The Frugal Tycoon's Money-Saving Tips

Marketing and promotional materials are an essential part of building a small business and getting your name and product out there.  The costs of these materials can be prohibitive to a budding tycoon, though.  Through research and happy accident, I've found a few ways to save money on these promotional materials. 

1.  Make mini cards.  Buy pretty blank cards from the dollar store, and cut them into 1-inch strips.  Using a nice marker, write a personal note to the buyer on these and slip them into the package before shipping.

2.  Make your own promotional literature.  If you don't have Microsoft Publisher, consider investing in it.  I've used it to design my own business cards, flyers, craft booth signs, and e-invites for beading parties.  I printed my own colour flyers, on my ink-jet printer, on normal office paper.  After looking into the price of printing 50 colour flyers at a print shop, I figured that it was cheaper to buy a new colour cartridge just for this purpose.  I got 50 copies, and there was still lots of ink left.  Of course, this is economical only if your printer's cartridges aren't atrociously expensive (mine, thankfully, aren't.)  The flyers look great, and the whole thing cost about $30.00. If you don't want to buy Microsoft Publisher, you can download a trial version that lasts for about a month. 

Diversify!

It's been a month now since I opened my Etsy shop, and I've had no sales as of yet. I read on the Etsy community blog The Storque that the average time before the first sale is one month, so I won't take it personally yet. In the meantime, there are other things I'm doing besides my Facebook page and this blog to promote my shop. I made a business card on Publisher. Now that's a program that takes some time to master. If there was ever a reason to buy a Dummies book, that program is it. But I managed to figure it out, and the business card turned out really nice. I got 500 made, and I'm handing them out to anyone who comes near enough. Since I'm a teacher, I work with mostly women and have access to many moms, so I've been able to give away tons of cards. My business card also has info about the beading parties I do. I had my first booking recently, for a Girls' Night Out beading party with a bunch of women. I charge $30 per guest, and the guests can make either a necklace or a bracelet and earrings. That includes your choice of beads, gemstones, spacers, findings, use of tools, and instruction. The hostess for this party is providing the munchies and drink. If this were a regular booking, I would offer her a choice of some of my inventory, or maybe something custom made for her. I wonder what percentage I should offer? I would appreciate feedback on this, and any advice or hints anyone can offer on this topic.