Testimonial
Hilary Brookes - Barefoot Books
At a school Christmas Fair just over two years ago I was introduced to barefoot Books for the very first time. “Grandmother’s Stories – Wise Women Tales from many cultures” was what first caught my eye. Maybe because I can’t wait to be a Grandma or because I aspire to be a wise woman(!). I loved the books from the moment I set eyes on them and joined the programme straight away. I haven’t looked back since.
With two grown up children and having lived abroad for 25 years I didn’t have an immediate circle of friends with young children who might be interested in our lovely books. But this is where the barefoot Books stallholding programme comes into its own as it allows each and everyone of us to grow our business in a way that suits us.
My total lack of sales’ experience was no problem at all as our beautiful books are easy to promote and the ethos behind our company is one that strikes a chord with mums everywhere and always provides a talking point.
Everyone loves stories and we all know just how beneficial they are to children’s development. Barefoot Books and our stallholders are keen to give something back to the communities we live in.
On a grass roots level many of us become involved in all sorts of local children’s events from storytelling to fundraising whilst corporate have forged such wonderful links for us such as Books For Africa and Eco Libris that helps us offset the carbon footprint created by the publishing industry by having trees planted on our behalf in developing countries.
Hilary Brookes - Stallholder and Community Specialist for Europe and the Education Market
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What are the start up costs for
your opportunity?
It
is completely FREE to register with Barefoot. An optional starter
pack is offered when you register containing £130
of products and marketing materials for just £64.99.
But this is entirely optional.
How many years has your company
been trading?
Barefoot
Books was founded by two work-at-home mums 15 years ago. Our two
founders Nancy Travers and Tessa Strickland are still at the head of
our company and are an inspiration to us all.
What type of selling is involved?
Stallholders can promote
our products in any way they like and for this reason we have no
designated territories. It’s all about finding a way for you to
run your business that you feel comfortable with.
So, you can do home parties, sell to your local community, schools, nurseries etc., you can have a stand at a local market or craft fair or you can attend larger scale events and conferences. Many of our stallholders who have young children choose to sell purely online as they can do this easily in the comfort of their own home.
What training and support is
offered?
Anyone
who joins my team soon gets to know that I am just at the end of a
phone line and am on hand to help and support you get your business
off to a great start. Barefoot also offers a wide range of support in
the form of an easy to read and really helpful training manual,
online resources and training, a fantastic stallholder forum and
weekly online chats and conference calls with our vibrant global
community who are an inspiration for tips and tricks!
What are the basic initial
commission rates?
Our
commission rates are very generous. They start at 20% + 20% in free
product with every order. Commission rises to 33% (+20% free product
with every order).
What products/services do you
provide to sell?
We are an
independent publisher of children’s storybooks focusing on
folktales from around the world. We also offer complementary puppets,
games and world music CDs.
Our ethos at Barefoot is to celebrate art and story opening the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts. Taking inspiration from many different cultures, we focus on themes encouraging independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and sharing of the world’s diversity.
Interactive, playful and beautiful, our products combine the best of the present with the best of the past to educate our children as the caretakers of tomorrow.
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What does your company offer?
Barefoot
offers an opportunity to combine a successful work-at home business
with family life and the chance to make a difference to children
around the world.
What can someone joining your
company realistically expect to earn?
This is
always a difficult question. It just depends how much time and energy
you invest. Our generous levels of commission certainly give us the
potential to earn well.
Does stock have to be bought in
advance and stored by the distributor?
No is the
simple answer to that. I personally hold stock at home because that
is the way I choose to do business but someone who sells purely via
the Internet would not need to hold stock.
Are there any restrictions on
earnings?
Definitely
not.
Are there territories in which you
have to sell within?
No, we
don’t allocate territories because everyone chooses to sell in
different ways. The stallholder programme is open to people in the
USA, Canada, UK and mainland Europe.
Does someone joining your
opportunity have to meet certain criteria or targets?
No, we
set no targets at all. Our two founders established the company
whilst bringing up their children and are very keen for mums to be
able to do the same today.
Sometimes as a mum life takes over and you need to put work on hold for a while. That’s fine. Barefoot will still be there when you are ready to take it up again! We offer many exciting incentives and challenges to encourage you to focus and grow your business.
What sets your opportunity apart
from the others?
I think
it is the relaxed way in which we operate. I have been a stallholder
for just over two years and thoroughly enjoy it. My involvement with
Barefoot has been rewarded every step of the way and I feel I am
listened to and my opinion is valued. We often have conference calls
that our founders take part in so you feel that you are able to speak
to the people at the very top and make a difference.
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What are the ways in which you can
earn money from your opportunity?
There are
two ways to earn money:
- Generous levels of commission on the products.
- By building a team and earning referral commission on their sales.
What bonuses and incentives do you
have and how easily achieved are they?
Challenges
are issued every month. These usually take the form of free products
for an order of a particular amount (usually £200).
There are also quarterly and annual challenges and prizes awarded
which can be monetary rewards, free products, original art-work or
even holidays! I won a trip to our annual conference in France last
year after having only been a stallholder for just over a year. So I
don’t think the challenges are too hard to win.
Can anyone be successful with this
opportunity?
Absolutely.
With the right enthusiasm and the right level of support and
encouragement.
Is there anything else you would
like to say about your opportunity?
I
can’t believe how much I have learnt about being in business
and about myself over the past two years whilst having a whole load
of fun and making some wonderful friends around the world, too! Our
multicultural books are beautiful and appeal not only to the general
consumer market but also to the education market. This increases the
opportunities to promote our books as we can approach members of the
general public as well as schools and the wider education sector.
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