Do You have a Start-up Business

So I started this cool new business. Well, my husband did, anyway. We want to call it Galveston Wall Creations but don’t know yet if the name has been taken. If not, that is what it will be called. Starting small, he wants to build, finish, and decorate ukuleles to sell online at first and then market them to souvenir shops in Kemah and Galveston, Texas. I think it’ll work.

So, on a side, I am a little crafty and hoping to hop onto his idea and make nice tote bags, unique to the tropical setting or custom made to the customer’s requests. I thought that book bags and tote bags as well as those “going green” shopping bags are pretty popular so I began creating my own. It is nice to be artistic. Then, branching out, I can make ankle bracelets and bracelets and necklaces with a tropical theme too. The ideas are countless on the things we could create for the ukulele aficionado, or the student who needs to tote their books around.

Anyway, thinking of such things makes marketing a big deal. I thought about how to setup the web site and physical marketing and came across all kinds of web sites that would help me out. Being pretty smart I’ve been able to do a lot of things myself, but I found that making some marketing items are better left to the experts. Marketing your online business is no easy task. You will need publications, business cards, and other perks to get your customers to come back. Homemade business cards are nice but they don’t provide the level of professionalism that most customers or clients would wish for. They want someone that looks legitimate and looks like they know what they are doing.

Check out the internet and you will find many different groups for different costs that will set you up with a logo, business cards, and other marketing gadgets and documents. Depending on what you want, need, and can afford, the options are vast and profound.

After you get your act together, your business license purchased, and merchandise that is ready to ship out the door, it is time to look to marketing. Think about all the things you’d like to do; mailers, pens, business cards, flyers, even a web site, and come up with a budget to pay for it all. It is fun to do this as long as you keep your mind open and your wallet tight to your side. You can go overboard if you are not thinking small. Of course every entrepreneur wants to make their first million that doesn’t mean you have to spend a million to get there. Start with the basics and grow your business from there.

You will be happier, and I’m looking forward to your business for our ukuleles, totes, and jewelry! That would make me happy!