To Market To Market

One month ago, I accidentally ventured into the world of business. A friend of mine from China imported a batch of polar fleece bed linen and asked if I could help her to sell them. I will get a small percentage of commission on every item sold. 

I have been making cake orders on a part-time basis since last year. People come to me to ask me to make their cakes. I don't push my cakes to them. They ask, I give them a price, deal or no deal. Simple. But but this is different. This is direct selling, SALES!! Something I dread terribly and decided since very long ago never to make this my career. So why I said yes to her that fateful day at the children's playground, I have no idea. Anyway, I reckoned there will be no harm trying since I have some time to myself everyday after the kids go to school.

Besides starting an online web page and promoting it to all of my friends in Melbourne, I decided to also participate in "market day" stalls. In Melbourne it seems, weekend markets are very popular shopping destinations. Some markets are permanently open every weekend while others pop up regularly here and there. Anybody can rent a stall and sell basically anything, old, new, used or handmade. I have been to a few but am not a fan of them actually, especially those that charge an entry fee. Nevertheless, these markets are great opportunities for people who don't want to invest in a long term lease or to get rid of old stuff and earn a few extra bucks on the weekends. For me, it was an opportunity to test the market and gauge the response to the products which I'm considering merchandising.

This first market I participated in was in a church. I thought it was a good start as the rental fee was not very high but I later realised that the timing of the market was only 4 hours (8am till 12 noon), compared to others which end at 3pm. On the day of the market, the weather forecast was gloomy - rain, rain and more rain, from morning till evening. Even though I was indoors, I had no doubt many people would not bother to wake up in the morning, in this kind of weather, to attend a flea market.

We all woke up at 6.30am that Saturday, husband and kids as well, to load the car and make our way to set up stall. It was kind of exciting, although carrying almost 50 bags of fleece blankets up and down the car was not very fun. This aspect of business, the delivery, logistics and set up, is something customers don't see. What we see are nicely displayed items, positioned strategically to catch our eyes and make us pause to admire. Have we wondered how much time and effort has gone into packing, unpacking and bringing those items there?

The stall got off to a jittery start when the organisers could not find my booking and did not allocate me a space. Last minute, they tried to find a suitable corner for me, which was not ideal as all the good positions in the main hall were taken up. Another lesson in business: Location, location, location. Certain positions have got no traffic or no visibility. In the end, I managed to take over a table that was no-show in the main hall, that was not in some obsure corner, so we settled happily.

The 4 hours sales window passed quickly. Some people came, looked and walked away. Others came to say some nice things about your stuff, but did not end up in any sales. A few of my friends turned up and most of them bought something from me. Thanks to them for their supoort :) Some items which I thought would sell fast did not move. Others did alright despite the poor turnout of the crowd. I was surprised, disappointed, bored and thankful all at the same time.

In the end, I made enough to cover my expense for the day though not enough to cover our wages of all our man hours combined. But I gained a whole lot of insight into market days, not to mention a few new friends (neighbour stall owners). It was also a good opportunity to teach a life lesson on earning a living for my son. 

KK was complaining how little we made after a 'whole day', which was really only 4 hours. We explained to him that this is how difficult it is to earn money. I believed my 10 yr old is under this impression that when he grows up, money will be automatically deposited every 2 weeks into his bank account, like his father. He did not see what his dad had to do and how he did it everyday to earn those money. But he saw how we took out all our fleece blankets from its bag and then put most of them back again at the end of the day. I hope he realised sometimes people can spend 4 hours or more outside and earn not a dollar. If after that day he learnt not to spend his money so thoughtlessly because it is not easily earned, than that would be the biggest profit of my market stall.
  

40th Birthday Message

Dear Family & Friends,

This year I will turn 40. When I was a kid, I never visualised myself beyond the 30s. That’s as far as it goes for all the exciting things to happen. Your education, romances, beauty, career, marriage and babies all happened within these first 30 odd years. What happens beyond this point, I’ve never really thought about it. My impression is things start to go either plateau or downhill from here.

By 40, the number of your children is more or less fixed. Your career, if you still have one, will be stable and it is likely the one you will have to stick with for the rest of your life. The only think you look forward to growing is your bank account and children. Hopefully your waistline does not follow the trend...;p Is this what life after 40 is all about? I really don’t know. If we are lucky, we’ll probably have another 40 more years on this earth. What do we do with it?

Currently as a housewife, I have not much care or worries beyond what is the next meal to cook and my children’s welfare. The working people would say that we are lucky, we can stay at home and “do nothing”. Yes, many a times, when I looked at the morning peak hour traffic, I thank God that I don’t have to beat that to report to work. But other days, I wondered how I should gainfully occupy my time when the children are in school, besides grocery shopping, housework, PPS.TV and Facebook?

Still, comparing other women who are 40 around the world, I guess I’m lucky to be 40 and in Australia. It was a choice I made 5 years ago, to leave my career, my family and friends in homeland and come to Australia. I must keep reminding myself why I made that decision. Sacrifices were made but I gained a lot as well. I just cannot measure it in monetary terms that’s all.

With this coming birthday, I hope to rejuvenate my life again. It is the beginning of a new chapter. I’m going to write it as best as I could. Even though I won’t grow prettier or younger, I want to live life with a purpose and with energy. I believe my future is still to be crafted and if I am determined, I will make something good for myself and my family.

To commemorate this milestone, I've had a few celebrations with close friends and my family. Fun and food we had but it was the feeling of friendship and love that I most appreciated. Birthdays are really a time to give thanks. I thank God first of all, for His mercies and grace everyday. I do not take for granted the blessings I have each day, just being alive and being together with my loved ones. And to all the people, over the past 40 years, especially my parents, family, siblings, relatives and including ex-classmates, ex-colleagues, my friends in Singapore and Melbourne, who have left your kindness in my life. You have accepted me, accompanied me, helped me and guided me. Without you all my life would be less interesting and meaningful. This birthday, I want to say “Thank you folks for being part of my 40 years of memories!” I wish all of you blessings and good health always!

With Sincerity, Love & Affection

E