Open Source Content Management

Good Day

I was retrenched in January 2010 and I started to make my own Hippie Tie-Dyed T-Shirts etc. I had a good run for a while but the requests have gone down, I need to make a living on this as other jobs are not easy to find.

I am looking for a company/store that would be willing to buy stock from me on a regular basis but I am not able to find anyone. I'm stuck in a rut and don't know where to go from here. Financially I am also not doing to well. I have to work from home as I cannot afford to rent premises or other staff at this time.







Can anyone give me some suggestions on what I can do to increase my sales and expand my business?. I just need that *break* to get out into the market.

Any and all help will be very appreciated.

Thanks & Best Regards
Doreen Fosse
(Deez Hippie Valley)

Hi Doreen
I recommend that you get in touch with Melanie Brummer, the owner of Slipstream Fabrics and Finishes. She has written a great book called "Contemporary Dyecraft" and has experience in selling to retail stores. She might be able to make some suggestions about how you can expand your range to move beyond the "hippie" market. Visit her website at www.dyeandprint.co.za or contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Best of luck
Colleen Lewis

Dear Colleen

Thank you so much for your kind assistance, I will contact her within today.

Thanks again your an Angel :0)

Hi Doreen,

I'd recommend finding a few good prospects, then regularly communicating with them via an effective channel.

Finding the prospects may be a quite a challenge as you're not selling a mainstream product.

Have you visited many small towns; they generally have hippie shops Like Hermanus, Knysna, Hout Bay

I will send you a message with a name of a shop that will work.

Also - create a listing on www.retailhub.co.za - this is a wholesale sourcing website.

Dylan

Hi Dylan

Sadly I don't have the money to travel around and visit small towns, so I have to reply on te Internet to get me out and about. And yes I am with Retailhub already, I've got my own webpage with Yola, I've got a Face Book Page, I advertise on Howzit/Gumtree/Junkmail...you name it I've done it...and this route is not working.

I get orders but for such small orders that the income is not near enough for every month living. So I need someone who will order in BIG BULK so that it is worth the time and money that goes into doing the shirts, as it's allot of hard work.

Thanks for your suggestions, I'll try and get hold of these places in Hermanus etc and see what I can achieve via phone, although I know face to face meetings are the best way. But if you have no funds you have to seek other ways :0)

Yes, I understand your situation. I think the problem is that your target market is essentially hippie shops - now, the owners of hippie shops most likely don't spend that much time on the internet, so relying on the internet as you primary marketing medium is not great.

You are then relying on people searching for terms like 'tie dye clothing suppliers' - I'm sure that the search volume is rather poor.

Try propspecting, you could read up on portal website - for instance Google 'Knysna information'; the portal websites normally have listings for shops. Then once you have a few prospects, do some email marketing.

I will take a look at your Retail Hub listing, you need good content on there in order for it to show up in the search results.

Thanks Dylan, you have given me hope :0)

I'll do as you suggested and give you feedback on what I have achieved...your a star ( a big hug thank you)

It's a pleasure. Good luck!

Hi Doreen.

Keep us updated of your progress

Dear Doreen,


I love your work.

Making something creative and then going out there and selling your handwork takes a tremendous amount of courage. I started my first business that way in the early 1990's.

I think that your work is nice enough that it need not be labeled "Hippy clothing" if you do not want it to.

The techniques that you use are ancient and predate the Hippies by many centuries. Do a Google search for "Shibori" and see what you come up with.

A name change to "Hand Dyed Clothing" may help with online search to have a broader appeal.

My best advice to you is persevering. All businesses experience hills and valleys along the way. Be agile and prepared to adjust your marketing to your customer. If the hippies are not shopping online, then find out where they do shop and go there.

I did very well at my local flea market in the early days. It was a leap of faith with money that I could not afford to pay my first stall fees, but I made sales from my first day there and was able to thrive and grow in a very short time.

People often tell me that the fad will go out of fashion. The reality is that there are always Hippy-types in any community (that is just human nature) and that there will be a demand for as long as people wear clothing (I cannot see people suddenly one day deciding to go out on the street naked?)

When I first started my business, I had no funds with which to work. I made small items, sold them for cash and used the money to buy more. That is how I have grown two businesses. I have never approached a bank for a loan or had any major cash investors in my company.

Stay positive, keep trying, and keep changing your strategy until you find one that works.

Have a great day in full colour!


Kind regards
Melanie
www.dyeandprints.co.za