Bufflehead

Agree.

TL;DR, its about process.

Take a step back and ask yourself - what is it you feel that j-mt owes you?

You have totally missed the point but since you asked.  

I explicitly said: Im not happy but such is life

That, in itself, is acknowledgement that we don't always get what we want. So be it - such is life.

What did I want? I wanted to help him IMPROVE the process, something he is doing. Any company who sells any product "usually" seeks feedback from consumers.

1. Do not just announce stuff only on "social media", put it on your website.

2. Tell the consumers how much product you will be selling. If its like a batch of 60, I will know not to waste my time checking everyday nor trying to order when it sells out in 8 minutes.


These are VERY specific suggestions to improve the business model. I could have just complained about it but didn't. If I had stopped at complaining, then your post would have had validity. I give you that, but you stopped at THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF IT. Why?  The beginning was the lead-in, to get to the point. You can't just jump to the suggestions without telling the lead-in story. The point was to offer suggestions to IMPROVE. This wasn't about the fact I couldn't buy some soap. In the big scheme of life - thats nothing. This was about ....

Improving the Process. In fact he offered up his improvements ...

"I migrated to a new web host that will allow you to join an e-mail list. You can sign up by hitting the 'Follow' button in the top right hand corner. It will be used going forward for restocks."

That appears to be a response to only advertising on social media

" I can't display the stock counts via the web template (nor am I proficient enough at coding to know if it's even possible). It's something I'd like to incorporate in the future. Batch sizes are usually around 50 tins of soap."

I don't expect a tiny company to do online inventory but advertising the batch size is something they can do and he has done. And I am grateful for knowing that, something we wouldn't know until now.

This sounds like he wanted feedback on process, and we are discussing process. The fact he offered up these solutions tells me he understood this was about process and not about "my disappointment".  

That's the implicit subtext of this rancor is that you are OWED something. Sorry to burst that bubble, but j-mt owes you nothing.

The only thing any company, one person or Fortune 500, owes is to the financials of the company/stockholders. They are in business to make money. Period. How you get their is via process.  I offered suggestions on Process Improvement, how to get better at selling product and meeting customer expectations. If I didn't want to suggest a means to help, I would have just left a complaint and stopped where you stopped reading, or at least did not acknowledge the real essence of what is under discussion.

NOWHERE did I say I was owed anything. That is your assumption. The rest of your discussion is moot.  Bufflehead responded in an excellent and appropriate manner, that suggests to me that he cares about current and potential future customers. He didn't have to respond but his response was very good. Before you assume anything and tell someone what they did wrong, ensure your assumptions are correct.  You wrote: Why would you (either intentionally or not) try to dissuade him from continuing to do it solely because YOU can’t get your hands on it?

Process improvement, and the lead-in story to get to the process improvement points, is how to help IMPROVE the process. I guess you didn't understand that. Do you really think I care one bit about a $20 soap? It's not liquid gold ... its soap. I care about the industry in a holistic manner, all of it, and how to improve the business models.


BTW - earned or entitled and what have I done? I am a consumer. I give money to companies that provide a product or service. In effect, I HIRE companies that provide services or I buy their products.  I don't "create" products or services. They work for ME and You and everyone else who ever bought anything. You, the consumer, pays their salary. As a consumer, if you don't meet my expectations, the seller does not EARN my dollar, and the next guy, and the next guys, etc. And since we live in a capitalistic economy, this eventually means one thing (usually) ... they fail. Fail to meet customer expectations is a good way to exit any business.

As a consumer, I don't "earn" anything. I give money to companies that "earn" the business. You have it backwards.  Companies need to EARN MY BUSINESS - not the other way around. Consumers PAY their salary Without the consumer, there would be no business. Your writing seems to indicate the business model works the other way around. It doesn't and just because its "wet shaving" doesn't give companies a pass. Companies, in effect, work for the consumers. That is how they make money for the owners. When expectations are not met, customer walks, whether it be a car, a refrigerator, soap, or someone's hobby selling anything from their garage - they walk, in effect, firing the company. Your model is totally backwards.

TL;DR, its about process.

Take a step back and ask yourself - what is it you feel that j-mt owes you?

You have totally missed the point but since you asked.  

I explicitly said: Im not happy but such is life

That, in itself, is acknowledgement that we don't always get what we want. So be it - such is life.

What did I want? I wanted to help him IMPROVE the process, something he is doing. Any company who sells any product "usually" seeks feedback from consumers.

1. Do not just announce stuff only on "social media", put it on your website.

2. Tell the consumers how much product you will be selling. If its like a batch of 60, I will know not to waste my time checking everyday nor trying to order when it sells out in 8 minutes.


These are VERY specific suggestions to improve the business model. I could have just complained about it but didn't. If I had stopped at complaining, then your post would have had validity. I give you that, but you stopped at THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF IT. Why?  The beginning was the lead-in, to get to the point. You can't just jump to the suggestions without telling the lead-in story. The point was to offer suggestions to IMPROVE. This wasn't about the fact I couldn't buy some soap. In the big scheme of life - thats nothing. This was about ....

Improving the Process. In fact he offered up his improvements ...

"I migrated to a new web host that will allow you to join an e-mail list. You can sign up by hitting the 'Follow' button in the top right hand corner. It will be used going forward for restocks."

That appears to be a response to only advertising on social media

" I can't display the stock counts via the web template (nor am I proficient enough at coding to know if it's even possible). It's something I'd like to incorporate in the future. Batch sizes are usually around 50 tins of soap."

I don't expect a tiny company to do online inventory but advertising the batch size is something they can do and he has done. And I am grateful for knowing that, something we wouldn't know until now.

This sounds like he wanted feedback on process, and we are discussing process. The fact he offered up these solutions tells me he understood this was about process and not about "my disappointment".  

That's the implicit subtext of this rancor is that you are OWED something. Sorry to burst that bubble, but j-mt owes you nothing.

The only thing any company, one person or Fortune 500, owes is to the financials of the company/stockholders. They are in business to make money. Period. How you get their is via process.  I offered suggestions on Process Improvement, how to get better at selling product and meeting customer expectations. If I didn't want to suggest a means to help, I would have just left a complaint and stopped where you stopped reading, or at least did not acknowledge the real essence of what is under discussion.

NOWHERE did I say I was owed anything. That is your assumption. The rest of your discussion is moot.  Bufflehead responded in an excellent and appropriate manner, that suggests to me that he cares about current and potential future customers. He didn't have to respond but his response was very good. Before you assume anything and tell someone what they did wrong, ensure your assumptions are correct.  You wrote: Why would you (either intentionally or not) try to dissuade him from continuing to do it solely because YOU can’t get your hands on it?

Process improvement, and the lead-in story to get to the process improvement points, is how to help IMPROVE the process. I guess you didn't understand that. Do you really think I care one bit about a $20 soap? It's not liquid gold ... its soap. I care about the industry in a holistic manner, all of it, and how to improve the business models.


BTW - earned or entitled and what have I done? I am a consumer. I give money to companies that provide a product or service. In effect, I HIRE companies that provide services or I buy their products.  I don't "create" products or services. They work for ME and You and everyone else who ever bought anything. You, the consumer, pays their salary. As a consumer, if you don't meet my expectations, the seller does not EARN my dollar, and the next guy, and the next guys, etc. And since we live in a capitalistic economy, this eventually means one thing (usually) ... they fail. Fail to meet customer expectations is a good way to exit any business.

As a consumer, I don't "earn" anything. I give money to companies that "earn" the business. You have it backwards.  Companies need to EARN MY BUSINESS - not the other way around. Consumers PAY their salary Without the consumer, there would be no business. Your writing seems to indicate the business model works the other way around. It doesn't and just because its "wet shaving" doesn't give companies a pass. Companies, in effect, work for the consumers. That is how they make money for the owners. When expectations are not met, customer walks, whether it be a car, a refrigerator, soap, or someone's hobby selling anything from their garage - they walk, in effect, firing the company. Your model is totally backwards.

But wouldn't a "business model" imply that he's running a "business"? For all intents and purposes, he's making soap for fun. Not running a business.


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But wouldn't a "business model" imply that he's running a "business"? For all intents and purposes, he's making soap for fun. Not running a business.

Is interstate commerce involved? Is interstate telecommunications, business transactions, the US mail or a carrier, involved? Hobbies that sell products are a small business. Taxes are surely paid, income declared, etc. Then its a business. Granted, I get the "fun" part and thats cool, and if he doesn't want suggestions to improve process, I'm good with that too. Like I said "Such is Life".

I take exception to the previous post that implies I was complaining to complain ... and thats simply not true. I gave a lead-in story to get to the part about HELPING. And there is a huge difference between seeking to improve process and just complaining. If I didn't care, I would have just complained and be done with it.

BTW, telling me "what did I create" is not relevant to this. Companies work for me (and you and everyone else) in producing goods. By buying their goods I hire or fire them. Its not the other way around.

But wouldn't a "business model" imply that he's running a "business"? For all intents and purposes, he's making soap for fun. Not running a business.

Is interstate commerce involved? Is interstate telecommunications, business transactions, the US mail or a carrier, involved? Hobbies that sell products are a small business. Taxes are surely paid, income declared, etc. Then its a business. Granted, I get the "fun" part and thats cool, and if he doesn't want suggestions to improve process, I'm good with that too. Like I said "Such is Life".

I take exception to the previous post that implies I was complaining to complain ... and thats simply not true. I gave a lead-in story to get to the part about HELPING. And there is a huge difference between seeking to improve process and just complaining. If I didn't care, I would have just complained and be done with it and telling me "what did I create" is nonsense.

Companies work for me (and you and everyone else) in producing goods. By buying their goods I hire or fire them. Its not the other way around.

I get where you're coming from, but just because he has elements of his business does not by any means prove that he is running this endeavor like a business. In fact, he is not. So therefore he is not trying to maximize sales, nor is he trying to market his goods.

And when you say, "Companies work for me" this again assumes that he is running a business that is trying to maximize his profits. He is not. You may not approve of his business model (or lack thereof), but the fundamental assumption is flawed: that he is looking to do anything other than make soaps for fun. I doubt anyone is going to change his mind on that.

I get where you're coming from, but just because he has elements of his business does not by any means prove that he is running this endeavor like a business. In fact, he is not. So therefore he is not trying to maximize sales, nor is he trying to market his goods.

And when you say, "Companies work for me" this again assumes that he is running a business that is trying to maximize his profits. He is not. You may not approve of his business model (or lack thereof), but the fundamental assumption is flawed: that he is looking to do anything other than make soaps for fun. I doubt anyone is going to change his mind on that.

And I can agree to that, and that's cool. No issues. In which case he's free to ignore my suggestions, although it appears he accepted them. And I will stay out of it. I tried to help.

I think what I am irritated with was the assumption I was just complaining and "To all of the folks that feel the need to publicly complain about j-mt's inability to meet demand, I ask you - what have you contributed to the wetshaving community? Where is your soap? Your razor? Your brush? Do you have any idea what it takes to create something excellent?"

Consumers don't create tangible products, they produce the economy and flow of commerce. I believe this to be a red herring totally not relevant to this discussion, a means to create guilt because "its wet shaving" and somehow that makes it special. Nonsense, its no different than any other hobby whether small or huge and wet shaving is not any more special than any other hobby.

Grim, a goods business exists to do one thing: sell product. Bufflehead soaps sell out. Instantaneously. The business model does not need improving.

I'm not a mind reader, but I'm pretty sure the only reason j-mt is looking into the email notifications is to shut up salty whiners like yourself.

Like was stated before, this is not a business. It is a hobby. j-mt is basically making soaps for himself and selling extras for fun. If you really want to get your hands on some high-demand low-production soap you need to be willing to jump through the hoops. I used to collect rare and valuable sneakers. I've camped out in front of shoe stores all night and not even gotten my pair. I've waited with 10 websites open across 3 devices waiting for stores to release the product and sat frustrated while website servers crash only to see "sold out" messages when they come online hours later. Lost a pair because of a typo on my credit card number during checkout? Been there. I'm still salty about some of those losses. It's the nature of the game when demand greatly outstrips supply.

So if you want some Bufflehead, get ready to stalk social media, and be waiting on your computer hitting f5 when the release time hits. It's the only way.

P.S. I've gotten the "cart reminder" email for sold out kicks before. It's just a hiccup in the system, all you can do is laugh it off because you never had a chance in the first place.

The great thing about following Bufflehead, RazoRock, Mike's etc.on Instagram & Twitter is you can enjoy their hobby along with them. Fletcher is a fantastic soap!

Grim, a goods business exists to do one thing: sell product.  Bufflehead soaps sell out.  Instantaneously.  The business model does not need improving.  

I'm not a mind reader, but I'm pretty sure the only reason j-mt is looking into the email notifications is to shut up salty whiners like yourself.

Like was stated before, this is not a business.  It is a hobby.  j-mt is basically making soaps for himself and selling extras for fun.  If you really want to get your hands on some high-demand low-production soap you need to be willing to jump through the hoops.  I used to collect rare and valuable sneakers.  I've camped out in front of shoe stores all night and not even gotten my pair.  I've waited with 10 websites open across 3 devices waiting for stores to release the product and sat frustrated while website servers crash only to see "sold out" messages when they come online hours later.  Lost a pair because of a typo on my credit card number during checkout?  Been there.  I'm still salty about some of those losses.  It's the nature of the game when demand greatly outstrips supply.

So if you want some Bufflehead, get ready to stalk social media, and be waiting on your computer hitting f5 when the release time hits.  It's the only way.

P.S. I've gotten the "cart reminder" email for sold out kicks before.  It's just a hiccup in the system, all you can do is laugh it off because you never had a chance in the first place.

Funny how this is the second person in this thread to submit their first post throwing around insults at other long-standing, contributing forum members. Nobody attacked or insulted the owner of Bufflehead soaps here so cool your jets people. Strange and it kinda makes me wonder...

BTW, welcome to DFS.

Funny how this is the second person in this thread to submit their first post throwing around insults at other long-standing, contributing forum members. Nobody attacked or insulted the owner of Bufflehead soaps here so cool your jets people. Strange and it kinda makes me wonder...

BTW, welcome to DFS.

I think this thread is being brigaded by a certain group of people that know j-mt.