MOVE IT; MOVE IT; MOVE IT!

The big move has come. You've done this before, right? Of course, but if you've forgotten any details you may be regretting not making a list and cheeking it twice.

Being thorough when moving is, of course, rule of thumb, but no matter how hard we try, something is always missed. Perhaps we should all prepare ourselves mentally for this eventuality.

Having everything packed up securely, well before loading and transporting, gives you breathing room to be as thorough as you possibly can. Checking and rechecking boxes and appliances and furniture can't be done enough. You have many things to keep track of and the more you inspect, the better.

The first step should be acquiring as many cheap moving boxes as you can find. Buying them at storage or moving companies is an option and going to local stores can get you some freebies. The professional moving company will have their own check lists for you and they can provide materials like blankets and straps for protecting furniture, etc. Making your own check list in addition is helpful and recommended, but boxes always come first.

There's really no easy way to pack up and move from your home. It will be stressful at times and it is strenuous by any measure, so keeping hydrated and fed goes a long way to helping with the physicality of the whole process. That goes without saying, but I said it anyway. Checking and rechecking your physical condition applies too.

Having lots of help is very important. However, getting friends and family to pitch in is, well, you know. There may not be a list or a website or service to help you in that regard at all! But there are professionals, and hiring them is always a best first step. Perhaps your friends and family will show up if professionals are there. Who knows?

Back to step one. Checking everything again. It can't be done enough, and having packed boxes; crates; furniture and appliances located centrally in the biggest room is a good way to keep tabs on all of your belongings. Methods can be preferential and each home is different. Therefore having a good plan before hand cuts down on errors or incidents.

Time makes all the difference. Waiting until the last minute should be against the law. Putting off any detail until the last minute is never a good thing. Though it may be a bit inconvenient, packing should be done as early as possible before the big day, even if sleeping on a couch or mattress is the only option. It's a small price to pay to ensure that things go smoothly.

Cleaning up as the process begins will be a simple matter and is a good way to keep checking for forgotten items, and it can be one less chore to do when everything is on the truck. Focus is the key and keeping outside distractions to a minimum helps the old memory.

That un-packing is simply the reverse of packing is not true; no matter how hard you try. Moving is simply not simple, but it is a part of life and when the time comes, help is always around be it personal or professional. Oh, don't forget the packing tape.

Shipping Issues for My Business

I work for a medium-sized company that specializes in international supply chain management. We partner with many different companies around the world and help them figure out ways in which they can improve upon their current operations with production, packaging, and supply chain management. I have worked in this business for many years and have worked with a very wide range of companies and businesses across the globe. We’ve seen it all in terms of mistakes, changes, adaptations, and transitions that different companies have made in regards to packing and shipping, production, and supply chain management.

From a young age, I’ve always been taught that it’s important to have a side hustle or something that you can use to make money on the side. They say that extremely wealthy people have at least 7 different sources of income. With the craziness surrounding the  pandemic, I have found my current side hustle for the time being. I started off by making face masks for family and friends as gifts, especially when the pandemic first became an issue. Many people had a hard time getting their hands on affordable face masks due to shortages. However, I began to sell these masks online in my local community through Facebook marketplace and eBay as a way of making a little extra income on the side.

My background as a supply chain specialist has helped me in lots of ways as I have worked to find my niche market with my facemasks. A big problem that arose during my early days producing and selling face masks was having enough supply on hand in order to fulfill all the orders that were coming in. With the shortage of face masks on an almost global scale, you can imagine that I had a lot of orders coming in on a daily basis. I began to hire some of my close friends that were willing to help me produce these masks. The process of making them is not very hard or complicated, it just takes a little bit of knowledge with fabric and sewing machines. Some of my friends who were willing to help were already familiar and competent in these ways, so it was very much a welcome help to my production process.

Another problem arose when I started to sell my masks on a more national level. I needed to quickly and efficiently obtain packaging and shipping supplies; packages, adhesive, poly bags, and other sorts of materials were in high demand at the time, so it was hard to obtain some of these items on a regular basis. Shipping my face masks was relatively easy with UPS, and it did not add a whole lot of extra cost to my production and shipping costs. I only added a small fee with each purchase for shipping if it was an out-of-state order. 

Overall, my side hustle has been quite successful during the pandemic. Things have gone well with shipping, and I don’t see a lot of complaints about lost or damaged items. I made sure to look up some of the highest quality poly bags I could find. Things have slowed down a bit due to the pandemic becoming more managed and with a very saturated market for facemasks. However, I am glad to have found a side hustle that can really produce a lot of revenue.