Down Time

When you own your own business there is no such thing as time off. However, there are slow periods. During these slow periods don't fall into a rut; use this time to celebrate the success you have had and develop ideas to improve. Between working full time and owning a business not very often do I find periods when I can relax. But when I do, like today, I use them to the fullest extent. I spend time researching the newest marketing strategies, reviewing my business plan to make sure it still accurately reflects my dreams. My point is always make the most of your time, even if it means taking some R&R to help rejuvenate yourself.

PO Box vs UPS Box

As a small business owner that does not have a brick and mortar store, I have pondered getting a PO Box so I don't have to use my home address for my business. The down side to getting a PO Box is that is does not look as professional (to some people) as having an actual street address. The UPS store has capitalized on this perception by offering business owners a physical street address to use. In addition, the UPS store offered several features that were not available through the post office. For instance, a notification when mail is received so you don't waste time driving to an empty mail box; they would also sign for packages from UPS and FedEx on your behalf.  Yesterday, after weighing the differences between getting a PO Box and a UPS box I decided to go with a PO Box because of the cost ($150 for a year, vice $52.00 for 13 months).  When I picked up my PO Box keys yesterday, to my surprise and delight, the USPS rep informed me about the new free services that the post office is now offering for PO boxes. They now sign for packages, notify you when you have mail AND allow you to use their physical address. WOW!  No longer will there be a need for companies to use the UPS store, a good old PO box will once again do the trick.

Etsy Decoded

I ran across this article today and thought it would be helpful to people selling or thinking of selling on Etsy. http://outright.com/blog/decoded-analyzing-etsy-success-tips/ 

Update on Quick Books

Ok, I know I previously posted that Quick Books is amazing. I was wrong. The more I tried to use the program the more difficult it became. Luckily, Intuit does offer a 60 day money back guarentee, so I wasn't out a whopping $250!  Since my cancellation of QB I have found a free cloudbased system to use, Outright. Outright is great for tracking your expenses and income. It links directly to your accounts and monitors for new activity.  The only down side is there is no inventory management, but for free I can't complain.

Virtual Craft Show

For a while I tossed around a question. How can people from all over the world possibly make it to all the craft shows? They can't. And if they can't how will they see my items? My desire to reach a larger customer base lead me to the idea of creating a virtual craft show. I posted my idea on my FB page and artisans seemed to love it. So today I created HGAccent's Virtual Craft Show! The show is designed so that all artisans can post their unique products for free. My hope is that people will spread the word about the show which will lead to great success for all.

 

Please take a moment to view the show. www.facebook.com/HGAccentsVirtualCraftShow

 

Feedback would be greatly appreciated

Inventory

I have found that when you own a craft business it is almost impossible to track inventory. Recently, I bought Quick Books Pro 2011.  This product is great! Although it takes some getting use to, the robust software allows you to track inventory levels and expenses. In addition, you can create a wide variety of reports to help you accurately gage the health of your business.

Give Aways

Giving away from products, coupons, or gift certificates is a great way to attract new customers to your store. Decide what you want to give away and the parameters surrounding it. Then go to random.org; this site will automatically pick a selection, eliminating bias. Example: Homegrown Accents is giving away a $25.00 gift certificate for free when we hit 500 Likes on Facebook. www.facebook.com/homegrownaccents