Gettin' all learned up

Well it is still that special educational time of the year. Clinic time! We have sales reps come in and talk up their products. They use power point presentations, sample cutaways, even some smoke and mirrors. Their goal is to get us psyched on the product they sell. My job is to help them help me to train my staff. So of coarse I end up interjecting at times to keep things in perspective. Overall the sales reps are very knowledgeable. They also know that we are on top of our game too, so they expect the discussions to get very technical. And it does. It is a fun time.

Also taking place in the fall is Masterfit University training. Masterfit does four locations with two days available totaling fifteen hours. The closest location for us is Reno. This year I took seven people. Yikes! That meant four hotel rooms of CalSkiCo employees up in Reno. In addition to the training, there are a lot of industry folk there that we know. Manufacturers boot techs, shop owners and staff from top boot shops. Basically all the boot geeks. It is kid of a boot geek party! In the past it has gotten quite racous at times, and we have typically been front and center. This year we didn't get as rowdy as we usually do, although one night an individual seems to have come home around dawn one night. Sorry no names will be given. What happens in Reno stays in Reno.

So john and I did the Masters Plus "Dark Arts" course as we typically do. Erle, Gary, Steve, and Daniel were moved up into the Masters level and Benelia took the Associates Plus offering. As usual the Masterfit crew were outstanding. Given that they really don't make much money doing their training classes, their spirit of doing this for the good of the sport and to fill an obvious need to create more good boot fitters is to be commended.

The Dark Arts class had I think ten students? This included Mike from Dale boot and Paul from Full Tilt. We know Mike quite well and have fully checked out his operation. I had only recently spoken to Paul on the phone looking for some technical information about his boots. He is the engineer in charge of design and manufacturing the boots and added a lot to the class. It was great to have someone on hand to speak up for the 3 piece shell designs out there. The group used a more open discussion instead of a conventional syllabus. The assumption is that we have all been around the block a few times and so it turns into more of a networking situation. "What have you guys been doing when you run into...." sort of a thing. It is a room full of tremendous talent and knowledge. It reminds me of how much I still have to learn.

I think everyone at the shop is energized about fitting now, so I will be spending time each day with the fitters to try to take the skills they have learned and ingrain it into their boot protocol. It gets me excited about boots too, so I spent more time boot fitting this weekend than I have been doing since we opened for the season. What fun!

Another boot note that happened this week was that I obtained a copy of the legendary "Red Book". At least it has become legendary to me. Sort of a grail hunting expedition actually. One of the really great fitters I have run across is Amy. Amy works for Superfeet. She was a head fitter at Any Mountain back in the day and went on to work for Superfeet. Over the past number of years she has read any and all books on the subject of feet, boots, and fitting ski boots that she could find. I asked her once what her recommended reading list was for me. Many of the books I was already familiar with. Her highest recommendation was "the Red Book". She couldn't remember exactly how to spell the Authors name but figured I could find it using the internet. She warned me that it was out of print, obscure, and probably hard to find. "but it will be worth it if you do" she said.

Well I looked and looked. Nothing coming up at all for "the Red Book''. I got a few footnotes citing "the foot book" by an author who's name was close to her guess on spelling. I called Amy's boss at Superfeet and got the authors properly spelled name. It was the one I had seen. It was called The Foot Book- Advice for Athletes by Harry Hlavac. But trying to find a copy? Nada. Zilch. Nothing. Boo!

So since then I have gone on line and searched for it used every few months. Probably 8 or 9 times in the last few years. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. But I was determined not to give up. Some of the guys at the shop heard me speak of my frustration over not being able to track a copy down. I was about ready this fall to call Amy and ask if I could borrow it. She had not been really keen on the idea when we first talked of it. She didn't want to let it out of her sight. I thought my sob story might soften her up. I mentioned I might call her last week in front of Steve. "Oh", he said "I bought a foot book". He knew I was on the hunt for the elusive "Red Book" and had seen a book on feet in front of the sweets shop near his house. They have a used book rack where you can drop off books or buy used books in front of the store. One of those neighborhood honor system deals. He figured it wasn't what I was looking for, but it could be, and another foot book is never a bad thing. He has purchased it. "Is it red?" I asked. "No, not really". "Oh well," I said" bring it in and we can check it out..."

Well ring up another one for karma or persistence or whatever. I don't care. All I know is that I finally have a copy of The Red Book! It simply said The Foot Book on the front cover. I knew that there were literally dozens of "Foot Books" with various sub titles from my research. It was a brownish red. "Maybe..." I thought to myself. I opened it up. It was unread. The spine crackled as I leafed through the first few pages looking for the author..and there it was- The Foot Book- Advice for Athletes by Harry Hlavac. "Wow, you got one" I said. "No," said Steve, "it's for you". So how do you like that? What a guy!

Well, I am off to bed now. It is a bit early for me, but you know what? I have some reading to do! Thanks Amy! Thanks Stevo! If I am running a bit late tomorrow, you'll know why!

Oh yeah- Fresh snow in the mountains! Keep doing Ulers snow dance and let's get this season rolling!

Excitement of a different kind!

I get excited this time of year. Anticipation of skiing has been building and I am eagerly awaiting the fist day on the mountain. This year is lining up to be an early start. First it snowed hard in New York state. Then Jackson Hole got a good dump. Now there is snow in the Sierra. We could be skiing as soon as this next weekend. All very exciting, but there is something else pulling at my psyche right now...

THE GIANTS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES!

I played baseball growing up and through High School. I love to watch the game at all levels. I will occasionally stop at the little league field on the way home to see part of a game. I followed my kids High School team. I even "adopted" a girls fast pitch softball team over the summer (go Redwood Empire!). I saw all their games as they tried to play their way into the little league World Series. I catch some Giants games at the park and many more on TV. I even go to a few A's games. I guess that I am a fan but not a "fanatic".

This year has been different. The Giants were set to compete for the division title from the start. Then things went haywire. Studs from last year like the Panda and Tim Lincecum struggled. New faces stepped in and carried the team. Each day, week, or month had a different hero. Management pulled all the right strings. The Giants hung around all summer and then made a late push. The season was coming down to the wire and each game was agony. They won with pitching so the games tended to be close, low scoring contests. You could not relax until the game was over because one swing of the bat could ruin it all! In the end the Giants won the division. But barely. A last victory kept them out of a three way playoff for the post season.

The Giants did prevail however and then went on to dispatch both the Braves and the Phillies to win the pennant. The Philly series was an incredible micro version of the whole year. Winning each contest by one run with the game on the line until the last out. The sixth game had my stomach tied in knots until the final pitch was called strike three. What Agony! What ecstasy! If everything good must come with some suffering, then this was a sweet victory indeed!

Each year the Giants seem to field a solid team. They are in the playoff hunt most years. Some times they make it. Some times they don't. We have won a few pennants here in San Francisco but never a World Series. The organization has won World Series' in the past but as the New York Giants. Since moving here to San Francisco- nada. We are overdue. Is this the year of destiny? It seems to be so far!

I am not the only person who has been swept up by the Giants this year. On the radio talk shows the excitement mounted as the season wound down. On the streets people were talking. It went to fever pitch during the playoffs. Now on Bart or driving around on the streets, a giants hat will get a response. A nod. A thumbs up. A smile and a wave with a "go giants!" mouthed through glass. At the shop, employees and customers are both engaged with the teams exploits. My local Quick Stop Market is run by nice people from a country that is soccer oriented. They usually only watch soccer or the the news at work. Now they are watching Giants games and saying "how about them Giants?" when customers approach the counter. It is truly wonderful how a team can bring a diverse community like ours together. I hope we get to see the party grow into an even bigger and happier one as the World Series is played out.

I will go into work now for a few hours. Then I will knock off and drive to Tracy to watch the game with some friends. I hope that the Giants win. I hope that Tim Lincecum throws a gem in front of a national audience. I hope that Cody, or Buster, or someone more obscure will get to be the hero. My hope is not just for me, but for the whole Bay Area, and the entire Giants Nation.

I also hope we will ski soon. But right now my attention is on the Giants. For them. For me. For us all. Take some time and get involved. This is a rare opportunity to say you remember the World Series of 2010 and that special team. Then we will ski....

But for now...

GO GIANTS!

It's going off in New York!

Well, there it is. Whiteface in New York got pounded with snow and I have the photo to prove it. Christian sent me this. He is from "upstate" and so he got the "upstate update". I guess that means that we could be getting some fluff any time now. I still doesn't seem real.

Every year at this time we have been trying to NOT think about snow here at the shop because it can make you crazy. In August you know it is unrealistic. September too. Sometimes we ski in October, but not often, and never early in the month. Mid October you realize it is time to actually get ready. Now is the time. If they can do it, Boreal will open before the end of the month. When finished with this post I will go to the weather web sites. I have not checked much for a number of months, but now it is time to go for the first of a hundred or so visits over the winter. Time to start monitoring the Jet Stream. If it gets cold, Boreal will start blowing snow, and I need to know about it.

So far this month I have been trying to get the training and hiring moving along. Doing pretty good in both arenas I guess. I still want one more full timer, so if you know anybody...? I also have missed the last few weekends at the shop. A Chico State fraternity reunion and then a visit to Eugene to visit my daughter Jennifer have taken up the last two weekends.

Now I am anchored and entrenched until Thanksgiving or so. Thanks to having John, Martin and the rest of the staff around, I feel like I can take off like this. Normally I can. This weekend on Saturday however we had a sort of Perfect Storm. Due to a LOT of wierd and unforseen circumstances Martin was the only Employee available Saturday moring untill 2:00. Yikes! I almost cancelled my trip and ate the airline ticket, and had Elizabeth go alone. But I couldn't bear to let my daughter down, so I went. Good thing as Rebecca had taken the train up from Chico to surprise me. My birthday is coming up and this became my family party. Nice! Martin said it was fine. We had a good day but everyone politely waited for the reinforcements to show up before coming in. Thanks! We appreciate that!

So now I have to catch up a bit. I figure no days off for the next week or two and I will feel up to date! That puts us right on schedule for skiing on Haloween right? If the snow comes, I will be ready and so will the shop! So do the dance and pray to Uler. And Think Snow!

Looking out from within

OK. The sale is over. Now we are in the midst of getting the shop ready for the ski season. We meet two or three days a week. Martin gets busy all day in the back. Gary is available to work the weekends when we are officially open. I am in the office about 1/2 of the time and spend the rest downstairs. John gets most day to day stuff (customers popping in randomly or by appointment)done plus his ongoing projects. John is great about doing whatever needs done. And he can do anything. He knows all the procedures. He can fix what is broken. He also knows what I would do and he does it that way. Keep in mind that what John and I would do may be very different. That's a good employee. And a good friend.

Anyway, I ramble as well as deviate from my "ramblings", so we should move on. The point is that we are staying busy. I figured this to be the dog days as it usually is. Between the sale and the snow there is a lull, and I was looking to take advantage of it.

Well- so much for thoughts of bike rides and golf. The "to do" list is staying well ahead of the "done" list. I think at this point I will announce a few more days of "open for business" each week. We are officially open weekends 10-6. If we need to be at the shop two additional days each week, why not be open for business? The shop may be messy for "retail" as we receive our steady stream of goods, but I think we can benefit. Heck, we are averaging about $1500 in sales daily when we show up on weekdays right now, so why not just say OK, this is our schedule?

Oh, and the Parking Lot Sale went great. We grossed more in sales than any previous year. By a lot. So thanks! I again need to thank Christian, Gabe, and the rest of the "cast of thousands". In addition to our regular staff, they make these bigger events happen without degrading the expertise and/or customer service that I will not compromise. Also our sales reps that helped out. Thanks Reps! If the sale is indicative of how sales will be this year, we are looking good!

On the home front, I am once again without child. Jennifer worked through the sale and we drove her back up to Eugene this last weekend. This year she is out of the dorms and into an apartment. She and her room mates were SO excited to have their own place. It is all so grown up! Now she needs to nail down a job. She wants to work at Bergs ski shop. Bergs was named top shop in the Northwest by the sales reps. We visited and they seem very similar in approach to our shop here. Just bigger and with snowboards too. The employees she spoke to last spring thought she would be a lock to get a job there, but she has not gotten much response to her job application. "Time to start being a pest" was my advice!

So we continue to prep for snowfall. Then it is hunker down and get it done time. Between now and then, I need to do some hiring and we will have our staff training ongoing throughout October. Time is flying by and we will be skiing before we know it. Meanwhile, I will take a shower and then I am off to work. My shorter term goals (today's list) are to get the Mountain Hardware shipment received and tagged, call Orage about being shorted a jacket on the order we got in yesterday, catch up on mail, order printer paper and other supplies, finalize the proof for the new shop stickers, coordinate with Erik Boone about getting the press back into the shop, etc. until it is time to go home again. Then tomorrow will be more of the same. Lather, rinse, repeat!

One down and two to go

Well we got through the first weekend with flying colors. I thought my feet hurt on Friday? Well there is a new level of ache this morning. But I am not complaining. We did great business! On Saturday we did 56% more business than any previous opening day. Sunday was just a bit less in sales. We seem to just keep growing. With some great help it all went smoothly too. We had the regular staff, as well as a number of previous employees that lend a hand for events like this. In addition to the new and old Cal Ski Co staff, we got some great sales reps out there to do some retail. I think that much of the time the reps hang out and schmooze at these events. Donuts and small talk. Not this weekend! Dana from Blizzard/Tecnica recently moved from the race department where he dialed in athletes boots at the highest levels to working with retailers. Ingrid Backstroms boots last fall, fitting recreational skiers this fall to help me out. The Soze group distributes Conformable insoles out of Vancouver Canada. Our local sales rep was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, so they sent Steve Noonan, one of there management team from Park City. We have known Steve for a number of years now. He teaches some of the Boot Fitting classes that top boot fitters attend to find out what the latest tools and techniques are on the world cup circuit. Thanks to Steve and Dana, we had additional staff that was even more qualified than us on staff to help get the right boots dialed in on our customers feet. Thanks Dana and Steve! I think that they seemed quite impressed with the five staffers working the boot area with them too. They knew that John is as advanced as it gets. I think they were surprised to find the depth of knowledge they found across the board with the staff. Once again my staff made me proud!

Benelia mainly worked the clothing and bags in the Parking lot. This was the first year that someone outside was truly "selling" as opposed to soaking up the sun and doing security watch out front. Benelia contributed greatly to our numbers. Jennifer mainly sold helmets and clothing inside and ran the register. She puts all sales under her own employee number. This ensures that she will be the top sales person for at least a few months after she goes off to college. Sorry Jen, you can't fool me!

I mainly worked the ski wall. I sold a lot of skis. I don't know that I sold the most however. Christian, Erle, Gabe, John and Martin kept walking customers out after they finished with their boot fit. They grabbed skis off the wall and walked them up to the counter for Jennifer to process. They were selling the skis and boots at the same time back there. I would be talking to someone for fifteen minutes about skis and they would make the ski portion of their customers purchase in about three minutes. It is amazing how much trust is developed during the boot fitting process. Or maybe I am simply long winded...

Anyway, I am pleased and content. I feel that we offered outstanding prices and great customer service. Our product mix is top notch and my staff is exemplary. We had a lot of new customers as well as dozens of "regulars" that I know by name. Great to see both! Life is good! Now unfortunately I need to go back in today. John scheduled some boot fitting that was a bit complex for the sale environment over the weekend. Groan- no rest for the weary I guess. Oh well, there is quite a bit of clean up and organization to be done before next weekend anyway. I will find some time tomorrow perhaps for a little bike ride or something. See you next weekend!

Ready to Rumble!

Oh do my feet hurt. And my back. And my brain! One more long day in a series of long days. We open tomorrow and we are pretty much ready. There are things I would like to do better but that's how it goes. We got our preseason orders from Head and Salomon on Thursday. That meant about 2 employees full time for two days to get it received and put away. Therefore, I was two employees short getting the signage up and merchandise displayed properly. I am going pretty deep on discounts this year. Some skis are 70% off. Yikes! Anyway it will be great deals for the customers and I will clear some older stock out. Right now that is the most important thing. No, the most important thing is for me to get some sleep. Good night!

Things are getting exciting!

Well the materials for building skis are late. So to get ready for the big sale in a few weeks, I moved the ski press out to make more room. We need to deal with about 250k worth of merchandise coming in over the first three weeks of August. We have big trucks coming every day. They drop off pallets of goodies! The goodies are sorted, counted, priced, tagged, and then put somewhere. Anywhere for now. Then by the actual sale they must be merchandised with signage and the whole bit. How "professional" everything looks depends on how much time we have once everything is in place. This year Jennifer is in charge of sale signage. I am hoping that this will mean less felt pen tags and more actual professional printed tags. Not that it really matters for the sale, but it will save me time later! Jennifer has also applied to work at Berg's ski shop in Eugene where she goes to school. I am excited for her. Berg's won the award for the best shop in the NorthWest from the industry reps. We visited the shop and it is very similar to CalSkiCo in many ways. But bigger! She has been taking more and more interest in our store these last few years. Now after taking some frosh business classes she is full of ideas to improve the shop. I am happy to share information with her about the business and her input is always welcome. If nothing else she has an ability to inject enthusiasm. Even better is that she has some pretty sound ideas. A future business mogul! In the meantime if she works at the shop in Eugene she will be sharp and ready when she comes home and works here at Cal Ski Co. She can probably give me some ways to improve things based on their model up in Eugene too (and visa verse?). For the last week Jennifer has been watching the shop with John. Rebecca and I weren't available as we went to Colorado to visit my dad and drive race cars. We had a great time. Three generations of Whitehouse's driving as fast as possible. If you told me when I was 20 that this would happen I would have thought it was too surreal to believe, but there we were. The race car will be a great tool for quality family time between the generations over the years. It stays at Grandad's so it is a good excuse to visit. While we were gone, Jennifer got to be super important for a week. She was "in charge" at the shop. She did a great job. I was proud to see the situation when I got back. Boxes to the ceiling but organized and clean. Paperwork done well. Organized list of what she had done and what she waited on due to uncertainty. Good job Jen! John speaks highly of both my girls work ethics. John is a harsh critic as well as unafraid to say so if he thinks someone is not top notch. This makes me proud. So some track time in the Miata may REALLY be the last gasp event for the summer. At least until mid September. Then we may have to fit in one more event before the snow flies. For now, thanks to the UPS man, it is Christmas every day at the shop.

We know the agenda and are ready to execute:

1.Get new toys.

2.Sell new toys cheap for three weeks.

3.Set up the shop for the ski season.

4.Then learn to build skis.

Sounds good to me!