First 2016 Event

I started 2016 looking for new opportunities to get exposure for my jewelry and dream catchers, and to improve what I already had in place. So how is that working for me?  Let's take a look:

• I opened my ETSY shop several years ago; but made no sales.  Not because ETSY is ineffective; but because I didn't do what was needed to raise the presence of my shop in the search engines.  Obviously my, "I can figure this out on my own" wasn't working.  So now I've stepped up efforts to succeed on ETSY by getting some training.  Though all of the things you can get from training can also be learned from research and trial and error; training saves time and frustration.  By taking advantage of what others have already spent time learning; you jump ahead to making productive decisions and the saying "time is money" becomes very relevant.
• Case in point. By employing just the first couple lessons, I have my first ETSY sale.  I have far to go; but feeling confident that I can reach my goal of multiple sales per month and repeat customers.  If you are interested in this training I'll gladly provide the link. Send me a message or leave a comment.

• On the local front I started looking for event opportunities with low fees, simple set up, and limited hours (multiple day shows are not a good fit for me and are usually expensive).  I started with 3 events.
• The first event was "free" because a friend gave me the use of his Real Estate office; no charge.  I qualify the "free" part because I did provide snacks and door prizes, still minimal investment.  I also shared the opportunity with 2 friends; an artist and a Shaklee consultant.
• The result was respectable.  Sales were worth the set up effort and we all got exposure to new customers.  Note to self; a location in the midst of other businesses, or in an open business, would be better.  The people who came to this event were out specifically to visit us.  We advertised through Facebook, neighborhood websites, local businesses, and word of mouth.  However, had there been adjoining businesses we would likely have had walk up customers; probably yielding more sales.
• Event number 2 is coming up.  It will be in a recently opened coffee shop.  The set up fee is only $10 and a door prize.  We will be marketing as before; but we will also have other vendors passing the word and walk in customers.  Hopefully the momentum will build and we will see lasting and repetitive business.  If this event is successful it will become a monthly happening.  Good for us and for the coffee shop as our customers will likely be buying coffee; I know I will.
• Stay tuned for updates.

As 2016 unfolds I'm excited to see how my business will grow and for all the learning experiences I'll be able to share,  I would love to hear your success stories too!