Nancialpc: What's The Name of Your Business?
Charmaine Tan: Stylish Printable Planners. On ETSY, our shop is called stylishprintableplan - simply cos' there wasn't enough space and got truncated!
Nancialpc: What's the purpose for your business?Charmaine Tan: To create stylish, visually enticing digital planners at a great value for customers.
We
know it's hard at times to keep track of what we wish to accomplish,
and I found that writing in my own hand on paper helps me get a lot more
done! There is something magical about penning on paper - it enforces
action. So simple but it works! Writing
on plain paper works, but is not exactly motivating, so we created our
planners to be modern with dashes of color to help our customers
visually motivated to continue to use it and keep them day-in and
day-out. We
kept them digital simply because it allows us to keep costs reasonable
for our customers, allows customers to immediately download and use, and
also environmentally friendly without all that shipping. You use only
what you need and you can reprint them for as many times as you need!
Nancialpc: How long have you been in business?Charmaine Tan: Since 2013. I became more active in the past 6 months.
Nancialpc: Why did you decide to start this business?Charmaine Tan: It started when I decided to create a travel planner to help me with the not-so-fun part of packing, and I found it incredibly useful that I listed it on ETSY for sale! Customers starting buying the planner, and I started spending more time on the shop! I slowly created other planners upon customers' request and also for personal use. ;)
Nancialpc: Why did you decide to start this business?Charmaine Tan: It started when I decided to create a travel planner to help me with the not-so-fun part of packing, and I found it incredibly useful that I listed it on ETSY for sale! Customers starting buying the planner, and I started spending more time on the shop! I slowly created other planners upon customers' request and also for personal use. ;)
Nancialpc: What fears did you have to face before starting this business?Charmaine Tan: My
business has little overheads since I create the planners from home,
and the one thing that I have to spend on is the huge amount of time I
put into creating the planners (it's more work than it seems!). The
shop is not intended to replace a pay check, so I just use it as an
outlet for my creativity. One of the fears was wondering if people
would like and actually buy my planners!
Nancialpc: How has your business impacted your life?Charmaine Tan: Financially very little. However,
what the shop gives me in return is much satisfaction and joy! It
allows me to create, reach out to people all over the world, and the
best part is the thrill and joy is when someone likes your product to
buy it from you! oh yes, and the reviews from satisfied and happy
customers!
Nancialpc: What will you tell others who desire to start a business, but afraid?Charmaine Tan: A
business is actually a lot more work than most people think - it's not
just simply the preparation that goes into 'opening my store' - that's
just the beginning! There is a lot more work behind the scenes, no
regular pay check and can be pretty lonely at times. Initial stages you
have to spend a lot of time creating awareness when you first start out
(who are your customers, what are their needs, how to reach them, how
to engage them and how to provide them with something with value in
exchange for their dollars), at the same time keeping your operations
going, and then of course growth later on. I
used to run an online brownie shop with a rented kitchen due to local
regulations. While I love baking, it was different running it as a
business. There were lots of overheads - set up costs including
equipment, recurring costs like rental, ingredients, electricity and
water, not to mention the physical strain of baking....and while it
received local recognition twice as the top 100 desserts in local
magazines, it was hard to sustain, eventually I closed it as I was just
too darn mentally and physically tired! If
you can, ask people you know who are in the industry you are interested
in - to have a clearer picture of what is really involved and then
decide if that is something you do want to go into. Everyone
has a different risk tolerance, and if have a low risk tolerance and
your business model allows, you can start small to test the waters, and
see if it takes off! Of course, there are a great many who took big
risks and did superbly well too! Most importantly you have to decide
what works for you, as you are the one in it for better or worse! Assess your situation, do your homework and If there is nothing truly holding you back, why not give it a shot? Running
a business while stressful (sales, cash flow, managing the business) is
also very satisfying (learning about customers, marketing, creating a
quality product, having great feedback from your customers). oh, and
it's a myth that you have more time for yourself - in fact, you will
probably have way less time as you will be investing in your business
and customers instead of reporting to a boss - cos you are the boss! I
love my current shop as it allows me to express my creativity and reach
out to customers all over the world! And also because it is not
intended to replace a paycheck, I enjoy the process more as I'm not so
stressed all the time!
Nancialpc: What are your future goals in the next 5 years for your business? Charmaine Tan: I
will take it as it comes. For me, things unfold for the better when I
take things easy and relax! Of course, i would love for the business
to grow and expand, but right now, I am happy where I am.
Nancialpc: How could anyone contact you if they wanted to sell your products or buy your products!!Charmaine Tan:: You can find us at www.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/
CONTEST
You
can win a planner of your choice! Just subscribe to our newsletter on
our website or like us on facebook. Then simply comment on this blog
post on the planner you would love to receive and why! We will draw 3
winners who subscribed to our newsletter or liked our Facebook! The
planner you mention below in the comments will be emailed to you!
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