Online Store for Dummies

Over the past few months I had been thinking of selling stuffs online and in all fairness it was quite hard. I actually thought of just getting a product to sell and sell it online. Finally, an opportunity arrived and so I started to sell it online and I have to be honest I was amazed and dazzled as it needs a lot of work and effort. It is actually like setting up an actual store.

During the course of doing it online, a friend and colleague Fatima, told me that I should follow online re-sellers as well to learn their habits and tricks on how they do their advertisement and all those stuffs and so I did.

I followed at Instagram I was again dazzled by the number of followers she got. I took her number and add her in WECHAT.

To start your online business you must be geared with the technology that should come along with it. Just like having a physical store.

1. Social Media - Since you are doing your store online then at least you should have a medium where you could be contacted and of course a place where buyers could see your products. I would suggest you should have the following:

• Facebook Page - This is a perfect avenue for you to post your photos with description. It is also a place where you could give description of your product with unlimited characters. Also, please take note that aside from giving a full description of your product you must also take note to provide instruction as to how your buyers could pay you and how it gets delivered to them including the price of shipping fee.
• Instagram - It is really useful to gain followers and a perfect place for you to advertise your product and of course to interact with other fellow store owners and of course your buyers. Instagram or IG gives you an opportunity to flaunt your product with a brief description on it.
• WECHAT, VIBER, KAKAOTALK, WHATSAPP - a perfect and cheaper way to communicate to your buyers and it is advisable that you are always reachable through this.

2. Gadget - you should at least have a mobile which is data capable. If not at least a tablet that has internet capability. Having such gadget will help you sell whenever wherever.

3. Courier - Of course when you do online you should also have your own courier to deliver your own products. There are tons of courier out there and all you need to do is research on their reputation. Search the web for reviews, check on other re-sellers as to who they are using as their courier in this way you are sure your products are delivered on time and safely.

With my conversation with Isa over WECHAT, she generously gave some tips and tricks which I will be sharing it with you as well. (Isa can be followed in Instagram: @onlineshopaholic  or through her facebook page: Yana's Shrimp Paste Her business name Yana is the name of her lovely daughter. Go check it out and have the most delicious dip for your favorite dish)

1. Focus on a Product - Isa said it is always best that you focus on a product that you have plenty off. She means you'll need to have a product that will define you on the worldwide web. It is ok she said that you'll have plenty of products that comes along with your focus product but what is important is you have a single product that will distinguish you amongst other online businessmen/woman. She herself is labeled as the Bagoong Queen of Instagram. She is well known and well loved by the bagoong she makes and sells in IG. (Writing this makes me think of green manggo with her delicious bagoong makes my mouth watery.) One good thing is she dominates the IG World.

2. Customer Service - She said no matter what you sell always make it a point to have an above and beyond customer service and experience. (Remember that no matter how good and how flambouyant your product is, it will never sell if you have a bad reputation on customer service. Customer should always be the heart of everything. Give them what they deserve because they are spending on what you sell. Success will always come next when you a wonderful customer service and your customer will be your best advertiser.)

3. TRUST - She also adds that apart of her success is being trusted by her customer. "Dont be a bogus buyer/seller so people will trust you", she added.  (Trust is something you would earn and so to start building trust by not being a bogus seller or buyer. Remember that you are selling virtually. People dont see nor touch you so you should gain that confidence from online buyers so people will always comeback and buy your stuffs.)

4. Price - Isa said price plays a crucial role as well. The goods you sell should be competitive enough from other online businessmen/women. "Maganda ng maliit ang tubo basta madaming benta", she added (Its is better to gain a little as long as you sell more)

5. Never Give Up - this was her final word when I ask her. Just keep pushing and when you are already known then you should help others. If others are well known and well establish then it only means you can do it too. They started from scratch and so are you so just keep pushing and never give up. Joining SFS (Shout for Shout) is also a good way to advertise. SFS would mean you will advertise other IG users and they will shout out yours. It works both ways, you sell their product and they'll sell yours. SIMPLE!

I hope I have shared something that may help you start up your online business.

Check out my Online Shop too.

INSTAGRAM: @deziredshop

Facebook Page: DeziredStore

Better Way to Celebrate Third Birthday

Whatever age that may be we all have the excitement when our birthday's is fast approaching. We tend to plan and wish to have a birthday bash of our own version. We are excited because we celebrate our date of birth, what makes it even exciting is we tend to gather all friends for one day and celebrate it with laughter over food, wine or liquor and beer or we tend to spend it somewhere as a gift for a year of success stories.

Gearing up to Jollibee for Ayesha's 3rd Birthday

But what about if it is our child's birthday party that comes up.

I am sure we have a lot of ideas popping in our mind when we think of our child's 3rd birthday party. However, I would like to share a story from my inaanak's (godchild) third birthday party and why it was successful.

A 3 year old child definitely can already express their ideas and maybe have some idea on how a party would look like. They already have these excitement towards their birthday party.

Over Christmas celebration her Lolo Bernardo asked her where she wanted to have a party. Ayesha (my inaanak) answered smartly "JOLLIBEE" (a food chain) and so her wish is definitely granted. In her action alone, I know she already have an idea as to what fun is. She already have an idea as to what she wanted.

Here's the learning's I got from what happened:

• Engage your children in the planning of their party. In this way, you are also teaching them to make decision. As a parent, we are just there to guide our children. Let your children do the planning you will just guide them if they are going out of control. It is what they want at that certain point in time that they enjoy the most.
• You should also be explaining the budget to them and that they shouldn't be going over the budget. In this way, you are teaching your children at an early age the value of money.
• Allow your children to explore their creative side while having fun. At this early stage I strongly agree with the expert that these children at this stage wanted to play. Let them play around and ask for their suggestions like what kind of food they wanted to serve on their birthday or giveaways or even her dress.
• To guide them, ask them for choices and maybe a few reason why they choose what they chose over the other. In this way, you are developing good reasoning skills.

Spell EXCITEMENT! this children are pretty much excited with what is about to happen.

This shall are different happy faces showing it off with the camera.

Am sure seeing this cake makes the Lolo really proud.

I also noticed how a grandfather so excited to witness the happenings of his only grand daughter. We turned on our Skype for him to see at least the first part of the party at Jollibee. I think that is more than enough for him to be inspired while working abroad for his children and now grand children.

10 Things I am Thankful for 2013

Many of us may be listing down their New Years Resolution, for me, I will definitely not list My New Years Resolution but rather it is my personal tradition to list down reason why I am thankful about the past year. I feel good to take time and reflect back to what the year has brought me or what I have done for the past year. I know I can never undo the past year but I also know that it will always be part of my history worth looking back to learn from and to be feel good at.

Here's what I am thankful for:

First of I am very thankful because I have survived another year. I am thankful to the Lord Almighty for giving me life and extending it for another year. It is difficult to be very limited on things you could do because you are growing up and getting old with congenital heart problem. However, despite that, God has given me another year to at least be of help to my siblings and to my friends or to even strangers. Another year of working and another year of good laugh with good friends.

I am grateful as well to have another year of working life. Despite the roller coaster ride of 2013 when it comes to my professional career I am still thankful because I have this opportunity I was able to surpass all and still survive for another year. It has given me opportunity to help bring my sister to a good school and take the course she likes and not to be forced to take up something she doesn't want just because we don't have the capacity to give it to her.

The successful launch of Project Mountain Alphabet. It is one of biggest achievement for 2013 because I was able to help Colalo Elementary School collect good books for their library. The Project Mountain Alphabet is merely a personal project of me and my fellow volunteers/friends to reach out to those who doesnt have a library. We collect books, cash and school materials from donors and bring it to the school who needs the most. The said project is a lifetime commitment so if you wish to help please contact me at my email address at wsacharlton1@gmail.com so we could arrange on how we could pick up your donations.

2013 has also brought me a roller coaster life be it personal and professional life. I am thankful to everyone who has helped me go through it. They have inspired me to cling on to life and showed me that problems are simply a cream of the crops to be a better person. I hope that the learning's from 2013 will definitely transpire to the new challenges of 2014.

I have sailed on 2013 successfully because of those people who surrounds me. They have boost my ego, my personality and supports and pushes me to be a better person. This definitely is a living example for me that no matter what happen there'd be always God sends who will be supporting you and for you to be able to the task God has given you. Thank you everyone as things may be worse without all of you.

I am thankful for all the weekends of 2013 as it is an instrument God has given me to rejuvenate and to get ready for another week not before long I just realized that another has year has passed. Without each weekend, I may have crushed down and will not be able to make it through sanely (lol). The weekend is a weekly gift for me from our creator for me to go rest, watch movie, chat with friends, explore new food and places.

Adjective is also a big part of my 2013. It was used both negatively and positively. I was describe extravagantly way below the belt and extravagantly heart warming alike. Both of this description has given me another color in my rainbow to change my own perspective and notion about people I encounter in a day to day basis and somehow still learning strategies to deal with these people.

My dear readers who keeps coming back to read what I wrote in my blog. I am greatly thankful to all of you. I keep inspired because of you all because of you my writing capability grows from about to be forgotten and dies to slowly growing better. These all happens because of you all who reads what I wrote. May I continue to improve until I gain back what I thought is my expertise.

Another one that I am thankful for is the idea to open my own online store and that hopefully by the years to come I will come up with my own physical store with my own brand. I am thankful as well for the people who believes in me and lend me their resources so I could start it up right. I am equally thankful for all my friends who choose to support me despite consequence they may have. To my colleagues who fully supports my endeavor and cheers me up in the tidal waves of starting up a business. For all the buyers I am thankful to each and everyone of you. You have inspired me to do better in sales and marketing.

Above all, I am very thankful with God by making all these things possible and by giving me people that helps me become who I am each year.

My New Year Food Recipe - Macaroni Salad

Christmas and New Year celebration actually is my favorite ever time of the year since childhood days and every time this part of the year kicks in I am always wishing for a macaroni salad the Filipino way of cooking of course. I love it because it is cheesy and definitely sweet. I actually think way back my childhood days that Macaroni Salad is a very special desert that is only prepared during New Year Celebration. I also see it on my cousins birthday celebration. Basically, I only see them during special occasions and gatherings.

Now that I am working I would love to cook it the way I wanted it and when I say I will do it my way I usually break the norms that I have grown up with. So here's my own version of my Filipino Macaroni Salad:

Ingredients:

1 pc of 500 gram Baronia Farfalle (Ribbon Type)

1 pc of 500 gram Baronia Fusilli Tricolore (3 Color Spiral)
2 pcs of 300 ml Condensed Milk
3 pcs  of 250 ml All Purpose Cream
1 bottle of Nata De Coco
200 gram Marshmallow (small type)
1 can (big size) Fruit Cocktail
Raisin
Cheese diced

Procedures

Cook the pasta/noodles according to package instruction. Normally though in a pot of salted boiling water add the pasta and cook for about 8 to 9 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running tap water and allow to cool completely then set aside.

Drain the red and green Kaong or nata de coco and Fruit Cocktail then set aside.

Combine thouroughly all ingredients.

Put them on a container seal it thoroughly then refrigerate overnight.

My New Year's Foodie - My Style of Filipino Graham Cake

One of the many sought after desserts during special occasion during my childhood days is the Graham Refrigerator Cake. It is also one of the easiest desserts to prepare as you only main equipment is the refrigerator.

You will need:

2 packs of Graham Biscuits 

3 250-gram packs of all-purpose cream 

2 150-ml condensed milk

1 medium can of fruit cocktail (drained)

All you have to do is:

Combine the all purpose cream and condensed milk in a bowl. Mix well or better yet blend them together with any excess of the fruits you intended to use as toppings to give a fruity taste on the all purpose cream.

Layer the graham biscuits and the cream and condensed milk mixture alternately in a flat and rectangular container. The topmost layer must be covered with the combined mixture thickly. (Take note: you should always have a powdered Graham Biscuits to fill in the gaps during layering of the graham biscuits and the other mixture.

Put fruit toppings on the topmost layer of the cake. Spread the fruit cocktail evenly on the top layer. You can also sprinkle some unsalted cashew nuts on top of the cake or sliced ripe mangoes instead of fruit cocktail as toppings. I also tiny marshmallows on top and in-between layers to add texture on the graham cake.

4. Chill in the refrigerator for two hours or more. It is preferred to put it on the freezer for 2 hours to harden the mixture and then transfer it on the fridge to ensure that your cake is not watery when served.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Review

Over the past years I always have problem with my phone and or the network I used to use when it comes to mobile signal and most of all the Mobile Data connection which I cared less because I simply use my phone to its most basic function and that is through call and sms.

However, last December I decided to have my own online business. This time around I have to have a phone that has reliable camera and of course a network that has more acceptable data connectivity. This time around I definitely reconsidered and finally moved to a different network provider.

Last December, I finally have my first ever SMART Telecommunications Plan. I decided to go with Samsung Note 3 because of many various reason.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Full Specifications:

DESIGN

Device type: Smart phone

OS: Android (4.3)

Dimensions: 5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 inches (151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm)

Weight: 5.93 oz (168 g) the average is 4.6 oz (132 g)

DISPLAY

Physical size: 5.7 inches

Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels

Pixel density: 386 ppi

Technology: Super AMOLED

Colors: 16 777 216

Touchscreen: Multi-touch

Features: Light sensor, Proximity sensor

CAMERA

Camera: 13 megapixels

Flash: LED

Aperture size: F2.2

Focal length (35mm equivalent): 31mm

Camera sensor size: 1/3.06"

Features: -illuminated sensor (BSI), CMOS image sensor, Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Face detection, Smile detection, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer

Camcorder: 3840x2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps)

Features: Digital image stabilization, Continuous autofocus, Video light

Front-facing camera: 2 megapixels

HARDWARE

System chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974

Processor: Quad core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400

Graphics processor: Adreno 330

System memory: 3072 MB RAM

Built-in storage: 32 GB

Storage expansion: microSD, microSDHC up to 64 GB

BATTERY

Talk time: 25.00 hours the average is 13 h (752 min)

Stand-by time: 22.0 days (528 hours) the average is 20 days (488 h)

Talk time (3G): 21.00 hours the average is 12 h (704 min)

Stand-by time (3G): 17.5 days (420 hours) the average is 19 days (454 h)

Stand-by time (4G): 15.8 days (380 hours) the average is 18 days (429 h)

Capacity: 3200 mAh

MULTIMEDIA

Music player:

Filter by: Album, Artist, Playlists

Features: Album art cover, Background playback, Preset equalizer

Speakers: Earpiece, Loudspeaker

YouTube player: Yes

INTERNET BROWSING

Built-in online services support: YouTube (upload), Picasa/Google+

TECHNOLOGY

GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz

UMTS: 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz

FDD LTE: 700 (band 17), 800 (band 18), 850 (band 5), 900 (band 8), 1700/2100 (band 4), 1800 (band 3), 1900 (band 2) MHz

Data: LTE Cat4 Downlink 150 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS

Micro SIM: Yes

Positioning: GPS, A-GPS, Glonass

Navigation: Turn-by-turn navigation

CONNECTIVITY

Bluetooth: 4.0

Wi-Fi: 802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac

Mobile hotspot: Yes

USB: USB 3.0

Connector: microUSB

Features: Mass storage device, USB Host, USB charging

HDMI: via microUSB

Other: NFC, DLNA, MHL, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, Infrared

OTHER FEATURES

Notifications: Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone

Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Thermometer, Gesture, Humidity, Barometer

Hearing aid compatibility: T3

Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording, TTY/TDD

AVAILABILITY

Officially announced: 04 Sep 2013

My Personal Verdict

Giving the list specifications, I have no doubt that I would be loving the functionality of the phone. I totally recommend Samsung Note 3 and I consider it as a powerful andriod device. Giving the main reason that I will be using the device for my online store, the size of the phone is admirable pleasant to me. It allows me to do my thing and not being challenge by the size of its screen.

The phone and tablet capacity is one of the many reason why I decided to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 3. After spending sometime with the phone, what I like most is the camera. The camera is a perfect substitute to a point shoot camera given the proper lights. I also love the  Auto Focus, its 4X Digital Zoom, and most especially the Shot Mode [Beauty Face, Best Photo, Best Face, Sound & Shot, Drama Shot, Animated Photo, Golf Shot, Rich Tone (HDR), Eraser, Panorama Shot, Surround Shot, Sports Shot.

I also the total packaging of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I specifically like the Leather-Like removable back cover of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. To top that, the corrugated side of the phone provides a better grip to the phone plus the less rounded edge also look better than the rounded edges of most Samsung phones. I also love the idea striking metallic side as it adds better premium to me.

The layout of the control buttons are located at the side the phone ( Volume control - Left side and on the right is the power button). Also, a removable battery for me is also an advantage versus their direct competitive.

In general, I am super satisfied with the functionality of the phone. It gives me the things that I need to operate my small time online business. It gives me a the tablet and phone features in one like bigger screen and access to social media.