Handmade beauty products. How many of you actually enjoy making your own skin and hair care products? It can be exhilarating! It’s like giving birth to a new creation… your creation.
Some of you enjoy the beauty of blending and formulating. Others of you are creating products because you haven’t found anything in the current offerings that have helped you with Your challenge.
It’s your therapy. And if you’re working with essential oils, you get the bonus of scent therapy. The aroma of a beautiful scent can be relaxing, calming, as well as uplifting.
And on top of everything you’re feeling, it actually works. In all of your excitement, you decide you’re going to try to sell it, on the internet, no doubt.
You’ll begin with small batches. One, no more than two products. Do your research and find out what’s being asked for. Does what you want to make and sell, fit into the mix of what’s in demand?
Don’t be so quick to share your idea …
Here’s a word of caution, especially where family and friends are concerned. Shhhh … Keep it to yourself.
But whyyy?
Because jealously is going to rear its ugly head and you can save yourself a lot of heartache and disappointment.
Okay, some of you won’t have this problem. Some of you will have very supportive people willing to actually finance your endeavor. A lot of you won’t. So, should you decide to share, know who you’re talking to.
You ask: Who’s going to help me test my product? There are plenty of ways to test your product without people knowing its yours. You don’t want bad energy coming into your well protected space.
Have a sample in an unmarked travel size container in your purse or gym bag.
In the beginning, do whatever you can to self-fund your precious business.
Once you get past your trial period and enough people have liked the way you smell, or the way that lotion you shared made their hands feel or better yet, they liked the way your skin looked as the months progressed. Now … you can claim your space and move it forward.
It’s time to consider how you will sell your product. Let’s face it, even before COVID, you needed an online presence. That’s even more true of today’s selling environment.
The internet has made it possible to sell everywhere, from local communities to having a worldwide presence. Your beauty product is no different. You can be part of a local beauty popup event as well as shipping throughout the world.
COVID has slowed the shipping of merchandise from country to country. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t continue to plan. As a matter of fact, it’s the best time to plan. Use any downtime you can get and work on your business.
Document every detail of what you’re going through. It will help you when you need to recall how you got to where you are.
A lot of you feel that social media will be your go-to-platform for selling your products. Social media platforms are channels that will help you get in front of a given market. Hopefully the market you’d like to sell your products to.
However, you need a website. Why? Because social media platforms will change their algorithms and that change can strip you of a once attentive market.
The internet is a space that can seem and is often perceived as, well, somewhat cold. Your job is to create a selling environment that will be inviting enough for visitors to stay, purchase and return to and purchase more. This selling environment is your own store. A place you can interact with your customers and not risk losing them because of an algorithm change.
When you begin to create your store, if you’re new to this concept, it will be mind boggling. So much so, until you will want to hire someone to do it for you. That’s good. However, you will need to know what you want them to do. Once you have an idea, it’s time to get help.
What will you need to know in order to move your beauty products on the supper fast highway of the internet? What will you need help with? Web building skills, writing copy for your descriptions, the type of images needed, containers, labels, logo design, demographics, psychographics … and that’s just the beginning. Feeling Overwhelmed?
Of course, you are. Take a deep breath. It’s part of your learning curve. You will learn much as you begin your business journey. Not only about your business, you will learn a lot about who you are and what you’re made of.
Making your products is just the beginning. Once you’ve got it packaged and all prettied up, you’ve got to sell it.
Here’s where you will pull on your skills learned on your current or past jobs. You might have to do most of the work in the beginning. What skills do you have to get started and move your business forward?
▪ Were you part of a writing team? Now you learn how to transfer those skills to writing for the web. And yes, there is a difference between writing reports and copy for the web. You’ll need product descriptions, instructions on how to use, content for your market to read as it relates to your product helping them with their challenge.
▪ Served as part of the HR team? You understand how to look for good people that will help build your team.
▪ Worked in the graphic design department? Your skills can come into to play with logo design, color choices for branding your business.Ultimately, you’ll be hiring people to help you. When it’s time to pass the baton, you’ll know what to look for and what to avoid, in the person you bring to your team.
Can handmade beauty find its way in a super high-tech world? Absolutely!
To help you work your way through the mental maze you find yourself in, get a copy of our Free Worksheet: 9 Core Elements to Starting a Successful Beauty Business Online. It will act as a guide to help you think your way through the beginning phase of selling online.
That’s it for this week. As always, we’re …
Dedicated to Your Success
Juliette & Robert
