Don't Underestimate The Power of Your Peers

This journey of starting my own business has sure had its ups and downs. But it's amazing how wonderful the women in my life have been in sharing their encouragement, knowledge and support. I'm also lucky because I live in a very entrepreneurial community. I never realized how many moms have great ideas and are acting on them, until I moved here to Daniel Island, South Carolina. It gives me the motivation to continue on this path of pursuing my business idea at http://www.design-girls.com/



I have gotten several tips so far. They are listed below in no certain order.



1. Start Small. Don't offer too many things out of the gate. It's better to start small and have that wonderful problem of not being able to meet demand than sitting on lots of inventory. I am also storing my own inventory and fulfilling orders myself. I've gotten rid of my 1-800 number. These were extras that were costing money and I can add them back at a later date.



2. Keep in touch with your customers regulary. Offer special sales or incentives to keep them coming back and often. Sign up with http://www.constantcontact.com/ and they can help you stay in touch through email marketing, online surveys or event marketing.



3.If sales are slow online, find free or low cost opportunities to sell your items face to face. At my childrens' school they host a Fall and Spring Market and the entry fee is minimal. Home shows and church bizarres are another low cost opportunity to get together with friends while introducing your items to the community. This is especially important for businesses like mine who are internet based, because people need to see the quality of the items firsthand.



4.Find alternatives to expensive advertising. Chantielle MacFarlane from http://www.scribendi.com/ recommends getting publicity for you business by signing up at http://www.helpareporter.com/, a website that was created to help journalists who are looking for story ideas. Chantielle works for Chandra Clarke, founder of Scribendi.com, who went from mompreneur to "power mommy" with her business. This duo tapped into the twittermoms influential network to get their word out. Check out Chandra's humor blog at http://www.chandraclarke.com.




Well those are my tips for today. Stay tuned....more to come. Time to think about what's for dinner.

Excited About New Product!!!

Check out my website www.design-girls.com an interactive fashion design website for girls. I just added reversible totes in 4 coordinating fabrics and they are soooooo cute if I do say so myself. They're great for toting things to swim practice, dance class, school, the library, sleepovers...you name it! Moms will love them too. They also make great gifts. Best of all you get two bags for the price of one!

Don't Be Afraid to Change on the Fly

I'm in a curious position. I think my business concept is right on...but I think I need to tweak my product offerings. I'm sure that's common among business start ups. The way a business looks when they start isn't always how they end up looking or operating down the road. The great thing about the web is that you can change on the fly. What I found with www.Design-Girls.com (an interactive clothing and accessories website for girls) is that while many girls love to create a full outfit that matches, it tends to be the younger ones. While that is great, I realize that I am limiting my audience. Luckily there are many places that I can sell my existing inventory while making the transition to items that appeal to a wider audience. One priority is offering more embellishments. I don't have to throw up my hands and say...this is wrong, I can simply transition over time.

Do These Things...And Customers Will Come

Since I'm new at my business gig, I'm doing a lot of reading online and getting advice. I'm sifting through the information, and finding out what makes sense to me. I watched a video segment on American Express Open the other day and the following points really resonated with me so I thought I'd share them with you...


1. Take things one step at a time. That works well for me, especially trying to balance the demands of being a mom and a business owner who is in the start-up phase. Sometimes focusing on the big picture becomes too overwhelming and a knot forms in your stomach (maybe that's just me?!). But if you take one step at a time...chances are you'll get where you need to be. Set a few goals for the day and be able to cross them off your list by the time your head hits the pillow at night. Beyond that, think about where you want your business to be in one year, three years, five years.


2. Figure out crowdsourcing. Essentially it means getting your audience to work for you. But it's a win win situation. Users are happy to share their knowledge, designs, and opinions when asked. As a business owner, you can get much needed feedback on your product offerings, pricing, ease of use, without having to conduct expensive research.


4. Reach one customer at a time. Don't think about having the next million dollar idea. Make each customer experience a good one and chances are customers will talk about that good experience and send others your way.


5. Viral Marketing Is Key. In the past we've called it "word of mouth" marketing. Make sure your customers are really happy and they will tell all their friends about your business/product/website. This works especially well with kids doesn't it?! I can't tell you how many products my kids say they "need" because their friends have it and love "it".


6. Create Tools for People to Spread the Word. People love being heard and rewarded. Ask users for feedback. Also, offer free items through contests or gift giveaways, or coupons that can be redeemed on your site, or highlight users on your site. On http://www.design-girls.com/, I post pictures of girls in the outfits that they've created (with parent permission of course!) and they get so excited for this opportunity.


7. If You Host a Great Party, People Will Come! If you give customers something they will remember, they will want to come back. Not only will they want to come back and spend more money with you, but they will direct friends your way as well.

Resources

Entrepreneur's StartUps

Inc. Magazine

Mommy Millionaire by Kim Lavine

Go It Alone by Bruce Judson - A practical guide that will lead entrepreneurs from corporate dependence to business independence.

Starting an Online Business for Dummies by Shannon Belew & Joel Elad

Product Idea to Product Success by Matthew Yubas

Bringing Your Product to Market by Don Debelak

Guru.com - Find freelancers to work on your project, get free quotes!

Fashiondex.com - An online guide to fabric, trims, services, contractors, manufacturers, fashion, apparel, and home furnishings industry sources


These are just a few good ones. Not all will apply. I'd love to hear some other suggestions!

Get Fired Up!

Anyone who is interested in starting a business or who has a big idea should watch Donny Deutsch's Big Idea on CNBC at 10pm EST. This is a show that gets me inspired and keeps me excited long after the tv has been turned off. Donny features people who think they have the next million dollar idea, those who have a great idea but need direction, and successful business people who are willing to share their advice. It's must see tv!

Where Do Business Ideas Come From?

There is always that eureka moment where the light bulb goes on. A lot of the time it comes from paying attention to your everyday life. Is there a problem you are trying to fix? Or something that you can make more efficient? Start keeping a list. I started an idea notebook. I still have one big idea in there right now that came from my grocery shopping experience. As moms we play so many roles...nurse, caretaker, nutritionist, personal shopper, taxi driver, therapist, art teacher, tutor, cook, photographer...the list goes on and on. There are so many places that we can draw inspiration for a business idea. Keep jotting down those ideas until something hits you over the head. Trust me, if you have your eyes open, you will have your aha moment.