Funny Friday!!!!

I have to say today I got a good laugh at myself.  I am doing my second craft show of the year.  And yes, I asked the appropriate questions this time!!!!  LOL  It's in Pendleton, IN and is down by Falls Creek.  My business associate and I got a great spot.  Right along the falls.  It's a beautiful view.

Here's the funny part.  Usually when I do a show I pay the extra $10 to be under the main tent so I don't have to go through the whole process of buying and putting up a tent.  Well, this show has no main tent so we have to bring our own tents.  Fortunately, Susan has one.  I was not investing $150 in a dining canopy for one show.  So we load everything up this morning and go down to Pendleton to set up.  Like I said we got a beautiful spot.  Very happy with it.  But the actual assembling of the tent was another story.  Susan has a gallstone and is getting her gallbladder out next week and is in alot of pain so I don't like her to do too much right now.  But I am very short and putting this thing together was a riot.  We had poles backwards and upside down and then got the thing upright and couldn't figure out how to put the tent part together.  We finally got it done after alot of sweat and laughing and admired our work.  Then we had it facing the wrong way so we had to take the stakes out and turn it.  Let's just hope it doesn't blow over or something tonight.  LOL  It's supposed to be beautiful this weekend so let's hope for alot of sales!!!!!

The other day I joined a site called bloggerdise.com.  It is a site for businesses and bloggers to get together and help each others businesses.  I have already had 4 bloggers contact me to be featured in their blogs!!!  I am very excited about it.  This is what I am talking about guys.  Things like this can only help us get our names out there and hopefully bring traffic to our shops.  I have been spending hours a day figuring out ways to get my name out there over the net.  I am hoping this is going to work.  I will keep ya all updated on how well it's going.

Read this weekend to hear how the show in Pendleton went.

Heather

First Blog Giveaway!!!!

I am running my first official giveaway for followers of my blog.  The giveaway ends 05/07/11 and the winner will be announced here on the 8th.  The giveaway is if you are a follower of my blog or become a follower of my blog and comment on one of my posts you will be entered into a drawing for a $10.00 credit to my shop!!!  A pretty good giveaway I think.

Now I want to post the results of the Team BNR from Tuesday.  All in all it went pretty well.  I think it helped that I had a preview day on Monday and people promoted it a day ahead of time.  We had 15 sales with the total dollar amount of the sales right around $55.00.  Not bad for a no min. buy in!!!  Thanks to all Team BNRAA members for your hard work and lets keep it rolling into next week.

This week had the opportunity to get free advertising for a year at an online mall.  I am pretty excited about it.  I know I did a quick mention in my last post but I am going to post the link here.

http://www.allaprimaartmall.com

I am in the fashion and beauty section.  Are online malls the wave of the future???  With gas prices at $4.20 who wants to drive very far?  The girl that runs it told me once she gets it full she is going to run a full ad marketing campaign on the mall.  I am very optimistic about it.

I decided at the last minute to do a show this weekend.  I've been looking for shows to do and this one just kind of sprung up on me.  It's a civil war reenactment and they have craft vendors there.  I know, I know how many people will show up to this you may ask.  Well, I took many things into consideration before deciding to do this.
          A.I will be the only hair bow vendor there
          B. It is the first nice weekend we have had had in over a month.  It is supposed to be sunny and 70 this weekend where it has been rainy and 50 for the last month.
          C. It is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.  I think just for that reason alone, people will show up.
          D. The booth rent is low enough that I don't have to sell very much to break even.

So even if I made a bad decision about this I don't think I will be out any money.  But it's in a small town and it won't people any time at all to get the word out that this is a little craft show and I really think I made a good decision about this.  Set up is tomorrow morning with the show starting Saturday and going into Sunday.  Stay tuned for updates!!!!

Well everyone, have a good night and don't forget to follow me and comment!!!!!  :-D

Heather

How Do You Promote Your Business?

Recently, I have been working very hard to promote my business outside of Etsy.  As we all know you just can't list some items and expect the customers to flock to your shop.  You have to put alot of time and effort into it.

When I first started there was the 5 min Featured Seller chat room and then it went into Buy and Replace Treasuries which is where I have been for the past year or so.  I have met some pretty amazing people in there and I have learned alot about my shop and how to make it better.  I have also helped some newbies along the way.  But the small, bnr sales aren't cutting it for me.  If I really want to make this business work I need to make money in between craft shows.

I already do 2 consignment shops and 2 hospital gift shops.  But those are slow right now.  I have thought about branching out into hair salons.  I may start with my own when I have my next hair appt. and see how it goes.  I also joined many different styles of teams on etsy.  One is a social networking team, one is a bow making team, one is my bnr team, one is a promotions team, and a couple are just fun chat teams.  I want to get around and meet as many people on etsy as possible.


I have an advertisement set up on craftopolis set up for next week and I was just accepted for a free 1 year advertisement on an online mall today.  So I am branching out.  Will it bring me any sales is the question.  I sure hope so.  So tell me your ideas and how you guys advertise outside of etsy or your own websites.  I am trying to think outside the box.  We all facebook and tweet.  What else can we do to network???

By the way, I am having a team bnr for TEAM BNRAA at 10 AM tomorrow morning.  It is going to be alot of fun and for those of you who can stop by please come.  Our bnrs  are not cliqueish or boorish and they are just laid back and fun.  Little Pink Kangaroo is the featured shop of the day so let's all show her some love.

Good Night All!!!  Rest Up!!!  I will post results of the BNR tomorrow night!!

Heather

Good Friday!!!!

Well guys I don't know about you but on Etsy lately things have been completely dead for me and I don't know why!!!  I have been renewing, listing. taking pics, doing everything the same, and things have been so dead for me.  Thank goodness that I have had my custom orders from the show and I have picked up a few more or I would be totally dead.  I have had my usual couple of orders here and there from bnrs but I don't really count those.  Is everyone else dead right now??  Even my consignment shops are dead.

I have also been Facebooking, tweeting, kaboodling, everything I can think of.  What am I doing wrong???  I have joined additional teams on Etsy.  I really don't know.  Someone told me that people might not want to spend extra money on hair bows right now with gas prices right now.  I don't know.

Here is a thought provoking question that I want a honest answer to because I live in somewhat of a bubble I think.  Does say an extra $20 a week in gas (that is what it is costing me and I have a gas guzzler so this is a high end estimate) really affect budgets that much, or is it the number that everyone sees at the gas pump that is scaring them right now???  Is everyone just saying OMG it's $4.00 a gallon we had better cut back or does that number really affect you???

I ask this because I remember when gas was under a dollar a gallon and it went up to $1.01 a gallon and some guy went ballistic on some poor cashier in a gas station and I was mentally calculating how much 5 cents a gallon was to a fifteen gallon tank at the time.  My tank was only 10 at the time but this guy put 15 in his truck so it cost him 75 cents and he wanted to rip this poor girl's head off!!!  Now here we are 15 years later(wow it was only 15 years ago that gas was under a $1 a gallon.  my how times have changed!!!) and we are talking about a increase of $20 a week.  Most people haven't gone up that much but I have so I am using myself as an example here. 


So where is the first place that you think people cut back???  You know when gas prices went up a few years ago, I said the only reason they went up so high was so when they went back down $2.00 we would think that was a good price.  I said we would never see $1.50 a gallon for gas again and we never did.  This is just to prepare us to never see $2.50 a gallon again.  It will be in the $3 range on up and that is something we will have to live with.

So with that being said will people continue to live without the extras due to gas prices???  Will our small businesses survive this???  I say yes.  It's a little bit of sticker shock to people right now as it was a few years ago when gas went above $2 for the first time, then $3 for the first time.  That was not that long ago.  Within the last 5 years or so.  We all need to hang in there and ride out the storm and hope for the best.  Some businesses will make it, and some will not.  Those who can see the light at the end of the tunnel and can remain optimistic, will make it.

I also want to say that I am fortunate here.  I do not rely on this business for my source of income like I know many people do.  I would though to like to be able to say I contribute to the family a little bit with this business.  Ah, but that is a topic for another day.  Today's topic is said and done.

Goodnight All!!!!

Just Another Monday!!!

As I sit here at my desk tonight, I have been thinking about how I want to write tonight's blog post.  I have many thoughts and feelings I want to express on this subject and I was trying to think best how to word them.  But hey, after all it is my blog so I think I am going to tell it like it is.  My blog is not my arena to hold back I have decided.  I hold back in other areas of my life.  This is the one place where I can let loose and just be me.

As many of you know, I am the Team Captain of Team BNRAA of Etsy and I belong to several other BNR teams.  For those of you that don't know what a BNR on Etsy is this is difficult to explain but it is a gambling game of sorts.  You buy into it hoping that someone will like your shop and buy you out.  You gamble that they will buy you out for more than what you bought in for.  There are several styles of the game.  Some styles give you the chance for multiple sales in one round.  Some are simple one for one.  Every curator does their own style of game.  Plus you get to meet alot of people and get your name out there.

Alot of people on Etsy will disagree on the purpose of BNRS.  I think they are a very important part of etsy.  New shops need them to get their feet wet on etsy and meet some people and learn the ropes.  Experienced people are there to help the newbies.  We all chat, network, have a great time and network and yes we buy each others stuff.  But I do it with the hope that someone will see my hair bow on someone's head out there and say where did you get that??  And they will say from Heathermaizy on etsy.  And this person will look me up and I will get a new customer out of it.  I know when someone asks me where I got something, I tell them exactly where I got it.  I got it from so-and-so on etsy.com!!!  I do it with the hopes they will go and look at their website.  These are all of the reasons why I think BNRS are important but not everyone sees this the same way I do and this has been an internal debate on etsy for quite a long time now.

Now we in the BNR world have our own internal war going on!!!  We have decided to compete against ourselves to the point where it has become destructive.  No one is getting any sales in their bnrs anymore.  My own team BNRS have become somewhat of a joke.  Where I used to love to curate, I dread it now.  Half of the time, I am competing against my own team members. There can be up to 20 bnrs going on at once!!  What is up with that??  I remember the days when there were a total of three going on.  Me, lucy, and someone else would have one going on.   I try to post in the newsletters when I want to open but people ignore or just plain don't care.  Why would you work against the people who have your best interest at heart I will never understand. 

While I will continue to strive to have the best quality team that I can and make the best decisions for my team that I can, I may have to make some drastic changes to the team.  I want team players and people who are really there to be on the team.  Not people who just pop in every once in awhile or who use the team to just further their own agenda.  I am there for the betterment of the other shops, I would like to see someone who is also to there to support me and help me.

When it's all said and done what will happen to BNRS??  Will they go by the wayside??  I hope not.  They are so important like I outlined earlier.  I hope they are here to stay.  I hope my work with the team remains successful.  Keep reading to see if BNRS drop off the face of the earth or they make a rousing comeback!!!

Last Day At Expo!!!

Well, I don't know if expo is the right word for where I was the past 4 days.  It was more of a consignment sale.  Expo sounds like it was something large and this was not, I am sad to report.   I would like to report the good things that happened to me at the show.

I ended up doing more money on Saturday than all of the 3 other days combined.  Business started to pick up around noon.  Some of the other vendors had already packed up and left because the morning was so dismal.  I think I had one sale and the other people beside me didn't have any.  I was ready to throw in the towel also.  I was just waiting on my husband to bring in my son actually.  LOL  I didn't want to pack up until they got there.  So I was just waiting on them.  Then we got busy.  I talked to alot of people got some more custom orders, and I have a lady bringing up her Easter dresses to my house today so I can match up some ribbon and make some bows for her daughters!!!

So as my friend Susan and I were sitting there freezing and talking we were asking each other even though this show was smaller and not as many people would I still have hit my projected amount had I been the only vendor there with hairbows, hats, and headbands like I thought I was going to be???  I said in my earlier post that I think competition is good for business so I would not have been upset had there only been one other vendor there.  But 4 spread us pretty thin.  I was very happy with the amount of cards I distributed and the many people I talked to.  My phone was ringing yesterday even as I was trying to nap.

It takes alot to put on a show.  It is alot of work.  There is the set up, the take down and the getting ready.  Not too mention the days spent at the show and I spend every night making product while i am at the show.  I never quite know what the customer is going to want.  This show they all seemed to want my little hair clippies.  At $4.00  they are a great buy.  So I spent every night making more hair clippies.  Plus making hair bows is not easy either.  It can be quite time consuming as is any craft that we do.

But we all know we don't do this for the money.  We do this because we love it.  It is very rare in life that we get to do something that we love.  It is even rarer that we get paid well for it.  So I think it is a trade off.  I worked in retail for many years and got paid well for it but I hated it.  Now I make hair bows and love it but get paid very little for it.  I would like to know if any of you get paid well for your craft???  Or if you absolutely love your job and get paid well for it, I would love to know that too....

I am going to sum this up.  There were positives and negatives to this show.  Would I do it again???  I don't know.  I would have to know that I would be the only one with my kind of product there.  And if she was thinking of carrying someone similar they would have to have different product and there could only be one and I would have to have the option of pulling out and getting a refund of my money if I were to walk in on what I did this time.  That is something I will be mentioning in all of my future craft shows.

2nd Full Day At Consignment Expo!!!

I have to say today was an even bigger disaster than yesterday was.  I think I literally made $2.00 an hour today.  My saving grace is that I got several custom orders from folks today and I made several good contacts.  But actual cash in my hand is pitiful.  I am still trying to decide if this was worth it or not.  I will make that decision tomorrow the last day of the expo and the big 50% off day.

Alot of people will show up tomorrow because most clothing and toys will be marked down 50% off.  My stuff will not be 50% off.  So, the question to be answered is Are the people coming tomorrow just looking for the bargain of the day???  Will they even want to pay for a hair bow???  Or are they just coming to find a shirt for $1.00???  I am hoping they will save so much on the clothing and toys that they will have extra to spend on the hair bows, hats, and headbands.  I even made up a pair of baby ribbon flip flops.  They are so stinkin cute it is not even funny!!!

One vendor was so mad today she just left.  She said it wasn't worth her time and I was like Byeeee!!!!  I was happy because that was one less person for me.  I am normally not that catty.  A little competition I think is healthy for business I think.  But this was too much.  I talked with the other 2 remaining vendors today and neither was happy about the situation we were placed in.  One was told she would be the only hair accessory person.  I was under the assumption I would be the only hair accessory girl.  It was just plain obvious this was badly organized and no people did not communicate properly to each other.  I do know that for future shows that I do I am going to check ahead of time that I will be the only one carrying my product and if they decide to let other people carry my product, then I have the option of pulling out and getting my money back.  I will be putting this note in all of my applications that I do for craft shows this year and I will be sending detailed pics of my product.

I hope this info is helpful to anyone thinking of doing a craft show in the future.

First Full Day of The Expo!!!!

Well, guys today was the first full day of the consignment expo.  For those of you who follow me on Etsy.com you know I have been talking about this for weeks now.  I was excited about the Ring Around The Rosy Consignment Expo.  I did so well last fall.  But things change as they so often do in the craft show world.  One week is up and the other is down.

Last fall it was in Anderson, IN in a prime real estate location.  Right on the main strip of the city.  Also it was right before the Christmas Season and I was the only Hair Accessory person there.  I cleaned up!!!  I thought I would do just as well if not better this time.  I thought people would expect me to be there.  I thought I would have a good location being that I was a returning vendor.(That is custom at craft shows.  If you return year after year, you get better spots) 

I didn't take into account that they moved the location back to Chesterfield.  We lost alot of general public traffic.  I thought it would be OK because it had been held there in previous years.  But what I didn't realize was that the hard core consignment people were going there.  Those people don't want to spend money on hair bows and hats and flowers.  The general public will.  That was who we had come at the armory in Anderson.

Point 2 that I had no idea to even ask but I will know for future events to ask and everyone who ever does an event should ask.  How many other vendors will be there selling my stuff?  This is a small show.  There are 3 other people selling my exact same items making it a total of 4 hair bow vendors!!!  4 Hair Bow Vendors!!!!  I paid $40 for a teeny, tiny booth that I have to crawl under to get to and freeze my butt off for 10 hours a day and there are 3 other people selling my stuff.  These other people aren't even local!!!!!  I am at least a local girl!!!!  I am aggravated to say the least.  Very, very aggravated.

I am hoping this is not a preview of the rest of the weekend.  I will say I have made booth rent and then some.  I have also made some good contacts and I am getting my name out there.  It's all about getting your name out there.  Handing out lots of business cards and talking myself up.  That's what you gotta do!!!  I am hoping that Friday and Saturday go much better and some peeps from Anderson come on in to Chesterfield.

Some woman actually said today that my Hair Bows were too highly priced for her.  I lowered my prices at this show because it was a consignment show and I knew I would have trouble selling them at the price they should sell at.  I sell them for anywhere from $1-$5 higher depending on the item so as you can tell, I lowered my prices considerably for this show and what I am contending with for my customer base here.  But I still have 2 days to go and I am not giving up yet.  I will update ya all tomorrow night!!!

New Day!!!

Ok today I am running a BNR in etsy.  A BNR is a Buy and Replace Treasury.  Lots of fun.  I am captain of a Buy and Replace Treasury Team.  I really enjoy doing it.  The name of my team is BNRAA.  Anyone that reads this post can get 25% off by typing in BNRAA thru the end of April.  I will only be running this special thru the end of April then it will be gone forever so stock up on what you can now!!!

Pretty Spring Hair Bows!!!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71329057/pink-striped-3-inch-hair-bows

First Official Post!!!

This is my first official first as a blogger!!  I am excited!!  You all can follow me and my adventures as a small business owner trying to climb my way to the top.  I think this will be a fun and exciting way to keep track of how well I do and where I am going.  Here I go!!!