SHORTAGES or ABUNDANCE, YOU CHOOSE

     Like many mornings my day starts with a conversation with my husband and business partner about the just what HAS to be done today.  Like many of you, we are a small business and to get things done we wear many hats in a day.  So many in fact we have invented imaginary people and even named them who work for us.  Viola does her best in the office, Juan is the warehouse manager, Laramie is the shipping queen and so on.  It keeps us sane and gives us a way of voicing praise but more often disapproval of one anothers performance without the atmosphere getting too heavy.  Mostly this happens from a shortage of time to do things as fully as either one of us would like.  Time shortage is a reasonable difficulty for a small business, busy is good remember.

     But this is not what I am talking about today. Going back to this morning, I told Bob I just had to place a few orders before I got the house ready for my daughter and grandson to visit.  When I use the world JUST it reminds me of my Dad.  In our house a "just job" was like a "honey do......job".   In other words there was no JUST about it.  That is how my morning went. 

     I called to see if the rings for the Shirodhara equipment were ready.  We work with a wonderful small local company and they have always been efficient and on time, not today.  They are having a problem finding copper.  Not copper at a great price, copper at any price.  Ordinary copper bar has not been available for weeks apparently.  The reason, China is buying it all.  So much so that the company that make our beautifully designed copper lotas in India are just selling the raw material and not even bothering with manufacture anymore.  After looking at alternatives that turned out to be twice the price, copper bar was found, production delayed but up and running again I am happy to say.

    Then I called for jojoba oil.  Sorry none until February, I was told.  Oh no, this is a first.  They had a fire in the warehouse and stocks are low.  Bad but not tragic.  Another local business I am loyal too but I need oil.  I started to call everyone I could find on the web, same story.  My only source, one gallon for over $400.  That is nearly six times the "normal" price.  There is world wide shortage I was told.  Why, I asked, thinking I know the Chinese need copper for all the cities they are building but jojoba oil, really.  What to do?  So far I don't have a solution.  We are working on it.  Will shortage be the next hurdle for small business?  Let's all visualize abundance and once again be flexible.