Taxes, Taxes, Taxes.......

I hate taxes. I guess everyone does. But I never knew until I owned a business how complicated taxes can be. Sales Tax, State and City. Employee Taxes: Unemployment, Social Security, FICA, whatever....cleverly disguised as numbers: 940 and 941. Not to mention the AZ Quarterly withholding (which is NOT income tax, so I don't know what it's for)...and then there's the annual corporate taxes, and everyone's favorite personal Income Tax. And the other quarterly taxes, that you're supposed to be reporting if you're self-employed, but that my accountant didn't seem to think I needed, and now I obviously do....good thing I haven't paid myself anything this year! Ok, there was that one time I paid myself $500 dollars...but spread out over the year, that works out to less than $50 per month!

I'm up to my eyeballs in tax forms right now. Which is why I'm blogging, not working. :( I have to redo our 2004 coporate taxes to include all of our business expenses that were missed the first time. Then that affects our personal taxes, which also have to be redone. Hopefully the result of all this is paying less taxes, as long as I can find all the documentation I'm looking for....

I feel like I've been in a bubble for the last few years....cut off from reality and normal life. My reality has been the store. And Evan. Other things try to pierce the bubble from time to time, but don't make much of a dent. Now the bubble is thinning (ok, weird analogy, but I'm going to go with it) and I can see my life more clearly now, and what the last 3 1/2 years have brought me...the sacrifices, personal and financial that I've made for the store. It's really a beautiful store, almost where I dreamed it would be. But at the end of this long road (new analogy) is it really worth it? What do I have to show for it? Certainly not money, I'm still struggling to balance between the rent, payroll, new inventory, advertising....will I become another in a long line of stores that will close? Photographic Memories, Remember When, Scraps 'n Stamps, A Scrapper's Dream, now Memory Basket. Not to mention (ok, I will) Craft Mart, and all the smaller stores that closed that no one really noticed....Scrappy Cat Alley, Just Scrap It, Desert Scrappers, Memories Well Planned....also some of the stamp stores, including Artisan Stamps, just down the road. And this is only "my part" of Phoenix, doesn't even touch Tempe, Mesa, or Chandler.

What can I say?

Warning: Long and Moody Post

So...I haven't been motivated to post anything lately. My mood seems to jump around so much lately (or always). My focus is gone, and I'm not sure where I'm going anymore.

I told Rick (DH) the other day that the two reasons I still want to keep the store are:

1) Pride
2) Need someplace for me and my friends to scrap

I think I can cross #1 off the list. I don't really care what anyone thinks if we decide to close, I just have to do what's right for us. But ask me in an hour, and I'll be rarin' to go again!

Reasons to not keep the store:

1) Get my life back! Focus on something else!
2) Spend more time at home, with Evan.
3) Start using our money for something else, like retirement
4) Maybe find a real job? Contribute to the household income?
5) Catch up on laundry, really CLEAN the house.

See, this is why I don't post very often. Too many dark thoughts.

If you're reading this, and don't know me very well, let me just warn you that I'm a "bit" moody. I am also totally burned out on the scrapbook store. But I still want to make it work! I'm just tired of every thought, conversation, vacation, everything, being about the store. It's like it's become an entity unto itself! It's much bigger than I am. It exists without me. It is a sum of all the people who care or are involved in it....the employees, the design team, the great customers, the reps, and of course my family. I have met so many incredible people thru it, and seen so many people become friends. It's so meaningful and gratifying when it works well. But there are always the times it slows down, or some financial crisis rears its' ugly head, or I'm exhausted from all the time I spend on a particular project/event, stuff gets stolen, employee issues, the toilet breaks, yadda, yadda, yadda....

On the bright side, it was nice to see friends this weekend at the convention. Jessie and Leah especially. I would post a picture of Jessie & I but I don't know where my camera is, probably at the store. I can't believe that no one was taking pictures Saturday night! My mental snapshots: the broken toilet, the broken table, the champagne bottle, Ally painting her drawers, Jessie dumping Leah's bag, Gillian dropping her stamp, crowded around the TV watching the Tracy's Pen rap video...what a dork I was! Reliving the "pen" days and looking through photos...sigh....the glory days. When you have an amazing weekend/experience like CKU-M, it makes everything else seem mundane. You can try to recapture the experience, but it's never the same.

Okay, now for some POSITIVE THINKING! I was looking through the latest issue of Scrapbook Retailer...really the best trade magazine out there! I saw so many ideas I want to implement in the store...even the cover is an inspiration, with the beautiful ribbons in rich jewel tones....

THE LIST:

1) Organization class - we already had this idea, "Store It!" More tips in here!
2) New gift cards
3) Open House with gift wrap and tag ideas
4) Calendar class
5) Making decisions using numbers instead of emotion
6) Focusing on our "brand"
7) More personalizing in the store
8) Cultivating new customers through non-traditional advertising methods
9) A recipe book - Deanna already has this covered!
10) Lots more holiday ideas

And of course, THE SURVEY. I've got to get that done!

I'm starting to see some new stuff and previews for Memory Trends. I wonder if anything will rock the scrapbook world? Or are we too jaded for that?

Just keep swimming...just keep swimming...

We got a sales table at the convention crop!

I don't know if I'm excited or panicked! We got the sales table we wanted at the Friday night convention crop! Now to decide what to carry.....need to find out if there are products that are already being carried.....I would love to carry Scrapworks, but they may already be spoken for....any ideas? Anyone? Anyone? I know we can't get Basicgrey in time.... :(

I'm thinking Arctic Frog, Urban Lily, KI?

Happy Birthday Kim!

September Update....

So far I'm surviving September. I made it through the Sept 1st presentation, which was great, and they donated money in our name to the Katrina relief fund! Also made it through the End of Summer Scrap (well, I did leave early). Then we got it into our heads to move some stuff around Sunday. We'd been kicking the idea around for at least 6 months, to organize the store into better "zones": Basics, By Theme, By Line. We finally came up with a plan we liked. It looks amazing, even though the changes are somewhat subtle. When Rick finishes the rack he's working on, we can get rid of the white slatwall thing! Then maybe we can tackle the wire paper racks.

I can't wait to talk to Ally and Kim about their trip and Good Karma...so excited!

This Saturday is Ready, Set, Scrap. I don't know if we'll have a lot of people, it used to be a standing room only class. I think we need to promote it/explain it better.

I'm so excited for the AZ convention! Especially to see "old" friends, and the other gals in the "pen". Here is my schedule:

BasicGrey Mini Book (Friday, September 16) 9:50 am - 10:50 am
Sponsored by: embellish IT!


About Life (Friday, September 16) 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Sponsored by: Making Memories
Teacher's Assistant Seat

Bookin' With Bazzill (Friday, September 16) 1:50 pm - 2:50 pm
Sponsored by: embellish IT!


Got Flowers? (Friday, September 16) 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Sponsored by: Prima Marketing


Fun-Filled Friday Night Crop With Scrapworks
(Friday, September 16) 7:00 pm - 11:30 pm


A Day in the Life...Scrapworks Mini Album
(Saturday, September 17) 11:10 am - 12:10 pm


BasicGrey Altered Book With K&Company
(Saturday, September 17) 1:50 pm - 2:50 pm
Sponsored by: K&Company


"These Are Days" File Folder Book
(Saturday, September 17) 3:20 pm - 4:50 pm
Sponsored by: Rusty Pickle
Teacher's Assistant Seat


Taira and I may switch the Basic Grey Altered Book class with her Michael Miller Frame class TA spot...

Then the Saturday Night Crop...Yay!

Warning: Crazy September ahead...

I can't believe it's already September! I have a crazy schedule of stuff coming up for the store:

Sept 1st (TONIGHT): Present to 60 ladies at a church group. Do a make 'n' take 12x12 page (which is beautiful, thanks to my talented sister!)

Sept 2nd (friday): usual Friday Madness

Sept 3rd (Saturday): End of Summer Scrap! AARRGGHH! I need to order the food today! Buy the decorations! Plan the projects and giveaways! Find some music!

Sept 10th (Saturday): Ready, Set, Scrap - need to design the sketch book (which I'm looking forward to!) Also order/plan what type of organizers to include and sell.

Sept 14th (Wed): Scrapworks mini class/make 'n take! This should be fun! Do I need to order additional stuff??? So thrilled they asked us!

Sept 15th (Thurs) Rusty Pickle class - need to talk to Lance!!

Sept 16th (Fri): AZ CONVENTION - need to plan promotional/giveaway ops. already ordered shirts, thank goodness! and some cute totes!

Sept 17th (Sat): AZ CONVENTION, TRACY'S PEN private scrap

Sept 24th (Sat): Alter it! Need to make the folder again since some LAME-O stole it!

Then I get a rest to catch up and plan for Memory Trends, leaving Oct 6th, coming back Oct. 12th. It will be a blast! Evan gets to visit LV over the weekend, I can't wait to take him to the M&M Store!

WHEW!

Of course, somewhere in there I have to prepare my Corporate Taxes (need to get info to Al the accountant in next few days), prepare for xxx meeting (don't ask!!), get inventory cleaned up before sept 15th (HAH!) at least good enough for a guess-timate, and do a circle journal page. Also wanted to start that tag book for the store!

Oh yeah, and keep the store running, order new stuff, pay the bills, spend time with Evan and that guy I married, do laundry, clean the house (HAH!), take Delilah, my elderly cat to the Vet...hmmm, it may be time for a nap!

At least it's not boring......