Working for a business that closes, when you're in your middle years, has a way of redefining your priorities. Well, it did for me anyway - that's when the brilliant idea of owning my own business began.
Being a reasonably intelligent person, I figured it couldn't be that difficult.
Having run an office; managed account; debt collection; been the IT person; dealt with customers and product enquiries; suppliers and purchases; costing; marketing and, in latter years, showroom sales - doing it all for myself (and raking in all the dollars of course) would be easy.
Well...as any of you who have their own business know, that was a long way from how events have unfolded. Let me take you back to September 2011 – when I was still sane.
After the shock of a job I loved no longer being there, I was lucky enough to land another job very quickly, which is no mean feat these days. It seems once you turn 15 or thereabouts you're not particularly sought after as an employee (but that's another story entirely).
Hard work is it's own reward, unless your hard work is all for the betterment of someone else. Then it's just a way of punishing yourself day in and day out. Consequently, my delusions of grandeur began: "I could do this better", "If this were my business I wouldn't do that".
For some time, the idea of having a little online jewellery store had been brewing, so bullets having been bitten, I decided that I was Going To Do It – I was going to start a business.
So, for the next day or so I congratulated myself on my decision (a good pat on the back is great for the self esteem), but then figured out relatively quickly that I would probably need to do something more than just dislocate my shoulder.
So, what next? Guess I better buy some stock (having stock is a good idea for a store. This much I knew). And then came the first hurdle. What do I buy?
My aim was then, and is now, to specialise in beads and charms, and the chains to put them on (memory bracelets) but an affordable version. The big name brands (that we would all recognise) are really out of the reach of many people, so there I and my little store would be, filling the void for the ordinary woman.
So off I went
Do you know how many different beads and charms there are out there? It took, literally, days to decide which ones to get, as obviously getting all of them wasn't going to be possible. Apart from the expense, my house isn't that large, even for small beads and cute little charms. Then the decision of which suppliers to trust - more days - it was scary throwing my (very) hard earned money at someone I've never met or heard of, only emailed with, before.
So some nervous waiting followed before the first package arrived. Talk about a roller coaster ride, the anxiety was gone and the fun was back, ripping parcels open like a child on Christmas morning.
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| My very first stock item |
Well, since that first purchase I have, of course, gained more knowledge of what to look for and, more especially, what my customers are looking for, in the way of reasonably priced jewellery, what's good value and which suppliers I can trust to deliver the goods on time - every time.
So, my sanity was still intact at this stage, my stress levels (that adrenalin rush was from excitment, not stress!) under control. I had stock for my store! I was ready to roll!
Oh, wait - I haven't actually got a name yet...or an ABN...or, well, a few other things I might need. But that's a story for next time.
Min
Owner MinzBeadz
