-How to wholesale. That means that someone who presumably owns a shop has more than likely approached you and asked if you sell your items wholesale. This is a personal choice here, you can choose to say yes or no. If you say yes, the retailer will expect that your wholesale price be approximately 50% of what your shop is listing, they have overhead to pay and are the ones doing the marketing and advertising for you so they need to be able to mark it up 50% in order to make it worth their time and investment. If you don’t already have that built into your listing price then you might want to consider whether this is a good deal for you as well.

The benefits of selling in retail shops are to get your name out there and grow your business. The more places you can get your product, the more chances you have selling it. One note, if you plan to wholesale, then the seller might ask you to remove your etsy web address from your tags. Why would a buyer purchase from the retailer if they can get it straight from you? The way to avoid having to re-do all of your labels, tags, etc. is to tell the retailer that you will list your items at the same retail price that they have. Again, you can make more money this way from the people who DO buy direct and still have the benefit of having your products in retail shops. You also have more wiggle room for when you want to have sales and promotions on etsy.

The retailer may also ask if you have order minimums, lead times, reorder minimums, etc. These are all up to you, but you need to know what they are and have answers prepared so that you aren’t caught off guard. Order / re-order minimums can be done in monetary value or quantity. Again, this depends upon the product, a $50 minimum when each item retails at $50 means you only get 2 sold to this retailer… be smart but don’t over shoot it either. Lead times are how long it will take to get the order together and ship it (the lead time does NOT usually include how long it takes in transit). Be sure that your shipping costs are fair for both parties, use the best way possible to get the items to your retailer in good condition and offer insurance for them to purchase if the items should get damaged in shipment. This is available through the PO as well as the major carriers like UPS and FedEx.

1.Familiarize yourself with your public library-Back in January, of this year, when I was searching for a direction to take for business startup, I looked to the library. I scoured for books on business topics and began to read. There I found everything from writing a business plan to 101 ways to advertise on a shoestring budget. Some of the books I continue to use over and over and some I took a bit of advice and moved on to the next. A book in particular that stood out for me was called “The Purple Cow” By Seth Godin. In it he teaches you to transform your business by being remarkable. With his advice I learned to think more creatively. In so, I have learned to stamp my mark on the work I do leaving folks wanting to come back for more. In most cases there are more than one library in any given county. Most libraries carry different books from their neighboring counterparts so visit a few to get some variety. Search for local libraries here. http://www.publiclibraries.com/

2.Create a budget and stick to it- We all have different amounts available to work with. It’s very important to know what they are. Once you know that amount work inside that. It will keep you from going under. You will then be able to spend wisely at startup. It’s ok if you star off small and slow. It will give you the time you need to become more experienced and allow you to work through growing pains. Trust me you will appreciate that in the long run. Get your free excel budget template here to help get you on track. Just plug in your info and see where you stand. http://www.free-financial-advice.net/create-budget.html .

3.Learn from your peers- There have been so many others who have gone before us and most often are honored to share tips, experiences as well as mistakes and lessons learned. Most local business’s contact information is available online. Don’t be scared to call, email, write or even schedule an interview. Contact local businesses in your community by searching the online yellow pages. http://www.yellowpages.com/?From=Branding_ypbrnd_yellow+pages.com

4.Know your target market- It’s easy to get roped into “blanket” advertising opportunities in order to overwhelm as many people as possible. That, I must admit, has been my biggest mistake since my start in January. The money it costs to do so is not worth the type or quality of business you are looking to get. Owning your own business means you are providing a product or service that has a need to fulfill. With that being said, there is a precise group of people looking for your particular product and/or service. It cuts into your valuable time and money to throw darts blindly at a target. So do some research and find your demography. Don’t be scared to get creative. My target market is shared with photographers and various wedding boutiques. In the past I have contacted countless of these businesses and offered them a deal. In exchange for advertising, I would offer them a percentage of my profits per sale. This way I had no upfront cost and would give them a portion after I had been paid. Just be aware you may get 100 “No’s” before you get that 1 “Yes”. But believe me that one yes makes it worth all the while. This article helps explain how to narrow down your target market. http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/marketing/a/targetmarket.htm

5.Be Trusted-Start your business off right and give careful consideration to how you treat every person you come in contact with; customers and non customers alike. There is nothing that will hurt you more than negative comments spread around about the quality of your service as well as the value of your words. Yes, I ‘m sure there are a quite a few big businesses you have talked bad about before or even cringe as you pass by. The truth is as a small business you can’t afford to lose customers based on untrustworthy actions. Think of all the ways you would like to have been treated as a customer and surpass those expectations. Here are some basic guidelines to proper business etiquette.
http://www.ravenwerks.com/practices/etiquette.htm

6.Know the Law- When organizing your ideas and directions don’t forget to include educating yourself on the lawful requirements you must fulfill. Check out this small business guide and track down all the information you can on which category you fall into. http://www.business.gov/guides/

Of course it’s not surprise by now my attempt was to change your perspective on how small and nontraditional the scale can be for success to be achieved. In this, particular case; ignorance would certainly not be bliss if it meant the difference between a flourishing business and a failing mess.

After purchasing a scale, weigh your item inside the packaging you would use to ship your product. This is what USPS will use to determine the pricing of your shipment. From there you can look at USPS shipping rates at http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?from=global&page=0061calculatepostage
Which includes pricing for domestic and international postage.
After calculating what shipping would cost you can add in the cost of insurance, tracking, your packing supplies and/or S/H to determine what to charge your customers.
Also, for some reason it seems to be less expensive to purchase your USPS shipping labels through PayPal. Through PayPal you simply pay for and print the postage. You can even set up pick up from your home so you don’t even have to make a trip to the post office.

Shipping to APO/FPO using USPS costs the same as shipping to anywhere else in the United States because it is a U.S. address. First class mail for anything weighing less than 14 ounces will take 7 to 21 days to deliver. Anything over a pound we recommend shipping Priority mail which will take anywhere from 4 - 7 days to deliver. If an item weighs more than a pound and you choose to ship Parcel post, it can take up to 6 weeks to arrive at APO/FPO’s.
All APO/FPO addresses required a customs form to be filled out. They only require your address, the buyers address and the contents of the package. Your local postal workers can assist in this process of getting the proper customs forms and filling them out.

Packing supplies can be purchased and found in many different places. You can purchase directly through USPS either online or at your post office. You can purchase supplies at discount packaging online stores like http://dpackaging.shoppkg.com/default.aspx where you purchase in bulk or you can re use packing supplies. With costs and being more aware of your affect on this planet a lot of people are choosing to re use packaging supplies. Saving bubble wrap and packing paper from online purchases and using them to ship your own products is always an option. Shipping envelopes can be used several times before they start to show wear. You can also use poly-mailers as “stuffers” in your packaging. If you stop by local merchants in your area and ask for any used packing peanuts and re-pack boxes most are willing to give you their items for free. We recommend never reusing packaging to ship food products as plastics can hold remnants of prior items that were in them.
Also you cannot get the free priority mail envelops and boxes and turn them inside out to use them for regular Parcel Post. This is not allowed. You can however reused old plain boxes, fed ex boxes etc and cover them with packing tape for re using.
You can also use newspaper for stuffing. If you choose this route we recommend you make sure your product is protected from the paper as the ink tends to rub off on the surfaces around them.
If you choose to reuse shipping products it’s always a good idea to mention that in your shop policies as some customers may not prefer that.

For those that want to donate items to troops over seas or through adopt a soldier you can get free shipping supplies from the USPS. They will deliver, straight to your door, a special kit with the most used items to ship to troops over seas. To order the special kit, call (800)610-8734 and request Care Kit 4. I have personally used these items to ship to my husband while he was deployed and it was very helpful. The USPS also offers great tips and resources on keeping in touch through mail with troops over seas. You can review all their information about addressing tips, mailing restrictions, packing tips etc through this link http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/welcome.htm

Figuring out the best way to package your item can sometimes be difficult.
Choose the right box. You want to choose a box that is strong enough to protect the contains and large enough to leave space for cushioning. If you choose a box that has been previously used you need to make sure it is in good shape with no weak spots or cracks. Thinner boxes like gift boxes etc are not strong enough for shipping and should be avoided.
Protect your product by cushioning it properly. Use old newspaper, bubble wrap, packaging peanuts etc to pack items tightly to avoid shifting and make sure the cushioning materials covers all sides of the object including the bottom.
If you are shipping more than one item make sure that each item is wrapped individually with cushioning around each one to help prevent movement.
Stuff hallow items with material to avoid damage from shock.
Glass and ceramics benefit from double boxing. Pack the item as previously stated then place that box in a larger box with more cushioning material in between the boxes to help absorb shock to protect your items.
For framed artwork make sure you remove the glass from the frame and wrap it separately.
After packing your product up, shake the box. If nothing moves around it’s ready for sealing.
For sealing only ever use packing tape. Make sure you do not put your shipping label over your seam of the packaging tape. This can sometimes cause your shipping label to wear and be unreadable.
To prevent ink from smudging you can place strips of clear packaging tape over the entire shipping label for protection.

Shipping overseas can sometimes be confusing for sellers. This USPS link will give you all the guidelines you need for the requirements of shipping overseas. http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/welcome.htm
You can also use the link provided earlier to determine the international shipping rate for the weight of your item and the destination it is headed to. You can get tracking and insurance on international items but depending on what type of mail you send it by will determine how much insurance your product may qualify for as some insurance is limited. First Class Mail International does not offer tracking or insurance. We recommend upgrading your shipping to ensure that your package gets their safely not only to satisfy your customer but to protect you, as the seller, in the long run as well.
Also if you want to offer free shipping your shop but do not want to offer it for anywhere but domestic shipping, make sure that you state that. Not only in your shop announcement but in each listing as this can be confusing for an international buyer.

Don’t forget to double check your shipping label before mailing. Make sure everything is spelled correctly and written legibly to ensure proper delivery without complications.

To celebrate this event I attended Tyndall Air Force Base’s Military Ball. The theme was Air Dominance through the Ages. Dressed in my formal finest and handsome hubby in toe we set out to hob nob and dine with our peers. In true Air Force form, the entrance to the event was manned by several honor guardsmen and the hall was decked with momentos to showcase the spirit of the festivities. On display were several uniforms worn by our service men and women. A beautiful and historical moment for me as I found a uniform similar to what my father once wore.  (picture to right).

We walked around and chatted with a few friends. The time came for us to sit and begin dinner. A prayer was said and the event began. There were two young Airmen as our MCs for the evening. During our meal they put on a rather funny slide show with aircraft and personnel with a few funny cartoon twists. As the dinner went on we socialized with the people at our table. They were a quite bunch but I kept them talking. There was a brief intermission and we walked around, took pictures and purchased a coin to commemorate the night.

When we returned to our table it was time to hear from our guest speaker of the night,  Gen (Ret.) T. Michael Moseley. This man has a career achievement sheet about a mile long not to mention being knighted by the queen herself! He spoke of many things but the pieces that lingered where those of the war and our loved ones overseas. He spoke of his children, his career, and his beautiful wife. We laughed when he commented on wearing a suit for the first time in his life. He basked in the remembrance of mess dress and combat attire. He told jokes of his days at Texas A&M and the football season underway. It was a wonderful speech and great end to a wonderful night. The Commander thanked him for his service and presented him with a squadron coin and personal gift. All was ended with a toast and some very good marble cake. The event was an experience I was all to happy to be attend. 

 61 years down, a lifetime more to come.
~Amanda, Sygnet Creations

If you are anything like me it was something completely disregarded for the first 6 months of my membership. I don’t even want to think about how it may have hurt my shop.

The ladies of the Homefront team are starting a series of business related topics to share with you. Hopefully what we have learned based on trial and error will give you some insight on having a successful shop as early on as possible.

For those of you who have been around a while but need a revamp or refresher we hope this helps you just as much to help a broader range of customers find you among the crowd.

A good place to start is to know the rules on tagging. When your imagination starts trying to come up with descriptive and precise wording to help customers find you there are first a few things you should know.

1. Many people simply don’t realize that tags should generally be one word. Multiple-word tags are allowed only if those words form a meaningful phrase. For example, the tag “candy cane” is fine. The tag “red and white striped” actually violates etsy rules. “Red,” “white,” and “striped” should all be separate tags.

You can be creative in tagging who the item may be well-suited for (men, kids, teens, grandpa, teachers, mechanics, military) but NOT possible uses … “stocking-stuffer” is a no-no, by the way, as would be tagging your lampshade with “party hat” or your drink cozy as a “pencil holder” (unless, of course it really is)

2. Be careful with tagging things “vegan.” In the B&B industry, most of us know that to mis-tag with this word is to really upset a potential customer. If you are VERY, VERY sure your item is vegan, then go for it. If there is a shadow of doubt in your mind, then ask someone who knows for sure - like the folks at Vegan Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5625771 (who have always been incredibly friendly and helpful when it comes to questions, I’ve found). Some things may surprise you … many people know that honey is not vegan, but some people don’t know that sugar and beer may be vegan and they may not.
Of course with the rules now fresh in mind you are still left with quite a bit of room to be creative and PLEASE do that!

Please be aware that the place where you enter “supplies used” on the first page of listing your item is not the same as in the “tags” page. I made that mistake at the beginning. Giggle if you like, hopefully I am the only one who made that shop crippling mistake, but perhaps not?

You have 14 spaces for Tags: USE THEM! Take advantage of all the assets Etsy allows. But how do you fill all 14 spaces?

1. Take advantage of the “free” Google Keyword Tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
You can type in any key word that basically describes you item hit “keyword ideas” and have an array of alternatives at your disposal.
Adding these alternate terms to your Tag lists can help you find new customers that you many have otherwise missed.
The Keyword Tool is especially helpful:
- When you first create a new listing
- When your current tags are performing poorly
- When you have 1 tag that works well and you want to find more like it

2. People often inaccurately tag their items with words that “the seller” thinks best describes their item. However, “the seller” is not the person trying to find that item. Other people are. The tags that a seller uses may not be the tags that buyer uses. For example:
The younger generation has a tendency to use the word “plushie” whereas the older generation tends to use the word “stuffed animal”.

My suggestion, and what has worked for me is to get your friends and family to write down 14 words that “they” think best describes what your item it. More often than not, these words are some that you might never have thought of. Vice versa, words that you were using were words they would never have used.

3. Tag with colors. Sometimes people are looking for something to match a specific outfit, or a specific outfit - or even a gift for someone in their favorite color. So it can be helpful to tag using all of the colors in your item. And be specific - something may not just be blue, but “indigo.” Your item may not just be brown, but “amber.” As a side note, tagging with colors may increase your chances of getting into a treasury!

Don’t forget to go over all aspects of you item. To name a few: Material, Size, Color, Age, Texture, Season, Location, genre, as well as the feelings they portray.

How long have you been creating hair bows?

I started creating hair bows after my daughter was born in 2005. My daughter was terribly bald when she was an infant and I wasn’t happy with the headband choice that I was finding in local stores so I set out to create headbands with bows that could be interchangeable.

What inspires you to create your items?

It depends really. The anticipation of new seasons makes me excited to create new seasonal bows. And my daughter’s ever changing sense of style inspires me to create new items that are conducive to her wardrobe and that usually flows over into my shop.

Do you have any major influences?

My great aunts. They taught me from a young age to quilt and crochet and always impressed on me the importance of homemade gifts and how they can lift a person’s spirits.

When did you decide to start your own business and what prompted you to do so?

 The decision came last fall after a lot of persuasion from my husband. He prompted me to do so after we started to realize that hair bows were over taking our home and our daughter wasn’t getting to wear the majority of them for the simple fact that there were too many.

Has being a military spouse had an impact on your business?

In small ways it has.

How so?

We’re a one car family so on days when my husband drives to work I can’t ship out orders or run to the store for supplies as need be. Sometimes his hours are really hectic which can cause me to not make it to the post office as planned. Sometimes it’s really frustrating.

How did you find ETSY? Has it been beneficial for your business – good /bad?

I found etsy through a good friend, www.joyfulabode.etsy.com, that I had met through and online military community on www.LiveJournal.com. It has been very good for my business considering it was the first venue in which I tried my hand at selling my bows.

How did you come up with the name of your store?

My husband did, actually. I wanted it to be named after my daughter, Ella, since she is my inspiration for my creations. My husband was creating the account for me and wrote down her nickname which is Ella-Bear. I had the idea of adding boutique to the name and my husband, being the grade A speller that is, actually spelled it phonetically. In other words the BOWtique of Ella-Bear Bowtique was not planned.

 Do you sell outside of ETSY? If so, where?

Yes I do. I have an online boutique that carries my bows http://www.2sweetgirlsinpink.com/. And a local store here in Virginia that carries my bows called Ella Mino Pea. I’m also stocking up to do a huge craft show next year in my home town of Traverse City Michigan during their annual Cherry Festival.

Do you work outside of your business? Most definitely. I am a full time stay at home mother to two toddlers that are only 11 months apart in age. That in itself is a job.

 How do you juggle being a military spouse and running your own business?

It’s simple really, I just have a very planned schedule. I have days where I’m obligated to my spouses groups and my husband’s battery and unit functions and I work all of my business related endeavors around that. My husband just received orders to PCS (permanent change of station) to another base in December and I will have to put my shop on hold until we are settled. So typically his military career does come before my business but I am okay with that. I am used to sacrificing myself to the sake of the Corps. Just like many other military spouses are.

How did your spouse/family react to you starting your own business?

My husband was thrilled that I finally gave in and started my own business. He’s been very supportive and understanding, especially about how much time it consumes. My daughter was excited and likes to “help” me create bows whenever I’ll allow it. Her creations aren’t quite making it into the shop just as of yet though.

What are your hobbies?

I love to read. I’ll read novels, text books, the dictionary. Anything really. I also have a strange addiction to trivia and purposely buy games like trivial pursuit, smarty pants and scene it just to memorize all the information. I also crochet when the mood strikes me. I have an ongoing project that my husband calls “the deployment blanket”. It’s a blanket I started to crochet on his first tour to Iraq. 4 years later I still continue to add to it and it will never be finished until he’s out of the Marine Corps. It is absolutely massive. The only purpose it could possibly serve now is to keep a family of 15+ warm.

What is the best and worst thing that has happened after starting your business?

The best thing to have happened since starting my business would have to be the fact that I have had shops interested in carrying my creations. That’s always a stellar feeling. And also joining the Homefront Team. It’s been a blessing to be a part of such a great team and I have made some wonderful friendships as a result. The worst thing to have happened, well I couldn’t tell you that. I suppose it has yet to come, hopefully it never will. Is there anything you would change? Bowtique would be spelled Boutique.

If you had one wish what would it be?

Personally, to not have my husband deploy any more. For my shop though I would wish that everyone who purchases my creations absolutely loves them.

What is your goal for the next 6 months?

To introduce new products into my store. I create a lot of things that aren’t bows but are child related that would fit nicely into my shop. I just haven’t gotten around to creating them, outside of for my own children and my friend’s children, because they’re quite time consuming.

Since then, he’s had a trip to the vet and several good meals and is feeling much better.

JoyfulAbode is looking for his owners, but if they can’t be found, she will be getting him shots, heartworm testing/prevention/treatment, and having him neutered before adopting him out to a good home.

To cover the cost of all of this, including the crate, food, bowl, toy, leash, and collar she’s already bought, JoyfulAbode is having several raffles for craft items and military spouse books. Drawings will be September 12th or when tickets are sold out, whichever happens first.  Any excess money from the raffles will be donated to the East Mississippi Animal Rescue.

Please spread the word by posting about this in your blog or website, emailing blog editors, writing facebook notes for your friends to see, etc. Thank you!

Military Wife Books: Army Wives, The Homefront Club, and Heroes at Home. $2 a ticket.

Fabric scraptastic: Over 4 pounds of fabric scraps, and 20 1-yard samples of handmade cotton bias tape. $3 a ticket.

 Crochet explosion: A ton of great yarn, 3 fantastic crochet books, and a brand new project bag worth $59.99 from coco cesca (I JUST bought it and haven’t used it or even taken the tag off yet). $10 a ticket.

 Creative Crafts: “Where Women Create” book, 2 embroidery hoops, lots of foam state shapes, bells, fabric yo yos, a tatting shuttle, craft wire, and artificial sinew. $4 a ticket.

Paper Crafts: Easter/Spring greeting cards and envelopes, feathers, rubber stamps, metal word embellishments, metal hinges, wire frames, and more. $5 a ticket.

I am currently located in one the project locations set to be effected by the massive hurricane brewing the Gulf of Mexico. Currently (4am CDT), Hurricane Gustav is considered a Category 3 with a potential to increase speed and winds as it grows in the Gulf waters. Louisiana National Guard has been put on high alert and are standing by to assist in providing security at shelters, maintain order, and aide the police with evacuation efforts. All this is taking place shortly after the 3rd Anniversary of Katrina’s devastating landfall. This morning Gov Bobby Jindal  issued a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and declared a state of emergency. Many other states such as Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma are preparing to send more troops if needed.

I also learned this morning that the unmanned aircraft able to cruises at 60,000 feet  called The Global Hawk, may get a chance to tests it hurricane abilities. If Gustav becomes a bigger threat this vehicle can  fly over head for up to 18 hours collecting data and then fly home.

Stay Safe Everyone

~Amanda, SygnetCreations

If your are a Dual Military Couple, please share your story in the comments section of this post. Thank you =)

 ~Amanda, Sygnet Creations