HomeBiz Selling Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products At Markets…

When her baby daughter was suffering asthma and eczema Sandra Davies discovered Dominant eco-cleaning products at the Whittlesea Show – on Melbourne’s outer fringe. She was told to take a free sample of laundry powder and try it.

That was ten years ago and now Sandra runs a successful business selling these products at markets, agricultural shows and over the phone through personal contact and word of mouth.

Developed For Aged Care And Hospitals

Sandra says Dominant products have been around for over 50 years and that they were originally developed for a very specific industrial purpose – gentle, anti-bacterial and environmentally friendly use – in hospitals and aged care hostels.

Back then the industrial cleaners using the compounds were so impressed they wanted them in domestic quantities and this is how the domestic product evolved.

Products developed under Dominant’s Earthcare Environmental Research Program equal or exceed the world’s most stringent environmental standards.

No bleach was ever used and animals have never been used for testing. The company is based in South Australia and is wholly Australian-owned.

Highly Concentrated Products Keep Prices Low

Large supermarket chains do not sell these products. They are largely sold as concentrates with minimal packaging which keeps prices down.

Dominant has a lot of people like Sandra all around Australia who sell at markets, agricultural shows, sustainability expos and also at community fundraisers, like the annual Hurstbridge Wattle Festival (a celebration of Yarra Valley wattles, our early rail history, environment and community with festival goers being able to take a steam train from the city to the end of the line at Hurstbridge).

Sandra’s Most Sought-After Products

• Laundry Powders and Detergents, which are all phosphate free and have no, or are low, in sodium
• Dishwasher Powder
• Orange Oil Multi Purpose Cleaner. The 375ml bottle makes up 15x 500ml spray bottles

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Sandra’s Move Into HomeBiz

‘Before children’ Sandra was a commercial bank manager with a marketing background but with a young family she found it easy to move into running a part-time business that she really believes in – from home. She finds Dominant very supportive.

As she is selling essential items that are good value, consumers do tend to come to her. Her phone number is clearly local, she services locals and promotes ‘buying local’.

Sandra has been an active member of the Nillumbik HomeBiz Network for four years now and finds that it’s good to mix with like-minded small business people from your region and that these contacts are useful as free publicity which all HomeBiz owners need.

What’s It Like Selling At Markets?

Sandra enjoys the market venues though she says there are two drawbacks:

• You are exposed to the weather
• The local terrain can be very ‘up and down’ ie difficult for displays

Being Pro-Active – An INDOOR Market

Sandra and a group of friends who also sell at markets have decided to create their own indoor market.

They’ve found a venue – a masonic lodge at Diamond Creek that they can hire – and they will run two markets a year, one every six months:

• Pre-Christmas, 23 November 2009
• Pre-Mothers’ Day, late April,

They are looking for expressions of interest from stall holders and finding this is all going well. QUESTION: How are you looking for interested stall holders??

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Where Can You Find Her?

In Eltham North on telephone (03)9439 0323 or check out www.domhome.com

At Local Markets

• Laurimar – 1st Sunday of each month (9am to 1pm)
  Laurimar Estate Doreen – Hazel Glen Drive, Doreen (off Yan Yean Road). Melways reference page 391 (F6-G6). Less that 15 minutes from Greensborough and less than 10 minutes from Whittlesea
• Research – 2nd Sunday of each month at the month (9am to 2pm)
  In the reserve next to the CFA premises

Annual Events

* Practically Green – Eltham Eco & Lifestyle Festival
WHEN: Sunday 25th October, 10am to 4pm
WHERE: Edendale Farm, Gastons Road Eltham
Free admission

* Eltham Rotary Town Festival
WHEN: Saturday 7th November, 8.30am to 4.30pm
WHERE: Alistair KnoX Park, Eltham
Free admission

* Diamond Creek Indoor Community Market
WHEN: Saturday 21st November, 9am to 3pm
WHERE: Masonic Hall, Main Road Diamond Creek
Free admission

* Sustainability Homes Expo
WHEN: Sunday 22nd November, 10am to 5pm
WHERE: Whittlesea Council Offices, 25 Ferres Boulevard South Morang
Free admission