Grand Opening

So the day you have worked so hard for is here. It was printed in front page of the local paper and I have people waiting for me to open the store.  I had a coupon for 10% percent off entire purchase with this coupon as part of the ad.  I made sweet and sour meatballs, cheese ball with crackers, and chips with dip.  Simple self maintaining menu so I would be able to make sales.  It was so busy I was not able complete any work other than the cash register.  I did have my family over to help fill the food or help me with questions or ringing out the sale.  My kids were learning the cash register  (a skill that will help them forever).  I work in a very family orientated community and having my kids helping was the icing on the cake plus they are part of the reason I started this adventure.  We received many compliments from people about how nice the store looked and many great changes.  Customer feedback can be very inspirational.

"The most effective way to do it, is to just do it." Amelia Earhart

I also talked in last segment that I had door prizes.  I decorated the store as a Treasure Hunt, kinda cute since the name of the store is Suzy's Treasure Chest.  I had a large Treasure Chest by the register and I had 100 keys to the chest but only 15 keys opened the chest.  Each customer was encouraged to try a key to get to the treasure.  Inside I had prizes hidden in envelopes as well as fake gold coins and fake jewelry. We gave away lots of door prizes and people had fun.  Hopefully you start a business from a hobby or something you enjoy so you can have fun with it.  Going to work is so much easier when you enjoy it, even on the stressful days.

The day much quicker than I expected and with the small amount of sales I had the week before, I was making enough money to continue to invest more in the store.  It started to slow down as the day went on but remained a steady flow. 

I am a chart and numbers person when it comes to business.  I like to see my progress on paper and be able to compare it to future events.  With the advertisement coupons, I was able to see how many read the article and if it is a good source for me in the future.  I was also able to use my inventory sheet to compare what types of items sold best.  This may give me an idea on what area to expand on first.  I had a goal to expand groceries a little bit each week but that I will evaluate grocery sales and thrift sales in 6 months to see which area to expand on more or to maintain as I am.  My Grand Opening gave me contact to lots of people in a short amount of time. 

At the end of the day, I was tired from all the stress and work leading up to the event, but I felt great because the day was a large success and formed my view of the months to come.  Thankfully I started my business in what most people call the 4th quarter of the year.  One of the biggest shopping seasons. 

So now I begin the part of the adventure of what you do now that you already own a business.....
The first few years......