The Devil's In The Details

I'm with my youngest son, he felt knowledge should have a practical application. In elementary school he was often frustrated by the requirement to learn things he deemed useless- like the name of clouds. He said, "I am not going to be a weatherman, so why do I need to know the difference between stratus and cumulus clouds; can't I just say puffy and long skinny clouds?" Parents often find when they don't know how to respond, responses come from their roots. I started to reply something my dad would say, "learning things you think you don't think you need to know builds a foundation for higher learning or don't discount knowledge you think is irrelevant, it's relevance will come up later". In that moment I remembered those statements were shared when I was failing algebra; I still hate algebra. Instead I told my son, "I agree."

Don't misunderstand, there is a value to learning. Mastering easier concepts before moving to more challenging material is necessary. However, I don't think I need to be an expert at everything; like my youngest child only what's relevant to my world of challenges.

I choose to save my brain for things that matter! What matters in my world?

I've always had a gift for recalling where and when I purchased items or who gave it to me- clothing, things around the house. In fact, I can tell you how much I paid for the item too. As a kid I learned if my mom and I were on the hunt for an item, like your iPhone, I stored images and prices from store to store in my head. Is it really amazing that for the past 12 years I've enjoyed researching and comparing product options? It's not uncommon when we are tasked with finding an item that is not a regular request for Miranda to ask me, "who have we seen at shows you think we should check?". While she and Sara have great recall too, I generally am the one that remembers odd details, responding with, "yeah don't you remembers the booth in the back corner of that show 4 years ago, let's check that line; I've got a list." ( Another weird quirk, I save our paper line lists, even the expired ones- still great resources!)

How is this blog post relevant to you? 

• An e-commerce partner lists post all their products offered on their site. 
• You select items, compare options based on descriptions, look for e-calculators to get estimates, load your cart, upload your logo, enter a credit card and make a purchase. 
• Some sites are more sophisticated offer live chat buttons for customer services; but the result is the same- purchase what we have decided to show you; hopefully your art file works. 

 ____________Why do we choose to be different?

• We choose not to be e-commerce 
• Our clients have been re-educated to know that a huge value we offer is our ability to navigate your choices, make sure your art will work for the imprint, stock is available, there are no hidden costs, production and shipping time will meet your in hands date, products are safety compliant and quality matches your expectation based on the e-image
• Assurance- we partner with suppliers that like us care about your outcome, your satisfaction.
• Sure, we have a website store, but often it does not have the best match for what you are seeking or it may not feature a product you are seeking because it's a "window" into offerings
• The suppliers featured on our site are a narrow window to what we offer, which cannot include custom; it's custom. There are West Coast, East Coast, Overseas-Direct, American Made, HUB suppliers, Union Made, Eco- Manufacturers....the list is long for ways to match objectives.
• Besides- "the devil is in the details"......knowing how to avoid pitfalls takes experience. 

Follow the upcoming posts through the coming week to learn the value of what happens behind the scenes for you!