“I want to earn money by myself” – This is my eloquent statement to my family at the age of 13, 14. As a Genz girl, I always keep in mind the idea of having to be economically independent from an early age. And this is the story of my small business, the land of the stars, Sterlingie.
You can check out our Instagram Sterlingie here!
🌟 Those first steps
Sterlingie was founded by me in June 2022 and officially active in August. Many of you have asked me why I named my small business Sterlingie? Sterlingie is actually inspired from Sterling, which means starry sky and sparkling, but to me Sterlingie is cuter, isn’t it! That’s why people often say Sterlingie sounds like a starry land, also a rest stop for you guys from fatigue.
And why did I choose to sell handmade accessories? There really isn’t too much thought in me when asked this, simply because I am quite fond of handmade accessories as I and my customers will be free to come up with ideas for the product with our creativity. Second, perhaps because people are gradually learning how to care for themselves more, especially fashion and beauty, and it is also becoming popular to buy accessories. Therefore, I want to see how people mix-match bracelets from Sterlingie and confidently show off their personality. Shopping is also a way to love yourself!
After certain thoughts, I finally chose Instagram as the first social platform for Sterlingie’s official promotion and sale. Then I also had to look for instructions as well as things needed for accessories making. And tadaaa, it only took about 3 days of research for the first product to be launched. At that time I was not only happy but also worried because I didn’t know how to promote my small business to my customers and whether they would like it or not.
🌟Encountering difficulties
I remembers one day, suddenly my younger sister said:
“I wouldn’t buy this!”
Being quite stubborn, Nhi did not pay much attention to what she said, which I initially thought was a joke. But over 2 months, why was the number of followers only 20? Why was there no order? Although I have spent money on ads, things didn’t turn out the way I wanted, even resulting in negative returns.
Not only that, having to balance between studying at school and managing Sterlingie also caused Nhi a lot of stress during this early period. Sometimes, because I had so many tests at school, I even forgot to pack orders for my customers and had to delay the shipping, which caused much annoyance and disappointment for my followers.
All of this prompted me to change!
🌟 Let’s change!!
My first step was to actively set up the timetable to make it easier for both my study and business. Regarding this, I have been using the app Notion. Thanks to the schedule, not only can I concentrate on studying and taking exams but I can also avoid being overloaded with orders from customers. Gradually, I am now enhancing my time-management skills as well as working more efficiently
Another important change I would like to mention, which has changed Sterlingie a lot is Marketing methods. It was also quite coincidental when I came across an article in early 2023 about the partnership between Coca Cola and The Ocean Cleanup in a river cleaning project. The Can Tho River is one of 15 rivers in the world selected as a part of the project to test and evaluate waste prevention technology, Interceptor. This strategy of Coca Cola not only aims at the sustainable development of society after supporting the implementation of waste cleaning systems on rivers as well as calling for joint action from industry, organizations in the community in solving the problem of plastic waste, but also helps Coca become a top choice brand in the eyes of consumers.
Find out more about Coca Cola và The Ocean Cleanup just click here.
It was this research that led me to storytelling and community oriented marketing, which means that through each Sterlingie product, I will convey positive messages such as friendship, hope,… to make my followers feel the sympathy, healing, motivation after the hardships. The stories are written by my own thoughts and experiences with the hope that you will be less worried and just relax. And some followers even want me to blog or talk to them, simply because they feel energized by the stories written!
It is this step that has helped Sterlingie to be more stable in both orders and followers. Moreover, the customer engagement is also maximized. Currently the number of followers has reached 1000 and I hope to spread these messages to more people!
Bright stars!
🌟 New goal: Spreading meaningful value to the community
Not stopping there, with a stable number of followers, I began to aim for long-term and broader values, and the project “The Shooting Stars” was set up with the purpose of collecting books, toys, and learning tools for underprivileged children from preschool to secondary school, hoping that they can get closer to literacy and confidently walking on the road to conquer the future world.
If you are willing to donate please contact us at 0329763641 or via instagram sterlingie_
Besides, Nhi also focuses on environmental issues more, which can be proven in packaging. With all of Sterlingie’s orders, we use kraft paper and cloth bags to reduce the amount of plastic waste. Although it is just a small act, we hope we can remind you to love the environment a little more, and respect Mother Earth a little more!
Now and for a long time, my desire is not only to be able to earn money for myself, but also to give people around her positive thoughts, more broadly, to contribute to the community spirit. I am on that journey and you can too!
Be the twinkling stars,
Nhi Bui