Planning, Planning, Planning

Changes going on here.

I’ve been wanting to freshen up the website for a while. I need new pictures, update some info and bios. It saddens me that all I put on here are the podcast (so that it goes to Apple Podcasts) and the “What’s Coming Next Week” list. My problem is that I come up with ideas and then think about how much time its going to take to prepare it and I don’t even start. I want to update the site, but I have zero website building skills and I don’t know what I really want in order to ask for help. I keep thinking “I’ll start making notes about it” but I never do.

My friend Joe (Captain Blue Hen) gave me a book that he had given to all his employees. Finish – Give Yourself the Gift of Done. The basic idea is you’ll be a lot happier if you actually finish something and move on to the next task. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Stop keeping yourself from finishing. Or in my case keeping myself from even starting.

The best way I have to keep my graphic novels straight is to be physically checking the shelves. The computer does a great job but two things mess it up. 1) I have doubles in the basement because there’s not enough room on the shelves for doubles. There is no mechanism to tell me that I sold one and need to bring one up from the basement. So, only by looking the shelf do I see I am missing Vol 3 and check to see if I have one in the overstock. 2) Distributors are not telling me when backorders are canceled. So, the computer thinks I have Vol 2 on order when I really don’t. I can update my ‘on order’ stuff, but it doesn’t tell me that that Vol 3 is no longer on order.

So, I have to do a physical inventory every once in a while. When checking stuff off, I note that I am out of Vol 3 and then check. I then pull it from the basement or order a copy.

My problem arises after I am about 2 weeks into doing the inventory. There is a lot to count and little time to do it. Between customers is tough. So, we’ll get started and then I worry about how much has come in and gone out since we started and decide to restart and then go for a month and give up. Then 2 months later, I’ll try again.

Just reading the introduction to the book made me realize that an inaccurate inventory is a whole lot better than no inventory and we are plowing ahead on that. I also realized that making some changes to the website, even without a complete plan, is better than doing nothing.

I had a neat idea about adding more content to the site. I knew that doing reviews of new books is a fool’s game. Lots of other places do it and I wouldn’t want to be negative, because I still need to sell the stock that I have. I also know I’m a little older than most of my customers. My basis for comic history is a bit off. I started really reading in the late 70s early 80s. So, a book that is really cool and brings back neat memories to me may be unknown to you. I experienced this when a copy of DC Comics Presents #26 came in and Adam and Tim had no idea why I was excited about it. So, I was going to write a piece about the book. And I kept putting it off. And putting it off.

Joe’s book basically gave me a kick in the butt saying get it done. It doesn’t need to be perfect. But if you never start, you’ll never get anywhere. Do one, then you’ll do 2 and then the train will start chugging down the tracks.

Another guy I read and listen to is always talking about branding. What is your brand? I don’t know. I can’t be all knowing about comics. I can’t even say that I’m an expert in any one area. So, what is my brand? What can I do differently than any (or most) stores.

I was batting this idea around. I mentioned it to by buddy Jermaine (Acme Comics in Greensboro, NC). He thought my idea was pretty great. He also brought up the brand thing (I pointed him towards Gary Vee too). He said “You know, the guys here call you Uncle Colin. Go with that.” Jermaine doesn’t like to fly, so he sent his two lackeys, um employees (now co-owners) out to a ComicsPRO meeting in Portland a few years back and I did my best to show them who was who and give them some guidance, So, I can see where that name made sense to them. “Uncle Colin is sending us copies of that book we need.” “Can you see if Uncle Colin has any.” It makes perfect sense to me.

That name also really kind of works here. I’m 10-20 years older than the bulk of my customers. So, kind of like an uncle. But also the cool uncle who sells comics. I think I can do something with that brand.

So, back to the idea. How exactly will I use this newfound persona.? Well…. I don’t want to review recent books. But what if I reviewed older books? Stuff that I may not be familiar with. But books that you may know. I started digging through the dollar boxes. Now my boxes right now are a little different than most stores. I had a big collection come in a while back and the stuff in the dollar boxes is mostly stuff from that collection that I already had in stock. I don’t have room for doubles and most of this was nothing special. So, I dug around and grabbed a stack of stuff that I mostly had not read. I did not read much between 1990 (when I graduated college) and around 1996. And it’s really sporadic until I opened in 2006, I have a big old gap in my comics history. So, I will be seeking out books from this time and give them my review.

Please feel free to comment “Come on man! I looooved this when it came out” and the like. I think it will be fun. And it will get me adding stuff to the site and creating content. And becoming Uncle Colin. Uncle Colin’s Retro Reviews. Coming as soon as I get some read!