We hope you like it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Download the Companion PDF here:

If you’ve never written a business plan before, and/or if you are looking for ideas for format and material, there really should be a ton of gold in this for you.

(BTW, we are working hard on integrating a new learning module into our training program that guides you step-by-step through writing a business plan much like this one…We’ll keep you posted on how that goes.)

Anyway, please drop us a comment below to let us know how you liked it, and any comments or questions you may have.

Wholesale Designer Handbags

After thoroughly reviewing Jana’s list, I would highly recommend it to anyone planning a retail business where designer handbags are the primary, or even just a secondary product line.

Besides the fact that this is a real list of real suppliers that are above board, I really love the way Jana has layed out the format.  She specifies the brand, the supplier’s contact info, shipping and payment terms, return policy and phone number etc.

What really stood out to me was the fact she had a comment column with some great info, stuff like “Has a large inventory in stock; low minimums; Drop-Ships. ” I can tell that she did her research thoroughly and used these contacts herself.

Another note – Jana separates out the vendors that drop ship vs. those that just do wholesale.  This can be really powerful if for example you want to start a boutique with just an online presence first (like an eBay store or an ecommerce website) and then build a brick and mortar business later.

Drop shipping allows you to test the market, see what sells, but without investing a lot of money, time, and energy upfront on a storefront presence.  What a great tool…!

Jana also breaks everything down between Europe and US, and I really love the designer labels you can find in her database, like:

Burberry, Chanel, Coach, Celine, Chloe, Dior, David Yurman, Ed Hardy, Fendi, Isabella Fiore, Kate Spade, JP Tod’s, Juicy Couture, Louis Vuitton (USED), Marc Jacobs, Michale Kors, Mui Mui, Prada, Sky

I kinda wish I knew about this when I started our boutique ;)

One final note. There are a few  ebooks courses out there claiming to give out a similar resource to this, as a “free bonus” and I have looked into those lists.  Most are either not valid (because they deal only in knock-offs,) outdated, or not even “wholesale” lists at all, because the prices are at retail levels, not wholesale.

To be quite frank, so many of the “wholesale lists” being circulated on the web are really just rehashed versions of the same, outdated or inaccurate material. And if they are being made available “free”, that is a sign the person offering it found it for free as well.

Jana’s database is a well researched, well organized, current resource that you can use to find great merchandise at a price that will let you earn a profit – online or off. Something that powerful, and valuable, just isn’t made available for “free”.

I am convinced this is a great resource for those wanting to save time and start building a business.  I spent a lot of time researching on my own vendors and suppliers when I started, and I wish I had this database back then.

Talk about spending your valuable time the way you should be –  like running, managing, and promoting your business, instead of being bogged down trying to find wholesalersJ

Hope you like it!
=)

Get Immediate Access

So, without further delay, here it is! We hope you like it, and pleeeeeaze submit a comment to let us know how you liked it, or if you have any questions. Who knows, if you ask a great question, we may just record a video specifically to answer it!

We hear this question a lot, and decided to do a quick video to talk about why there may be no better time than now to launch your retail boutique.

If you have any questions or comments, please do post them in the comment section below. Thanks!

In retail, it is crucial for customers to get a good vibe when they first walk into a store. The first impression of how the store is designed and how your products are displayed plays a huge part in making your sales. How might we achieve this? There are many ways to get customers to walk into your store and get them to feel comfortable to stay and shop. For obvious reasons, if customers don’t feel comfortable at the first minute they walk into a store they will walk out. But if they like how it feels when they walk in, then the chances of making a sale is higher.

You always want to display your hot selling merchandises in the front of the store. Do not clutter up the middle fixture of the store with too many products. Keep it simple and clean. If you are selling clothes, soaps, shoes or jewelery, this is where customers will come first and glance or feel the merchandise. Make sure to keep the fixture heights low enough so it is easy to feel and touch. Sometimes, it is also a good idea to put fresh flowers or something colorful to catch customers attention. Most women love flowers and color. Just choose flowers that have subtle fragrances. Most of my retail consulting clients have told me that every time they change or put a new bouquet of fresh flowers, their sales end up being pretty good for that day.

It is also good idea to keep products organized. Keeping items organized is so crucial. If you are the owner of the store and you walk into your own store, you will know where everything is. But look at it from a customers eye who has never walked into your store. Are all the products easy to see? Can they see what your store is about? is it easy for them to walk through the isles? Are there little fixtures that are making it too hard to walk? Take products off the floor, only stock inventory at that level. Are items displayed in a good flow?

I have seen in many stores where there are so many fixtures and too many products. I didn’t know where to start. Customers find this confusing and will walk away. If they see things are organized and not chaos, it feel as a safe surrounding to walk around. You can always play calm and sooth music. Another good tool is having a water fountain. The sound of water is very relaxing and soothing. Art work is also a great touch for walls. I have personally liked mirrors on the wall especially if your space is small. It really opens up the space and makes it look bigger.

In one of the articles I recently read while doing market research, it stated that most people are shopping when they feel stressed. In our modern lifestyle ( I don’t want to say it) but most people are stressed easily these days. So if they feel relaxed or calm, they will want to stay in the environment for a while, which gives them more time to browse your entire store, and increases the chance they will buy.

It still amazes me today how some companies are not looking at the long term profit margin vs short term. For instance, they may want you to order a minimum quantity of $10K with your first order. Since privately owned retail boutiques are not comparable in budget to Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales, it is hard to invest that kind of money up front. But there are ways to negotiate to bring the minimum down.

Once we did a gift basket to the stars for Oscars in Hollywood, CA, and we negotiated with our vendors to donate all of the products for us. The credibility and the publicity went to our store, and our suppliers were happy to get there products in front of a celebrity audience. This is all due to nurturing a great relationship with vendors. Again we consult with our clients on how to negotiate and work with your vendors so it is win win situation for all parties involved.

Another example, we brought a very exclusive line into our store. It was very difficult to even get a conversation with them when I had frist contacted them. But I knew in my gut that this line would do really well in the store so I was not about to take “no” for an answer. ( I knew based on the target market this was a great match for us. It is very important to know your market before looking into ANY lines you want to bring into the store. )

Eventually, the vendor agreed that it was a good fit, and lowered the minimum opening order far below their usual minimum. Shortly after introducing it, this line became the number one seller in our store AND it was also the most expensive line in the store. If you can imagine, customers would actually pay $45 for a single hand-milled bar of soap. Of course, the line and it’s unique background and history really helped.

But my point is that you have to know how to find products that are well matched to your retail theme and target market. I did a LOT of research to find my products. We would get many of sales reps coming into our store to try and convince us to carry a line in our boutique. 90% of these were NOT well suited to my market, and I passed on them. But, the lines I hand selected through my own research did very well. This is definitly an important aspect of getting launching your retail boutique, and when you spend the time and attention to selecting your products right, your sales will reflect it.

Make sure to account for marketing and advertising dollars into your budget for your start-up.  Many people will feel more curious or comfortable shopping at your location after having seen your boutique in a magazine or a newspaper write up.  There are many ways to get free press releases and ads also.  In our ebook and when we do retail consulting we go in depth on how to go about getting free press. 

At the beginning of our opening, we hardly paid for press releases at all.  But we received many articles throughout newspapers in our community.  This saved us a lot of dollars too.  The press realeases actually work much better than ads in some cases.  This is because consumers like to see editors write about a particular brand or a store rather than trusting an ad. It comes off less biased and with more credibility than a paid advertising.  I think people feel more comfortable when an endorsement comes from other people.  It works like “word of mouth” which is the best advertising of all and free !!!!!:)

We received so many clients from reading an article about us in the local newspaper.  Once, I actually got a 2 page article about our store with a colorful picture of our store in a very highly distributed magazine “944″ (very popular in southern California for completely free.) We almost could not believe it!  It was a beautiful article and I didn’t spend a dime… ( Just a few well-spent minutes of my time ) :)  Also something to consider;  a paid ad with that magazine would have costed $7000 and it would only be 1/4 of the page. 

Like I mentioned there are many ways to get editors of magazines and newspapers to work with (and for) you to get the word out about your new enterprise. If you would like more information, or would like us to work with you to get exposure, please use our contact form to send us an email.

Have a great Memorail day weekend! Ciao

What I learned is that I was so passionate about the products I was selling that to me when I approached customers, it was like talking to a friend. I really believed in the products I carried in the store so it came thorugh smoothly when it came to “selling” – or should I say, “not selling”. The key is to find products that you truly believe in and know the product inside out. Since our boutique specialized in bath and body, fragrances, and skin care, it was really important for me to know those lines and that industry. The same applies if you are selling clothing or jewelery or whatever it may be, it is always important to know the background and history of the lines you are carrying.

Many repeat customers would tell me that they came back to buy more from our store because they liked the service and the attention to detail with which I presented my products. Customers have to feel comfortable that you know what you are talking about and that they can trust your product knowledge – and if so, they come back and buy from you over and over again. I have built many loyal clients this way.

One of the best ways to approach this is when you first start talking to them, try to connect with them as a friend (not “pretend” to connect, but really do so.) Ask questions or try to find out what they like without coming of like you are desperate to sell to them something. Another way to say it is, just don’t be desperate to sell to them. People can smell that a mile away, and they don’t want anything to do with you if that’s the case.

I often approached them with generic conversations about something that had nothing to do with what I was selling. That way they would feel comfortable talking to me. After a few words of exchange, then I would show them one of our hot seller items. I can tell you that this was how I established new repeat customers 99% of the time.

As a side note: When we first launched, the products we sold in our store were often very new to the U.S. market so you can imagine how challenging it could be selling a line people have never heard of. In the sales process, there is a  phase known as “Overcoming Customer Objections” and one very common, universal objection that retail salespeople across industries deal with is that of lack of familiarity with the product. Anyway, the line that emerged as our most popular, best seller was an Italian made line that had barely been introduced in the U.S.

The reason was that our products are unique and high-end. It only made sense to merchandise in a way that reinforces this image i.e. unique, high-end, and essentially, rare. The whole concept behind a boutique is that the products you sell are quality and not quantity and there is a uniqueness to them. ( If you were a walmart or a drug store this would not work. :) Another reason to merchandise this way is that subconciously, there is an implication that with only a few items on the shelf, this product is selling fast, and may soon be unavailable (i.e. creates urgency in the customer.)

For example, when merchandising fragrances, bath and body products, we always have marketing or press related displays that go along with the product. If you get press kits from your vendor (you should) and it has been in magazines like Oprah, In style or Lucky then I would suggest that you display that PR piece next to the product.

As an example, many people are always looking for Oprah’s favorite products. My point is that the more press or marketing you have to back up the line, the more customers trust the brand. Just make sure to display these articles in a frame next to the product. If you own a jewelery store or clothing boutique, press kits are key to catching customers attention. In our ebook we go into detail about what kind of vendors you want to work with and how to ask for support from them to help promote their line in your boutique or store.