A little look back at some of the things we’ve learnt... (again)

Whilst we don’t ‘do’ New Year’s resolutions and we aren’t keen on navel-gazing, we do reckon today’s a good day to just press pause and have a think about what we’ve actually been up to over the last year. So, what have we actually learnt….

• It would appear that, for the second year running (we did the same reflective review a year ago), we still can’t agree on a signal to ‘start filming’ for Instagram. Apparently, my gesticulations aren’t clear enough. And I’d say that Edd’s telepathic approach is somewhat unhelpful. It’s amazing that we can communicate about everything else in marriage and business and yet this still eludes us. It must be the presence and pressure of the camera??
• Edd has a special ninja packing ability. I take my cap off to his ability to pack a spade, toolbox, darning mushroom and a penknife all in one box. I, on the other hand, spend most of my time deliberating over which box size to use, and only after building it do I discover that it is, on average, a good 10cm too small. My suggestion of having all the box sizes mounted on the wall so I can better visualise them hasn’t been taken seriously. It’s a work in progress.
• We’ve finally settled into a good process for how we order stock. We each make a separate suggestion of the numbers we think we’ll need. I hideously (and naively) overestimate. Edd is (rightly, with a handle on the finances) hugely cautious. We meet exactly in the middle for everything - apart from the odd item that we chose to defend, and the other will concede. I’m not sure this is a buying model recognised at any Business School, but given supply issues continue to be so erratic, how much we do or don’t order pales into insignificance.
• Edd’s gone and got into leather in a big way. Not a statement I ever thought I’d utter, but every tool he owns seems to slowly be getting a leather jacket. Making the axe sheaths are definitely one of his favourite jobs now. I just wish he didn’t get so invested in different colour choices. When the sheaths he rates the most (such as the black with turquoise stitching) are less popular, he does seem to take it to heart a bit too much.   
• Even when the gardening gloves you stock (and use) win the IndyBest award, your mother will STILL buy you a pair of (different, not award-winning) garden gloves for Christmas.
• That we each have our own ‘favourite order of the day’ – for Edd it’ll be a combination of items that he really rates, whilst I like the ones that have been clearly compiled to make a thoughtful gift. I can’t imagine there are many other companies/couples that debate which order wins this title every day?
• What appears to be a buying pattern is usually totally random. We’ll have 5 orders from Bristol in one morning and think there’s a reason (none discovered), or we’ll sell five axes back to back on day one of a show, and then sell none for the remaining 3 days. We're training ourselves to not always look for patterns - but it's a work in progress...

- Lou -