Getting Unstuck: What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

illustration of entrepreneurs relying on their resourcefulness to navigate a maze

Once they start, entrepreneurs have a hard time stopping.

But that doesn’t mean they never get stuck.

For many business owners, it’s a familiar feeling. When you’re strapped for cash and have to build your business on a budget. When once-frequent sales suddenly become scarce. When a pandemic forces you to shutter your doors. When you feel like you’ve exhausted all your options and are running in one place.

Building a business is like navigating a maze without a map. And every once in a while you are bound to hit a wall.

The good news is that “feeling stuck” doesn’t mean staying stuck. In many ways, it’s what entrepreneurs do in these moments when they don’t know what to do—their resourcefulness—that defines them.

What does “being resourceful” really mean?

Everyone has their own personal definition of what it means to be resourceful, as we found when we asked what it meant to all of you.

For many, resourcefulness means some version of making do with what’s available. But there’s a concept psychologists call “learned resourcefulness”, which refers to resourcefulness as a set of attainable skills and behaviors that help us control how we respond internally to adversity to put us in the right mind to find solutions.

Early research into learned resourcefulness focused largely on forms of self-control:

  1. Engaging in positive self-talk. Negative self-talk leads to defeat before we even try. Many entrepreneurs you’ll meet are relentlessly optimistic people when it comes to their ambitions.
  2. Viewing problem solving as a process. The steps include clearly defining the problem, exploring potential solutions, evaluating and prioritizing each solution, and executing the best one. We often do this intuitively, but it’s a process we can also consciously invoke whenever we feel stuck.
  3. The willingness to delay gratification. Working towards a larger goal, like a profitable business, often requires you to put in a lot of work before you can taste the fruits of your labor. Depending on the scope of your vision, it can be months or even years before it materializes. That doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the little wins and major milestones along the way.
  4. Self-efficacy. The belief that we have the ability to control ourselves, our environment, and our outcomes.

Learned resourcefulness has since evolved to include “social resourcefulness” —not just our capacity to help ourselves when we’re stuck, but our ability to make connections and seek out help from others.

From speaking to a dozen entrepreneurs about this topic, each of whom had at least one story about feeling stuck, getting unstuck meant embracing both of these forms of resourcefulness to find solutions.

Strategies for when you’re feeling stuck, from entrepreneurs who’ve been there

1. Pause, zoom out, and find your north star 🔭

Many business owners find themselves in their first rut not when they’re building their business, but when they hit a ceiling on their sales.

Hitting up against what feels like a limit can be frustrating, especially when you’re nowhere near where you would like to be.

While action is one antidote during these moments, you may also need to take time to pause and look up from the work to take stock of what you’re doing and what you’ve done so far. Or, as Adam of N/A Stock Company puts it:

Sometimes you need to spin your wheels in circles for a bit before you can figure out how to build a well-oiled machine.

Adam Libunao, N/A Stock Company

Getting stuck 

During the early stages, my business partner and I were pretty much planning on the fly for the first couple of years. We were making sales, creating new products, getting new opportunities, but on a very small scale. Eventually, it felt like we hit a wall. We had months with no new products and weeks with no sales—almost to a point where we thought that offering huge discounts was the only way for us to make sales.

Getting unstuck 

It wasn’t until we set up goals for the entire year where we saw the biggest difference. We needed to go through that first phase so we could actually have a benchmark. This gave us time to look at what our customers wanted, what wasn’t working, what could be improved, and what a realistic sales goal was.

We took our year goal and started project planning around those goals 6 weeks at a time. This change helped us take the business more seriously. We went from having too much inventory to having to do more restocks! Our sales tripled, our chemistry got better, the process got easier, and we started to have fun with it again. We were like a well-oiled machine.

—Adam Libunao, N/A Stock Company

Adam says that slowing down and rewriting his business plan, based on everything he’d learned, helped him gather his thoughts, focus his time and effort, and see the way forward through product launches.

If this feels familiar, you can use our business plan template to think through every aspect of your business, from your mission to your place in the market, set ambitious-but-attainable goals, and work backwards on how to get there.

Download business plan template

Entrepreneurs may be known for bravely leaping first and “building the airplane on the way down”, but going through the process of planning—getting your thoughts on paper—can help you clarify your goals and prioritize the best path towards meeting them—whether it’s creating a more profitable pricing strategyoutsourcing to free up your time or securing new capital to grow.

2. Get good at Googling (problems are rarely unique) 🕵️‍♀️

When you think about it, in a world of over 7 billion people (more than a million building with Shopify), many of the obstacles we encounter are probably not one-of-a-kind. That can be reassuring.

Our questions have likely been asked before and our obstacles have likely been overcome before.

Answers and solutions are often a free Google search away.

The world’s most popular search engine is a good place to start your quest for answers, but there are a few tricks that can help entrepreneurs in particular:

  • Add “ ” around your query to force Google to filter for only exact matches of that keyword phrase (e.g. “holiday gift guide 2019” wellness to find out-of-date gift guides to pitch for your wellness products).
  • Add site: before a URL to search for a topic or question on a specific site. You can use this to quickly search forums like Reddit or Quora for answers (site:reddit.com influencer marketing ecommerce).
  • Don’t forget about YouTube, especially if you’re a visual learner. It’s not just a place for music videos and entertainment. “How to” and educational videos are some of the most popular videos on the platform.
  • Certain keywords can enrich your search results, such as case study to find real examples to learn from (e.g. facebook ads case study beauty brand -facebook.com) or vs. to compare two solutions you’re unsure about (e.g. sms marketing vs email marketing). If your search is turning up irrelevant results, you can add a  before a specific keyword to exclude it from your search results.
  • Search the Shopify app store for solutions. The Shopify app store is home to over a thousand solutions built specifically for entrepreneurs building on Shopify. For little challenges, like how to make a good-looking sizing chart, to larger problems, like improving your conversion rate, chances are there’s a free or paid Shopify app to solve it.

google search example

3. Find inspiration in your competition 👀

Comparison doesn’t have to be the thief of joy. It can also be a teacher.

Looking at your competitors or at what others are doing in your market can inspire ideas for your own business, such as how to drive traffic, how to price your products, and how you can position your brand to stand out.

There’s only so much you can glean from visiting a competitor’s website, however, so here are three ways you can peel back the curtain and see into the inner workings of other businesses for free.

1. Analyze their marketing strategy with Similar Web

There are hundreds of ways to market a business and the best approaches will depend on your context. But one of the better places to start is by analyzing your competitors.

SimilarWeb is a free tool that lets you plug in an established competitor’s website and see how they’re driving their traffic: what sources they’re relying on, what sites are linking to them, and other companies in the same space. All of this can be useful information for making your own decisions about where to invest your effort.

similar web traffic analysis

2. See what ads they’re running with Facebook Ad Library

Coming up with ads you feel confident betting on can be tough if copywriting, marketing, and design aren’t your main strengths.

Luckily, you can look up other companies using Facebook Ad Library to peak at what ads they’re currently running, for design and copywriting inspiration, or angles to help you differentiate yourself from your competition.

facebook ads library comparison

3. Peak at other email marketing strategies with MailCharts

Email marketing is indispensable for most ecommerce businesses. But setting up your own email campaigns can come with a lot of questions.

Beyond one-off promotional emails and newsletters, you can set up automated emails, like abandoned cart reminders and welcome emails for new subscribers, to drive value for your business in the background while you work on bringing in more traffic, subscribers, and customers.

But because emails are restricted to the inbox, email marketing strategies can be pretty opaque.

With MailCharts (free plan) you can actually see what emails a brand is sending to customers, along with the frequency, subject lines, and promotional mix to help inspire your own strategy.

mailcharts email marketing analysis

There’s also a gallery where you can filter by specific email types instead (order confirmation, Black Friday Cyber Monday, etc.), which are even graded based on effectiveness.

A thorough competitive analysis can make comparison your friend, helping you get the lay of the land so you can chart your own way forward. You can get started with your own using our free competitive analysis template, which includes key points of comparison, from price to target audience, to note down while researching your competition.

Free competitive analysis template for your business

Get competitive analysis template

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help 💚

Being resourceful may mean figuring it out, but it doesn’t mean figuring it out alone. Social resourcefulness is an often forgotten option because of the pressure to stand on our own. But seeking advice or support from others is a form of resourcefulness, not weakness.

There are countless communities and resources online, many of them free, where you can connect with other entrepreneurs or helpful advisors. You can even form your own mastermind group comprised of like-minded friends embarking on similar journeys ready to support each other.
Here are some ways you can embrace social resourcefulness for the moments when you get stuck:
  • Take advantage of customer support. Most of the tools you use to run your business will have customer support reps who might be able to help you navigate your issues. Support calls for technical issues can end with solid business advice on what to do next. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Shopify Support Advisors are available 24/7 to talk about your business and selling with Shopify.
  • Attend virtual meet-ups. Networking with other entrepreneurs can lead to some of the most valuable connections you’ll make in life. These are people like you who “get it”. Some of them have even been where you are now, or vice versa. Shopify Meetups regularly hosts virtual events that you can attend and connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs.
  • Hire an expert. If you’re struggling with a critical area of your business, such as store design or paid marketing, you can hire an experienced Shopify Expert to help. You can also look for freelance help on platforms like Upwork.
  • Ask around in forums for answers. People gather together in forums like Reddit and Quora around common interests and questions, making them a great place to find answers. Search to see if your question has already been asked. If not, you can pose it and hopefully find an answer. Shopify Community is our official forum for all things Shopify.
  • Participate in online communities. There are dozens of engaged online communities you can join. Even if you mostly lurk, there’s value to be had in listening in. And whenever you have a question or want feedback on an idea, you can pose it to the group. Try searching through Facebook groups for a group that’s relevant to you.

Community can be a lifelong resource for entrepreneurs if they can find it. For Lina, owner of Sooala, she found hers through an entrepreneurship bootcamp.

Getting stuck

The first time I felt really stuck, I was selling at my second flea market. My first attempt didn’t go that well, but this one was just before Christmas and I had high hopes for it.

It ended with me making one sale, whereas the girl next to me selling jewelry was making hundreds of sales. I just completely shut down after that. I spent the next two weeks wondering, “Why am I even doing this?” It’s really harsh when you get this kind of feedback from customers so early on.

Getting unstuck

What got me unstuck was a shift in my mindset.

I talked myself out of abandoning everything. “This is something that you really want to do. Two tries aren’t enough for you to say that you want to stop.”

I needed to do something that would move me forward. So that was when I enrolled in this business bootcamp. I thought to myself, I need to be surrounded by my peers, by like-minded people.

In that environment, I was able to learn and pivot my business idea into the business I am running today. I also connected with incredible entrepreneurs, some of whom I have even partnered with. We support each other in the down moments but also cheer each other on, and that just changed the whole journey for me and added to what keeps me going.

—Lina Ravelojaona, Sooala

Mentorship doesn’t need to come in the form of a wise mentor who takes you under their wing and teaches you how to fly. It can be found in a community of your peers, all of you figuring it out together.

5. Consider pivoting your business

Things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes a newer, better opportunity emerges that your business isn’t equipped to act on. Or, a key pillar that once supported your business vanishes overnight, leaving you teetering, trying to keep your balance.

A pivot occurs when you make the decision to alter the very DNA of your business to help it thrive better in these circumstances.

Some examples of pivots include:

  • Turning your company’s attention to a different audience or opportunity to find new customers (e.g. Pizza Pilgrim, a pizza restaurant forced to close their doors, started selling pizza kits online).
  • Changing your product or positioning to resonate more with a specific type of customer (e.g. PopSockets started as a headphone management accessory for smartphones before pivoting to stand out as a phone stand that’s fun to fidget with)
  • Overhauling the technology powering your business to keep pace with your customers’ needs (e.g. Old World Kitchen switched from selling through a marketplace to selling in their own online store)

Think of your favorite companies. Chances are they’ve undergone a significant pivot at least once in their history.

Shopify started off selling snowboards and pivoted into a solution to help people sell their own “snowboards”.

Such a drastic change to a business can be risky without the right market insight to back it. But for Lily of Lovelee Designs, a pivot was just what she needed when COVID-19 cancelled what would have been a big summer for her business.

Getting stuck

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was completely stuck. As a fashion designer who focuses on making custom designs for special occasions and events, I didn’t know how I would be able to continue making sales when the whole world was going to be on lockdown.

With several fashion shows booked (even one overseas), I had planned for it to be a summer of opportunities. Unfortunately, because of the effects of COVID-19, I was not able to attend any of these events.

I was actually questioning if I should go back to the corporate world and just work a regular 9-to-5, if being an entrepreneur was something I could actually maintain and sustain for the rest of my life.

Getting unstuck

I got unstuck when I realized that I should focus on the things that my market actually needed at that moment. With news that face masks would soon be mandatory I decided to learn how to make them.

I was then able to focus on bringing new customers through my “fashionably safe face masks” and a new online store. And as a result I was able to start pulling in sales again and bringing many more new customers to my brand.

—Lea-Asha ‘Lily’ Hibbert, Lovelee Designs

Where there’s a will

“There’s always a way” is the entrepreneur’s default when confronted with setbacks and challenges. But some obstacles can really throw you off your path.

Feeling stuck sucks. But it can also be immensely fulfilling when you figure out how to move forward. These moments when you’re reaching for your goals and your resourcefulness is stretched can even serve as inspiration the next time you get stuck.

Photo of Braveen Kumar

About the author

Braveen Kumar is part of the content team at Shopify where he develops resources to help aspiring entrepreneurs start and grow their own businesses.

The Art of Reinvention: How One Founder Found Her Purpose in the Middle of a Pandemic

Business owner Moorea Seal stands on the street

So far this year, Moorea Seal left her long-term relationship, moved into a temporary home, closed her retail and online stores, and let go of her entire staff—and it’s only April. Like many small business owners around the world, Moorea is scrambling to answer the question “What now?”. For her, this collective global grief is compounded by personal loss. But she’s been here before. And she is ready.

Moorea is a published author, small business founder, maker, and community connector. She’s also been an influencer since before influencers were even influencers. She is a magnetic, spiritual being with a natural inclination to help and guide others. Above all, she is a master of reinvention—and many of her successes were born during times of crisis.

Moorea Seal talks to another woman in a busy store next to a shoe display
Moorea Seal built her business to help support other makers and small brands. (Kara Meloy)
Display of gold earrings
Moorea taught herself to make jewelry and sold it on Etsy before launching her Shopify store. (Kara Meloy)

When she was eight, Moorea’s parents announced, without notice, that she would be moving from the UK to the US, and she would have to sell all of her toys. “I set up my playroom as a shop,” she says. “My first shop.” She was bullied in her new American school and recounts a childhood punctuated by death and family trauma, relationships with abuse, and the tension of leaving her religion. “There have been points in my life that have been truly, truly tragic,” she says. “Extreme loss and extreme pain.”

College was a struggle for Moorea, too. “I thought at the time it meant I would not be successful in life,” she says. She nonetheless graduated from a college illustration program—in the middle of a recession. Working as a live-in nanny to pay the bills, Moorea was isolated from her friends and family. She taught herself to make jewelry from her tiny bedroom and sold it on Etsy. She started blogging as a way to work through isolation. Her blog connected her to a community—and that community resonated with her story.

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The accidental influencer

Moorea was an early adopter of Pinterest where she built a following quite by accident. Her influence on the platform eventually landed her partnerships with brands such as Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and L’Oreal, and she would appear alongside the likes of Martha Stewart and Dr. Oz on Pinterest tastemaker lists.

But Moorea was wary of the influencer world. “After a year or two, I thought, ‘There’s no way that the world of influencing is going to last,’” she says. “‘I can’t rely on this for my income.’” In 2013, she built a safety net and launched her online store on Shopify, leveraging her existing follower base.

Her namesake brand, Moorea Seal, became an extension of her Pinterest account—a place to curate her favorite things. She sold goods from over 40 makers, including herself, and focused on handmade and sustainability. “No one was really talking about the ethics of shopping,” she says, “and so my site was very unique at that time.”

Six months after launching the store, Moorea received a call from a Pinterest rep, who told her that affiliate links were being removed—the next day. “For me, that meant an income of about $3,000, $4,000 a month just stopping,” she says.

I was paying myself nothing for the first two years.

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Moorea poured herself into her store to make up for the lost income. “I was paying myself nothing for the first two years,” she says. She had a partner and one staff member and they bootstrapped the business from a small room in a church community center. “The irony of being a priest’s daughter who left religion and is building her business from a children’s playroom at a church was crazy,” she says. The trio outgrew the space and, in looking for new digs, Moorea thought, “What if we try and find a space that was also a storefront, kind of a pop-up situation?”

Bricks and book deals

In 2014, the team signed a lease on an affordable space that was on a main Seattle bus line. “I just put my name on the window really huge and made sure the logo looked the same as on Pinterest,” Moorea says. It worked. She gained customers from passersby who recognized her from her online presence, and the business grew, eventually expanding into the space next door. “I was like the sales girl for six days a week,” Moorea says, “in addition to running it and building our team and selling online.”

Interior of a store with pink walls and a red couch
Moorea bootstrapped, reinvesting her book income into her business, eventually growing into a larger space. (Moorea Seal)
Image of a store interior. A woman in the foreground sits on a round yellow stool trying on shoes
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Moorea closed the door on her Seattle retail space in March. (Kara Meloy)

But Moorea was still nurturing her online community. She landed a book deal based on an online self-care venture and, in 2015, published The 52 Lists Project, the first in a series of a journal-style workbook aimed at encouraging self-discovery and increasing mindfulness through weekly list-making challenges.

Soon after, her business began outgrowing its retail space. Moorea’s team invested in a new, larger location that better represented the brand. “I put everything I made from my books into my business,” she says. “It was an expensive space to build out.”

The pivot

In March 2020, the spread of COVID-19 was ramping up in the US and the entire country started shutting down. In Seattle, Moorea responded quickly, communicating her precautionary measures and offering her customers and followers advice for staying safe. But soon, the local government mandated the closure of non-essential businesses, and Moorea was forced to shut her doors.

My staff can’t leave their homes. I have one person who lives on an island, and they have to take a ferry into Seattle.

Luckily, Moorea already had a solid eCommerce business to supplement the retail space, and she diverted attention to her online store. She bundled books from her 52 Lists series with other self-care lifestyle products—candles, pens for journaling, personalized handwritten notes of hope—into care packages that quickly sold out. But with no staff left to help her fulfill orders, Moorea ended up closing her online store, too. “My staff can’t leave their homes,” she says. “I have one person who lives on an island, and they have to take a ferry into Seattle.”

A book titled 52 Lists for Togetherness lays on a stack of books set upon a faux fur surface
Moorea’s 52 Lists project landed her a publishing deal and she wrote several books within the series. (Moorea Seal)
A shot from above a table with pens, a notebook, hats and jewellery
Moorea’s store became an extension of her work on Pinterest—curating the things she loves. (Moorea Seal)

Moorea talks to me from her Airbnb, where she planned to stay only briefly after leaving her relationship. She was ready to look for a new permanent home when Seattle implemented shelter in place, requiring all residents to stay at home. Now, she’s stuck in limbo. Moorea says she finds herself at a crossroads in every aspect of her life—work, home, relationships. “I’m experiencing a lot of loss,” she says.

But Moorea has a remarkably positive outlook—it was from a place of loss that many of the successes in her life have manifested. With many others in isolation seeking community and connection, Moorea sees an opportunity for her next reinvention. She hopes to amplify her story of overcoming various forms of isolation in her own life and be an example to others. “It literally feels like, OK, Moorea, here’s why you did all the things you did for the last 10 years,’” she says.

Finding her purpose

Before COVID-19 forced Moorea to rethink her strategy, her heart was already pushing for a change. The retail store was a dream come true, but she found it difficult to separate herself from her brand. “Having your name on a business, you can lose your identity very easily,” she says. In the fall of 2019, Moorea already had started to explore what else her retail space could be. She imagined hosting restorative and healing events, music video dance-along, and tattoo pop-ups. “I can’t unlink it from my identity, so let’s just make it a true reflection of my identity,” she says.

I need to make sure my business is more about what I care about on a deep, deep level—more than just selling products.

In-person events currently are out of the question while her city is on lockdown. But the brainstorming exercise was helpful in planning her next move. “I need to make sure my business is more about what I care about on a deep, deep level,” she says. “More than just selling products.” With the store closed, Moorea has found the space to explore those things: writing, spirituality, and being a guide to others.

“My purpose,” Moorea says, “is to use my own experiences with isolation, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder and be a resource to people.” Lately, she’s been taking to Instagram to offer messages of inspiration and hope to others. Maybe it will spin into a podcast, she says, and probably more books.

A photo of an open book held by a hand on a jute rug
Moorea plans to rethink her business while the store is shut down, and focus on writing more books. (Moorea Seal)

As she has always done, Moorea is staying open and springing into survival mode. She’s offering tarot readings to her Instagram followers, which is helping her generate enough income to meet her basic needs. And she’s looking ahead.

“Seattle’s not going to be shut down for two weeks,” Moorea says. “My storefront’s going to be shut down for a couple months or permanently. I have to accept that.” With this new reality, Moorea’s vision for her retail store has taken on a new life. Her Shopify site, in its future form, will be a virtual manifestation of her original plan. She says she might still sell products, but they’ll reflect her overarching goal of creating community and safe space. And anything she builds next will involve bringing back her staff. “They really are like family.”

Sometimes the greatest learning you do in life is uncomfortable.

Whatever post-pandemic life looks like for Moorea, she’s optimistic it will be a chance for a much-needed career rebirth. Until then, she’s focused on her basic necessities: finding a place to live, learning to cook for herself, and navigating a grocery store. “I’m learning some basic things in a weird time,” she says. Her message to others struggling? You can come out of this OK on the other side, she says—she’s living proof—and you may even be better for it. “Sometimes the greatest learning you do in life is uncomfortable.”

Photo of Dayna Winter

About the author

Dayna Winter

Dayna Winter is a Storyteller at Shopify, curious about the humans behind the brands and the moments that motivate them to create. She follows more dogs than humans on Instagram and isn’t a real redhead.

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Easy2Cart.com – Your One-Stop e-Commerce Selling World Class Products especially Leggings

Blue leggings from Easy2Cart.com I confirm that this is a sponsored post that adheres to FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255 of the USA.

Do check out leggings from a world-class collection on a website that I happen to browse this morning. They are suitable for jogging and look trendy with various designs to spruce up the attire for women. Printed leggings hug the legs according to the contour of the calves and thighs. They make a woman look sexier without exposing the body parts. Easy2cart.com is a Shopify store that sells a wide collection of leggings, besides other products on its safe, secure and robust payment gateway and shopping cart. The sizes range from S, M, L, and XL or Extra Large for the plus-sized women.

General features of the leggings include high waist, ankle-length legging for a workout, yoga, gym, and aerobics classes. They are ideal for all seasons. Come in a number of colors and sizes. As fellow readers of this blog, you get 35% Discount from using my code PHILIN1 by clicking on >> HERE

 

Pink Leggings from Easy2Cart.com Also, leggings are usually made from fabrics such as cotton-lycra, or a cotton-polyester-lycra combination.  These are more typically worn for fashion but are also worn as exercise wear in the gym or for jogging outside. Cotton-lycra leggings are available in many colors, prints, and designs. However, navy blue, black, and various shades of gray remain the most commonly worn colors. In Easy2Cart, the fabrics they use are made of Spandex and Polyester mix for maximum stretchability. To allow the leggings to last longer, it is better not to spin in the washing machine, but select gentle wash and then hang up to dry. Easy peasy, lemon squishy!

The style is trendy and makes the woman look younger while giving the impression of longer and sexier legs. As February is the month of Valentine’s Day, why not get your loved ones, spouses, wives, girlfriends these awesome leggings for them to look groovy while working out for a healthier body? As your spouse takes care of you, you need to reciprocate by taking care of them back and sometimes giving gifts such as legging to work and sweat it out in the gym, for aerobics lessons, jogging in the parks, and more.

 

Grey spandex leggings from easy2cart.com

As of this moment, only PayPal payments are accepted. Since PayPal is a widely used payment platform, many people around the world would be able to purchase from easy2cart.com in a jiffy. The purchase experience is seamless and easy, without all the hassles of re-entering your credit card details. PayPal has an integrated credit or debit card details that will automatically deduct from your account. With just a simple email on PayPal, you will be able to make your purchases a pleasant experience and have the ordered items delivered right to your doorsteps by the courier serviceman.

 

New Heart Sports Printed Leggings from Easy2Cart.com

As a woman, I have a few pairs of leggings that I bought online that you can never find it here and the best part is that it is cheaper. Now, with the pandemic novel coronavirus (Covid-19) going on in various parts of the world, especially Wuhan, in the Province of Hubei, China, many people are buying things and foodstuffs online to stock up and avoiding public places like the supermarkets, cinemas, and more.

 

Olive Green or Army Green leggings from Easy2Cart.com

 

For those in the army, the olive color or ‘army’ color of the leggings look splendid. The natural earth tone color blends well with any outfit and makes the woman look sexy and part of the crowd. No shouting outrageous colors to stand out from the crowd especially made for those who love the privacy and not being the Maradona.

To highlight again, general features of the leggings include high waist, ankle-length legging for a workout, yoga, gym, and aerobics classes. They are ideal for all seasons. Come in a number of colors and sizes. As fellow readers of this blog, you get 35% Discount from using my code PHILIN1 by clicking on >> HERE

white tree design black leggings from easy2cart.com

Above is a beautiful white tree printed design on a black background of the leggings where white and black colors compliment each other well. And also brings out the contrast. The white and black design leggings match any occasion and any outfit like tees and loose blouses or even halter necks.

For more promotional codes, check out >> dealspotr.com/promo-codes/easy2cart.com

Since more people are home-bound and some companies allow their employees to work from home, online purchasing is getting more and more popular at this point in time. Therefore drop shipping platforms like Shopify from Canada are getting more recognized and used around the world to sell various items and drop ship to the clients’ addresses worldwide.

Besides leggings, other products being promoted and selected at random are as below:mascara and brush from easy2cart.com

The mascara and brush as seen above certainly look tempting for one to purchase and browse around Easy2Cart.com where only world-class products are sold. Women who love makeup and look pretty in public will love this mascara and brush included. They also have tech gadgets sold here on Easy2Cart.com

 

Smart Watch from Easy2Cart.com

 

The above picture can also be purchased from the e-Commerce website as mentioned earlier. Apparently it comes with many features, Wi-Fi ready, and can sync with your smartphone like the Apple iPhone. I have yet to own a smartwatch, but might check out one from this website if I have the budget. Personally, I have seen many people wearing such dark-colored smartwatches on their wrists.

The smartwatches certainly speak volumes of the wearer – must be a high-techie to know the various functions or a health nut who loves to check on his or her heart rate automatically, and such.

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Easy2Cart Logo Hence, it pays to read blogs such as this to save money in case you are looking for certain products to buy and do not wish to go out for health reasons and avoid crowds in shopping malls, and public places. Happy shopping if you wish to do so and enjoy browsing around the e-Commerce website with a robust merchant payment gateway and a shopping cart.

From Clicks to Customers: 16 Online Business Ideas You Can Start on the Side

Online Business Ideas

 

This isn’t about one simple life-changing trick. Starting a business doesn’t work that way. Instead, to help you find a product idea or business model that fits your lifestyle, we’ve put together a collection of simple ways to start a business without quitting your day job.

16 online business ideas you can start with a laptop

  1. Start your own clothing line
  2. Launch a dropshipping store
  3. Sell your art online
  4. Become a freelance writer, designer or developer
  5. Teach an online course
  6. Flip your thrift store finds
  7. Publish your own book
  8. Start a blog
  9. Become a virtual assistant
  10. Try your hand at being an influencer
  11. Build apps and websites
  12. Launch a podcast
  13. Sign up for affiliate marketing
  14. Curate subscription boxes
  15. Develop a niche product
  16. Create handmade goods

1. Start your own clothing line

If you have some designs in mind and a little bit of time on your hands, you can get your clothing company off the ground.

If you already own a Shopify store, you can set up your own clothing line using Oberlo, Printify, Printful, or a similar product sourcing app. Each automatically links your store to apparel printers and clothing manufacturers. They also handle every step of the retail fulfillment process for you, giving you the freedom to design and ship a wide range of pieces right out of the gate.

Why start a clothing line?

  • There’s nothing more satisfying than creating products that people will use every day.
  • As soon as you build your Shopify store, you’ll be able to start selling instantly. Thanks to apps like Printify and Printful, the process of designing and delivering your own custom-made clothing has been streamlined and simplified.
  • You’ll love the feeling of seeing your designs come to life by transforming your creativity into something real and profitable.

We used Printful to create THINK PUP, an apparel store for dog owners and ended up making over $1,200 in just three weeks. With some time and research, you could be well on your way to building a successful t-shirt company, too.

 
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2. Launch a dropshipping store

You don’t need a warehouse full of inventory to run your own business. Dropshipping is a great way to start a business on a budget. You can hit the ground running by sourcing a pre-existing product from a supplier and having them take care of things like packaging and fulfillment.

This process lets you skip over a lot of obstacles that might be standing in the way of you starting your own business. More importantly, a dropshipping business eliminates the risk of finding out there’s no market for your product after placing a huge order with a manufacturer or supplier.

Why choose dropshipping?

  • You don’t need to stock products in a physical location, meaning that your cash flow won’t get tied up in inventory. There’s less of an upfront cash risk.
  • Whenever a purchase is made, you place an order with a third party and they handle the rest of the process for you. Since you don’t have to deal with things like tracking inventory or mailing packages, dropshipping eliminates a lot of potential headaches for budding entrepreneurs.
  • No warehouse means you can run your business from anywhere. Whether it’s your living room or the café down the street, you decide where you want to work from.

If you’re interested in dropshipping, read our Ultimate Guide to Dropshipping to help you get started.

If you don’t have any online shop ideas, here are some strategies for narrowing down the perfect product:

Free Webinar: The Right Way to Start a Profitable Dropshipping Store

Learn how to find high-margin products, import them into your store, and start selling — fast.

3. Sell your art online

Whether you’re a painter, photographer, or musician, there are plenty of ways to start an online store and turn your latest masterpiece into a source of revenue with a beautifully designed e-commerce website.

If painting or photography is your forte, you can sell your work as prints, canvases, and framed posters using Printify or Printful. This is a fantastic way to turn your art into something tangible that people can take home and integrate into their space. Is music your thing? You can sell your beats, songs, samples, and more as digital downloads.

Just take a look at The Drum Broker, the largest online drum sample business in the world. It created a successful and sustainable business model with the help of apps like FetchApp and ShipStation.

Why sell your art?

  • You’ll be part of people’s lives by getting your work into customers’ homes and headphones.
  • You’ll create a platform for showcasing your work by setting up shop online store.
  • As an artist, creating art isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of life. This is your chance to turn your passion into an income stream and potentially do what you love for a living.

4. Become a freelance writer, designer, or developer

Writers, developers, and graphic designers can start a business based on their talents. As a freelancer, you’ll be able to put your skills to good use by helping people across the world with their projects (while making some money yourself, of course).

Freelancing doesn’t mean committing to months-long projects that eat away at your free time. You can easily pick up bite-sized tasks that fit your schedule.

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To find people that need your help, try freelancing marketplaces, like Upwork and Fiverr.

It’s worth noting that Fiverr is a little different from a traditional job board. As the name suggests, all the posted jobs cost five dollars. The key to making big money on Fiverr is carefully setting up your offers so you can easily upsell the client for more money.

For instance, you could offer to write a 150-word introduction for a blog post as your initial five-dollar service. As an upsell, you could charge another $10 for every additional 150 words. You can tweak your services until you’ve found a combo that makes it worth your while.

If you want total control over how much you charge, create a Shopify store. You can list your services as products and disable shipping since you won’t actually be physically delivering anything to your customers. You can even use apps like BookThatApp and Events Calendar to give your customers the option to schedule appointments.

Why freelance?

  • When you freelance, you choose which projects you want to work on and set your own schedule and workplace.
  • Getting paid to do something you’re good at is a rewarding feeling, whether you’re looking to strike out on your own or just want to make some extra cash on the weekend.
  • If you’re new to writing, designing, or developing, freelancing is an excellent way to build your portfolio and get some real experience in a wide range of industries. You might discover that you have a knack or passion for something you never expected.

If freelancing sounds like it might be a good money-making website idea for your lifestyle, we’ve put together some great articles that can help you make the most of your time:

5. Teach an online course

Teaching an online course is a low-investment business idea for generating passive income. All you need to do is put together a video walkthrough explaining a subject you’re familiar with and then host it on your own personal website.

Although it requires effort upfront, if you manage to design a popular, high-value video tutorial series, you would make money on an ongoing basis as people continue to enroll in your course.

To start creating your first online course, brainstorm a topic that you know well enough to teach someone how to do from scratch. This can be literally anything—music production, social media marketing, web development, you name it.

Next, you’ll want to grab a screencasting app, like ScreenFlow, to record your screen and voice while you walk your students through your tutorial. ScreenFlow also comes with a built-in video-editing suite, letting you shoot and cut your videos all on the same platform.

Why teach an online course?

  • With an online course, you can literally set it and forget it. Take a few days or weeks, depending on the complexity you’re aiming for, to build an online course, and you could be reaping the benefits for weeks.
  • You already have the knowledge, you just need to share it. Focus on teaching something that you’re already an expert at and the rest will come naturally, whether it’s building iOS apps, creating monthly budgets, or running Facebook ad campaigns.
  • Teaching someone a new skill is its own reward. While there’s definitely money to be made teaching online courses, helping other people is always a satisfying experience in itself.

6. Flip your thrift store finds

If you love hitting up thrift stores and hunting down great deals, then one great shop idea is to sell your second-hand treasures online.

Your potential customers want to buy cool stuff, but they don’t want to dig through old soccer jerseys and braided belts to get their hands on that one amazing find. Take advantage of this by positioning yourself as a trustworthy curator who can go out and uncover those great vintage pieces for others.

Why sell your thrift store finds?

  • Let’s face it, you’d be combing through thrift store racks anyway, so you might as well make some money while you do it by putting your shopping addiction to work.
  • The margins are huge. That two-dollar RadioShack ball cap you found over the weekend? Next, it might be a $40 vintage vaporwave strapback.
  • You’re selling something unique. Nowhere else on the web will people be able to find the vintage collections that you put together.

Sometimes a passion for second-hand curiosities is all it takes to kickstart a business. Windy Gaming, an online store dedicated to selling vintage video games, started when its owner received a box of old Japanese games from a friend and wanted to sell them online. Now, Windy Gaming generates $1,000 per week selling retro gaming gear around the world.

Want to turn your cool stuff into pizza money? Take a look at these guides to making your products look great in photos:

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7. Publish your own book

It’s OK to admit it: you’ve thought about publishing your own book someday. While seeing your name on a list of bestsellers might seem like a pipe dream, it’s actually not that far out of reach.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a science-fiction novel, a marketing guide, or a children’s picture book, there are now plenty of options for successfully self-publishing your work. These include releasing your writing as an ebook with the Digital Downloads app to on-demand printing services like Blurb and CreateSpace.

To sell ebooks through your online store, install the Digital Downloads app and you’ll instantly be able to stock digital files as products. Once purchased, your ebooks will be sent to your customers via email or as a direct download link.

If you choose to sell physical copies of your book, you’ll just need to place an order with Blurb or CreateSpace whenever your work is purchased. They’ll custom print your book and handle the entire storage and fulfillment process.

Why publish a book?

  • What’s the point of writing something if there’s no one around to read it? Self-publishing is the quickest way to get your book into the hands of potential readers.
  • Printing, storage, and delivery is taken care of thanks to services like Blurb and CreateSpace.
  • Creative writing is your passion and you deserve to be able to make money while doing something you enjoy.

Ready to live out your dreams of being a published author? These resources will help you on your way to the top:

8. Start a blog

Blogging has come a long way since its inception. What was once a virtual journal has now turned into a marketing and even monetization tool.

Whether you make money from publishing sponsored posts, hosting third-party ads, or selling your products, a blog is a great online business idea.

The key to starting a successful blog is to focus on building an engaged, loyal audience. When you start with an audience-centric approach, you’ll cultivate a community that trusts you. And when you can earn trust, you can start to drive revenue.

That’s how Mr. Money Mustache started his popular personal finance blog. What began as a movement has turned into a successful business that’s earned national media coverage.

Why start a blog?

  • Blogs have unlimited growth potential. You can expand into affiliate marketing, ecommerce, courses, and essentially any other online business venture. Some blogs even use a paid subscription model to drive revenue.
  • A blog is a long-term play. While you won’t see overnight results, they are likely to be more sustainable. A blog lives on the internet forever—or at least until you delete it.
  • It lets you practice your writing—an essential skill to have in business and communication. Use tools like Grammarly or Hemmingway to improve your writing.

For more information on getting started, check out these articles:

9. Become a virtual assistant

Are you super organized and love working behind the scenes? If so, you might be the perfect candidate to start a virtual assistant (VA) business.

A VA helps entrepreneurs, businesses, and executives organize their personal and professional lives. There’s a broad spectrum of duties, ranging from appointment scheduling to basic marketing management and everything in between. And everything is done online.

Why become a VA?

  • Work with your ideal client. Even if you don’t know at the start, over time you’ll find out who you love working with and what you love to do for them. You can evolve your business to cater to those preferences.
  • Interact with people from all over the world. All you need is an internet connection to do your work, and you can have the chance to work with international clients and professionals.
  • Grow your business into a network of VAs. If you become too busy or have growth goals, you can hire and train VAs to work under you and increase profits.

10. Try your hand at being an influencer

Influencer marketing has exploded on the marketing scene, and though consumers are becoming more savvy, there are still plenty of opportunities to be had.

Because influencers have gotten in hot water for dishonest practices, there’s been a movement toward micro-influencers—profiles with smaller but more engaged followings. Good news: you don’t need millions of followers to earn money on Instagram.

Why be an influencer?

  • It’s an opportunity to get an introduction to marketing—particularly valuable if you’re interested in pursuing that as a career or additional business venture.
  • You’ll learn about new and interesting brands. You might discover products and companies you love that you never would have found had they not solicited your services.
  • It’s so easy a monkey can do it. Well, not literally—but you can make your pet the star if you’re camera shy.

Here are our inspiring tips and stories to get you started as an influencer:

11. Build apps and websites

If you’re tech-savvy, acquire some coding skills and start building. Whether it’s mobile apps, Shopify apps, or websites, you can create digital products for purchase or as a service provider.

For example, you can create a custom Shopify theme template and sell it to merchants looking for an affordable DIY approach to designing their website. Or work with clients directly to build websites and apps tailored to their specific needs.

Why build apps and websites?

  • Technology isn’t going anywhere, and the demand for the technical skills necessary to build apps and websites will only continue to grow.
  • There’s an endless amount of platforms and systems out there. If you get bored of one, learn and transition to another.

For more information on building apps, check out these articles from Shopify Partners:

12. Launch a podcast

If you like the sound of your own voice, consider recording it for a podcast. Podcasts are a great online business idea with multiple monetization options, similar to starting a blog.

Here’s what you need to start your podcast:

  • A high-quality microphone
  • Audio recording software
  • Call recording software

To promote your podcast, consider collaborating with prominent figures as guests on your show. Encourage listeners to leave reviews and share your podcast with their friends and family.

Why start a podcast?

  • Podcasts continue to grow in popularity. According to Podcast Insights, 51% of Americans have listened to a podcast.
  • A successful podcast can lead to endless possibilities: turn your episodes into a blog, solicit sponsors and advertisers, and make connections you never would have been able to before.

13. Sign up for affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is when you recommend a product or service by sharing it on a blog or social media, to your email list, on your website, or on other channels. You earn a commission each time someone converts through your unique referral link or code.

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Find an affiliate program that suits your interests, personal brand, and target audience. Affiliate Future, ShareASale, and FlexOffers are a few examples. Amazon has its own affiliate program, and you can also check out the Shopify Affiliate Program.

Once you’ve signed up, start sharing. Create social media posts, blog articles, emails, and other content about how great the product or service you’re promoting is. Don’t oversaturate your audience with ads, otherwise, you risk coming across as spammy or inauthentic.

Why do affiliate marketing?

  • It’s easy: You likely already promote the products and services you use. Now, you can get paid for it.
  • Affiliate marketing is a great source of passive income. With the Shopify Affiliate Program, affiliates earn an average of $58 for each user who signs up for a paid plan and $2,000 for each Plus referral.

14. Curate subscription boxes

Subscription boxes are themed packages of various products. There are subscription boxes in pretty much every industry, from meal-prep kits and craft snacks to fitness products and makeup. You can curate subscription boxes around virtually any theme of your choice.

Bokksu, for example, curates Japanese snacks and sends them to customers each month.

Bokksu curated subscription box business idea

When you curate subscription boxes, you work with brands and artisans to purchase and resell their products in a bundled offering. Typically, consumers expect to be surprised by what’s in the box, though there are some (like meal prep kits) where the customer chooses what they receive.

Why curate subscription boxes?

  • It’s a viable seasonal business. Ironically, “subscription” boxes are purchased as gifts more often than for the buyer themselves. So if you’re only interested in running your online business for part of the year, this could be a model worth checking out.
  • It’s a growing industry. Subscription commerce sales grew from $57 million in 2011 to more than $2.6 billion in 2016.
  • You don’t need to create your own products. Instead, you can use proven, successful products and simply put them together in a nice package.

Interested in finding out how to start your subscription box business? Learn from these resources:

15. Develop a niche product

If you recognize an opportunity in a certain niche, you might be on to your next successful online business idea. Niche products cater to a unique audience. When done well, they serve a specific community.

Niches could be based on industry, demographics, price point, geography, values, product attributes, and more. Really, a niche could be anything specific enough to target a small group of potential customers. For example:

  • Conscious consumers: think vegan, sustainable, and eco-friendly products and brands.
  • Pet owners: you could even drill down by pet type.
  • Remote workers: these professionals have specific attributes different from the traditional office worker.

Why develop a niche product?

  • Niche products are unique and thus buzzworthy. Early success can be all you need to drive press coverage with zero budget.
  • Though niching down might be scary to some, choosing a specific target customer makes it easier to create marketing and messaging that resonates. Rather than trying to speak to a broad, diverse group, you’re talking to a group of individuals with lots of shared characteristics.

16. Create handmade goods

If you’re particularly crafty, you can try your hand at selling handmade products. Whether you make jewelry, picture frames, or furniture, one business idea is to monetize your craft skills and sell your creations online.

While you can use platforms like Craigslist or Etsy, your own online store will give you more control and make it easier to track and fulfill orders.

Why sell handmade goods?

  • Devote as much or as little time as you want. It’s your choice on how big you want to grow.
  • Create your schedule. Make your handmade goods on a set schedule, when you have spare time, or whenever you want.
  • Turn your passion into income. Like many of the online business ideas on this list, an entrepreneurial endeavor backed by passion leads to a more fulfilling experience.

How do I start an online business?

Once you’ve decided on an online business idea, you’ll want to do your due diligence and, eventually, give it life. Here’s how to start a business, step-by-step:

  1. Validate your idea with market research
  2. Develop your product or service
  3. Set up your business finances
  4. Find vendors and suppliers
  5. Build your website

Shopify Academy Course: Sell Your Homemade Goods Online

Have a product you’re ready to sell? The Kular family shares their experience building a business around mom’s recipe book. From selling one-on-one to reaching the aisles of Whole Foods.

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1. Validate your idea with market research

It might sound harsh, but it’s true: just because you think you have a great idea, that doesn’t mean there’s a market for it. Before investing your time and energy into starting your business, research how feasible it is and whether there’s any potential buyer interest. You can hire an agency to conduct market research for you, but if you’re on a shoestring budget, you can also take the DIY approach:

2. Develop your product or service

You’ve validated your idea, now it’s time to turn it into a reality. Whether you’re selling a product or service, you need to create it. Find a manufacturer to bring your product to life, create packages of your service offerings, or write your book and identify a self-publishing option to bring it to fruition.

If you go the dropshipping route, the product has already been developed for you. It’s up to you to choose the products you’re passionate about or that you’ve identified a hot market for. To help you, we’ve put together a guide to finding the best products to dropship.

Exchange Marketplace

Exchange Marketplace: Buy a Business

Exchange is the marketplace to kickstart your entrepreneurial dreams and buy a business. Browse thousands of stores for sale.

3. Set up your business finances

“How do I open a business bank account?” is a common question for many new entrepreneurs. After you’ve officially registered your business with your local government, you should have the tax identification numbers and other information required to open a business bank account.

As you grow, you might need funding for future endeavors, be it a new product launch or marketing and advertising spend. Having business bank accounts makes it easier for you to manage that capital, as well as track your revenue and expenses.

Having a bank account is also helpful when it comes to tax preparation since your business-related transactions will be in a single place. As your business finances get more complicated, hiring a professional accountant or tax professional could be a viable option.

4. Find vendors and suppliers

Product-based online businesses, in particular, may require lots of business relationships. For example a manufacturer, a drop shipper, or a third-party logistics coordinator. When identifying which partnerships you want to move forward with, it’s best to shop around and compare your options to make sure you’re getting the best solution for your needs.

Other online businesses may require different relationships or contractors. If you’re writing a book, for example, you may want to hire a professional editor and book designer.

5. Build your website

If you want to start a business online, you need to have a website. And to generate online sales, you’ll need to incorporate payment processing functionality. First, choose a domain name and verify that it’s available. You can purchase a domain name for less than $20 a year in some cases. From there, you can build your own store on a platform like Shopify and start accepting payments from customers right away.

It’s time to bring your online business idea to life

If you’ve been thinking about ways to start a business, it’s time to get out there and create an online money-making business in your spare time. You don’t have to go all in. Start small with a side hustle and scale from there. Or, keep things small. The beauty of starting your own online business is that it’s all up to you.

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How to Choose the Perfect Name for Your Store

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Coming up with a name for your online business might seem like a pretty simple task, but trust us, it isn’t always easy.

In fact, it can take days to come up with a name for your business.

That’s because most entrepreneurs have high expectations for their businesses. They want their business name to be instantly recognizable, and to leave a lasting memory on their shoppers.

Essentially, they want their business name to be perfect. And perfection is rarely simple.

But, seriously, choosing a name for your business is a lot easier when you’ve got some tips & tricks from experienced entrepreneurs who can guide you in the right direction.

And that’s exactly why we’ve created this post – we’re going to show you exactly how to come up with the perfect name for your store.

So grab your thinking hat and read through our list of the most important things to consider when you’re choosing a name for your online business.

Let’s dive in.

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What Goes Into a Great Business Name?

When it comes to naming your business, we can’t stress one thing enough; there isn’t an exact science or formula that you can use to come up with a great name.

It’s a creative process, so you need to give yourself some time to think.

That said, there are some pretty important points that you should take into consideration when you’re at the drawing board that’ll help you to avoid choosing a bad business name.

And believe us, you can choose a bad business name.

So, let’s take a look at how you can make sure that you’re choosing a stellar name for your business.

Keep it Simple and Straightforward

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Generally speaking, when it comes to starting a business keeping things simple and straightforward is key.

And that’s true when it comes to naming your business, too.

Why?

Well, when you’re looking for a memorable name for your business, you need to make it easy for people to remember.

That’s especially true when you consider that it normally takes up to seven impressions – that’s seven times when shoppers see or interact with a brand – to actually remember your business name.

That’s quite a lot.

That’d be seven Facebook ads you’d need to run or seven Instagram posts.

And, using a long, or complex business name in the first place is going to make it even tougher for your audience to recognize your brand in the first place.

So, it’s no surprise that the names of some of the biggest brands in the world are usually just one word long.

They keep it simple because they want to be remembered.

Choose a Future Proof Name

When you’re starting your business, you’re probably thinking about hitting milestones like launching your store, getting your first sale, or making your first $1,000.

Now, there’s no doubt that those are pretty big, impressive milestones for somebody who is just starting their business.

But, the idea is that you’ll hopefully be hitting much bigger milestones than that eventually – think $1,000+ in sales every single month.

And that’s why you need to think big when you’re naming your business. You need to think of a business name that’ll work in the future as you grow, too.

You could opt for a name like “Dog Bowl Emporium” – that might work while you’re running a small business.

But, you could also opt for something like “Premium Pet Supplies” that’d offer you a business name that you can grow into. 

You might want to add more products to your business in the future as it grows, so keep your options open when you’re choosing a name for your business.

Choose a Name That’s Available

When you’re looking for a name for your business, it’s essential that you check your ideas are available.

And when we say available, we’re talking about domain names specifically.

We always recommend trying to secure the .com domain name for your brand – especially if you’re targeting your products to an English-speaking audience.

Why? It’s simple, ‘.com’ domains are trusted so much more by the typical shopper.

It’s because of the ‘.com’ domain is familiar. It’s been around since the start of the Internet, and most professional brands use this type of domain as well.

If you’re looking for a tool to check domain names, you can do it on Shopify. You can search for domain names, check how much they cost, and buy/install them to your store too.

And don’t forget to check that you can find social media handles related to your business name, too. Always try to secure a Facebook and Instagram account to go with your ‘.com’ domain too.

BONUS: We recommend checking your business name on the U.S. Patent Searcher as well, it’s another great resource that you can use to check if your business name has already been taken by another company.

Convey Meaning

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Once you’ve got your creative juices flowing, we recommend trying to convey meaning with your business name.

Now, we’re not saying that you need to go super abstract with your business name, because most people probably won’t make the connection if you do that.

Seriously, think about it.

Most people don’t think about the Greek goddess of victory when they see the Nike logo, even though that’s the inspiration for the companies name.

Equally, you can bet the average person doesn’t look at Nivea skin cream and think “Oh that’s white because it’s named after the Latin word Niveus, which means ‘snow white’”.

We’re not saying you should dive down the rabbit hole of trying to find a deep meaning for your business name.

But, try not to be super generic.

Try to avoid business names like “Andrew’s Sports Store”. Instead, you could use words that are related to working out, like “Power Sports” or “Reflex Apparel”. These business names simply have more meaning – they evoke more emotion, which is going to go a long way in helping shoppers to remember your business.

5 Examples of Great Business Names

Okay, now that we’ve gone through our top tips for coming up with a name for your business, it’s time to highlight some of our favorite store names.

These are real-world examples of companies who’ve nailed their store names and hit on the points that we mentioned above.

We’ll dive into the meanings behind these store names, so you can get a better idea of how successful brands think about naming their businesses.

Bulletproof

One of the first things that you see when you land on Bulletproof ’s homepage is “Health Upgrades”.

And that copy is totally aligned with their brand message – Bulletproof sells products that are designed to make you feel bulletproof. 

They blend butter into their best-selling coffee products, which are meant to work to elongate the effects of their products and help you to avoid the usual crash that comes from caffeine.

Essentially, they’re selling coffee products that are “more than your average latte.”

And we love their business name. It’s simple yet effective. Every shopper has a clear idea of what they can expect from this business from the get-go, and it’s memorable too because most shoppers typically don’t associate the word ‘bulletproof’ with coffee.

They’ve been able to branch out from their initial offerings of coffee too and expand into other health supplements, which underlines the beauty of coming up with a future proof business name.

Colourpop

Ultra successful makeup brand, Colourpop, landed on a fantastic name for their business.

The LA-based beauty outfit is offering high-quality makeup products to shoppers who are looking to add a ‘pop of color’ to their routine at drug store prices.

They’ve got a simple, straightforward business name that is undoubtedly futureproofed – under the Colourpop umbrella they could move into clothing or jewelry as well, and it’s fit perfectly into their brand.

It’s a fun, playful business name, too, which is aligned with what their audience prefers.

KITH

Lifestyle brand KITH has quite the backstory for their business name.

According to the founder of KITH, Ronnie Fieg, the business name originates from the term “Kith and Kin”, which is an old saying that means “Friends and Family”.

And, according to Ronnie, he always wanted to build products for people like his friends, so he dropped the “Kin” part and named his business “Kith”.

All in all, KITH is a unique business name with a lot of thought behind it. It’s clear, simple to remember, and works well to convey meaning.

SuitSupply

SuitSupply is a tailoring brand that prides itself on being “straight to the point”, which is definitely evident in their business name.

This business name does a fantastic job of conveying exactly what they’re selling – suits.

We love that this brand has used alliteration in their business name. Both of the words in their name start with the same letter, and this is a clever marketing tactic that can actually help people to remember your brand.

If you can add some alliteration to your brand name, don’t hesitate – it can really work well, as shown by SuitSupply.

Gymshark

If you’re looking for inspiration when you’re naming your own fitness brand, Gymshark is a great example.

The successful clothing & apparel brand came up with their name by cleverly blending two common words together.

First off they used ‘Gym’, which is the bread and butter of their business. They exclusively create fitness apparel targeted towards gym-goers.

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Then, they added ‘Shark’, which is an animal that is often associated with power, and strength.

Honestly, it’s a pretty simple name, but it’s also quite unique.

Its simplicity is key here though – it’s super easy to remember, which is exactly what you want when you’re starting a new brand.

Still, Stuck? Use a Business Name Generator

If you’re still struggling to come up with a name for your business, worry not. You can always use a business name generator to point you in the right direction.

If you’re wondering what a business name generator is, it’s pretty simple, actually.

You can enter a word, or term, that you like into a business name generator, and it’ll provide you with dozens of examples that you can use for your business.

Take a look at what happens when we enter ‘running’ into a business name generator:

Pretty neat, right?

Of course, there’s no guarantee that all of the names that the business name generator comes up with are available – you’ll need to check that yourself – but they’re great tools if you’re still struggling for ideas.

Interested in using a business name generator?  We’ve got just the thing for you – Oberlo’s Business Name Generator. It’s free, so take advantage of it when you’re naming your business.

Now It’s Over to You

Okay, now you’ve got all the tips, tricks, and tools that you need to come up with a great name for your online business.

Now it’s time to use all the information that you’ve gleaned from this post and come up with the best name for your business

Oh, and if you’ve got any questions about naming your business, or if you want feedback on your business name, leave it in the comments section below – we read them all!

Dates and Events to Use in Your 2020 E-commerce Ad Campaigns

hands of 6 people on a desk in a meeting

With 2020 already well underway, it’s time to start thinking about all of the fantastic campaigns you can run throughout the year to get customers spending.

When you think of days when consumers are willing to buy, your mind probably jumps to the big end-of-year holidays. But why wait until November to start all your big campaigns when you have so many other days you could capitalize on throughout the year.

To get your 2020 marketing calendar started, we’ve put together a massive list of days and events that you could use for your store and get those sales happening. And, we’ve even included a downloadable calendar at the bottom of this article that will help you keep track of your dates.

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Spending Holidays

We’re going to ease into things with a bunch of holidays that you should already have on your calendar – the big ones that are proven to generate sales. Although these shopping holidays are when most online stores run sales, because there’s so much money to spend during this time, there’s no reason they can’t be profitable for your store as well.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday 

black friday tips signs

These two days bookend a massive weekend for commerce – and eCommerce in particular. In the US alone, shoppers spent over $7.4 billion online during Black Friday 2019 and went on to spend $9.4 billion on Cyber Monday. With that much cash changing hands, you’d be silly for not planning for a BFCM sale. This year Black Friday will be on November 27 and Cyber Monday on November 30.

Singles’ Day

Celebrated on November 11, Singles’ Day is an unofficial Chinese holiday for single people – but it has also become the most essential day for shipping in the world. In 2019 shoppers spent over $30 billion on Singles’ Day, and due to its popularity, Singles’ Day has become more internationally recognized in recent years – much like Black Friday. Because of this, it could be well worth jumping on the trend and adding Singles’ Day to your calendar.

Halloween and Valentine’s Day

These are two holidays that people love to spend on, so if you sell items in a complementary niche – think along the lines of decorations, costumes, supplies, and gifts –  these are two days that should certainly go on your calendar. 

However, bear in mind that these are holidays can also be regional. While Halloween is enormous in the United States and Canada, it’s not as popular in Australia and New Zealand. Researching on local holidays will help you see where campaigns might have more impact. For example, for Commonwealth countries, December 26 – or Boxing Day – is a big shopping day. And, in Australia, June 30 is also a big shopping day, as it’s the end of the financial year.

Weird Days and Months

screenshots of different strange days

Did you know that January is Get Organized Month? Or that February 20 is Love Your Pet Day? What about International Plant Appreciation Day on April 13? 

If it seems like there’s a day or month for everything, it might be because there is. 

With so many fun, weird, and wacky dates, there are bound to be a few you could use as the basis for an excellent campaign for your products or store.

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For example, if you’re in the pet niche and selling products for dogs, you could run sales on March 23 for National Puppy Day. Or if you’re in the jewelry niche, Jewel Day on March 13 is for you. 

Although you can only use these campaigns for a short amount of time, tying your product to a relevant day will add urgency, stop potential customers in their tracks, and ideally lead to impulse purchases.

Websites such as Holiday Insights and Days of the Year will help you find the perfect day or month for your campaign, and from there, you only need to write some snappy ad copy that will entice buyers to celebrate with a purchase from your store.

And if you can’t find a day that suits your store or products? Well, you could always invent your own. 

Back in 2005, UK holiday company Sky Travel sent a press release designating the third Monday of January to be Blue Monday – a.k.a the most depressing day of the year. While they claimed academics calculated the day by taking into account Northern hemisphere weather conditions, in reality, it was all pseudoscience. Despite this, 15 years later, Blue Monday is still an annual event in the UK, so why not take a chance by creating a store-relevant day?

Astrological Signs

photo of the night sky and a telescope

I know this might seem a little kooky or strange, but stick with me! You only need to make a quick search on Twitter or Instagram to see that astrology is enormous at the moment. Pinterest’s recent trend report even mentioned that space and astrology are going to be significant trends in 2020. 

With astrology so popular, it makes total sense to seize on the chance to use this in your campaigns. And with 12 different star signs, there’s the opportunity to target 12 different groups throughout the whole year. 

Looking at Facebook Audience Insights, the group that shows the most interest in astrology is overwhelming women, who make up 65 percent of the worldwide audience. And, diving even more in-depth, we can see that women between 25-34 (31 percent) and 35-44 (20 percent) are particularly interested.

a screenshot of facebook audience insights for astrology

The best thing about using astrological signs as the basis for a campaign is that people who are interested in astrology love to feel as though they genuinely relate to their sign. You can use this to your advantage in the images and copy you use in your ads. 

For example, Scorpios are often described as brave, passionate, and loyal, while Pisces is intuitive, gentle, and wise. Incorporating these traits into your ads could be a fantastic way to appeal to potential buyers even further.

And, because each astrological sign has a season of around 30 days, it gives you plenty of time to tinker with refining audiences, changing images, and copy to try and hook as many star sign enthusiasts as possible.

Seasonal Changes

Cherry blossoms in bloom

Seasonal changes are a time of the year that businesses have been using in their sales campaigns forever, so really, you’d be silly not to use it as well.

No matter what you’re selling, there’s a way that you can tie your product to a seasonal sale – even if it’s something as the classic “the temperature is dropping, and so are our prices!” 

You could even make it as simple as promoting free shipping for a season; this is ideal for a store selling more seasonal products like bikinis, Halloween costumes, or outdoor sportswear. Or why not add new products to that perfectly complement the season.

However, seasonal sales come with a few things to think about, for example, targeting northern and southern hemisphere countries for different seasons. After all, there’s no point advertising summer sales to Australians in June or July when they’re in the middle of winter. 

It could also be worth researching when certain countries consider the season to have changed. For many countries, the seasons change on equinoxes and solstices – around the 20th of March, June, September, and December. However, Australia and New Zealand prefer to use meteorological seasons, so seasons begin on the 1st of March, June, September, and December. It’s a small detail, but it’s worth considering all the same.

Sporting Events

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Everyone knows majoring sports events are big business, so why not try to grab some of that business for yourself by running campaigns during some of the notable competitions in 2020.

Below we’ve named some of the bigger tournaments and games planned for 2020, but don’t limit yourself to the ones we’ve listed. Different sports are accessible in different parts of the world, so depending on the countries you’re targeting, you could find a whole different event that would be perfect to base a campaign around.

Tokyo Olympics

eight athletes preparing to race on a running track

The Olympic games will captivate the world for more than two weeks this year as elite athletes descend on Tokyo to show off their skills. While the Olympics will officially run from July 24 until August 9, the hype will start weeks before the event, so it gives you plenty of time to run a campaign. 

Because the summer Olympics only come around every four years, this allows you to run campaigns that bounce off this idea. For example, you could create gigantic “once in four years” discounts, or promise free shipping for the duration of the games. 

Or, why not get super savvy and offer discounts based on the results of athletes or sports teams. Perhaps you could offer 1 percent off for each gold medal a country adds to their medal count – all it takes is some discount codes and geo-targeting to make this super-localized campaign a reality.

Superbowl LIV

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The Superbowl has become so massive in recent years that it’s no longer just a big deal in the United States, it’s very much a worldwide event. 

The Superbowl is an incredibly commercial competition, with advertising airtime worth millions for mere seconds. Luckily it won’t cost you quite as much to run a Superbowl-centric ad, but you could score big.

A flash sale for Superbowl day could be a fantastic way to catch the eye of potential customers, or why not target fans of the two teams playing and offer special discount codes.

screenshot of FB audience insights for the Patriots

And depending on the products you sell, you could even start advertising well before the big game. For example, if your store has food or kitchen-related items, why not try and sell these items the month before the game, pitching them as the ideal products for a Superbowl party.

Euro 2020

From one ball sport to another, the European football championship is also happening in 2020 in a tournament that will last from June 12 to July 12.

With 12 countries competing in this event, it offers anyone targeting European countries the opportunity to create localized ads and woo customers. Or, if you’d prefer not to have to translate your ads into different languages, focus on advertising to the younger demographic who are more likely to speak English.

Cultural Events

a festival crowd facing a stage

If your store or products don’t exactly chime with sporting events, perhaps something in the cultural sphere could be more suited. 

This idea is a vast category, and I’ve used it to encompass things like entertainment, art, and music. But, as with sport, don’t take this list as an exhaustive one – there are thousands more big events out there. And, perhaps even more so than games, there will be cultural events that are huge news in some countries but might be relatively unheard of on an international scale. 

That said, as always, some things definitely have worldwide appeal, and you can very much use this to your advantage in your campaigns.

Awards Season

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The glitz and glamor of awards season kick-off in January with the Golden Globes, Grammys, Academy Awards, and BAFTAs, to name just a few. 

If your store is related to entertainment, clothing, or jewelry, this could be the perfect time to target audiences already focussed on who’s attending the ceremonies and what they’re wearing.

San Diego Comic-Con

An overhead shot of a convention

From July 23-26, over 130,000 people descend on the San Diego Convention Center to hear from their favorite TV and movie stars and to watch much-anticipated trailers for the first time. 

And aside from the thousands who gather in San Diego, millions more all over the world who follow the event on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube, waiting for exclusive SDCC footage and interviews to be released.

If you sell items that are in any way related to fandoms or entertainment – projectors, wigs, costumes, accessories – comic con is the time to target these fans.

TV Series, Game, and Movie Releases

Piggybacking off of Comic-Con, TV, game, and movie releases are also great times for sales – especially for niche stores. 

If you sell products that complement TV shows – for instance, medieval-themed items work well with shows like The Witcher or Vikings – then be sure to keep track of when those series return.

You can also think about when trailers are released when finales are to be scheduled, and when major plot points might send fans racing to the internet. These are all the perfect times for you to advertise your store.

Music Festivals

Festivals and concerts are incredibly location-dependent, but they can be smart to target if your store has items that would appeal to the festival-going crowd. Think jewelry, clothing, bags, sunglasses, and other accessories.

Depending on the countries you’re targeting, you could advertise to the enormous crowds headed to mega-festivals like Coachella, Burning Man, or Glastonbury. Or maybe do some more research on festivals that are more locally known.

Festivals aren’t cheap to attend, and most festival-goers will spend time planning their trip ahead of time. This idea gives you the chance to start advertising from the time of lineup announcements and early ticket sales.

Wrapping Up and Things to Keep in Mind

an open month planner

So there you have some of the most significant events and dates in 2020 that you could potentially use in your ads and campaigns. 

However, this is only a starting point, there is so much more happening than what is listed here, and that’s important to bear in mind when you plan your big sales in 2020.

Find Your Opportunities

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Even though we’ve covered a lot of holidays, dates, and events, there will undoubtedly be a ton more that we could never predict, but would be great for campaigns  – this is especially true for stores that sell very niche products. However, staying alert and seizing the opportunities when you see them will help.

For example, if you enjoy the internet and pop culture, don’t be afraid to jump on trends or memes and use them in ads. While you can’t necessarily foresee what will become popular, if you’re willing to try new ads when you notice trends, it could yield significant returns.

It could be something as simple as a word or phrase (think 2019’s “OK boomer” or the evolution of DoggoLingo) or a suitable meme format. Whatever it is, if it’s relevant to your products, why not try it out in an ad.

Don’t Try and Force Something If It Doesn’t Fit

Before you go off and start planning your eCommerce campaigns for 2020, staying mindful of your audience and product is critical. 

While it might be tempting to try and take advantage of certain days or events with sales and marketing, if it doesn’t fit with your products, then don’t try to force it. If you’re struggling to connect your items with the day, then your customers probably will too, and you’ll lose the wow factor in your campaign. Besides, with so many days out there, you’re bound to find some super relevant ones – concentrate on making those great.

Design Your 2020 Calendar

Oberlo 2020 ecommerce marketing calendar

With all the inspiration on this list, you’re probably bursting with plenty of campaign ideas for your store. Take the opportunity to download our 2020 e-commerce calendar to help you remember some of the more significant dates as well as adding your store-relevant dates. We recommend printing it off and keeping it nearby, so you have it for reference for the whole year.

What events are you planning to incorporate into your advertising, and why? Tell us in the comments below.

Niche or General E-commerce Store?

Hey there,

We invited six-figure drop shippers to go head-to-head on one of the most polarizing dropshipping topics: What to sell online.

Niche or general store? Cheap or expensive products? Saturated or undiscovered products?

These drop-shippers all run wildly successful businesses, yet they all have very different opinions on what it takes to build one. Watch to learn how different strategies worked for them.

Click the above to watch the YouTube video.

Happy Dropshipping,

Jessica

5 unusual business ideas from 7-figure dropshippers [Video]

Yuliya wanted to build a scalable business that could make her money in her sleep. So Yuliya and her partner, Mike, started a dropshipping store.

In two years, this husband-and-wife team generated over $2,000,000 in revenue.

Their secret? Yuliya and Mike don’t find winning products. They create them. They find unique products and market them to niche Facebook audiences.

We asked Yuliya and Mike to give us five examples of high-profit (and kind of weird!) product-market combinations. They went a step further. Yuliya and Mike shared free marketing strategies and even told us what percentage of their revenue is profit.

Click the above to watch the YouTube video (46 minutes)

Happy Dropshipping,

Jessica