Hi Marta - this happens to me also, and when people ask me where I
work I tell them I have a private studio. People usually let it go at
that, and I don’t feel I have to mention whether it is at my
residence or another location.
Michael David Sturlin
www.michaeldavidsturlin.com
David, et al, I don’t have this problem so much as difficulty
disciplining myself to be productive. But for your accounts who
constantly call with questions they could look up, maybe a solution
would be to set up one of those voicemail things-- "for repair
delivery dates, press one now. For standard pricing, press 2 now…"
ending with the opportunity to leave a message… If it took a
minute or so of persistence, you’d probably have far fewer
interruptions. On the other hand, of course, you’d annoy the heck
out of everyone, but no system’s perfect!
Noel
What is a good response when a potential customer asks where do you work?
I share your concerns. I simply say, “I have my own studio, but it
is not a retail space”. If I’m at a show, I go on to say, “This is
my retail space. It is like Brigadoon. One day it’s here-- then it’s
gone again for a year!” This usually distracts them from where my
studio is. Or if I’m not at a show, instead I follow up that I don’t
have a retail space, but am always happy to show stock on hand, by
appointment. I do that in my living room or theirs, not in my
studio. By focussing on the retail space aspect, I deflect questions
about exactly where my studio is. Lastly, if I need to meet a client
in a studio setting, I invite them to one of the studios I teach in.
HTH!
Noel
Boy, can I identify with you. Both my husband and I work from home
and, in the beginning, it was very difficult. I actually have (still)
the biggest problem with a friend who is retired and wants to play.
We just keep reminding friends and family that we are working. Gently
but firmly. If someone phones let the answering machine take the
call. Or if you feel compelled to answer tell them the boss is
looking over your shoulder. And since you are the boss, it’s true.
With time and perseverance people have begun to respect that we are
working just as hard as they are.
Good luck!
Doreen
Doreen K. Sanborn
DKS Designs, Inc.
@dksdesig
703/201-4290
A problem I have related to working at home is that I don’t want to
have everyone know I work at home for security reasons. What is a
good response when a potential customer asks where do you work?
Marta,
I tell people that I my work studio is within walking distance of my
house. I don’t tell them it’s in my home or offer any more
specifics. If someone wants to see the studio I reiterate that it’s
a working studio not a show room. If they push further I tell them
that my insurance company doesn’t allow non professionals to visit
due to all the chemicals, the torch, safety hazards, etc. Because
the shop is locked behind a door in the rear of the house–and
alarmed–it’s easy to keep hidden. If I know the person I may
invite them over to the house to talk about a job, but that rarely
happens. If I needed to talk to someone about a job and I couldn’t
meet them at their place, I’d arrange to meet them in a coffee shop
or some other public place. This might put some people off, but I
don’t do that much local retail work. Most of my work is either
through out of town, usually out of state, shows, or for retail
stores.
Larry
I’ll clarify the special reasons for my original posting. My close
friend has cancer and I want to help her all I can. However, there
are not enough hours in the day already to do my part-time job, my
bookkeeping for my business and my husband’s business, keep house,
and do my jewelry work–which I have given up other income-producing
work so that I can attempt to make it full-time.
I am grappling with resentment over her having gotten two dogs since
she has been diagnosed, knowing full-well that I am strapped for
time. When she is hospitalized, she asks friends to go over three
times a day to let them in and out of the house and feed them, etc.
It is about a 30 to 45 minute excursion for me and the dogs jump all
over me and always ruin my clothes. She usually asks, "Are you
working at the clinic today (the clinic is my part-time job)?"
before she asks for help with the dogs or something else–indicating
that if I am planning to work at home, that doesn’t really qualify
as a valid reason not to help. She also has split with her
significant other and bought a house. She moved part of her
belongings out of the old house and left the rest to make the old
house show better while trying to sell. She was in the hospital for
a transfusion the Saturday of the first move, so I agreed to do it
instead of my jewelry work that I really needed to get done that day
right before we left for a show. The second move was after the house
sold. Again, she was in the hospital and my husband did it that
time. She calls on us semi-regularly to do little tasks at her house
for her and I have prepared food on a semi-regular basis when she
was having chemo and not quite up to snuff.
Her mother, who lives about 5 hours away kind of just assigns tasks
to me as if it is my responsibility. We spent a day driving her to
her folks house 3-1/2 hours away after one of her surgeries because
her Mom assigned me that task. We could not afford the time off but
we did it because we were ashamed to say no.
I love this friend, but somehow having cancer seems to overrule
logic. I resent helping her with responsibilities that she has
bitten off knowing that friends will have to accept them when she is
sick. I feel so guilty about saying “no” and find myself kind of
wanting to disappear sometimes.
J. Sue Ellington
A problem I have related to working at home is that I don't want to have everyone know I work at home for security reasons. What is a good response when a potential customer asks where do you work?
Hi Marta, I tell them the suburb or general area, and then say that
I will come to them, feels like you are giving a more personalised
service, and you get to keep your security, cheers, Christine
But for your accounts who constantly call with questions they could look up, maybe a solution would be to set up one of those voicemail things-- "for repair delivery dates, press one now. For standard pricing, press 2 now..."
Hi Noel;
Well, I’ve got a pretty complete price list, about 6 pages or so,
however, your post gives me an idea. I bet I could get someone to
work up a web site with member only access to the wholesale price
list, and some sort of java script that could be run to navigate to
the answer they need, such as
1. enter present ring size
2. enter target ring size
3. enter ring width in millimeters
4. enter client's ring metal (14K, 18K, Plat, Sterl)
Click on the little twinkling ring icon:
voila, $___.__ your price for the job.
Now I’m starting to think how that might get me into trouble . .
.hmm. . . (If they enter size 6 to size 8, 4 millimeter Sterl when
they should have entered size 6 to size 8, 4 millimter Plat,
and then quote a price to the customer, they’re gonna be saaah-reeee
. . . I’m not eating it).
Thanks though . . .
David L. Huffman
Boy, can I identify with you. Both my husband and I work from home and, in the beginning, it was very difficult. I actually have (still) the biggest problem with a friend who is retired and wants to play.
If all else fails you could try co-opting your friend to help around
the workshop, give them simple jobs, eg making coffee, answering the
phone, packageing etc.
They will either get the message and leave you along or become a
valued member of your organisation.
Bill Bedford
I love this friend, but somehow having cancer seems to overrule logic. I resent helping her with responsibilities that she has bitten off knowing that friends will have to accept them when she is sick. I feel so guilty about saying "no" and find myself kind of wanting to disappear sometimes.
I don’t blame you for feeling resentful and guilty. If she had not
made so many life changes after being diagnosed, she would not be
needing so much help. Was the marriage in trouble before her illness?
If not, there may be some depression involved here that the spouse or
doctors should have addressed. I would suggest giving her a schedule
of the hours that you would feel free to help her and telling her of
your hopes for your big career change in detail. Be specific such as
I have Thursday afternoon free for errands. I can’t help you the rest
of the week but what can I do for you then?
Marta, consider sayin "I have a private studio so that there will be
no interruptions. "That makes it clear it isn’t a store front, but
isn’t open to the public ! No need to say where.
Pat
Hello Orchidians, I believe the security issues of revealing your
workplace location are genuine. I don’t put my address on my
business cards, only my telephone number. Although I realize the
number can be used in a reverse phone directory to find an address,
at least it takes extra effort. Using a cell phone number would be a
better idea, wouldn’t it.
Using a Post Office box is an alternative that I’m considering. The
box number could be given on the business card for mailing purposes.
However, I do wonder how much that box would be used.
Anyone care to comment on their use of a PO Box rather than a street
address??
Judy in Kansas
Judy M. Willingham, R.S.
B.A.E. 237 Seaton Hall
Kansas State University
Manhatttan KS 66506
(785) 532-2936 FAX (785) 532-6944
Dear Sue,
I hear and appreciate the frustration you’ve expressed in your most
recent post. I’d like to respectfully suggest that loving someone
does not mean allowing them to impose on you.
The real issue you seem to be struggling with is not your friend’s
illness and expectations. Rather, consider why it’s hard for you to
say “No” and why you feel guilty placing your needs ahead of
others’. This is about being self-responsible, not selfish, and
about how women (especially) are expected to care-take others while
neglecting ourselves.
Taking care of yourself includes you making decisions about the best
ways for you to spend your time. And it sounds like your needs would
be better served (and you’d be happier) if you placed creating and
generating income further up your list.
As others may have pointed out in previous posts, no one can take
advantage of you unless you give them permission. You aren’t likely
to raise your friend’s consciousness or cause her to realize her
expectations are unreasonable, but you can take yourself out of the
situation that makes you so resentful or at least limit your
availability to a level you feel OK about. For example, you might
tell your friend, “Kathy, I know you’re having a hard time right
now, and I have a lot of things I have to take care of, too, so I
wanted to let you know I’ll be available every other Thursday
afternoon between 2:00 and 4:00 to do X.”
As I said in a previous post, others only take your work time as
seriously as you do. Weigh your priorities, make decisions based on
what’s healthy for you, and give yourself permission to step out of
situations in which you feel victimized.
Walk in Beauty,
Susannah Ravenswing
Jewels of the Spirit
Winston-Salem NC
okay people - much as i hate to jeopardize a line that has worked
for me by spreading it around, here is my answer when a client, etc.
gets pushy about ‘visiting’ my workshop:
“as luck would have it, my insurance agent is right across the
street from my studio. when i started out a few people going in and
out, he saw them & came over to explain that that continued he would
have to change the classification of my coverage and raise the
premium.”
‘schedules, concentration, creativity, responsibilities’ - those are
just vague concepts that most people can’t grasp, but put it in a
MONEY context & that flies!
ive
people, if you always ‘look before you leap’ you might stay safe -
but you might miss some glorious ‘flights’.
This is getting off the original topic, but I have a suggestion for
you. You might suggest to your friend that she hire an assistant
while she is ill. It could be a college student or a high school
student with a car (or a stay-at-home mom like myself in need of some
extra cash). I did similar work recently for a friend whose husband
was going through chemo. They were trying to get a house ready for
sale, their daughter was heading off to college and they also ran a
small business together, which meant that my friend had twice the
work to do at home as well as at work when her husband was ill. So
for an hourly rate, I took the dog to the vet, fed the rabbits, let
in the realtors and repairmen, made minor home repairs, packed
boxes, took hand-me-downs to Goodwill and trash to the dump, got
quotes for major work like floor refinishing, and so forth. I kept my
hours and expenses in a spreadsheet and sent her the file every month
for payment.
Once you plant the idea in your friend’s head, she may really start
to see the advantages of having someone “on duty” for her. My friend
was an incredibly considerate employer and I was happy to be able to
make her life easier during that time and take some things off her
plate, while helping to pay some of my bills. Perhaps your friend
could find someone in a similar situation. Of course, if you bring
this up you’ll have to be very clear that you’re not suggesting
yourself! I hope you find a way to extricate yourself from this
situation while keeping your friendship going, but you really must
stand up for yourself!
Good luck -
Courtney Hipp
Courtney Graham Hipp
cgHipp Jewelry Designs
Using a Post Office box is an alternative that I'm considering. The box number could be given on the business card for mailing purposes. However, I do wonder how much that box would be used.
I have a PO box because I sell on the web and don’t want to have my
address out there. However, one thing you should consider is that
if your name is on your card, anyone can look up your address in a
regular phone book unless you’re unlisted. Or in a really big
town/city.
Hello everyone. My neighbors don’t even know what I do. They think
I am a stay at home mommy. I use a PO BOX, but it is seldom used.
However, the phone number I use is a cell and the address attached
to that cell service is my PO box. Additionally, our friends know I
am a jeweler, but don’t see my studio on our property. We keep it
locked (also helps when you have a 17 month old baby) and it is not
in a high traffic area of our house.
Aloha,
Elizabeth
FienArt
I know how you feel from experience, but the person involved was in
family. My husband was chronically ill and severely handicapped
before he died. I had to pretty much put my jewelry and myself on the
backburner until after he died last year. Of course, he was in the
house, not a friend outside the home. Problem is, it’s a catch 22
situation. If you focus on your stuff, you feel guilty, and if you
focus on your friend’s and her family’s needs, you feel resentful.
Been there, it’s not fun. I guess the thing is to find a balance, and
also look at how long term your friend’s situation is…I knew bjorn
wouldn’t be around forever, there was no chance of remission on
diabetes and complications, and that I’d have my life to myself
afterwards…I still felt and feel a bit of resentment to how many
years of my life and jewelry work got put on hold, but I may have
felt even worse had I not been there for him.
Jeanne
Jeanne Rhodes Moen
Kristiansand, Norway
http://www.jeanniusdesigns.com
I don't put my address on my business cards, only my telephone number.
I agree, Judy.
My business phone is a cell phone and I have rented a box for a long
time. Not a PO box, but one at a Mail Boxes, Etc-type place. This
way you will at least have a street address [not your home address]
for your business card.
Another benefit is that since it is an address and not a PO box
number, you can use it when ordering supplies, or whatever. Since
the place is always staffed during business hours, any packages
shipped to you will be safely accepted rather than left at your
doorstep!
I would recommend, however, that if you currently do any business
with the USPS that you continue visiting your location for stamps or
any packages needing postage. These outside facilities add a
surcharge to postal rates but if you calculate and attach postage
yourself, you can leave the packages there for mailing.
My box is used since it is my business address and this further
limits jewelry-related mailings coming to my home address which could
potentially alert others of the possibilities.
Pam Chott
www.songofthephoenix.com
Judy,
I have always used a post office box when I have not had a store
front. The issue is security. You want nothing of value ending up in
a box at the street or being used to lead people to your home. A dose
of Paranoia is not out of line here. I think you are less likely to
be robbed getting from the Post Office counter to your car than from
your front door to the street and back. I have even requested the
local police to follow me to and from the Post Office on occasion in
another life. Also when you are sending things out use certified or
registered mail, this helps to establish a paper trail. I use return
receipts on everything sent and require my clients to use them when
sending things to me. Yes, it costs more but a trail is established.
Ours is a dangerous business. People used to ask,“Why the Lexan on
the windows?” I said,“It is to keep the bullets from hitting my
friends across the street if I have to shot you…” Anyway, always
think security no matter what level we are working at.
Bill Churlik
@Bill_Churlik
www.earthspeakarts.com