coach my card/poster business?

[sam s]

Hi

I hope you dont mind, but I would love some ideas from anyone who wants to help.

I am starting a greetings card business - lovely photos from holy places in India with little messages from the Upanisads etc on the back.  My friend is a struggling photographer - brilliant though.  So I think after packaging etc we make about one pound a card which I will split with him 50:50.  So basically thats 50p profit per card for me.  But for that price I can print on demand and put things like the name of the individual stockist/shop on the back.  So I dont have to invest in big print runs.  I am getting my prototypes printed this week (well if my 6 yr old stops throwing up and goes back to school).

I have three outlets who I think are likely to take them initially.  An indian furniture shop which one of my good friends went on a massive spending spree in recently.  A spiritual shop in the UK where I have a vague contact, and a friend in belgium who sells alternative books wholesale.  I think they will take them - at least on sale or return.

So I'm gonna have to shift a number of cards to make some dosh, so I am planning to sell wholesale.  Any ideas on how/where I could move bigger numbers of cards here?

The other thing I would love to do with this business is sell larger size prints because a lot of the stuff around is not stuff I'd buy.  I thought that the greetings cards are a good way of getting the pictures out in the public domain with an advert on the back for a website where I can sell the larger images.  Also the larger prints take up a lot of room in shops and need packaging to sell retail without getting damaged.  Again, I can print on demand cheaply so stocking these in shops is more costly to me.

I have looked into increasing the value by framing them, but for the cost, time and hassle I can't think its worth it at present. 

Please please do send me your ideas, they will all be considered with gratitude.
I'll be excited to hear from anyone.
best wishes,
Sam

[C]

Hi Sam

Firstly congratulations on setting up a new business especially at the same time as getting a divorce - you must have incredible strength.

I read your post last night and obviously misread as to the scale of your business but here's my tuppence worth anyway as little acorns etc.

I looked into doing something similar last year but quite quickly down the line we realised it wasn't our passion. However I did get some good information from moneymagpie.com about selling cards through ebay as they have a facility for online shops and other auction sites might do similar things. My personal opinion is that money magpie is useful but not 100% ethical in its links so be careful.

To get the word out in addition to those you've mentioned, consider asking your children's school if you could have a stall at the Christmas fair in return for a donation/small percentage of sales. Brownies, guides, cubs, local churches also are coming up to Christmas fete time and putting your web address on the back gives someone a chance to come back to you. Most towns/counties also have charity shops that are specific to that area so they might be willing to do a similar thing or you could even do a special edition print just for them. I know some of these ideas may reduce your profit but at least you would also be helping a good cause.

The other thing to consider is legal advice - I have heard many stories of friends setting up in business with no form of contract which was fine until either the stakes got higher or one of them wanted to pull out. Plus of course there's our friends at www.hmrc.gov.uk (the tax office!). When I first set up as an employer they were really helpful and I got quite a bit of free advice. I still mess up from time to time as I do my own tax returns but as long as you keep communicating with them and your local office in particular, they will help you through.

Hope your son gets better soon. If it's a recurring thing rather than food poisoning then look into food allergies as it's often overlooked by GP's and consultants. My ex's asthma used to get worse after drinking wine due to the sulphur dioxide. There is a simple blood test that can be arranged through the surgery and you can also get a local anaesthetic cream for him (ask the GP for 'magic cream' he/she will know what you're talking about!)

Best of luck with everything.

C xx

[sam s]

Hi C

Thanks for the advice.  I will have a look at Magpie and good to think about the legal side of things too.

So if cards didn't do it for you, did you find your passion in the end?

Best wishes

Sam

[C]

Still working on what I really want to do - not 100% sure.

Also, please don't take this the wrong way but since I read your post I've been thinking about some sketches on Harry and Paul (Enfield and Whitehouse), one where a woman in Notting Hill will pay ?8 for some cooked beetroot just because it has some meaningful words written on the back and one where Harry runs a shop called something like 'Worthless S**t' where he sells an old table from a council flat for several thousands of pounds because it's 'shabby chic'! My point is that people in certain areas are often willing to pay a small fortune for things that us mere mortals could get down at Woolies for 20 quid. Places that first spring to mind are Notting Hill, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, many parts of Kensington, some parts of Islington, ditto Essex and Cheshire (WAG country) and of course Sandbanks (Poole, Dorset). I'm sure there are many more.

C xx

[Michael Neill]

Hey, Sam -

Are you able to post any examples of your cards here for us to look at?

It's sometimes easier to get inspired about what we can see outside our heads than about the pictures we make up inside them! 

love,
michael

[marksherwood]

Hey Sam,

My (considerably) better half, is an holistic massage therapist and has clients come to her from all walks of life. One of her clients creates greetings cards and has a small display in my girlfriends therapy room (i call her Girlfriend - Partner sounds businesslike, Missus sounds a little common and she doesnt like me calling her my lodger, so there you are)

Are there any therapists in your area that may allow you to display / sell your cards from their rooms ?

Cheers,

Mark