It's about time.

Just for a change of pace, I thought I'd talk about Pegasus Books today.

There's a reason I haven't been talking about it -- no news is good news.  Things are just humming along nicely.

The big thing I'm trying to do is not get in the way of the store -- just let it run, without pushing it one direction or another.  It took me a very long time to get the mix of product right, but I think I got there a year or two ago.

I'm trying very hard to keep the store up, but not overspend.  That's the main thing.   The hardest thing to do is to change a pattern once I've been doing it a long time.  For a long time I was looking for every possibility to buy -- sales, volume discounts, special offers, etc. etc.

Now, I'm trying to maintain the store, without overspending. 

So far I've had three and a half months without breaking discipline.  It's still hard, even now.  I see all kinds of things I'd like to buy for the store.  But I'm trying to stick the the essentials, and not fall into debt during the slow months.

I broke down once -- I made a huge game order that I'm still trying to absorb.

The equation is essentially this -- slightly lower sales, slightly higher profits.  Less risk, paying as I go. 

Starting in about mid-May, I'll be able to increase my budget by 10 to 20%, say 15%, and I'll try to fill in all the holes that have developed in the slow months.  Of course, with increased seasonal sales, I'll probably just continue to keep up.

I've purposely stayed away from the store -- not just because I want to write, but also because I want to see how the store runs itself.  I'm less inclined to get a sudden urge to spend money if I'm not there.  I'm also wanting my employees to establish their presence at the store, and trying to distinguish how much sales are me and my giving deals and buying stuff -- and how much is the store and the inventory.

Another month of two and I figure this new approach will be habit.  Already, I'm finding it easier to avoid temptation.  Every time I go to work, I'm reassure by the depth of the inventory and that we're keeping the essentials in stock.  In fact, I may be keeping more essentials in stock because I don't go off and spent all the money on some new buying spree.

I don't know that I've ever strung a year together where I was disciplined and didn't break down and overspend.  So maybe it's about time.