Exterior Appearances

Have you ever walked past a store window and just had to go inside to check it out because of the window display? I have! The window display can either invite you in or make you walk the other way. The exterior appearance of your business can make or break you. Your window displays should give customers a little taste of who you are before they ever step foot through the door. You want to arouse their curiosity to the point that they just have to come inside and check out your merchandise. I love to go to Gatlinburg, TN and walk the strip downtown. Their window displays beckon to the tourists. What better way to market your products than with an interesting preview of what you have to offer showcased in your store windows!

Ridiculous Markups

I am often amazed when I walk into a store at the seemingly ridiculous markup on the items being sold. As an entrepreneur, I will price my items to where I can make a profit but not price them so high that customers walk in my store only to turn around and walk out thinking that they can make the products I sell for a quarter of what I am selling them for. Why the ridiculous markup on items anyway?? The business owners would sell way more merchandise if they would keep their prices reasonable because even the "do it yourselfers" will often buy it ready made if the price is right. Making a profit is definitely an objective in running a business but many people seem to get carried away with it and in my opinion lose business due to ridiculous markups.

Scrapbooking Ideas

I love scrapbooking; so in order to keep up with the ideas that I come up with for my business I have a scrapbook/binder that I keep my ideas in. I hope that one day when I open a shop, I can use the scrapbook that I am making now as a catalogue for customers to look at and possibly order from. Pinterest is a great source to gather these ideas from. I often get the pictures for my business scrapbook from there. I will always have new and different things for my customers to look at because I intend to keep up this scrapbook and always add new ideas to it even once my business is up and running. I feel that a scrapbook type catalogue will be unique and that my customers would enjoy looking through my ideas in this way rather than just a normal boring old catalogue.

Mason Jars Anyone?

Who says mason jars are just for canning and pickling vegetables? They actually have many uses! I have taken some of the smaller jars that are normally used for canning jelly and jam and with the help of a little burlap ribbon turned it into a holder for q-tips in my bathroom, as well as a holder for pony tail holders and dental picks. In this day and time when everyone is all about recycling and going green, it is an adventure to take and try to repurpose things that many would regard as junk. One day in the near future when I open my own shop, I will sell repurposed merchandise and will appeal to the public’s desire to go green to draw people into my store.