Promote your shop for free with Mommy Tyme! No catch!

A great way to promote your shop/business is with widgets or mini stores!  Many of the marketplaces have them- Etsy, Winkelf, Artfire, etc...

(if you know of more, please comment and let me know... I am not sure of all of the venues out there!)

anyway, I am hoping to create a featured section on my blog- Mommys Reviews- and post a variety of artists mini shops for either a week/or a month at a time- (I dont have all the details under control yet...)

so, here is an excerpt from my blog- Mommys Reviews at http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com  -  If you are interested in participating (Yes, it's free!) then you can comment here with the information, or you can go to Mommy's Reviews and post the information there!  I really hope to get the Mommys Mini Marketplace off the ground in the next two weeks!  So, hurry and post!  Plus, this will really be added promotion for your shop- I will feed it to twitter on a 6 hour interval, also post all new mini shops each week on Facebook, and it has a feed running to my website!  Plus, I subscribe to multiple traffic exchanges and services for both My Mommys Reviews Blog and my website.  All of this benefits you- so, join in the fun!

Here's the details from http://mommysreviewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com

"...As we have talked about previously, the Share the Love Series will be ongoing and updated weekly.  As will the pursuit of handmade series which is my weekly blog entry!  The Mommy's Mini Market contains all of my shops- but, my new FEATURE is Mommy's Mini Marketplace- which I hope to have up and running in the next week or so... Here is the deal for this:  If you are a handmade artisan and you want to promote your items/shops- you can do so here!  I would like to feature 3-4 mini shops (or widgets) each week (or month)!  All you have to do is- sign up!  Just leave me a comment with your shop URL, name, and email.  I will choose 3-4 shops for this first feature, then contact the shop owners.  The shop owners will send me the code for their mini shops  I will post the mini marketplace.  One catch, however, is that the online shops must have a mini/window, etc.  I know that etsy, winkelf, artfire, and fuzz b offer this free service- but, as for other marketplaces, I am not sure!  You will just have to ensure that your venue does offer this service.

My readers get a fantastic opportunity to browse a variety of shops with multiple modes of talent!   Readers can shop directly from the blog or they can link to your shop and see all of your great products!  This will give readers a chance to see all the fantastic items out there in the handmade marketplaces- not just the few items I may choose to feature!  And this provides you (the shop owner) with one more link back, one more promotional tool, one more place where your name and products is being shouted out!  You have to do absolutely nothing!  I will tweet your shop's presence here, post it on my website, let my facebook followers know, etc! 



I honestly believe in promoting and preserving the great talents out there!  One of my biggest fears is that by the time my child is an adult, there were only be cheap, mass marketed products for him to enjoy.  I want the future of handmade and artisan work to grow- I pray that individuals continue to express themselves and their creativity and that there continue to be a market that openly appreciates and receives these creations.  So, I feel an ultimate obligation to do my part and shout to the world - Hey check these artists out!  So, Mommys Mini Marketplace is just one more way I can do that!  Problem is .... I need participants (you, the shop owner!)

So, if you are interested, comment with the needed information- and I hope to have this feature section up and running sometime next week!..."

If you have questions, ideas, or thoughts on how to get this up and moving, streamlined, or easier for the readers, let me know!  Hope you join in and participate!

Lets talk about setting up shop! How to actually make a profit! Do sales on Etsy work?

Ok, so you have a product and now you want to set up shop! where to go? We have talked about the cost of selling, and it is getting tougher and tougher. Over this past weekend, I held a 10% sale on some of my products. Well, if I sell a bar of soap for 1.50, then 10% off- then set the shipping at 1.45 (which it turned out the bar was 5 ounces and because it was being shipped to the other side of the country, shipping was 1.76) then etsy takes it's cut, pay pal takes it's cut, and don't forget the .20 listing fee at etsy... I ended up losing money! How many times has this happened to you? I literally paid someone to use my soap! That is crazy.

But, what are the choices? Everyone wants a cut, and you have to use pay pal unless you are going to hold products and wait for checks to clear (word of advice- Never send the product until you know the check has cleared! I have been down that road a time or two!).

I did not even factor in the time when I calculated all the above...and that is enourmous when you have a four year old, work full time, and go to school! For me, every second counts (and counts big!).

Well, I have to step back and look at this in a positivie way- It's not really a loss! The people I sold to this weekend will hopefully come back again and again. So, the first thing I did was add their email addresses and home addresses to my customer list for future flyers.

To adjust the shipping error, I went into my etsy shop and did a batch edit. I think to even it out the best way to handle the situation is to add .10 to all shipping orders. Then in the future if I have to pay a little for shipping it will even out with the shipping costs that I was over a little on estimating. Make sense?

Now, there is really nothing I can do about the cut that pay pal takes. I am stuck with that. But, I can utilize all the services they have to offer so as to make that cut not so bad. One of the greatest resources on pay pal is the shipping. You can print your shipping labels directly from pay pal. For me, this is great. I leave for work before the post office opens, and get off after they are closed. With the ability to pay and print from home, I can have my car loaded with my packages and ship at 5am if I need to. You can also schedule a pick up from your home. so, that is one benefit. A second benefit is you know your money is secure. Pay pal tracks all your transactions, and if there is anything funny on your account, they let you know. That is peace of mind for me.

As for the Etsy fees, I really don't see how you can get those back without passing them on to the customer- which I do not want to do. However, I have to be positive and look at it like this: for the items like my soap, .20 is a cut- but for my bigger ticket items such as my jewelry, hats, scarves and more- it really is not that much of a cut. Materials for my bath and body line are costly, but for my other items, the materials are relatively low (they are just enormously time consuming)- so view it as yin and yang. One balances out the other.

However, there are a lot of other options out there besides etsy that you may not know about. So, lets spend some time over the next few weeks exploring these. I would like to introduce you to the Fuzz B next week, and the great marketplaces I have found there. But, before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to make sure I know where all the "bugs" are!

So, come back next week and lets start exploring the selling venues and marketplaces!

For more tips, ideas, etc on selling visit http://www.mommytyme.org/services.html


Do you have an etsy story to share? Ideas how to increase your profits? Share them here! Post a link back to your blog, site, etc and increase your traffic, too!

My Craft Corner

Another fantastic social network has found it's way to my email, My Craft Corner. This one has some great contests, including a cricut giveaway- OMG! I have been wanting this item since I saw the first infomercial! But, that is not all you find at My Craft Corner. Promoting groups, opportunities to learn from others experienced in your area, blog promotions for your sales.... So much more! Check it out! Tell them Mommy Tyme sent you.

http://www.mycraftcorner.com


Visit My Craft Corner

Get your banner! Get your Avatar!

I had once been told by a great marketing genius (From Marketing Mama's 101, Jackie Ladner), that you should have a consistent banner and graphics to depict your shop/store. Well, I didn't believe her and I wanted different graphics for each of my stores- Hmm.... I think she was right! I have found that it is difficult to keep the banners straight- I get confused on what goes where, etc. Also, my customers do not recognize this as the same company. So, She was right, I was wrong! I have looked at all my banners and Just can't decide- I have been creating mine through a free banner service (Banner Maker)- if you check the archives you will find the post that discusses how to use and create your own banners.

Now that my business is starting to take off- I think I need one, select banner to represent the store. However, I will use a different banner for each of my blogs- thus, to keep those straight and not confuse my readers. Each of the blogs is so different, - one is for marketing, one is for personal wellness/life change, and one is for family friendly and reviews of products...

However, in searching for the perfect banner to represent my company, I want to ensure that it is something I will keep forever. It is not good to change your look constantly. I have finally figured out my best packaging of my product strategy, so it is time to find the perfect representation. I have scoured several different banner sites, shops, etc. One that I think you could all try, be happy with, and is completely affordable is Heartland Graphics- see the link below. Give it a try, browse, let me know what your think. I still haven't made the official CHOICE for mine yet- but when I do, I will let you all know.

In the meantime, check the graphics out... If you sell handmade, I think you will find the underlying theme they have at Heartland will go well with your products!

You can create a slide of your items, see more....

Spotlighting the Fuzz B

The Spotlight is up and running... So, if you have a grand opening, a sale, or any contests/giveaways you want to promote...go to the link below, scroll down and complete the submission requirements. This is free, and only requires your assistance in tweeting, and promoting by posting the banner! check out what's up there now! Some great sales are currently underway....





This week I want to introduce the newbies to selling online to a great resource... The Fuzz B. This is an excellent spot to sell your wares, and a great option for promoting. There are a few things that make the Fuzz B different from other venues:

1. At the Fuzz B you can create your own unique marketplace- Not just a store, but a market category in which you can allow others to sell under. All of your store items do not have to go under this category, but you can place several. For example, you have likely heard of cafe handmade? That is a marketplace that contains multiple items from various vendors... Or Cotton Candy Marketplace? I even have a Mommy Tyme Gifts Marketplace. You can design, list, and link this marketplace to any social network you choose... Exciting, eh?

2. Another cool option with the fuzz b is the ability to promote all of your various stores (not just Fuzz B stores) from one single page. You can add your widgets from various sites like Artfire, Winkelf, Etsy, etc onto your Fuzz B page. Crazy! This simplifies your life, as you can just list one URL for promoting items at all your various venues. It also allows for you to promote your blog, your website and more! (see my example at http://fuzzb.com/MommyTyme)

3. There are various pricing options- all very affordable. You can try a shop for free, too! How can you beat that? Then if you enjoy the ease of access, friendly environment, and supportive team, you can upgrade to a regular store, and more!

Oh, and don't forget you can create a widget store that you can post anywhere... See mine below!



See what is happening at the Fuzz B






Stop by my Fuzz Hub page and check out more great things you can do at the Fuzz B!


http://fuzzbearthmarketplace.ning.com/profile/Valerie

Free store? Venue? and Network?

So we have been talking about joining social networks to promote and opening your selling sites.. So, I was just informed the following site is now free for you to sell and you can also join the social network that it works with for free! The two are intertwined, offer you fantastic resources for selling, a great bunch of people to shoot the breeze with, talk shop with, and learn from... This is really an exciting opportunity. So, check it out ...


Visit I Love Artistry Arts













Similarly, the following, Made It Myself, or MIM is also free and has an adjoining social network. Besides that, there is a paid Gift shop site you can participate in. So, take a moment to check these out, also..





Visit Made it Myself on Ning



Good luck in your store and social network choices. Once you have made a few, feel free to post them in the comments and advertise them to our fellow readers... This is a great way to promote your network and your selling sites... Can't wait to hear where you've set up shop!

Make More Sales Series- Phase 1

Ok, so you have a product you want to sell? Well, let's get it out there! First you need to choose a venue to sell your product. If it is handmade, there are several choices like Made it Myself, Etsy, Shop Handmade, Winkelf, and many more (see the tags and links at the bottom). You need to consider, how much are you willing to invest in selling venues. Some are 5-10 bucks, while others are free. However, a free store is useless unless it has traffic, and a large widely publicized store is useless if it has too much competition and others have the same product as you... Thus, the dilemma. So, you will need to explore each store to determine what is right for you. One thing I initially did was to sign up for every store I could find, place my items then just see what happens.... I have now waited about 4 months and am in the phase of narrowing down my store outlets. Attempting to keep up with several stores is difficult and it is hard to track your inventory. Furthermore it is time consuming to list products everywhere. So, figure out which stores you want to try, set them up, and wait a few months to figure out which is the best venue for your Product!











Do you have other selling venues? Post or comment them to share with our viewers/subscribers/readers....




In the meantime, you will want to access social network sites to find resources, help, support, and friendships. Social networks should not be ignored. This is a wide variety of individuals who may not only be potential customers, but network guru's who can guide you down the right path. I belong to several. Many allow you to post your products, sell your products, post your links, banners, badges and more. That is what you need! So, find the social network that has the tips, members, groups, and forums you are looking for- not just for promoting, but for networking. I have listed several that I belong to, and feel free to sign up for these- tell them Mommy Tyme sent you. Next week we will work on RSS feeds, and your blog!


Visit StartUp



Visit Online Shopping Mall



Visit Artisans/Jewelry Designers Ltd.



Visit The Cafe Handmade Lounge



Visit Live Laugh & Love To Shop


There are so many, I can't list them all right here. But if you use the link below you can browse all of the Ning social networks to find what is right for you.


Visit Ning Directory - Promoting Ning Networks

Super Sales at the Flea Market

Once again, I decided to try my bath, body and skin care products at the monthly flea market held at the Civic Center in our town. I wasn't sure how well I would do, but determined not to give up. My previous experience at this market had not went well, but if you read my blog about that experience, a lot of the blame lied with me and my attitude at the time. This time, I was determined to put a big fat smile on, and sell! sell! sell!

I also used a few ideas from my previous flea market fiasco's. Someone once told me that everything is a learning experience. So, as to feel that I did not waste my booth fee's the previous times, I was determined to use the knowledge I had learned and consider it an investment!

This time I set up a "Try me" table that held sugar scrubs, lotions, lip balms, solid perfumes, and a spritz. I made a big sign that said Try Me. Next to this I set up a Contest where customers could enter their email, address, and name. The winner would be put with my web site contest entries to win a sampler basket. Several people stopped just to sign up for the contest, or the try me table. This gave me an opportunity to approach them and discuss my products. Now, some people were rude and told me they were not interested (but some people are just like that), while others listened to my intro, thanked me and moved on, but some actually listened, look and bought! That was fantastic. So, the Try Me Table and the Entry form contest are "keepers" for future shows.

An added benefit to the contest/drawing is that I got people's email addresses to add to my customer list for future sale flyers and email promotions. And the winner will receive a sampler basket, and after trying the products, will hopefully return. All people who entered the contest were given a business card so they can check my web site for the winner in the next two weeks! That also gets the people to my web site and to my stores- along with all the other people, shops, and social networks I promote on my web site. So, I look at the contest as an investment.

A second change I made for this flea market was a special DEAL. People at flea markets are looking for low cost, great finds, and special deals. So, I offered a 2 for 5.00 soap special (which is an online offer I have right now to build my customer base). This went over well. Especially when I informed people of all the great ingredients in my custom blends like organic cocoa butter, shea butter, lanolin, vegetable glycerin, organic kokum butter, olive oil, and more. I talked to EVERY single person who came to my booth and explained (if they let me..) the benefits of each ingredient. Before they could get rid of me, I asked "What scents do you prefer" once they answered I would find a product that had a similar scent, get the product out, and ask them to smell it. This helped get people's interest.

Besides those changes, I also brought some items to the flea market that are not handmade. I used those as my "grabbers", or product that perked interest and would get people who typically would not stop at my booth over to my booth. I took books, old jewelry, some glassware, and vases. This helped tremendously. I had more traffic at my booth than any of my previous flea markets. Now, this is a tactic you can only use at a flea market, as farmer's markets and craft shows generally have strict guidelines on what you can and can not sell.

Finally, this time I spent twice as much time with the set up. I set everything out in easy, organized fashion. I usually go for the "pretty: factor and arrange things esthetically. Instead I set things up according to like items, fragrances, price, etc. I put items that I had several of in a basket and turned the basket on the side for easy access, but left out a few of the items for people to see. This saved me space, and avoided too much distraction for the buyer. I made big posterboard signs with block lettering (instead of fancy pictures and script), that clearly lined out prices and specials for customers. Sometimes individuals do not feel comfortable asking about prices, and although all items are usually tagged, those tags can fall off. I don't want to lose one single sell or over a missing price tag.

Towards the end of the day I put out a big sign that said 1/2 off End of the Day Special- although I lost some money on this, it gave me new customers who may not normally have tried my products. Not everyone is willing to splurge on themselves when it comes to bath and beauty- this gave them a chance to try a product at a really good price. Hopefully, they will come back.

One thing I did this time to help bring customers back was I listed my web site and web store on every box, label, etc. Not just on the tag, I literally wrote it on the box. A lot of times people will lose a tag, but if the site is directly on the label, once they find they like the product can look for more. Even if the product isn't used up for another 3 months, that website is still on there and as they realize they are out, they can order more!

So, I had a great flea market this past weekend. Unfortunately, that is the last one for the season. I had to try 2 before I really got the hang of it, but now I know for the future events!

I hope some of these tips will help you in your ventures. I would love to hear your thoughts, tips and ideas when you sell at different venues! Please comment and share!


Next Saturday I have a booth at a "Biker Show", so I can't wait to tell you all about this. I can safely say, this is my first Motorcycle show event- but I have created a few items that I hope will be tailored to this group of customers (without stereotyping)- I have created a sunburn bar, super moist lip balm, new jewelry items, ponytail holders, and tattoo care bar!


PS : see my new items just listed at my stores below! The super fat butter bath bar is amazing- it's like lotion and soap all in one step! My Shades of Green is the first piece in my jewelry line utilizing a new wire technique- Please tell me what you think! Excited for feedback!

Mommy’s gone overboard, AGAIN

In my attempt to market my products and advertise my items, I started spending endless hours scouring the web, free website submission services, joining social networks, etc. What has now happened is I have joined so many groups and signed up for hundreds of free web surfing sites that I actually spend about 2 ½ hours each morning just trying to catch up with my obligations to the groups I have joined. I then found Twitter. Wow! I thought this is a fantastic opportunity to advertise my items and my sales to thousands of people. That, of course, led to face book, my space and more….

 

So, what I have run into is about 240 emails each morning when I wake up that need answered. After that I have to check all of my stores (which I also went overboard on, and opened one in several marketplaces), then my pay pal account, and finally, as time allows, I get the chance to update my own website, blog, and add items to my store. This is crazy! I have put myself out there in so many places that I am spending more time on the web then I am on creating the projects I love.

 

So, this week I have decided to review, reduce, and downsize my outlets and marketing attempts. The reality is, that when you spread yourself so thin, the work you are doing is quantity and not quality. Just putting a badge or banner up on a social network page and showing a few pictures, really isn't what social networking is about. The idea behind the social networking groups is to show yourself to others, make friends (thus the word social), learn new techniques, ideas, share thoughts and more. Your social networks should not just be networks that you think you can sell yourself at, or that you think you can market from. Social networks are not designed for that purpose unless that is in the name and description of the network. Rather, the social network is designed to meet new people, make friends, and find similar interests with others that you can share. Somehow I have missed some great friendship opportunities on these networks because I am so busy trying to catch up with every network.

 

Another mistake is joining several free web submission services that require you earn credits by surfing pages. Joining one or two of these sites is truthfully all one person can handle if they only have 1-2 hours on the internet a day. If you are not familiar with these programs, the idea is that you surf and review other's people's web sites. You earn credits for each site reviewed. You can then spend these credits by having your website posted for others to review in the same program. This does bring traffic to your site; however, it is not the right traffic. That is the key. You want traffic to your site and stores of people who are interested in purchasing or shopping for your line of items. That is the mistake so many of us make. We think that the odds are in our favor if we get enough individuals browsing our sites, but reality is these individuals are viewing your sites for the same reason you are viewing theirs. Not because you are interested, but because you need credits. So, if you agree to these programs, make sure the program is one which allows you to choose your interests for the sites you will be viewing, and that allows you to plug your site into certain categories that a viewer can choose to look at. So, you would not want to list your site under web development if you are selling jewelry. Otherwise the people who are searching web development may look at your site, but they are not interested.

 

The same concept applies to your twitter messages. You don't want just any followers, you want the right followers. The same applies when you are searching twitter for people to follow. If you are interested in free web submission, and you type that in, that is what you will get. You can follow these individuals, but it may lead to you getting followers who are interested in free web submission services- not the true items you are marketing. So, at least once or twice a week you should look for twitter's that has key words relative to your items. Examples would be, "shop for jewelry", "green gem stones", etc. Or if you have bath and body products, "lotions on sale", "buy handmade soap", etc. Once you find the twitter's with these key phrases, follow them. Even if they are a seller, too, you may gain some of their followers by the follow list posted to the side. Make sure you tweet some general interest items once in a while, too. People want to get to know the seller, and short brief phrases allow some insight into your personality.

 

So, learning from my mistakes the past few months, my agenda is now to downsize some of my outlets. I am going to review all the social networks I belong to and reduce my participation to those that I really enjoy, those that I have made friends on, and those that have similar interests to my own. I have listed a few great sites below, and hope if you have time you will check them out! Second, I am going to withdraw my site surfing programs to only two. The two that I choose will allow the viewer to choose categories of sites they want to view, and categories for which they can list their own sites. Finally, I am going to review my twitter follow list and reduce to those that I actually want to read and follow. Hopefully, this will free up at least half of the time I currently spend on the internet and allow me to get back to Creating! I haven't been in the kitchen for a week to make a batch of lotion, soap, or melts. I have barely picked up my crochet hook! Without my time for those interests, I feel empty and lost.

 

I hope this helps someone else out there who find themselves being sucked into a variety of outlets, and unsure which ones to let go and which ones to pursue. There are only so many hours in the day, and the majority of those hours should be spent doing what you love. If you love marketing on the web, then you are fine, but if you love creating with your hands, you may want to consider downsizing.

 

 

 

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When does Passion become Obsession?

For those of you who know me from past blogs, or from the social networks, you know I fancy myself an entrepreneur, crafter, artisan, and a variety of other titles that are endearing. Well, it turns out, I can add a few more adjectives not quite so positive to my list!

I came home from my full time job last week, opened the door, only to be confronted by my husband with an exasperated look on his face. "We can't go on like this anymore! I just can't live like this"

"Like what?" I asked as I stepped over a huge tote of soap boxes blocking the hallway.

"Like this" he said waving his arm around the room to focus on the boxes, the mail packages, the 10 pound blocks of wax stacked up on the dining room table.

"Hmm..." I said as I entered my craft room. Just then my plastic organizer against the wall fell over, releasing about 50 skeins of yarn all over the floor.

"This is crazy! You are crazy! This is way too much!" my husband interjected.

I glanced around the room and took in the two tables stacked with all of my scrapbooks, supplies, my hundreds of skeins of yarn, my shelves packed with tiny buttons, beads, snaps, glittery little add ons, etc. I then proceeded to the dining room where I have set up my mailing station. Postal boxes, wrapping paper, tapes, soap boxes, and more are lined out all over the surface. I moseyed into the bedroom where my book shelves no longer hold books but are jam packed with patterns, books on beauty, herbs, oils, scraps of paper with crochet patterns and stitch instructions are pouring out, and piles of magazine articles with my "ideas" are stacked.

Ok, maybe he is on to something. But, I love to work with my hands. I think about it all day. I am constantly coming up with a new idea, a new way of doing things, and I hate to think I will forget any of it. It's not that everything is a "mess" per se, it is just overtaking every room of the house. I have a small craft room where I used to house my yarn, crochet needles, and a few pattern books. Then there is my workshop in the basement where I make soaps and candles. Somehow, when I wasn't looking these areas multiplied and took on scrapbooking, sewing, rug making, and more.

Then there is my guilt over garbage. I am so worried that there may be some way I can use that empty milk jug, that old coffee can, that jelly jar, that I have packed all of my kitchen cabinets with every left over packaging there is out there. Although my intentions are good, reality is, I don't have time to recycle every item that enters my house.

Besides my crafting, I am a full time Nursing Home Administrator which is a 50+ hour work week on it's own. I then have a husband and 4 year old son who are the top of my list. And I can't forget my studies. Last year I started work on my Master's in Child and Adolescent Development. Before my crafting, I already had a full load.

But, the crafting has always been there. It was just recently that I found there was a market for it. I am a junky to the thrill when I sell a piece or item, and get the feedback from someone who truly appreciated my time, effort, and talent with it. I am an addict to the need to touch things with my hands, to take something like a ball of yarn and create a cute headband that everyone comments on. I love the feel of yarn in my hands. I love the scent of herbs in my house. I can't wait to get home each day and custom blend the ingredients, cook, mold, create a bath bar that is unique and different.

That is not the problem. The problem, or "obsession" as my husband call it, is that I keep expanding. I keep pursuing new avenues, trying to learn new methods and modalities. Basically, I want to learn how to do everything! That is where the obsession lies.

So, I have come to terms this week that I can not possibly engage in every craft, art form, and creative outlet that I aspire to. Instead I need to regroup, think about which focuses I really enjoy, and direct my energies towards those. I have decided to limit myself to three outlets (for now, anyway). All of my other odds and ends I will relinquish (wow, that is going to be hard!) So, I started this morning at 5am, going through my craft room and separating the supplies that are needed for my 3 venues, and those that are not necessary.

This morning I presented my new plan to my husband. He was ecstatic. "You mean we might be able to eat at the dining room table again?" "Yes" I said! When he asked me what I was going to do today, I told him "I am going to take all of the items that I won't be using, get pictures, and start selling them on eBay!" I am actually very excited about this. Instead of being thrilled at my new found focus, he rolled his eyes at me and said, "Here we go again!" What? I thought.




Have you ever become obsessed with your crafting outlet? Your passion for your talents? Tell me about it! I would love to know that I am not the only one who goes overboard!




visit Mommy's Tyme at http://www.mommytyme.org for more articles, items, patterns, and ideas for women, mom's, parents, anyone....
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Mishaps of A Mommy Prenuer

Hi! This is a new blog for me to share my mistakes, blunders, and "not so good ideas" with my fellow Mommy 'Prenuer's out there! We are all trying to find ways that we can stay home and still bring in the income, but that is not as easy as some of the advertisements out there lead you to believe!

I started my own business from home: Mommy Tyme Bath and Unique Gifts. I have always created things- if you have junk, I will make into something. I then began an obsession with skin care, good for your skin and body ingredients, custom blending, and creating all kinds of great bar soaps, bubble baths, lotions and more. This led me to think I could sell my products wide scale and bring in some income, eventually quitting my full time job. The dream has always been to open my own little boutique or store somewhere, do consignment items and my bath and gift items. I really thought this might be just a year or so away... I just needed to hit the marketing and promotion hard!

So, I have done that. Recently I have begun to sell at venues like flea markets and "Indoor Garage Sales". Reason I have done that is because locally there are not a lot of "craft sales" in the Decatur area. We are a very blue collar area with high unemployment rates, and flea markets, garage sales, indoor rummage sales, etc are a big event. I thought I could sell a little, pass out my card, get some addresses for my marketing letters, etc.

So, these next few blogs outline the recent flea market experiences for me and what I have learned....

You can visit my former blog: http:mommytymeswordsofwisdom.blogspot.com for my last flea market experience!

Saturday I was scheduled to participate in the flea market/indoor rummage sale at our local civic center. Set up times were 5-7pm on the Friday night before, or 6-7am on Saturday with doors opening at 8am! I was pumped. New ideas from my last flea market led me to gathering up several baskets, dividing my soaps into categories and setting "deals" for each of these categories! So in one basket I had herbal blend soaps, then fragrance soaps, then my extra large bath bars. I was selling them at 2.50 per bar, 2 for 4.00, 3 for 5.00 etc. I thought, "Hell that has got to sell". So, I stayed up until midnight on Friday prepping everything, organizing, decorating baskets and boxes....

Saturday morning the alarm goes off... I get up and shut it off! I had it set for 4 am so I had plenty of time to load the truck and get myself looking "HOT". When selling beauty products, skin care, hair care, etc. I thought that I am my own walking promotion and I should look good if I want others to believe my products work! (which they do). Well, at 6am my husband says "Hey you getting up?". I looked at the clock and almost cried. I jumped out of bed, got in the tub, hurried up and threw on some clothes, and loaded the truck. I tried to put on make up while I was driving, but the air in my husbands truck wasn't working and it was close to 92 degrees. So, I was melting, my hair wasn't drying, I looked a "Hot mess!"

When I arrived, I was asked to park in the parking lot across the street. Now, understand I have 5 totes. Each tote weighing in at about 80 pounds! So, in high heel black shoes, I carried each tote across the street one by one. So, at this point I have sweat rings under my arms, my hair is flat! and my make up has ran! I was just about ready to give up!

I set my table up and muddled through the day. Dead tired, hot, and looking my worst. I did sell a few here and a few there, but my heart was not in it. I had basically took on the attitude "Everything has gone wrong, so this is not going to be any better" and I was right. I came home and cried, then I took a shower and a nap!

Now, what I have learned after looking back on this mess of a day is:
1. Don't stay up until midnight the night before. Don't wait until the last minute to get your items ready. As a mother and full time worker, that is hard to do at times, but 30 minutes every night is better in the long run than 4 hours the night before.
2. Get up early enough to get ready so you feel good and are on top of your game!

3. Even if everything has gone wrong, put a smile on, buck up, and sell. You never know when you are going to get that one big sale that makes the difference. If you just sit there with a bad attitude, who wants to approach you?

So, I am not giving up! I also had a stroke of brilliance the other day! I thought a great idea would be to set up a table of samples that customers can actually try the products like the sugar scrubs, the lotions, the lip balms (with disposable cotton swabs), and a few soaps that they can touch and smell. As the seller, I need to stand at the end of my booth and ask people if they would like to try it...Not just sit and wait for someone to approach me...

So, I have another selling venture coming soon! I will tell you all about that next time!


Visit my site Mommy's Tyme at http://www.mommytyme.org

Visit my shops at:

http://www.MommyTyme.etsy.com
http://www.MommyTyme.winkelf.com
http://BFuzz.com/MommyTyme

I would love to hear your ideas and ventures, too! Please comment