Diary of a new small business

Case study

Name          Debbie Beanland

Business    Kurrajong Farmhouse Soy Candles

Location    Menai, NSW

Inside Small Business reader Debbie Beanland started up a candle-making business in June 2013 from her home on the outskirts of Sydney last year. She has found success by being as cost effective as possible while trying to improve her skills and gain more followers through her website and Facebook. By posting photos of activities she was involved in – which aren’t sales related but rather interest stories and ‘what’s on’ news – she has directed her Facebook followers onto her official website for more information. This allows her to be found easier on Google.

Debbie continues to share her start-up experiences with readers.

In Spring 2013…

• Read a section of the issue each morning over a coffee, till I had read it all cover to cover. It’s my bible.

• Arranged personal liability insurance.

• Bought the Markets in NSW magazine from the newsagents and planned my 12-month diary of where and when I would invest the time and money to have a stall for some sales turnover and exposure – happy to say this was successful. (Some markets are $40, most are $80 and occasional big ones which are also annual events in the shire, such as Gymea Street Fair, are $280 for a stall site just for one day.)

• Worked on improving my stall presentation, market-stall presence, packaging and candle quality and fragrance choices based on what was most popular. I have now done four market stalls and each one gets better and easier.

• Worked on improving my social-media skills and Facebook numbers and followers by putting up photos of activities I was involved with, and ideas that aren’t ‘sales related’ but rather interest stories and ‘what’s on’ news.

• Joined the Say I Do Weddings group of wedding experts and planners in the shire. Was part of their first and second market stalls (promoting their services) at Cronulla Spring Fair and Gymea Street Fair.

• Improved my website layout and increased the number of items I now have for sale in my shopping cart on the website.

• Improved on brochures and ordered a ‘banner’ for when I am out and about (this ties on to the back of a market stall for increased branding).

• Started to target businesses that may be interested in using my product for their clients, such as for ‘loan settlement’ presents etc rather than using the standard bottle of wine as a gift.

• Started to market the product for Christmas. At two months out, Christmas is just around the corner as far as businesses are concerned!

• Started to mutually promote other like-minded, but not competing, businesses.

• Put branding on the side of my car ($5 for a rubber magnetised 30cm sign that I can remove when washing my car etc). Asked other family members to embrace the marketing and do the same (some did!).

• Diarised all the marketing webinars and seminars that BEC has scheduled for the next three months so I can listen/attend.

• Haven’t yet sent, but plan to send, a similar story and a photo to the local paper. They often put in a story about a new business or about community events like the Menai Community Markets (see photo). I would mention the business, the local Menai Markets and the assistance of Inside Small Business magazine and BECA for helping small businesses fast-track their skill levels and success.

There’s got to be a good business/personal/health and rest balance for success and support at home. You can’t have one without the other.

• Planned to go the next trade fair (an annual event usually at the Exhibition Centre or Showground) in Sydney or Melbourne (February and August/September 2014) for product ideas to complement my stock offering.

I’m working at n&b-startup-beanlandbeing really good at time management so the first thing I do in the mornings is plan my day and revise my week, so nothing gets missed or neglected.

There’s got to be a good business/personal/health and rest balance for success and support at home. You can’t have one without the other – I’ve seen too many marriages fail due to being good at the first one but bad at the latter.