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Attending your first pop-up market as a small business owner can be intimidating. You spent hours trying to find the right event, scour the internet for the event coordinator, and spent hours sourcing materials from Amazon or your local hardware store. All in the hopes that this event can help expand your small business. 

Trust me, I get it. I was that girl who wanted to do pop-ups but just thought that I wouldn’t ever be able to find the right one. Or I thought it would be too much of an investment, and always thought “what if this doesn’t pay off?”

However, I’m here to tell you…what if it does pay off? What if you can have a record breaking sales day for your small business?

I own an online boutique called Alyssum and Co. where we sell elevated casual clothes for women. I started this business from scratch. No followers, no idea how to build a brand or never have owned a business before. This was my side hobby, I would get about 5 sales a month…10 if it was a good month. 

I was starting to question if this business was ever going to work. I thought I had good products but just felt like I couldn’t get it in front of the right people. 

If this sounds like you then you’re in the right spot. 

I attended my first pop-up market this past September called Kingdom Creations Market in Orlando Fl. I honestly didn’t think I would get accepted but applied anyway. To my surprise I not only got into this market but had a record breaking sales day. 

In one day I was able to get 49 orders…This was an absolute game changer for my business. Going from 5 orders a month to 49 in one day was insane. I’m here to tell you if I can do it, then so can you. 

Here are 5 tips on how to have a successful first pop-up market.

1. Practice how you are going to set up

• You are going to be nervous enough on event day, you don’t want to be stressing about how to set up your table or tent properly. Do a trial run in your backyard on how you are going to set this up. Do you need help from someone or can you do this on your own?

2. Make sure you have signage 

• When someone looks at your booth you might have two seconds to make an impression. You want them to be able to see your business name and who you are. I got a waterproof sign made at Walgreens and it came out to $20 or less. *make sure you keep an eye out for their photo printing sales*

3. Make a list of materials you might need

• From zip ties, to scissors to sharpies. Make a list and check it twice! 

4. Bring snacks and water

• This is an essential for me because the Florida heat is no joke. Make sure you have enough water and snacks to last you the whole day. 

5. Bring folding chairs and fans

• This is something I didn’t do for my first event and it was brutal. The heat was intense and my sister and I ended up taking breaks sitting on a playground ledge that was behind our booth. 

These are some of the main things I think about when planning for pop-up events now. For a complete overview of boutique business strategy, I often refer to great resources like The Boutique Hub (use the code “ALISSA” for 10% off), which helped me learn how to run Alyssum and Co. from the ground up.

Now, I want to hear from you! If you are a boutique owner, tell me in the comments some other things you would recommend for a successful first pop-up! Or if you are preparing for your first event, let me know one thing you are definitely going to implement!

Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the internet today. 

– Alissa