nov dec issue FINAL.indd - Custom Home Furnishings Academy

Instructors’ Corner November/December 2006
Holiday Cut Off
(cont'd from page 5)
sure that one is level with the other ones” Blah, blah, blah.
I tried to remain calm, and it all turned out okay. But it
was very nerve wracking and my stomach was all tied up in
knots when I got out of there.
From that day forward I have never scheduled an
installation the day before a holiday or the day before a
client’s party. It’s much better to have at least one buffer day.
Jeanelle Dech — Slipcovers and Business
Plan Start To Finish Instructor: Back when I
managed the workroom at Crab Apple Farm
Interiors, the most joyous holiday season
occurred when we created a cut-off date of
November 10th, and gave firm installation
dates at the time of order. December 20-23
was always a busy install week. We also
informed our customers that the workroom and showroom
would be closed from December 24th thru January 7th
- giving everyone a much needed break. That first week of
January was a wonderful time to settle the books from the
previous year and begin planning for the new.
Donna Skufus — Basic Cornices, Cornices and Headboards,
and Advanced Top Treatments and Embellishments
Instructor: My workroom is strictly wholesale.
I don't really have cut-off deadlines. I
assign dates to my designers. For example
if a designer says they have a living room
to do before Christmas. They need 4 pairs
of panels, 3 large swags, and 6 cascades.
From experience I know how many days that will take to
complete. So I go to my calendar and see if I have that many
days empty to work on the project. Then I put that person's
job on the calendar and assign them those days. Everybody's
work is done on the days assigned to them. If their project
changes and requires more time, they only get that time if it
is open. If not, they must tell their customer they will have
to wait for the rest until after Christmas.
I have also learned from experience to take care of myself
and take time for the things that are most important to me.
I always take the month of January off and visit my family.
I plan for this and I stick to the plan. I don't allow anything
to stop me. When I come back I am ready to go again.
Connie Sikora — Starting and Operating a Workroom &
Workroom Shortcuts, Draperies and Shades: When I first
started in the industry, I would do whatever my customers
wanted me to do. I worked 24 hours a day right up until
the holiday, even doing installations on Christmas Eve day
or Thanksgiving morning. I thought that I had to do these
things in order to stay in business and keep jobs coming in.
About 6 years ago I was doing a project for a wellknown
newscaster in Chicago. He called two days
before Thanksgiving and asked if there was any chance
that he could have his cornices before the holiday. I had
not planned on it, as a matter of fact I thought that I
was done working until a few days after Thanksgiving.
Instead of standing firm, I agreed to install the project on
Thanksgiving morning. I worked long hours for the next
two days in order to finish the project. I was at the client’s
home at 8:30 am and just wanted to get it done and get
home to my family.
I installed the brackets above the patio door, perched the
cornice on them, turned to pick up my drill and when I
turned back to look at the cornice, it slipped off of the
brackets and landed square on the bridge of my nose. I fell
to the floor with my face in my hands. There was blood
everywhere. To my horror, I had broken my nose. After a
second or two of shocked silence, the customer gave me an
ice pack and a wash cloth. What happened next solidified
my decision to NEVER kill myself for another job. The
customer asked if I was going to be able to finish the job
because he didn’t want me to leave the brackets up if I
wasn’t going to put up the treatment. I installed the cornice
and cried the whole hour drive home.
I have learned to set deadlines for holiday jobs and stick to
them. I try to get all Thanksgiving jobs installed two days
before the holiday and an entire week before Christmas.
I also do not commit to any deliveries between Christmas
and New Years. I take this time to clean my workroom and
tune up and clean my sewing machines.
6 The Custom Home Furnishings Magazine November/December 2006