RamsdenDesigns

100 Days

I did it. 100 days of thinking and doing my business everyday. 100 days ago I made a goal to:

• Develop and have ready to sell to shops – 10 luxury soaps, 7 bath bombs, 7 bubble bars and a collection of economy priced soaps.
• Have web shops up and running and fully stocked.
• Create a professional looking market display.

So did I do it? Well, almost. Money shortages definitely got in the way of making the products I wanted and finishing my market display. In fact I barely blogged about my plans for a market display. I have a pretty good idea of what I want but just once again lacked the funds to do it.

Nevertheless I’m so thrilled and proud of how far I’ve come. I have a clear vision of the future of my business and am making plans on how to get there. Each of my products is designed and ready to be made and in just a few short days I’ll have the ingredients to do so. I feel a certain strength these days, one of clear determination and a solid knowledge that I’m on the right track. It’s refreshing and exciting.

Packaging has been a real challenge for me, it’s only been in the last couple of days that I’ve solved a few real problems I had with the packaging of some of my products.

My market display…the ideas are there but they haven’t been put into practice yet. This week I’m making it my mission to set up my marquee in the shed and work solidly on designing it to look professional and eye-catching.

I’m not finished by a long shot with my little soaping world. There is so much to do to bring it out into the world and I’ve really enjoyed the 100 Days goal to work towards, even though it didn’t quiet work out like I thought it would. In fact, on some levels it’s worked out far better than I could have imagined.

Coming soon. A BIG change, and I’ll let you know all about it.

Day 87 - 91

Ok peeps, it’s the final countdown. So what have I been doing?

Sleeping!!!

And it feels so good. Last week I felt like I was just some kind of walking zombie, fatigue was the only thing I could think of. At first I thought it was the stress getting to me but then I remembered “What stress??!!” Now after a few nights of quality sleep I have renewed energy.

This week I’ve been bath bombing, working on my business plan and buying stock. It’s really disappointed me that I won’t get my initial goals for the 100 days done due to financial restrictions but I’m not beating myself up about it. Things are still going very well and if it takes me a bit longer to get the ingredients I need than so be it.

Tomorrow will be spent at uni discussing the intricacies of polygons and layer masks and vectors and levels. Lost? Me too.

Shout out to my dad, who won’t be reading this…he only looks at the pictures.

Day 85 - 86

Thankfully the ‘I’m sooo stressed out from uni’ posts haven’t started yet. Uni actually looks do-able but it is only the first week…give me 24 hours and it could be a whole different story.

Today I banked my Made on the Left earnings and promptly spent some of it this evening. I’m so excited I can finally buy supplies in readiness for the Mundaring markets on the 8th and 9th of August.

My soaps made it onto the Style Discovery blog which is a huge thrill.

If somebody could be kind enough to do my sales forecasts for my business plan please raise their hand now…I have chocolate muffins as payment and of course, eternal gratitude.

Day 82 - 84

I’m exhausted but happy today. It’s been day after day for a few days of non stop work; birthdays, parties and markets to do. Today was the Made on the Left market and it was really terrific. In the morning I was pretty nervous as I’d decided to display my soaps without their regular labels and I wasn’t sure if people were going to go for that.

But people really liked the display and responded by buying a lot of soap. I spent the day lapping up the praises of delighted customers…as you do.

My bath bomb display looked very bright and colourful. You can see the disappearing act of the front two bowls, they weren’t completely filled to begin with but were whittled down to almost nothing by the end of the day.

The only draw-back to the day was only having one table to work with. I was forced to cut-out whole ranges such as my bubble bars, solid body bars and gift packs. But Made on the Left only has so much space for each vendor so they can fit in as much variety as possible. Doing a display layout that will work for just one table will be on the cards. 

I’m back at uni tomorrow so expect a lot of ‘I can’t handle the stress’ posts until I finish my degree in December. Just warning ya. Tomorrow I’ll also be banking my earnings and working out how to spend it all.

Day 81

One of the bonuses of being a soap maker is that my kids have a renewed interest in baths and washing their hands. At the top of the bath time favourites are my bubble bars. They make the best bubbles I have ever seen and the kids are literally lost in a sea of bubbles every night.

What I don’t like is when bubble bars are used as art in the bathroom.

It took a long time to clean this mess up.

I got very little done business wise today. After I’d cleaned, did the school run, went to the gym, cleaned again and did a drive to the airport the day was gone. Has something happened to the length of the days lately? It feels like there is 8 hours missing every day. Perhaps the world has spun up or elves have mischievously been playing around with everyone's watches. If someone knows where the hours went to could they send them back, I really need them.

Day 80

Twenty days to go. The finish line is definitely on my mind.

I’m back to blogging everyday, it’s nice to have that ‘I need something to blog about’ feeling. Today I had a meeting with my new consulting agency to discuss my business plan. It’s an absolute thrill to get advice from such knowledgeable people. I feel they completely get my product and where I want to go with it and it feels like a great fit.

We discussed Angel Investment, cash flows, my SWOT Analysis, marketing strategy and sales forecasts. What I found interesting was the suggestion of doing 3 – 5 different sales forecasts: minimum sales scenarios, likely and great scenarios are some I’m doing. And each needs it’s own cash flow analysis including a cash flow forecast that includes future expenditures for the business such as buying better equipment and large scale marketing projects.

I already have a first draft minimum sales scenario written up and we both feel it’s a completely achievable  goal and in fact the likelihood is that sales will be much better. Retail display options were also discussed and I now have a million ideas in my head. All of them suggested to me and all of them totally fantastic.

As promised I snapped my dehydrated fruit which will be used to decorate two of my bath bombs. Some I cut too thin and they didn’t dry well but it’s no drama to make more.

Friday is Little J’s birthday so I’ll be frantic for the next couple of days getting things ready for her birthday party on Saturday. There’s also the Made on the Left market on Sunday to prepare for as well. All my stock is ready I just need to make up signs and work out my display ideas but it’s still another huge job ahead of me.

Tomorrow, if I can I’ll be working on my business plan and making some bath bombs. That's not likely to happen but if I put it out there as jobs to be done…it may still happen.

Day 74 - 79

Taking such a long break between post wasn’t intentional. And I’ve actually had plenty to blog about but either the computer has been turned off or I’ve been out of town. My beloved computer has been shut down quite a few times this week. Thunderstorms make me very nervous and I get very protective of my delicate computer innards. Not that there has been much storming going on. The weather seems very undecided at the moment, does it want to rain or not? Yes, no, no, yes. The weather appears to have dual personalities at the moment.

I also visited my in-laws for a couple of days too. I get home cooked meals that don’t include packet bases or premade salads from the supermarket. It’s a real treat.

Sunday is the Made on the Left market (it’s also on Saturday but as I won’t be there that day there’s little reason to go so I won’t mention it). I LOVE Made on the Left. It’s always packed, there’s always a great energy and it’s always held in a pub…every point is a bonus. So I’m busy getting things ready and planning the perfect display. I’ve no idea how much stock to take so have decided to take everything.

Product development wise I’m having fun dehydrating fruit which will be the toppers for a couple of my new design bath bombs.

Strawberries for my strawberry scented bath bombs and bananas for the banana split bombs. This is pre dehydration, obviously. I loved how they turned out too. Pics tomorrow…I promise.

I’m also taking the bold step of trying to find Angel Investors for launching my business into the retail market. It’s a confusing process and there are absolutely no guarantees but thought I’d blog about what I do so other interested crafters can gain some knowledge from it. Whether I get funding or not Big B and I are working on plans to get my business launched anyway. It’s almost as if I’m working on two separate business plans; one for if I get funding and the other for if I don’t. Obviously the non-funded version has a longer time line to launch and will most likely involve me getting a full-time job to fund everything but it feels good to know it’ll happen either way.

Tomorrow is my first proper business meeting to work on my business plan with my consulting agency. I’m very excited about that and have been working on my plan already but really need help in some areas. Like what’s a market analysis? And how do I find out who my exact target market is?

Day 71 - 73

HUGE changes are being made to Delight Society over the coming months. HUGE. I want to say more but am keeping things a bit quiet at the moment.

One thing I will point out is that my chances of completing my 100 Days Action Plan are almost nil. Some parts anyway. Most notably the parts requiring me to purchase more ingredients, which is pretty much the soap part. This week I’ve attempted to make some soap, only to find out I’m all out of fragrance oils and most of my wonderful luxury oils. It’s pretty distressing (which is a perfect example of how stress free my life is). I’ve written a huge list of everything I want to buy and am just kind of looking at things that I need now and things I can afford later.

It’s not that we’re broke it’s just that it feels like we are. Right now we can’t afford my extravagant soap hobby so I’m looking at ways to cut our living expenses so I can spend more…shopaholics will get me...

So out is the ironing man (yes man…yes I had someone to do my ironing…yes I’m THAT lazy).

Out is Weight Watchers, I won’t need it because…

Out is takeaway food and…

Out is skipping sessions at the gym…if I have to fulfil my contract I’d better make full use of the money.

Out is trips to the video store.

Out is buying stuff…any stuff really that I don’t need. That means you Dora DVDs and lifestyle magazines.

And in is turning lights out, making lunches not buying them, eating what's already in my pantry and only heating rooms that need it.

Oooerr none of that sounds fun…but making soap is so I’m willing to forgo the conveniences of life in favour of the joys of life.

Everything else, bath bombs, bubble bars, website and market display will still be completed on time. I already have most of the materials needed so will be jumping into them wholeheartedly.

Day 68 - 70

Thirty days to go.

My blogging has slowed down…that's because my money has run out for a bit as I mentioned in this post Big B has put the brakes on it for just a little while, and so I’m not making as much right now. Just a couple more days to go and I’ll be in full swing again.

Today was supposed to be a triumphant day at the Mundaring markets but actually was not so. Mostly because I didn’t go. A raging headache for the last two days and sick family members made me think it was better to not subject myself or Little J to the rainy conditions, or expect Big B to look after a two year old while not feeling the best. The wonderful sunny conditions ALL day left me kicking myself that I just didn’t take the kids and go anyway.

Next time I won’t be such a sook.

I’m still excited about finishing my 100 days. I think about it constantly, what to make, how to package things, solutions to problems I have. The end product is beginning to take shape and it’s just a matter of pushing myself to finish those last pieces and get it all done. If i work at it now, and put my head down I’ll have it finished before the 100 days. That would be awesome because then I’ll know I can achieve whatever I put my mind to and will feel very confident about the future.

Monday:

1. Make 4 Solid Body Bars – 12 each
2. Fill in more market applications

Tuesday

1. Make two Delight Collection soaps: Monkey Farts and Vanilla/Cocoa

Wednesday

1. Work on Website: adding content

Thursday

1. Make 4 bath bombs – 24 each

Day 65 - 67

I’ve had one of those exciting days, the kind that feels like EVERYTHING is perfect. Today I met with a marketing and consulting company who I’ll be working with to get my products out into the retail world. The meeting was with one of the owners, Fiona, who I liked immediately and feel that she totally gets my products and design philosophy.

We discussed marketing, distribution, pricing and where I want the business to go among other things. In my mind I’ve got a fairly clear idea of where I want to take the business, but absolutely no idea on how to get there and where to begin. My 110 Days Action Plan has changed slightly, I’m dropping the Lavish Collection to 9 soaps, for better display purposes, bath bombs and bubble bars will be cut in number as well. I’ll just stock the fragrances of those two that are the best sellers. I want to start just a bit smaller and build up as I go. Not because I don’t have the time but because by Christmas I’d like to have 12 products available and each product will have between 5 and 9 choices, so it’ll start to build up into a considerable collection just as an initial introduction to the products.

Fiona and I discussed how the business can move forward breaking the next 6 months into smaller goals that we both agree are achievable.

I’m going to have to sit down and cost the next few months so I know what I’m in for as well. And so I can get an idea of how long it will take me to pay the initial outlay back. We have no wealthy relatives who have nothing better to do than invest in my business so poor Big B will be paying for it all.

Also my semi final packaging design is finished for the Lavish Collection. I’m thrilled with how the soaps look together and am also happy with the names. Naming products is more difficult for me than thinking up new recipes and I struggle a lot with it.

The soaps hopefully have whimsical, naughty, modern names. That was the goal anyway. My Delight Collection soaps will be named after what they smell like, as well as having very different packaging to keep the collections separate.

So as I move into the last third of my plan I can see how it’s all coming together and how immediately afterward I’ll be moving into the next stage and the next list of goals I’ll want to reach.