Nov Update - entering the highs then the lows in business in Small Business Startup Journal - The Journey To Starting My Own Brand of Travel Clothing and Handbags

Well, I have just finished a glass of well earned shiraz, contemplating a second one.

This has been a big month for me, but an even bigger week, here are the updates so far.

My contract has been extended until March 2022, so that is some good news.

I am still finalising supplies for the hardware, it is not as straight forward as it seems ,especially when it comes to zippers and ensuring everything matches in colour -especially when not every supplier sells everything.

My leather samples came from Italy - they are nothing short of perfection. That being said I am yet to send samples of to Simone my manufacturer to see what she thinks.

I am behind massively in my timeline and as this year ends I will have passed the point of critical peak where I was supposed to have at least most of my prototypes made.
Simone has been delayed and she is yet to finalise my sketches for my shoulder pads for my bags and resend through the inside views of my sketches.

I need the inside view of my sketches to be redo as I heard back form IP Australia and they said my drawings were not correct in order to proceed for the designs I had registered to be design right protected.

I emailed her back a few days ago asking for clarification of the zip stoppers and if she thought that it would be realistic to have prototypes made by mid April next year as this is the cut off time for me to be able to create my Kickstarter campaign and go to the Reed Gift Fair. I am yet to hear back, I am hoping she emails me over the weekend or by Monday the latest with not only my drawings but an answer about my timeline goals.

Another big set back I have had today was that I heard back from Reed Gift Fairs for Melbourne next year, and the quote I was provided was 3 times what I had planned for.
They quoted me $7800 + GST and I simply do not have that money.

I really wanted to exhibit at next years Reed Gift Fair as it will be the first one since the covid-19 lockdown and the market will be hungry for new items and Australian made items as well as anything travel related. Missing it will be missing a big opportunity and i had really been planning and looking forward to it, but I just have to wait and see what the future holds and accept what we will.

I guess there are so many variables right now, I can’t afford the expo unless I can negotiate on the price and unless my contract goes past March and I get full time work from my contract role. Even if I could afford the expo I don’t know if I will have all my prototypes finished in time anyway, as I will need to sort out packaging, marketing and my Kickstarter.

I am also trying to find a manufacturer for my scarf designs that I have and I am finding this hard to do too.

The wheels of business turn slowly sometimes, and there are so many ups and down and highs and lows.

I have started listening to advice videos on YouTube from famous entrepreneurs and actors as well as bought some great books from successful business people to read next year.

sigh… I wonder where I will be 2 months from now, seeing as though that seems to be the regular period of time I update.