Two years ago, we opened a tiny beauty salon. It was a mistake I walked away with a lot of lessons from.
One, keep overhead to a minimum – and renting space in any one of the city’s cement and steel buildings is definitely not the best way to do that.
Two, do not hire people out of charity. Or, allow them to stay on for the same reason. Or, propose that they live with you so they don’t have to spend on board and lodging for the same reason.
Three, always keep track of everything you spend on your business. Sure, it’s your pet and sure, you don’t mind spending on your pet. But ultimately, business is business. If it can’t pay for itself at some point, you’re better off without it.
Anyway, I’m giving opening another project a go and this time around, I’m keeping the lessons I learned in mind. Three friends and I will open a virtual store very soon. Our goal in the coming weeks is pretty ambitious – sell 400 dresses every two weeks. If that’s not ambitious for you, I don’t know what is! I’d probably end up buying tons of our stocks. In the past three weeks, I bought an alarming total of at least five dresses a week. Nope, I didn’t spend a small fortune – I’m cheapo. I NEVER buy a dress priced P350 or more. Also, I’ve two sisters I give the dresses that don’t fit me to. Between the three of us, I don’t end up with that many dresses at all!
But I digress. My gap pals and I will be opening our virtual store soon, and I hope you people find something you’d want to welcome into your closets. I’m lucky I’m doing this with three friends. We don’t see it as a business thingie at all, more like a hobby. Someone in Bangkok does the buying, takes photos, posts them online, and voila! Everything is where it should be. What’s my involvement? I provide inspiration hahaha! Seriously now, I provide the contacts since I know a lot of women who like to dress up. I can’t be put in charge of shopping, taking photos, or uploading — I don’t have the patience for all three; I will go mad!
P.S I don’t have any fashion pedigree whatsoever. I just love dressing up, and so does one of the “girls” I’m opening the store with. Meet Rose, formerly my third year high English teacher, now a very good friend.
Rose with her bling (and a few of the shoes in her) shoe collection
We’re going to kick ass at this. I can just tell.
Posted in I Want, Shop talk |
Hi! My name is Chin, and this is where, to quote Jane Austen, I "run mad and as often as I choose."
The problem with having an attention span as short as mine is that every time I make up my mind that I want something, I almost always forget that I want it. Case in point: these babies. I’ve been wanting these pumps for the longest time. They’d go well with my baby doll dresses, jeans, and leggings. I see them on display all the time in Ayala. Each time I do, I tell the hub, “Let’s make that store our last stop so I can check if they have it in my size.” 
