Stories by Bimbola Oyesola

Bag production business is a mega money making, and highly rewarding enterprise.  It allows you explore and unleash your creativity while meeting the high demand for them. There are various kinds of bags like school bags, lunch bags, travell bags, diaper bags, conference bags, bible cover, ladies hand bags, brief cases, cosmetics bags and so on.

However, one of the things that would not go out of season is conference bags. As long as professional groups, government agencies, corporate organisations, trade unions hold events, then conference bags have come to stay. Out of the many promotional items available to promote business, conference bags provide certain advantages which make companies and organisations spend time and money on it.

Why they are preferred choice of decision makers?

They are neither the cheapest of options nor the most usable things on earth. Then what makes it ideal for promotional campaigns. The answer lies in the fact that promotional conference bags target a particular group of customers who are mostly professionals and these bags are perfect for them. These conference bags are useful to them. Since this is so, therefore these bags are perfect for companies which cater to niche markets.

An entrepreneur who specialises in the production of conference bags can target selected group, which can be businessmen, doctors, trade unions or other professionals who often organise events and exhibitions. Other people probably would not find any use for such bags and therefore would not value it. Thus by targeting a particular type of customers who use and can use your products, you will be able to go far in the business. Conference bags are highly effective as people often use them beyond the conferences. So whether it’s a meeting, conference, event, exhibition or product launch, conference bag is highly invaluable. The beauty of the item is that, it can be produced to suit clients’ purse. Conference bags can be manufactured in leather, polyester or nylon, all of which can be personalised to your customer specific requirements. Conference Bags are an ideal conference or event gift and are very useful, cost effective and are available in a wide range of materials/colours, which give a high perceived value to your clients.  

You can therefore start your conference bags company as a wholesaler or retailer. As a wholesaler, you could take up the production on behalf of a retailer who will further sell to the others.

You could market your products via the Internet or through catalogue as a retailer.

Below are those unique points you need to get ahead in this line of business:

Be confident

Start up your business in a way that will work for you. Decide what you want out of the business and create both long- and short-term goals so you keep the business going in the direction you want it to go, whether that is growing into a larger enterprise or simply earning you extra money from home.

Creativity

Create designs that are uniquely yours. Do not use someone else’s pattern for conference bags. Though conference bags really do not need much design, but creativity may set you apart from the crowd. You can be creative and has a specific style that you will feel comfortable talking about and selling. Presently most of the conference bag used in the country are imported, but an entrepreneur may make more if he can go into local production as we have seen in some fashion industry. Besides local raw materials like textile can be used to produce a customised conference bags.

Small beginning

You can actually start small, most especially if you want to be innovative. Create a small initial stock of your conference bags and show them around. You don’t want to make too many as early customer feedback may lead you to make changes to your design. Make enough so you can test the market through such events as an arts and crafts show or through postings online, auction site for handmade items.

Artistry

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Take good, professional photos of your conference bags. You will need photos for every design if you plan to sell online. If you plan to sell through consignment stores and arts and crafts shows, you’ll need three to five photos that show your best work.

Register with Corporate Affairs Commission

Register your business with the Corporate Affairs Commission and obtain all the necessary paperwork for running a business in your state. This might include filing “doing business as” paperwork, sales tax licenses.

Price your items 

This is a crucial and tricky step. Make sure that you cover all your direct and indirect costs as well as figure in compensation for your labour and a profit. However, you also don’t want to be priced out of the range of your competition or higher than what the market will bear. Research your customers by attending shows, like trade fairs, exhibitions, that you plan to sell at, visiting boutiques, malls and looking online. Find conference bags that are comparable to the ones you are making and take notes about their prices.

Marketing

Prepare marketing material. Your marketing material will include compelling and accurate descriptions of your conference bags and possibly business cards to include with your bags when you ship them or deliver them to your customers.

Place classified ads in various retail and wholesale trade magazines. Place classified ads in various professionals magazines. Run these ads continuously as long as you are pulling in customers from them. Send a sales letter, brochure, price list and order form when people write for more information. Include your website in your classified ads.

Payment

Establish payment methods you will accept. If you are selling online, set up a merchant account with PayPal or other online payment merchants. If you are going to take credit cards, set up a merchant account with a credit card provider. Research vendors near you and set up an interview to find a merchant who will accommodate small-volume sales or who has worked with handicrafters in the past. Consider getting recommendations from other vendors.

Sell your conference bags 

There are several options for doing this. You can sell your conference bags via consignment at boutiques, hospital gift shops or local stores. You can post all of your conference bags online in your own online store or through such online auction sites as konga, jiji or the others. You can also apply to attend arts and crafts, trade fairs and other shows and sell your products or get clients who will buy from you later.

Website

Create a website for you bags company, or hire a web designer to create one for you. Take pictures of samples of some of your products and post the pictures on your website along with product descriptions. Use either wholesale or retail prices on your website, depending on whether you are targeting retailers or consumers.

Essentials

Maintain a database of all retail, wholesale or consumer customers, depending on your target market. Send sales letters and brochures to customers every month or two for more potential orders. Offer discounts or special deals on new products.