#i work at bed bath and beyond and our store is officially closing for good

[dylanconrique]

i will never in my lifetime understand how someone can have the sheer audacity to stand in front of a retail or food associate and scream and curse in their faces and call them other profanities over the most simplest of things.

#*and this is icarly! #customer service #i work at bed bath and beyond and our store is officially closing for good #... so we can't take returns #and boy some woman thought she could rip me apart for not taking a sheet set back #little did she know though that i'm a stone cold bitch and couldn't care less about what she's going to do the stuff she bought #there are literally large neon signs everywhere throughout the store that say 'ALL SALES ARE FINALE' in bold font #read it and weep #good luck to you if that's how you treat people like no one is going to help you #goddamn mama needs a big bottle of wine

[benhardyisdaddy]

I Can Still Make It

MASTERLIST 

(yall wanted angst, well ill give yall some angst lmao this was actually rll sad to write :-( i hope u all and the anon like it!!!) 

Word Count: 1,985

RogerxReader

“I promise to call you every night I’m away.” 

He failed that promise two weeks in to tour. A call every day turned into a call every other day, which turned in to three calls a week, then two, then one and then it stopped. Every time your phone rang, your heart would jump at the sound of it. You were hoping it would be Roger on the other line, but it wasn’t. You haven’t talked to your boyfriend in two weeks and it was beyond miserable. 

Was he okay? Was he safe? Was he… You didn’t dare think of that. Roger is a man of many things, but not a cheater. At least that’s what you told yourself until he was on the cover of a magazine in your local grocery store. It was a picture of him with his tongue down some brunettes throat, one hand squeezing at her bum and the other tugging at her hair. That’s exactly how he kisses you. There was a lump in your throat as you dropped the magazine and rush out of the store, leaving your cart behind. You were sick and confused, hoping maybe - just maybe - that wasn’t him. You would find out. 

You hurried home and go straight for your phone. You dig through your drawer and search for a number Roger gave you to call if there was ever an emergency. And to you, this was an emergency. You dial the number and wait until it starts ringing. Several seconds pass until someone picks up. 

“Hello?” 

It was the voice of a girl as she giggles and is whispering to someone. Loud music is blaring in the background as people shout out. Your heart breaks as you place your hand over your chest and clutch at it. You forgot how to breathe as you close your eyes and feel yourself tremble. 

“Heeeello?” she asks again, obviously irritated. 

“Um,” you start, clearing your throat. “Is Roger available?” you ask, your voice barely audible. 

“Who?” she asks loudly, not hearing you. 

“Roger!” you say loudly, causing her to pause. 

“Oh, um, he’s actually busy right now. Can I take a message for him?” 

You roll your eyes and swallow hard, hoping the contents in your stomach wouldn’t find their way back up. 

“Yes. Tell him his girlfriend called.” you say, making sure to say girlfriend a bit louder. 

The girl almost gasps as the phone moves around a bit, sounding muffled. 

“Oh, hold on one sec. I’m so sorry.” she says fast. 

You can hear her whispering in the background and you can make out Roger’s voice. The moment you hear him, you cover your mouth as your eyes squeeze shut and you sob quietly. 

“You have a girlfriend?” asks the girl, very confused.

“What are you talking about?” he asks, laughing. 

“She’s on the phone, you idiot! I bloody answered it!” 

There’s a slight pause when you finally hear him mumble ‘shit’. The phone moves around and you take in a deep breath, not able to say anything. 

“Baby?” he finally asks. 

You can tell he’s forcing himself to act calm and force a smile as he speaks. You shake your head and lean it against the wall, unable to speak. 

“Baby, are you there?” he asks, getting worried. 

“Sorry for interrupting you.” you whisper to him. 

Roger’s voice is rushed and desperate as he yells out for you and tries to explain what’s happening, but you don’t want to listen. You hang up quickly and began sobbing loudly and hard. Your body leans against the wall and slowly slides down until you’re on the ground. Your phone begins ringing, but you don’t answer. You don’t want to answer anymore. 

Day after day, your phone has been ringing off the hook. You know it’s Roger and you can’t find it in yourself to talk to him. You couldn’t and didn’t want to hear him confirm the fact that he’s been cheating while on tour. You don’t think you could go through it. The two of you were done, but you didn’t tell him that. You’ll let him live his life and you’ll live yours. Apparently that’s what he wanted. 

***

It had been 3 weeks since your phone call with Roger and he was still trying to contact you. The ringing of the phone had become mere background noise and you didn’t pay attention to it at all. One night, the phone had been ringing like crazy as you entered the house. You had went out with a friend and arrived home tipsy and frustrated by everything that had happened. You looked around your living room as a thought invaded your mind. This wasn’t your living room. In fact, this wasn’t your house. It was Roger’s. You were just somebody keeping the bed warm until he gets home. It wasn’t your home, but you came to the conclusion that you would find one. And soon. 

You saw an ad in the paper for a two bedroom and one bath house that fit your price range perfectly. You got all dressed up and head out to meet with the realtor. You walked through the house and love every inch of it. Something finally felt like home to you. You sign the papers and you’re told that within three months, you could move in and begin your new life, Roger free. 

You decided to walk around your new town and explore. You walk inside a cafe that was also a bookstore. You were intrigued as you order a drink and browse all of the books on the shelves. You pull a book off and look at it when someone starts speaking. 

“That’s a really good one.” 

You look up and a handsome man with dirty blonde hair is watching you with a smile on his face. You blush and smile back as you look back down at the book. 

“Oh, yeah?” you ask. “It looks really good. I might just get it.”

 “Wait, don’t move.” says the man as he hurries to the front desk and talks to the person behind the counter. 

He comes walking back and raises his brows. 

“It’s all yours.” he says. 

Your face goes shocked. 

“But, I haven’t paid for it yet.” you explain to him. 

He shrugs and waves you off. 

“I have connections with the owner. It’s fine.” 

“Oh my gosh. Thank you!” you tell him, grinning. “And I’ll have to thank him as well. That was so kind.” 

“Well,” starts that guy. “You could thank him by having some coffee with him possibly?” he asks, a hopeful look on his face. 

You stare at him for a moment and then a sly grin forms on your face. It finally clicked. 

“You’re the owner, aren’t you?” 

He laughs and reaches his hand out for you to shake. 

“I’m Henry.” 

You sweetly smile and shake his hand. 

“Y/n.” you tell him. “And Henry, I would love to have that cup of coffee with you.” 

And for the first time in a long time, you found yourself with someone who wanted you as much as you wanted them.

***

Your relationship with Henry was amazing. You haven’t been this happy in a while. He would surprise you with flowers at work and cook you dinner at his place almost every night. It felt nice to be wanted again. Although you were on cloud nine, you still found yourself thinking about Roger. You had been spending a lot of nights over at Henry’s, in fear of your phone ringing continuously still. 

Two months passed and you still haven’t spoke to Roger. You and Henry were officially a couple and you couldn’t be happier. The two of you were over at Roger’s house, gathering and packing your things. You get to move into your new home tomorrow and you were so excited to start a new chapter in your life. 

“How much longer do you think?” you ask Henry as he takes out another box of your stuff. 

“I think we got it all, babe!” he calls out as he walks outside and to the car. 

You stand in the middle of the living room and look around your once home. You think about all of the memories you and Roger have shared here. Right where you stand is where you two had your first kiss. Right in that bedroom is where he told you he loved you for the first time. Your heart is heavy as you wipe away a stray tear from your face. You’re lost in your thoughts when suddenly the home phone rings. You jump a bit and look towards the kitchen. You walk up to it and without thinking, answer. 

“Hello?” you ask, sniffling a bit. 

“Y/n!?” 

It’s Roger. The sound of his voice makes your heart jump. You almost gasp. 

“Y/n, love. I’ve tried calling. Are you alright?” 

You take in a breath and nod your head. 

“I’m fine, Rog.” 

You can practically hear him smiling through the phone. His voice is slurred, which tells you that he’s been drinking. 

“Baby,” he starts. “I’m just right outside town. Our driver says I’ll be home in thirty minutes. I was worried about you so I left early. I’m coming home to you.”

Your eyes flutter close as tears sting at your eyes. 

“Roger,” you whisper.

“I’ve been so lonely without you. I’m so sorry, my love. For everything.” 

For everything. He means cheating on you with who knows how many women. 

“I’ve been gone for so long, I know, but I’m almost home, alright? I’ll make everything up to you. I swear.” 

“Don’t bother.” you whisper. “I’m not going to be here.” 

There’s a long silence as he takes in what you’ve just said. 

“Y/n,” he whispers to you. “Please don’t go. Please. I can still make it.” 

“There’s somebody else, Roger. Somebody who wouldn’t go weeks without speaking to me. Who wouldn’t cheat on me.” 

Roger sighs and groans a bit, a silent sob escaping his lips. 

“Listen, I’ll make it up to you. I’ve been a complete asshole and I’m so sorry. Please don’t go. I’m hurrying, alright? Thirty minutes and I’ll be there. Just promise me you’ll be there. Okay? Can you just promise me that?” 

You sigh and lean against the wall, your heart hurting. 

“Y/n, please?” he says, his voice breaking. 

“I can’t make that promise.” 

“Please,” he cries out. “Please. I can still make it.” 

You’re torn between hanging up on him and falling back into his arms. You hated this. You think for a moment and nod your head. 

“Fine.” 

Roger smiles and begins speaking fast, trying to hurry. 

“I’ll be right there. I can’t wait to see you, love. I’ll be right there.” 

You hang the phone up and are breathing fast. He’d be here soon. 

“You ready to go?” asks Henry, walking into the kitchen. 

You look at him with sad eyes as he looks at you lovingly. 

***

Roger was right. It only took him thirty minutes and he was pulling up to his home. Before the car even fully stopped, he was jumping out of the door and running up to it. The porch light was on and it was lit up on the inside. He smiles to himself as he unlocks the door and bursts inside. He looks around fast. 

“Y/n?” he calls out. 

It’s silent. He frowns as he walks forward and into his room. All of your things were gone. He panics and runs to the kitchen, but it’s empty as well. His heart falls as a tiny piece of paper lays on the kitchen counter. In your handwriting it reads, Welcome Home, Roger. 

You weren’t there. You didn’t stay. You left. And all he had left of you were the memories of yesterday and a note with your handwriting. 

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#benhardyisdaddy #roger taylor #rogertaylor #benhardy!rogertaylor #ben hardy!roger x reader #ben!rogertaylor #rogertaylorxy/n #angst #break up #borhap #queen #fic #i can still make it

[spidypool]

Tales From Bed Bath & Beyond

So I’ve decided to start a little series called “Tales From Bed Bath & Beyond”.  For those of you who follow me you know I’ve been working there for almost 4 years now. And honestly this store is one giant mess. It wasn’t always like that mind you.  But it is now.  My sister says I work in the real life Superstore (never seen the show but I’ll take her word for it).

I’m writing these little tales 1. Because so many incidents happen I can never remember them all, 2. One day I’ll probably wanna look back on these, 3. I’ll have a ton of stories to tell me niece and nephews, and 4. For @ladysnowstorm​ because she LOVES hearing all about the Bed Bath and Beyond drama.

This first post I’m just gonna give some background so anyone who wants to read them will have an idea of the set up.

Alright lets start with the store and the ranking. So in BBB it goes:

Store Manager (can tell what this is by the name)

LOD aka Leader On Duty (just the senior who is currently in charge because the store manager can’t always be there)

Senior (head Managers of the store)

Department Supervisors (the managers of each store department)

LEAD aka I have no idea what that stands for ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  (they are just Department Sups but just without the extra responsibility)

Associates aka the bottom of the food chain

Maintenance (change my mind these guys are the bottom of the food chain)

*There are other parts and stuff but this is all that you guys should know

See I’m an associate. Officially. However I’m treated as a manager and most of the managers obey me so hey I am a manager just without the title, the pay, and well the actual authority.

Now I work at the largest BBB in the world located in NYC. It’s 3 stories tall PLUS the warehouse. Customers only have access to 2 of those levels.  The store is so large it is divided into smaller departments. I’m sure other stores do this but they probably don’t have it divided up so much. Anyways they are:

Frontend which includes

Checkout

Customer Service

Home Delivery

Cashroom

Hardside

Seasonal

Seasonal Electronics

Small Appliances

Kitchen Basics

Pots and Pans

Utilities

Soft Side but really called Lifestyles

Vacuums

Cleaning

Tabletops

Closet and storage

Bath

Candles

Rugs

Towels

Shower Curtains

Bath Essentials

Bedding

Bedding

Furniture

Window Treatment

Frames

HBC aka Health & Beauty Care

okay this ones obvious but beauty stuff

and some random cleaning

Gormey Foods

food

Registry

Baby Registry

Wedding Registry

Also Luggage

And Fancy Dishes

Inventory Control

damaged products and such

Warehouse

where extra stuff is kept

Office

People who answer the phones

Secretary stuff

Human Resources

Scan

they order stuff for the building

LP aka Loss Prevention

they deal with stolen stuff

full of a bunch of idiots

Training

they train the staff on well anything

Okay well I think that everything that matters really. Anyways I’m part of the Frontend Staff! But not only that I’ve every department of the Frontend. Which is well a lot of work.  Plus I’m backup to the office. Just means I answer phones and am generally bored out of my mind 99% of the time.

So now that you know about the ranks and the building set up what about the most Important part. The people!

Seniors/LODs

Sha-tanna - my favorite LOD she’s the bomb funny thing though we actually could not get along to save our lives and it wasn’t until I started working in the Cashroom that suddenly we worked great together. Go figure.

Darnell - used to be my Frontend Manager and we got along great until he was promoted and the power went to his head. He won’t shut up at all. Is always talking and is generally considered the most annoying guy around. You can literally hear him from down the hall. But all in all he’s not the worse boss and sometimes I like him but sometimes I wanna strange him.

Anthony Illarti (we just call him Illarti cause there are a ton of Anthony’s in the building) - he is a bitch. Just putting that out there. He’s a bitch.  He’s rude to people, says the most inappropriate things, frankly he doesn’t know how to work with people. But he can be a good boss?  I mean considering most of the people we work with are terrible he’s not the worse? IDK how to describe him. He’s like 80% of the time terrible but 20% good so yeah...

Quincy - he has no idea what he’s doing like ever.  I usually end up telling him what to do because OMG he cannot handle anything.

Twed Jacket (I can’t remember his name so shoot me) - thinks he know everything doesn’t know anything and fucks shit up trying to boss us around and just GETS IN THE WAY. Like holy shit just go you make our lives SO MUCH HARDER. Just GO.

Kathleen - a stupid fucking cunt. Yes yes I said that. I know.  I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt but HA she proved everyone else was right about how awful she is. She literally knows NO ONE’S names. Only the people she hates. If you tell her no at anytime she will find a way to DESTROY you. She also knows nothing, can’t count, forgets to do her job all the time like remembering to lock the door. I cannot say anything good about her. She is the worst.

Managers

Joey - he’s bath and lifestyles. He’s a good guy. Kinda short, gay, and an annoying dude but in a fun way.

DeShaw - hardside.  Freakishly tall, really reliable, and a good guy.

Ronald - hardside. We don’t really talk. He’s okay-ish at his job.

Alex - HBC. Is kinda like that annoying little brother type.

Steve - HBC okay so he’s not a manager but I swore up and down he way and then I found out he wasn’t so he’s going on this list cause he SHOULD be.  He teases everyone all the time like ALL THE TIME. It can get annoying.

Victor - bedding. He was Frontend but couldn’t hack it. Being honest here.

Rochelle - bedding. I know nothing about her at all. We’ve spoken like twice.

*There are some others but I cannot remember their names so not important here or to my stories.

Frontend Managers (there are so many they get their own section)

Ms. B - customer service only. She’s a good boss but she also hates me. I have no idea why. Also I actually like her.

Shelina - frontend only. Okay ya’ll this is the person I will talk about the most. She’s THE BOMB. The Badass MVP. She actually runs the entire frontend cause everyone else is stupid idiots and have no idea what they’re doing. Like at all. She makes the schedule, orders products, sets up everything, puts away the products, I mean it she does EVERYTHING. I work with her a lot. She’s taught me everything I know. Literally the best person and I love her. You guys are going to hear SO MUCH ABOUT HER.

Dumescus - I hate him. He tortured me for months. Bullied and treated me like shit. He flirts with all the women and if his flirting doesn’t work well he hates you. He literally has a group of girl squeal at every word he says.  He does nothing even though he’s given all the responsibility and treated like he’s in charge of the whole department. Only thing he actually does is fix the registers.

Tiffany - we started at the same time and are friends and as much as I love her she has no idea what she’s doing. But she does have one of the biggest hearts. She’s fed me when I planned on going hungry to save money. And she has a positive attitude. She technically a department sup but she doesn’t act like it. She is a good person and a good friend but she panics at even the slightest pressure. She acts like a LEAD doing on the basics of her job. The Bare minimum.  She seriously need to start acting like a leader.

Celeste - a LEAD. I like her as a person. She’s also the best person to close Customer Service when you’re in the Cashroom. She’s also the youngest LEAD. And the thing is when I started she used to be a badass LEAD. She was great at her job used to give it 110%. I honestly don’t know what happened. Now she does nothing more than the bare minimum. Hell she even stops me from doing the other parts of my job to make sure I “stay on a register”.  Even when we have 6 open cashiers and no customers. I like her a lot but whatever happened to her she stopped being a great LEAD and just fails all the time.

Jessica - a LEAD. The gossip Queen. A very likable person.  But being likable doesn’t mean you’re a great or even good boss. She does nothing. When she started he was so eager to learn but no she disappears to gossip with people. Never comes back and just does the basics. It’s sad really. All the potential just wasted.

Sanshia - a LEAD. I hated her, I liked her, I hated her again, now I like her again.  She was for the longest time the most hated LEAD. She was a bitch to everyone and no one wanted to work with her. Something happened and now she’s actually good to work with. Not that she does anything more than the basics. Seeing a pattern guys? Everyone does the basics and pons off their work onto others if given half the chance. Sanshia is no exception.

Kenisha - a LEAD. A literal baby who cries when she doesn’t get what she wants, throws fits, and is just petty. Funny thing is she’s proven she can actually be good at her job she just chooses not to.  She is actually the most hated LEAD right now because of how horrible and childish she acts. It’s just terrible.

Marsha - she gets her own spot because she secretly runs the whole store. Her offical job is head of the office but really she’s girl Friday.  She makes sure everything is running and knows everything. Frankly she’s the bomb and a lot of people are terrified of her. IDK why. I actually have a total crush on her... She so awesome and pretty.

Now I could talk about all the associates but I’m not going to because the staff is ridiculously large and they come and go so often that there’s not too much of a reason to bother.  But you’ll hear more about then as I tell you guys about what happens at my store.

There’s also other people in other positions I could mention and I have a ton of stories to tell you all ready but I’m not gonna cause they’re all stupid people as you’ll learn soon enough.

Okay so I know I just threw a lot of fact at you thanks if you’ve stuck it out this far but from now on all my Bed Bath and Beyond Tales will be fun stories or awful things that happened. Eh we’ll just see what happens.

#tales from bed bath and beyond

[bleedingcoffee42]

Western AU

I shouldn't touch a random genre generator, I can't do anything but obey and do something with the prompt.

Historical/Horror = Ghosts and Western Au guest starring....the tumbleweed.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Deputy Jean Havoc was pretty sure there was nothing more 'old west' than the picture of him standing in front of the Sheriff's office smoking a hand rolled cigarette and looking out at the setting sun.   What bothered him was that that  picture was currently being drawn by that muscle man from the circus that liked to rip off his clothes and bellow about muscles and his lineage.   Jean tilted his head back and blew a smoke ring in the air, perhaps if he was lucky the guy really did have a hot sister and she would see the drawing and want to meet him.   Then again, he could only imagine what Armstrong's sister looked like and none of those images were good.

The wind picked up and the dust stirred in the street and the cliché tumbleweed rumbled past.   Jean watched it go and then some shadow in the dust cloud caught his eye.   Out of habit he rested his hand on the Colt revolver on his hip and waited to see who would be coming into town from that direction.   The wind died down, the tumbleweed disappeared and the dust settled to reveal a man wearing a long black coat on a blood bay horse.

Jean stepped into the street as the man came over to the office, slipped off his horse and tied his reins to the hitching post.  It was a nice horse, shiny red coat and long black mane and tail and the government brand on it's hindquarters.   Jean toyed with the cigarette in his mouth and looked at the rather short guy turning to him, catching the sight of a Federal Marshal badge on his vest.   Oh, the Sheriff was going to be thrilled.   “Hello Marshall, what can I help you with today?”

Roy Mustang was tired, dirty and completely done with every damned local who had been deputized for one reason or another so this one got the brunt of his frustration.   “I'll talk to your Sheriff, if you don't mind getting out of my way.”

“Sheriff isn't here.”  Jean shrugged and remained in the guys way and blew some smoke in his face for the rude tone and overall arrogance he was emitting.   “You're welcome to sit inside and wait.”

Roy pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.  It was getting late and it would be nice to sleep in a bed tonight instead of on the ground.   If he put his horse up at the livery now he could get a room and take a bath at the Hotel, maybe find this Sheriff before dinner and get his questions answered.  “Do you have an estimated time of return?”

“My shift ends at 8.”  Jean said. “Sheriff will be back before then.”

“Thank you.”  Roy said dryly.  Why he couldn't say that before was beyond him.  It was all a damned game with people in these small towns, everyone trying to prove they had some power over the government official that rode into town and in the end it always ended up with him being a huge dick.   Lives were on the line and all anyone wanted to do was play trivial power play games.  God, all the guy said was 'can I help you' and he was ready to fight him.   Tired and on edge, a bath then bed sounded good.  So he walked his horse over to the livery, untacked and paid for the stall, then found his way over to the Hotel.

“Good evening sir! Can I interest you in a drawing I made of your arrival?”

What weird shit was this?   Roy stared at the huge bald guy that appeared to be sparkling.  He narrowed his eyes to determine why and deduced that there was saloon girl glitter on his head.   Then he looked at the drawing.   It was incredibly good, something his Mom would appreciate.   It was also evidence he had been here.  So he pulled out his wallet again and handed out another bill for a service he didn't want.   “Thanks.”

“Enjoy your stay!!!”  

Then the man took off his shirt and Roy hurried into the hotel to avoid finding out exactly what the guy was going to try and sell him next.    He walked to the counter and a young guy with glasses ran over to help him.  “A room.  A bath. Nothing else.”

Kain Fuery was instantly in awe of this man in black and also very intimidated.   He saw the star and gasped. “A Marshall?”

God it was like he was a fucking unicorn.   He was really going to have to review how often the Marshall of this territory got out of his office and patrolled it.   “Yes.”

“I...wow.”  Fuery said and money materialized on the counter.    He turned around and found the key for the bridal suite and grabbed it, then handed it to the man and pushed the register to him.  “I'll give you our best room for the regular rate.”

Best room probably meant it was one step above a coffin, but he didn't have it in his heart to say that to this starry eyed kid.  It would be like scolding a puppy.   “Thank you.”

“Does the Sheriff know you're here?” Fuery asked as he read the name being signed in his register.   “Marshall Mustang?”

He just shrugged, too tired to ask where that law enforcement individual could be in a town this small. “Send 'em to my room if he wants to grace me with his presence. Where is the bath?”

“Back through this door.   I'll have it ready for you in half an hour!”  

Roy rubbed his eyes and watched the kid scamper away, then moved over to another part of the counter where envelopes and pens were stored for what he assumed was guests convenience in case they had something to write home about.   He quickly wrote his mother's address down, put his new picture in the envelope and placed some change on the counter so he could reach over and grab a stamp.   Then the letter was dropped in the mail slot for what he hoped was a reliable delivery to the postmaster and he turned to go to the saloon for a drink.

“Marshall!   Bath is ready!  Mr. Armstrong says it's with his compliments.”

Roy turned as the kid materialized from the hallway and smiled.  Then that artist guy appeared behind him without a shirt and with a towel draped over his shoulders.    

“It would be my honor if you would use my bath, sir.”  

The guy bowed and he reluctantly allowed the Hotel manager to lead him to the back room where a steaming bath awaited.  It looked too good to refuse, even if it smelled kind of strong and was filled with bubbles and was gifted to him by a half-naked man that just drew his picture.    Still, it was less creepy than playing chess with his boss and the guy offering to arrange a marriage with his granddaughter.   “Thanks.”

“Thank you for your service, sir!”

The door closed and he slowly undressed and put his Peacemaker on the table beside the bath.    Was this odd, sure, but his level of give-a-damn was so low right now he was willing to shoot anyone who walked through the door to disturb him.   That seemed like it was enough to warrant taking a chance on a nice relaxing bath and getting the grime of his travels off and the tension of getting no results out of his aching shoulders.   His clothes hit the floor right after his boots and he was in that inviting water before it really had time to cool.

But damn it felt so good.

No sooner did he relax than he heard stomping outside the door and had to reach for his revolver, bubbles all over his hands and point it to the door.    The door was already open and a gun pointed at him as he turned leaving him to hold his pistol up in a sign of defeat knowing he was too slow to take on his attacker.  

“I hear you're looking for me?”

A woman?   He starred at her face, beautiful brown eyes starred at him from under the brim of her hat and blond hair spilled out over her shoulders.   He didn't recognize her, perhaps the creatures he was chasing had already changed shape. Perhaps this was a newly resurrected body....

“You're Mustang aren't you?”  

Demanding.   Like she had somewhere better to be than in a bath room with a naked man covered in bubbles.  That sort of offended him so he sat upright and showed off his body a little.  The bubbles slowly slipped down his body and revealed his abs.   That always was a delightful surprise for the ladies.  This one never removed here eyes from him.  Well....she had to be resurrected dead if that didn't move her at all. “Yes.”

“I'm Sheriff Hawkeye.”  She said and pointed to his gun.  “Are you going to put that gun down?”

The Sheriff?  He suddenly wanted to be arrested.   Possibly for indecent exposure.   “If you close the door, it's a little drafty.”

The door closed and he put his gun down, she holstered hers.  Then she went over to look at him as he sat in his smelly bubble bath and said, “Are you here about this necromancy epidemic?  Do you know how to kill them?”

That was a nice way of putting it.   “You've had homunculus here?”

“We have one running our Saloon.” Hawkeye put her hands on her hips.  “Calls himself Greed and I can't kill him or evict him and it's pissing me off. He's not paying his taxes.”

Roy sat up straighter and almost stood up, then remembered he was naked and in a bath and she was most definitely a lady.   “I need him alive.”

“Then you can have him.”  Riza said and tried to not look at his abs or really nice shoulders, but damn it had been so long since a nice looking man that didn't work for her was within a 100 miles of this town.   At least one that wasn't some kind of monster.  

“You said epidemic....are there more?”  Roy asked.

“There were, my Deputy dated one for a awhile.”  Riza said and looked at this man debating on weather or not this was worthy of him getting out of his bath or not.   “As far as I can tell there is a guy called Father, who I assume is a priest of some sort, going around and showing people how to raise the dead in exchange for their souls.  Are you looking for him? “I'm looking for my partner, Marshall Maes Hughes, who was last known to have contact with a woman named Lust while investigating this.  I'll take any leads I can get.”  Roy couldn't believe he had stumbled on this and now he was looking for that towel he saw earlier and.....apparently forgot to take from that muscle guy.

“Well Greed will be happy to tell you all about it and hopefully he will follow you home.”  She said. “I'll wait outside.”

He watched her turn and leave and then shouted, “Can you get me a towel?”

“Do I look like the maid?”

“No, you look like a gorgeous young lady I would like to get to know better that probably won't appreciative me streaking through your streets with a gun in my hand to apprehend a homunculus who might know where my best friend is.   I'd like to wait to reveal that until later in our relationship and avoid the handcuffs until then as well.”

There was silence and a stifled laugh before boots clacked against the floorboards.  

He sighed and sank deeper into the bath.   Then the door opened and a towel came flying in at his head.

“First date starts in five minutes at the Devil's Nest, I'd recommend covering up your tits if you're going in that place.”

#fic #western au

[topicprinter]

Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Michael Reznik of Upcart, a brand that sells stair climbing folding cart/dolly.Michael laid out some super nice tips for sales and entrepreneurs early in their journey - so hope you enjoy this one.Some stats:Product: Stair climbing folding cart/dolly.Revenue/mo: $583,000Started: May 2015Location: Columbus, OhioFounders: 2Employees: 4Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?Hello, my name is Michael Reznik and I am the Co-Founder and CEO of TriFold LLC, the company that invented the UpCart ® line of products. We are dedicated to revolutionizing mobility with innovative products that give people the freedom to do what they love by enhancing their mobility. When people have greater mobility, they can do more and be more productive.Let’s be real, carrying stuff up & down stairs is the worst. The UpCart ® line of products solve this problem with a unique line of all-terrain folding carts and hand trucks that have been engineered to reduce effort while going up and down stairs and over irregular terrain. Our patented technology also allows all of our products to fold completely flat for easy storage or transportation.Our newest product the UpCart Versa Trolley (renamed from the UpCart City), the most compact stair climbing cart, won the Retailer’s Choice Award at the 2018 National Hardware Show and was successfully funded on Kickstarter. The UpCart Versa is the only folding hand cart to ever be offered with a LIFETIME warranty!Our first product, the UpCart Original, became available in August 2015 and promptly sold out of stock within 10 days of going viral on Facebook after Thanksgiving. We did $385,000 in sales from August – December 2015. Revenue continued to grow with $3.2M in 2016, $5.4M in 2017, and we are on track to exceed $7M in sales this year. We are excited to note that UpCart ® products are for sale in Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Lowe’s and other major retailers.What our product looks likeWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?Some great companies are started by very unlikely business partners.I was at my Dad’s birthday party and was sitting next to a long-time family friend, Leonid Khodor (my Dad’s age), an engineer and patent agent. During the course of the evening, after a few libations, Leonid shared that he had invented this new product but wasn’t sure how to turn it into a business.He had a rough Frankenstein prototype (made from baby stroller wheels, cannibalized part and some custom fabricated pieces) and showed me a little video of it in action. A light bulb went off in my head, immediately I saw so many applications/uses for this right away. We exchanged contact information that evening.Early prototype 1Early prototype 2After conducting some research, performing some due diligence and convincing my wife to let me make the investment of both time and money, I agreed to go into business with Leonid. I applied for our tax ID and trade name and TriFold officially became a company in February 2013. At that time, I had spent most of my career in the Fortune 500 as a Management / Operations Consultant.I already had a pretty demanding job but always had a passion for entrepreneurship. I had attempted to start a company in the mid-2000’s right before the 2nd stock market crash, but I wasn’t able to get it off the ground before the economy imploded. This time, however, I wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way. I believed wholeheartedly that this idea was going to be successful, we just needed to figure out how to make that a reality.TriFold started as a “side hustle” while I continued to work my corporate job, but it quickly became much more than that. 100+ work weeks became my new normal. During the day I was the good corporate steward, but evenings and weekends were dedicated to TriFold.Many people write/advise that you must be “All-In” to make a business successful… that’s easy to say if you don’t have a wife, two kids, car payments and a mortgage. I wasn’t in a position to just quit my day job and commit 100% to the business, and I wouldn’t be until December 2016 (3.5 years later).Describe the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing the product.Our first challenge was taking Leonid’s Frankenstein-cart prototype and turning it into a real finished product.DesignWe hired a good local design firm that conducted some market research and worked with us on several design iterations. While their designs were beautiful, we had concerns about their practicality and feasibility of manufacturing those designs at a reasonable cost.We parted ways with the design firm but learned enough through the process to finish the product design on our own. Leonid is a gifted engineer and designer and developed all of our 3D models and industrial designs on his own using CAD software (and still does to this day).PrototypingThe second major challenge was how to turn the designs into a working prototype. We explored many options ranging from 3D printing to full custom fabrication.The challenge was the exorbitant cost associated with all of these options. Due to the nature and complexity of our product design, the prototyping process would cost about 33% - 50% of the cost of the actual production tooling.So after much deliberation, and 3D modeling in CAD software, we decided to take a huge gamble and move forward with the production tooling without going through the prototype process first. Our logic was actually very sound. The cost of modifying and adjusting tooling would actually be less expensive than the cost of developing a working prototype.Moreover, by working directly from the production tooling, our samples would be real load-bearing fully functional samples. This also had the benefit of saving us months of time and allowed us to bring the actual product to market sooner.Finding a factoryOnce the decision was made, we set out to find a factory to help make our vision a reality. With the aid of an experienced sourcing consultant (who later became our sales manager), we visited many factories in China, asked for quotes from three and selected one to work with.Note: we did explore manufacturing in the USA but found the cost would have been at least 3-times higher to produce in the USA. One big advantage to the factory we selected was a very low minimum order qty, provided that we paid 100% for the tooling and assembly fixtures.Describe the process of launching the online store/business.Our plan was to get working samples from the factory and present them at the largest hardware show held annually in Las Vegas. There was one small problem, we were quickly running out of money.Despite countless pitches and meetings, at this point, we had very little success in raising capital. Everyone wanted to invest in tech, biotech, SaaS or mobile. In late 2014 we attempted to go to Kickstarter to raise capital. We rushed in and didn’t do it the right way. Our funding goal was too high and while we did raise over $27K we didn’t hit our funding goal, so no funds were received. We were quickly running out of operating capital.Fortunately, I cultivated a relationship with one of our backers who later became one of our angel investors. After closing our angel round, we had enough capital to pay for the remainder of the tooling, stand up a basic website, pay for a trip to the factory to finalize the samples (and pack them to take home as our check luggage) and pay the costs to attend the National Hardware Show in a tiny 5x7 booth in the Inventor’s Spotlight Area.We were the bells of the ball!From the moment the show opened, we had a crowd at least two deep at our booth almost the entire time. The UpCart won the “Most Innovative New Concept” award at the show and I was invited to a pitch contest hosted by QVC. I won the pitch contest and was live on the air three weeks later doing a live-sell on the QVC Sprouts program.Please note, these were still production samples – no actual product had been produced yet.This was May and we told QVC that we would not have actual product in the USA until August of that year. QVC was good with that and noted “Will Ship August 22” during the program.The UpCart sold out in 5 minutes and started taking wait-list orders! This was immediate validation that we had something customers wanted.Me on QVCLater that same year, I made product video on my MacBook and posted to Facebook. I boosted the post for $20/day and it ended up going viral. The video ended up getting 7.5M views and over 15.4M organic reach.This all occurred in about 10 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The UpCart completely sold out, we had zero inventory left with a couple weeks of Christmas shopping left. We weren’t complaining too loud, we were out of cash and purchased as much inventory as we could afford to head into the holidays. We were able to take the revenue from those sales and reinvest back into the business.We have bootstrapped this business from day one. After our initial angel investment round, we never did another funding round. We have been fiscally conservative and managed the business well. Due to our early profitability, I was able to work with small micro-lenders at first and then consolidate our debt with Huntington Bank through the SBA lending program. As we grew, Huntington continued to be a fantastic partner to us with additional lending when we needed.The faster we grew, the harder it was to manage cash flow. I never realized that being a manufacturer of a physical product meant that you would also act as a bank for your customers. Everyone takes payment terms ranging from NET 30 to NET 120! We have to pay for the inventory before it leaves the factory while the clock doesn’t start on payment terms until the customer physically receives the goods so in some instances (such as with QVC), we wouldn’t receive payment on the goods for up to 6 months!Our early success on QVC was both a blessing and a curse:The blessingI can’t think of a better way for a new product to get market validation than selling out on the air your first 5 out of 6 times Even better, once it sells out on QVC, your sales on your direct channels spike as customers look to buy it elsewhere.Also, when talking with prospective buyers or retailers, no one wants to be ‘first’, they want validation that your product can sell. Having the ability to tell our story about our sales on QVC was a big advantage for a small startup. It also helped keep our factory happy to be getting large orders at once.The curseCurse – QVC is VERY slow to pay. The larger their order, the longer you have to float the cost of the inventory, and cash is king for a growing startup.QVC has MUCH higher than average customer returns and all the returns come back to you. In most cases (especially for new vendors) everything they buy is consignment, meaning that at any point in time they can return the goods to you.However, the greatest curse is the visibility your success gets to the wrong audience. The vultures who make their fortunes by stealing the ideas of others and making cheap knock-off As-Seen-On-TV items.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?As with many new products, the biggest challenge is educating the customers about your product and how it is different. While a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is priceless. Without question the best platform for that is online. Ever since going viral on Facebook in late 2015, we have relied heavily on Facebook paid ads.No other platform provided a lower customer acquisition cost. Equally important, Facebook allows you to engage with potential customers and address questions, concerns, and complaints. However, it’s not as simple as boosting a post and sitting back to watch the customers come in.We made a lot of mistakes along the way and learned a great deal about managing audiences, optimizing ads, and refreshing creative to keep relevance scores up.We followed a 3-tiered strategy for advertising on Facebook comprised of Prospecting for new audiences, managing the core through lookalike audiences and retargeting. Each tier is allocated a percentage of our budget:1. Prospecting: 10% - 25% of ad spendProspecting is the process of searching for potential customers in order to develop new business.You should always allocate a percentage of your budget to Prospecting for new audiences/customer groups. We try to think through what specific group of individuals would benefit most from our product.A strategy that works for us is to think of specific audiences that we believe we can be #1 in that market. Then we test it with targeted ads. There will be a lower conversion rate and higher acquisition cost on these ads, but that is by design because not all audiences will convert. The goal is to find a new core audience.This assumes of course that you know and understand your core customer demographic, otherwise, ALL of your advertising will be prospecting ;-)2. Core Advertising: 60% - 70% of ad spendAdvertising to your core audience should be where the bulk of your ad spend goes and should have the best conversion rates and lowest acquisition costs. We handle these two ways. The first is to create ads that target the specific demographics (age, gender, geography, income, etc.). The second is to leverage information from existing customers to create “lookalike audiences”.Lookalike audiences are arguably one of the most powerful tools that Facebook offers advertisers. Facebook will take a list of your current customers and analyze their demographic information to find new potential customers that look like the list you provided them. So, if your customers are 25-35 year old’s living in apartments and very active in outdoor activities, Facebook will create a population of potential customers with the same interests and demographics.It is important to monitor and optimize these ads on a regular basis. Also, refresh the creative on these ads to keep them current and relevant.3. Retargeting: 10% - 20% of ad spendRetargeting, also known as remarketing, is basically getting your ads in front of potential customers who visited your site but did not make a purchase. For most websites, only 2% of traffic converts to a sale on the first visit. Retargeting is a way to try and reach customers who don’t convert right away. Many people don’t make the buying decision the first time they see something new, they need to see it several times before they are ready to make a purchase. For this reason, retargeting is very important. This should have a better conversion rate and acquisition cost than prospecting and ideally better than core advertising.A cautionary note on SEO (Search Engine Optimization)SEO is basically the process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results on search engines.There are many ways to improve your SEO results and many companies/consultants that will offer you paid services for improving your SEO results. We hired a very good SEO firm and they did everything they promised they would. However, we realized too late we would have a very hard time monetizing the results sufficient to justify the cost of the services.It takes a very long time (12-18 months) to move up ranking on competitive keywords/search terms. You end up paying every month for SEO services but there just wasn’t a good enough ROI on the investment. Moreover, by trying to ‘game’ the results, you are locked into paying for SEO services forever. Once you stop paying for the SEO activities, your rankings will start to fall off.The best advice I can give someone about SEO is to focus on having good, meaningful and relevant content on your website. Follow the basic design rules for good SEO (submitting your schema, appropriate use of H1/H2 tags, alt text,

sections, etc.).Partner with good sites to get high-quality backlinks through blogs, articles, etc. Don’t waste your money on paid SEO services.Amazon - a knife that cuts both waysIf you are selling online, you MUST be on Amazon.It’s hard to attribute actual sales, but without question every time we increase our ad spend on Facebook/Google we see a corresponding spike in sales on Amazon. Many customers just feel more comfortable making a purchase through Amazon vs. [your name].com. For that reason alone, it is important to have your product listed on the platform… on Seller Central.With that said, I would STRONGLY discourage anyone from moving to Vendor Central and signing Amazon up as a direct wholesale account. If you have good sales volume on Amazon through Seller Central, you will most likely be approached by Amazon to let them buy direct from you and have your items listed as “Sold by Amazon” on their platform.They will sell you on all the benefits and claim that your sales volume will go up dramatically. Here is what they won’t tell you:You lose all control of pricingAmazon will not be undersold. If your product is listed anywhere on the internet for less, their automated bots will find it and automatically lower the price on Amazon. So if you have a MAP policy and ever do a sale with one customer or on your website, Amazon will find it and match it. Worse yet, if any of your distributors/retailers lower the price on their own, that will also trigger a price drop. On Seller Central, you control the pricing, on Vendor Central you don’tYou lose control of your productWe sell internationally and have exclusive agreements with distributors in other countries. We told Amazon that they could only sell in the USA, so you can imagine our shock when we found Amazon selling our product in Canada, Mexica and Europe?!?Good luck ever making sense of your billing and figuring out if you are actually maintaining margin.Pretty much from day one, we were buried in paperwork, false chargebacks and shortage claims, obnoxiously inefficient processes, and general frustration. It was almost a full-time job trying to stay on top of the amazon process and paperwork… and DO NOT fall behind else you will never get caught up and they will never pay you fully. They claimed shortages on so many orders that we had to submit documentation to try and prove that we actually shipped the full amount. Heaven forbid if the trucker didn’t sign the bill of lading and give you a photo copy, because that would be grounds for denying payment.How are you doing today and what does the future look like?As noted above, we went from $385K our first year to $5.4M our 3rd year and are on track to close around $7M this year with our highest margin thus far.We had always hoped but never expected this type of rapid growth. We have released several new models and are getting ready to re-launch our new UpCart.com website before Thanksgiving with a renewed focus on growing our direct channel. Additionally, for 2019 we are looking to increase our international sales by growing presence in Europe.Historical ad spend has only been about 10% of revenue because a lot of our revenue comes from retail accounts vs. direct to customer e-commerce. When we first started, our direct vs. retail was about 50%/50% because QVC was such a large part of our revenue. As we continued to grow, each year a larger part of our total revenue shifted to retail. Today, our direct channel only comprises about 10% of total revenue.Direct to customer channel has seen a steady increase in acquisition costs. We started around $18-$20 per acquisition and have stabilized around $34-$38 acquisition cost, but at the same time, our average ticket value has also increased from $80 to about $105.When we entered the market, we created a segment that didn’t exist, and the acquisition costs were very low. Over time, as competitors entered the market, the cost to acquire a new customer has gone up.Additionally, as we increased the number of retailers selling our product, we found that we were competing with our own retailers for ad space. We would see ads from Home Depot, Lowe’s and others bidding on the same keywords.So, while Facebook remains the largest part of our advertising spend, the increasing acquisition costs have led us to start exploring additional avenues of advertising that won’t have us bidding against the same ad space as our retailers and distributors.Additionally, as we re-launch our new e-commerce site, we have made a strategic decision that all new products will be launched exclusively on UpCart.com first for at least 6 months before they are released to retail. This will allow us to continue to grow our direct channel without competing with our retailers and distributors.As we look to the future, we will stay true to our mission and vision. We will continue to innovate and develop new products that make people more productive through improved mobility. Our product roadmap includes expansion of our products into different industries.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageousIt would be impossible to summarize all the lessons learned in a couple of paragraphs, so I will share what I believe to be two of the most important characteristics of a successful entrepreneur.Be a “Life-long Learner”.You will be required to make countless decisions almost daily on things you are not properly qualified to answer. You will never have all the information or knowledge necessary to address the various topics and challenges you face.Get good at finding information quickly and qualifying the relevant facts. You must be able to learn quickly and never stop learning. At every stage of growth of your business, you will encounter new challenges and dynamics. What you thought you knew may no longer be relevant or apply to your current situation.I find that I'm reading a lot more about entrepreneurship after I started a company!? I'm learning how much I don't know about starting a company, LOLManage to your vision and convictions.Opinions are like rectums, everyone has one and they don’t usually smell too good.Early on, my natural inclination was to seek advice and guidance from the "entrepreneurial community" and people who have been down this road before. Sadly, most of the advice I received was 'wrong for me' and my company. To be clear, I don't believe people were intentionally providing bad advice. With rare exceptions the reality is no two companies are the same, no matter how similar. Therefore, one person's experiences will rarely translate the exact same way to your unique circumstances and situation.For your company to be truly successful you have to do something unique or different… otherwise why are you staring a business?! Your strategy must be uniquely your own. You are solving a problem for your customers in a new and special way. Your vision for your company must guide the decisions you make and the approach you take. No one else has ever had to balance the specific set of circumstances, constraints and variables you are required to contend with.By no means am I advocating anything other than trying to seek out as much advice and guidance as you can. HOWEVER, it is your responsibility to evaluate any and all "advice" you receive as a data point. Each data point must be analyzed and evaluated taking into consideration the source and context surrounding the data. What is the fundamental message or lesson behind the advice? Distill the advice down to the cause and effect and see how closely, if at all, those lessons apply to your actual situation. Further, you should never make your decision from just one data point… even a trusted source. It is your responsibility to seek out multiple data points and gather sufficient information before making a critical business decision.I've seen colleagues spend countless hours researching what TV to buy. They will go to multiple websites, watch YouTube reviews, go into the store and look at different sets, then ask everyone they know about what TV they have and why they purchased it, then return to online reviews again before making a final decision. Ironically, I've then seen those same individuals make significant financial business decisions based on 'advice' from one source or based on only one data point.Whatever your vision for your company may be, ultimately you have to live with the consequences of the choices you make. It's easy to get bullied down one particular path or cling to what seems like reasonable advice when it's the only source of information you have. I strongly encourage you to always evaluate the advice against how well the underlying lessons apply to your particular situation and if it aligns with your vision of the future.What platform/tools do you use for your business?My absolute favorite tool has been Microsoft OneNote. This is ironic since I am a die-hard Apple/Mac fanboy (note, there is OneNote for Mac and web-based).What’s so great about this tool is that it allows me to organize the most critical information necessary to run my business and be able to find/access it quickly and from anywhere in the world. I have also found that it is a remarkable tool for organizing the creative process, anything from writing blog posts to brainstorming marketing plans or user personas. Another good alternative is Evernote.A close second is Dropbox. I live on Dropbox. I keep every important file, picture, video out there. We have a Team account and all of my team members share the same team folders. This has been one of the best productivity tools for us.I am able to instantly create shareable links of files or folders and send them to retailers, reps or distributors. I also use Dropbox links to send files to my factories and partners overseas. We work remote very often and being tied to network drive only accessible at the office would not have worked for us.Honorable mention is QuickBooks Online. It is a fantastic accounting tool that is easy to use, integrates with our banks, credit cards, etc. and is reasonably priced for small-medium sized businesses. It allows me to grant access to different users for maintaining PO’s, Invoices, Inventory, and payroll.For most of our operations:Sales Platform: Shopify (migrated from Magento)User Reviews: YotPoAccounting Software: QuickBooks OnlineShipping Integration: ShipworksShipping Software: UPS WorldShip and Stamps.comEmail Marketing: MailChimpWhat have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?BooksThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries – my background was in management consulting and operations. I am a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, so the concept of applying Lean principals and Lean thinking to innovation and startup was extremely interesting to me. While the book was slanted towards IT/Tech innovation, the principals are applicable to any startup.Zero to One by Peter Thiel – As one of the best known and most successful venture capitalists and co-founder of PayPal, Peter knows a few things about entrepreneurship. The lesson that resonated most with me was competition is a looser, monopolies are the path to success.The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss – While a lot of the suggestions/tools in this book are a little dated and many of the principals are extremely difficult to implement in a practical setting, the core message is spot on and aspirational. There are countless nuggets of brilliance and valuable insights that I took from this book that I put into practice every day. More importantly, it allowed me to discover the best IMHO Podcast on the planet…PodcastsTim Ferriss – I started listening to his podcast after reading his book and I’ve been hooked ever since. Topics covered are not only relevant to my professional life but to my personal life. Tim has interviewed top performers in every discipline and profession and I have learned more from these podcasts than I ever imagined possible.Business Wars – If you are an entrepreneur then you love this podcast. It tells the backstory of some epic business battles such as Coke vs. Pepsi, Nike vs. Adidas, Marvel Comics vs. DC, etc. Just a fantastic and entertaining series.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?Run a good business first and foremost.I speak with many new entrepreneurs that have grand aspirations of raising lots of capital and hiring their ‘dream team’. A disproportionate amount of their efforts is tied to pitch decks and selling their vision. Trust me, I understand the importance of raising capital and cash flow more than most. But I never understood why so many people were so eager to give away equity in their company, take on investors and relinquish partial control.The best way to raise capital is to show that you can generate cash flow. Investors and lenders alike are interested in a return on their investment, not doing charity work. They want to make sure you have a sound business based on strong fundamentals. An impassioned pitch with a beautiful vision of the future might keep them awake, but it won’t open their checkbooks. A solid business plan with accurate figures and projections and real cash flow will.Everyone needs an angel, so did we. But after our angel round, we focused on running a good business first. We watched every penny spent. We looked for creative ways to be more productive and efficient without throwing capital at things. We didn’t take salaries, paid our own cell phone bills and cut costs wherever we could. We outsourced things that didn’t make financial sense to own and put sweat-equity in instead of hiring extra help. We kept the ego out of it and managed our Balance Sheet and P&L… and when we couldn’t go any further without extra capital, we were able to borrow the funds instead of giving up equity.The funny thing is that once we no longer needed outside investment, we kept getting approached by people wanting to invest. As long as you continue to grow, there will always be a need for additional capital. If you are running a good business with strong balance sheet and good cash flow/receivables, you should be able to take on debt to finance your growth.NOTE: There is absolutely a good time and place for raising capital through equity/investors, but you should do it for the right reasons and at the right time.Where can we go to learn more?Main Website: www.upcart.comFacebook: facebook.com/upcartTwitter: @upcartYouTube: youtube.com/user/UpCartInstagram: @theofficialupcart/Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos.

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

[connorrenwick]

Schoolhouse Electric is Portland’s Hidden Gem for Design Lovers

Earlier this month, I took a vacation to the Pacific Northwest and visited Portland for the first time (I know, where have I been?). I’ve learned a few things from the trip. 1) The best fried chicken of your life will most likely be at Screen Door. 2) Yes, the wait for Salt & Straw ice cream is worth it. 3) The best kept secret of Portland (and the absolute highlight of my trip) is a visit to Schoolhouse Electric’s brick & mortar store in their expansive, century-old factory.

As a design lover, I realize this declaration might sound a bit biased but when my group of friends with all different interests agreed that this storefront was one of the coolest stores they’d ever been to, I knew this place was special. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about the history of Schoolhouse Electric prior to visiting but after taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the factory with Andy, a sales associate at the store, and learning about the company’s roots, I admire the company even more. Schoolhouse Electric focuses on quality, not quantity, and really champions this idea through their model of full vertical integration and preservation of American manufacturing (more on this later). The brand also is a big proponent of the idea of community and creating a space that cultivates it, which is apparent when you visit the store as it also has a coffee shop, a workspace, and a design library.

Today, we chat with Sara Fritsch (who does it all as Schoolhouse Electric’s Vice President of Product, Brand, Marketing, and Sales) about its history and what’s in stores, right now and in the future, for the company.

Why did you pick this storefront?

Our brand is unique in that we have full vertical integration. For Schoolhouse Electric, that means we have product design, development, innovation, engineering and manufacturing, as well as all other aspects of our business – brand, marketing, HR, IT, warehouse, finance AND retail space – all under one roof at our Portland headquarters. Our current location in the industrial northwest corner of Portland is zoned for manufacturing, yet is still convenient and inviting for customers.The re-purposed factory has been converted in a way that also provides inspiring collaboration spaces and a productive work environment for all 145 employees, across four floors of the same building.

Where did you get the name for the store?

The company’s full name is “Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.” The brand was born when our founder, Brian Faherty, discovered a set of turn-of-the-century, cast-iron glass shade molds in 2002. The glass molds were for authentic “schoolhouse” style shades, so he purchased them and used them to create our first product line of vintage inspired fixtures with schoolhouse style shades. The molds and their shades were the clear inspiration for our name. “Schoolhouse Electric Co.” opened shop in 2003 in SE Portland. In 2011, we extended our official name to include “& Supply Co.” to account for our fast growing lifestyle assortment (hardware, furniture, art, bedding, kitchen and bath wares, etc.). These days, we refer to ourselves most often as “Schoolhouse”.

Has it changed much since it opened? How?

Yes! We saw a need and demand from our customers for more lifestyle and home decor items, so those product lines have been steadily expanding over the years. We are always recreating and reimagining our retail spaces to align with our seasonal product launches and the associated themes and messages.

Well beyond frequent store merchandising, the change we are most proud of is the increase in community engagement with our space. Having an in-store coffee shop (in Portland) and approachable atmosphere has made it a destination for community connection and collaboration. We design spaces within the store specifically to make people feel welcome and comfortable enough to stay a while. This includes an extensive design library, cozy seating options, and thoughtful work stations. We also plan and host events to bring likeminded community members together (most recently, an evening with graphic artist Anthony Burrill during PDX design week, which involved an intimate book signing and Q&A). From the beginning it has been our vision for the space to be as much a resource for the community as it is a retail store – fulfilling that vision takes intentional experimentation, listening, and time. It has been very rewarding to bring this vision to life – often exceeding our own very high expectations.

Thanks to customer demand and a desire to reach an east coast audience, we opened a small store in the Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan in 2006, and we plan to open another east coast location in early 2018.

What’s one of the challenges you have with the business?

Can I name two? 1) The lighting industry is changing fast, driven by rapid advancements in LED technology. This makes the market demand a moving target and forces us to stay nimble, relevant, and educated. 2) We can only fulfill demand as fast as our supply can keep pace. Our business model (full vertical integration including American manufacturing), relies on a diverse and complex global supply chain. Keeping all aspects of that supply chain healthy through a multi-year trajectory of rapid growth is not easy.

What other stores have you worked in before leading this one?

After studying mechanical engineering and studio art in college, I spent the first 15 years of my career in business consulting where I had several retail clients across multiple industries – from retail banking to high-tech manufactured goods, to lifestyle brands. Back in college I worked for Michael Kehoe, a locally owned, quality focused, and highly curated men’s clothing store in Burlington, VT. Established in 1977 and still going strong today, the owners and team at Michael Kehoe made a lasting impression on me, as they shared many of the same values as we have at Schoolhouse today. Back then I had a similar feeling that I have here today; I sensed it was an honor and a big responsibility to represent the brand.

What’s your favorite item in the store right now?

Just one?? The Luna family of lights are everyday beautiful, simple perfection. The blown glass shade emits a diffused glow that appears to be suspended in space. It was a joy to participate in developing this collection and obsessing over each detail to bring them to market. Also, anything sewn in-house by our talented sewing team. My current favorite is our Dot Euro Pillow.

What is this season’s theme?

Every Day Beautiful. “The pause you didn’t expect – when, for just a moment, you’re looking at life from the outside in. As gratitude flows and worries ebb, a fresh appreciation for today and an optimism for tomorrow fill the air. These glimpses are an extraordinary gift; a chance to see every day beautiful.”

Are you carrying any new products and/or undiscovered gems you’re particularly excited about?

The Beacon fixture may look simple, but don’t be fooled by the clean lines and minimal design aesthetic! The Beacon is our first light with full LED integration – meaning it is an all-in-one surface mount (ceiling or wall) equipped with an integrated LED module that has the capacity to last for more than twenty years. There are no light bulbs to change; it is completely self contained. I believe it perfectly captures the intersection of thoughtful design and technical innovation – which was exactly the intent.

Also, each season we partner with a small, curated assortment of artists through the Schoolhouse Art Studio to create a collection of unique, one-of-a-kind, highly-coveted pieces. It is a dream and an honor to collaborate so intimately with such talent. We’ve selected artists from all over the country and close to home. My Spring 2017 Schoolhouse Art Studio favorite is the collaboration with Kat + Maouche. Their products are tangible evidence of their values, which is something we strive for with all of our own products.

What’s been a consistent best seller?

Some of my forever favorites, aka Schoolhouse signature products include: Ions, Radar sconce, Alabax, Kennedy clock, Flip clock, Edgecliff pulls, Holiday stockings (they launch each November and sell out fast), Big Picture calendar, Jack Furniture collection, “Work Hard and Be Nice to People” print from Anthony Burrill, and Collection of Burrill Images.

Does the store have its own line?

All of our lighting, all clocks, and the vast the majority of our furniture, art, bedding and hardware are exclusive to schoolhouse. Having our own product design, development and engineering teams, and factory in the same building as our store enables this possibility and certainly differentiates us in the home decor market.

Any special events/exhibits/pop ups/collaborations coming up?

While Design Week has come and gone, our pop up shop featuring Anthony Burrill’s artwork is still live on our site and prominently featured in our stores.

We’re also finalizing the next season of Schoolhouse Art Studio artist collaborations which will launch in September. Of course, we also love to drop in a few surprises along the way, so check back often!

Photo by Casey Keasler

Do you have anything from the store in your own home?

Of course!! So many things! Right now I’m most excited about the small chalet we just built up on Mount Hood – I’m loving how our Factory 9 fixtures and herringbone rug work together in this room.

What’s next for you and your store?

We are thrilled to share that we will be opening a third location, in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh in early 2018. This will be our first new location in more than a decade. First was Portland (2003), second was NYC (2006). We’ll be sharing details on that as we get closer to opening.

What’s one lesson you’ve learned since opening your store? Despite what media tells us about the demise of traditional retail due to the rise of digital dominance, Schoolhouse store results show me that with a disciplined strategy brands can sustain successful growth across all channels, including brick and mortar.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to follow a similar path to yours, what would it be?

First, I’d redirect them with encouragement to chart their own unique path instead of following one similar to mine (or anyone else’s). Next, I’d advise that success requires the confidence to define and implement your own rules. I have three: work smart, be cool, and go for it. These rules continue to serve our team well, as we grow and try new things.

To visit Schoolhouse Electric, stop by 2181 NW Nicolai St, Portland, OR 97210.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/schoolhouse-electric-is-portlands-hidden-gem-for-design-lovers/

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[spidypool]

Sexism at Bed Bath & Beyond

I want to take a moment to talk with you guys about sexism.  I know a lot of people view it as a dying problem or not as bad as it once was.  And come on sexism at a retail store?  Really?  No exactly an important area.  Well strap in I’m about to tell you a long slightly rambling story about the most badass woman of color I know.

So if you don’t mind taking a moment out of your busy days to read this post.  Because I’m writing this about one fucking amazing woman and the shit she has to deal with.  I know this won’t get reblogs or comments or whatever but I’d like some people out there to know about what’s happening because she deserves some sort of recognition.

Now first let me tell you a little background so you understand the settings and such.  My store is called store 42.  It is the largest Bed Bath and Beyond in the world and it is located in the busiest area Chelsea in New York City.  On sixth avenue if you wanna get specific.  It is also known as the flagship store.  On a daily bases we get more foot traffic than quite a few stores have in a week.  And I’m talking about our slow days here.  We also get a lot of celebrities in here because of the location.  So check out is a very busy area.

I work in what we call the Frontend.  The Frontend is where you pay.  It is also the broader term that refers to three departments; customer service, home delivery, and checkout.  Though when we say Frontend we usually means checkout.  I’m officially called a cashier though I haven’t been just a cashier in years.  I am also trained in customer service, home delivery, and the office.  Yes our store is so big we have a floor for all the offices and receptionists answer phones.

Now every store has a hierarchy and recently the titles of this hierarchy changed.  But most of the time it is generally the same in.  BBB it goes like this:

Store Manager – the boss

Seniors – these are like the top dogs of the store.  They each supervise a section of the store such as Frontend, Hardside, Home Accents, Bedding, and Bath

LOD aka Leader on Deck – they are the person in charge of the whole store only during set periods of time really this person is who we call when a final decision needs to be made.  These people are typically higher ranking Department Supervisors.

Department Supervisor (Previously called manager)

LEAD (Previously called supervisor why the name change? No clue! Also they are pretty much a department supervisor just without the pay)

Associate or Cashier

Now in the Frontend/Customer Service there must always be a LEAD or Department Supervisor (DS).  During the day there are four people schedules to cover these departments.  Two for each department, one in the morning and one in the evening.  There is a little crossover to cover breaks and such. That is the minimum required to run the Frontend properly.  The Frontend LEADs/DS are extremely busy.  And there are a lot of jobs that need to be done.  But the thing is none of the LEADs/DS do shit.  Like seriously it’s ridiculous.  They do the basics that’s it.  Only Shelina does anything.  She in fact does everything.  And frankly that’s not fair to her.

She does:

The cashiers schedules

Writes the breakdowns (breakdowns tell the cashiers which register they are on and when their break is)

Orders products

Orders candy

Orders drinks

Orders change

Changes products (the Frontend unlike other departments changes what products are featured there based off the season for example we just had the summer season and then we changed it to back to college and now we’re changing it to the holidays/cooking)

Deals with incoming shipments

Product refills

There isn’t anything she doesn’t do.  And no one helps her.  She does it by herself.  She works so hard she rarely takes breaks.  She doesn’t have the time.  She never complains when all the cashiers call out in the morning and not only does she have to do everything listed above but also be the cashier.  She never complains when she is the only one closing or only has one person to help.  She still gets everything done. Unlike very other LEADs/DS who bitch about it constantly.

This woman is a fucking superhero.  She is the only Supervisor who is respectful and has your back.  She won’t yell at you and in fact has never raised her voice.  Mind you when she’s pissed you know it but she uses her words and makes it clear how she feels.

This woman spent the last two years teaching me everything she knows in order to have someone around to help her because she’s getting older.  She a mother of 3 and a grandmother of 3 who helps out her daughter with her grandson by watching him every weekend.  This woman is amazing.

Not a single Department Supervisor or LEAD helps her.  When she orders drinks or candy and they come in instead of putting them where they belong everyone else puts signs on them saying for Shelina.  Like seriously it is not hard to sort the candy by what department it is stored in.  This job is not rocket science.

Every single cashier loves her because she is the only person we can rely on.  In fact when she goes on vacation we all have to bare ourselves for the chaos that comes.  Even callouts are higher because no one wants to deal.  The other LEADs/DS can’t even write the breakdown themselves.  They literally cannot survive without her.  She inspires such loyalty in us when BBB fired 90% of the Managers all of us swore if she was one of them we’d walk out because no way where we going to deal with the shit storm of this job without her.

And BTW BBB fired most of their managers and when I mean most I mean about 90%.  They fired so many that there was literally no one in charge and there still really isn’t in a lot of the departments.  Plus they had no plan for what to do after they were gone. These people where with the company for at least 10 years a piece.  It is disgusting they fired these long time employees with no warning just to save a few dollars.  They made up the best of the company.

Now recently our Store Manager Christin left and we got a new store manager Anthony.  Now like I said everyone knows Shelina is the one to run the Frontend which means she takes care of the most important department with little to no help.  Frankly I don’t count.  Only Anthony refuses to go talk to her rather going to Demascus I guess the next higher up after Shelina.  Now Demascus does shit.  He talks down to people and treats women like objects.  If he can’t flirt/hit on/charm you well he doesn’t like you.  He needs to have his little fan club.  He’s been there the longest after Shelina and you’d think he’d know how to do the basics like order products, figure out what product should go up on the pillar, how to put the product on the pillar so it looks “filled and full” (Shelina taught me that the product wall must always look “filled and full” and there should never be an empty peg or be able to see the white of the wall).  I recently watched him try to redo a pillar with the new season’s products and the results looked like a giant mess.

I gave Anthony the benefit of the doubt that he was new and didn’t know how this store worked. Though I felt like Christin wouldn’t have left without teaching him the ropes.  But time goes by and Demascus still fails and Anthony still won’t talk to Shelina.  He also gets confused when he sees me doing the physical aspect of my job.  Now people like to joke that I’m Shelina’s assistant and in a way that’s true.  She can’t do a lot of the physical aspects of the job anymore so I climb ladders, take down products, run back and forth getting stuff, ect.  Did I mention I’m a girl?  No yeah well I am.  And I do more of the physical aspects of the job then most of the guys.  I’m willing to do this for her.  In exchange she teaches me.

Then Shelina said something to me.  She said oh it’s because he’s sexist and thinks that Demascus (the man) should be in charge of all that.  Great the guy who likes to do nothing is now in charge of everything.  That’s going to work out great.  So Shelina being Shelina saves him, again and again, because as I said before he knows shit.  She does everything Anthony tells Demascus to do.  Now she does this because she takes pride in her work and pride in how her department looks.  It doesn’t matter who gets the credit to her.

But see she’s getting tired because no one is helping her.  There is only so long someone can go without any help.  Everyone they promote or higher none of them want to do shit or learn. She spent two years training me in the hopes that I would become a LEAD and she would finally get help.  But I recently learned I will never be promoted. Not because I’m not good at my job but because I’m not liked this having to do with an incident where they scheduled no managers to work so the LODs had to cover the department.  Now the LOD in question was Fei.  Now everyone knows that Shelina trained me and I can literally run the department by myself at this point so guess what he did?  He left me alone in the Frontend and never came back. So I did what I had to do and I ran the department.  I made sure things didn’t fall apart.  Because of the Fei helped to spread rumors about me and how I talked about the other LEADs/DS behind their backs in order to cover up the fact he left me alone.  This cost me any chance at a future with the company.  Shelina is still bitter about this fact while I have sadly accepted my fate.  The only regret I have is I will never be able to help take off some of the pressure she has to deal with.

Back to the main point. There was an incident today.  We keep the Dyson (expensive vacuum cleaners) up on high shelving in the Frontend.  Not that this is in anyway remotely safe.  These vacuums are heavy and located extremely high up and they over fill the shelves to the point the weight is literally bending the metal.  Now usually if there isn’t any of a model on the shelf usually we don’t have it.  Last week we learned that while we didn’t have any of a particular model on the shelf there was some located on what we call the Mez (a storage area located above the loading dock).  But did anyone get them and bring them to the Frontend?  Nope.  And Shelina and I had no idea about them cause guess what?  No one tells anyone anything.  There is zero communication in this store.

We have a “Dyson lady” who is there for a few hours a day from the Dyson Company to talk about their product.  We used to have a lovely woman there only recently this new lady (a fucking disrespectful and rude bitch) came to the store.

Now we have cards that the models on them and the customer brings them to the checkout gives them to us and we get the Dyson down.  Only the customers kept bringing cards to vacuums we didn’t have.  So she told me to go get the cards to the ones we didn’t have to prevent the mix up.  And when I tried to do this the Dyson Lady yelled at me how we have the vacuums in the store like seriously how the fuck was I supposed to know.  It was on the Mez no one fucking goes up there.  I then tell her that unfortunately no one brought them down and I wasn’t able to get to them.  Why you might ask?  Because they are fucking large ass vacuum cleaners and the only way to bring them down was to lug them down the fucking stairs all the way from the back of the largest BBB in the world to the front of the store. I am not that strong.

So I go back to the front and go to tell Shelina but I don’t get the chance cause here comes Dyson Lady with Anthony.  I don’t know what is said between them but it probably wasn’t good.  What I do catch is what Anthony asks about “well which Dyson’s so we have up here?” and I answer because I’ve been the one going up and down the ladder all morning getting them for customers.

Shelina has me take him over to the Dyson’s only he then curses Shelina out like WTF you don’t say shit about your employees especially to those directly under them.  He’s literally saying the nastiest shit about my superior to me and I’m at the bottom of the food chain.  He is the goddamn store manager you’d think he’d have some respect. He then tells me “I don’t a fucking damn what Shelina tells you I’m your boss not her” and excuse fucking you.  She’s never told me any sort of shit like that. She’s never told me to obey her over others.  You know why I listen/chose her over the others?  Because she treats me with respect and kindness something 98% of BBB Supervisors don’t do.  In fact she’s never said a bad word about any of them other than that she’s disappointed in how they do their jobs because she knows they could do better.  They just choose not to.   Not only that Shelina is in fact my boss and you are her boss.  He is so disgusting in what he says I am in literally shock and can’t manage to say a word in retort which I truly regret now though maybe it’s better I didn’t say what I wanted to because frankly he is fucking misogynistic sexist asshole and I would have said it right to his face. I have loyalty to those around me whether I like them or not we’re all here to do a job.  Unlike him who apparently will say the nastiest fucking shit about his employees.

Now then he tells me he wants me to do the count (the count is when we count up the valuable products in the store to know how many we have this is done every morning) from now on and be in charge of the Dyson’s.  I point out that I’m not a LEADs/DS and I don’t do the count.  He then asks “why the fuck is he talking to me?” which frankly why is he? I tell him it’s because he wanted to know what Dyson we have.  He then tells me to go get the missing Dyson’s from the Mez with “my buddy” Anthony (AJ is what he goes by thanks for remembering what name he uses).  He tells me this with a wink and a nudge like we’re fucking high school girls talking about the guy I’m secretly dating.  Now AJ is my best friend.  My friend. We aren’t dating and I have no intention of ever dating him.  It also isn’t a secret we’re close but everyone knows this and knows we aren’t together.  People have assumed we’re dating before cause apparently a guy and girl can’t just be friends but what throws me is the fact my fucking boss my fucking elder boss like in his sixties made a insinuated sexual reference between me and a friend/coworker.  That tell you what he thinks about men and women.

I shouldn’t be blown away by the sexism shown by my store manager.  I’ve heard a lot of things.  Two of my male LEADs/DS spoke horribly about a female LEADs/DS right in front of me.  It was so disgusting in fact I avoided them for the rest of the day.  People have the tendency to forget I’m there because I’m quiet and all over the place.  They just say whatever in front of me.  But still my store manager being a sexist pig to my DS caught me off guard.  He’s only been with the company for a year Shelina has been with the company for over twenty.  She knows more about BBB than anyone.  And yet because she is a woman all her years of experience, all her hard work mean nothing.

If you’ve gotten this far thank you for reading.  I know I went a little all over the place here but I hope you got my point.  This amazing badass woman is treated like shit on a daily basis.  I just wish there was something I could do other than writing this stupid blog post about it.  Because she deserves the world.

#bed bath and beyond #sexism #feminism #woc #anti sexism #I hope I properly showed how awesome and badass of a woman she is for dealing with this shit on a daily basis #she is fucking incredible and I'm proud to know her #rambling