Customers Who Love Beautiful Bracelets!

I surprise myself that even after having arranged delivery via courier of quite a number of Beautiful Bracelets to various customers from across South Africa and overseas, I STILL wait, holding my breath each time, to find out whether the person is happy with their order and with the product. To date, between 25% and 30% of all Beautiful Bracelets sales have been online sales. And since my desire is for this online business to really take off and do well, I am probably a bit intense over making sure I do it right.

I don't want to pressure anyone by calling or emailing too quickly. So usually I just wait. Of course, if I had no response within a reasonable period, I would follow up in case there is a problem (thank goodness, no problems to date). I do have a 100% guarantee/returns/refund policy but hope it is never needed. This past week has had the most orders generated so far and many of the deliveries reached their destinations. I am so happy to have received ecstatic, happy responses from customers so far:

Here are a few highlights from comments by customers since the inception of Beautiful Bracelets on 1 October (for the Radio 702/Cape Talk Money Show R1000 Challenge):

The first delivery was actually to a customer in Ladysmith, Kwazulu Natal, who found out via Facebook. (A Facebook friend via other friends of mine): Received today...early Christmas shopping....they are beautiful Valerie Pole...love G.

Thanks Valerie. Good product, delivery and service. Well done. Good luck with your competition. (Comment by a client on “HelloPeter.com” by a customer who heard about Beautiful Bracelets as a result of the Radio 702 Money Show Challenge)

I have received the bracelets and they are STUNNING!! Thank you very much they are going to make beautiful Christmas gifts for my daughter and granddaughtr from the UK. (a client in Johannesburg who was probably referred as a result of a delivery of Beautiful Bracelets to another customer who works at the same place).

Yesterday I had 2 phone calls from clients who were ecstatic with their delivery of Beautiful Bracelets. One of whom was The Ballet Box, a shop in Cape Town which is selling Beautiful Bracelets. They ordered 10 Beautiful Bracelets and sold 4 immediately on unpacking them! Her comment on her Facebook Page: JUST UNPACKED! .... hurry hurry...10 ordered, 4 sold already.....1000 Beautiful Bracelets you rock! I love the quality - a nice weight and no scimping on the quality of beads and packaging!

Another Facebook customer (a friend I haven’t seen since school!) said today: Just to let you know that I have received my order and the bracelets are stunning. All the girls at work loved them and I have given them your website so I hope you get some more orders.Take care...

So how DO you create raving fans?

By delivering an excellent product, and giving legendary service. May the compliments continue. I will do my best to ensure continued success!

Week 7 Reportback!

Today was a good day, I had more customers coming back to buy even more Beautiful Bracelets as Christmas Gifts, and much of this business was repeat business. Which is gratifying. And I received a phone call from a customer in Cape Town who was ecstatic, having received her Beautiful Bracelets order. So far the feedback from all customers who buy online has been great. The best customer is a happy customer who buys again!

I am toying with the idea of continuing with a weekly summary and feedback report as I did in the first 6 weeks. Perhaps continuing to Week 10. But Week 7 has been the busiest yet, I have been literally "run off my feet" with the Beautiful Bracelets Business. Just when I thought, great, the challenge is over, now I can rest a few days and put my feet up. Not so. The orders in the first 3 days after the Grande Finale exceeded the first 3 weeks of the Money Show Challenge, it has been quite something to keep up! Especially as all the profits are in the hands of Starfish, one would usually re-invest profits especially in a Startup situation. Since I want to keep this R1000 as close to the original idea as possible and just see how far it can go within 6 months, I will invest R4850 of my own money into the business to put it back to a "real life" scenario.

From now on, Beautiful Bracelets needs to secure its own Markets (flea markets) and it turns out, places like  Irene Market apparently have a waiting list of 2 years! Which is why it was wonderful to have the support of people like Corlia who has an existing Antique Jewellery Section and broke her own rules to "host" Beautiful Bracelets for the duration of the Money Show Challenge (It is quite a responsibility to take on other people's products due to high theft levels at these Flea Markets: a shocking thought). We have been accepted onto at least one Christmas Market (although it seems some of them prefer to be branded as "Festive" markets). And another to confirm shortly. Then I have so many other avenues to explore, it is time-consuming, but this is the groundwork needed, and it will be covered. My business coach said he wanted me to double employees and profits in the next 6 weeks. That would be great, especially since this is traditionally a good time of year to be selling "gift" items like Beautiful Bracelets! As I go forward, I will let you know where Beautiful Bracelets may be found and what I am doing to boost sales. One new store where you can find Beautiful Bracelets probably within a day or so, is at The Ballet Box in Tygervalley, Cape Town.

Beautiful Pendants

The other great thing is I managed to secure the domain www.beautifulpendants.co.za which will point to Beautiful Bracelets and we will be launching Beautiful Pendants shortly due to popular demand. At the Grande Finale of the Money Show Challenge, Tracey Webster, CEO of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship actually said to me (live on air): you should branch out into a wider range of products like necklaces/pendants and earrings. Well, one of the new Beautiful Pendants had already been presented to the Starfish Foundation Charity Art Auction and I have had requests from clients who want to buy matching sets. So Beautiful Pendants will be available soon!

Radio 702 MoneyShow Challenge Update: Week 6

A very exciting day: The Grande Finale!

Whether I win or lose, this has been a wonderful experience. The most rewarding part of it has been in bringing joy to others: Those who have helped me, those whom I have helped (by creating employment), and those who became clients or customers by purchasing Beautiful Bracelets!

Achievements:

Beautiful Bracelets have sold to people from different towns and cities in South Africa, and have traveled to India, Sweden, England and America! So Beautiful Bracelets has in the short space of 6 weeks become a truly international company, by virtue of being found on the wrists of ladies living overseas..

We found 2 retailers in Johannesburg willing to stock the Bracelets, and this past week, The Ballet Box in Cape Town paid for stock which should be delivered shortly.

Production of Beautiful Bracelets was better than all previous weeks in anticipation of a Weekend Market where 600 women were attending a Conference. Sales were good, although I had hoped to sell more!

I think one of the things I can rejoice over is that "Beautiful Bracelets" has been extremely well branded over this period directly as a result of being a part of this Radio 702 / Cape Talk MoneyShow Challenge, although I was thrilled to have been inspired in the middle of the first night of the Challenge 6 weeks ago with such a catchy name.. And what a win to find the domain name available, as if it had been a "hidden treasure" for years, waiting for this moment! Having mentioned the great publicity, I should point out that although the Branding of the Name has been excellent, so far it seems only 25% of sales have come as a direct result of this competition and its branding (which is quite a lot), most of the sales have been as a result of my existing networks with family, friends and colleagues, as well as my energetic sales initiatives.

Something I am really thrilled about is the Book: "1000 Beautiful Bracelets" (How I made a profit on R1000 in just 6 weeks and how you can too). A real winner! The book will be published by Modjaji Books and should be on the shelves by April 2013, pre-order on the Beautiful Bracelets website here. People are already putting their names down on the list..

Disappointments:

I would have liked to have sold more Beautiful Bracelets. I had a personal goal to sell 1000 Beautiful Bracelets, probably ambitious... but the year isn't over yet: we will certainly celebrate once this target is reached.

A Good Result:

The most important part for me in this Radio 702 MoneyShow Challenge is that I have not just created this business as a 6 Week Wonder: Beautiful Bracelets is on a good path towards ever-increasing successes, a business that will continue to help people by continuing  to create employment and bring hope to people or are unemployed and perhaps even hurting and broken people, especially women. We already have Christmas Markets lined up from now until the end of the year, and look forward to excellent sales in the remainder of 2012.

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.

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!