F&F: Prepping to Launch

The First F&F Website

There are many things that need to be done before you launch. Having a name is one thing but turning that into a viable business is quite something else.

Where Did The Name Come From

One of the first things we had to do was come up with a name. Tom and I have come up with a few now and we literally brainstorm it. We've brainstormed names on car journeys and bushwalks. We've always done it where we aren't sat at computers so we can free our minds and get away from the old routine. One of the things I love is nature and I said Flora & Fauna thinking that domain and business name wouldn't be available.....they were! Admittedly along the way a lot of people have thought we sold flowers and one person even turned up for an interview thinking we're a florist. So we had a bit of work to really define who we are and stamp our foot on the market. 

We Have a Name So Then What

There is a period with any business when you need to do the admin and it's so important to do this right from the outset. First set up your company structure - that is really important. Also, unless your business is going to be a hobby, register for GST. It's way easier to just get it done at the start. After you get a name trademark it, and once you have your logo, trademark that. It isn't a cheap process for a business starting out but it will save you a lot of hassle down the line. I know businesses who did not get their name trademarked and have had a lot of issues with copycats.

The Logo and Brand

The logo we have now is not the logo we started with. The logo above is our launch logo. We started F&F on a shoestring and I used my savings to get started. When you have trademarks, company set up, warehousing equipment, a website to build and stock, the money you have doesn't last long. So we used a crowdsourced website to get our first logo. It got us going which was what we needed. A couple of years later we changed it. More on that in another blog. 

The Website

Again our first website is not the one we have now. In fact, we have re-platformed the website twice since that first launch - anyone who works in this field knows that is not a small job. I think the words 'never again' have left my lips a fair few times. 

Our first website was simple, and not very pretty, but it did what we needed it to. We used a base platform and I built on that. One thing I learnt very quickly was that you have to be a 'Jack of All Trades'. We didn't have the money for a graphic designer or an ecommerce coordinator or anyone to do marketing. I had to do everything. At the time I was in a full-time job being a General Manager at a large retailer. I didn't have to do much doing so I had to upskill quickly. I went on a Photoshop course and that was possibly the best $300 I have ever spent!

Products

It's all well and good coming up with a brand, logo and idea but you need something to sell and we started with beauty products. The first brand I spoke to was Trilogy because my friend Kristy worked there in NZ. I mentioned that I was setting up an online store and could I sell their products. It was a great intro and with one win I then felt empowered to talk to a few more brands. Before I knew it I had 30 brands and 500 products on board. 

From coming up with the concept in July 2014 I worked 7 days a week and a good 18 hours a day to launch F&F on November 8th 2014. Launching a business is not easy.