When to start and quit

Re: [spiers] When to start and quit


On Sun, 30 Jul 2006 18:04:24 -0700, Paul Snyder
wrote :
In particular, I would
> like to understand more about the people you are teaming with, what
> their interests, are, and how you determine ahead of time, when/under
> what conditions to shutdown the project.

***the first question is very good, it gets to working with the best in the
world... the fellow
running the show now is the son of the fellow who founded the biz in Hong Kong
in the
1940's, and I worked mostly with his aunt, the founders sister, over the years,
although she
was the same age as the current manager. She has since retired. Here in
Seattle we are
laying down a baseline of quality and service, those noncompetitive items, and
then the
prices of what we are dealing in. As we set these benchmarks, we'll have to
regularly check
our resources against otehr potential sources. it will be ongoing.

as to when to quit, that is something we should all have in mind as we develop a
project. It is
important to know how you can tell when it won't work, if it won't work.. When
I know what
the system is for say tailored clothes, and I hypothesize that i can make good
money, my
requisite $250 an hour, serving a neglected customer, with newer and better, and
have fun
and support my lifestyle, then I develop a theory. Say Hong Kong has an
inventory including
the best the world has to offer in fabric. Hong Kong management of inventory
control is best
on planet earth. Hong kong talent in tailoring is world class.

Communications and transportation has improved to the point where getting
measurements
from usa to hk is cheap, and moving a fully cut suit to usa is cheap and easy.

Although congress tried to ruin this kind of biz in the 80's, anyone who
understand customs
form 7501 (and I do) can make quick work of the hurdle the govt set up. (This
same hurdle
did cause usa tailors to rely on a few usa 'cut to order' factories to thrive,
such as Oxxford in
chicago, but they have all the style and quality of a firm that does not have to
compete.).

What is open? the best fabrics in the world, bone buttons and best zippers,
finest thread,
expert tailoriing, plus style, at prices comparable to what you'd pay at
nordstrom... or more,
but we are different.

And the result is, everyone along the chain makes more money on what they do for
me in less
time than they do working with others.

That's all theory, so it gets tested... valid? invalid? if valid, is it
reliable...can others do the
same? if it becomes valid and reliable, then it is science.

If invalid, it does not work, and I find the errors cannot be fixed, then I know
to quit, and i
and a few others have ended up with some gorgeous clothes, and time free to work
on
something else.

I still get excited about these things, in a self-defeating way. it is very
easy to get excited
about "I will own a tailoring biz..." when i should be clear on "I will be
serving others..." there
is a necessary sort of Zen self-abnegation that is required to get these things
to work. But
that gets easier as one gets older, I guess.***

>
> This discussion is relevant to me, as I have 2 projects going on, and
> I am wondering what my "shutdown" criteria should be. I have had
> dialogues with vendors, both, coincidentally in Taiwan, and they each
> have produced samples (products are as different as chalk and
> cheese). One of the vendors has worked long and hard on a sample
> that frankly, doesn't look too good in the photos he has sent to me.
> Yet some of his other products look good. So I am chalking part of
> it up to lousy communication, the other to the possibility that I
> simply have the wrong vendor. I plan to obtain samples in September
> and take them to the retailers I have already engaged, in order to
> get their feedback. If they pan the sample, as I frankly expect, I
> will be stuck with whether to a) stop the project, or b) switch
> vendors, or 3) evolve the product with that vendor.
>
> I plan to travel to both vendors in September to pick up the samples
> (yes, mail is cheaper, but I am combining it with a vacation
> elsewhere near that time zone, part of the allure of this business),
> and that will give me an opportunity to clarify requirements for the
> products. Which brings me to another question. Although I am an
> experienced spec writer, my opinion is that foreign vendors just
> don't have the time nor the ability to understand details of specs,
> no matter how simplistic I write them. What is the role of the spec,
> and when is it appropriate to visit the vendor in order to discuss
> requirements? I understand that you recommend to minimize costs by
> having the vendor mail samples and you improve the product by phoning
> in changes. But if we are developing innovations to existing
> products (or creating entirely new products) is it realistic to
> develop a sample entirely remotely?

***Sounds to me like a classic "biz is lifestyle approach", a good thing, and
the troubles with
vendor and 'getting the product right' is par for the course. one just keeps
working the
problem, and if the samples are wrong, keep at it. You quit if you find enough
of your theory
is invalid and will not work, you were just plain wrong about what would work,
and working
with customers and suppliers you found you were wrong. If I cannot find enough
people who
want the best the world has in fabrics for clothes, to make it worth my while,
I'll quit...
But now hang on, my motivations on this one are slightly different... i feel a
bit freer because
i am tinkering with something I'll offer to my daughter to run with in a couple
of years, if she
so desires...

O dear me... I think I have only confused the issue... the questions are
excellent and I'll have
to work mor eon the answers... consider thjis a rough draft... has anyone else
addressed the
issue of "when to quit?"

john

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