Yes, We Are a Faith-Based Company – But Not How You Think

Posted on by CourageInStone

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FAITH-BASED
[feyth-beyst]
adjective
1. affiliated with, supported by, or based on a religion or religious group:
faith-based charities.

(Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2014.)

Contemporary definitions for faith-based

adjective
pertaining to a connection with a religion, faith, or belief system

Examples
Faith-based books are selling well.

Dictionary.com’s 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2014 Dictionary.com, LLC

Recently we received an email from a customer that started out “I assume you are a faith-based company…”   She went on to explain that she was looking for a particular word on a stone that she thought we carried since we appeared to trend towards Christian items.   I don’t know why, but I was taken aback by this assumption.  We do sell a large amount of ‘faith-based’ items, particularly Christian scripture, and we have a large Christian bookstore and church clientele.   But rather than pinpoint our business to one belief system, I’ve tended towards trying to carry items with a positive message, those items that have an uplifting spirit to them and overall comforting energy.  At the same time, this is a retail business, so we have to sell what sells – in other words, as we’ve honed our craft, we just happened to have found our niche within the Christian community.

Does it matter whether we actually define ourselves as faith-based – as described in the definition above?  I don’t think so.  I think what matters is that we are a company that believes in integrity, honesty and hard work, a company that sells great items for reasonable prices and a company that you feel comfortable giving your hard earned money.  Oh, and I think it matters that we have a sense of humor.

If pressed to answer that customer about whether we are faith-based, here is what I would say.  Yes, we are a company based in faith.  We have faith that our manufacturers will continuing turning out quality products for reasonable prices.  We have faith that our employees care about their job and will work hard to ensure great service.  We have faith that our delivery handlers at UPS, FedEx, the US Postal Service and DHL will treat our packages kindly and will make sure our products get to the right people in the right amount of time.  We have faith that our landlord will continue maintaining our warehouse space so that we have a safe and efficient space to work in.  We have faith in our customers, that they will continue to want to buy our items and trust us enough to send us orders.   And most importantly, we have faith that we will be able to keep our sense of humor and good spirits through it all.

~ Brenda

Summer, A Time to Simply Live and Enjoy Life

Posted on by CourageInStone

As the school year ends for many children and summer nears, it has us here feeling a little nostalgic for yesteryear. We think back to the days of our youth lounging poolside without a care in the world. As the scents of chlorine, coconut tanning oil, and charcoal grills filled the air and the sounds of the latest pop song played over the airwaves; summer marked a time to simply live and enjoy life. We have sweet memories of evenings spent indulging on s’mores and catching fireflies…ah, summertime.

Now, many years later, summer no longer holds the sweet joy of youth nor marks an extended period of absolute relaxation. The trials and tribulations of life do not cease because the temperature rises and the days grow longer. Bills still need to be paid, loved ones still need to be cared for, illnesses don’t stop, and worries remain. We are still faced with temptation and confronted with challenges. Life can be difficult. At times, it seems we are being crushed by the weight of our obligations. We all have days when we just want to crawl back into bed, pull up the covers, and hide from everything.

It’s at that lowest of moments, when we have spiraled into a miserable funk, IT happens. Sometimes, IT happens out of the blue. Sometimes, a friend makes IT happen. You know, that spark to reignite your flame, to bring the smile back to your face. Perhaps, IT is the giggle of a grandson, the taste of a favorite sundae or maybe a song. Your thoughts race to a memory filled with happiness. Even if it is for merely a moment, you are transported to a time when life was good and all was well.

We build many memories throughout our life. Knowledge is taught and wisdom is gained; we have become the person we are today because of all of that we have experienced. While we can never go back to the carefree summers of our youth, we all need to remember the importance of those ideals; simply live and enjoy life. There is an expression, “through the eyes of a child you will see the world just as it ought to be.”

As we sit around the office today reminiscing about our childhoods, we are going to try to take our own advice to simply live and enjoy life. We invite you to join us; turn the volume up, click play, and dance around like no one is watching!

It’s hard to say goodbye

Posted on by CourageInStone

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Years ago when I first started this business, my first line of word stones were very similar to the picture above.  They were made of marble, and were etched with about 50 different words.  They were great sellers, but they needed some improvement and we eventually decided to design our own using a new manufacturer.  The line pictured above was born.  We call them Marble Energy Stones.

We eventually expanded our inventory to include words engraved or imprinted on river rocks, glass, pewter and even ceramic.  But as we grew our lines, the marble stones took a back seat.  River rocks became our #1 seller…I think because of their organic nature and price points.  The marble stones just weren’t holding their own anymore.

The shift happened about 5 years ago, and each year since, as we brought in new product and liquidated old, I would campaign to keep these marble stones that reminded me of how far we’ve come and carried a nostalgic weight.  Deep down I knew it was not business savvy to keep these stones.  But I have poured my heart and soul into this business and to give up on an original product seemed like failure.

That is, until we had so many other great, wonderful and fantastic products that we just don’t have room for those original stones.  We are beyond excited about all the new stones and tokens and pocket pieces we have in stock and in the works.  Our creative juices are flowing…we’ve got so much new energy and we’re so jazzed to spread as much inspiration as we can!

And so here we are.  I am ready to say goodbye to these marble stones.  And yes, they are ‘just’ stones, but they are more than that to me, and always will be.

~Brenda

P.S. These Marble Energy Stones are now on sale while supplies last.  A superb deal at $1.25/each (down from $2.50/ea)!  They truly are beautiful stones…deeply engraved with gorgeous swirls of color.   But I’m not biased.  😉

January Blues? Not Around Here!

Posted on by CourageInStone

I read an article this week that this past Monday may have been the most depressing day of the year.  Going back to work after a period of time with family and friends, coupled with the short days of winter may send some folks into a depression.  Ugh.

Personally I will admit that the short (and cold) days of winter are tough for me to take.  But, here at the office, we take a different approach when it comes to that first Monday in January when we’re all back to work on a regular basis.  That’s a day that we actually look forward to.  Really!

Coming through the Christmas season in retail can be…**ahem**…trying to say the least.  There is a general sense of urgency in orders from late November through mid December which definitely heightens our stress levels here in the warehouse.  We’ve got the process down pretty well, so we can generally go with the flow, but there are definitely more issues and interesting customers to deal with during that time.

So, come January we’re ready for some peace and new energy.  We take this time to clean the warehouse.  Brainstorm marketing strategies.  Roll out new products.  See what products aren’t selling.  Clean our desks.  Clean out our brains so to speak.

So I enjoy this time of year at work.  My mind is happy to be sorting through marketing strategies and business goals and product ideas.  Oh, and there’s usually still chocolate left from the gift box our landlord gives us, so you can be sure we reward ourselves early and often.  New marketing idea?  Get yourself a piece of chocolate!  New idea for a token?  Go enjoy that chocolate covered almond!

Here’s hoping you’re enjoying these first few days of the new year!  Happy 2014!

~Brenda

Gone But Not Forgotten

Posted on by CourageInStone

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This weekend I will be attending two funerals. The first is for someone very young and the other is for someone who lived a long happy life. I have great sadness that they will not share this world with us anymore but find peace in knowing that both of them were truly loved and leave behind families that will forever be changed by their presence.

Death touches and affects us all, it is inevitable. I think it is how we choose to remember and celebrate someone’s life that is the true statement of human character. At these services their immediate family will be devastated and everyone will sit in silence and ponder our own existence and how precious life is.

I will be giving the In Loving Memory Pocket Token to a few people at these services. I can only hope the words inscribed on the back

“Gone, yet not forgotten,
although we are apart,
your spirit lives within me,
forever in my heart. “

 will help them carry on in the coming days, weeks, and years without someone who meant so much to them.
~ Suzi

Yin-Yang Balance Inspiration Coin: $1.75/each

Posted on by CourageInStone

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Balance, balance, balance. Isn’t that what we’re all always striving for?!  Balance applies to all aspects of life and can be oh so hard to obtain.

Do you have balance in your life? Perhaps this Balance Inspiration Coin can be a daily reminder.

Top 5 Things I Hate About My Job

Posted on by CourageInStone

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Top 5 Things I Love About My Job.  That got me thinking about what it is that I dislike about my job, which frankly, is a much harder post to write.  Thank goodness.

1.  Disappointed customers.

We hate, hate, hate when a customer has a bad experience.  Luckily, this doesn’t happen much.  But when it does, no matter whose ‘fault’ it is, I feel a personal sense of responsibility.  No matter that there was a blizzard and the Fed Ex truck couldn’t get to his stop, or our power went out in a storm and we couldn’t print shipping labels, or whether the mail carrier put the package on the porch instead of inside the screen door and the customer didn’t find it for two days…this all reflects back on us and we feel bad.  And sometimes we just screw up.  The wrong coin gets shipped, an apartment number gets left off the address, a damaged stone gets packed, product does not get ordered in time.  I hate to pull the old ‘we’re only human’ excuse, but it’s true…no matter how many checks and balances we put into place, sometimes crap happens.  And a trickier situation, but one that happens occasionally, is when the customer is unhappy for apparently no clear reason.  We can’t be all things to all people all the time – so sometimes we just can’t make it work.  This bothers me too, no matter how many times I tell myself to let it go.

2 – 5.  See #1

I suppose I could come up with 2 – 5 if I really wanted to.  Paying bills is no fun at all.  Occasionally fighting for parking in the lot because our next door neighbor hogs all the spots is annoying.  Our un-air conditioned warehouse gets REALLY hot on 90 degree days.  But I consider myself lucky to have these problems.  And if that’s as bad as it gets, I’ll consider myself a success.

I hope you have as few ‘hates’ about your job as I do.

~Brenda

Hello? Can anyone hear me?!

Posted on by CourageInStone

 

So…I did a shout out to my friends on Facebook the other day asking for help with ideas for this blog because I was having serious writer’s block.  One friend (hello SK!) suggested I write about that…needing ideas to write about.  Then she said “but one would question why you are doing a blog then”.   Excellent point my friend, excellent point.

If this was my personal blog, I would have given up ages ago.  It’s hard to be inspired on a consistent basis, then write about it.  I am a little embarrassed to admit that I would have been a blogger quitter.

But, every time I think about trashing the business blog, I read something about blogging being an excellent online marketing tool.  And it’s free.  So then I feel guilty, and I’ll bang out a few posts and hope for the best.  Since I run an online retail store, it is imperative that I keep up with search engine trends, new ‘fads’, link possibilities, etc.  My products can be pinned, instagrammed, facebooked, blogged, searched, linked, etsyed, amazoned, ebayed, and tweeted in addition to being purchased on our 3 websites.  Whew.  It’s TOUGH to keep up.

Recently I took some time off from work and being really present, both physically and mentally in the office.  About a year to be exact.  This meant I also took some time off the blog.   This summer I returned to work with a renewed energy and perspective.  And a new attitude about this blog.  I am determined to keep up with it, and I am eager to see some benefits.

So, thank you for reading this.  Blog on!

~Brenda

Top 5 Things I Love About My Job

Posted on by CourageInStone

1.  I can set my own hours.  Sort of. 

Being the owner technically gives me the flexibility to decide when I am in the office.  But, I would argue that I’m actually pretty much **always** working.  There is no such thing as leaving work at the office for me…this business was my first ‘baby’ and I’m constantly nurturing it and worrying about it and watching it grow and sometimes watching it stumble.  This is a constant thing for me.  But it is nice to occasionally say “I’m not coming in today, it’s a great day for a picnic at the park!”

2.  I get to be creative. 

We are constantly brain storming ideas around the office…from new products to marketing to customer relations to sales force incentives to blog ideas.  There are always projects to work on, always new ideas that need molding and shaping, always ‘the next big thing’.  I love it.

3.  I can bring my son to work.

I am grateful I can show my son on a daily basis that woman are strong and smart and can be business leaders.  I am thankful to show him how to work hard and in a team environment and how to respect business.  He is just a toddler, but I believe he is soaking all this in on a daily basis and will grow up with a strong, fundamental belief in the concept that hard work, honesty, laughter and passion are the keys to a happy life.

4.  I get to pick the people I work with.

We are a small company and work closely together.  So it’s essential that we get along.  Sometimes we cry, most of the time we laugh, and all of the time we respect each other.  I’m lucky to get to choose who I eat lunch with everyday. 

5.  Our customers.

I love making our customers happy.  We sell happy products.  Our stones and tokens heal, uplift, inspire, give courage and strength and generally make people feel good.  From births to funerals, and everything in between, we send products to people all over the world.  It is constantly astonishing that we can touch the lives of folks we’ll never meet. 

I hope you love your job as much as I do.

Namaste,  Brenda