Start of the Summer

College is all but done now. I have a few more exams and a few more accountancy classes to do, but my Monday to Friday schedule is almost completely free now, meaning that I'll be spending more time in my shop and hopefully dragging it up by the scruff of the neck to how I want it. I've been a bit lapse these last few weeks, letting it just trumble along and just about pay the bills; a terrible thing to do when you run your own business. 

I've found that whenever I have been in the shop, I can see that it's not what I dreamed it to be, the atmosphere, the location, the stock, is just all wrong. A drastic re-think is needed and needed very soon!

When I started to think about going into my business, I had all those hopes and dreams of how it would be, what it would look like and how well it would be doing. I planned everything precisely, budgeted, wrote business plans, applied for small business grants and did everything I felt I needed to give AS the best start.

Two and a half months on, and I feel like I've hit a wall, we're dead in the water and I don't know what move to make next. I've read a few similar things in my search for an answer, it seems quite a common thing to feel so lost. I think it's the case with most projects that are long term, you go into it full pelt but fail to think of any long term objectives or worst case scenario plans. 

I need to be more pro-active, and certainly by having a lot more spare time I can do this. It's just a problem of where to start. I think it would be a lot easier to have fresh eyes and go into the shop and see it how someone else sees it. I know something is wrong but I just can't put my finger on it. 

I've been researching a few shop interiors, its the little things that I'm interested in. How they display their clothes and accessories, the colour schemes, etc. Obviously we want to be able to reflect the clothes we sell, which is 50s rockabilly day and evening styles, it's hand picked, and beautiful clothing. But we also sell "designer outlet", such as Monsoon, which is up to 70% off and has proved to be our day to day income and helped us to pay the bills, whether I like it or not. 

from toast.co.uk - one of their shop interiors

*I love the bright red floors with the sumptuous teal walls. The clothes also go well with the colour scheme

which I think is really important. It's bold, but it works well*

from http://buttercupandroses.blogspot.co.uk/

*isn't this just the cutest shop front? It seems so homely and effortless, but I just know it is well

choreographed. The colour scheme is darling too*

An anthropologie store display

*Shelving <3 just proves how useful it can can be! The paper rose display is great too*

Anthropologie again

*I love the use of the crates as display, and hanging the belts on nice old hangers, really nice and useful!*

A few I found from the blog "http://the-lark.blogspot.co.uk"

*Oh, how darling is this?! The colours, the sweet prints, the nicknacks, the flowers. 

Now to just apply this to a 50s clothes shop!*

Have you ever felt this way about your business? Totally stuck in a rut and not knowing how to move on? Did you manage to find a way?

I think my next step is to source some bits and pieces and consult the colour wheel, get some paint and get cracking. Going to try some different advertising techniques and get some window stickers too. 

Peace and Love

xx

Altered States Collection Now Online!

I've finally found an e-commerce site that I like in BigCartel. It's very handy, fairly priced, easy to use and designed well.

Find the new shop at http://alteredstatescollection.bigcartel.com/ ! Very excited, and I hope you all check it out, more stock to be added in the next few weeks :)

Truancy!

Oh my dear readers!

I must apologise for the extended absence these past few months! Life just got on top of me and the daily blogs just took a back seat. But this is set to change indeed!

I'll give you a little lowdown and much needed explanation for the truancy! So, the last time we talked was back in the middle of September when I was starting my classes and getting back into the swing of "being a student" something that I hadn't been for well over 9 months. I was beginning my degree in "Lens Based Photo Media" i.e. Photography and a bit of Video, my AAT in Accountancy. I went through a horrible break up and was just getting to know the people on my courses and making some good friends. Hurray for being less socially awkward!

3 Months later in January 2012 I was now with my lovely boyfriend (I'd like to say partner, but it's way too formal!) Calvin and I couldn't be happier, college was getting crappier and I was seriously stressing out with some new ideas that I really wanted to implement.

Step back to Christmas 2011, I had a brainwave to open up my own shop, specialising in Alternative clothing with a 50s edge. I knew it would work, how I wanted it to look, what I wanted to call it and that it was exactly what my town needed, an injection of vintage retro style!

In January I decided to go into business with my aunt who had a similar shop on the other side of the river and wanted to be closer to home. We found a retail space, got the financial backing from the bank, and bought our first lot of stock! By 17th March we were having our Grand Opening and starting to make money!

All while this was happening I was having issues with college, thankfully because of my Aunt I missed a minimal amount of coursework; the issues were more about the quality of education we were receiving, and as student rep it was my job to bring it up and get it sorted.

Despite any action that might take place in the next few weeks, I have decided to leave at the end of the academic year and focus purely on the shop and my accountancy. I can earn so much more and progress further if I don't have a few hours a day, 5 days a week of something that at the moment seems quite pointless. It's such a shame as I really enjoyed the first few months, but when your enthusiasm, inspiration, determination and positivity is at nil, its time to make a change.

I'll be doing my AAT Accountancy course on one day, rather than two evenings, and hopefully get enrolled to start on my CIMA exams (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) in order to be chartered by the time I finish my AAT. Then I can start on a career which can earn me decent amounts while being free to build up my business as I'm hoping to freelance with the Accountancy.

Seriously exciting times, there is so much I want to do, that I know will release some potential in the shop, get me a decent wage.

Inspired by the lovely Kaelah of Honeybean Boutique fame I am composing a goal list of "20 before 21" keep an eye out for it in the next post!