THE FIX - Lifestyles presents Stylish Printable Planners (VIDEO)

Inward Core -THE FIX - Lifestyles presents

 Please watch video and then read interview below. If you can't see video below please click HERE!

Nancialpc: What's The Name of Your Business?
Charmaine Tan: Stylish Printable Planners. On ETSY, our shop is called stylishprintableplan - simply cos' there wasn't enough space and got truncated!

Nancialpc: What's the purpose for your business?
Charmaine Tan: To create stylish, visually enticing digital planners at a great value for customers. We know it's hard at times to keep track of what we wish to accomplish, and I found that writing in my own hand on paper helps me get a lot more done! There is something magical about penning on paper - it enforces action. So simple but it works! Writing on plain paper works, but is not exactly motivating, so we created our planners to be modern with dashes of color to help our customersvisually motivated to continue to use it and keep them day-in and day-out. Wekept them digital simply because it allows us to keep costs reasonable for our customers, allows customers to immediately download and use, and also environmentally friendly without all that shipping. You use only what you need and you can reprint them for as many times as you need!

Nancialpc: How long have you been in business?
Charmaine Tan: Since 2013. I became more active in the past 6 months.

Nancialpc: Why did you decide to start this business?
Charmaine Tan: It started when I decided to create a travel planner to help me with the not-so-fun part of packing, and I found it incredibly useful that I listed it on ETSY for sale! Customers starting buying the planner, and I started spending more time on the shop! I slowly created other planners upon customers' request and also for personal use. ;)

Nancialpc: What fears did you have to face before starting this business?
Charmaine Tan: My business has little overheads since I create the planners from home, and the one thing that I have to spend on is the huge amount of time I put into creating the planners (it's more work than it seems!). The shop is not intended to replace a pay check, so I just use it as an outlet for my creativity. One of the fears was wondering if people would like and actually buy my planners!

Nancialpc: How has your business impacted your life?
Charmaine Tan: Financially very little. However, what the shop gives me in return is much satisfaction and joy! It allows me to create, reach out to people all over the world, and the best part is the thrill and joy is when someone likes your product to buy it from you! oh yes, and the reviews from satisfied and happy customers!

Nancialpc: What will you tell others who desire to start a business, but afraid?
Charmaine Tan: A business is actually a lot more work than most people think - it's not just simply the preparation that goes into 'opening my store' - that's just the beginning! There is a lot more work behind the scenes, no regular pay check and can be pretty lonely at times. Initial stages you have to spend a lot of time creating awareness when you first start out (who are your customers, what are their needs, how to reach them, how to engage them and how to provide them with something with value in exchange for their dollars), at the same time keeping your operations going, and then of course growth later on. I used to run an online brownie shop with a rented kitchen due to local regulations. While I love baking, it was different running it as a business. There were lots of overheads - set up costs including equipment, recurring costs like rental, ingredients, electricity and water, not to mention the physical strain of baking....and while it received local recognition twice as the top 100 desserts in local magazines, it was hard to sustain, eventually I closed it as I was just too darn mentally and physically tired! If you can, ask people you know who are in the industry you are interested in - to have a clearer picture of what is really involved and then decide if that is something you do want to go into. Everyone has a different risk tolerance, and if have a low risk tolerance and your business model allows, you can start small to test the waters, and see if it takes off! Of course, there are a great many who took big risks and did superbly well too! Most importantly you have to decide what works for you, as you are the one in it for better or worse! Assess your situation, do your homework and If there is nothing truly holding you back, why not give it a shot? Running a business while stressful (sales, cash flow, managing the business) is also very satisfying (learning about customers, marketing, creating a quality product, having great feedback from your customers). oh, and it's a myth that you have more time for yourself - in fact, you will probably have way less time as you will be investing in your business and customers instead of reporting to a boss - cos you are the boss! I love my current shop as it allows me to express my creativity and reach out to customers all over the world! And also because it is not intended to replace a paycheck, I enjoy the process more as I'm not so stressed all the time!

Nancialpc: What are your future goals in the next 5 years for your business?
Charmaine Tan: I will take it as it comes. For me, things unfold for the better when I take things easy and relax! Of course, i would love for the business to grow and expand, but right now, I am happy where I am.

Nancialpc: How could anyone contact you if they wanted to sell your products or buy your products!!
Charmaine Tan: You can find us at www.stylishprintableplanners.com!
Our website provides a easier layout for customers to browse the planners, and the shop is hosted on ETSY (where you can buy and download our planners).    

Website: http://www.stylishprintableplanners.com

Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/stylishprintableplanners 

CONTEST

You can win a planner of your choice!  Just subscribe to our newsletter on our website or like us on Facebook.  Then simply comment on this blog post on the planner you would love to receive and why!  We will draw 3 winners who subscribed to our newsletter or liked our Facebook!  The planner you mention below in the comments will be emailed to you!