Showing posts with label Teenage Blogshop Bosses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teenage Blogshop Bosses. Show all posts

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Teenage Blogshop Bosses


SIWM Assessment

UPDATE!!
Daryl Kang, 29, an entrepreneur and a blogger says, “It takes at least two to three years before you can see results.” Generally, it takes (at least) months before you can even conclude whether or not his/her business venture is even able to survive in the industry, much less talk about making profits.
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As I've been doing alot of online shopping lately, I usually don't buy any stuff from most of the blogshop unless their doing spree from other countries or their products are really nice, which is totally rare for guys. So while online shopping, I've came across a blogshop - http://shoppingisfun-forteens.blogspot.com/ who is currently a secondary school student, and makes me wonder were they too young to start their own business.

So I decided to interview my friend(Yimann) currently she's in Bukit Panjang Govt High School.


*same Pretttttty smile* 
-o-

1. What is your goal for creating blogshop?
her: So that I can earn money from the clothes I sell. I also hope that this could be the starting of a real business. Some sort of building up a brand. It is also a way to use up my free time, like a hobby.
me: In my opinion I think that to start a business with low cost is a good experiment to know the concept of starting a business.        
"for the young minds to dream the impossible - Jean Mercies"

2. Do you give out your personal details?
her: It is actually a must to give my name and contact details like phone number and email to the public or to publicize it on my blogshop. This is to provide a basic understanding trust between the owner and costumer. But I won't give out into regarding my family, my school.
me: I think is okay because most of them are female and classmate that shop to support their friend.
"A ringing telephone is the insistent summons of modern life, and the decision not to take a requires fortitude. - STEPHANIE WINSTON" 

3. Did your parent know you got a blogshop?
her: Yes, but I am not really sure if they really allow or agree with me as they don't even know the concept how a blogshop works as at their time they don't have any blogshop or online shopping not like now they have a lot of online shopping and things like that. Lastly, they don't do online shopping.
me: Relationship with parent is very important. Is good to share what you are doing to people that close to you. 
Communication with another person. wasn't it the realest thing in life? - ANNE MORROW LINDBERGH


4. Do you meet up with your client alone?
her: Yes. Cause most of them are female. And will go places where it is brightly lit with many people. The best place is the mall located in town within Singapore, where it is very bright emitted from the neon advertisement lights from the many surrounding shops and is usually crowded  with people.
me: Be in control. It is a good practice to plain for where to meet especially for people you never met before. In this way it is manageable and puts you in the driver seat.


5. What do you think is the best age to start a blogshop?
her: About fifteen as they are more mature in thinking and they have experience in blogging before.
me: Maturely is depend on experience, not age.


6. What do you think of recent cases whereby people paid and did not get their goods?
her: I think it is the trust between the owner and the costumer. If you stood up there your costumer would not buy from you anymore. Additionally, now more and more blogshop do not meet up and trade with their costumers, they do it by postage. And there would always be a chance that the products will be lost in mail. But the blogshop would normally place a notice to say that lost mail would not be replaceable. And i think if the owner had done the disappearing product act on purpose then sooner or later no one would buy from your blogshop, like killing your own source of resource which frankly speaking dumb.
me: Business with low cost can just take it that you've paid for a very expensive lesson. Question is - Have you learn it? 


7. How to you promote your blogshop?
her: Put advertisements and links on the tag-boards of other blogshops, alternatively I can rent a small area or space at Toy Outpost - http://www.toyoutpost.sg/Toy-Outpost.aspx to sell my products there. This Toy Outpost are situated at shopping malls like VIVO and PLAZA SINGAPURA which have a higher human traffic flow.
me: You will get connected to a friend circle that know how to do business.

8. How much is the annual turnover?
her: It depends actually and frankly speaking I don't earn much, because of transport fees and also keeping the price low would have have more people buying. But because now there are blogshop, there is a larger competition so the lowest price normally wins and also depends on the quality of the product.
me: Mostly, all the blogshop now, are selling the same stuff over their sites which is like totally ridiculous cause basically anyone and everyone will be wearing the same thing as you do!!
So I  thought to stand out from the rest..
  • Your blogshop must sell unique stuff which means you got to sell things that are different from the rest of the blogshop, so you win!
  • Your site must be easy to navigate and looks at least professional abit.
  • Your service must be good and prompt enough!
  • Must be establish, and it takes time.

9. Are there other benefits?
her: Yea, like gaining experience, traveling around Singapore during the weekends and it is also a way to spend my free time, instead of playing games.
me: Can get to know other people, make new friend and also gain experience.

10. What are your long term goals for your blogshop?
her: Didn't think that far, just hope that I can gain experience. But I don't think this would be my long term occupation but jiust a short-term and a way to gain experience.
me: If you are schooling, you might neglect important things to be done for study, while updating your blogshop.


CONCLUSION
However, what is the best age to start a blogshop? It is hard to determine the age to start a blogshop.
Setting up a blogshop is not an easy task. It takes years to build up your own customers  base.  Also, maintaining good relations with your customers through emails has a different impact as compared to talking to them in person.
A well-known blogger - http://www.sabrina.sg/2009/05/05/can-blogshops-make-money said: To achieve the status and earnings, you must be willing to sacrifice time and effort. You must be willing to take the time to learn and refine your own blogshop constantly, like every other business out there.

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Now tell me your opinions are they too young to start their own business. Do you think it Good or Bad? 
Share your experiences and thoughts.