Merlin, World Kindness and Keeping Cool

Greetings from Bali…

Hope you guys are doing well and the Christmas trading season is keeping you nicely busy.

I have been working with the super bright guys in our Dev and Marketing office. Last week I was telling you how lovely a beach office can be… and about the less lovely effects of salt getting into absolutely everything. If you missed it you can catch up here.

Well, this week we have had a meltdown in the electricity supply and half the air conditioners haven't been working properly. Despite this, the team cheerfully gets on with the job, with some relocating to our offices at the AW warehouse. AW heroes, every one of them. Developing very cool things in a decidedly uncool room.

But despite this there really are some very cool things happening. Raul's (IT top wizard)) deep knowledge of AW, combined with our developers and a generous helping of AI, has made possible some awesome functions behind the scenes. Hopefully you have noticed the website becoming more dynamic recently.

Below, I want to introduce you to Merlin… you're going to be inspired, I promise.

This week I have also been working with Vika, our cool guy developer, who spends his spare time inventing party card games and selling them on Indonesia's version of Amazon. I love that. Someone who has an idea, makes it into a product and gets it out into the world. A skill I greatly admire. 

Meet.. Vika one of our many smart guys. Orang-Pinta as they say here.. Codes like a wizard, plays classic music very faintly while he works and invents truth or dare card games in his spare time. He gave me a full set to take back to the friends he made at AW in Europe. 

Which brings me to my mission here. I'm trying to use AI to connect our artisans more closely to you and AW. The ambition is for artisans to have their own AW portal, where they can see feedback from retailers and the people who buy their creations… then use that knowledge to develop and suggest new ideas. 

Imagine a maker in Bali finding out what customers in your shop really love about their work. Or discovering that one small change would make something much more useful. There is so much potential in getting those conversations going. Coming soon.

Three special days…

First, today is Friday the 13th. And that means… of course…

World Kindness Day!

Not that other thing. Forget about that negative stuff.. Haha.

World Kindness Day was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, to encourage good deeds and remind us of the kindness that connects people across the world. I rather like the idea of Friday the 13th being a day to do something lovely. Give the black cat a stroke. Make someone a cuppa. Be especially kind to the person trying to fix the air conditioning.

Here he is working since early this morning.. bring back the cool.. 

Second, we have Black Friday at AW… except ours is running all month.

The American shopping day after Thanksgiving has become quite a global event. Officially it's on 27th November this year, but we thought you might appreciate getting the deals while there is still time to stock your shelves for Christmas.

And third… a birthday.

On 16th November, Ancient Wisdom turns 31.

Thirty-one years since I opened that first market stall in Sheffield, selling essential oils and oil burners. AW folk like to mark the occasion every year, and always ask me to say a few words.

Well, that first day was such a disaster I almost gave up. You can read the story here.

I'm quite glad I went back the next day.

Since then there have been many ups and downs, some quite devastating setbacks, and plenty of moments when the way forward was far from obvious. Somehow that little street market stall grew into a worldwide organisation, connecting makers and gift traders across countries I could hardly have imagined visiting back then.

And thinking about World Kindness Day… isn't kindness at the heart of what we all do?

A gift is a way of saying I love you. Thank you. I'm thinking of you. Sometimes, I saw this and knew you would love it.

An act as ancient as humanity, still happening every day across your shop counters.

So yes, I'm proud to have been part of this for almost 31 years. But none of it happens without YOUR support.

You are the gift traders who complete the circle, taking something made with care and helping it find the person who will treasure it.

Perhaps “gift traders” doesn't quite cover it.

Kindness Enablers. I think that should be your official job title.

And now… meet Merlin.

The team here in Bali have been working on something of an ultimate tech dream of mine. To mark our 31st birthday, we are introducing Merlin, your AW guide. Look out for him on the website.

Merlin is a specially trained AI agent, grounded in all things Ancient Wisdom. We are teaching him about our products, our heritage and the stories behind what we sell. There is a lot to soak up… 31 years of it, and we are still adding to his education.

Because we have thousands of products, and some of those little product pictures have a surprisingly big story behind them. Artisan skills passed through families. Materials chosen carefully. Designs developed over years. Details that help you explain to a customer why something is special.

If you have ever visited one of our distribution warehouses, you will know the feeling. Thousands of products, containers arriving, orders heading out to your shops… retail opportunities everywhere you look.

But where do you start? How on earth do you make the most of all that Ancient Wisdom in your own business?

Let Merlin help you explore.

Tell him a little about your business. What sort of shop you have, who your customers are, what you hope to achieve. Perhaps you want ideas for a small display, a new range to explore, or help understanding products you haven't stocked before. AND if you are just starting out maybe on a street market somewhere.. This is a journey—believe me - which can be quite amazing! Could take you anywhere.

So.. Give MERLIN something to work with and see where the conversation takes you.

He is still learning, and what you ask and the feedback you give will help us develop him further. I'm very interested to see what you discover together.

From a cold Sheffield market stall to a slightly overheated Bali office… it has been quite a journey. And sitting here with this inventive team, working on ways to connect artisans, technology and your businesses, I feel there is still so much ahead.

Thank you for being part of it. For stocking the products, telling the stories, taking a chance on something new… and helping all those small acts of kindness find their way into the world.

Take care, have a lovely Kindness Day… and be kind to yourselves too. It's a busy time of year for Kindness Enablers.