relationships....

we have 3 or 4 relationships that bring us thousands of $$$$$....

they are long term....they are mutually beneficial....

***one revolves around one man, hes about 70...he has recruited a family member and his lodge ...he is a mini factory for us and produced way over $100,000 in sales for us last year...we have a totally common goal...to make money ...the good thing here is the man had a few years of retail selling at shows and doesnt like it...he realizes the difference between retail and wholesale...its mutually good.......i want to be totally reliable to him... i dont want him looking for another customer...this is about a 10 yr relationship......hes built this business with us, hes no handwringer, he gets things done and sticks to our deal.....all the executive talk is between him and me....the communication lines stay pretty good for the most part...

***another is our amish connection ...this is jons project ...they dont even have a phone or a car...... jon sees him every week and they build for us....it gives their family work,,,and they treat us fairly in all ways...... it gives us a fabulous product and thousands of $$$ every year.... ... .... we are reliable to each other...this is about a 5 yr relationship

the other i can think of is also jons, our chicago connection....this guy brings us things regularly..if money is tight we try and always have some for him....and we try to be as good a customer as we can...he brings us lotsof big things not available around here... this is about a 3 yr relationship...

i really like to think long term and deal with as few guys as possible.... it has to be a good deal for both sides...and it has to be for something we really want and at a price we can get......

these 3 things have enriched our store a whole lot....and made us different and more flexible..

i think all three of these people were out there for anyone to find, and we were just open enough to realize they were worth a try, and on both sides we were willing to go thru the hard part of figuring out what would work, and if we could work together, and then developing ideas and slogging thru the experimenting process to get to the good stuff we have now ...lots of problems before getting into a good stable situation.......

...... we are always out there networking and have our ear to the ground as much as possible...

others we have tried have failed..

and a few we have committed to when we shouldnt have...when the profit margin just wasnt there...

we are always out there networking and roaming around in our field....who knows what great connection we might make next time or be too dumb to see!!! it keeps it interesting...