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© & TM 2008-2012 EEW Magazine a division of Hobbs Ministries a Subsidiary of Training for Reigning Inc. Custom graphics and logos are registered
trademarks of EEW Magazine and may not be reproduced or replicated in any form.
trademarks of EEW Magazine and may not be reproduced or replicated in any form.
I started my business a year and a half
ago, but actually, I've always had a desire to own my
own business. So, a few years ago I said, well, I'm
gonna venture out to see what I can possibly do.
Before I actually got started, it was almost a two year
journey.
I had been trying to find out different ideas, not knowing
exactly what I wanted to do and by mishap, I had
received an email from a company about women's
suits and I liked the suits and thought, well, maybe I'll
buy one. Eventually, the same company started
sending me emails about starting your own business
and I said, oh this is perfect! So, I began to get more
information about it. I probably called them for about a
year and a half, finding out about how the process
worked, what the costs were and what was basically
entailed in running a business through this other
company. But, after the year and a half, I realized that it
wasn't actually something that I wanted to do, because
I wouldn't be allowed to control many different aspects
of the business.
The type of personality I have, I knew I needed to have
control over my business. I didn't want to have to go
through someone to say, 'Can I do this? OK, I wanna
do this or that.' I wanted complete control over it. Once I
decided to walk away from that opportunity, I didn't
know where to go from there. That one decision left me
with nothing except the knowledge of what I wanted to
do, because, by this time, I knew I wanted to sell
women's suits, but I didn't have any idea of how to do
it. I didn't know how to start online. I didn't know how to
get my business license and I didn't know where to get
suppliers to sell the women's suits.
Another 6 months went by and I went online searching,
searching and searching for women's suits
wholesalers and I couldn't find anything at all. It was as
though the industry did not exist. I knew it had to be out
there, because I buy women's suits all the time! In the
process, thankfully, God was always guiding me and
directing me and keeping me from giving up, because
you know, if you can't find something, you get frustrated
and you want to give up.
So, I said, God please help me; I really want to find this.
Where are these companies I need to find at God? And
lo and behold, I was searching and I found this
woman's website. At the very bottom of it, in very small
print it said, “If you want to start your business, contact
me.” I clicked on it and the page came up like a
standard Internet contact form. I filled in my information
and submitted the form, never thinking it was gonna
take six months to get to this lady, never thinking she
was gonna call me or if she did end up giving me any
information, thinking it was gonna be nothing I could
use.
Well, this young lady called me the next day! I was at
work at the time, because I've always worked in
Business Administration. I had been doing that for over
10 years and this young lady happened to call me on
my lunch break and she said, “Hello. I'm the one who
owns the website and I want to give you this
information.”
She said, “I see you want to start your own business. I
wanna give you the information.”
So, I'm thinking, fine, I get it; she's gonna charge me
for this information. But, she went through a list of how
to get my business started, what websites I needed to
go through, how to get my business license, how to
get my Tax ID number. She gave me a list of at least 15
vendors. Within that hour of my lunch break, I had all
the information I needed to get started! Then, I said, oh
my gosh, I can't believe you're just giving me this
information and then I said, thank you so much. She
said, “No problem. It's here. It's yours.” I said thank
you and by the time I got back to my desk, she had
emailed me everything we had talked about. I could not
believe it. I was done for the day. There was nothing
else I could do. I could not believe how God had sent
this young lady to give me the information she had
given me, because without her I would not have my
business today.
ago, but actually, I've always had a desire to own my
own business. So, a few years ago I said, well, I'm
gonna venture out to see what I can possibly do.
Before I actually got started, it was almost a two year
journey.
I had been trying to find out different ideas, not knowing
exactly what I wanted to do and by mishap, I had
received an email from a company about women's
suits and I liked the suits and thought, well, maybe I'll
buy one. Eventually, the same company started
sending me emails about starting your own business
and I said, oh this is perfect! So, I began to get more
information about it. I probably called them for about a
year and a half, finding out about how the process
worked, what the costs were and what was basically
entailed in running a business through this other
company. But, after the year and a half, I realized that it
wasn't actually something that I wanted to do, because
I wouldn't be allowed to control many different aspects
of the business.
The type of personality I have, I knew I needed to have
control over my business. I didn't want to have to go
through someone to say, 'Can I do this? OK, I wanna
do this or that.' I wanted complete control over it. Once I
decided to walk away from that opportunity, I didn't
know where to go from there. That one decision left me
with nothing except the knowledge of what I wanted to
do, because, by this time, I knew I wanted to sell
women's suits, but I didn't have any idea of how to do
it. I didn't know how to start online. I didn't know how to
get my business license and I didn't know where to get
suppliers to sell the women's suits.
Another 6 months went by and I went online searching,
searching and searching for women's suits
wholesalers and I couldn't find anything at all. It was as
though the industry did not exist. I knew it had to be out
there, because I buy women's suits all the time! In the
process, thankfully, God was always guiding me and
directing me and keeping me from giving up, because
you know, if you can't find something, you get frustrated
and you want to give up.
So, I said, God please help me; I really want to find this.
Where are these companies I need to find at God? And
lo and behold, I was searching and I found this
woman's website. At the very bottom of it, in very small
print it said, “If you want to start your business, contact
me.” I clicked on it and the page came up like a
standard Internet contact form. I filled in my information
and submitted the form, never thinking it was gonna
take six months to get to this lady, never thinking she
was gonna call me or if she did end up giving me any
information, thinking it was gonna be nothing I could
use.
Well, this young lady called me the next day! I was at
work at the time, because I've always worked in
Business Administration. I had been doing that for over
10 years and this young lady happened to call me on
my lunch break and she said, “Hello. I'm the one who
owns the website and I want to give you this
information.”
She said, “I see you want to start your own business. I
wanna give you the information.”
So, I'm thinking, fine, I get it; she's gonna charge me
for this information. But, she went through a list of how
to get my business started, what websites I needed to
go through, how to get my business license, how to
get my Tax ID number. She gave me a list of at least 15
vendors. Within that hour of my lunch break, I had all
the information I needed to get started! Then, I said, oh
my gosh, I can't believe you're just giving me this
information and then I said, thank you so much. She
said, “No problem. It's here. It's yours.” I said thank
you and by the time I got back to my desk, she had
emailed me everything we had talked about. I could not
believe it. I was done for the day. There was nothing
else I could do. I could not believe how God had sent
this young lady to give me the information she had
given me, because without her I would not have my
business today.
In Her Own Words, Detroit Native, Danielle Robinson, Owner of
SuitsAbounding.com, an online Suit Retailer, Shares the Story of how She
got Her Start and Tips for Other Start-Ups
As told to EEW Magazine Editorial Director
SuitsAbounding.com, an online Suit Retailer, Shares the Story of how She
got Her Start and Tips for Other Start-Ups
As told to EEW Magazine Editorial Director
I know this, because I began to type in some of the
vendors and some of the suppliers she had given me
and they weren't on the Internet then, as they are now.
Now when you type in Wholesaler Suits, they just pop
up with no problem. But before, a year and a half or
two years ago, they were non-existent. They were
there, but you had to know where to go.
Within 2 weeks, I had my Sales ID number. I had
figured out which website I wanted to go with and I
began to get things going, and I've been going ever
since.
Today, I'm thankful that the business has been going
well. When I first started, I was working full time, just
enjoying my husband and two children. So, the
business was just something I did in between
everything else. But then, September of 2008, I was
laid off, so I said, this is either gonna be the time I ride
it out and see what it's gonna do, or just let it go.
I decided to ride it out and thus far, I'm learning a lot
and it's coming along. The business is sustaining
itself and it's sustaining me. I'm learning day by day
how to make it bigger and better.
Right now, we are able to provide all the newest
merchandise for our customers. As soon as the
seasons switch, SuitsAbounding.com is updated. We
have the latest and greatest!
Danielle's Top 3 Tips for New Entrepreneurs:
1. Find something you are passionate about. When
you have your downtimes—and you will have
downtimes as a startup—the money will not be
flowing, the customer service challenges will arise, so
you have to love what you do. And I love what I do. I
love seeing women look gorgeous.
2. Don't put the cart before the horse. Do not go out
and buy everything you think you need in advance. Buy
it as you need it and buy it in limited quantities. If you
don't do that, you'll spend up all of your money, all of
your capital, and all of your profit. Buy exactly what you
need, at the time that you need it.
3. Talk to Jesus. I'm so glad I came into the revelation
that you don't have to be on your knees to talk to God;
once I came to that revelation, He and I chit-chat all
throughout the day. Don't get me wrong. I love the
private time I have with Him on my knees and in my
word, but every now and then, throughout the day, you
need to just call on Him. It goes back to when I was
searching on the Internet for this business opportunity
and said Lord where is it? And in a day or two I found
that young lady's website. I wasn't on my hands and
knees when I asked God that.
So, He guided me to it.
To learn more about Suits Abounding and to check out
the inventory log onto www.suitsabounding.com.
vendors and some of the suppliers she had given me
and they weren't on the Internet then, as they are now.
Now when you type in Wholesaler Suits, they just pop
up with no problem. But before, a year and a half or
two years ago, they were non-existent. They were
there, but you had to know where to go.
Within 2 weeks, I had my Sales ID number. I had
figured out which website I wanted to go with and I
began to get things going, and I've been going ever
since.
Today, I'm thankful that the business has been going
well. When I first started, I was working full time, just
enjoying my husband and two children. So, the
business was just something I did in between
everything else. But then, September of 2008, I was
laid off, so I said, this is either gonna be the time I ride
it out and see what it's gonna do, or just let it go.
I decided to ride it out and thus far, I'm learning a lot
and it's coming along. The business is sustaining
itself and it's sustaining me. I'm learning day by day
how to make it bigger and better.
Right now, we are able to provide all the newest
merchandise for our customers. As soon as the
seasons switch, SuitsAbounding.com is updated. We
have the latest and greatest!
Danielle's Top 3 Tips for New Entrepreneurs:
1. Find something you are passionate about. When
you have your downtimes—and you will have
downtimes as a startup—the money will not be
flowing, the customer service challenges will arise, so
you have to love what you do. And I love what I do. I
love seeing women look gorgeous.
2. Don't put the cart before the horse. Do not go out
and buy everything you think you need in advance. Buy
it as you need it and buy it in limited quantities. If you
don't do that, you'll spend up all of your money, all of
your capital, and all of your profit. Buy exactly what you
need, at the time that you need it.
3. Talk to Jesus. I'm so glad I came into the revelation
that you don't have to be on your knees to talk to God;
once I came to that revelation, He and I chit-chat all
throughout the day. Don't get me wrong. I love the
private time I have with Him on my knees and in my
word, but every now and then, throughout the day, you
need to just call on Him. It goes back to when I was
searching on the Internet for this business opportunity
and said Lord where is it? And in a day or two I found
that young lady's website. I wasn't on my hands and
knees when I asked God that.
So, He guided me to it.
To learn more about Suits Abounding and to check out
the inventory log onto www.suitsabounding.com.
