How did you finance your business?
I pretty much wiped out our entire savings account to order the FKPs. But I couldn’t afford to have items on backorder, because I wanted to have the credibility necessary for repeat orders.
How much inventory did you order…and where did you store it?
I initially ordered 300,000 units. I know that was a huge risk, but I knew I could do this.
I was fortunate to find a 50-year-old building surrounded by barbed wire that was already paid for. The landlord said he liked my spirit, and gave me a low-cost lease on a month-to-month basis. I was on my way.
What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally?
I hired my nanny, Alicia, to be a shipper—she had worked with Alex since he was a baby. She told me that she didn’t know what to do as a shipper, and I told her that I didn’t know what to do as a President, so we would learn together!
I hired a part time bookkeeper, Liz, for 15-20 hours a week, who ended up becoming my full time office manager and controller. I had Mandy, a friend, answer the phone, and Mandy’s sister, Christie, help out with product development. Steve was in charge of getting the product, and I was in charge of everything else.
I am grateful beyond words for the success that has been reaped with Finders Key Purse ®, but more importantly for everyone around me… especially a staff who always cheers me on and that has been instrumental in making Alexx, Inc. a viable company. An idea is just that, an idea. It is the teamwork of my staff and my reps that have made the company what it is today, and I will be eternally thankful to all of them.
Through what markets are you selling?
We only sell wholesale. Our reps are allowed to sell on the Internet, retail, and/or wholesale. By giving them lots of choices, we give ourselves that much more opportunity to make sales.
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