Pure Poppet
Georga Holdich ~ Pure Poppet ~ Adelaide, Australia
INTRODUCE YOUR BIZ
Having two young daughters of my own, I understand how much children love to dress up, create face paint characters, role-play, and use a bit of mummy’s makeup every now and then.
In fact, I think it’s a healthy part of any child’s development. I tried to offer my children safe alternatives, but couldn’t find many natural, Australian made, play makeup options to add to their dressing games. I decided to develop my own kits and am proud to offer them to anyone who has or knows children that love to dress up and create characters.
Pure Poppet is a range of natural children’s plays makeup and face painting for playing, dressing up, and creating characters - all while doing it safely.
From the development of the first kit and great feedback from customers and stockists, I have been able to add a number of new products and have plans for more additions in the coming months.
CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE
It was scary launching the first product in the range and wondering what others would think about the concept. I've been fortunate to receive some great feedback, which gives me the confidence to keep going…even in hard times.
The range has only been available for about 6 months and in that time I've started to build a strong PR presence with good media coverage. I receive a lot of comments from customers who thank me for creating a range like this and providing a solution to a problem they encountered when searching for safe, play makeup for children.
INSPIRE OTHERS
As many know, you wear lots of hats when working for yourself. Actually, all the hats at the beginning of your venture! I develop the range and packaging, dispatch orders, work with wholesalers, market the brand, conduct accounting and administrative duties, and try to fit in time for my family.
Juggling all this can be difficult, but my inspiration comes from watching my children play, having brainstorms with friends and family, visiting my favourite retail stores, and reading magazines. I find all the involvement very satisfying, constantly reminding me that I created this product from scratch.
Working for yourself can be lonely so I’ve found it great to join helpful networking groups such as Ausmumpreneur. I’ve also joined Kids Style Hub in Melbourne, a group of one of my stockists. These places give me the chance to chat with like-minded people going through similar challenges. I ask for advice, share ideas, and often benefit from opportunities I wouldn’t have heard about without the group.
Looking to those around you is also invaluable. It’s amazing how many people you already know that could possibly assist you in some way; whether it’s accounting advice, graphic design, photography, legal information, or any other realm of business that you may not be in an expert in. Never be afraid to ask for help.
EDUCATE BY EXAMPLE
One of the most common questions I get is regarding the creation of the range. People wonder how I knew to create such a thing, but I simply researched a lot and learnt many things very quickly. I recommend anyone wanting to start a business of their own to look at their current skills and see how these can work to make the idea a success. My background is in PR and marketing so I’ve utilised many of those abilities to help with the business.
PR & Marketing
When starting out, getting your business known and mentioned in as many relevant places as possible is critical to building your customer base and creating your brand.
I’ve been lucky to work with 360PR to help me build a strong PR presence. Even though I have a background in this area, I decided to work with a PR agency to implement a strong publicity campaign, as I don’t have the time to focus on this important area as much as I’d like.
Journalists get inundated with media releases and pitches for stories each day. If you don’t learn how to tailor your pitch then most of the time your communication will end up in the trash. A dedicated PR agency will ensure your business is seen by the right audience as much as possible and will suggest new ways to speak to your potential or current customers for maximum effect. It’s also great to have someone else who works on the creative side of the business to bounce ideas off and get opinions about potential opportunities.
If you don’t have the resources to work with a PR agency, take some time to find out the relevant media in your industry. Look at stories you read to get examples of creating a news angle so you have something interesting to talk with them about. For example, if your business is in fashion, you could focus on the upcoming trends for the season and show the journalist how your range ties in with the trends.
Once you’ve had some good media coverage, you’ll begin to notice a difference whether it’s a boost in visits to your site, more people contacting you about your business, or the one you want the most – more sales.
However, good PR isn’t strictly about sales. I’ve had some great product reviews, which haven’t necessarily resulted in a lot of new sales, but have generated discussions and comments about my brand. This is equally important as once people start talking about your business as snowball effect can begin.
Social Media Marketing
Brand awareness is of the utmost importance so people know you exist and can buy your products. Pure Poppet is an online store and the majority of my target audience uses online media, so social media marketing makes a lot of sense to my business.
I find that posting something personal and behind-the-scenes encourages more interaction, makes for interesting reading, and engages your customers. Using personal images or videos can really enhance your social media experience. I think it's important to not just push your products and always talk about sales when using Facebook or Twitter for business purposes.
Email Marketing
Communicating with and remembering current customers is a good way to get repeat sales. I send a newsletter to people who've purchased from me and I always feature something different and new to keep it interesting. I often find that they come back to buy something I've shown them in my emails simply because they've been happy with their past experience with my brand.
SHARE KNOWLEDGE
Wholesaling a product range and getting it stocked by great retailers is something I’ve learnt a lot about lately. You must have the confidence to phone, email, or visit the retailers you’d like to work with. You must also be persistent as a lot of retailers might not get back to you because they are either very busy or don’t think your brand is right for them.
Creating a good database of stockists is important. I add to mine all the time with places I’ve visited, read about, or have been recommended by friends and family. Always be on the lookout for potential stockists and think outside of the square; if you sell a beauty product, consider the possibility of newsagents with gift sections or homewares stores.
Once you’ve made contact with a retailer, make things easy for them. Try to organise a meeting to show them your product and/or discuss your business. Offer to send them samples. Have all relevant information together such as pricing and what the order process involves.
Remember to follow-up with your stockists to see how the range is going. Do they have any feedback? Do they need to re-order? How can you help them?
SHINE MESSAGE
I always say that if you have an idea then just try it out. Life is meant to be scary, fun, challenging, and rewarding. There’s nothing like working for yourself to tick off all those boxes.
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