I Was Getting Worn Out
With two big events scheduled for November and the need for the extra stock going into the Christmas season at the Oliver Indoor Flea Market, I slowly found myself swamped with work. Typically I can get through it slowly but for some reason, I saw no end to the work and dates were drawing near faster than I had hoped for. I quickly felt pressured to get work done.
George reminded me that the original business plan for JamBusters! was to create a self-sustaining home-based business that made a profit but stayed small enough to manage. It was beginning to get a little out of hand and expansion was never in the plan. Employees, commercial orders and more would take the fun out of what I was doing, so a change was needed.
Cutting Back On Commitments
We decided to cancel the early November event we were going to attend at Anarchist Mountain (east of Osoyoos on Highway 3). That took some pressure off and I was able to get a bit of a handle on the jams, jellies, and dry baking/soup products left to complete before the Christmas season. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, then we had a curveball come our way.
George took ill in mid-November. He rarely gets anything more than the sniffles every so often. I can’t remember the last time he was seriously ill but this time he was. I got him to the local ER after a week of home treatment and the next day he was shipped off to the ICU in the nearest big city. The local doctor told me that the prognosis was not very good for George.
That incident caused me to put most everything I was in the middle of doing for JamBusters! on hold indefinitely. I stayed with friends who lived about 45-minutes away from the hospital so I could see George daily. Making jam, jelly, or anything else was far from my mind. We ended up canceling the big date we had at the end of November at Princeton Legion as well.
Friends Covered For Us In Oliver
While George was getting treated in Penticton hospital, and finally went into recovery, we ended up missing a few dates at the Oliver Indoor Flea Market. With our normal pre-Christmas events canceled, we needed to keep things moving in Oliver, although trying to set records or finish the year on a massive high note didn’t matter anymore. However, friends came to our aid.
Although neither George or I were physically in the JamBusters! booth at the Oliver Indoor Flea Market for more than two weekends, it was open. Neighbouring vendors and friends (Don, Sherrill & Mel) stepped up and keep our products selling even when we couldn’t. It was a lot of help to us at a time of year when we usually see a great deal of activity with our home-based business.
Slow Recovery And New Plans For 2020
George’s recovery has been slow, and I have been resting to regain my strength but we are getting there. The next year is going to be very different for JamBusters! as we are likely to cancel some of our big events and just focus on where we are well established. It will also put us back to the original concept of our successful home-based specialty jam/jelly business.
Whether or not we set sales records for 2019 we’ll eventually figure out but for now, it’s not important. What is important is that we learn from what we experienced at the end of this year and adjust accordingly. Thank you for your continued support of our small one-person operation. We couldn’t have done it without you. Happy New Year and all the best to you in 2020!
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