Originally published on November 18, 2009.
Last Friday night, at 4.30pm, the cash register went down. No cash register on a Friday evening in November is about as close as a wine store can get to front line combat. Luckily, we have a manual credit card swipe machine, a calculator with really big buttons, and an on-line payment gateway, so the show could go on. Even more importantly, I had scheduled an emergency-next-day-Saturday appointment with my computer guy by 4.45pm.
It’s good to have a computer guy. It’s probably one of the top 5 guys you need to have if you ever plan to open a wine store. If you’re missing one of them (and obviously, it’s OK if your guys are girls), make sure you find one…
1. A Computer Guy: for when your computer dies just as you’re going into a weekend
2. A General Handy Man Guy: for when the toilet’s clogged, or you need your air conditioner filters cleaned, or you need to install light blocking blinds on the windows
3. A Graphic Designer Guy: to whip up a cool logo or put together an advertisement for your local paper (because sorry, even though they say they have an art department that can put together the ad, you really don’t want them to)
4. A Web Guy: to develop a cool web site: and tweak it when you change your mind
Those are the essential guys and I have found a great one of each.
On the non-essential front: A Photographer Guy to take pictures of your store, you in your store, and the wine in your store. Right now I’m making due with and iPhone and the Camera Bag app for wine pictures. But I’d like to find a good photographer guy, so if you know one, send him my way!