You asked for a quick explanation of my inventory process, so here it is!
It's not perfect, but it works for me - and I wish that when I first started that there was someone willing to share about what works for them. So here it is - a step by step guide to what I do in order of how I do it. I hope this simple list helps you consider what you need in your own inventory system.
If you're looking for a guide to inventory, here is a blog post I wrote called From Chaos to Control: How to Organize Your Wood Flower Inventory Like a Pro with a basic overview of things you need to consider when doing your inventory.
My Step-by-Step Process of Inventory Tracking at NWB:
Receive order of new flowers or greenery.
Open the box to determine if everything is there.
DO NOT PUT ANYTHING AWAY UNTIL NEW SHIPMENT IS RECORDED. (This takes self-discipline, am I right!?)
Record into my spreadsheets sourced from Paper and Spark - quantity, price is essential.
I personally record by the way I USE them in an arrangement. If I break down the bush into stems, I count the inventory in STEMS. If I use the tips (I call them sprigs) I DO count out how many sprigs are in a bush. It helps me with pricing my arrangement later. The more detailed I am here, the easier it is to track my profit margins.
It is essential to track your items in the terms you recognize. I have definitions for spray, bush, sprig and stem in my mind - and my arrangements. This helps me in my organization to figure out cost of goods.
Put away greenery and/or flowers in designated bins with titles and photos as labels.
Create with inventory - record what goes into each manufacture (each arrangement, etc.)
Manufactures get recorded daily into the inventory spreadsheet of finished goods. They subtract from the available materials on hand.
List the product on the website. Record Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) in the listing to know profitability.
When the item gets added to my website, the inventory is now recorded on the website as in stock or sold out. My manufactured items are inventoried on the website and my materials are inventoried in the spreadsheet.
When I need to see where I am at, I can look at either the shelves for a visual reference of what is low, or I can check my spreadsheet to see if any numbers are lower than I'd like.
That's literally IT! Don't make this harder than it needs to be! The key is keeping up with the system and not letting everyday tasks go ahead of my systems. I need to stay discipled in my actions throughout the day to stay on task and running more like a machine than a whirlwind of chaos (Don't worry that happens too!)
So, tell me, do you have a system!? Do you USE IT!? What has worked well for you?
If you'd like to set up a time to create a custom plan for your business in a 1:1 call, I'd love to chat and help you. There is no reason to struggle through simple business tasks alone when you can call on a guide to help you through it. I wish I had a resource when I was figuring it all out on my own. Let me cut your time in half, or even by years like it took me! Happy to help. Have a great day flower friend.
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