More Than WE Know

In surveys, Women Entrepreneurs state that our top motivations for starting our own businesses are because WE want:

• a more flexible lifestyle
• a business culture that reflects their own values
• an income

Women Entrepreneurs want to earn money but WE want to do it our way. WE want a business that allows us the freedom to have lives as well. WE want to integrate our work with our family, our friends, our hobbies and our health. WE want to build businesses that honor the integrity of our souls as much as the quality of our work.

The profiles of Women Entrepreneurs that I’ve conducted over the past few weeks have been consistent with these survey results.

As you read the articles, were you struck by the way that they were each living with passion?

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According to a study by the U.S. Small Business Association, only two out of three small businesses survive the first two years. More than fifty percent close within four years. That’s why, when I see a small business that has been around for 19 years, I stop to take a closer look.

What were you doing in 1988?

One thing is for sure, you weren’t surfing the internet, twittering, or pimping your MySpace page. Eunice started her business, The Little Things long before business 2.0. In that time she has successfully transitioned from 100% brick and mortar (or craft sales and boutiques!) to 100% online.

Here is her story.

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One of the biggest challenges any entrepreneur faces is getting others to believe in her dream.

What she can see so clearly, looks gray and doubtful to others.

This can be especially challenging to an entrepreneur who sells handcrafted items - her creativity and talent as well as her business skills can all be called into question.

Tiesha Houston, founder of Flytie once bought into other’s doubts about her potential. She has since learned to listen to her own beliefs about her abilities and to follow her dreams.

She is here to encourage other entrepreneurs to do the same.

This is her story.

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One of the challenges in any retail business is knowing how to price your merchandise. This is especially true when you sell original handcrafted, unique items.

It’s not enough to just figure out how much the materials cost to make the product. You also have to consider the cost of the time involved in designing it, creating it, marketing it, promoting it, selling it, packaging it, shipping it, and distributing it. You also have to allow for the cost of storage, waste, breakage, and returns. If you distribute it to wholesalers, you’ll want to be sure you leave room for their markup as well.

And before you settle on a price, you’ll need to consider who your customers are and what they can afford, as well as who your competition is and what price they are charging.

Most handcrafted items won’t compete on price alone, but it is an important decision with a lot of complex, contributing factors.

Assuming, that is, that you want to make a profit.

Amy Olson of Amy Olson Jewelry says that learning how to effectively price her handcrafted jewelry was one of the challenges she had to overcome in becoming a profitable entrepreneur.

Here is her story.

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South Pacific Body, LLC has rapidly grown from an inventory that would fit into two rubbermaid containers to a 10×10 foot storeroom crammed with merchandise waiting to be shipped.

Founder Bethany Luz, says she doesn’t know why the growth has been so phenomenal. But upon review, it’s clear Bethany is following several sound marketing principles to build her customer base.

1) research - Bethany surveys her customers and potential customers on her own website and her etsy site. This provides her current insights into their wants and needs.

2) innovation - Bethany is constantly developing new products - her famous Black and Tan beer soap for men, and seasonal scents such as

• Pumpkin Pie
• Cranberry Orange
• Pecan Praline
• Dark Chocolate Brownie
• Mocha
• Brown Sugar
• Vanilla Sugar
• Gingerbread
• Holiday Cookie

3) connection - Bethany has an easy to navigate website that links to her Etsy store. Her copy is compelling and her pictures are well-lit and nicely staged. Bethany makes it a point to educate her potential customers as to the advantages of handmade soap over store-bought and the differences in ingredients between the two. Offline Bethany sells at fairs, in-home parties.

Bethany says at South Pacific Body “Skin is our obsession“. After reading her interview, I’m sure you’ll agree.

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