A Dream CAN Become A Reality
Hiya!
This is
a big week for "SweetSavours & Me" and thought I'd give you a
glimpse into what's coming up. I really do believe that with a steadfast
mindset and hard work, a dream can become a reality. With the mindset and
working I think we also need to share our hearts and let the dream be made
known and live outside of the walls of our minds.
My body
care making journey began with having to take care of my skin. The vision
of SweetSavours Natural Body
Care Apothecary, the business, developed from inspiration from my family
and friends. I knew I needed to better define the vision in my head and
develop a good, focused picture. I thought of the SweetSavours' business
personality and the kinds of products that will be offered.
SweetSavours
will continue to hand make natural body care products that have been formulated
to meet the needs of the people who use them in small batches. I will continue
to research the benefits and properties to keep the products that SweetSavours
will offer, useful and cost effective. At their root, SweetSavours products
are; "love infused, need formulated, handcrafted, small batch natural body
care products.
I began
with formulating a lotion that would help heal my damaged skin. From
there I needed something that would help my skin retain its moisture. I
set my mind on the line of products I wanted to make. I researched the need to
be met, and found that soothing damaged skin and moisturizing dry skin were the
two issues most often mentioned. I kept this in mind and got to work. I
reformulated some and updated other formulas. SweetSavours will have a line of
10 products that will address body care, hand care and foot care needs.
I know
that doing everything by myself would limit the success of what I do with my
business. I am thankful I have a group of people who help me. This
group of friends and SweetSavours' customers are the
"Savours'Sweets." They give me the boosts I need and offer
suggestions for me to consider. One example is that in preparation for
the new products, I reached out to the "Sweets." I let them know that
I will offer SweetSavours products that will be available fragranced or
fragrance free. I told them that I didn't want the responsibility of
deciding what people smell like but I did want the fragrances to be unisex,
male and female. As I said they are "sweet." It was the local group of
the "Savours'Sweets" who collectively chose the fragrances for the
upcoming SweetSavours' line of products. This multitude of assistance was
a great benefit.
You might remember that my goal is for SweetSavours
Natural Body Care Apothecary to make its public debut on Small Business Saturday, November
29, 2014 at the Phoenix Public Market in Phoenix,
AZ. Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday held
on the Saturday after U.S. Thanksgiving during one of the busiest
shopping periods of the year. It was first observed on November 27, 2010 and
encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses
that are small and local. Because this day is widely publicized
and I will have some free publicity, SweetSavours will be able to
take advantage of this opportunity, especially within the local market in
Phoenix.
I chose Phoenix Public Market not only because it's local
but also because of the atmosphere at that market. When I've been there before,
I haven't seen any bitter competitions between vendors. During my last
visit I didn't see an abundance of body care providers either.
Comparatively, the Phoenix Public Market is more cost effective for
SweetSavours and I believe this is a great market to begin with.
In a previous post, I mentioned that I funding is the big
hurdle I have to cross with growing this business. I admit that I did
stress a little when I thought about what it will take to fund my vision. "It takes a village to raise a
small business" isn't
just a phrase, it's a statement of truth. From the owners to the
customers, it takes a multitude of people to make a small business grow and
survive. I really took the time to find sources of funding that will
contribute to, not take away from, SweetSavours and its future. I will launch a
crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. I'd like give a little more
information about this and clear up any confusion.
Crowdfunding had been around for quite a while but came
more into focus in 2012 with the JOBs Act being signed into law. It's the
practice of funding a
project or venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people,
typically via the internet. This gives businesses, like SweetSavours, the
freedom to ask its customers, friends and anyone who chooses, to contribute
money to the business. The company I have chosen to use is Indiegogo. Indiegogo approves
donation-based fundraising campaigns for most anything — music, hobbyists,
personal finance needs, charities and whatever else you could think of (except
investment). They have had international growth because of their
flexibility and broad approach.
The
crowdfunding concept is not
an investment opportunity. With every
contribution a business receives, that business will give the contributor a
perk, or gift, in return. I've decided that with every contribution
SweetSavours receives, the contributor will be given a "savour" in
return. On Wednesday, October 22, you can visit the site, http://igg.me/at/sweetsavours. There you can learn more about the SweetSavours' campaign,
see the variety of "perks" SweetSavours has made available to its
contributors and learn more about Indiegogo and the crowdfunding concept.
Thanks
so much for bloggin' along with SweetSavours & Me. I hope I've
appropriately shared my vision and dream with you. I hope you have a very
"sweet" day.
Sherri