One mum's crazy journey of bringing a small business to life.
Sharing
the ups & the downs.
2012 started off slowly.... in
January I made my very first quilt.
Sadly I think it was one of the last
times I actually sat down at my sewing machine.
Like many mums, I decided that
6am in the morning was a good time to tackle bootcamp... army style. This
was the first of many sessions in the rain.... lets just say that while I was good
for 6 months and I felt like wonder women..... I crashed and burned at Easter.
I'm a little annoyed at myself...
while creating this email and looking back over the year that was 2012... this
is the last time I can actually remember myself doing something just for me....
hmmmm I'm going to have to look at that.
In Christmas 2011 we had a stall
at a local primary school
and we were lucky enough that a
passing customer took one of our cards.
This awesome customer went on to
invite us to have a tent in the 2 day KNOX FESTIVAL... which attracts thousands
and thousands of people each year... this little painting is the start of
planning this huge event.
and aprons, everything I could
think of to make us standout.
I handmade the curtains,
purchased displays, polka dot table cloths,
WOW... so we were going to the
KNOX FESTIVAL.
I was sooo excited and then it
dawned on me ........
I MUST HAVE BUSINESS CARDS.
Yes we had been open for a year
and this was the first time
I was getting actual business
cards.
VERY PROUD BUSINESS MUMMY MOMENT.
The Knox Festival had
arrived...... it had taken us 3 hours to pack the shop into the 4WD and trailer
to get all the products to the festival. Another 3+ hours to unload....
the night before we made FRIENDS with the festival security guard and held our
breath....
Lets get this right... I was
panicking... the storm was hitting,
the sides of the tent were
sucking in and out and the wind was incredible.... question was would it still
be there in the morning?
Yes of course it was.... BUT THE
RAIN, now that is a totally different matter.... no one in sight except for a
lonely bee and pouring rain and MUD, lots and lots of mud...but as a mum I was
prepared... our little tent had CARPET SQUARES!!!
Then it all changed THE SUN CAME
OUT.... and the second day
was beautiful. We got to
meet sooooo many lovely people and
I gave out LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS
OF CARDS :-D
Two of our awesome suppliers came
and did demonstrations for those passing by.
One supplier was pure GOLD.....
Rebecca was there for me 2 days straight, unwavering and I must say she was my
rock.
She helped me pack up the shop,
it was her 4WD and trailer that got us there and she helped me set up with Cath from Leaf... I'm so very lucky to have such wonderful suppliers.
Yes..... I'm a mum with a little
boy... he was two years old at this time and yes we are stocking the shop after
the Knox Festival.... one display or should I say three displays and a tub of
products at a time.
Now it must be said that the Knox
Festival took a lot out of me,
within hours of restocking the
shop my body fought back.... I had taken too much on and the body let me know,
I was then sick for a week.
OMG it was around this time that
my little boy did it.....
he said the name of our little
shop..... THE COFFEE APPLE
without any prompting and then he
said it again for the video...
SOOOO PROUD OF HIM.... click on
William to hear it yourself.
After the craziness of the Knox
Festival I decided that it was time that I opened our first online shop.
Now the online shop was initially
limited to 25 products and it had Word Press front page which.... lets be frank
... was terrible and I was embarrassed to promote it. I was so frustrated that
I didn’t have these computer skills.... YET.
Not long after the Knox Festival
we headed to our very first Huckleberry Market. It was wonderful to meet
awesome new suppliers here for the first time and to get to know more wonderful
and amazingly supportive customers.
It must be said that I nearly ran
out of petrol getting there (thanks hubby) and encountered a huge HUNTSMAN
spider in the petrol tank. It then took 7 trolley loads to get the stock
from the car to the stall and 40 minutes to display all the stock.... I was
seriously sweating when the doors opened and by the end of the day I was
exhausted....and just like clock work after restocking the shop I was sick :-(
In June we tried something a bit
different and took part in our very first POP UP SHOP in Emerald with a
collection of other small businesses working under the name of The Passing
Collective....
It was a breath of fresh air to
be having sales in WINTER.
It lasted a week and again we got
to meet more wonderful mums in business and lots of lovely new customers.
HARDEST TIME IN THE HISTORY of
The Coffee Apple... whilst much of our stock was in the Pop Up Shop in Emerald
our landlord arranged in winter, to have the roof of his shop replaced... as
you can see the workmanship was terrible... it was not made secure over the
weekend.
I have never been so ANGRY and
bitterly disappointed as I was that Monday afternoon. To get to my shop
without so much as a phone to call to tell me what had happened.
Displays
and products destroyed.... even now 6 months on it still makes my blood
boil..... after hours of cleaning the shop I got out to the car to find a
parking ticket.....
I NEARLY CLOSED THE SHOP that week for good.
As many of your know I'm
passionate about my local community.
So when the local council started
a process of creating a roadmap for the development of our area... you can
guess who was more than happy to add a couple of suggestions.
All the little photos with the
typing underneath (basically all but the post it notes) are my little
collection of ideas and this was just the first sheet of paper :-P
With our ideas, council began the
process of redeveloping and putting a plan in place for Ringwood East... one
which will include a community area as part of the Knaith Road Reserve.
It really is very exciting and
something I look forward to tackling again this year... fingers and toes
crossed.
I know that when building an
online business it's important not to have all my eggs in one basket and so
began my attempt at creating a newsletter with a difference, I didn't want it
all to be about sales.
To my surprise most people opened
it and many read it a couple of times... even now I get quite a few emails
asking for the next addition.
PROUD BUSINESS MUMMY MOMENT.....
one annoying factor is that I should have been patient enough to have someone
proof read it... sigh.
Then of course after the
newsletters the next step is to tackle our very first BLOG ..... and yes I know
I have to do lots more of them.
I have ALOT of learning to do
when it comes to learning how to use blogger.
As many of us with facebook pages
know.... FB changed the goal posts in a very big way. The introduction of
algorithms hit with devastating effect, really no surprise as Facebook is now
on the stock market and needs to make money... and what better way than getting
page owners to pay for posts to be viewed.
This was an image I created to
try and let likers know how to still see our posts.... IT WAS SHARED BY OTHER
BUSINESSES 64 times and FB refused to let me promote it... I guess no surprise
there.
Another PROUD MUMMY MOMENT....
I'm outside our shop window while William is inside helping me create one of
our wooden toy displays.... he is not so secretly LOVING THIS JOB.
Every single day he amazes me, he
remembers so much and is learning so very quickly, I'm scared he is going to
leave me in the dust one of these days.
Gembrook Market.....yes I have
done markets before... but nothing like this.
It took two cars loads to get all
the stock to market, an hour to set up and well it took everything out of
me.... again I fell sick as soon as the stock was back in the shop.
It was seriously awesome however
to have the Puffing Billy train pull up behind me. The response to our
products by the locals was really lovely with more than a couple now following
our FB page.
We were contacted by the girls
who organised the Emerald Pop Up Shop to come on board and be part of OUR FIRST
EVER ONLINE SHOPPING GUIDE with the potential for huge exposure to our
business.
There was just one tiny little
problem... I HATED MY WEBSITE WITH A PASSION... and in less that two weeks it
would be shown to thousands in all its glory and it would be out there for
everyone to see.... BUT I couldn't miss this opportunity.
OMG it was a very LONG 2 weeks of
learning how to write parts of a back end and fully re photograph many many
many photos for our brand new website.
I was going to make something
that I could be PROUD OF :-D and I did. Just in the nick of time, there is of
course, sooo much more that I would love to do I'm getting there.
October arrives, I pack up the
shop once more and this time we are off to the local EACH Childcare centre
Friday night market. 7 tubs later and half hour to set up, the market
runs for about 2.5 hours and after a long day I'm more than a little tired knowing
that facing me in the morning was the set up of the together with a full
day of work at Harcourts (my part time job which helped me keep the shop open)
However the best thing is that
this is my second year at this market and this time many many many of the mums now know me and our little shop.
This is a pretty exciting just
the change just one a year.
It started with a phone call and
an email..... yes I was BEYOND EXCITED when I was contacted by The Weekly
Review wanting to do a review on our business for their magazine... she said
that staff members had mentioned our little business and that they had members
of the public also write in about us, I was stunned.
This was extremely difficult at
the same time.... it was at this stage that I was trying to decide if we should
CLOSE OUR DOORS on our bricks and mortar shop.
NOVEMBER... what an amazing and
awesome month.
We hit 3,000 likers and I could
have just flown around the house I was so excited.
It seemed like just the other day
when the first person liked our page that I didn’t know.
I was stunned, couldn't believe
it .... well to tell you the truth I'm still amazed at the number of people
following our little business and not to mention just how amazingly helpful and
encouraging everyone has been. I think if someone were to tell me
it at the start that it would be like this, I would have booked a padded
room for them. :-D
It's November and Christmas has arrived in the ONLINE SHOP... every night there are orders upon
orders hitting the email...
and to tell you the truth IT WAS
FREAKING ME OUT
I had never sold so much in my
life.....soooo exciting.
As the online sales grow so does
the number of packages heading to the post office.... as a little joke to hubby
(he calls himself a mule at this stage) I printed him off this little
suggestion. It doesn't go down particularly well :-P
SAD MOMENT.... it's December and
we have just come back from a play date.
My girlfriends house is
beautifully decorated for Christmas.... and well so far I have managed to get
the tree out of the garage... its sat on our sofa for a couple of days while I
have concentrated on getting the online orders into the post.
William brings home a little gift
from childcare, which it turns out to be a little ball with his name in glitter
on it... he asks... "Where does it go mummy?", distracted I say,
"Honey it goes on our Christmas tree".
That evening, after putting him
to bed, I walk past the tree
and I spot his carefully placed
little decoration that he has popped onto the tree. Even now I'm so
disappointed and mad at myself.
I have taken my eye off the prize
which is being at home with my little boy. I know that there are going to be
sacrifices in this journey. But this will certainly not be one of them
next year. I'm tempted to print out the photo for my wall, as a reminder
to keep the balance.
I'm learning (sometimes the hard
way) that small business really is all about trying to keep the balance.
I am extremely lucky and so very
grateful that I have the most wonderful friends, when they spot me running into
trouble they are able to just lift me off the ground, dust me off and refocus
me.
This little table is a high tea
party at William's best friend's place
together with teddies of course.
It was so very special that I was
totally lost for words.
As part of the Traders in
Ringwood East we had a stand at the
Ringwood East Xmas Festival.
I pulled out nearly all the stock
out of the shop and dragged it up the road and held my breath.... I was looking
for a sign perhaps.... but we were on the wrong side of the street.
So many people walking along the
car boot sale market and not making it over to the trader's tables on the other
side of the street. Don't get me wrong we got to chat to many many
supportive customers... it was, however, one of the hardest days as this was
the day that I started telling my local customers that I was closing our doors.
I also managed to get burnt like
a lobster and settle a very upset toddler and daddy during pack up... lots of
fun there.
My VERY LAST WINDOW was my
Christmas Window.
I cried after I had done it, it
was so pretty and so very painful at the same time.
I guess I did not want to go
quietly into the night, I wanted to create something that I could look back on
and be proud of.
I have learnt so very very much
about window dressing, my very first window.... (which will feature in a future
blog) was a trestle table and then a block ikea shelf against the window, I was
so green with no experience whatsoever.
We were into our second day of
high temperatures with William.
My mum came down to watch after
him and in between administrating panadol I went to the shop to pack up..... in
just a couple of hours it was all GONE with only the displays left.
Empty really is the best and only
way I can describe how I was feeling afterwards. I went home to my mum
and William. Some how mums are able to just know what you need. This time it
was a group hug from her and William.
The pack up had taken everything
out of me and I still faced a night of sorting and preparing for the Pop Up
Shop which was to take place in Phillip Island after Christmas.
The conversion of our garage into
OUR NEW ONLINE SHOP....
yes, like our bricks and mortar
shop we will continue to hold the products we sell and will be able to offer
the customers the advantage of COMBINED POSTAGE across a variety of handmade
brands with awesome quality... can I let you in on a little secret?... I
actually don't buy online myself, always worried about the quality.
Its takes two days for my husband
and two amazing brothers to convert it to this stage.... there is still
windows, doors, ceiling, painting and flooring to go but.... its certainly
getting there.
Where on earth would I be without
my family?
At the same time as the online
catalogue I learnt about google analytics.
OMG what an amazingly helpful
FREE website this is. This is the growth... and the decline after I
stopped promoting the shop as the products were in Phillip Island. One of
the best bits is you can see what pages customers are going into REAL TIME,
it's very very exciting when you
actually see someone buying :-D
Here is just a tiny tiny tiny bit
of the products at the Pop Up Shop in Phillip Island.
Closing the shop and preparing
for the Pop Up Shop the next day was well..... insane and certainly not one
that I would recommend attempting again with a sick child.
BUT I DID IT... thankfully the
awesome girls arranging the pop up shop picked up the products and the displays
otherwise I would have been cactus.
In 2011 our sales were
$20,845.94 and 2012 this year our sales were a WHOPPING $32,792.94.... I
know that to many this doesn’t sound much but when I first started I thought
just over $360 in sales was great.
THAT'S over a 50% increase in
sales in a year :-D
Let me introduce you to my
WASHING LINE...
I know it's crazy, but as a mum I
have spent many many hours out here, hanging out the washing. It's one
place where I nearly always find myself thinking of my business.
The little doggie T Shirt is
William's (I have one also) and is a constant reminder that I'm not always successful
in promoting my supplier's products. This woman was so amazing, she
stayed with me for so long, even when I wasn't able to get the numbers of sales
that she dearly deserved and was soooo very supportive and encouraging.
It's a place where I have felt
frustrated, lost, depressed at times, lonely and totally overwhelmed and while
this may sound terrible its also the time when I get to reflect, be true to
myself as to what is not working and a place where I can just let it .... well
let it ALL HANG OUT for want of better wording.
I tell myself, that if I can make
the right changes and for it continue to grow and if it becomes a success then
I will be able to look back and know that it wasn't a miracle, it certainly didn't fall into my lap...
BUT THAT I WILL HAVE WORKED MY
BUTT OFF TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
When I started this business my
little boy was a little over 1 and not yet walking....
NOW HE IS RUNNING....
I can't imagine what it's going
to be like not having to go down to the shop every day. It has been 2
years of our life and now we are moving in a different direction and my boys
are leading the way .....I just have to keep up.
As most of you know this a
certainly a family business and as our Facebook page and email is all about
honesty in small business there are certainly times when The Coffee Apple has
made life very difficult.
My husband, whilst very proud of
my achievements, has, like many other husbands, certainly let me know that it's
not all fun and games. Yes there are many parts of my business that can
rub one up the wrong way. From the cost, to the time spent on the
computer every night. It has certainly changed our life completely and
not always for the best...
BUT I'm changing, learning and
growing and it will get better.
Converting to the online shop
will reduce the huge expense it has taken on our family accounts, it will save
me time running backwards and forwards from the shop to post products.
The next step will be learning MYOB and getting an accounts structure in
place to help with disbursements and of course learning how to market this
business ONLINE.... and with our fingers and toes crossed we will get there.
HOOT HOOT HOOT.... WELL DONE....
you have gotten to the end of our huge newsletter. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH
for following us and reading about our journey and the year that was 2012.
You might be thinking.... SO WHAT
CAN I DO TO HELP?..... Well I'm glad that you asked :-P
AS USUAL..... keep tuned in as
there will certainly be more surprises in store for 2013.
