Time away with whanau can be challenging when running a home-based business …
I recently had the honour of being able to take some time off and head away on a mini tiki tour of Te Waipounamu with my son Will and my niece Jess. Will works for a crutching gang as a sheepo and works long, sometimes inconsistent hours. Lambing is the one time of the year when he can take a bit of a break. His cousin Jess is a tattooist in Invercargill and apart from the Covid lockdown hasn’t taken any time off since starting her job back in August 2019. So together we went on a mini holiday up the West Coast, spending 1 night in Haast and 3 in Hokitika.
We listened to some awesome Spotify playlists, saw some incredible scenery and enjoyed each other’s company. The West Coast is a wonderful place to visit with amazing people. Holidays are fun but they can also be a challenge when you run a home-based business because you never completely escape from work. I mean this in the nicest possible way but you are never really off the clock. At what time of night should you not answer a Facebook message when someone awesome is asking about your recycled rubber earrings – 9pm, 10 pm 11 pm? I always had a rule that you never called anyone on the phone after 9 pm. I am an early morning person so my dilemma is – can I reply to a message that was sent to me at midnight at 5 am? It is also incredibly hard to keep a track of all the ways in which people now keep in touch and contact you e.g. Messenger, Facebook Page manager, Instagram, an order through my website, a text, an email and an old-fashioned phone call.
Technology is amazing but at times it can be confusing. When we returned from our tiki tour, I managed to find all the orders and messages except one. I can remember the conversation I had with the wahine about changing a feather for a thread but do you think I could find the original conversation thread … not right away and this really stressed me out. Eventually I did but modern expectations of prompt replies meant that I didn’t provide the quality of service that I like to give or would expect to receive.
It has been a good reminder for me to direct people to my website and to order from there. It is more streamlined and professional. If you have a special request or custom enquiry (I love customs) then message me about this and then order from my site because then I have your special order in my system. You can’t get lost in the world of social media and I can create a beautiful piece of recycled rubber jewellery for you.
www.hanacandles.co.nz
Posted: Friday 2 October 2020