Ad #2

Second ad came out in the Celebrate Publication and we're excited to get our company out there.  Here's what the ad looks like:

 

 

I received the new business cards with our new number and am still awaiting the Sugar High patches for the aprons (uniform).  We are currently working on some new centerpieces for the candy buffets and have been having fun doing it.  I'm currently working on a candy cake with a Wonka theme that will have a Golden Ticket chocolate bar sticking out of the center on the 1st tier.  We are also working on some new candy topiaries.  We found that it is cheaper and a lot less work to buy pre-made foam topiaries from Hobby Lobby.  It's been great coming up with new and creative ways to make candy centerpieces and decoration.  I'll have to take a picture of our progress for the next post.



Candy Buffets

 



Submitted an advertisement to be published in the next JN issue (this Friday), and plan to put another ad in the JN Celebrate Guide in March.  Hopefully these adds will reach a wide audience and we can gain some new clientele for this summer.  I'm excited to see how it turns out.  The gift basket business is really slow, so being in the business of providing candy buffets has been keeping me busy and I'm looking forward to something new and challenging.

Here's what the ad looks like:

 

We set up the whole bar area at my parents' house as a giant candy buffet with various retro candies.  We were able to get a lollipop stand, although it only came in natural wood color, so I sanded and painted it white to have a more elegant look to it - I think it turned out pretty well.  Also, we were able to get a screen/divider from my Nana's old condo and put a white sheet over it for the background of the picture which added to the professional look of the display.  I went with my dad on Sunday and got a new phone for the business with a (248) area code (West Bloomfield, where my parents live, and the home base for the candy buffet business).

 

I'm excited to get into something new, while still offering my gift baskets online and for centerpieces or hotel guest gift baskets.

 

I was able to put a free listing in yellowpages.com for candy buffet services and design an ad with Google Adwords Express, using my parents' address and reaching an audience within 35 miles of their address.  I think I should go to the bank though and put the business checking account into the name of "Sugar High" using the DBA certificate because the account is still in the old name "Emily's Sugar High" and there may be problems if people write checks to the company in the name of "Sugar High."  So far it hasn't been an issue and I've been able to deposit checks, but you never know, better safe than sorry.

I bought some more candy from Nassau but it hasn't been delivered yet, I ordered black and white candy to do a more elegant wedding type candy buffet.  I want to show that Sugar High is versatile and can achieve different looks with the buffets.  I also ordered 2 black aprons from Amazon.com and plan to screen print the Sugar High logo on them to have as attendant uniforms to where at the events/parties.  I think that will turn out well and makes for a good uniform on top of all black clothing.  I also am thinking I'll have to get new business cards with the new business phone number on them, or maybe go for glossy postcards to hand out instead of business cards, which can have pictures on them and give a bit more information to potential clients.

All in all, there is much work ahead, but work that I am passionate about and there's nothing better than that...

Post Trade Show Notes and Feelings About the Future

Well, the best thing to happen at the trade show was that one woman bought 5 gift baskets and 14 mini buckets, making the trade show commitment worth it.  We didn't make much profit but at least made back the money it cost to have a table at the show both weekends plus the money it cost to make the Sugar High banner.  After the show I moved back to Ann Arbor from my parents' place (where I was recovering from my recent back surgery) and have been working from home since then.  Things have really been settling down since preparing all those baskets for the show. A lot of down time now.

I have invested so much money into these gift baskets and am not even close to making that money back let alone a profit to put into the candy store savings. I think the smart thing to do now is to quit the basket business (but still try to sell off what I still have) and save all the money I can for the store since that is what this is all about anyways - opening my own candy store.

Since it's all about saving up money now I'm thinking about quitting my job and getting back into practicing law since the pay is not even in the same league as my current  salary.  It scares me to do that, but maybe the means justify the ends.