Meet the team: SarahMy name is Sarah, I joined mum2mum market in March 2016 after watching founder Cath on Dragons den. When I saw the mum2mum market franchise I knew it was just what I was looking for and would fit perfectly with my family life, I also knew it would be great for local parents in my area, I found the whole process of joining mum2mum very easy and hassle free. ''I needed to find something I could do in my spare time, when children are in school/bed.'' I am married with 3 children, Lennon 12, Lewis 11 and Katie 5, So I was keen to find work that could be done around my family life, I work as a part time bingo caller, but taking on more hours was difficult with family commitments, after school clubs, school productions and all that comes along with being a parent. I needed to find something I could do in my spare time, when children are in school/bed. It all started with an email to enquire about the franchise for my area being available, which thankfully it was, I quickly decided I wanted to go ahead and bought my franchise, I have the Corby, Kettering and Desborough area of Northamptonshire. ''It was all very exciting, the support from head office was brilliant '' My franchise pack arrived soon after which was really exciting. It included everything I needed to get started, a manual full of everything you need to know, as well as stationery and goody bags to get me started. It was all very exciting, the support from head office was brilliant with daily training videos, email updates and online support from a Facebook group full of franchisees that already run the events. Any questions I had were quickly answered by fellow mum2mum colleagues. Now I had the information it was time to get on with organising my first event! I had to find a suitable venue, advertise across town by delivering flyers, posters, sharing the event on Facebook online forums and pretty much telling everyone I met about my upcoming event. All this I was able to do around my children and part time job as a bingo caller. ''It’s such a great feeling seeing parents, grandparents and parents to be leaving loaded down with bargains.'' I have run 3 events now in my local town and each has been better than the one before, my last sale sold out with 22 stalls and over 200 buyers through the door, It’s such a great feeling seeing parents, grandparents and parents to be leaving loaded down with bargains, It makes me feel like all the work was worthwhile, And having happy sellers that have made some extra cash is great! I have had 3 returning customers, one lady has attended all 3 events and 2 others have attended 2. I have 3 from my last event book straight up for my upcoming event in October, this makes me realise I am getting it right.
Sales are only 2 hours long and very busy in the first hour, I get the hall all set up before our sellers arrive, getting the tables in place, tea, coffee and cake table set up etc. the hour my sellers are setting up goes really quickly. I use this time to show them to their tables make sure they are getting on ok and take some pictures for a final Facebook post reminding people to come along to shop. Queues start to build outside the venue up to 20mins before the start if the sale, this creates an exciting buzz in the room, we open the doors and the room fills with excited shoppers and sellers and I’m happy it’s all come together, my husband and kids come along on the day to help out and enjoy the event. I recommend to anyone looking to work from home to give mum2mum market a go, it has been a great few months for me setting up, Nerve wracking at times wondering how many people will arrive at your sale, but when the queue forms and it all runs well it feels great!! Sarah runs mum2mum market nearly new sales in Corby, Kettering and Desborough, Northamptonshire. See upcoming events in Corby, Kettering and Desborough, Northamptonshire. Mum2mum market Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire on Facebook Book a stall Find out more about a mum2mum market franchise My name is Samantha and I live in Aldershot. I am an army wife and mum of 2 boys Daniel 3 and Brayden 1. I started mum2mum market because I needed something totally flexible that I could do around not only my children but my husband as well. When working for someone else I was not always guaranteed to be able to do my work if my husband was away which if you understand the army it seems to be most of the time, then on top of that with childcare prices my wages were going mostly on that. With Mum2mum Market the main work is marketing the events, which I am able to work flexibly around my children and husband. Other marketing things I do in my local area are flyers and distributing posters. I liaise with baby/toddler groups, nurseries and pre-schools. I cover lots of online marketing due to the majority of people these days taking to social media, I keep up with the enquiries on those like Netmums and Facebook just to name a few. I had never done anything like this before but the manual and training is brilliant and there is loads of support from other franchisees and head office whenever you get stuck. Sale day is the busiest day but so much fun! I start the day loading the car with everything I need and might need – clothes rails, goody bags, paper work, tea and coffee making bits and I head to my venue to set up. I get their at least half an hour before my sellers to make sure everything is ready for them so I can help if needed. Just before opening time I have a walk round and make sure everyone if ready and that the aisles are clear. The first hour is manic so many people finding great bargains, when things start to quieten down I can have a wander round and chat to sellers and buyers and also take some photos for social media. At the end of the sale it amazes me how quickly the hall changes from bursting with so many bargains to empty tables. I knew my local area was crying out for aMum2mum market and I was right. The events have been a huge success. I am really enjoying organising my events and making so many people happy. I get a huge buzz at every event seeing so many bargains being snapped up and get lots of lovely feedback from buyers and sellers. “nice big hall, plenty of time for set up” “friendly atmosphere, local” “£100+ profit” “everything was great, people were buying and were friendly, £140+profit” “a few buyers commented they wished they had booked now seeing how busy it was!” Buyers have said- “so many bargains, great place to buy baby equipment” “my son loves his new toys, and I love the fact they didn’t cost me loads” “I will come again, lovely atmosphere and was able to sit and have a coffee before I went on the bargain hunt a second time round” My events are staeadily getting busier. I started with 80+ buyers on the day at our first event and now we are getting over 140 people after only 5 events, we have 20 sellers with 8ft tables which is great space and there are thousands of bargains at each event. Like starting any new business it takes time and effort to get started and build a business I love running my events as I get to meet so many people, shop for my own kids and making money, but the best things are sellers making money and buyers save so much – it’s a win for everyone. Thanks to all the other mum2mums for their great words of wisdom and help along the way- I have managed to build a business I am really proud of. Sam runs mum2mum market nearly new sales in Aldershot and Hook
See upcoming events in Alderhot and Hook Mum2mum market Hampshire on Facebook Book a stall Find out more about a mum2mum market franchise |
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