Customs, Quantities, Confusion!

One of the most difficult things I have had to face as a micro-businessperson is how much to stock. I am not JC Penney--I cannot possibly have every design available in every size all the time. So lately, when I've started making a new design, I have been troubled by not knowing whether or how much interest there would be. What should I make?

I have tried to deal with this by making at least one of each type of item in each size for every new design. But now with pocket diapers, side snap covers, and pull on covers...plus shirts for sets or to wear alone...it has become increasingly difficult to make one in each size of everything. Or to guess which designs will be most popular in which sizes.

My stockings have gotten more boring too--for me and my customers, I'm sure. In an attempt to make one of each style/size, I end up painting the same thing over and over. My stockings are a huge batch of all the same thing. Not very interesting.

So, time for a new system. As always, it's DH to the rescue in helping me think this through. Why don't you just paint one, he says, and then take preorders? That way you can make just what those people want, instead of hoping for buyers for what you've already made. So right! That's what I'm going to do, starting this week's stocking on the 16th of November.

I'm hoping that this will also free me up to do more custom work. That has always been difficult because I've had so many (self-assigned) large quantity jobs to work on. Also, with a pre-order, if someone has a particular request, I can accommodate that. For instance, if I've put brown eyes but you'd rather have them blue, no problem! Or if your baby has huge thighs, I can sew the leg openings looser on your cover.

I'm looking forward to making this change that will, I hope, allow me to be much more interactive with all of the fantastic cloth diapering mamas out there who have made my little business such a pleasure.