Charlotte Erickson
Mechanical Engineering Major at Northwestern University
Evanston, IL/Chanhassen, MN | (320) 493 - 6944 | charlotteerickson2027@u.northwestern.edu |
Art Shows Startup
December 2018 - November 2022
Objectives:
Over the course of four years, I built a small startup which centered around designing, developing, and marketing handmade products to sell at art shows. Over the course of four years, I participated in five shows, selling an altering variety of projects. Every year, my profits increased, and in 2021 I officially registered as a small business and paid business taxes.
Phase 1: Research
Since the art shows I participated in occurred in the winter before Christmas, I considered each year to be a separate season. At the beginning of the year, I worked to develop a new line of products based on the results of the year before. This involved assessing products sold, price points, foot traffic, customer demographic on, and many other factors.
Phase 3: Sales and Marketing
Phase 2: Product Development
After I made the initial decisions regarding product types and quantities, the manufacturing process began. This development phase lasted most of the year preceding winter, and ramped up in the month before the show. The process itself required immense levels of adaptability and flexibility, since unforeseen complications in the manufacturing process (ie. items taking longer than expected to make, less enthusiasm than expected from potential customers, etc.) could result in the need to go back to the research phase and reassess.
On the day of the show, the focus shifts from behind the scenes work to interacting with my customer base. This requires a very different skillset than the designing and manufacturing of products; it was a great opportunity to learn more about presentation, marketing, packaging, sales, and general customer interaction. During this time, I would also begin gathering information for the consecutive year's research phase by keeping lists of products sold, making notes of customer interactions and comments about pricing, etc..
Outcomes
The experience of starting a small business was not only extremely educational, but also a very rewarding process which I thoroughly enjoyed. I gained extensive, hands-on experience with product design, manufacturing, and marketing, as well as the logistic experience of business management and budgeting. Due to my determination, organization, and creative skills, I made my business endeavor succeed and increased my profits every consecutive year that I participated in shows.
