If you are “an old” like myself, chances are high that you might have played a game called “Lemonade Stand”. (Apparently this game still exists?) I played it on an Apple IIe. The game has a simple premise; make your lemonade stand successful.
You accomplish this by balancing what you pay for supplies with how much you charge for you product and, what might have been the real kicker, how much you spend on advertising and where you put said advertising.
Welcome to my lemonade stand!
Seriously, though, having a business that is currently solely online feels a bit like running a digital lemonade stand in a video game. When I started my business, the plan was to be primarily set up at conventions and fairs (as I have mentioned before), so the quarantine has had me putting more effort into the website than I had originally planned – which, honestly, is not a terrible thing. It has me spending more time on social media. Also, not a terrible thing. I have one speed bump that has been tricky, though.
How to get my shop in front of new people. This is a challenge for any online shop, really. But, it has been at the forefront of my mind for awhile because right now I cannot get my person in front of other persons – and person to person is where I think I shine. Not to mention that my product is best seen and sniffed in person.
This past week I have a) been invited to join a digital pop-up event called Unleash Your Inner Geek (go check it out on Facebook!) and b) been invited to an interview show to talk about my teas. I am very much looking forward to these because it means getting my product in front of new people, plus having projects to look forward to means that I do not feel like I am spinning my wheels.
I am going to keep looking for opportunities to move into new digital spaces, but I am definitely looking forward to the day when I can set up my table (along with my friends who make up The Gorgon Collective) at conventions and talk tea and geek out with everyone face to face.