Press Releases to Promote your Micro Business

One of the little-used and totally free means of advertising your startup business is to write press releases for as many publications as will host your article. For a comprehensive step-by-step guide, try Wikihow here. It's a bit long-winded for me but it would be useful for someone who has never done this before. I am used to writing Press Releases (from student days at High School where I was Editor of the School Page contribution to the Zululand Observer). So you don't need a journalism degree to do it yourself!

Each Press Release should be geared for the particular audience. I wrote an article on Beautiful Bracelets for the "Women of Acts" monthly newsletter (an inspirational newsletter for the ladies in Acts Church).

I also approached the Editor of the SAGoodNews who has requested an article geared towards highlighting the social upliftment part of the business idea for Beautiful Bracelets.

An article for the local Midrand Reporter would have a different angle (probably geared towards "what's happening in your local area - being Midrand). Find publications in your suburb or city...Sandton Chronicle, Knysna Herald, Tygerburger or People's Post (for Cape Town). Very often they like to publish the human-interest angle on your new business.

Sometimes they might request a very small "paid advertisement" to run alongside your publication, this wouldn't be too expensive and the increased sales would probably pay for it. If you focus on the Community Social Involvement aspect of your new business you will easily find many publications happy to publish with no charge.

I will be also approaching a free lance journalist I know who might be prepared to write an article that she would be paid for but would gain a wider audience via her networks and links to publications with a broad reach. Use every connection you have to gain wider press coverage for your new business, if you don't know anyone then create a general press release and email it to the Editor of as many publications as you can think of! It would be well worth it even if only one publication picked up on the article. Be aware they may edit your Press Release to suit their style but if you have done your research you would already have written each one directed to a particular publication which would also improve your success rate in getting published!

Common Sense Marketing Ideas

Marketing tips: methods that seem to work for Beautiful Bracelets:

1. Email your database of friends, giving them a brief outline of what you are doing and how they might get involved to assist your new business idea, with links to your website/Facebook Page and suggest they might be interested to purchase one of your products (Beautiful Bracelets work well as gifts for Birthday/Christmas).
2. Design a Beautiful Website that sells your product and solves a problem (Beautiful Bracelets - the perfect Christmas Gift - for those who wonder what to get this time!)
3. Use all your Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc). Connect with all your "friends" and ask them to also share your product "Page" with their friends too. Yesterday, a Beautiful Bracelet was purchased online by someone in Durban who is friends with a friend of mine in China and noticed "Beautiful Bracelets" on their Facebook Page! Don't underestimate the power of Social Media!
4. Blogging creates awareness of the product: create interesting topics that draw people to your online website. Another "selling" opportunity here.
5. Build in-person relationships with friends/partners who are already established: you never know who they may refer you to down the line!
6. Don't over promise and under-deliver: Only market features you currently have. I would like to extend the Accessories Range available, but for the sake of this 6 week project, it works better to maintain a low cost-input ratio rather than expanding the range of products available (necklaces, earrings, scarfs, etc).
7. Keep your marketing costs low by using friendship marketing, (free) press releases, and maximise every opportunity for publicity.
8. Use the power of Word-of-Mouth.
9. Be willing to spend money to make money.
10. Use all the free tools you can find (free website, social media, free advertising etc).
11. Get new business every day. This is crucial for a start up. Don't waste all your time on admin tasks instead of focusing on the marketing aspects.
12. Target your niche market.

Marketing a new business should be a priority for any new business owner. Your business idea can succeed or fail depending on whether you master this or not!

Radio 702 MoneyShow Challenge Update: Week 4

I can feel the heat in this Radio 702 "R1000 Business Start Up Challenge". Fortunately I am one of those persons who thrives under stress. I actually enjoy it! On the positive side, the method and operations are beginning to reach an established pattern and the areas requiring serious focus are very clear. Growth has been steady, and improving week-on-week This is important. Although this Business was started on a whim (read the background if you haven't already), I fully intend to grow the business and continue to use it once the Business Challenge ends, to help people find meaning in life via the employment opportunities it creates, especially the Women of the Scarlet Thread organisation.

1. Beautiful Bracelets had its first Press Release published in the Women of Acts Newsletter! (This Newsletter reaches at least 3500 people in the Midrand area).
2. Sales were good but could improve.
3. Overseas visitors go crazy over Beautiful Bracelets and buy up the entire stock available at any point of purchase!
4. Production of Beautiful Bracelets in Week 4 exceeded all previous "per week" levels.
5. Beautiful Bracelets was accepted by "Gossip" Fashion & Accessories Store as a product they will sell. (Shop 16, Carlswald Lifestyle Centre, New Road, Midrand). This is a watershed moment since it is the first retailer to sell "Beautiful Bracelets".
6. Maintained Staff wages payments on time. This is one of the most important attributes since one of the objectives of the business is to create employment.
7. Once again, Twitter Followers have doubled this week which is very gratifying. I am aware there are other ways to increase Followers, and these will be addressed at some point. If you're reading this, and you're not yet a "Follower" on Twitter, please click on the link top right of this page, it will help us grow the business. Much appreciated.
8. Beautiful Bracelets will be signing a contract with the best National Courier Company who fortuitously decided in the past week to offer phenomenal preferential rates to start up e-commerce businesses in South Africa. Since it is a courier company with international affiliations this is a fantastic opportunity. To be announced once all signatures are done!

Low Point: A few customers who were unaware that the price had changed on the Beautiful Bracelets website (to R95 from R70, see last Week's Update), walked out of the "Gossip" Fashion & Accessories Store, saying they will buy the Bracelets off the website, not from the store. I would like an opportunity to apologise in person, if you are one of those people and just happen to be reading this, please contact me via the website? It is not easy to maintain price control once one has many outlets (you just have to go to PriceCheck to find the same product, at different prices in different stores). But regardless of this, I don't want unhappy customers or unhappy retailers and as far as possible am attempting to at least for the purposes of this Challenge, maintain a uniform price at all outlets whether online, in stores, or at flea markets.

High Points: 

1. Cappuccino's Midrand has become a friend of "Beautiful Bracelets". People who meet me there for business comment on the fact that they seem to love me. Well, Cappuccino's Midrand looks after their business customers very well. No surprise they are busy all the time, no matter what day of the week it is.
2. My Business Banker bought the Beautiful Bracelet off my wrist. This just has to be the best thing ever! I never thought I would be making money off my Bank. Usually it is the other way around!

Objective for Week 5: Creating more markets/outlets for sales and maximising each of those selling opportunities.

The Real Rainmaker

I am feeling exhausted. And under pressure to achieve phenomenal results in this Radio 702 R1000 Business Challenge. It is a matter of honour. (UK spelling!). But one thing I decided irrevocably from the start, was that I would take 1 day off a week to rest. I don't want to land up in hospital after 6 weeks due to working 20 hours a day! I can do everything humanly possible to bring success to my involvement in this challenge. I can put as many "seeds" (or Beautiful Bracelets) out into the marketplace as possible. But without rain (or sales), it is all fruitless, running to and fro. God brings the rain. So today, I take comfort in the Psalms (since it is Sunday):

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.
 Do not trust in extortion
    or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
    do not set your heart on them.

One thing God has spoken,
    two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,

    and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
    according to what they have done.

(Psalms 62:5-12)

Daily Routines for Success

“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.”

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.”

― Mike Murdock

One of the tips Donald Trump gave for business success is that one should do a little work, every day. In a product related business, especially initially, one has to make sure sales are happening daily, if not, be working daily on opening up selling opportunities, every day. Pavlo Phitidis (Radio 702's Small Business Guru) says one should make 20 cold calls a day. I believe that in a start-up situation especially in the service industry (or for a new sales person developing their territory) this should be increased to 100 cold calls/tele-marketing calls per day! 20 calls is just a "maintenance" figure once the sales are happening.

For Beautiful Bracelets, I am finding the best approach to opening up new business and selling opportunities is to actually meet the owners of stores face-to-face (or in the case of fleamarkets, the owners of stalls/stands) and negotiate for them to stock Beautiful Bracelets even on a trial basis. One person agreed to stock just 4 Bracelets on Thursday and phoned me with great excitement today (Saturday) to say he'd sold all 4 Beautiful Bracelets to a person who was returning to India and would have bought 10! I have a very keen new retail customer now! Most people are prepared to do a trial run for a month or so, and re-assess after that.

I haven't had time yet to explore e-Bay, "Bid or Buy", or Alibaba as potential platforms for retail, but that is on the "To Do" list. One comment from someone I mentioned it to was that "Bid or Buy" is expensive for retailers. Got to check that. Starting up a new micro business is very time-consuming since you are the product developer, manufacturer, employer, accountant, publicist, marketer, sales rep, etc. It is hard work if you require excellence of yourself.

But the fun and the "joie de vivre" are worth it!

Problems Every Startup Business Might Encounter

Every new relationship can be fraught with difficulties that need to be ironed out and starting a new business is very similar. Here are a few difficulties that one come across when starting a new business.

1. The Market is Saturated.You might have started something then suddenly realise that the market you intended to enter is actually saturated. Innovation is key. The Accessories market is actually saturated with Chinese imports that come in at a very much reduced price to what Beautiful Bracelets sell for. The important thing here is, to then find a niche market. Beautiful Bracelets have been compared to other types of Bracelets that I hadn't even heard of before commencing the Radio 702 Money Show R1000 Challenge. But my designs are slightly unique, and I have purposely worked on designing and manufacturing a product that I haven't been able to find anything exactly like it, anywhere. And I innovate quite often, creating new designs weekly to keep up with latest fashion trends. I am keeping my research up to date by speaking to store owners who are currently selling accessories, especially Bracelets.
2. One of the Partners isn't Delivering. You may have a partner who doesn't pull their weight. In my first business, a recruiting company that required an early start each day, I made a mistake of pulling in a partner who arrived at 10 or 11am after spending the morning at the Beauty Salon! That partnership didn't last long at all.
3. Sales aren't meeting projections.When projecting numbers, especially if you are presenting to potential new business partners or to a bank for financing, it is always better to "under promise and over deliver". This makes the business look good. Very often customers might be slow to accept a new product, preferring to stick with what they know. One has to work harder to gain acceptance.
4. Under Promise and Over Deliver! If it is an online business (Beautiful Bracelets has a website where people can order online and get Beautiful Bracelets delivered to them), then there might be problems with delivery. Like the road transportation strike at the beginning of October just as this business was starting. Deliveries that were usually "overnight" could take 10 days. To cover for that kind of problem, it is once again better to "under promise and over deliver". Even if you are paying for overnight delivery, tell the customer it will take up to 10 days. That way you're covered for any eventuality.
5. Pricing issues. Do your research correctly and don't sell for a price that leaves you with hardly any profit. The price should be at the maximum price that the market will bear. Handle your price increases in the right way. That is a matter for a separate Blog, it is very important! You can lose customers if the price reflected on your website and in the stores is different. Keep the price uniform on all platforms.
6. Cashflow is killing you. In a sales or service oriented business, it is very important to be securing new selling or business opportunities on a daily basis. That is crucial. Work out the sales cycle. For example, in recruiting, we worked on a 21 day turnaround. If we were not making cold calls and getting Resumes out to clients on Day 1, there would be no deals closed on Day 21.

Take control of the destiny of your business and learn from the challenges. The real fun begins when the honeymoon is over!

How to get your Products into Retail Stores

Yesterday was a red-letter day. Beautiful Bracelets are now proudly displayed in the main window and inside the shop of Gossip (Fashion & Accessories Shop) in Carlswald Lifestyle Centre, New Road, Midrand! After having already done it...I thought, what do you say to someone who needs advice on how to do it themselves? Well I then googled "how to get your products into retail stores" and found a whole lot of rubbish. Like write a business plan. On how to do it. I say if you have only 6 weeks to make a profit you need to be much more pro-active and you cannot waffle through writing a business plan on how you will achieve getting your products into retail stores with 19 points. Take a few samples of your products and knock on doors. You could do the "cold-calling" idea and make some phone calls first with a view to setting up an appointment with the owner but in this case it would probably yield a less than satisfactory result. And of course, unless you're not paying for the phone calls, it would eat a large chunk of your profits (in South Africa all phone calls including local are exhorbitantly priced which is why more people here use text/SMS or Whatsapp and email.)

I am assuming that by Week 3 of the "6 weeks to profit with only R1000" you've already done your market research by selling quite a few (or a few hundred) of your products and now you really do know what the market wants, and if it is actually a fashion item like Beautiful Bracelets is, you've also researched and discovered in the previous 3 weeks what shades are people actually buying at the moment. In South Africa right now, it is late Spring, Summer is almost on us, and this season the fashion shades are "sorbet" or "ice-cream" shades. Soft pinks, lemon yellow, mint green and turquoise are selling like crazy. And "grey" is the new "black". So of course, amongst the different types of bracelets I am making sure these colours (spelt UK way for any American readers since half the readers of this Blog seem to reside there) appeared in my samples.

Of course, then the next thing you want is to have direct access to the decision-maker for the retail store, usually for a small gift or accessories shop this would be the owner. Who might not be easily available. The first store I stopped at wouldn't even give me the owner's phone number. They really lost out on a wonderful opportunity. Such a pity. Because within a few minutes of that conversation it just so happened that the owner of the Accessories store I walked into, was present, re-designing and re-arranging all the displays in the store. We have all probably heard the saying "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity". Well I certainly made the most of that opportunity. And Beautiful Bracelets are just that. Beautiful. They sell themselves to anyone who looks at them, and they seemed to preen in front of Louise, the owner of Gossip  Fashion & Accessories Store..

One has to be very business like and negotiate a proper contractual arrangement on a selling price you can afford to release the goods for, yet still make a (smaller) profit and have the product stocked in the shop at a price that would still be attractive to the customers. This selling price needs to be the same as the price reflected on your website for each item! Payment terms need also to be negotiated if the products are on consignment. In South Africa a verbal contract is binding but for a long term arrangement it would be wise to put in in writing and have both parties sign, fairly early on.

To get products into the national Retailers, which one would do having grown to a level to sustain supplying that level of demand, one would have to hire an Exhibition Stand at one of the Trade Fairs/Expo's that all the Retail Buyers attend, like SARCDA or Design Indaba (for South African Retailers).

It's a memorable day, and the overwhelming feeling is one of gratitude.

Success and Criticism

There are bound to be detractors when success comes. Not everyone is happy watching a person succeed. I suppose there could be many reasons, jealousy being one but that isn’t what this is about. To continue with success, one needs to develop (or have) a thick shell. An invincible shield against words. You can only attain the level of success to the degree that you can handle the level of criticism that goes with that success.

The higher the level of success you aspire to, the more prepared you should be to handle whatever criticisms, negative comments or gossip that goes with it. Successful people don’t have time for gossip or negativity. Should one become aware of something adverse, face it squarely, if the criticism is true, adjust or deal with it. If not, ignore it. There is no point in thinking or worrying about something or someone you cannot change.

Keep moving forward with excellence. Have an unshakeable faith in yourself and your business. Make sure that your product or service is the best it can possibly be with compensations for the clients/customers when things go wrong whether it was your fault or not. We are not perfect, although we strive for perfection. Effective, immediate customer service in handling any of the problems will pour oil on troubled waters.

The Law of Attr-action

There’s an old African Proverb that says “when you pray, move your feet”. You may have a great business idea, but if you don’t get up and do something about it, nothing will ever happen. Even in this business, Beautiful Bracelets, if I don’t go out there and get new business, daily (very important in this kind of start up if you want a profit from R1000 in just 6 weeks) then I won’t have excellent results by the end of this 6 Week Business Start up Challenge.

Many people know about “The Secret”. The Law of Attraction. I know it works and I work it! But most of that word incorporates the word “action”. (attrACTION). If you keep making excuses.. “just waiting for this, or that to happen before I start”, you are losing out on success you could be generating now. Even in nature, a leopard will sit, waiting, poised, muscles tense, for its prey to be in the right position, but when everything is there, and right, it will act with lightning speed and pounce.

"The Universe likes speed. Don´t delay. Don´t second guess. Don´t doubt. When the opportunity is there, when the impulse is there, when the intuitive nudge from within is there,­ ACT." Joe Vitale

Radio 702 MoneyShow Challenge Update:Week 3

My mouth is dry. The nervous tension and excitement is overwhelming! Today we are halfway through the Radio 702 MoneyShow Challenge to make a profit from R1000 in only 6 weeks: It feels like a lifetime has passed since Day 1, and yet we have only 3 weeks left to prove success in the “Grand Reveal” on 12 November in the Radio 702 Studios...

Sales have been excellent, with total sold being double the previous week (achieving the goal set in the Reportback for Week 2). On advice from my Business Coach, Stan of IKUSASA, the price was increased on Friday to incorporate a better profit margin. Also, people when faced with a Beautiful Bracelet, kept saying, the price is too low, and some people insisted on paying what they felt the Beautiful Bracelets were worth, being R100 per bracelet (which is reflected as “Donations” in the Cash flow sheet to be presented at the end of the 6 Week Challenge). So the price is now R95 per Beautiful Bracelet and people are buying them at the same rate (or faster) without blinking an eye. Everyone is commenting that they haven’t seen anything like the Beautiful Bracelets, they are beautiful, and they love wearing them!

Due to the increased sales, more time was invested in design and manufacture of new Beautiful Bracelets, including more designs which were posted on the website (link to products here).

Appointments were arranged for me to speak about the Radio 702 MoneyShow R1000 Challenge and Beautiful Bracelets and present the product (with sales promised upfront) to the Staff at 2 local Schools. Beautiful Bracelets has been accepted to have a stand at a Mini-flea market at a Women’s Conference on 10 November.

Appointment scheduled with a national courier service to arrange a preferential rate.

Beautiful Bracelets can proudly boast of being “international” (just 3 weeks after launching!) since bracelets have been purchased to travel to Sweden this week as Christmas gifts for the customer’s family there!

My nervousness is due to the fact that I have set myself an incredibly high personal goal to achieve on sales in this challenge... I am looking for one business person to place an order for 1000 Bracelets! (Hence the Title of this Blog). Contact me if you are that person! (Realising that all profits for purchases within the 6 weeks go to the Starfish Foundation! This is a brilliant idea, the purchase could form part of your CSI - Corporate Social Investment - and win brownie points from your staff or clients!) Beautiful Bracelets would make a stunning corporate or Christmas gift for your staff, customers love them and are wearing them from ages 2 to over 60, one never asks a lady's age!

20 Top Tips for Business Success

Donald Trump gives 20 Tips for Success in Business, they are:

1. Think big
2. Be positive
3. Follow your passion
4. Learn something new every day
5. Listen to your gut
6. Be patient
7. Put a great team behind you
8. Put beauty in everything you do
9. Learn to negotiate, because everything you want demands it
10. Always go for the biggest win possible
11. Invest in real estate because it is the best investment there is
12. Take risks
13. Be audacious and get into the public eye
14. Be your own brand
15. Enjoy doing some work seven days a week and on vacations
16. Say no
17. Get out of your comfort zone
18. Be stubborn when necessary
19. Always have a Plan B
20. Never settle for second best

I agree with everything except No. 15. If my Creator rested one day a week, then I am not proud enough to think I can do better. I have watched people (even in my own family) suffer emotional and physical health setbacks by ignoring the Golden Rule – to take a day off at least once a week to revitalise, relax, have quiet time with family, friends or in nature, whatever it takes to .restore your emotional and physical energy so that you can put absolutely everything into the tasks and challenges you need to face in your business environment.

Write a Detailed Plan for Your Business

Write a detailed plan and be very specific. What I am talking about is not the official “Business Plan” that people sometimes ask for, full of words that are just copied from someone else’s idea off the internet. This must come from the heart. Visualise the success you desire. This becomes the blueprint of your future and amazing things will start to happen to cause your dream and your vision to manifest. I have found that by writing these things down, it forces me to focus on the specific tasks that I need to do daily, monthly and annually to achieve the end result. This focus also causes me to attract into my life the things, people and resources of energy, time, finances and materials that are necessary for the fulfillment of that vision and that goal. I have very specific goals for Beautiful Bracelets and already these things are happening to enable fulfilment of the dream.

“Where there is no vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18) Where there is no goal you will drift aimlessly and I really don’t believe a business can survive long term or prosper without one.

Have Fun

I believe work is meant to be fun. If I have to spend at least 8 hours a day busy with something (quite honestly, in any new business I find the hours closer to double that, eat, work and sleep the business..) then it must be whilst I’m doing something exciting, something I enjoy so much it feels like play.

If you’re in a situation where every Sunday night you dread waking up the next day to face another week of work, you’re either in the wrong job or if you cannot immediately change the situation, work towards finding an extraordinary and fulfilling after hours interest that makes life worthwhile. If you need to make a change, plan for it. Work on skills or studies that will assist a change of career. I believe if a person is contemplating starting their own small business, a course like those offered at Ikusasa would help ensure success. What’s the point of starting something if it isn’t going to be successful?

The other thing I would recommend if you plan on starting a business (it isn’t always possible) is get out of debt, and ensure you have enough savings in the bank to cover living expenses for at least 6 months.

Several ways you could have fun with a new business include starting a Blog (like this one). It helps get your mind off the daily tasks and step back, even focus on what’s really happening in the business. Another way is via social networking, like the Beautiful Bracelets Facebook Page and Twitter (follow us on @1000bracelets if you don’t already – click on the link top right of this page). Enjoy the face-to-face interactions with new customers for your products or services. Talk about it in queues at the Supermarket, Bank, Post Office...

Love life!

Rainmaking

Sales is everything. The only time a products or services based business is making money is when face-to-face with a buyer or a seller in a buying or a selling situation. So, Beautiful Bracelets we are energetically searching out new selling opportunities. This is not quite the kind of product that one can sell on the street like coat hangers, sunglasses, peaks, flags (think World Soccer Cup 2010) or the countless other products one gets approached with at robots. Go where the customers are. Especially to start with. The ideal scenario would be to hire a stand at a Trade Show where Buyers from large retail corporates frequent, but those shows are not on the Calendar this month. Guess where we’ll be next year! But for the moment, it’s small time venues: craft markets, any school or corporate that will allow a walk-in to scout their employees in case they want a Beautiful Bracelets. Various opportunities have already been negotiated, for dates falling within the 6 Week Challenge. Some opportunities like certain Christmas Fairs are also confirmed but these dates will only materialise after the Challenge is ended. This is such a wonderful business it is certainly not going to fold after the Challenge ends, but of course the idea is to WIN it!

And then we have to juggle with all the aspects of running and managing the business, taking care of orders arranging deliveries, designing new bracelets, keeping up with the demand by maintaining production and quality control. A new business start up is extremely challenging on one’s resources of time and energy.

But it is also so much FUN!

Limiting Costs on a Startup with Little or No Money!

Plenty of people have been doing it for years. In fact if you look around you in many of the coffee shops in the city you will find many business people there. Conducting meetings. Responding to emails on their laptops. Working on their websites whilst sipping a filter coffee.

A friend of mine related how when he started his business, Cappuccino’s Midrand was his office. And whilst he was sitting there, he received a call telling him that a particular large organization had just accepted his tender for a R48 million contract and wanted him to come in and sign the paperwork. With data costs being expensive in South Africa, it becomes tricky to start up a new business on just R1000. Particularly if a large component of that business is online. Loading photo’s to a website uses a lot of data! So at some point you might find me and my Beautiful Bracelets at Cappuccino’s in Midrand. If you do, I would love to meet you and show you the bracelets in person. Don’t be shy!

Eunice, the friendly Manager at Midrand Cappuccino's

Cappuccino’s allows unlimited internet usage to their clients so for the purposes of this project I will see how long they allow me to be there on just 1 cup of filter coffee (R20 including tip). The staff there are warm, friendly and helpful. I am sure they know that they will eat the fruits of prosperity of all the businesses whose first official “office” is Cappuccino’s!

How to get an Idea for a New Business

The first thing when starting a new business is to have a great idea. But how do you get to that? There are two ways (of many, I’m sure). One way, is to find your passion. What are you passionate about and love doing? Very often if you pursue your passion, the money will follow. A school friend of mine loved running (in fact, won the Comrades Marathon at least twice and started a Running Franchise). Secondly, find a problem to solve. The bigger the problem, the greater the reward.

Another friend of mine found himself a number of years ago in a place where quite a few of his friends were unemployed. So a group of  5 or 6 of them decided to lock themselves away in a room for 4 days and the objective was to brainstorm and get an idea for an online business, have set up a website with credit card facilities, and sold ONE item off that website within the 4 days. But they had no idea yet what business it was going to be. By the end of the 4 days, they’d achieved their objective, and sold 1 product online, off the website. That website was www.bugzapper.co.za 

This experience made them realize that it works, and very soon they opened another website. In the first year they only sold 1 item off the website. But things have grown exponentially since then, that company has become quite well-known in South Africa (and is selling internationally too), they now source their products from all over the world and were one of the sponsors for MasterChef South Africa which aired recently. Yes, it’s www.yuppiechef.co.za a company that is experiencing exponential growth!

There are so many ideas out there. I believe that in the next 5 years there are businesses that will start with technologies that we haven't even heard of yet.

Radio 702 MoneyShow Challenge Update:Week 2

A good week!

Some of the Beautiful Bracelets on display at the Launch Party

Some of the ladies at the Launch

Beautiful Bracelets Launch was incredibly successful (even with fewer attendance numbers than hoped for, with the short lead time this was anticipated). This was held at a friend’s very upmarket home. The friend kindly sponsored catering for the Event (the Launch was suggested by her from the outset). The food and ambience, and support from those present, was phenomenal and very encouraging. There were good sales as a result of the Launch.

The most significant part of the week for me, though, was a meeting with my friend and mentor, Stan Close, of www.ikusasa.biz who offered his services as a business coach for the 6 week Challenge, free of charge. He gave excellent feedback and a wake-up call as to pricing and what I need to do from here to move closer to the profit margin I desire. Stan helped me to take step back and face reality. He also helped with cash flow analysis of income and expenditure and pointed me in the right direction for the next steps.

Wrote Press Releases for publication in the Women of Acts monthly newsletter. Was requested to write an article (after my email to the Editor) for GoodNewsSA.co.za. This is all part of promoting Beautiful Bracelets in order to gain traction on sales.

Maintained daily Blog as an encouragement to others who may wish to start their own micro-business.

Had orders placed/received online via the Beautiful Bracelets website with some people thinking ahead to purchase Christmas gifts already!

Twitter followers doubled week-on-week. I would like to secure more than 1000 Followers by the end of the Challenge since social media is one of the best methods to promote and create awareness of the products with a view to increasing sales. I need every bit of help I can get to reach that goal! Twitter followers please retweet whenever possible.

Lungi, Zukiswa, Valerie (me!) and Pinkie at Acts Church Business Dinner

Highlights: Somebody bought the bracelet off my wrist at the Acts Church Business Dinner on the Friday evening! A colleague seated at the table offered to arrange an official invitation to a flea market opportunity. More on that next week if it works out.

Lowlights: Sold only half the bracelets I’d hoped to sell this week, blogged about Disappointments and Setbacks. Not one of the flea markets applied to responded to emails or phone calls yet.

Main objective/goal for Week 3 is more SALES!!

Disappointments and Setbacks

In any new business project there are likely to be setbacks and disappointments. Disappointment is ALWAYS a divine instruction to initiate a change. Disappointment can be deadly if nothing changes. You need to isolate the disappointment, separate it from the other things that are happening in your life, and work out why the disappointment is there.

If the disappointment comes through an individual, confront the situation. You have 3 options:

1. They did not meet expectations.(Dialogue brings understanding)
2. There is something they're not telling you.
3. Confrontation in an effort to resolve the situation.

Disappointment is a seed for dramatic improvements in your life. Sometimes something you are holding onto   needs to die. It might be an idea. It may be a relationship. When WRONG people leave your life (or your business), good things start to happen.

(credit to the wisdom of Dr Mike Murdock, paraphrased).

New Markets..

This week I attempted to get onto two of what must be the best markets from attendance point of view. I called the one (Irene Village Market) who directed me to email them via their contact form on the website. Which I did, requesting an urgent response since I would like to have displayed Beautiful Bracelets at the weekend market today (I know it's late, but with now only 4 weeks to go the time is flying by and I notice there are only 3 market dates left after today.) No response to my email yet. Neither to my application to the Bryanston Organic Market (which I'm applying to on the grounds of using beads which have recycled materials in them).

An amazing thing happened at the Acts Business Dinner last night (which, by the way, had the MOST inspirational speakers... on "coming up higher" to a level of integrity in business that may be scarce in some parts of our country if one judges by how busy Thuli Madonsela is. It just so happened that at this Business Dinner I was sitting next to a lady who somehow is involved or linked to people in Government who arrange flea market events for Special Days like Women's Day (9 Aug), Heritage Day (24 Sept). I asked her if people actually buy stuff at these markets and  if there were any "days" coming up soon. Yes to both questions. This coming Wednesday, 16 October, the MEC for the Department of Agriculture will be present at an event to market International Poverty Alleviation Day, in Bronkhorstspruit, and I was invited right there and then to be there (official email confirmation to follow). It may be a bit far, but perhaps travel could be arranged with the friend who suggested it, also, it seems an opportunity not to be passed up considering the ethos of the "day" fits some of my goals. And of course, last week I had a number of people ask if I would please bring Beautiful Bracelets to Acts Church this Sunday, as they wished to purchase (there is a rule that one cannot have a table or stand at the Church, but there is nothing stopping me from engaging in transactions with people who approach me directly.) So quite a few sales are happening by word of mouth and it seems the "word" is spreading like wildfire, and this is a congregation of about 3,500 people so I could be very busy just with that. I have also been given permission to have a stand at the next Acts Women's Conference and sell, they will have a kind of "flea market" situation at the conference with many people selling their goods. A funny thing happened last night. As we were getting ready to wrap up and leave, one of the ladies (a friend of someone at my table), decided she just "had to have" the Beautiful Bracelet I was wearing (it was Turquoise) and she bought it on the spot! (The first time she'd heard of Beautiful Bracelets.) Actually, there wasn't even time to tell her about the business, I will get her number from her friend and follow up. Follow-up marketing is the best and easiest way to get more business. Get loyal customers who will either purchase more Beautiful Bracelets, or will refer their friends to buy either online or in person.

Sales are starting to flow more steadily via the website www.beautifulbracelets.co.za. I have noticed even amongst some of my friends a certain level of suspicion and hesitancy to purchase things via the Internet. Some quote hearsay evidence of things going wrong. But I personally have only had excellent experiences purchasing online and I intend to ensure that Beautiful Bracelets is a pleasant experience for anyone who tries it. "Under Promise" and "Over Deliver" on service. That's what I hope to achieve.

It's beginning to seem as though I may soon need to employ more people (the 2nd person) to assist making the bracelets just to keep up with what I can already see is an increasing demand due to the marketing I've done, via friends, social media, and of course the very fact that the Radio 702 Business Challenge is receiving Publicity.. I don't want to run ahead just yet, I will be sitting with Stan Close of IKUSASA later today and working on the strategy for growth for the business. This is something that has to be carefully managed. No point over-reaching and hitting bankruptcy before one even starts.

Passion to Solve a Big Problem

I really like the following quotes by Mike Murdock:

"You will only be remembered for two things: the problems you solve or the ones you create."

"Successful people are simple problem solvers."

"Your passion is a pointer to the problem you are created to solve."

"Your rewards in life are determined by the kinds of problems you are willing to solve for others."

"Business is simply solving a problem for an agreed reward"

The greatest problem in South Africa is NOT the crime. It is unemployment. Solve the problem of unemployment, and you are well on the way to solving the problem of crime.

The unemployment situation in South Africa is of grave concern to many people, I know. Personally, I have been praying for a business idea that would provide employment and in a small way (initially) help solve this problem. If each person in this country who HAD a job (or a business) employed just ONE more person, that problem would be solved or greatly reduced. A business idea that creates employment means something that is labour-intensive. Like bracelet-making for Beautiful Bracelets!  I think that subconsciously, by calling in to Bruce Whitfield on Radio 702 and taking up the #MoneyShowR1000 Challenge, my own wishes or prayers were being answered! I said I would make bracelets, employ 5 ladies to make them and achieve a profit within 6 weeks. Here is an idea that could work..Other ideas may follow. In fact I have no qualms starting up multiple profitable business ventures, each providing employment to 5 people. Just 20 of those and 100 people would be employed! Alternatively, Beautiful Bracelets could be becoming part of a very special story in its own right...

The Bootstrappers Guide to Launching New Products

Today is the day! Beautiful Bracelets Launch Party! If this were not a 6 Week Challenge, I would probably take at least 6 Weeks to plan and organise the Event, guests, and many other aspects needed for a successful product launch. In fact, I would probably plan it around a Trade Show, like SARCDA, for maximum impact. Unfortunately, we just missed that one and will have to wait until March or September 2013!

So the goal of this Launch Party is to force me to be ready for our First Event as quickly as possible, to give my personal network an opportunity to see the products, so that from there I can build and expand the circle.. hopefully with invitations to show the products to "friends of friends". And also to sell Beautiful Bracelets, building capital to grow the product line so that by the end of the 6 Weeks (or sooner if possible) there will be sufficient stock to have a good exhibition table at one or more of the local Christmas Flea Markets. Of course, the ideal would be to have the products in all the stores starting with local (Midrand) stores and branching into Gauteng and later to other areas, but this is part of the journey towards that end goal.

So this is an important landmark for Beautiful Bracelets!

The internet of course has every resource you may need if you want to start a Small Business. Here is one link with tips on How to Throw a Launch Party. The title of this Blog Post was irresistible, link to the article here. A good read for the more cerebral!

Radio 702 MoneyShow Challenge Update: Week 1

So far, in the first week, I have:

1. Launched Beautiful Bracelets website, hosting and secured private unique domain, all FOR FREE on www.wozaonline.co.za!
2. Purchased materials and commenced manufacturing of bracelets.
3. Sales turnover (of bracelets and advertising space on website) exceeds Start Up capital within Week 1.
4. Employed first staff member and made first weekly wages payment on Monday 8 Oct. (One the objectives of the business being to create employment).
5. Secured people to advertise on the website/blog in exchange for cash/discounts on fees/services.
6. Spoke about the business at every opportunity to friends and strangers (even in bank queues, getting their contact details to invite to future events where products will be sold).
7. Maintained a daily Blog detailing the journey (objective in part to provide encouragement for anyone wanting to start a new business with virtually no money.)
8. Managing Social Media Strategy via Twitter/Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/1000BeautifulBracelets .(Need more followers on Twitter!)
9. Arranged Beautiful Bracelets Launch Party for Thursday 11 October - without cost! Hosted by a friend who suggested/offered the Party and is covering catering/venue.
10. Arranged for/engaged a personal business coach to help me win the Challenge, first meeting scheduled Saturday 13 Oct (with a good friend, Stan Close of KUSASA/EntrepreneursSA, who does this for a living and has worked with many large organisations like Eskom, Iscor assisting Business Start ups over the past 20 years with retrenched employees and others wanting to start a Small Business.). He trains a Small Business Development Course (which I completed in 2008), and is offering his services to me as a friend, with no charge.
11. Kept a record of cashflow/accounting. (I studied accounting at University but it is not my favourite thing at all).
12. Lost weight as part of a deliberate plan but the MoneyShow Challenge certainly helped accelerate the weight loss!
13. Lost sleep!

Launch Party!

A friend kindly offered to host a Launch Party for Beautiful Bracelets, at her cost! Wow, that is amazing! So this will be just 2 days' time (a bit short notice but the friend is leaving for Greece as soon as visa's are in place so the date had to be the earliest available). It gives an opportunity for the full range of Beautiful Bracelets to be displayed in one place, because there are far more versions of the Bracelet available for purchase than I have time to post on the website..

This also gives an opportunity for more sales, which is crucial to a start up business where the main element is PRODUCTS that need to be manufactured on site, especially when one needs sales to generate income for materials purchases. In order to build sufficient stock to be in a position to present the Beautiful Bracelets to a wider audience (for example, some of the Christmas Flea Markets which are coming up soon), this kind of exposure is essential.

So we are working hard to have excellent products for viewing on Thursday.

To request a personal invitation for the Launch Party, click on the highlighted link on the Beautiful Bracelets homepage.

A Brilliant Start!

Turnover in the first week of Beautiful Bracelets has already exceeded the Start up Capital of R1000 which is great news, BUT...

If you want a business to go the distance, you cannot eat the seed. So most of that is being re-invested (or planted to use the "seed" metaphor) back into the business to build stock and promote a more rapid growth. If  I don't have products to sell there is no business. Also, the point is not to create a business that will only last 6 weeks and only JUST make a profit. If that's what I wanted, I would stop right now. I've achieved the goal in 6 days, not 6 weeks. But I want to create longevity, a sustainable business that would keep going AFTER 6 weeks, and would continue to give hope and employment to people whilst making a profit.

The thing is, although beads are an inexpensive commodity, there are features in the design which add the "bling" and these are the expensive portion in the manufacturing process of Beautiful Bracelets. It was impossible to purchase all the stock required on just R1000 allocated for the Radio 702 MoneyShow R1000 Challenge. However, I am expecting exponential growth in the business. I have a personal goal which I will share in the last week. It's a very high yet possibly realistic goal if I can employ the right people. People who are as passionate about the business as I am. And of course, it's no use having huge stock and no sales so running parallel to this is a marketing/sales program.

I am very excited to say, I have my first employee! A friend who, when I said I was going to employ 5 ladies, asked if they could be one of my ladies.  This person has reached target production in the first week and will receive their first pay/wages on Monday. Sunday night/Monday morning is my weekly "Day of Reckoning" to assess how the business is doing and whether it is on track for the goals which were set. I am planning for success

Facing the Giants

If you're someone who's thinking of starting a new business but keep making excuses, don't wait a moment longer! "Stop Making Excuses, Do what works, do what matters" is the Title of one of Dr Phil's books. It's true.

Some typical excuses are:

1. Waiting for start up finance (not enough money). Five people on the Radio 702 R1000 Business Start up Challenge are about to prove you wrong on that.
2. The bank won't give me money and my friends/family won't lend me any more.
3. Too much debt.
4. Waiting for the business to be properly registered. You may wait a long time and lose valuable time in the process: Find a friendly accountant/lawyer to do it for you, meanwhile you could be making the important business deals happen that would pay a professional to fix those things for you much quicker. Alternatively get going whilst all your (personally made) applications are being processed. Focus on your core business and on getting new business in.
5. So many businesses fail.
6. No support from family or friends.
7. No connections/networks
8. I can't risk giving up my job
9. I don't have any good business ideas. There are plenty out there, if you don't grab the idea when it hits you next week somebody else will be up and running in a business YOU could have owned.
10. I'm too old/too young. A lot of people started businesses at a very early age and there are many real-world examples of people who started a new business AFTER they officially retired. I have a "retired" friend who did exactly that and over the period of the World Cup was making R400,000 per month!! Doing what? you may ask? Selling Flags!!!!
11. Fear. Fear of failure, fear of the future, fear of the unknown, fear of success (yes there is such a thing: "what if I make so much money my friends/family all want a piece of it?")

Enough excuses! Best repartee for all the above is the famous quote from the movie "Forrest Gump":

JUST DO IT.

Have a Vision for your Business

Think of other similar businesses in the market place that have done really well and take inspiration from them. “Beautiful Bracelets” are classy, elegant accessories for women. The best known women’s accessories store in the world is probably Accessorize which Is a division of Monsoon (clothing), founded by Simon Peter in 1973. It now has over 1000 stores in 60 countries. I have shopped in Accessorize and Monsoon in South Africa and in the UK and the quality of their product lines is excellent. My sister actually purchased her wedding dress from Monsoon in London.

Last year (2011), Monsoon Accessorize Ltd posted an Annual turnover of £540,393,000 and an Annual profit of £27,909,000. (As of today, 6 October 2012 that is the equivalent of an annual turnover of R7,523,960,000 / $871,680,928 and an Annual profit of R396,104,418 / $45,032,455.)

A turnover of R7.5 billion from BEADS?

Do not despise the day of small beginnings!

Thanksgiving Always Precedes a Miracle!

I hope there are people reading this Blog who really want to start a business. I want to give hope to others who may be in a situation where their back is against the wall, where if a kind person would sponsor a friend or family member R1000 perhaps this example might give hope that it's possible and anyone can do it. There are many reasons a person may start their own business. In South Africa (and due to the World's economies, it seems many countries are in a similar position) where our official unemployment statistics are 25% it becomes a grave necessity for Beautiful Bracelets (and I hope many others out there) to become successful businesses so that we can, one at a time, address the problem of unemployment. The reason I chose this kind of business is because it is labour-intensive and in a small way I would be helping the unemployment situation in South Africa by giving jobs to people in a desperate situation. Actually the Charity that will receive the Profits from this 6 week R1000 Start Up Business challenge, being the Starfish Foundation reminds me of the well-known Starfish story. I might not be able to help everyone, but if I can just make a difference in ONE person's life by starting this business and building it up to success, that would be an awesome achievement.

If you are in a tough place, start by expressing gratitude. Be thankful for what you have. We all have things we can give thanks for. Very soon, your mood will lift, depression will leave, and you will begin to recognise that just like the oak tree, the SEED for a thing is WITHIN itself. You have every resource you need to fulfil your destiny. And don't be shy to ASK for what you need. The people placed around you are there for a reason. It's a beautiful day!

Health Issues

People in business might speak about financial health, but I rarely hear anyone talk about the need to be fit and healthy if you want to be an entrepreneur. I once heard a really successful multi-millionaire say he'd never come across anybody successful in business who suffered with health issues. So if you want longevity as a business owner this is something you have to take care of. Good habits all round. A nutritionally balanced diet, exercise, and enough sleep are important. It is not easy to follow these rules during a business startup process, and I've failed all three so far in just 3 days (forgetting to eat, staying up all night working on websites etc, and exercise is something I always plan to start tomorrow). But "tomorrow" is today now, and I want to win this challenge and make Beautiful Bracelets famous without ending up in hospital so I will pay attention to the advice of others on this subject!

Celebrating our first sale!

Well, today was busy. My car had been in the car workshop for repairs, so my friends, Anthony and John kindly drove me to Allure Beads, a local bead warehouse in Midrand where Thomas helped me spend R1000 (he gives excellent discounts on purchases of R1000 or more) and purchased the start up materials to make Beautiful Bracelets.

Fortunately the car returned soon after that and I took a few bracelets with me to an appointment with Dr Wian Stander, a wonderful bariatric physician (weight loss specialist doctor, this "make a profit in 6 weeks from R1000 702 Money Show Business Challenge" pales beside my personal challenge to reach my goal weight by January 2012!)... Anyway, I talked about my new business to 2 other ladies waiting for their appointments, and gave the website address so they could check out the bracelets on the website via their smartphones. As I walked out of my appointment, the lady waiting for her 3pm appointment grabbed me and asked if I had with me a particular bracelet listed on the website. She bought it on the spot! R70! But that's not all. I asked Dr Stander if he would like me to advertise the Slimming Clinic on the Beautiful Bracelets website and blog since it is already just in the first few days receiving massive publicity. Well, in return I received a discount on my appointment fee. And I will pay over this discount (R200) to the Beautiful Bracelets business as a "payment for advertising". So I am monetising the website and blog with returns going back into the business!

A great start to what I am absolutely sure will be a wonderful business that is going to help many people who need hope and inspiration to start and run their own small businesses!

Cashflow is EVERYthing

Well, it was great to meet Bruce Whitfield yesterday when I collected the R1000 "Business Startup" cash and touched base briefly with some of the Team from Radio 702.. Cecile, Pearl, Alistair and Tshego, a worthy competitor..

How High Can You Fly With R1000 Startup Capital?

My schedule for Wednesday includes an early morning shopping session to purchase materials for making new bracelet designs which will then be posted on the website, including a few tried-and-tested, much loved versions of the bracelet. I already have a few people (friends) who wish to make purchases. Someone once said to me that you first sell to your family, then your cousins, then your friends, then to strangers... That is a good technique for building a business... ripple effects, making the circle bigger each time.

I really need to get my team of ladies together, the new employees of this startup business, to make the bracelets... this business needs to fly. The best advice for a brand new business with very little start up Capital, is to drive sales, to sell as much as possible, as quickly as possible. Cash flow is everything in a new business and I'm already sensing that I need to build more stock early on in this R1000 Moneyshow  Business Startup Challenge, and to do that I need to multiply the Cash On Hand. Sales, sales, SALES... I call in the business from the North, the South, the East and the West. And if you're reading this, please get onto the website immediately and order your Christmas presents! These bracelets make wonderful stocking fillers!

Bear in mind that for every person in this Business Startup Challenge we each have a whole other life: a "day job"!! Can't drop the ball. But I am firmly convinced that an ideal way to start a new business is actually "moonlighting". What that really means, I think is, you work a full 8-10 hours in one job. Then after hours, you work a full 8 hours again on the Moonlighting Project... Am I getting enough sleep? Maybe after 12 November.

1000 Beautiful Bracelets is Born!

What a surprise! When I woke up yesterday morning I had no idea I would on impulse call through to Radio 702 to apply for the R1000 Business Startup Challenge, a challenge to create a business and make a profit from R1000 within 6 weeks... Well, they had a few calls from prospective candidates and then the Listeners had to vote and nobody was more surprised than me when I received the call to take up the challenge! They asked me to be at Radio 702 Studio's on Tuesday to meet Bruce Whitfield and collect the R1000 startup cash.

My idea for a business comes out of a minor hobby I tried out a few months ago. I made a few bracelets. And found that friends wanted to buy them! So my idea for this Challenge was to pay 5 ladies who needed a job to make bracelets, sell them to family, friends, strangers, and of course, the pre-requisite of the Challenge  is that all proceeds/profits are to return to Radio 702 for the Starfish Foundation Charity. In this Challenge, I will be up against (in a contest) 4 experts from Radio 702 including Paul Theron,  Tshego Modisane, Pavlo Phitidis and Warren Ingram who will each also have R1000 and a challenge to see who out of the 5 of us makes the most profit from R1000 in just 6 weeks!

So last night I quickly set up a website www.beautifulbracelets.co.za (for free using wozaonline.co.za which is a great free service for South African small businesses supported by the DTI, Vodacom, Google and HRDC). Please click on the link, have a look at the Beautiful Bracelets new website, buy something there, and refer your friends!