On the 13th February, Hooray Workshops (baby sister of Hooray Weddings) hosted a workshop at IFS Coffee Culture called ‘Let’s Talk Shop’.
Our presenter for this workshop was Hannah, a British Mum who relocated to South African after finding and marrying the love of her life. Inspired by British country cottages and old farmhouses, she opened The Ruby Orchard in 2013 at Yard 41 in Howick. Her store sells a carefully selected range of décor and gift items including ceramics, furniture, frames and mirrors, handbags and diaries. (Click HERE to see what’s on offer in her store)
Time just flew by during this interactive workshop thanks to Hannah’s hands on approach. She encouraged discussion and interaction by showing us samples and explaining why she, as a shop owner, chose to stock these products in her store and why she believes they sell. It’s like you could see the light bulbs flickering, as attendees had their individual ‘ah-ha’ moments. Pencils furiously scribbled down ideas and heads nodded – a sure sign that they were hanging onto her every word.
The topics Hannah discussed included:
- Getting your products shop ready
- Product appraisal / the finishing touches and packaging
- Selecting the right shops
- Approaching shop owners/ How to pitch to owners
- Pricing products for wholesale
- Catalogues, order forms and invoices / how payment works
- Terms of ordering & Minimum order quantities
- Returns and damages policy
- Consignment – pros and cons
- What is exclusivity, why should you / should not offer it to stores.
- What to do when you get an order – the personal touches
- Building great relationships with shops / making shops work for you
Thank you to all the wonderful companies who contributed to our goodie bag: Hooray Weddings, The Umhlanga Magazine, Millamae, Lara Waldburger and Moon and Back CT.
Thank you also to Mi-Treat for the coffees and delicious food. We were spoilt with yummy sugary treats on arrival. I may or may not have had 3 custard tarts. 
IFS Coffee Culture, your space with the velvet covered seating and beautiful plants created an inspiring atmosphere from which to work and we can’t thank you enough for offering us your coffee shop for the day.
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Would you like to see more of what we have been up to? Click on the links below:
Business Schmizness 2016 – Con Amore, Durban
Bad Ass Bosses 2016 – Talloula, Botha’s Hill
Business Schmizness 2017 – The Book Boutique, Toti
Social Media 2017 – The Distillery 031, Durban
Bad Ass Bosses 2017 – Crystal Barn, Midlands