Five things I wish I knew before my first pop up

Let’s go back in time to March 27, 2021 my first ever pop-up market for Abbicreates at Don me now boutique in Downtown Tampa. It was such an eye-opening experience and after meeting everyone there I was motivated to keep creating! Obviously your first pop will be scary and you really won’t know what to expect! So here are five things I wish I knew, or at least I wish I told myself before my very first pop up 

Feel free to keep reading, or listen to via my youtube video! 

ps. This blog post contains affiliate amazon links. This means if you click on my link and choose to purchase anything i have suggested, I will receive a small commission from Amazon. Little things like this help support and grow my small business, help fund my coffee addiction and helps to put a HUGE smile on my face. I truly appreciate it! 

1. Research the location of where your pop-up is going to be. 

Although I did search on Google Maps I didn’t have an actual view of what the location look like or  where I was going to be set up. 

I didn’t account for the fact that most of my products were paper products and the wind would blow them around all over the place

It’s also important to check the weather if you’re going to be outside make sure that you’re going to be in a shaded area or bring a tent if you need one!

PINK 10x10 outdoor TENT https://amzn.to/3ztq66v 

This is the tent that I use for my outdoor pop-ups now , a perfectly hot pink tent to match my hot pink tablecloth! 

2. Keep your inventory low 

 Of course at your first pop up you think you’re going to have a huge rush of customers and everything will immediately sell out. It’s not going to happen! 

That was definitely not the case for me, however I did have a ton of Instagram followers come and see me at the pop-up specifically, which was nice.

I over packed and hauled an unnecessary amount of products with me when I could’ve kept it simple and reduce the clutter on my table.  Which would have made it far more aesthetically pleasing! 

3. Don’t bring a pricing sheet ! 

A little trick I’ve learned throughout the year of doing pop-ups is to not have a pricing sheet. 

The reason for this, is it allows you to adjust pricing per event and run sales when you have  inventory you want to get rid of! 

Customer interaction is extremely beneficial and I found that by allowing the customer to ask you questions such as “how much does the  item cost” is a great way to start networking with them.

 Plus It’s a waste of money constantly printing out a new pricing sheet for every pop-up change! 

4. Don’t be nervous 

I was very nervous about my first pop up because I felt like I lacked confidence in myself , my art work and the potential of my business. 

At the time all I knew was that I had fun illustrations but I wasn’t sure how to scale my business or market my business.

So during my first pop up I felt almost like I had imposter syndrome.

That hindered my ability to put myself out there and capture valuable content during that event. I also didn’t speak to as many people as I wanted to 

5. Bring a dolly for load in and load out! 

Again I did not know what to expect so I hauled everything in several boxes.

 I even bought my mom and my daughter with me because I thought I would need extra hands. (Which was a huge mistake by the way because my daughter was sick of sitting there after about 45 minutes)

After that pop-up, I purchased a dolly from Amazon and it is been a lifesaver. I can now load in and load out very easily by myself. 

Folding Dolly https://amzn.to/3IZhOGF

So there you have it, five things I wish I knew before my first pop up . 

If you also run an online business and you’re getting ready to do your very first pop up, trust me it is not as scary as you think!

Hopefully these tips will help you get prepared and to feel a little bit more comfortable putting your business out there!

Thanks for reading! 

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