Groups should be aware.. You must sell more than Beads !

 by Earl Benton ( Photo's courtesy of Toomey's Beads)

Mardi Gras clubs, krewes, and when they get going on it, main line groups, should soon be able to do business online when their websites come up later on this year. Those websites are quite capable of producing substantial income when done properly.

     Unfortunately, a lot of krewes that are already online either don't have a clue that a website store could tremendously impact their bottom line or just don't care! I'm betting they don't have a clue! 

 I watched several businesses, that sell Mardi Gras beads, dolls, plush toys, cleaned out nuts and other novelty items,  go from an average of about $2940/mo to about $12,690.00/mo,  just before I was forced by the season's duties, to quit monitoring the books. I see no reason why any krewe can't do the same with a little know how. Several krewes now sit idol with their sites while they go hungry for the funds they can generate.

Doing Business Online can be a daunting task if you're not aware of the pitfalls that await you in the operation.

Clubs that are small can not afford mistakes on projects such as these. For you the best thing is to hire a consultant  that can get you up and Online, quick, fast and in a hurry,  so you will see very little in loss downtown or spending errors for things you don't need.  The upside to this is you can begin to see a profit from the online store almost immediately and this alone can be somewhat of a booster to the club's status and ego.  

Groups who want to let business trade online,  help the organization, pay for better Floats and costumes, while keeping dues low, should be aware that this will not occur over night. After all you're in the business side of this now, trying to bring back what was taken from the clubs by default. "What was the default", you ask? 

Krewes, clubs, and others could have been online sooner had they taken the time to fully explore the prospect of internet commerce. Most also, didn't like the idea of even having a website or letting go of the secrecy that has, yes I'll say it, plagued and held back the clubs from realizing the full potential of what they have.

Krewes have spent years, if not decades, building a reputation in the community for parading and aiding the least amongst us in our areas. They're good will is legendary in the New Orleans, La., Mobile, AL., and Tampa's Gasparilla Festival Pirates clubs in Florida.

Now it's time to cash in some of that good will and turn it into cash to help these ailing clubs stay afloat and in some cases, thrive like they never have before. 

But first we must know what we need to carry in the store to make it work for the club. Here's a hint though, it's not beads!!!!!

 It's Plush dolls, lighters, Mugs and other branded items that carry your clubs logo and name. Let's be careful here, though, this is your reputation on the line here as well, so you want quality items not junk. Cheap is not the name of the game here boys and girls! Good quality products and items are the key to long term success here, because trying to rush this will backfire!!!!!

  Well, we have a tip for the store. Special Clothes & Gear are the best sellers when it comes to krewe items or gear, not just beads. The real profit is in wearable apparel, including tennis shoes, socks and gloves.

  The jackets of course are the powerhouse stars when it comes to this area. You can add other dimensions to the list as well because there will be those who will want their names embroidered on with patches or other decorative logos and graphics.        

Keep in mind, that the gear will cost the club more than the simple stuff, to keep in stock, so the best method is to order one with all the bells and whistles and display that one and take orders. That way you'll never have unusable gear at the shop other than the display items.

Another good item to carry are the personal items of membership to the club, the rings, license plates, special pendants symbols or logos, lapel pins and any other special membership items that can only be carried by you. A note here, the more secretive and hard to obtain items are, the more valuable they will remain for years. So guard them, issue them with registered numbers, use them only in special ceremonies. 

One more items that really makes the money is T-Shirts! I don't mean just buy canned pitched T-Shirts and resell them, No.  I mean learn how to make your own shirts so that you are free to experiment or capitalize off an event or special holiday! Don't forget to do instant Cell phones and other electronics with your logo on them.  

The items you carry will take time to circulate throughout the city and depending on the marketing job your club does as a whole,  they may make it to "must have" status if your organization is something people want to imitate.

Well that's something most of you can think about while getting the payment system in place and arranging the setup of you display and store layout.

Best of Luck!