The inspiration for starting my small business
The idea to start my own boutique shop occurred to me in the summer of 2011 when I was expecting my first child, a baby girl. After spending many exciting hours surfing the web for the perfect “going home from the hospital” outfit for my baby girl and a host of other things that I considered necessities for a baby girl, I looked around my little girl’s room, filled with ribbons and lace and hair bows and tutus and cute dresses and realized that this was every new mother’s dream; to find the perfect things so that her coming child could be sure to look like the prince or princess that they were meant to be. With visions of little girls in tutus and bows swirling around in my head, I ordered some supplies and started creating things, cute things, things that I would dress my own little girl in.
What my shop offers
My online shop, “All Dolled up Baby Boutique”, is in essence a place to buy things for dolling up your little girl. I specialize in beautiful, handmade baby and toddler tutus, hair bows and personalized and decorated onesies. The items offered by my online baby boutique are easy on the pocketbook and full of charm. As a working, college going mom, I know that no matter how adorable something may be, moms like me won’t be able to afford the prices of many boutique items offered by other specialty shops. I feel that knowing this gives me “an edge” on many other boutique shops in operation, metaphorically speaking.
Tips and tricks for success
Now, here are some tried and true techniques to help you get your small business going. One thing I learned very early on in my venture is that it is essential to a small business to keep overhead costs as low as possible. Also, don’t charge ridiculous prices just because other shops are doing it. You can still make a profit without being greedy. I strive to offer cute and quality items through my shop at a cost I know hardworking moms can afford. Many people may think it takes a lot of money to start a business; but that isn’t so. My advice is: start small, and you can gradually offer more and more products to your customers as you make more money. Also, it is a good idea to do a lot of research on what top selling boutique items are right now and how much people are paying for them, and go from there.
How to promote your small business
You are probably wondering when I would come to the part about how to promote your small business. There are a host of ways to get your shop and its products out there in the spotlight. My personal favorites are facebook, twitter, and Etsy. After all, this is the era of social media; use it to your advantage! You could run an ad in your local newspaper, send out an email to all your contacts about your shop, or even list on sites like Amazon, Ebay, and Craigslist. To cut costs, do what I did; instead of hiring a web designer to create a website for my shop, I created my own site through Webs.com. This online website host is very easy to navigate, offering website templates and step by step instruction on how to create your own website for those who aren’t very technologically inclined.
The advantages of owning a small business
The things that I like best about having my online shop is that it gives me the freedom to stay at home and raise my baby girl while still having a chance to make money and showcase my creativity. The fact that I will probably never become a millionaire from owning my small online business might seem like a setback to some people, who are wanting nothing more than to climb the corporate ladder, but to me it’s about doing something that I enjoy and to me; that’s living the dream. www.alldolledupbabyboutique.webs.com
