They say moving house is one of the most stressful events in life so – me being me – I decided this year not only to move house but to move business too! If you’ve been following my story on the blog, social media, or spoken to me in person, you’ll know that this month Skin Deep Clinic left Kinton Grange forever and moved to a new base of operations. Since Monday 16 September Skin Deep Clinic’s new permanent location is The Beauty Lounge on Shewsbury’s Battlefield Enterprise Park.
Now that the move is over and I’m settled in I can confirm that yes, it definitely is stressful… but worth it. Here’s how I got on with mistakes included – you may be able to learn from them!
Lesson number one: don’t multitask
Once everything was confirmed with The Beauty Lounge for the new treatment room I started the renovation/redecoration process. In true Wendy style I tried to be uber organised whilst still running full clinics (not so sensible as I now know). Maybe that’s where I went wrong…
Whilst spending a few days with the children before the autumn term started I arranged for the new clinic room floor to be replaced and painted in my absence. I neglected to mention that I would need to use the room for a clinic straight after I came back. Cue one mad panic putting the furniture back in 15 minutes flat!
Lesson number two: avoid heavy lifting where possible
I hounded my stylish friends for their advice on décor and agreed a bright colour to offset the grey floor would be refreshing. I decided on filing cabinets and a wardrobe for storage and plumped for orange fronts (see picture above – I think the orange works really well).
I put the order in on the website for a prompt delivery (did I mention I left this all at far too short notice?). The furniture arrived on a pallet… left outside the new clinic. Not to be outdone by heavy furniture I lugged the cabinets in off the pallet with a little help from a friend (and later on some anti-inflammatory tablets).
Lesson number three: be prepared to DIY
The wardrobe seemed a little “flat”. How could I have forgotten in my hurry that I don’t “do” flat pack?! I googled “people who put flat pack furniture together” and found a website where I put a request out for a flat pack fitter. Who would have thought there was such a service? Well guess what… no one replied.
With a little help from another friend I got the flat pack wardrobe together as much as a Phillips screwdriver would allow. Unfortunately when it came time for the use of a hammer (not in my limited tool kit) my shoe simply didn’t cut it – so we had to give up!
Lesson number four: read the fine print
Day two of wardrobe construction ended in – how shall I put this? I now have a sideboard. It cannot be moved but it is fully functional as a storage unit and looks the part. Good job really as it also came minus shelves.
All buoyed to complain to the furniture supplier I checked the description and, lo and behold in the small print: “ self-assembly required and no shelves provided”. Oh dear Wendy, I hear you all groan…
Lesson number five: foolscap is not A4 (aka read the fine print part two)
Another little hiccup with the furniture… The orange filing cabinets look great but it’s a shame I didn’t realise they are foolscap size and not A4! To be fair, if I had indeed read the small print I would have known this (groans all around). Am I the only one who didn’t know foolscap is bigger than A4…?
So in the end I had to buy 50 new suspension files. Anyway, at least the filing cabinets weren’t flat packed too!
Lesson number six: always be thankful
Throughout all the ups and downs of this move, I’ve been supported every step of the way by very patient family and friends. A bit cheesy I know, but my final bit of advice is to be thankful for those people who stick by you through thick and thin!
I’m also grateful for the prompt service from my sign maker (Sign & Poster on Battlefield Enterprise Park – check them out if you’re after print, signs, stationary, etc.) Thanks to a quick turnaround everything was ready for the first official open day on September 16.
I’m loving the new Skin Deep Clinic venue, and judging by reactions from the clients who have been to see me, you guys are too! So far… so good.
Hope to see you at Battlefield soon.
Wendy
P.S. Lesson number seven: Give me a needle and syringe over a screwdriver and hammer any day!!
