15. USA & Booth

On 10/8/2019, I left Singapore for my exchange programme in the United States.

From the start of the MIE course, I already knew that my schedule will clash with this final module, and it was a main concern as I would not be able to help much in this final month of our business, which is arguably the most crucial period.

However, I think we have done most of the work already before this time. The problems pointed out in the second consultation were duly discussed and at the time of my leaving, and we already have a clear outline of strategies. Firstly, the NDP giveaway was carried out, and Flormiere saw a significant growth in followers, which translates to brand recognition. Our Shopee account is also launched around that time. Most importantly, we will soon be launching a new line of products: DIY terrariums. I will be talking about DIY in greater detail in the next post, but basically we have already shot a few instructional videos and bought a batch of materials for our DIY line.

Looking forward, our business is entering a more relaxing phase. We are going to focus more on DIY from now on, and so will be making fewer of the terrariums ourselves. There is a possibility of renting a booth, which I will not be able to help. However, I will be available online, and will continue to maintain our official Instagram account with Kimmy. I have been in charge with the description and the posts, while Kimmy has been trying to engage others to follow us, to pull in more potential customers. This role will then remain unchanged in the days to come.

Sadly, I will not be able to attend the business showcase, but fret not, when you see a video of my part of presentation, know that my heart is with you all!

Edit: Unfortunately, the booth idea has been voted out. We looked at lots of options and realised the costs would be too great for our business. On average, just one weekend could cost up to $300. This is more than any sourcing trips we made. More importantly, we felt that we will not be making enough to cover that cost AND our manpower. This is because we did some research on the traffic around the booth areas and also past sales, and found out that sales will not be as good as we expected (our goal is to sell about 25 terrariums for a weekend).

Once, a senior has told us to have a strong social media base before going physical, and we don't really have that as of yet. Perhaps when the time is ripe in the future, we will pick up this idea again.