Online Entrepreneurs: Rakhee Newton and Tricia Oertel

 Entrepreneurs and customers alike have turned to the internet. The outcome? Many successful online stores that offer quality goods and customer service to clients looking for a convenient way of purchasing items from the comfort of their homes.  Rakhee Newton and Tricia Oertel are entrepreneurs who own online stores on the website http://www.etsy.com. Their online stores help them reach clientele far from their home bases of Baltimore, Maryland and Chicago, Illinois.  Newton, from Chicago, is also a florist, a musician, and a paralegal. Oertel has been a licensed hairdresser for twenty five years. 

Newton talks about her online store, which specializes in hair accessories, and describes how she went about creating it.

What is your online store?

My design label is Hair Jewels by R. Newton. I am Rakhee Newton, the creator and artist. My online store can be found by going to newtonhairjewels.etsy.com I custom design hair ornaments, feather fascinators, bachelorette hats, feather extensions, fantasy extensions, millinery creations and a variety of other hair accessories. My hair accessories are designed to make the everyday a special occasion!
Why did you decide to create your online store?

It has been a lifelong crusade of mine to find absolutely fabulous looks at affordable prices. I created newtonhairjewels.etsy.com to showcase my custom pieces with timeless style and to further the movement to bring fashion back to ingenuity, affordability, and boldness!
What inspires you?

I often use my city life and urban experiences as the inspiration for my works. There are stories behind all of my creations at newtonhairjewels.etsy.com and I am always happy to share them with those who ask!
How did you go about creating your store?

I researched possible host sites for newtonhairjewels and found that Etsy was the most agreeable, fair, seller/buyer friendly platform to set up shop. After that point, it was just a matter of organizing pictures and descriptions in a way that best showcased my works.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning an online store?
There are so many advantages to owning an online store. The most significant advantage is being able to reach potential clients all over the world! As for disadvantages, there are none. The only powerful tool online stores cannot utilize is the face-to-face interaction of the seller and potential client. Technology will never harness or replace the bonding power of humanity.

Where do you get the resources needed for the items you create?
I obtain the materials for my works from many different sources.

What do you look for when you get the supplies?
I always search and buy local first, mostly from independent sellers like myself. As for feathers, I always seek cruelty free sources first.

What are your future plans for your store?

Expansion and collaboration are my two main goals for newtonhairjewels.etsy.com and I am constantly on the look out for creative ways to achieve them!

What is your background and experience?
I have been creating hair works for others and myself for about 10 years. This year I added online selling with newtonhairjewels.etsy.com to the list! My works are on display year round at Philip James Salon in Chicago (philipjamessalon.com), where I have been selling my items for the last 2 years. In addition to my direct experience, I am also a local Chicago musician (myspace.com/predictionsfor1974 and myspace.com/thebuzzerds), a florist, and a Paralegal. I really appreciate you extending this opportunity to share newtonhairjewels.etsy.com with your readers and would like to give your readers a 10% discount on anything in my store when they mention this blog interview! 

Oertel also talks about her own online store, which can be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/sellstuff101

    
 My store name is sellstuff101 and I create feather extensions using rooster feathers. They are all the rage right now. However supply cannot meet demand and prices are skyrocketing daily. I am a cosmetology instructor. Around Christmas time some of my students asked me if I would go on a professional hair website and purchase them some feather extensions.

        They paid me and I did. When the extensions were delivered I took them in. In less than two days they asked me to make another order that was larger. They sold out basically over night. The students sold to their friends. When I saw how fast they could sell them and how much the website was charging I thought to myself, “I can supply my students with these” and the adventure began.
    The advantages are that it’s not over your head, you  work at your own pace, and you can work around your children’s schedules. You can also work on the go 24/7. A disadvantage is that I need a phone with internet so I can ship within 24 hours of payment and answer most emails 24/7 in order to not lose a sale. Another disadvantage is that wholesale distributors’ rooster farms will not sell to hairdressers. It does not matter if you have a business license and tax ID number they only want to sell to the fly fish shops because we are taking the feathers away from them. 
      As for where to purchase the items needed, I had a good resource to get my feathers and have done very well. However now they are on back order so she says. I think she found out the on Ebay rooster saddles that cost $55 sell for as much as $1000.00. Crazy right? But a saddle has 400 feathers and we sell them $15 installed. You do the math: it is a money maker either way because of the high demand and low supply. My future plans are to stay ahead of the hair accessory trend to keep my store alive.