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- July 12, 2013
- July 11, 2013
Shopify + Shipwire Setup Part III: Positive Progress
July 11, 2013Read moreAs it turns out, the problems I was having with Shipwire + Shopify yesterday were due to some technical problems they were having. After I tweeted my confusion to @shipwire, they jumped right on it and got it cleared up with Shopify within 24 hours. That’s pretty impressive. I’ve started to rebuild the Shopify store. While I was waiting to see what would happen, I took the opportunity to look at some other options as well. (more…)
- July 8, 2013
Shopify + Shipwire Setup Part II: Setbacks
July 8, 2013Read moreThe ecommerce adventure continues! In my quest to provide international shipping options and reduce my dependence on Amazon, I’ve been working on getting something set-up with the online commerce website Shopify with the order fulfillment prowess of Shipwire. My goal is to have a “turn-key” system where I don’t have to manually process orders myself; that is the great advantage of using an Amazon.com ProMerchant account with their order fullfillment service. However, Amazon does not allow you to customize the storefront experience, and they do not pass along customer information for your marketing campaigns. Also, they will not ship my products overseas, and are unlikely to ever approve them given my experiences so far in contacting their customer service.
I recently wrote about the possibility of using Shipwire + Shopify, and found that this combination would, in theory, match the automation of using Amazon while saving me an estimated 10% in costs. I’ve since discovered that I’m paying almost nothing in Amazon storage fees ($80 total over 3.5 years), but this hasn’t modified the base calculation. I’m pretty excited about deploying the new system, but I’ve run into a few snags. Read onward to see what I’m dealing with. (more…)
- July 8, 2013
Finding ZING
July 8, 2013Read moreSUMMARY: Having analyzed the factors that undermined my productivity in weeks past, I’m now looking at the “process of doing” itself. My working theory is that I find the prospect of doing the many necessary-yet-boring tasks incredibly taxing. I need to get past this, using my limited personal resources of energy to overcome a lot of built-in personal indifference. It’s maddening, but I have formed a plan. Read onward for the details. (more…)
- July 7, 2013
GHDR Review 5: Mid-Year Adjustments, Focusing Process
July 7, 2013Read more
THE JULY REVIEW
It’s summer, and it’s been hard to focus. Other than the muggy heat, I have been longing for simpler days and simpler goals; the ones I have on my plate seem overly-complicated, the product of the two-headed management ogre that, with one side barking out short-term orders and the other extolling me to consider long-term strategic impact of my actions, makes my daily existence rather unpleasant. Oh, the ogre means well—getting stuff done will move me closer to days where I will enjoy greater freedom—in the meantime it’s about as welcome as the thought of icy roads brownly-laced with mounds of dirty snow.
So it’s probably good that I have these monthly Groundhog Day Resolution reviews, as I was in danger of falling into a major rut. If you’re just tuning in, Groundhog Day Resolutions (GHDRs) are my version of New Year Resolutions, delayed by a month plus one day on February 2nd, and reviewed thereafter on March 3, April 4, May 5, up until December 12. The great advantage of GHDRs is the continuity that results from monthly review.
Anyway, today is the halfway point through 2013. I’m feeling a little lost, so it’s a good time to review the goals I had set in the beginning of the year, and compare them to how I am feeling now. Read onward! (more…)
