How to Organize 200+ Different Orders…

I love a system. I love a plan.

When it came to figuring out how to make sure everyone got the correct order from the Kickstarter pre-orders, I felt overwhelmed. So many different packages, the ability to add things on, bonus stickers for the orders that came in during the first 24 hours… which admittedly I forgot about until I had already started execution of the below. Plus orders from the website between the Kickstarter ending and the books arriving!

What to do?!

I started thinking about this in July.

By August, I had a plan. I had a system. And I had recruited friends and family who were on board with making it a reality.

The plan:
The pallet of books was being delivered to the Techniplex (I hope whatever spiritual being you believe in blesses Jim Buckingham). Since everyone was getting a personalized thank you note (started writing these in June, slowly but surely), I could put a sticky note on the front of what they ordered as I was looking at the spreadsheet imported from Kickstarter. As I started, orders with clothing were flagged with a different colour sticky note stuck off the side, since Kickstarter surveys weren’t sent yet. Once surveys all came in, I added that info in (size/colour) on the original sticky note as I went, and updated those left flagged.

I also flagged - in a colour coded manner - if books were being dropped off, shipped, or picked up based on survey responses.

The system:
Above mentioned packing team would:
1. Pick up a thank you postcard
2. Pull the items listed
3. Place them and the card in front of my QA person to compare what I wrote on the sticky to what was on the Kickstarter spreadsheet
4. I would package them based on ship/drop/pickup

The crew:

The reality:
We worked out some kinks really fast. My friends reminded me that I had been thinking about this for months, and that they had known about it for minutes. I reminded myself I needed to make the thought in my brain become words they could follow.

After that, much smoother sailing.

The system worked well, and we had everything packaged, boxed, and organized in 3 hours.

I know I’ve said it before, but I am so very blessed to have the crew around me that I have. It is not lost on me.

Hot tip: if you need shipping supplies hit up Dollarama. Much, much cheaper than anywhere else, and great options for envelopes and boxes.

The result:
An hour at the post office. One parking ticket. So many smiling faces!!

This was just 1/3 of the receipts for shipping!