Hear my stories as I venture into the world of entrepreneurship and the struggles we faced together
Week 16&17 : 1st February 2022 - 14th February 2022
During these 2 weeks, we are assigned with the task of taking the photoshoot. Initially we thought that we could self-source the equipments and conduct the photoshoot ourselves but we realised much later on that some of the photos cannot be used as they are too blurry. We should have hired a proffesional photgrapher to manage this instead. The next tasking I had was to oversee the tiktok platform and the suitable ideas that can be used to increase our reach. I was also assigned with the task of collecting and distributing the flyers within the allocated halls to reach out to more NTU students. I do hope that our sales can reach at least 1/2 or even 3/4 of of our inventory.
Week 14&15 : 16th January 2022 - 31st January 2022
For this week's assigment , I was tasked with sourcing for packaging options. It was initially a challenge for me had to liase with many companies, both within SG and externally. I started by gathering all the contacts for the local suppliers and giving each of them a call to inform them of our requirements. In short, after contacting roughly 10 companies, I found that there were no companies that was able to cater to our needs at an affordable cost. Thus I had to contact suppliers within China to seek for better options. Unfortuantely, as many of the main companies will be closed from 20th January onwards till the 1st week of February, we had little options left. The only viable option we had was to purchase a ready-made packaging and paste a sticker to show our brand image. Therefore after a zoom call as a group, we decided to purchase a ready-made design from shopee. Fortunately, it offered one of the cheapest packaging option and it was delivered within the same week.
One of our biggest concern is now solved!! Collectively, within the cool packaging, we will be providing the menstrual cups, an enamel pin designed with some personalised words and a thank you note all wrapped within the packaging wrapping strips.
Next, I will be sourcing for possible vendors to rent professional photographic equipments such as the lights, diffuser and more. Currently, I am able to borrow a camera set from my brother and will be looking for the other equipments .
In addition to that, I was able to book a slot with my sis-in- law, who has been working as a marketing manager at Sephora, to advise us as a group on how we should proceed to maximise our reach, given our current limitations. Her advice would greatly benefit us as it would give us another persepctive to where we should focus our efforts.
Week 12&13 : 1st January 2022 - 15th January 2022
As the year comes to an end and 2022 approaches, we enter the business implementation phase. This is where the executions comes into play. I was assigned the task of creating content for the newsletter and I have created at least 2 newsletter for the email subscription. As I generated the content for the newsletter , I learned many new facts about menstruation in general and how a menstrual cup is general is more superior than other menstrual products but due to comfort and inexperience, it is less likely adopted by women in general. Therefore, it is crucial to educate the general audience on the benefits and how it should be adopted as an alternative. After generating the newsletter, I realized that the content might have been too much and that it should have been more easily digestible by the audience. Instead these information will be presented in the blog posted on the website.
Week 10&11 : 17th December– 31th December 2021
After the model photoshoot was taken, the next agenda I had to complete was to do research on digital marketing specifically tools that may assist in outreach through Instagram. I started by creating a dedicated Dawn Cups Facebook account and then did some research on the FB analytics tool. Amongst the ones readily available are Facebook Insights and Facebook business manager. FB business manager was rather complex to grasp at first but over a period of time, it became more intuitive. While there are many key takeaways that can be shared, the most important is that the ads posted can be scheduled much earlier and through the FB business manager platform and that the ads can be targeted towards mass audience or niche group to achieve the desired outreach. Also since Instagram is owned by Facebook, the integration between the two platforms is seamless. Since our target audience is catered for ages between 14, the onset of puberty for most ladies and 25, Instagram and Tiktok will be an appropriate platform. However, these two platform requires different kinds of campaigning. Tiktok functions in a way that allows ease of platform growth through organic content while Instagram requires targeted advertisement to reach the audience.
https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-business-manager-guide/
Week 8&9 : 2nd December– 16th December 2021
Finally exam period has ended and we can finally expand more time and effort in this venture. After meeting the group, we were each assigned different task to complete and we had to meet on 12th December to further discuss on our business ventures. I was assigned as the main person responsible for the content development of the media social platforms. Instagram and Tiktok has been decided as our main platform for disseminating information. I had to spend numerous hours to generate suitable content such as common myths that has to be debunked, misconceptions people have on menstrual cup and even extend my topics to menstruation as a whole. I had to cross-refer to IG posts by other similar creators on their content to ensure that there are some common grounds covered.
https://www.weare325.com/tiktok-vs-instagram/
Week 6&7 : 1st November – 15th November 2021
As the group decides to searching for sample and giving quotations, I was tasked to search for suitable pouches to store the menstrual cup. I took some time to search through Alibaba for suitable manufacturers to liaise with and unfortunately, many turned down the request as they had much higher MOQ and could not fit within our scope. After browsing more more than 15 companies, alas there was a company that was able to cater to our needs. Asides from that, it offers the cheapest cost and the shortest lead-time. I was thoroughly happy that we could settle for one drawstring pouch. The supplier requested for our intended logo and provided us with a sample of how the bag would look overall. The final cost was within our budget and we decide to keep this supplier in mind before finalising on our purchase.
Week 4&5: 17th October – 30th October 2021
As exam periods approaches and submission begins to pile up, the amount of time I could invest in starts to decrease. I was tasked with searching for viable sponsors that could contribute to our finances. Even though there were many grants available for entrepreneurs, since our business model is neither technology-based nor unique, it is difficult to source for one that can accommodate to our requirements. However, I managed to chance upon an interesting platform known as Fundnel and is willing to fund us if they access our business idea interesting and profitable.
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/woman-climbing-stairs-to-success-career-path-businessman-wallpaper-aafyf
Week 3: 10th October – 16th October 2021
As the business report on top of another presentation was looming in mind, there were many segments we had to complete. I was tasked with the responsibility of doing the market analysis. In a way this was good for me as I had figured that if I could convince myself, I could convince the group on the marketability of the venture. The market analysis includes the segments within the country, porter’s 5 forces and the present competitors. Another major aspect that I had to address was the possible risk involved in this venture.
As a whole, this was a rushing week as I had several school assignments alongside quizzes, and I had to work till wee hours in the morning to complete the assignments. However, I was truly satisfied that our group had a good communication and was able to push through despite the hurdle. After the presentation, I personally directed multiple questions to Roderick. The points discussed includes requesting a small number of samples from our suppliers, planning sessions to engage with the community and plan promotional packages on significant days for women such as Nurse’s Day, Women’s Day and even Mother’s Day.
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/thinking-kid-with-lightbulb-and-question-marks-brainstorming-and-idea-concept-gm1158609974-316551439
We had a rough start trying to form the team. There were many interpersonal issues we had to resolve before coming together as a group. After much deliberation, we finally decided as a team to meet and discuss on several feasible ideas that we could explored. The agenda was to set some ground rules and to finalize the product that we would like to explore. While there were several ideas shared amongst us, the idea of menstrual cup was the most unique and the idea that was accepted by Roderick. However, I still had several reservations as I was afraid that we might have underestimated the challenges that we may experience. Some of the questions that struck my mind was how would we be able to stand out amongst our many competitors and how can we thrive. Issues such as time availability, commitment and many more also plagued my mind.
After many rounds of sharing and discussions, we decided to unanimously venture into feminine hygiene product as we foresee a market potential. One question was still casted in my mind: What is our unique selling point and how do we convince customers that out product is unique enough to garner sales and profitability.
https://www.dreamstime.com/athlete-track-running-nice-scenic-sport-image123548621