It's been a while, it seems like, since I wrote about anything business related that wasn't a sale or talk about an upcoming show. I have a lot going on right now and a lot to figure out, which makes it hard to know exactly what I should share and what I shouldn't. So, I'm just going to jump in. Those who know me personally know that I leave very little unsaid and I guess this blog is only a little different....so here it goes.
As you may know from my posts in January, my line was picked up by sales reps from the Dallas and Atlanta markets. Wow...exciting right? Glamorous, right? No, in reality it is expensive, a lot of hard work, time consuming, and up to this point completely free of any reward of any kind. Yes, that includes monetary reward. Turns out I made a mistake. A big one. One that has cost me a lot of money and a lot of time. This is basically how it went down:

After being with my first rep for almost a month, she referred me to my Atlanta rep who accepted me as a new line on the spot. It was January....what a way to start off the year! If you go back and read my post you will understand my excitement. I really thought this was a great sign of great things to come for 2009.
Here we are present day. Beginning April 2009 and my 3rd & 4th month being "at market". One rep has made one sale at a whopping $488. Keep in mind that is wholesale, any other time I would be thrilled with this sale! Also, I was notified that this account rarely pays and to be sure and get a check and wait for it to clear before I ship. How do I feel now? Like I have wasted a LOT of money. Money that I can't afford to waste right now. (Not that ANYONE can EVER afford to waste money.) You understand what I mean though - things are tight.
This makes a million questions run through my head. Do I start making a less detailed, less expensive line that retailers can afford to buy? (BORING!) Ok, boring but it might work. But is that really what I want to do? I can't imagine myself making a hundred a-line dresses and enjoying it - if you'll notice I don't even offer basic alines. I'm leaving that up to someone else - there are only a million other companies that offer them. No offense, of course, it's just not my thing. Next questions: Should I leave the markets and sell on my own? I have established one account with a local boutique, I suppose I could do more. Do I even WANT to continue to wholesale? Do I have time to factor in selling as well as designing, sewing, paperwork, etc? I don't think so unless I change my line. Ok, so this brings me to my last idea.
I really TRULY enjoyed Cottontails Village. It was a lot of work, but had the potential to be a great money maker if I had gone into it know what I know now. (Lots of lessons learned there too) Part of me thinks I really want to continue to do these large vendor shows and just carry a lot of inventory and sell online. No, I'm not talking about getting rich. I'm talking about making a living. I never went into this thinking I would get rich, because Lord knows - from what I've seen so far the profit margins are small! Trust me - I just finished my taxes.
So, there you have it. I kind of think I know what I want to do. I think going this route would allow me to be more creative instead of cranking out the same thing over and over (which I do not enjoy) I'd love your input - but not your hate mail of course. I'd also love to hear of any vendor shows you think I may like to participate in. anna (at) sweet-dreams-designs.net Email me!