Over the weekend Phonic Farm set up shop for the first time at the Christmas Fair in St Nicholas Market.
It was a very cold start for the team on Saturday, with half of them setting up at 8am. The market didn’t start until 9am however with over 13 Young Enterprise teams attending the fair, it was essential the team got there early to make the stand the best it could be.
Once 9am hit, the team were raring to go with vast amounts of enthusiasm to make the first sale. Unfortunately for the team, everyone preferred their beds to the crisp morning air. With this said however, they did manage to make a few sales and gain some insightful research from passers-by.
12pm hit and the crowds started to descend on the market. The team were delighted, with half of them manning the stand and the other half walking around with the cookbook, the sales started to fly! The afternoon proved a massive success and a fantastic market research opportunity.
After a full day’s work, the team successfully sold 34 cookbooks and raised roughly £115. This was a fantastic achievement!
To top it all off, throughout the day, the team were being judged on their product quality, customer service skills and overall stand presentation. There were several strong teams within the mix of student businesses, so it was hard to stand out. This however didn’t stop Phonic Farm!
Yesterday, the results of the mystery shopper and judges scores were revealed, and Phonic Farm came 3rd out of 13 teams. With feedback including ‘a great cookbook that was well presented and clearly explained’, ‘wonderfully polite and informative team’, ‘confident and helpful’ and ‘lovely product idea that has been well thought through. Lovely design’ how could they not do well!
Clare and I, as their Centre Lead and Business Advisor, kept their success a secret until the meeting yesterday afternoon. As the meeting reflected on the outcome of the trade fair, it was fantastic to be able to tell them the result. Once we did, spirits were instantly lifted, and it gave the team the boost they needed to sell the remaining stock. At present they need to make a few more sales to break even so planning how they would do this was high on the agenda.
With plans to sell at the upcoming Christmas craft fairs, Junior School’s nativities and the School’s Live Lounge performances I have all faith in the team being able to sell their product and make a substantial profit. I wish them all the best of luck and look forward to hearing all their sales stories in the New Year.