Good Saturday

This entry comes at the end of what has been the busiest day so far, which blows all the negativity from the last post! It seems a lot of people have decided just to get on with it and head out, the weather is beautiful, if a little on the chilly side, and with a fair few sales of warm sleeping bags to go along with it! I myself managed to get out for an afternoon drive and wander yesterday in the sun, heading out towards Elterwater, over to Grassmere and walking up to a cracking (relatively unknown) viewpoint giving views of the Langdales, Grassmere, Rydal and Loughrigg, amazing views with the snow still quite heavy higher up.

A good start to the season is always a good thing, and it also coincides with Easter, which happened to give us a good start to a new life!

Easter is good for my business, the two weeks or so for schools, and the 4 day weekend most people will get is a good opportunity to get the first trip of the year in. But I love Easter more for the fact that it reminds me of the amazing sacrifice that happened to save my life. That God came as a man, Jesus, to die in my place, for all the wrong I have ever done, and will do, not least ignoring Him and living like He doesn't exist. I deserve to die and go to hell, but Jesus took my punishment so I could have eternal life with Him when I die. To prove He did this, Jesus rose from the dead three days later to show He was more powerful than death. I have nothing to fear if I don't need to fear death, and I have something that will always satisfy, and never waste away like everything else in this world. I won't do this too often, but Easter is the most important time of the year for me, so wanted to take the opportunity to tell you why!

If you have a spare few minutes, check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyYFxp7apl4 .

Not sure when the next post will be, as I have a busy week ahead with my end of year, stock taking and a few deliveries due too! As I'm on my own it may take a while!

Questionable Easter...

So as I sit here, only a day away from the Easter Holidays and what is generally the proper start to the season, I look out the door to see snow falling. Now as I said in the previous Blog, I like the stuff, BUT when it disrupts business it definitely has a bad side. At the moment we can't seem to trust the weather people, it seems if they talk with enough confidence in their voice then all is well. But I don't know what will happen over the Easter holidays, if it's cold and snowy, then surely most potential visitors will stay home or head south, but if it's dry then all will be well! I don't like too much sitting on my own all day, so regular customers are always welcome! But if this weather persists then it's looking likely I will have some more lonely cold days ahead. I do have jobs to do, such as completing a VAT return, Tax return and getting to grips with new software, but distractions are something I welcome.

We are currently expecting deliveries from Blue Diamond and Vango, with more to follow. So keep your eyes and ears open for new products and reviews! Talking of Reviews, I will insert a mini one here!

The Gelert Tryfan 300 sleeping bag is, in my opinion, one the best value bags on the market! If you are wanting to keep your bones safe from the chill all year round for less than thirty quid, then this is ideal. It is an entry level technical bag, ideal for the budding scout, duke of edinburgh-erer, back packer on a budget or the  car campers tight on space. Boasting shoulder baffles to keep the cold out and the heat in, compression straps for a not too shabby pack size, a ridged hood for extra cosyness and a comfort rating down to -1 degrees, this ticks all the boxes for those who's boxes are few and regular in shape.

Snow Business

Snow! That word can bring (generally) one of two reactions, excitement or disgust. Personally I get overly excited, probably too excited for a 25 year old, but I love the stuff! Firstly it makes everywhere look amazing, even the roughest estate, or most run down industrial area once covered in the white stuff instantly looks a bit friendlier. Coming from the Lake District,  the snow here looks fantastic, and to be honest it's the winter months when I prefer to be out walking too. You get the hills to yourself, nearly, and the views are incredible. It does annoy me when the are those who get very upset with the snow, though recently I have seen their side of the story! It slows business down some what, be it that people just won't go camping or caravanning in the snow, or that the roads are so bad that they can't even get to the shop! So yes, it's not all fine and dandy, but I still think we need to make the most if it.

What I noticed a couple of years ago was how snow can suddenly bring us 21st century, techno mad, people to engage in what seems to be a very simple pleasure...sliding down a hill on a tray. Sledging is essentially this, you trudge up a hill, to spend a fraction of the time it took to get up sliding back down on a tray of some sorts. It's brilliant, and it seems that most recognise that it's much more fun than playing on the wiistation 360. People have spent hundreds, if not thousands on entertainment, on games, home movies etc, but get them on a piece of plastic costing under a tenner and they are loving it. So even if you don't really like the snow, and it's an inconvenience, at least it gets you out the house and back to having real fun for a couple of days.

Here is an interesting new product on the market, and one I am considering selling! It's called the Smart Tent, and is basically a very easy to pitch one man tent. Every one wants easy now-a-days, and you can't get any easier than this, even the pop up tents can be tricky to fold down! Being off the ground means it will be kept cleaner, and ideal for those who don't like stooping down. Get a few in a circle round a fire and it's great way to spend a weekend away! Chuck it in the car and go, you can even leave your bedding inside! With a 1500mm hydrostatic head, it will be fine for British summers, though I wouldn't want to be using it in torrential down pours! Pitch it under a tarp for extra protection too, but people who are likely to be using these will no doubt check the weather first! Personally I would love to give  one a try, and wouldn't hesitate to use it year round! At a bargain price of £130 and pitched in 50 seconds it's worth a look!

So this is my first ever attempt at a blog, hopefully I will do more in the future and hopefully they will be of interest! Consisting of business news, opinions on products as well as personal musings on anything I particularly want to share!

A brief explanation of who we are, how we started and what the plans are for the business I feel would be an appropriate start to this blogging malarkey. I used to work for my Dad at Kendal Camping Centre Ltd until it closed down in January/February 2012, as I was looking for a job my wife and I were talking about options and a few people had said about opening a smaller shop. This seemed to make sense as the only down side to my Dads was that the premises was just too big. So after a few long number crunching sessions and chats to suppliers we decided to have a dab at the business owning world.

So we opened the doors on March 1st 2013, with a (very) small loan and enough stock to get going we were away. As it happens we opened in the worst year the camping and caravanning industry has ever had! With bad weather, the Olympics keeping people in front of TV's as well as other factors, it wasn't an amazing year by any stretch, but we managed and we are here for year two. The way we run the business may not conform to the normal way, and if my tutors from university studied how I operate they would think me mad! This is because the business is not the most important thing in my life! It isn't even 2nd place! I do not live to work, but work to bring in enough income to live on. It was the alternative to getting a job, which at the moment would be tricky, so providing myself with work seemed to make sense. We do not open Sundays as it would interfere with going to church, despite pressure to open as we would make more money if we did. Note, I am not against working on a Sunday, but working 7 days a week is not healthy for the body, the mind, the marriage and especially not for my faith.

As a  Christian, there are many things that I do and don't do in the operating of my business that some may see as strange. I try to operate as honestly and as lawfully as I possibly can (not as common place in the business world as we would hope), and don't take huge risks financially ( partly because I don't have huge numbers on my on line banking screen) , though risk taking is part of business so calculated risks are fine by me,

As far as our customers are concerned, we have quite a wide demographic really. From young teens doing D of E and scouts, to families going camping or caravanning, and retired motor homers to people who live in yurts! It's a great job being able to meet so many people (through summer anyway) and chat to them about where they from or what they are doing. Part of why I love to sell stuff is getting to talk to people, we have a few people who even pop in just for a brew! It's great meeting new people, and hopefully by giving the best service I can, they will be inclined to return. In just one year I have met people who are travelling around the world, doing long distance walks, rides and drives, and people from every corner of the globe! Its great to see so many people getting out and about, exploring and enjoying the beautiful creation we live in (the lake district especially!) and being able to assist people in doing that is a pleasure!

I will end my first blog here, I'm sure there will be more to follow!