Straw flowers didn’t sell. Neither did floral alms. But the third time was the charm for Nussara Mingming who turned adversity into a thriving new business.
Nussara, 39, had her salary sharply reduced when Thailand locked down to fight the coronavirus. To make ends meet, she scoured webpages to find a product she could sell. As she likes handicrafts, she used what little money she had to purchase supplies to make crafts she thought people would buy.
It didn’t start well for the Pattaya resident. Her first two attempts bombed. She didn’t get a single order. But Nussara didn’t give up. She put in another 1,000 baht to buy plastic straps from which she crafted handbags and baskets with original decorative designs.
She sold her first bag nearly as soon as it was posted online.
One order turned to five and five to ten. Soon Nussara had more orders for bags than she could make herself, so she started to teach others to make them.
Soon she was making 20,000 baht a month and earning enough so losing her salary from her main job didn’t seem as worrisome anymore.
“Nong Ming,” as she is known to the unemployed and housewives she’s teaching for free, said she isn’t concerned her pupils will cannibalize her business. Each person is different and the designs they make are original and don’t compete.
She also said she keeps prices low, betting that customers will return for more if they feel they’re not being ripped off.
Nussara never expected a part-time supplemental-income project would turn into a career. But she now has her own brand – Arigato, or “thank you” in Japanese – and now has a big order from a Japanese company looking to rebrand her bags.
She tells people that her story is a perfect example of why no one should ever give up. Find out what you can do well and work hard it and you will find success, she said.
Shop for Nussara’s bags and baskets on Facebook at “Nussara Mingming” or call 061-231-1812.
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