#098 Some "unshareable jobs", "almost sold out, but not quite sold out" inventory allocation games, new bed sheet future product development (14/04/2024)

Image: Two different Re Pillow 3 packaging boxes

Welcome to this week's journal! Last week I wrote a journal entry about entrepreneurship, and some readers felt it seemed pessimistic, wondering if I'd lost interest. Don't worry, although sometimes it really is tough and I do doubt myself, the point of that article was to convey the need for an optimistic and positive attitude towards all problems. Entrepreneurship is about constantly solving problems and constantly getting back up after falling down.

Some "jobs that cannot be shared"

Actually, besides being busy this week, I've also been sorting out some new bed sheets.

I really wanted to tell everyone about this, but I've learned that some things are truly "trade secrets" and cannot be written down and made public. I feel that doing so sacrifices my relationship with my clients to some extent, because I can't share all of my work with everyone. It involves many methods of doing things, product development steps, techniques, etc. (okay, I really can't write anymore). These aren't things you can learn simply by buying a product and disassembling it. And I can't let my competitors know this information directly. The terrifying thing about the business world is its ruthlessness and reality. It weeds out the weak and preserves the strong, without any sentimentality. Even if you are kind, you still need to learn to protect yourself.

Let me tell you about the first thing!

"Almost sold out, but not quite": the inventory allocation game

This week, our entire company has been playing a game of "almost running out of stock, but not quite." As we announced on social media earlier, we anticipated that different sizes and colors of new bed sheets would gradually run out of stock. The process of running out of stock is painful because I have to constantly check the stock of various colors and sizes in my Kwai Chung warehouse, and my colleagues in the Tsim Sha Tsui and North Point stores have to check their own warehouse inventory at all times. We have to keep up with online orders, try our best to meet the daily needs of the store's customers, and also try to allocate stock so that both branches can have different sizes and colors to sell to customers who come to browse. This job is really tough (I think any colleagues who see this will really understand). I feel like I'm living under constant pressure every day because I want to satisfy all the customers' requests, and I also want customers to be able to choose the mattress they want when they come to the store, regardless of their size, and ideally, they can take it home immediately. Sometimes I wonder if I'm putting too much pressure on my colleagues, because when they're selling, they might have to worry about whether they have the goods to deliver to the customers, when they'll have them, etc., and sometimes they have to hold back orders received online. It must be quite tiring for them too.

Future Product Development of New Bed Sheets

This week I've also been working on some new product development for bed sheets. Rest assured, I'm currently researching future bed sheet products that can complement the new sheets you buy today, further improving the entire "ecosystem. " For example, there could be more different bed sheet materials and colors to choose from. Customers who have already bought new sheets can buy more and then replace them with their current sheets, ensuring compatibility and allowing for more varied topsheet options . There are many new ideas like these that I'm working on one by one, hoping to gradually develop them into a complete system.

Next week, three new colors of the Re Quilt 2 will be released! I think the colors in person are really nice, a really good selection. Summer is coming, so keep an eye out if you're interested!