The telephones up at ‘The Hollow’ (the secret head-quarters of the ‘uloolaa circle’) have been very busy lately. Many moms have been inquiring about joining the circle. So we thought we will make a public notice about how things work.
The concept of the ‘uloolaa circle’ was born of the need to create an opportunity for ladies who are forced to leave their jobs in the corporate sector in order to take care of their children, their parents, their spouses or even themselves (in the unfortunate event of a difficult illness or accident). Creativity is a form of meditation and therapy while it can also serve as a good avenue to earn an extra income. But the issue is often not in the creating, but in the selling. This is why most skilled creatives are unable to make a decent living off of their creativity and opt to take up more formal work, even if they long to do a creative job.
This is where uloolaa can help. Joining the circle will answer two major concerns of ladies who want to create things.
1. Buying raw material and tools for the creative process
If you don’t have the financial support to buy in bulk, it is very difficult to buy small quantities of material needed to create a product at a price that would make it feasible for the end product to be priced competitively; especially compared to the similar factory-made / imported products that are available in the market. It can also be a tedious process to shop for particular raw material needed.
2. Selling the end product
Let’s assume the above hurdle was overcome and we managed to supply our selves with decently priced raw material from a conveniently located store. We can almost guarantee that the selling process has often proven to be the bigger hurdle. If we were to give our produce to a shop to sell, again they would require at lease a dozen (12) pieces each of whatever you are producing and the shop owner would also very often agree to pay you only after the goods are sold. And he may or may not display your products in a way that encourages the sale, even if he agrees to sell for you in the first place. If you were to sell online via social media, and provided you actually reached a good clientele you will need to think about delivery and packaging etc. and that again will add to your cost and you may have to rethink your pricing. On the other hand you will need to dedicate some time to attend to feedback on social media, keep track of the orders and handle returns or refunds etc. It isn’t easy we all know that.
So if you are a creative lady (or gent for that matter, we are not gender discriminating) and you want to create for uloolaa and join the circle, the process is as follows:
Step 1:
Decide what you can do for uloolaa. You can go through our website and see what kind of things we create and sell. We create for kids between the ages 9 months -9 years. Our products are all eco-friendly and are usually designed for comfort and durability.
Step 2:
Do a sample of the work you wish to create for uloolaa and whatsapp a picture to our number 0779701286, along with your residential address and name.
Step 3:
We will go through your sample and call you back to arrange for a visit.
Step 4:
As appointed you will need to visit us at The Hollow and together we will come to an agreement on what can be done.
Step 5:
On a weekly basis, uloolaa will deliver all the raw material needed for the production of the product you agreed to produce. Written instructions on how to complete the products and video tutorials will also be shared.
Step 6:
A week or month later (as appointed) we will come and collect what you have completed and pay you then and there for what is done. The products need to be finished to uloolaa standards of course. The payments are made per piece and the price varies according to the piece. All these particulars will be agreed on during Step 6.
Step 7:
The process will repeat as long as you keep delivering in the expected quality.
So if you are a creative mommy who can sew, write or illustrate and wish to join the uloolaa circle, do get in touch.