded. Green files are shows that we are doing this year, or have done in the past and really did well at but for some reason we are not returning to this year. Yellow files are shows that are on the fence. Maybe it is getting one last try before I drop it, maybe it is under new management, or in a new location, or the date has changed. Something is going on that makes me want to take a closer look at this show and reevaluate my participation in it. The yellow reminds me to do that. Red means bad. After years and years, sometimes it gets to be difficult to remember where you have been. Is the application you just received for something your have tried already, something you have just been told about by friends, or just in the same town as another one you have bombed at? Each show gets a file and they are in red, so when new applications come in I can refer back to these and figure out my schedule. I don't get into the details of why the show went "red file" because I trust myself enough to know there was a good reason and that is good enough for me.

These things I put in place early on in my business so it was simpler to keep going with them. If you are already busy it can take some time to put things in order, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

Let me know what you do to stay organized :)