heatherrbxo

[heatherrbxo]

Week 13

what is working?

Kijiji. Seriously. I didnt bother to post my items on Kijiji because I figured it was more a buy and sell for other items. However I made a sale of 7 lanterns to ONE person on kijiji and 2 lanterns to others. I am definitely surprised and pleased for sure. 

I also ran a “cyber monday” sale which seems to get people interested. Again one person bought 3 lanterns and had sold one other as well. 

what is not working?

Im finding facebook to be the slowest moving for me. Im not really sure why, I havent paid for ads on any platform at the moment but have noticed the other platforms out performing facebook so to speak

how do you feel the project is coming?

Im feeling much better about it. Sales are picking up and im seeing better returns and got my first review which was amazing. Everyone messages me after they get home with their lantern but a review felt amazing to get because she was publicly recommending me  

what are you learning about running a business?

As orders are starting to “pile in” im feeling better about my run with the assignment and reaching the goals I had set at the beginning. 

What are you learning about yourself?

I hate last minute... The second I get an order I complete it and want it out. I really dont like seeing my little order sheets pile up as I start to feel overwhelmed. 

[heatherrbxo]

what is working?

Social media market places are definitely bringing in the attention right now. I have posted on things like Varage sale, Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji and am starting to get more attention from those platforms. 

I was also at an outdoor market at the Toronto Zoo as a vendor. It was a bit cold but we had the first snow fall and it think that also really put people in the holiday spirit. 

what is not working?

I find a lot of people show interest until they ask about the price then things tend to get quiet. 

how do you feel the project is coming?

As we get closer to the holidays I find business picking up a bit more. I

what are you learning about running a business?

I think its definitely something you need to be 100% dedicated towards and it does take quite a bit of time to find your footing so to speak and get running. Im still not getting the strong following I was hoping for but have also not had a huge online presence 

[heatherrbxo]

what is working?

I ran a giveaway with a few other handmade vendors in my area and it definitely brought some extra attention to my page. I was able to get lots of interest from people who weren't even interested in the giveaway and it gave me a chance to introduce my items to new groups of people.  what is not working?

A lack of presence on my page is definitely not working in my favor. When people click on my page im sure they want to see lots of examples of my work, however with few customers theres not much chance to showcase my work.

how do you feel the project is coming?

I think this is my least favourite question because I still have that end goal in mind and it seems like quite the distance away. 

what are you learning about running a business?

Running a successful business is not a part time job! It is definitely taking a lot of time to be able to push my items and keep them current in my feeds. 

what are you learning about yourself?

I signed up for some outdoor markets and am excited to be able to go. I am a bit worried as to what and how much to bring. Hopefully I am able to fill my booth with lots of fun things and be able to make lots of sales.

[heatherrbxo]

Online Customer Showcase 

One Little Foxes Den

Photo Lanterns

[heatherrbxo]

Online customer Showcase 

One little Foxes Den

Photo Lanterns 

[heatherrbxo]

what is working? This week i’ve decided to create a giveaway with 7 other handmade vendors near me. We are running it on social media and using that to gain some traction. Its doing good in terms of getting traffic to my page. 

what is not working? This year is a bit difficult to navigate on its own and i think a lot of the uncertainty of peoples jobs and Christmas coming up is making for a lot of stress on people. I think that is showing through on their lack of buying and being a bit more hesitant on buying for people they may or may not be seeing this season.

how do you feel the project is coming? Im getting a bit frustrated with it in all honesty. I think that theres a lack of showcasing available right now with all the Christmas markets being canceled. 

what are you learning about running a business? It certainly takes patience. Its a slow process to make a name for yourself. 

what are you learning about yourself? Im more resourceful than I had thought in finding places to list and sell my items. 

[heatherrbxo]

Update

Im finding that ads are bringing in visitors to my pages, but not bringing in sales. I think a part of it, is not being built up and having a steady following yet. At this point, I am not confident in my item and that I picked a good item to sell. Its proving difficult to build a following and really target those who may be interested. I admit I am not starting from scratch entirely as i had a very small following prior for my other venture prior to this class. I figured the select few who were repeat customers would likely jump on the new band wagon but that hasn't been so as of yet. It is definitely difficult to push items without a steady following. I think a lot of people who look at my page notice it hasn't been published for long and question if that is a good thing. Some have asked for additional pictures or examples of my work, and without wasting too many resources it is difficult to produce an adequate amount of samples. 

[heatherrbxo]

Money!

If i was to take my business further, I would take government grands and bank loans. That would happen after I have made personal investments of my own to get a good understanding of what I need. 

I would not personally take love money as i do not believe family and friends should have a place with money. It can make relationships rocky and end up costing you. 

I do not think this particular business would have much to gain with venture capital as this particular business idea is not something they would be interested in. 

I would definitely consider an Angel, in the event of really taking off as they can also offer some expertise. 

I would use business incubators, as there are some in my area for local handmade vendors. Like the stores that offer shelf space to handmade vendors. 

[heatherrbxo]

Plans Plans Plans!

[heatherrbxo]

Step One:On a piece of paper, write down 15 ways to use this precarious little device.

Décor Wedding table number Gift night light Memorial Piece Treat jar Display Advertisement display Paper Weight Candle holder Home staging piece Book end Unique photography/Art portfolio display Photography thank you gift Junk hider ambiance light

Step Two: Narrow down your list to the 10 best uses for this thing (which is still definitely not a safety pin). Then narrow to the best 5. 1. Décor 2. Gift 3. memorial piece 4. display 5. night light 6. Candle holder 7. Book end 8. Wedding table numbers 9. Advertisement Display 10. Paper Weight Step Three: Custom photo lantern, Photo display, Display lantern, light up display, unique photo display

The perfect gift IS out there! It is unique, handmade, and sure to be a crowd pleaser. You can proudly display your favorite most cherished photos in a lantern that will create a beautiful glow behind each one. Your pictures are semi opaque so just enough light shines through to give them a soft glow and can give such a soft feel. They work beautifully as memorial pieces and can even include names, dates and sayings on the functional door. While best for indoor use, they are sure to be soft, subtle décor pieces perfectly matching any décor!

Photo lanterns, the perfect addition to any home. Photo Lanterns, watch your photos dance in the candle light. Photo lanterns, perfect for the moments you want to remember forever

[heatherrbxo]

[heatherrbxo]

Compeditors for my Shop

Each and every business has a competition. Some more than others. It can force you to stay on your toes and keep you looking for new ways to stay ahead of the competition. While searching for my potential competition, I found three different shops and another kind of competition , but ill get to that last one in a bit.

The first shop I found was The Ragged Rascal. They are a UK shop but do not ship internationally. The Lanterns were beautiful and easily comparative to my own. The website has a welcoming rustic feel and was easy to navigate. Her prices for the lantern was 20 pounds sterling (Approx $33CAD) plus shipping, however unavailable to ship internationally. Unfortunately her items were all sold out and it did not appear that the website was up to date and/or had been abandoned.

The second shop I found was cheeky liscious. This one is also not local and based in Australia. Her prices were $50AUD (Approx $48 CAD) plus shipping which would be on the pricey side. The business website was not asthetically pleasing and seemed to be a bit all over the place. Items were not consistent and very busy overall. There was no speciific turn around time listed on the website to give a customer any indication how long their order may take to fill.

The third one was on ETSY by a shop called BlessedBirdyBoutique and located in the US. They do also have a Facebook page, but it seems to have a much smaller following and updated less frequently. She has had many transactions listed and reviewed on Etsy and a strong presence there. There are tons of listings and styles for her lanterns. Her turn around time is 6-8 weeks seems a bit excessive given the time these take to create. Delivery to Canada is $65 making the cost of a single lantern $107. Her main focus for the lanterns appears to be for memorial purposes, which could marginalize her target audience.

So what was the other kind of competition I found? The DIY bloggers and their websites. So many of them popped up in my search when looking up "photo lantern" and while each one was slightly different from the next, they were all the same general idea. Fortunately, the people looking to do them "yourself" are not my target audience. While it is always tempting to do things yourself for cheaper, its not always plausible. Sometimes we dont have access to the equiptment or have the materials. Some times we just dont have the time or ability to do it ourselves.

Sites mentioned above are listed below.

https://theraggedrascal.co.uk/products/large-personalised-photo-lantern-antique-ivory-effect?variant=17545505767502

https://cheekyliscious.com.au/products/memorial-or-message-lantern

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/760861940/memorial-lantern-sympathy-son-loss-of?ref=sold_out-9

[heatherrbxo]

[heatherrbxo]

Welcome to my blog! 

My name is Heather and just like you I am full of a large mix of character traits. Like an emotional trail mix! 

Some of my weaknesses are simple little habits, and others, part of my core. But none-the less, they make me who I am. I immensely empathetic and it can often lead to me exhausting myself to help make others happy. I am always there to be a helping hand whether you need someone to help you move, to helping you get over that emotional roller coaster of a day. But often times i get so involved in making sure everyone around me is okay, I lose sight of myself and find myself getting easily overwhelmed. 

I sometimes struggle to find the right mix of work and play. I have attempted to make set schedules but always find myself with distractions and the unpredictability of events outside of my control tend to throw me through a loop and I end up having trouble regaining my traction to get on schedule again. 

One of my biggest weaknesses is as I have grown into an adult, I find myself becoming more and more introverted. I try to ensure to throw myself into social situations that force me to bend my habits a little. However with the lack of social interactions due to COVID, I have definitely lost all the progress I had made. 

I am also lucky to be blessed with strengths that can help me navigate. I may not prefer to interact in social settings but I am really good at watching and listening. I think this is also what makes me so empathetic, as I am always on the listening end at gatherings. And being empathetic people tend to be drawn to me when they are looking someone to listen and help them through a rough patch. 

I also think my creativity is a major strength. After all it also doubles as therapy for myself! I love to be hands on with items and turn them into something fun!