Tired of working? Take a break!

     You’ve decided to start your own business. You’ve searched the Internet for “starting your own business” and found the start up basics, the step-by-step process, and some pitfalls to watch out for. You’ve also, unfortunately, found the statistics on starting your own business, and the odds that are stacked against you. But what you haven’t been able to do is actually speak to people about not just starting their business, but how it grew, and how they moved it forward. Did they have knowledge on the subject before they got started? How did they manage if they didn’t, and what exactly is this word “luck” everyone speaks of when getting started – can it really happen to you? What do people mean when they say you have to have ingenuity? I have been lucky enough to hear some of the answers to these questions, and have also been able to speak to someone starting their own business – Michelle Wood, first time business entrepreneur of Lil’ Diva.

     I was invited to Michelle’s house for an in-depth look at her business. As Michelle gave me the tour of her home, we walked through her bedroom. Through the entryway of the bedroom was Michelle’s walk-in closet. Her clothes were hung on decorated fabric hangers and organized on multiple racks. Her shoes were stacked in compartments vertically to save space. And in the back corner of the closet sat a white antique make-up table dressed with brushes, applicators, and a mirror lit on all sides. Each brush and make-up accessory seemed to have its own place that was ready made for the table. The organized, fully functional, but adorable and cleverly placed table, told me to sit down and prepare for an equally fantastic story. Michelle sat and began to apply her make-up for the evening. I pulled up a chair and pressed record on my tape recorder, ready to begin.

     “There’s got to be a better way to make money - more fulfilling for myself. I have a lot of creative talents and I definitely wasn’t using those talents,” said Michelle, a previous real estate paralegal, when asked what made her decide to start her own business. “It actually came to me in a dream – about making handbags.”

     With financial planning it took Michelle a couple of years before she was able to start her business, which first started as an idea for making custom handbags for brides. After some thought Michelle realized brides can be “crazy women” and she didn’t want to work with that kind of pressure. Michelle then researched handbags and saw there was little competition for fabric handbags. She realized if she designed cotton fabric handbags she would have a niche in the market. “I went into a fabric store and saw some really cute fabric with cowboys on it. I made my first bag with that fabric and I put some feather trim on it. I brought it out one night, and it was a big hit. My husband was really excited about it when the waitress came over and asked where the bag was from - he knew I had a good thing - she said it was super-cute. That’s why I decided to go that route.”

     Michelle had been sewing for years. To “spread the word” of Michelle’s new business, a friend of Michelle’s hosted a handbag party where Michelle would have the opportunity to display her merchandise, receive feedback, and hopefully sell a handbag or two. With no knowledge or experience in the fashion industry, Michelle used what she knew, sewing, and sewed her first handbags. She found fabrics on the internet similar to that used for the cowboy bag and made forty bags of different sizes in one week and took them to the party … and in December 2002 Michelle’s business was born.

     Needing to fill her lack of knowledge in marketing, Michelle went to a seminar conducted by a local chapter of SCORE, the Service Core of Retired Executives. Each participant stood one by one reciting their name, company name, and type of business. After hearing Michelle had created her own website and had it up and running for about six months, a website designer and marketer, Brian, approached her during a break. Michelle had not been far along with her online business at the time. She made a common mistake most people make thinking that once you design your site people will come rushing to it. Michelle found out quickly, “that’s just not true.” Michelle had a need to bring customers to her site. And shortly after the seminar, Brian was hired to do just that.

     At this point the business needed to grow and Michelle could no longer do it alone. If she wanted to move ahead and expand the business she knew she wouldn’t be able to sew her own handbags any longer. She began researching apparel manufactures and also spoke to a friend whose family owned a manufacturing plant in Virginia. Shortly after, she sent samples of her handbags to the plant. They were impressed with the product and agreed to manufacture it. At the same time, recognizing that she needed a more professional website, Michelle enlisted Brian, who was currently driving traffic to her site, to redesign it. And with two major decisions, not only was a business beginning to grow, but a business woman began to emerge as well.

     A few years ago, a friend of a friend of Michelle’s began a Brazilian lingerie company named Belabumbum which was started at about the same time as Lil’ Diva. Michelle had attended a party where the lingerie was sold by the owner, much like the party for Michelle’s first handbags. Curious to see the progress they were making in comparison to her own company, throughout the years Michelle would look on their website from time to time. In August 2005 Michelle was again looking at their site. “I just couldn’t get over how much press they had gotten in about a year.” Belabumbum had appeared on Good Morning America, had been in national magazines, and had a celebrity following. On their website Michelle saw the name of their publicist. She quickly emailed the owner of Belabumbum and asked about her experience with the publicist, and the owner responded saying the publicist had done tremendous things for the company and had increased their sales. Michelle then emailed the publicist detailing her background and asked if the publicist would be interested in working with another client. The publicist agreed, and in just a couple of months the sales of Lil’ Diva tripled. Michelle’s ingenuity had paid off.

     Michelle is making a name for herself. Her handbags have been featured in three magazines, two national and one local. Over twenty retail stores have placed orders to carry her handbags and she has sold them to boutiques as far away as Ireland and Australia.

     So what advice does Michelle have for someone starting their own business? “Don’t give up. There were many times I was ready to give up. You have to have patience, and you have to have faith in yourself and your abilities. When you start getting down, remember your vision and your dream and keep going for it - otherwise you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. And don’t let anyone talk you out of starting your own business, and don’t let them tell you it’s a foolish idea - because those are usually the ideas that end up being fantastic and rake in millions – like the pet rock.”

     And whatever became of the cowboy bag? Well, it’s tucked away with Michelle’s mementos as a reminder of how following your instincts can take you to your dreams.

Looking for a handbag, diaper bag, or tote? Visit Lil’ Diva’s web site at http://lildivahandbags.com.

If you’re just getting started with your business or need help growing your existing business, visit SCORE at http://www.score.org. SCORE’s online site offers help on starting, growing, managing, and financing your business. The site also offers 24/7 online counseling. SCORE is a nonprofit organization.

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