Good News Thread

[Madelaine Kirke]

I thought I'd start this as I want somewhere to tell you that I took a big step (for me) this week and it has paid off. So please post your good news here to encourage us all.

Until recently, my business was growing steadily, selling silk scarves and a few other items which I import from Thailand. I sold almost entirely on eBay. Last August eBay implemented a big change which almost stopped my business dead in its tracks. Since then each change to the site has made my sales worse, so I decided to step out and try to sell wholesale to some shops. I selected a shop, set off with samples and did the selling bit (which I find really difficult). She bought my samples, rang the next day for a proper order and then introduced me to someone else who would like to act as agent for one of my lines. Whew! Only a small sale ... but just the largest one I've ever made

[Barry Hopkins]

Well done! one thing will lead to another and before you know it!
Barry

[David Braziel]

Well done, and a great idea for a thread - its good to hear peoples good news.

Have you considered breaking away from E-Bay and doing your own e-commerce site. Its getting a lot easier these days and there are some very interesting web services coming out from the like of Amazon and Google. I'm very interested in how small businesses can piggy back on the resources of huge corporates like these to increase their reach.

I have just been reading more about the Amazon fulfillment service where they will hold your stock in their wharehouses and ship orders to your customers (for a smallish fee) - all managed through a web service. Interesting stuff.

All the best

David.

[Madelaine Kirke]

I have thought about a website but silk scarves are the sort of thing that are so easily sourced on ebay that I don't see many people venturing onto an independent website. However the leaf skeletons and silk fabric might lend themselves to website selling. I'm bootstrapping so I need to build up more stock first. I also need to know more about the whole business of setting up a selling website.

[Chris Garrett]

Hi Madelaine, it's always worth setting up a site, even if you're just going to use it to get wholesale sales rather than selling directly to consumers. If you'd like to pursue setting up a site, please check out my company's site at http://chrisgarrettmedia.com. We specialise in producing high quality sites at an affordable rate specifically for start-up and small businesses.

[caron sprake]

Hi Madelaine

Congratulations. The first step is always the biggest and hardest. I think we look at people who have achieved in business as fearless but the more I am learning the more I realise they have been through the experiences we face.

I am reading 'Feel the fear and do it anyway' and this is increasing my awareness of fear creating situations and how to fight them.

I am just at the point of face-to face marketing my service and the first time I approached someone I was really nervous. Now I say to my self 'this is my business, I have worked long and hard to get to this point and I am proud of my service'. I hold my head high and sell it!! By the way selling is ,a transfer of emotion,.If you love what you do this enthusiasm will be conveyed to your customers.

Well done and keep taking those steps, soon they will turn into leaps!

Caron(Ps I adore silk scarves)

[Madelaine Kirke]

I realise that it is a question of confidence and feel rather that people will find me out - that they could source directly as I do with only a little effort.

[David Braziel]

Madeline, never underestimate what peope will pay in order to avoid "a little effort".

When you boil it down thats what business is all about - I mean we could all buy our meat from the farm, grow vegetables in our back gardens and make our own bread for 'only a little effort' But we dont! We go to Tesco.

And I'm willing to bet that what you put into your business is considerably more than 'a little effort'.

If you want to chat sometime about what it might take to get your own e-commerce website up and running drop me a line. You'd be surprised at how easy it could be if you use the existing services out there. I'm looking at a strategy at the moment for a customer (a new startup retailer). I'd be happy to share the knowledge.

[Tim Wright]

Don't forget the knowledge you have about the product and sourcing it. This makes it little effort for you, but others will perceive the unknown as risky and difficult.

[James Moss]

I was in a similar position on Ebay selling Oil Paintings The idea of setting up an Ecommerce site is an excellent one I would also pursue your adventure into face to face selling. The lesson I learnt was to not be dependant upon one market or revenue stream.

You can create all sorts of revenue streams from a good Site both in terms of ecommerce and it terms of affliate marketing etc

Circumstances have made you diversify in terms of your approach to market and its a VERY good thing.

Well done by the way selling isnt easy and Ive been doing it 20 years but its also doesnt have to be difficult.

My own bit of good news was that I was interviewed for a similar Podcast yesterday Flying Startups which has gone out today.

[Madelaine Kirke]

Thank you! I thought no-one else had any good news. I must go find your podcast.

[Patricia Mata]

Madeline what a great good news story! I stopped to read as anything that says good news on a business network catches my attention.

I started only a short time ago with an idea that I would offer my own person centred consultancy services to people in my sector (voluntray charity and public sectors). However I have been approached more and more through the small business sector to help with their starting up a web presence. I underestimated what as David clearly states is the 'little effort' (big and scary at times effort) that others are too busy to undertake and went for it myself.

My new website person centred designs is under construction and will be offering a combination of my approach ( the person centred approach ) as the uniqueness of my service with web based and other design needs.

I offer an ethical pricing policy that I feel passionately about as I understand there is little money available when people want to get online and go for it. Take a look at some of my latest customers whom sem to appeciate the approach I have with them. Support for the private sector page on my website that you can find here www.person-centred-consultancies.com

I'd say go for it and really enjoy it. It's yours and your passion too. I think I would rather buy a silk scarf from a website that looked the bees knees than through ebay. maybe this sounds wierd, but if your prostpective clientelle are those that DONT check out ebay, then where are they and what websites do they look at? might be yours.

Your 'website' might have a name that targets those clients. ummmm (thinking)

'bizwear.com' or 'styledforbusiness.com' and this then includes anything you have for men on your website.

Getting carried away with meself now. lol....... Go for it girl. Dream it, Plan it and Act on it.
Like caron says feel the fear and do it anyway!

warm regards Tish

Patricia Mata

[Madelaine Kirke]

What a lot of useful thoughts! My scarves are more cheap and cheerful than business wear but must give the website name some thought. My items are a mixture - what I can buy from Thailand that I can sell for a profit and that I like - which makes categorising them quite difficult.

Anyway... what about other Good News? No-one else?