Putting out fires...

I spent a good chunk of today putting out a few fires. That euphemism always struck me as overly dramatic, but for some reason, today, it is just right. Our trunk show that was supposed to happen tomorrow and this weekend isn't happening. The bead gypsy is still in Africa. This is the second time that has occurred. The last time a different African bead trader failed to show up when scheduled*. I also spent way too long in one meeting and way too little amount of time in another. I called back a customer who is upset because of a miscommunication. I called back a customer who felt that I was ignoring her. I called back a friend I have been ignoring. I chased down a vendor that isn't doing the right thing by us. All of these fires needed fought today, no waiting, but now it's the end of my work time and I still haven't done the fifteen, non emergency, tasks that I wanted to get done today.

That is the problem with fighting fires. You don't get to do the less urgent tasks and they just sit and simmer until one day, boom, they might just be fires, too. That is a big challenge in being a business owner, knowing what can simmer for just a day or two more and what needs paid attention to NOW. Then again, sometimes things that weren't even simmering (like a trunk show that was scheduled months ago!) all of a sudden just explode.

Luckily, I like the dramatic.

*Yes, a totally different guy. Somehow, this does not seem to be out of character for bead gypsies. There must be something about traveling the country in a van full of beads that makes you a tad bit less responsible and organized than is optimal.