I have a lot to learn when it comes to running a business.  Lucky for me, I have Michelle to help me through it as she pretty much built entire warehouse logistics and operations, at her last job, over fifteen years.  She knows a lot about shipping and receiving, selling on Amazon, labelling, working with the USPS, and a myriad of other things that are really helpful with a new business.  There are always, however, variables you can’t control.

Last week, we got an order for some of the honey supplement bee food, but when our shipping application tried to get the address from Amazon and verify its validity, it changed the address to a different location entirely.  The worst part is, the application didn’t notify us that it changed anything.  We merrily went on our way until we got contacted by the customer, who didn’t seem very happy about it (I wouldn’t be either).  We responded to that customer, resent a replacement at our own expense, and now the customer has their product.  We got an email shortly after the customer received the package and they noted that the bees loved it.  This is just one example of how these things can, without any neglect on your part, go wrong.

Any time you start a new business, you have to be able to account for incidental costs.  Those costs can include product which was damaged or otherwise rendered “no good”, extra shipping costs to replace products lost in transit, and all kinds of stuff you might not think about.  This is especially true when you run a bare bones operation and are doing all of the stuff yourself, like Michelle and I are (mostly her…she’s amazing).  Regardless of what happens and the incidental costs of things that fail, one thing has to remain at the top of your list of concerns: customer satisfaction.  We don’t start our own businesses just for money.  It gives us deep personal satisfaction to see someone receive something that we made and be extraordinarily happy with that product.  That customer satisfaction doesn’t stop with the product, though.  It follows through to any documentation, packaging, and/or speed of delivery.  It has become abundantly clear to me that, if you lose focus on the customer experience, your entire business is at risk.  That is how we have chosen to operate the Priddy Acres line of products.  Our philosophy is that our financial reward will come if we keep our focus on creating a personal, engaging, and rewarding customer experience.  I know, you are probably reading this and asking what this has to do with homesteading, beekeeping, gardening, or blacksmithing…nothing, but I think that the information is valuable in two regards.  First, it lets you readers know how Michelle and I approach any customers who experience issues.  Second, it is informative for anyone thinking about starting a business.  I guess I can get back to talking about things that are more enjoyable to the general readership (which is probably just our friends and parents J…hi mom!).

I know everyone who is into the metal work that I have been doing will be very excited to know that Waterboard and I FINALLY were able to get two pieces of metal forge welded!  After months and months of watching videos, going to a blacksmithing class, and trials we finally did it.

What was the trick?  Well, I’m not entirely sure what we did exactly that made it work, but I will tell you what we did.  First, we heated our metal up to what we deemed to be “welding” heat (bright yellow).  Second, we used an angle grinder with a wire brush head to clean the hot metal of any oxidized metal flakes that could inhibit the ability of the mostly liquid surface metal from melding together.  Third, we dumped a lot of flux (borax) onto the surfaces that we intended to stick together.  Lastly, when we brought the metal out of the forge to pound the two pieces together, we tried to hit the metal solid but lightly.  For those that don’t know, hitting the metal too hard will basically “squirt” the liquid metal out and you will have nothing left to meld together.  With those steps, we were able to make two pieces of metal into one.  I will tell you that, while it was still hot but not as hot, I tried to bend the metal around into a circle and the weld popped apart.  I’m not sure if this was because the metal was still hot (Waterboard’s theory) or if the weld just wasn’t deep enough to fully come together (my theory).  Either way, it’s a start and we’re very happy about it.

In other blacksmithing news, I have signed up for another Tracker’s Earth (along with my bro Chaser and his wife Carrie) to take a knife making class.  I’m hoping to start with knives and work my way into swords…baby steps.  At any rate, I’m excited for the class and hope to learn quite a bit about how to make the blades, balance them, and end up with a usable tool. I guess you all now have seen all of the names of the people that make up the Priddy Acres Armory (our own little name for our blacksmithing crew – me, Waterboard, Chaser, and Carrie).

The last news on the old homestead is that I moved my bees out of the South field and into my little greenhouse (door open to prevent additional heat buildup).  I thought about erecting some kind of protection around the hive, but I decided it would just be easier to move them since there was only one.  I am going to build a little structure out there during the winter so I can put the hives into a more shaded, protected, and easy to access structure.  I can’t imagine trying to move a bunch of hives without using the tractor and I don’t think they would be very happy with the noise either.  Anyway, I put some of our peppermint bee fondant into the hive, after I moved it (which the bees love) .  When Michelle and I first started looking into a supplement for the bees in case they didn’t have enough honey stores, we looked into adding some pollen and other such ingredients that (on the surface) appeared to benefit the bees.  After reading quite a bit, though, we found that there was enough evidence to convince us that adding pollen could trick the hive into acting as if it was Spring, convince the queen to start laying brood when food is in short supply (the queen also needs this period to rest up), and/or could contribute to extra excrement in the hive during a time when it is too cold for the bees to clean the house (which can cause dysentery) . As I have said before, beekeeping isn’t an exact science so a lot of “evidence” you find on the internet is anecdotal.  We are simply making our best guess based on the information available.  As we are all feeding the bees sugar syrup in the summer (as needed), we figure that feeding them something similar in the winter is a safer bet.  Anyway, we generally use up any fondant, which didn’t come out at the consistency we wanted to sell, by feeding it to our bees.  It’s perfectly good fondant, but something in the process made it come out a little more liquidy and sticky than we would like.  We throw away any fondant which could have caramelized sugar in it, as feeding that to the bees can make them sick (at least, that is the generally accepted rule).  As I was taught, I pulled up some grass around the hive and stuck it on the deck of the bottom board to help them orient themselves to the new location.  I also moved the hive at night when I knew most of the bees would be in the hive.  Thanks to my bro, Waterboard, for helping me carry the hive.  It was heavy and awkward, but we got it done.

That’s pretty much all the updates from Priddy Acres. I hope everyone is having a great Fall and don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour on November 6th! Now go fourth and be AWESOME!