Interview with Business Entreprenuer, Mels Smells

ARTICLE FOLLOWS:

Interview With Melissa Faircloth Owner of Mel's Smells & etc.

I understand you are an online retailer and you sell soy candles, bath products, and handmade quilts. Was there anything particular in your life growing up, or as an adult, that helped lead you down this career path? If so, can you explain?

As a kid I always dabbled in some kind of craft—I even made my Barbie dolls clothes. In high school I took a sewing class, which I hated. But fast forward 5 years and things began to change.

My husband and I purchased a brand new home that we had built. Funds were low and I wanted curtains. I purchased inexpensive fabric from a department store and broke out my handy-dandy glue gun and "glued" a hem on them. That worked rather well until I washed them! So I borrowed my mother's poor excuse for a sewing machine and attempted to re-do my hem. The machine was in such bad shape that it would jam, take another stitch, and jam again. This continued to happen so I took the sewing machine completely apart and tinkered with it until I finally fixed it!

That machine gave me a new appreciation for sewing that I hadn't had before. After that I got so infatuated with sewing that my husband bought me a new sewing machine. I was more hooked than ever. The new machine came with all sorts of attachments and "feet." One of them was…would you believe a quilting foot?

"Hmm," I thought to myself, "maybe I should try to make a quilt." I made the first quilt for my nephew who was due to arrive in June. I loved it so much I just dove head first into the quilting world.

The candles came into play because I simply love great smelling candles. One day, I ran across a website that sold soy candles. I never heard of soy candles, but just had to take a peak. I purchased a few soy candles and fell in love. Soon, my crafting knack kicked in and I thought, "Hey, I can make these."

Little did I know how much was involved in making candles—after plenty of trial and error, I not only got it right, but was completely satisfied with the end product.

Before starting your own Internet business, did you have an internship anywhere? (i.e.. Work for a particular company for a few years, take college courses, volunteer, etc.) If so, when, where, and how did it help you prepare for your own business?

I worked in a major department store right out of high school. I moved around the store taking on various roles and positions. By the time I left the store, I was a department manager of the toy department. I think having that type career has helped me find a voice when working with the public. I also learned a lot when it comes to displays and presentations.

When I started working at the department store, I had no intentions of starting my own business but my experience there has given me the ground work for successfully running my own retail driven business.

Once you decided to become your own boss, how did you decide to buy wholesale instead of signing up with an already established party plan and become a consultant?

Well I don't buy wholesale items. I make my own items. Party plans never really appealed to me simply because you do all the work for very little gain. I have had a couple of girlfriends go down this path and even though it was great for them it just never really appealed to me. Also…there is a certain amount of pride involved when presenting your own handmade items versus someone else's creations.

For example when I'm having a showing during a home party or when I'm a vendor in a craft show, I can tell a lot more about that product because I made it and I am very enthusiastic about that item because I made it—it is my baby…made with my own two hands.

The down fall with that feeling is when you get that one person who turns his/her nose up at your hard work and there's always one. There's no way around it. It just hurts. It's hard to not take that personally when you made the item.

And finally, I'm a very creative person so I need a creative outlet or I will simply go crazy. The most cost-effective and fun way to let out my creativeness is through a business that allows me to express myself.

How did you find the capital to start your business?

The only investment I made initially with quilting business was the industrial sewing machine. I only buy the fabric when I need it and I only take custom orders so there's not a lot of stock involved. The candles and bath products, on the other hand, need some bit of investing so I used credit cards for my start up costs.

Halfway through my business start up, I discovered that the more you buy in bulk, the cheaper the cost of my supplies. So the reality is: it takes money to make money, pretty much.

Do you have any suggestions for new start-ups when it comes to finding the initial capital to start a small business?

Yes, start small and develop a business plan.

Start out with just a couple items and grow a little at a time.

I wished I had taken my own advice. When I first started making candles I wasn't satisfied with just having 10 good scents I wanted 50 good scents. So I ordered the supplies for all 50 scents at once. Instead of testing them to see which would be good sellers, I ended up with 25 scents that were not good sellers, were too similar to other scents, or simply didn't give off a good scent.

Then, of course, I wasn't happy with just offering a few candle items… I had to include bath items. And not just one bath item, I had to offer for several different items.

Now I only bring scents in small quantities. When I introduce them to my customers and at my shows, I can test their appeal and selling. If they are not successful it's not hard to get rid of them. I've also cut back on the amount of different items I introduce to my line of products.

With capital in hand, what was one of the first things you did to get your business off ground floor and how did it turn out?

I purchased equipment and supplies and then a website.

On the local end it turned out well, but on the Internet my business was slow starting. It takes awhile to be found amongst all the big dogs.

What was the most difficult thing about starting this particular business venture?

There are many things that I feel are difficult about starting and even maintaining a small business or being sole proprietor. One of those things is the fear of failure. I have 100% of myself invested in my business. I am constantly striving to do something new, something different, or to improve the products I carry. Everything that does or does not happen in my business is all on my shoulders; it all depends on my actions or lack of actions.

Another thing I find difficult is patience. Patience is related to that fear of failing, I think. Finances can become a problem, too. As I stated earlier, it takes money to make money. You have to have money for supplies, equipment, advertising and other things.

Did you ever have a business blooper? If so, what was it, what happened, how did you resolve it, and what did you learn from it?

Oh my, a ton of them. For example by being the type of person who does everything "whole hog," I ended up purchasing supplies that I really didn't need. I purchased products, supplies, etc. that just didn't work out for my business.

I originally thought I could make a candle or two and then I'd be ready to start selling them, WRONG! But I think like everything, it's a learning process. You make a mistake, you learn from it. You make a mistake and you grow from it and you move on. You just try not to do it again. I think even the large companies' can say the same thing. The retail market is constantly growing and changing and you always have to be learning and growing to stay on top of it. You can't become stale or complacent in the retail market.

What method of advertising have you found works best in regards to not only getting the word out about your business, but helping you turn a profit? Why do you think this works so well?

I can't say any particular advertisement has worked for me. Since I'm so limited with my budget I never got to buy into the mainstream type of ads to compare. However, one thing that has helped my website take off was taking an SEO class and optimizing my site. Also, handing out business cards locally has helped spread the word about my Internet business.

I try to always offer a free sample to my customers and potential customers. I've given tons of free candles to friends and family—they are my advertisements. If they love what I've given them, they will spread the word. (My family is my best critiques so if they love it they share it. If they hate it, they'll soon tell me about it.)

Having been in business for awhile now, 3 years, what lessons can you instill in others with regards to customer service?

Communication!

Communication is very important to ensure your customers know the money they send you will actually give them a product…that they aren't getting scammed.

There are many ways to communicate with potential buyers. Having a clean site with up-to-date contact information, a secure shopping cart, and a faqs page.

Prompt communication is vital to the success of your business. Check your email often and respond to your customers or potential customers ASAP! I have been frustrated many times by retailers who take a week or more to respond to my question(s). There's usually so much going on my life that by the time I get my answer, I've either changed my mind or I've forgotten completely about it in the first place.

I'm not going to say the "customer is always right" because I feel in today's world this is not true. There are so many out there taking advantage and getting what they can get by bullying and complaining. However, use your best judgment and try not to take it personally.

If someone was looking into becoming an Internet retailer, what advice would you offer?

Find a reliable web hosting plan. Most people will not be so eager to spend money on your website if you are using free web space. Buy a domain name and rent web hosting.

Find a shopping cart that works best your type of business—one that runs smoothly and doesn't require useless clicks or confuses your customers.

Accept different forms of payments. Accepting only PayPal as a payment option is very limiting. There are many out there who do not like PayPal or do not understand that they do not have to have a PayPal account to buy from your business.

Be a prompt shipper. If you cannot ship the ordered item same day or within 48 hours, make sure that is conveyed to your customer on your website and also in a follow up email after the purchase.

Most importantly take a search engine optimization class or make sure your web designer knows how to do it.

Thank you very much for your time and allowing me to interview you for The Dabbling Mum.com

Visit her at: www.mels-smells.com

About The Author

Alyice Edrich specializes in helping families <a href="http://edrichcommunication.com" target="_blank"> money on their cell phone bills</a>. Visit her website, edrichcommunications.com, to use her best rate calculator or learn how you can get a free cell phone. Or stop by thedabblingmum.com/joinezine.htm to subscribe to her free business newsletter!

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