Sales frustration

[RitaFajita]

Well, I just finished my quarterly reports for Jan. thru March, and I am feeling very frustrated. Although my sales were up 2 % over 4th quarter 2001, they were 7 % down from the 1st quarter of the previous year! There are some things, such as Easter being during a different quarter this year (students go home = dead weekend for us), that account for some of the decrease. The rest? The economy, I guess. Out of my control, right?Sometimes it gets hard not to feel defeated, though. I work so hard to make things work. When I don't see growth, its easy to start to feel like I'm doing it all for nothing. My business is only a year and a half years old. Its not like I expect to have money coming out of my ears at this stage. We just started to break even not too long ago, and I consider that to be an accomplishment. But, geez, is it too much to ask for a little relief? I feel like I am in a perpetual state of giving birth!

Anybody else go through this? How do you cope???

RF

[shroomgirl]

oh yeah.....this is the start of a new season and making sure that the farmer's market is organized to run smoothly and that enough season farmers come to make it worth while is rough at best. I've been lining up chefs and donations for an event May 19th....making sure that the volunteers know what to do.....just getting information out!!!and money in!!!!
So now I have 15 chefs that have committed to cook, several donations...beer, pig, tea, water, coffee, chevre, rhubarb, tempeh, garlic, ....trying to get greens, fruits, goat milk, rentals.....
whew... and in the midst of this lining up the first 8 weeks of cooking demo chefs and muscians...as well as looking for an omelet preveyor....last one crossed me twice by not showing with one day notice.