Nicole is the founder of Polished Pearl, a luxury lifestyle brand whose profits go to the needs of vulnerable children. Their products are made in two different countries where they are trying to fight trafficking through employment. This style of business is considered a freedom business: a company whose number one goal is to use its profits to employ more people. They recently started selling their products in Dillard's stores. If you are a freedom business looking to expand into the large retail market, consider the following pointers:
Know the Market
If you want to have your products in a large retail store, you must understand your target market as well as their target market.
Product Requirements
Make sure you are ready to produce a competitive product at the quality and quantity that they need. You also must make sure that you can get your wholesale price low enough for them to buy in large quantities.
Be Aware of Additional Costs
In order to produce for a large retailer, there will be extra costs for your business such as warehousing, displays and logistical needs.
Do Not Over Promise
Admit that you are new to this process and that you'll need some help along the way. But do your best to research and be as prepared as possible. Be sure to have a firm grasp on the terminology that will be used during your conversations with retailers.
She once threatened a trafficker trying to gain information about the women inside her shelter. Monica charged, "I know where I am going when I die; hell is going to eat you alive." Yes. That happened.
Watching the six-year-old walk in my heart rose in my chest, and I felt a sickening feeling in my stomach. I looked at the trafficker, his eyes had narrowed with a glint of cruelty in them; he was all business now.
Barbara Amaya is a human trafficking survivor who became an anti-trafficking advocate. Watch her Tedx talk to learn how she survived abuse to become a leader in the fight against modern day enslavement.
December is Universal Month for Human Rights. Appropriately enough this month contains International Human Rights Day (Dec. 10th). Honor this time of year by reading and sharing the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created over 70 years ago this month.