I’ve learned that financial plans always need to include a line item for miscellaneous/unexpected costs. Just like the unexpected costs of having a baby, there are also unexpected costs of having a business.
I was able to find a great consultant to help me revamp this website, but the original estimate unfortunately doubled when the consultant was finally able to get into the heart of the site and found that I had created all sorts of hard codes that couldn’t be fixed with the click of a button or a the “global replace” function. I guess I learned the hard way that fake-hacking can be costly; that the starting price could quickly double.
Of course, the same is true for baby items. A $3 soothing tool can quickly cost you $25. Over the holidays, I misplaced Amelia’s pacifier. Luckily, I had a back-up, but it was the last one, and that’s a scary thought when your child depends on a pacifier to fall asleep.
So it was time to buy a new batch. But I couldn’t find Amelia’s preferred “Playtex Latex Binky (non-angled)” in any store — or online! Turns out that there are scores of other parents in my shoes, hunting for replacement Binkies, posting on Facebook, demanding an explanation from Playtex. How dare they discontinue this item?!?! I turned to eBay, of course – home of all odds and ends for sale. Success! Someone is selling Amelia’s Binkies, in an unopened package!! Joy quickly turns to sticker shock when I see the “buy now” option at $50. What??? Yes, that’s for a package of 2 Binkies, but that used to cost only $6! I try some quick math, estimating how much it will cost me to try all sorts of different pacifiers that Amelia will most certainly reject, and the cost of lost sleep. But this financial model doesn’t work. I can’t honestly pay $50 for something I used to buy for $6. I move on and decide to order the angled version of the Playtex Latex Binky that still available for $6. Maybe she won’t notice? Maybe she won’t ever lose her last pacifier and I won’t have to resort to these new ones?
I’ve been able to minimize the cost this time around, but I guess with babies — companies and children, alike — it’s important to expect the unexpected costs. All right, back to the growth hacking.
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