Before you become a Dot Dot Smile merchandiser, you need to know how much it costs to become a Dot Dot Smile merchandiser. Learn all about the equipment and materials you will need to start up your Dot Dot Smile business and see how quickly you can start. Dot Dot Smile dresses bring so much joy to little girls – it’s so much fun to sell them!
Getting started with Dot Dot Smile means you’ve made a commitment to purchase an amount of inventory (updated NOVEMBER 2019) from one of the following packages:
Girls and Boys Combo Starter Kit – $399.00
Best Value! Everything from the Boys & Girls kits plus Free Shipping! = Retail Value $1,025 – Save $626!
Boys Starter Kit – $199.99
(5) Sweatshirts + (5) Jeans + (5) T-shirts = Retail Value $535 – Save $336!
Girls Starter Kit – $199.99
(5) Ballerina Dresses + (5) Classic Cap Dresses + (5) Empire Dresses = Retail Value $510 – Save $311!
Outside of your initial inventory order, there are plenty of business supplies that are essential to running a successful business and can increase the cost to sell Dot Dot Smile. I’m going to walk you through some of these. These are, of course, suggestions… almost like a “starter pack”. You don’t HAVE to purchase racks and hangers, there are other ways to organize and store your inventory.
Let’s look at some of the supplies you will need and how much it costs to sell Dot Dot Smile!
Organizing and Storing Your Inventory
Clothing racks
One way to organize would be by style. If using clothing racks, you can hang each style, divided by size, per rack. If you plan to use bins, you can do the same and sort by style or by size. Each dress comes in it’s own zipper plastic bag, but I’ve noticed with my inventory, not all of the bags are labeled. You can easily label them yourself to make at-a-glance sorting easier.
Photo and Video Equipment
You do NOT need a fancy or expensive camera! If you have a newer smartphone, that camera will work for both video and photos. If your Dot Dot Smile space does not have the best natural lighting (photos will look much clearer and true to color when done with natural light), you can explore indoor photography lighting
A lot of merchandisers are using vinyl backdrops
Shipping Supplies for sending Dot Dot Smile purchases
You will definitely want to get both poly mailers
In addition, you may choose to dress-up your orders. Common materials that merchandisers will use are:
Tissue Paper
Ribbons
Craft twine
Stickers
Washi Tape
Another popular decision is whether or not you will include “gifts” for your customers. Of course, you want to include a business card or two, but many like to add little trinkets like ponytail holders
Marketing Materials to promote your Dot Dot Smile business
This is the fun stuff. You absolutely need business cards. You need to include these with orders (one to keep, one for a friend), to give out when someone asks about your business or sees your own daughter wearing a dress and compliments, to leave on bulletin boards, to send in with a friend or family member to their work, etc. You can purchase digital designs that are personalized from places like Etsy or design them yourself using PicMonkey (my personal favorite!) or Canva, or right in a place like Vistaprint.
Additionally, you can decide whether or not to include a “care card” – how to wash Dot Dot Smile – with each order. You may also decide to do gift certificates, reward cards, flyers for bulletin boards, signs/banners (for vendor events), car magnets, etc. Depending on your budget, you can make that decision and add to your materials as your business grows.
Speaking of vendor shows, you may want to purchase a folding table
Because this is YOUR business, you can purchase and start with as much or as little as you want. There is no right or wrong, so consider your budget and purchase accordingly. As your business grows, you can certainly purchase additional items as they make sense.
(photo credit to my wonderful friend and upline, Kristen Chumley! Click the photo to go to her DDS group!)
How much does it cost to sell Dot Dot Smile?
Depending on what you purchase, you may be able to get the very basics for around $150 and keep the cost to sell Dot Dot Smile on the lower end. I would base your supplies budget on how much inventory you purchase. If you go with $425 in inventory, you may spend just as much on the above items to get started. You also need to research whether or not you need a business or vendors license, which is either free or has a fee. Don’t forget to consult with a tax professional as to what purchases are potential business expenses/deductions and keep ALL of your receipts! It’s really up to you how much you spend and how quickly you build up your supplies. The cost to sell Dot Dot Smile can be as low or as high as you make it.
Tip: Create an Amazon Wishlist just for your Dot Dot Smile supplies. This way, you can monitor any changes in pricing and save a few dollars if the price drops! If you join my team, I’ll help you find ways to save on the cost to sell Dot Dot Smile!
Another tip: Get Quickbooks Self-Employed (that link gives you a discount!). Get it set up now so you can start tracking and organizing all of your purchases for your business. Be sure to speak with a tax professional, but it’s an easy thing to set up and maintain!
If you are interested and ready to join, be sure to let me know through the email button at the very top right or by joining my Facebook group and dropping a note! I would love to have you on my “team” and to help you get started with your new business!
Ready to go ahead and enroll as a merchandiser and make your initial inventory purchase? Use referring merchandiser ID 814626 to join Team Hustle + Style!
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