Ramping Up 2013 - March

This month we are going to concentrate on business-related tasks to increase your business. The things we will work on are inventory, business records, and marketing. These are tasks that will not have immediate results but are important to your business:

1. Start spring cleaning to find inventory A great way to easily increase your inventory is to find it in your own home. If you have read my Stay-at-Home Mom Guide or if you follow this blog, then you know that is how I started my eBay business. Clean out your closets, get rid of those clothes your kids have outgrown or the toys they no longer want or use. You may have done this before but it never hurts to do it again. You may have bought more things you no longer need or find things you bought to sell that has not made it to your online inventory yet. If you are fortunate enough to run out of items from your home to sell, consider becoming an eBay Trading assistant. Other people may want to sell the items they clean out of their homes but do not know how to sell them online or they may not have the time (or want to take the time) to list, sell and ship the items. You could list the items on consignment for them.

2. Get into the routine of tracking your inventory and updating your records Recordkeeping is essential for your business. Knowing if an item is profitable or not is key to being an efficient and successful seller. You can only manage this if you are keeping records of your sales and your inventory. If you are savvy-enough to be able to create spreadsheet or logs to do that, now is the time to do so (if you have not already set that up.) I use the Basic eSales Bookkeeping Spreadsheet. It allows me to track my eBay and Amazon inventory and shows my profit margins. This helps me decide if an item is a good seller or not or if I should stop selling it. If you are selling on Etsy, there is a website that can help you manage not only your inventory and sales but also your contacts. That web-based service is Stitch Labs. For $45 per month, the service will track your inventory and contacts for the following outlets:

Etsy

Amazon

Shopify

Big Commerce

Sail

Storenvy

3. Update your social media profiles Take a look at your social media profiles. If you have not updated or completed your profile information, now is a good time to do so. Social media is based on cultivating relationships. Share some personal information about you. Tell why you started the business. Tell what you love about your business. Talk about your hobbies. These are things that will allow your customers to connect with you. It may even be the first step to finding repeat customers.

As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. Having key business practices in place will help your create a solid foundation on which your business will be built.
Related links:
Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay Selling
 
Book Keeping Service for eBay Sellers
 
How to Use Pinterest to Market Your Business