It's always been a bit of a dream of mine to have my own online store. Or even real-life store. A proper, bricks 'n' mortar type affair; with flower walls & rose gold interiors galore. Probably some kind of a fashion store, but I'm also massively intrigued by those cool home interior kinda places - and of course; anything beauty related. Maybe even a bar, but I'd totes drink away the profits wouldn't I. A cat café? But again same kinda issue... I'd be that busy weeping over all the kitties I'd make no money.

Anyway.

Let's take it back to pretty accessories & fashion; things I have years of experience working with / selling [I used to work in retail management before this lil stint of all things digital occurred.] Something I've researched & put on hold countless times - and something I ventured into a little when I was selling pens, jade rollers and agate coasters online that time.

And let's also reign these dreams back to online selling; as having a business premises and pure overheads to cover sounds scary AF, especially given how many stores seem to be closing all over the high street.

I've wanted to sell lashes, I've wanted to order in fashion / home interiors stock from overseas & sell with a mark-up and hell, I've ordered so many odd samples of stock [and made packaging enquiries too] over the past 12 months... but there's been the same sorta pitfalls knocking me back time & time again. Number one being how bloody poor I am and not having the capital to invest in this stuff properly, the second being how time consuming it is and thirdly; the logistics when it comes to storing & dispatching this stuff. My spare room became like a warehouse for a time - and I defo don't have enough space, time or bubblewrap for this.


A useful company I've stumbled across recently [and I do love compiling & sharing resources these days!] is John K Philips - a northwest [yaaaaaaaas, northwest massive] based distribution company dealing with haulage, storage and [funnily enough] distribution. These guys take a lot of the stresses mentioned above [such as the need for something like access to a bonded warehouse and / or bonded storage] away; making things infinitely easier for those of us [like me] whose minds aren't able to comprehend this kinda stuff.

Something I've realised during my first 12 months of self-employment is that it's too easy to pure go things alone and feel like you've got the entire weight of the world on your shoulders; having to be everything & every role of a business at once, as one person. And this should not be the case. It definitely pays to ask for help, and to delegate tasks where you can. Meaning that finding companies like John K Philips [or perhaps ones like I've mentioned in this post] to help you achieve your business goals is perf. 

The relief you'll feel palming off that task you've been dreading due to your lack of experience in the field / time to someone who knows it like the back of their hand is unparalleled. And asking someone else to sort something for you isn't a failure or a sign of weakness - that you can't do something yourself. It's a massive positive; recognising where your strengths lie and focussing your energy into them, delegating the tasks you struggle with to third parties who thrive working with these challenges. 

For me, storage, distribution and the logistics which go with these things are something I'd definitely struggle with in business - something which I'd definitely turn to John K Philips for for help!
*Sponsored post, but all opinions & experiences are my own. For more information, please see my Disclaimer
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