I read, a lot!

So, some people think that I have way too many books at home. Some people think I should get rid of them. Some people suggest I go to the library. So, seeing as I am not getting rid of any of my books and, yes I concede, I do have a lot of books I have officially joined the local library and borrowed my first book! Well, books I borrowed 5 books but I am a pretty quick reader. Not as quick as my mum, I don't think anyone is as quick as my mum. I have 3 weeks to read them before they have to be returned - I am up for the challenge!

I find reading helps me relax and take my mind of my worries if only for a few hours each evening. I need to have a book to read at night. I find it so hard to get to sleep as it is and without a book I may as well not bother and just stay up all night. I do watch movies but honestly I prefer to read a book.

This first outing to the local library I brought home two novels and three autobiographies. One I am really looking forward to reading but I am also sad about reading it. It's called 'Breakfast, School Run, Chemo' by Julia Watson - a gorgeous lady who was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in 2013. Sadly Julia passed away just before Christmas last year. She had a wonderful, funny, honest blog where she shared her life as well as dealing with her diagnosis. I am excited to read her book but at the same time it saddens me knowing she isn't with her beautiful family any more. [edited to add: beautiful book, Julia was such a natural writer. So honest and funny and of course sad but in a fighting, strong way. Her love for her family is clear. I loved her book and her blog. Thank you Julia.]

The other two autobiographies are Aussies as well, Amanda Keller and Jessica Watson (no relation to Julia - well I don't think so any way). [edited to add: Amanda's book was hilarious and such a wonderful read. I had many laugh out loud moments. It was the perfect book to read to take my mind off my life. What an amazing life she has. Such a hard worker, so honest and sincere.]

My fiction books are 'a hundred pieces of me' by Lucy Dillon - I've never read any of her books before but the brief look at the back made me think I'd enjoy it [edited to add: so far so good, loving it] and the other book is a Mauve Binchy book 'A few of the girls' It's lots of short stories. I can't remember if I have already read this one or not as I've read everything she ever wrote and the last one was a short story book. That's one good thing about having a terrible memory I can reread books as if it was the first time I've read them. I've never read a bad Maeve book so I don't mind rereading hers - I think I've read all of her books at least twice some even 3 or 4 times!

I was going to get some businessy ones or some motivational ones but I just wasn't feeling it. They can wait until my next visit in three weeks :-) Businessy ones don't help me relax and at the moment I need books that will take my mind of my business and every day life even if just for a little bit each day!

So, are you a reader? What's on your bedside table at the moment.

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Design boss(y) lady and book worm.

Housekeeping

I try and make a 'semi' regular habit of update and making minor changes a few times a year to our website. Nothing too drastic or life altering and for the most part no one but me will notice these changes but I think I need to do this to ensure my business and website is running at its best.

Over the weekend I updated all of the descriptions for our wonderful gifts and try to make them all cohesive and looking the same. In general they did but there were always a few differences, whether meant or accidental, that I was not happy with so decided to get stuck in.

This may sound easy and for the most part it was just 'involved' but whenever you are working with the behind the scenes of a website there is always the possibility of messing something up! I had a few, 'oh no what have I done' moments but thankfully nothing too drastic happened and I didn't break it.

Now all of the gifts descriptions look the same with the exact same font and colours and the same flow. I've tried to be a simple as I can in the way it's set out without losing the 'fun' and 'quirkiness' I've always tried to put into the website. I want it to read well and to be easy to understand without it being boring.

Now all gifts have their exact contents listed, then a list of what is also 'always' included but a list of the cool (well I think so) little extras Rainbow Designs provide.

I also updated the Contact Us page. I had been having problems with an excessive amount of spam coming through this form but hope that it is all sorted now. This form is easy to understand and fill out and hopefully will encourage potential customers to contact us if they're unsure of something or just want to ask about delivery or make a request. The easier I can make our website to use the more likely people will stay to browse, bookmark it for latter use and eventually place an order (or two).

The front home page also got a little makeover making it less busy and hopefully easier to see what we offer. The same with the delivery page, just a few small amendments to make sure all the information is easy to understand and up to date.

More behind the scenes work was done in regards to SEO (search engine optimisation) and getting the keywords and product descriptions right and hopefully picked up by Google. It's always been one of the hardest things with our website, getting on the first page of google for our main keywords. It's all well and good having a gorgeous website and fabulous products but if noone knows you exist and you don't show up anywhere online when searches are made you may as well stay in bed! These changes are more a waiting game as updates to search engines can take time, sometimes a lot of time. When I make seo changes I then need to leave them be for a good three months or so to see if they've made a difference. If nothing seems to have changed or worse the listing is going backwards and go and make a few minor changes (and cross my fingers).

We've got some new products in the pipeline and I am so excited. I cannot wait to be able to share them and start sending them around Australia.

The next major occasion is Easter - mid April so I am gearing up for this and will start making a few slight changes to the website as well as do some promotion work and possibly advertising.

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Designs boss(y) lady and seo expert (not really but wishes she was!)

Z is for...Zero

Zero motivation to keep my business going. Nada, none, zip. It's going nowhere fast. Zippitydooda zippityaye my oh my what a craptastic day.

This is how I feel sometimes, not all the time but sometimes. It can really get you down and make you feel like you can't get any lower but then, bing, out pops an order and another one and before you know it, the motivation is back baby!

I've started the week guns ablazin' and full steam ahead and just got on with things. Writing blog posts for one and scheduling some facebooks posts for another. I've ordered some more stock and tidied my little store room. (how does it get so messy??)

I've got M&M's on my desk and a huge bottle of water, the house is clean and the pantry is stocked. I've got meals in the freezer and wine in the fridge. There's a shelf full of books to read and plenty of Dr Who DVD's to keep me occupied when the orders are slow. My meager savings account is slowly but surely growing and I'll be on my next cruise before I know it!

Carnival Spirit

So when the going gets you down just stand up, stretch those arms of yours and sing 'it's all about the base, bout the base, no treble' at the top of your lungs, take a swig of your water (or wine if it's after 5pm) and breath! You are amazing and don't you forget it!

Now go and eat some chocolate, pronto!

W is for...Wine Hampers

Whinge and a w(h)ine time is 5pm Friday (and possibly a few other days depending on how the weeks been!) here at Rainbow Designs HQ. It's a time for us to sit down and reflect on the week that's been - good, bad or otherwise.

Our preference (well my preference) is a fruity sav blanc, think Marlborough region in NZ and the Margaret River is WA. Another 'Rainbow Designser' prefers the more drier, less sweet Semillion Sav Blanc or even a mild Chardonnay. A compromise wine is the Amiri Sav Blanc which is fruity but not too fruity - win win and it's quite a cheapy too (around the $6-$7 per bottle).

When it comes to gift giving, especially for a special occasion or event, a Wine Hamper is certainly up there with one of the most popular gifts to send (and receive!). It's a great gift idea for one person, a couple or a group of friends or family. It's easy to share or to savour by yourself or to take with you. We've tried to include a range of wine hampers at Rainbow Designs that will suit all tastes and budgets. We've got 13 hampers that include wine, some are based around food and some are just simply all about the wine! Their prices all include Australia wide delivery and start at $65.

Here are just a couple we thought might be the perfect way to spoil that special someone or wish them a very happy birthday:

The $65 hamper is one for celebrating - a promotion, an anniversary, an engagement, a birthday or even to wish them a bon voyage or christen their new boat! Veuve Ambal Blanc de Blanc - is a vivacious French fizz with a want to celebrate and get the party started!  The Baylies of Strathalbyn Muscat Gourmet Cake is a sumptuous cake crammed full of fruit and nuts that have been steeped in aged Muscat - this cake makes a great end to a magical meal and tops off the celebrations perfectly.

Congratulations Cake and Bubbly

Next up we have a sinfully delightful wine hamper perfect for the red and white wine loving couple who also enjoy a relaxing afternoon with friends and family sharing a platter of wonderful, gourmet goodies. The Rosemary Lavish goes so well with the Maggie Beer Qunice Paste and Maison Theres Beetroot Relish (trust us, we've tried it!) and complements the La Tours Travers Wines perfectly. Not forgetting the sweet tooth, we've also included some delightful Rum Balls by Mother Meg and an assortment of Chocolatier Milk and Dark Chocolate chocolates. For the lover of the finer things in life why not try the Aurelio Plums in Port, a wonderful way to end the afternoon.

Wine and Treats Gift Hamper - $130

So whether you are after something for the individual, couple or whole office we've got a Wine Hamper to suit. All our products where selected with our wonderful customers in mind and have been taste tested to the highest of standards, that means we all spent a weekend over indulging just for you! That's how much we care about our customers :-)

The Afternoon Tea Hamper - $100
All You Can Eat Gift Hamper - $490
Champagne and Chocolate - $130
Congratulations Cake & Bubbly - $65
Executive Gift Hamper - $110
For All To Share Hamper - $200
Four Seasons Luxury Hamper - $299
Gourmet Picnic Hamper - $125
Home Made Pizza Gift Hamper - $90
Maggie Beer Gift Hamper - $110
Perfect Spanish Paella Gift Hamper - $140
The Wine Appreciation Hamper - $170
Wine and Treats Gift Hamper - $130

All of these hampers and EVERY gift on our website INCLUDES delivery, Australia wide. Our gift hampers are sent either by Australia Post eParcel or Fastway Couriers, depending on the area, and have online parcel tracking - so you know when it has left us and when it arrives. We will also update you on your orders progress by email (so make sure you type that in correctly). Apart from our quality products and beautiful presentation we pride ourselves on our customer service and always keeping you in the loop - if you ever have a question, we're just an email away! hello @ rainbowdesigns.com.au and our response times are amazing, try it and see!!

So, here's to many, many people enjoying and celebrating their life with a Rainbow Designs Gift Hamper sent by you!

ps: we also have BEER hampers for the people who, gasp, don't like wine!

His Favourite Hamper - $90

U is for...Unsure

Rainbow Designs has been going for 11 years now, something I am very proud but, and it's a big but (I blame the M&M's!) I am unsure if I'm going to continue either altogether or in the same vein as I am now. I'm unsure if I will just close the virtual doors, sell or maybe just focus on the outsource hampers so I can either start another business (not likely) or get a 'job'.

Uncertainty with my business has lead me to go in various directions over the last few years, some worked, so not so much. I started outsourcing hampers, as I don't do 'traditional hampers' and had a few requests for more standard type hampers. This worked to an extent but it also had it's problems - the main thing being that I was taken away from my main focus of 'affordable sweet tooth gifts' this, I think, confused some of my customers and drove some away. I didn't completely remove my base products but at one stage I had only a few of these and the rest larger, more expensive gift hampers - so I was advertising to the lower end of the market but then selling higher end gifts. No wonder my customers were confused - I was confused! I think it started with me being a bit bored and stuck in a rut, so to speak, with Rainbow Designs. Doing the same thing, day in day out - it became very monotonous and my enthusiasm was, lets just say, low. I think this showed within my business and people could feel that which ended up turning people away. I never stopped giving great service and still taking pride in my gifts but it wasn't as easy and natural as it was when I first started.

The honeymoon period was over and now it was 'just another boring job' that didn't pay very well! Funds were very tight, stress levels were very high - I needed to do something. I ended up getting rid of some of the outsource hampers (not that there was anything wrong with them, they were amazing, they just fit with my business) and expanding my gift range. I added new packaging and new confectionery, I also started gift wrapping all of the gifts and had my labels redone and professionally printed, got all new photos done. I was on a high, for awhile, but then I fell in a heap. The new gifts weren't selling, I was having to through out out of date stock (or give to the family), I donated a whole heap of Easter Eggs to the Koala Hospital one year and then a stack full of boxes and hampers to Vinnies. Things were grim, lots of money spent with nothing to show for it except a huge credit card bill!

I'm now back to where I started in a sense. I have the outsource hampers I've had for over 5 years now (maybe even more, I lose track of time) and I've paired back my gifts to the ones that have always been sellers. I still have a couple of gifts that more than likely when they run out I won't reorder any more - I'll just see how things go.

Easter has been and gone, I have learnt from past years to not over order as once Easter is over they don't sell and I'm left with a stack of Easter Eggs (not that the family mind) and a big whole in my purse. Been there done that too many times.

So for now, Rainbow Designs is still going and I'm still working in and on it. What the future holds I am unsure of but will definitely let you know when I know.

It's Sunday

Yep, it's Sunday, a day of rest, a day of housework, a day of sunshine and beach walks, picnics and reading but what am I doing? Sitting at my desk in front of my computer writing. Writing blog post, writing Facebook posts, writing to do list for the coming week. I've printed out orders that have come in and written the tags, I've packed and wrapped and satchels these orders.

Every Friday I promise myself I won't turn my computer on until Monday morning and every. single. time. I turn my computer on before Monday dawns. Saturday I can usually get away with just using my phone without needing to turn my computer on but Sunday's, Sunday's for some reason are different. I don't know why but I feel like I'm wasting precious 'work' time if I'm sitting reading or watching the tv or even walking by the beach. Why is this?

Do you feel you should be working all the time? Is it a business owner mine set? Is it the thought that 'if I don't do it no one else is going to', 'if I don't do it I won't have time later on', maybe it's just the feeling of working will some how, magically make more orders come in. If my computer's on then everyone else's must be too! It's like I can project my want, my need for orders through my computer screen just by staring at it or facebook some random, 'silly' post that'll suddenly make people - ooooh I MUST buy something from Rainbow Designs NOW!!!

I still have this ridiculous notion that as soon as I send a newsletter or publish a blog post I'll be inundated with orders and enquiries - it is yet to happen (11 years and counting!). I'm what you call an 'idiot' - doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. ha.

Maybe one day I'll learn, one day. In the mean time, I best get back to Facebook and like a post or three and get busy on another blog post!

How's your Sunday??

O is for...On Special

It's always hard to know whether to have specials or not? Should I mark my gift prices down? Will this bring in more orders and will I still make money? Will I attract new customers or will it be my regulars who order, who would have ordered any way?

I've never been good at the whole 'add value' and 'don't discount'. I already believe my gifts are value for money plus I also have to take into account delivery charges. If I add something, for nothing, will this bump up the cost of delivery thus making the gift unprofitable. Also, what do I add as a bonus that will entice people into buying the gift more so than when it is just the standard product?

I generally go with a discount if I'm running a special but it can generally only be up to 15% otherwise I'm not making any money at all, in some cases I would be losing money. My margins aren't very high as I want my prices to be as low as I can make them, all the time not just a few times a year.

People still like to complain about prices but they just don't understand how expensive delivery is. My delivery charges vary from $13 to $21 depending on the satchel I use. Sometimes gift ideas I have just won't work as the gift, while in itself doesn't cost very much, ends up being too large for my small or medium satchels and ends up needing to use the large satchel - this is $20 just for postage!

This bear gift ended up being not value for money as it had to go in the $21 satchel!

Confectionery has also just gone up, for the 2nd time in the last 5 months as have all of my packing and gift boxes. I also went from using large noodle boxes to tins which is a huge difference in price but I didn't increase my sell price. Some of it was saved in the delivery charges as I could you use a smaller satchel but not all, it just means my margins are a bit smaller. This all means I just need to work that little bit harder! All fun and games.

Chocolate helps!

When I am discontinuing something I might mark them down to just cover postage as I just want to get rid of the stock I have and sometimes I'll have something on special to try and get a bit more interest and coverage for Rainbow Designs but I can't sustain these specials for too long. I actually prefer to keep my prices the same and have a 'repeat customer' discount so then people who are loyal to me or who have ordered from me before are rewarded for coming back! I think people appreciate this sort of discount too, it makes them feel like their business is worth something to us and not just taken for granted. I 'never' take orders for granted, I know how hard it is to get orders and keep them coming in regularly - it is never a 'given' that you will get orders every day, even after 11 years!

On special or just special - either way I think a business needs to believe in their products and pricing and not devalue themselves!

M is for...Money

I was going to do M is for M&M's because I could 'almost' live on M&M's but thought I'd try a non confectionery blog post for a change :-)

Money, the root of all evil (and good). It's been a topsy turvy 11 years for Rainbow Designs with money being the constant factor in the topsy turvyness! Good days, bad days but unfortunately it is appearing there are a lot more bad days than good lately - this does not make for a very successful business.

At least I always have a supply of chocolate!!

It's great being your own boss and running your own business but it is also very stressful and, sometimes, even a bit depressing. All that work, all that time, effort and money for.....what? Well, for the satisfaction of having gone from an idea to a real business, from a dodgy website to a professionally made one, from 4 gifts to many, from no customers to many regular customers...

I've loved every (well most) moment of running my business BUT maybe the time is coming for me to move onto something else? Business seems to be slowing down and maybe even getting to the point of not been viable any more. Something I will have to go through with my accountant in the near future.

For now, I will keep running my business, getting up each morning and printing out the orders (sadly sometimes this is singular) and filling my noodle boxes and tins, walking to Toll and emailing suppliers, oh and writing on FB and this blog!

Thanks for being part of my journey with Rainbow Designs, maybe we'll continue together, maybe we'll go our separate ways. Either way - ONWARDS and UPWARDS!

and don't forget to eat LOTS of chocolate,

Jacqui (boss lady)

What Did You Do This Weekend?

I don't know about you but sometimes I feel as if I am just as busy on the weekend as I am during the week; but don't worry I still manage to put my feet up from time to time and get some well earned rest.

However for those who aren't aware, the life of a small business owner generally doesn't stop on the weekend - nor is it just 9 to 5.  I know the couriers aren't working on the weekend but I definitely am.

My Saturdays often consist of tidying up the workroom; restocking the packing boxes, sticky tape and tissue paper; printing out blank address labels; putting return address labels on our Toll satchels and hole punching the gift tags.

When it looks as though it is going to be a busy week, I often prepare some of our more popular gifts ready for the Monday rush.  However for the most part, we generally create the gifts as each order comes in.  Quality and freshness is always one of our main priorities.

And of course there is that ongoing job of "quality control".  Just last week I had a KitKat for breakfast and today a Mars Bar (all in the name of quality testing of course).

Our newest gift box, Old Blighty Chocolates, look like they are going to be super popular.  And with a selection of English Chocolates including Ashbury Caramel Cups, Peppermint Creams, Strawberry Creams and Turkish Delight, there is no guessing as to why!

What did you do this weekend?

Affordable Gifts was why I started Rainbow Designs

One of the main reasons for starting my business was to try and provide an online store that offered something a bit different to the traditional gift hampers and bunches of flowers BUT for less and in the theme of YUM. I wanted somewhere that was easy to navigate, easy to read, easy to order from and easy on the wallet. I wanted to have my prices cheap, well affordable, and to include everything - the gift, the gift tag, the packaging and the delivery. So when people came onto my site they could see WHAT the gift was, HOW much the gift was and WHEN it would be delivered. The hardest part is the DELIVERY. This is by far the hardest thing to control. Delivery is always (well almost always as I do deliver some myself when it is local) done by a third party, a business that is NOT part of Rainbow Designs. I basically hire them to deliver MY gifts, sometimes easier said than done! I'm currently using Toll Express and have been for about a year now and they have been much easier to regulate the delivery times with. Basically they deliver within 1-2 business days of the parcel being sent. The majority are next business day - great news for me and my customers! Of course there are the inevitable delays which generally come from incorrect/insufficient address details or sometimes the courier is just swamped and has had to hold back some items until the following day BUT in general I can rely on Toll to deliver efficiently.

Now having this type of delivery means the delivery charge I pay to Toll is, in the whole scheme of my gifts and business, quite expensive BUT I do think the reliability and speed far outways the cost. The prices I charge for my gifts include everything and this means the gift box/bag, contents, gift tag, delivery and customer service. It's a tough balancing act - offering affordable quality gifts with fast delivery and making some sort of profit.

I think I am managing to still have great priced gifts and with the use of Toll much better control of delivery times and also great quality lollies and chocolates and even fancier gift boxes! Something that doesn't help is when the BIG supermarkets sell their confectionery and gift items so cheap - I can't compete with them on pricing, never will be able to, their buying power is MASSIVE compared to mine! What I can compete with is quality and customer service - I think I can beat them quite easily most of the time!

Not everything should come down to price but it does form a pretty significant part of any business and also customers, as we all have to be mindful of where, when and how much we spend - money doesn't grow on trees!

$22 - no more to pay! Under $30 - we can do that!

Until next time,

eat some jellybeans!

Jacqui

It's not all Lollies and Chocolates here!

January 2013 - another busy Christmas period was over, Christmas pressies and turkey were a distant memory and the start of another year was at hand and so was an almighty thump! January always brings with it a big old sigh and a bit of a 'fall in a heap' feeling - every year! So this year I decided I'd had enough and need to 'get away' from work, full stop.

A week after making this decisions someone smiled down upon me because I came across the bargain of all bargains and booked myself a cruise, leaving in 5 days time! I could not wait and thankfully I didn't have to wait too long, all hands on deck and away we went.

10 nights, which actually turned into 11 nights, at sea with NOTHING to worry about except for 'buffet' or 'dining room'? It was just what I needed to really relax and not think about my business AT ALL.

Pacific Jewel - Vila

January is typically very quiet so I didn't mind shutting up shop for a few weeks, orders still came in but they were all processed when I returned (and the customers were aware of this delay). The only thing I did wrong was not allowing myself a day back on land to aclimatise to 'work' again - lesson learnt!

2013 is proving to be one of my most difficult years in business and I have been finding days when I just don't want to go to work - my love for it just isn't here at the moment. I am sure (fingers crossed) that it will pass and my enthusiasm will return but at the moment I spend more time dreaming of another cruise than I do working on Rainbow Designs! This is one reason why I have started getting into blogging again. Last year I had a few issues with my blog so, frustratingly, had to remove it. I did manage to keep some of my older posts and put them onto this blog but most were gone. I am hoping I can get back into the swing of blogging more regularly, things like behind the scenes, generally small business issues, products, reviews (maybe of other small business and maybe even from customers??), feedback, ideas, babbling etc anything really that forms part of my life, business and personal, that I feel like sharing.

I've been using Facebook as a promotional tool for Rainbow Designs but it's just not working - I haven't find the right way to use it yet. Will keep trying or will just delete the dam thing!

Anyway, almost time to head down to the couriers - I generally walk or drive each day and only get the courier to pickup when I have a lot of parcels, as they charge $8, this is generally in the busy time like Easter and Christmas. I've got one parcel that I need to drop at the Post Office as it's for a PO Box so need to leave a bit earlier. I don't mind doing this as it's a great way to get out of the office, get some fresh air and enjoy some 'away from the compuer' time.

Till next time,

eat some lollies!

Jacqui