Italian Way Life Products on Shopify May 21, 2020 bizadmin I am honored to be invited to be an affiliate for Italian Way Life that is on a professional Shopify store with many products to sell, all related to Italy. There is the red, green and white theme of the Italian Flag which is the Christmas theme of colors and they are complimentary to each other. For more information, do check out >> THIS LINK HERE You can use my code philin135 for 10% discount! Yes, that is correct. Now who does not like deals? For one, I am a sucker for discounts, sales and deals. This way, a penny saved is a penny earned, don’t you agree? Buongiorno a tutti! means Hello everyone! 🙂 And now in this Covid19 pandemic worldwide, do stay safe and stay at home as much as possible while shopping online for your daily needs such as from the above-mentioned website and affiliate link. Happy Shopping and Stay Safe, more importantly. [abc]
The Art of Reinvention: How One Founder Found Her Purpose in the Middle of a Pandemic April 19, 2020 bizadmin 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 built her business to help support other makers and small brands. (Kara Meloy) 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. [abc] 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. [abc] 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.” Moorea bootstrapped, reinvesting her book income into her business, eventually growing into a larger space. (Moorea Seal) 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.” Moorea’s 52 Lists project landed her a publishing deal and she wrote several books within the series. (Moorea Seal) 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. Support independent business owners like Moorea Seal [abc] 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. 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.” 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. [abc]
How This Direct to Consumer Brand Disrupted the Handcrafted Footwear Industry April 1, 2020 bizadmin Made in Italy and with handcrafted leather shoes seem to be a synonymous pair. Consumers covet this segment of footwear and accept its steeper price tag—the result of an industry layered with distributors, agents, resellers, and retailers. In walks, Velasca, a Milanese startup born in 2013, set out to disrupt the industry by connecting consumers directly to shoemakers. The concept for Velasca sprouted from a casual conversation between co-founders Enrico Casati and Jacopo Sebastio in the back of a taxi. It has since grown into a direct-to-consumer company selling hundreds of thousands of shoes in over 30 countries. We were keen to learn more about Velasca’s story, so during a trip to Milan in late 2019, I visited the company’s headquarters to speak with Enrico about how the brand first stepped foot into the industry and where it’s headed from here. You can listen to Velasca’s story on this special episode of Shopify Masters: [abc] Tailoring a business idea to solve a personal need Velasca’s office, a converted sugar factory that counts Armani and Fendi as neighbors, is located in a veritable sweet spot in Milan’s Tortona neighborhood—the fashion and design heart of the city, and a district that’s the epitome of “Made in Italy.” Enrico and I sat down in the company’s buzzing space to discuss how the brand is simultaneously disrupting and fitting into the fashion industry. Co-founders Enrico Castai (left) and Jacopo Sebastio (right) in the Tortona district of Milan, where Velasca is headquartered. Velasca In 2012, Enrico was working as a banker in Singapore. “I had this personal need for buying a pair of shoes for my job—a simple pair of loafers,” he says. “I was 25 at the time and was earning enough to live well in Singapore, but I didn’t want to overspend.” Enrico’s brother was visiting him at the time, along with a friend—Jacopo. Enrico and Jacopo started discussing the gap between designer and fast-fashion shoes, and a creative spark was ignited. They quickly brainstormed ways they might be able to bring handcrafted leather footwear to the everyday consumer. By cutting out layers of distribution, Velasca was able to deliver the same product as the big shoe players for a fraction of the price, like this pair of double monk straps. Velasca Their idea was simple on the surface—build their brand online. “We wanted to connect these craftsmen in Italy that are good at making the products with people that love Italian design and quality around the world.” Like their headquarters, their business model found a sweet spot. “We bet our company on being direct-to-consumer, which brings about a competitive advantage in terms of pricing,” Enrico says. “You make the same products from the same factories using the same materials as the famous brands. But you’re able to sell them at half the price of comparable products.” [abc] Finding an opportunity during an economic downturn In 2012, Italy was suffering an economic collapse— while many founders understandably believe a recession is not the time to start a business, Enrico and Jacopo saw it as an opportunity. Production companies lose money when they don’t produce. The local shoemakers’ lack of business during this downturn helped convince them to take a chance on Velasco. “It’s out of these economic crises and times of depression that there are more opportunities than there would be in times of economic boom,” Enrico says. So Enrico and Jacopo visited the mountainous region of Marche, where families of shoemakers stretch back generations. Working through different dialects, they were able to convince the makers to take on much smaller orders of a couple of hundred pairs, compared to the usual fashion houses orders of hundreds of thousands. “Size is not the only thing that matters—trust also is important,” says Enrico. The Velasca team built this trust by following through on their promise to pay shoemakers within 30 days of delivery. Enrico stresses that, from the very beginning, Velasca has always treated its relationship with shoemakers as a partnership, as opposed to a strictly transactional exchange with a supplier. The role of sleek, yet approachable storytelling With production relationships now established, Velsca shifted gears and focused on a “media as marketing” approach to reach new customers. “The first three years were just focused on marketing and sales,” Enrico says. “Once we established a good relationship with the makers, we didn’t get too involved in the production side, because we trusted them and their expertise.” Enrico says, “We focused on storytelling, making sure that the consumer understood that this was not just a discount website,” Enrico says. The direct-to-consumer model was still relatively new to Europe at the time, and the Velasca team had to pave the way, similar to the pivotal role Bonobos and Warby Parker played on the other side of the Atlantic. Visuals that perfectly balance editorial and everyday moments are a key component of how Velasca shared its stories. Velasca “We made sure that through video, photos, and interviews, the concept of Italian craft machine came through,” Enrico says. Ludovico Bertè, one of Velasca’s first employees and the company’s creative director today, played an instrumental role in capturing images that commanded attention and aided customers through the purchase journey. By being digitally native, Velasca was able to rely on smaller budgets and market through social media, email, SEO, and Google Ads. “We found our channel on Facebook, and then later on Instagram, because it’s picture-based, it’s emotions coming through a digital channel,” says Enrico. [abc] Velasca also elevated its marketing efforts by publishing a magazine called A Million Steps, which showcases the Italian way of life through interviews and stories on pop culture, sports, food, and more. There’s no mention of Velasca’s shoes or promotions to be found—it’s a separate editorial effort meant to accompany fans’ journey through life. Whether you’re putting a classic negroni recipe to good use or getting to know how the Mona Lisa gained popularity when reading A Million Steps, “you will feel like it’s a different entity,” Enrico says. “But Velasca and A Million Steps are different sides of the same coin.” The journey from online to offline with retail expansion While the direct-to-consumer model played an essential role in Velasca’s early success, the team knew there were channels they needed to explore to further scale their business. “We realized over time that we were not tapping into the full potential of the brand by being online only,” says Enrico. “We started seeing a lot of people emailing us and saying, ‘I love your products, but I don’t buy shoes online. Can I stop by your office and try them on, touch the leather, see the quality, and then order online?’” By listening to customers’ feedback, Velasca decided to start its in-person sales through pop-ups. Velasca Experimentation is embedded in Velasca’s culture. So it started by hitting the streets in ape cars and setting up temporary pop-ups next to bars during aperitivo (happy hour). This on-the-ground hustle is something Enrico remembers fondly. “Six months before this, I was in a suit and a tie every day, working on Excel and PowerPoint,” he says. “Six months later, I’m showing my products with our brand, with the name that I chose, to potential customers. It was a lot of fun.” Temporary pop-ups proved successful, and, in 2014, Velasca opened a temporary retail location. “I remember the rent for that place, for a month, was €3,500, which sounds small now, but it wasn’t at the time,” Enrico says. The team was cautious and created projections that outlined best- and worst-case financial scenarios. To their surprise, their investment in the retail storefront was made back in just two days—over opening weekend. From temporary pop-ups to over ten stores, Velasca now has a retail presence in Italy, France, and England. Velasca After opening its first permanent storefront in Milan in 2015, Velasca began scaling its physical presence with a new location in Rome the following year. In 2017, after 18 months of honing its retail strategy and execution, the company established seven new stores across Europe. Each expansion continues to result in significant sales growth—from London to Paris to Rome, Velasca consistently sees up to a six-fold increase in sales in respective cities whenever a new store opens. [abc] Steps for Velasca’s future Velasca’s team has grown, too, from just Enrico and Jacopo to over 35 people who look after the day-to-day operations. Velasca’s production supports ten families of shoemakers in Marche, along with five people who look after shipping and fulfillment. Their success has not gone unnoticed by investors: the team raised €4.5 million in their third round of funding in late 2019, bringing their total amount raised to over €8 million. Some of the team members of Velasca, who help to bring handcrafted shoes from the cobblers benches of Marche to customers all around the world. Velasca Swift year-over-year growth has brought about a whirlwind of changes for the business, but Enrico and the team remain dedicated to the simple things that keep them connected to customers. “Some daily activities that I make time for are responding to customers’ emails, and I’ll go to the store at least once a week and spend time there,” Enrico says. This unwavering commitment to customers is Velasca’s heartbeat, and Enrico believes the reason for the company’s success today—and for the years to come. It’s a time of ever-changing circumstances when all businesses are trying to adapt, pivot, and find new ways to grow. This conversation with Velasca’s founder took place in December 2019, and, much like everything else it does, the company’s response and way of connecting to its community during this challenging time are made beautifully. You can check out some of its initiatives on its Instagram feed. About the author Shuang Esther Shan Shuang is a storyteller at Shopify, fascinated by how change is created through commerce. When she’s not obsessively researching or glued to hearing the stories of merchants, she’s discovering new places—with a camera in hand. [abc]
12 Trending Products to Sell in 2020 (And Ideas for How to Market Them) March 3, 2020 bizadmin To succeed in e-commerce, you need three things: in-demand products to sell, the skills to market them, and the drive to succeed. You already have the winner’s mindset—you’re continually learning, researching, and preparing for success. But finding popular products to sell can be a challenge. That’s why we update this list every year to help you uncover new trending product ideas. In this list, you’ll find 12 trending products in 2020 that will activate new business ideas—or, you may find an in-demand product to add to your existing store. Since each trending product is meant for a distinct audience, we’re also sharing niche-specific tips for reaching new customers. The trending products on this list are a handful of products with the highest Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and a total number of orders sourced from Oberlo and AliExpress. Additionally, each of these trending products can be found on Oberlo, which is available for free to all Shopify store owners. If you find a product that piques your interest, you can add it to your Shopify store in a few clicks. Trending products to sell in 2020 1. Pet bed Looking for the purrfect popular product to sell to pet owners? This pet bed has been clawing its way to the top of the sales charts. According to Google Trends, “dog bed” has seen some strong growth in search volume. The search keyword “dog bed” gets 234,000 monthly searches, and “cat bed” also has a sizable amount of search demand, with 60,500 monthly searches. If you own a pet store, you can market this pet bed on visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. On Pinterest, you can join pet group boards, which allow you to promote your products to a bigger audience. On Instagram, you can partner with pet-related fan pages to get a shoutout in a post or in an Instagram Story. By partnering with a fan page, your product can be seen by a much larger audience, especially if you’re just starting out. 2. One size fits all sofa and couch covers This sofa and couch cover is a popular product for homes with pets or children, as well as property owners who rent out their spaces on platforms like AirBnB. Sofa and couch covers are a popular product for hosts as they help keep furniture in pristine condition for all guests, and replacing a cover is significantly cheaper than replacing an entire three-piece set. Not only has Google Trends shown a noticeable rise in searches for the product, but Statista also estimates the sofa and seat industry to be a US $44,706m market in 2020. Last but not least, data from Statista predicts the market will grow 0.6% annually until 2023, which makes sofa and couch covers an ideal trending product you can sell for at least the next few years. When marketing to customers that have pets or children, your best bets are wide-reaching channels such as Facebook and Google. But if you’re looking to acquire AirBnB hosts as your customers, you should consider geolocation in your acquisition strategy. According to AllTheRooms Analytics, there are 30 cities in the US with the highest occupancy rate, and 23 are in either California, Hawaii, or Florida. This data should give you a great insight into the type of Facebook Custom Audience you can build and target if you choose to appeal to AirBnB hosts. 3. Minimalist jewelry Many people prefer the finer things in life. Evidently, it’s minimalist jewelry that has seen some of the strongest sales growth for retailers in recent years. Google Trends shows there are many frequent, high-volume searches from consumers for this more modest style of jewelry. Despite an expected annual growth rate of 2% until 2023, there has actually been an overall decline in the number of jewelry businesses available. Since the demand for the product is there, but the competition is not, a jewelry store could be a lucrative venture for any new or existing entrepreneur. When it comes to marketing trending products like these necklaces, the ideal platforms are typically Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. A simple way to elevate your jewelry store’s presence is to create videos featuring your products. Videos get more visible slots in Instagram’s Search and Explore pages, which will in turn create more visibility for your posts. Also, most jewelry retailers tend to post pictures, giving you a competitive advantage if you’re willing to put in a bit more work. 4. Beard straightener Men’s grooming is quickly turning into one of the lucrative markets available. In 2018, Statista valued the industry at $60.6 billion USD, and it’s now expected to rise to $81.2 billion USD by 2024. As a whole, the men’s grooming industry is full of opportunities, but one item, in particular, has caught our attention: beard straighteners. Not only does Google Trends show the growth in search demand for this item, but there are also 37,000 monthly searches for beard straighteners. This is definitely one of the hot trending products to sell. To turn this men’s beard straightener into a top-selling product on your store, consider using a mix of Google ads to target keywords with high purchase intent (e.g. “buy men’s beard straightener”), along with SEO-focused content to go after more informational terms (e.g. “how to straighten a beard”). Or, if you’re not a writer, instructional videos also work. Dropshipping is an excellent way to sell a trending product without needing to hold inventory. In this episode of Shopify Masters, we interview a dropshipper who spotted an up-and-coming product and managed to generate $8,872 in sales in 4 weeks. Educational content performs well in this product category because as the market demand grows, so do the needs of customers looking for tips on how to take care of their beards with these tools. Try to use content to solve common questions like, “what kind of comb is best for beards” and you’ll frequently be rewarded with search traffic. 5. Shapewear Shapewear is shaping up to be one of the best evergreen niches to pursue—for the third year in a row, this product category has made our list. By 2022, the shapewear market is expected to skyrocket to about $5.6 billion in sales. What started as an undergarment has evolved into a piece of everyday wear. Fashion retailers are also stocking their stores with bodysuits that help create a slimming silhouette. Though shapewear is still popular within the lingerie industry where it first emerged, the shapewear niche offers women a variety of different styles that can either be worn under clothing with different cuts or as a top. What makes shapewear a product worth considering is that it offers retailers a lot of versatility: whether you sell lingerie, women’s fashion, or want to add this category to an existing general apparel store, you’ll be able to find shapewear in different colors, styles, and sizes to meet the needs of your diverse customer base. You can sell trending products like this high-waist shapewear, which has generated over 6,000 sales in January of 2020. It has a seamless design and creates a visibly slimmer figure for your customers. 6. Backpacks Backpacks have been a popular item to sell. But recently, the data shows they’re a clear frontrunner as one of the best products to sell online—in particular, this backpack has been surging in sales recently. As Google Trends shows below, search demand has grown year over year with consistent spikes around August. Statista estimates that backpack sales will rise from $19.1 billion USD in 2020 to $22.5 billion USD in 2023, ensuring this will be a top trending product for years to come. Targeting your ideal customer depends on who it is; backpacks for children, college or university students, or adults. If you’re looking to sell backpacks for children, then your marketing will need to target parents. The best place to target parents is through Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and Pinterest. One thing to consider is that competing with other “back to school” marketing campaigns will result in inflated prices on ads. But, if you time your store and product launch before the schools reopen, you could see a surge in sales. However, if you’re selling to college kids or adults, then you’ll need to reach them directly with Instagram ads, potentially by sourcing partnerships with Instagram influencers. Backpacks for adults that aren’t in college aren’t as susceptible to seasonal ups and downs, so if you’re looking for an all year-round product trend, this market could be a hit. 7. Post-workout massage guns Massage guns are hand-held massage devices intended to be used after a workout to unwind and relax tense muscles. Massage guns are still relatively new, but consumer interest in them has been climbing since last summer. Interest is still high post-Christmas, and massage guns show clear signs of becoming a top trending product to sell in 2020. To tap into the best-selling product potential of massage guns, look to video marketing and interactive ads on Instagram as your best distribution channel. Targeting your ads around particular Instagram hashtags or influencer’s handles could be your best customer acquisition method. Here’s why: It’s a growing trend among fitness gurus and enthusiasts to share anything from workout tips, routine videos, and what’s in their gym bag—their followers want to see their routine and what equipment they find essential for their workouts. Working with influencers directly on Instagram could be another lucrative channel for sales. Getting a shoutout in their story or a reciprocal comment on one of their posts could be enough to drive new sales. For instance, there are certain niches in the fitness industry you can pick to focus on, from runners to CrossFit athletes, there is ample opportunity to showcase the benefits of massaging sore muscles with this item and turn it into a best selling product online. 8. Plaid hoodie The plaid clothing pattern has evolved from a flash in the pan fad to a timeless and consistently popular style. Despite the clothing market being a particularly competitive niche, these products niche are still a potentially lucrative option for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to build an apparel business. Google Trends shows a steady increase in interest over the past few years. With 1,900 monthly searches for “plaid hoodie,” there’s clear evidence that this is a robust niche market. To turn to sell plaid hoodies into a lucrative venture, it’s best to have your marketing target its niche market. The low search volume shouldn’t put you off from relying on organic search to drive sales. The keyword difficulty for this term is also quite low, leaving ample room for newcomers in the market to drive sales from organic search and create a top trending product for your business. 9. Smartwatches Around 1.2 billion watches are sold each year globally. And the number keeps rising. Last year we saw the rise of minimalist watches. In 2020, smartwatches will likely continue trending upward. December tends to be the peak month for watch sales, but it would be wise to include a relevant summer accessory to ensure higher profits year-round. Facebook and Instagram tend to be the most popular channels for growing a watch store. Many watch retailers have influencers take lifestyle shots set wherever they travel, for outdoorsy and luxurious images that are perfect for social media. Entrepreneur Tim Kock launched a watch store and was able to make $6,667 in roughly eight weeks by using this approach. You can start your first watch store by selling this Bluetooth smartwatch, which includes a built-in camera, sound recorder, step counter, sleep monitor, calendar, and more. 10. Infant and baby carrier One recent product trending with new parents is the baby carrier. Since strollers are big and bulky, some parents are opting for smaller, compact harnesses to carry their newborn for a few hours. Google Trends shows we’re close to hitting peak interest for this product, so if you’re looking for a top-selling product with validated demand, consider acting fast. To reach new parents with this item, you’ll once again turn to advertise on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re looking to explore other sales channels, consider selling on Amazon or listing your product on Google Shopping, although it’s worth noting that these marketplaces will take a fee from your sale. Another experiment to try is to market to a local group with flyers. Create discount codes and distribute them among new parent meetup groups in your town. 11. Athleisure In fashion, trends are the only constant. However, athleisure is one fashion trend that has some staying power. No wonder, then, that it’s a trending item that’s made our list two years in a row. Athleisure is active wear worn as an everyday look rather than for athletic purposes like going to the gym. Within this category, you can sell everything from sweatshirts, sweatpants, leggings, sports bras, tank tops, headbands, capris, and shoes—all in countless colors and styles. Plus, you can take this niche in several directions: with a dedicated store, a product collection within a broader fashion store, or you can market your products to one of the many fitness sub-niches. Depending on how you position your brand, there could be an opportunity to expand into other product verticals, such as fashion accessories and jewelry or fitness accessories like yoga mats. Since millennial women are often the target market for athleisure, visual platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are ideal channels to grow your brand, whether you pursue organic growth or use their advertising options. You can also look into driving growth with influencer marketing. One place to begin is seeking out fitness influencers within your niche using Instagram search tools. Influencers can model your apparel and give your brand a shout out for a fee or a commission of sales. You can start your athleisure store by selling these yoga leggings, which have been converting well for Shopify store owners using Oberlo. 12. Mesh shoes We’ve seen the rise of mesh shoes primarily as running shoes, but now they’re another item that’s moved from workout wear and into the athleisure category. Mesh shoes for women and men have also been a best-selling product for the last two years and show signs of being a trending item in 2020. These trending items are best sold through visuals platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook, though a channel you may want to experiment with is Google Ads. At the time of writing, the average bidding cost for mesh shoes is low at $1.20. If you choose to use the same kind of millennial-focused marketing as athleisure, be sure to partner with influencers as it’s the easiest way to get a new brand’s products in front of this audience. Mesh shoes typically have a bigger addressable market than most athleisure products. For example, your target market could be as niche as focusing on generation X or Baby Boomers who are seeking comfier shoes to walk in while touring on vacation. Or, you can target the staff in the food and service industries where folks are on their feet all day. Point being, there are many potential audiences you can explore with mesh shoes. Conduct a competitive analysis or SWOT analysis of the market and decide what route is best for you. Time to get selling These are some of the trending products to sell in 2020, but there are so many more to choose from. Finding product trends is only one part of the equation. The real secret is figuring out how to market them. Check out 50 Ways to Get Sales with Dropshipping to learn how I personally grew my online store’s sales using the marketing tactics that the best performing stores use. If you’re interested in hands-on training that walks you through the process of starting an online store around a profitable niche, be sure to watch our free webinar series. During the webinar, one of our team members will share how they grew one of their online business ideas to over 8,000 sales per year, along with the marketing tactics that worked (and the ones that flopped). Illustration by Albert Tercero About the author Nicole Martins Ferreira Nicole Martins Ferreira is an e-commerce entrepreneur and content marketer at Oberlo. She’s been building online stores for over five years.
Sell Pet Products: 5 Ideas for Starting Your Own Pet Business February 28, 2020 bizadmin There are few things more important to pet owners than their furry little bundles of joy. While the pet business may be subject to the same unpredictable ebb and flow of any industry, there’s one certainty you can count on: people will never stop spoiling their pets. That kind of opportunity is hard to pass up if you’ve got a passion for pets, but building a business from scratch takes more than an opportunity. If you’re currently fending off a barrage of questions about what to sell and where to find customers, know that every successful business owner has started in the exact same place. Successful business owners aren’t without fear, but what sets them apart is their willingness to confront it. It’s not easy building a pet store from scratch, but with the right tools and an understanding of how to use them—it’s likely a lot easier than you think. Let’s get started. Pet business ideas: 5 products and services to sell Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst Pet businesses come in all forms. Some provide services like walking and grooming, while others provide products like bowls and chew toys. Some pet stores target cat and dog owners, while others may specialize in more niche pets like reptiles and arachnids. In the pet business, the key is to find a niche that’s large enough to provide sustainable patronage, but specific enough that it offers a chance to brand yourself in a distinct way. With that in mind, let’s go over ideas for pet products and services you can provide. 1. Sell pet supplies like bowls, toys, and beds [abc] Every pet owner needs basic supplies like food bowls, toys, and leashes. Yes, selling the basics puts you in competition with big-box pet stores, but don’t let that trick you into missing the huge opportunity here. A market overflowing with options is a huge advantage for smaller businesses hoping to stake-out name recognition and build a brand. Big-box pet stores tend to trigger a phenomenon called “choice paralysis”, where an overabundance of options makes it hard for customers to decide what to purchase, oftentimes resulting in no purchase at all. A simple, well-branded line of basics is the exact type of collection that thrives in scenarios like this. Pet owners love expressing their personalities through their pets. A one-of-a-kind brand with a unique selling proposition brings far more expressiveness than any large retailer, putting it in a better position to create customers invested in your success. Benefits: Leaves more room to corner a niche market and differentiate your brand Combined with dropshipping, selling pet supplies can free up a lot of time to work on marketing or provide pet-related services Challenges: Selling pet supplies puts additional importance on branding, which could be challenging if it’s not your strongest asset Example: TEDDYBOB Pet Supplies TEDDYBOB Pet Supplies is a BC-based retailer that provides all kinds of basic products for dog and cat owners. While their collections are extensive, TEDDYBOB does a great job of narrowing the focus of their branding and cutting out any opportunities for choice paralysis. Despite selling everything from litter boxes to heating pads, their sleek, modern branding always acts as the unifying force behind their collections. Aside from the occasional color variant, TEDDYBOB’s everyday supplies tend to have few options. This is smart because it means that if customers end up on the site for the basics, they’ll spend less time deciding which litter scoop to choose and more time browsing everything else. 2. Sell homemade pet treats For people that love baking, creating foods and treats for pets can be an exciting, new way for you to practice your craft. With audiences becoming increasingly health-conscious, there’s also a lot of opportunities here to offer foods catered to pet owners looking for healthier options for their pets. You might decide to sell treats for animals with specific dietary restrictions. You may sell functional treats, such as bones used to brush a dog’s teeth. You could sell soft treats, kibble, dried meats, and a whole host of things. Benefits: A great outlet for creative expression with a lot of room to grow into the uniqueness of your brand Dogs are notoriously easy-to-please when it comes to food Challenges: Cats are notoriously hard-to-please when it comes to food Since these products are being consumed, it’s extremely important that you’ve researched your ingredients and can confidently vouch for the safety of your product Example: The Dog Bakery The Dog Bakery is a California-based bakery that makes cookies, biscuits, chewy treats, and even custom cakes—all for dogs. [abc] Pet owners love making their four-legged friends feel special, in some cases treating them no differently than their own children. If people get things like custom cakes and unique party favors for their kids, why not their pets? The Dog Bakery’s branding is simple but incredibly effective. It says “bakery” from top to bottom, but technically it’s a pet store. In addition to cakes and cookies, the Dog Bakery also sells collars, leashes, and chew toys. It’s a notable twist that sticks in the minds of pet owners looking to spoil their good boys and girls. Combined with the easy-to-remember name, The Dog Bakery brand becomes hard to forget. 3. Offer dog walking and pet sitting services If you’re considering a pet business, there’s a good chance you love pets. If you’re a dog person, dog walking can be a great way to make new dog friends, get exercise, and of course, make some extra money. Service-based businesses like dog walking and pet sitting thrive on great customer service. A business such as this depends on trust that can only be achieved by maintaining valuable customer relationships. Benefits: Great for more sociable entrepreneurs skilled at fostering valuable client relationships Provides one-on-one time with animals and can be therapeutic for people who find comfort in animal companionship Challenges As with many service-based businesses, you’re directly trading time for money Pet sitting and dog walking can become overwhelming very quickly if you’re not used to looking after multiple pets at the same time Example: Let the Dog Out Let the Dog Out (LTDO) is a dog walking service based in Guelph, Ontario. LTDO offers free Meet and Greet sessions meant to allow your dog a chance to meet their staff and become comfortable with their new babysitter. LTDO puts a lot of emphasis on building personal relationships with its clients. No services are provided until the client’s dog has had a chance to meet the company’s staff and is assessed for compatibility. For dog walking and pet sitting businesses, trust is extremely important. While they do offer other products, LTDO’s emphasis on easing new dogs into the service shows their dedication to the wellbeing of their client’s pets. 4. Pet grooming Pet grooming can be a great addition to the list of services you can provide to pet owners. Like walking and sitting, grooming is a business type that thrives on customer relationships and trust. Benefits: Customer loyalty tends to be stronger because of the high skill levels required of a professional groomer Grooming is a regularly required service so there’s a lot of potential for repeat business Challenges: Grooming is a complex skill that can take quite a bit of time to learn Example: barking babies™ Vancouver-based company barking babies™ is a boutique, spa, kennel, pet store and puppy-training facility all rolled into one. Services offered by barking babies™ include just about every dog-related service you can think of, putting a huge emphasis on the social aspect of dog health. What’s unique about barking babies™ is its branding’s emphasis on community and companionship. Much of the barking babies™ website talks about the importance of socialization in dogs. Combined with the photos of their current clients lovingly playing with each other, it almost plays on a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out), only for dogs. Dog owners want the best for their pets and, from the outside, barking babies™ looks like the hottest new club. Combined with the wide range of services offered, this emphasis on the importance of the barking babies™ community is especially good for brand loyalty and encouraging repeat customers. 5. Sell pet apparel If you’ve dabbled in fashion design and are up to the challenge, pet apparel can be an exciting new avenue to explore your creativity. But even if you haven’t, clothing for pets has become so popular over the last couple of years that many suppliers, like those found through Oberlo, provide tons of shirts, outfits, and accessories designed specifically for dogs and cats. Pet apparel also lends itself to niching very well. It won’t surprise you to learn that people can be as particular about their dog’s fashion choices as their own. With so many avenues of fashion yet to be explored as it pertains to dogs, there’s a lot of room for innovation. [abc] Benefits: Using a dropshipping model, it can be a low-risk business with far less overhead Since dog apparel is still a relatively new addition to the fashion world, there’s a lot of room for creative expression Challenges: Pet clothing is seasonal so it can be harder to sell in warmer months Example: Maple Leash Canada Based in Water Valley, Alberta—Maple Leash Canada is a family-owned business specializing in dog coats, harnesses, collars, sweaters, boots, carriers, beds, and a ton more specialty dog outfits for pups of all sizes. Maple Leash Canada is branded first and foremost as an apparel company. If it weren’t for the store’s choice in models, its rustic character would fit right in alongside human apparel companies like Roots and Eddie Bauer. The novelty of pet apparel can’t last forever, which is why Maple Leash puts so much emphasis on standing out stylistically. Pet stores usually offer a combination of products and services, but be careful to avoid becoming a “jack-of-all-trades” pet store. Incongruous product collections make online branding very difficult. It also puts you in competition with big, corporate pet stores able to offer the convenience of hundreds of locations. Not to mention the pet food aisle in every grocery store. One-stop shopping is great for customers who need to pick up some last-minute kitty litter on the way home from work, but online shoppers put more value in specialty than abundance. With an online pet-store, marketing is crucial. Photo by Scott Murdoch from Burst Tips for a profitable pet business From the examples above, you can see that pet businesses thrive on cross-promotion. Selling pet products usually involves diversifying your services to increase the number of income sources and help create sustainable revenue. The key is to brand your products together with a unified goal. For example, if you’re offering pet grooming services, you might also sell pet shampoos, flea collars, and grooming clippers. If you group your products and services in a way that best serves your customers, you can increase the lifetime value of each customer and build a sustainable business model, even without a massive customer base. 1. Start local This is especially important if offering services like grooming or dog walking which require in-person clientele. Building good relationships with pet owners is key to the success of your business. Start by joining Facebook groups and local online communities. Participate in discussions. Offer expertise and services, but remember not to push for sales too hard, especially in early interactions with potential customers. Take it offline, too, with business cards and community boards. Remember that people are very protective of their pets. Trust is especially important in pet businesses and people will not trust you if they view your interaction as a disingenuous attempt to promote your business. 2. Use social media consistently If you’ve ever racked your brain trying to come up with Instagram ideas, you know that it’s challenging to consistently post while maintaining high levels of engagement. The great thing about pet businesses is that cats and dogs are natural sources of entertaining content. Assuming you have one or two pets of your own, good content for pet lovers will be relatively easy to create. For groomers, walkers, and pet-sitters, every interaction with a new four-legged client can turn into content. Even the most mundane activities become watchable when a dog or cat is involved. 3. Familiarize yourself with blogging and SEO If you’re familiar with search engine optimization, you know the amount of technical know-how that goes into writing effective SEO copy. For niche pet stores, in particular, you can build a blogging strategy around spotting questions from pet owners that can be answered with your services. Competitive blog content won’t be as easy to create as social media content, but the potential for large, sustained traffic is much higher. A well-researched article answering a question searched by potential clients that checks off all the boxes on the SEO checklist can be an effective tool for directing traffic for months or even years into the future. If you’re a pet groomer, you might consider answering common queries about pet hygiene. If you’re selling healthy animal treats, you might be able to answer some questions about animal diets. There’s an endless list of information you could provide. And if you’re able to provide it to valuable clients, it can be the first step in a long-lasting trusting customer relationship. 4. Attend pet industry events, trade shows, and conventions Networking and professional development are important in any industry. Industry events such as workshops, conventions, trade shows, and pet industry events can be great for any entrepreneur looking to build new skills or become more connected within the industry. There’s value for any business in a trade show, but they’re especially great if you’re selling unique or handmade pet products. If you’re selling products you can’t get anywhere else, an effective trade show campaign can help you secure business relationships and get your product in stores. 5. Build valuable customer relationships Trust is incredibly important when it comes to pet products. People are very protective of their pets. For groomers, dog walkers, and pet sitters—building a successful company means establishing good customer relationships. Loyal customers make more purchases, spend more money, and vouch for your business in the form of word-of-mouth recommendations. A network of local, reliable clients will not only provide you their recurring patronage but will also help spread the word of your business to other potential customers that run in the same circles. Start a pet business today 🐶 There’s nothing more fulfilling than starting a successful company in an industry that excites you. For pet lovers bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, a grooming or pet supply business can be a personally rewarding endeavor that provides you with income for years to come. Don’t be scared by the prospect of starting your own business. With the tools available, creating a sustainable successful pet business is accessible and fulfilling. As long as people love their pets, they’ll value services to help make them safer and happier. About the author Evan Ferguson Evan Ferguson is a writer, digital artist, and content creator at Shopify. He is best known for once being retweeted by Ice T. [abc]
From Clicks to Customers: 16 Online Business Ideas You Can Start on the Side February 19, 2020 bizadmin 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 Start your own clothing line Launch a dropshipping store Sell your art online Become a freelance writer, designer or developer Teach an online course Flip your thrift store finds Publish your own book Start a blog Become a virtual assistant Try your hand at being an influencer Build apps and websites Launch a podcast Sign up for affiliate marketing Curate subscription boxes Develop a niche product 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. [abc] 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: Find products to sell on Oberlo Read our guide Find a Product to Sell: 12 Strategies for Finding Your First Profitable Product Check out 10 Print-On-Demand Companies for Dropshipping Your Own Custom Products Find out how we made more than $2,000 in five weeks with imported gaming glasses 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. [abc] 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: 7 Ways to Be More Productive While Working from Home 13 Free Tools and Travel Apps That Make Working Remotely Work for You 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: [abc] 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: How to Start a Blog That You Can Grow Into a Business 8 Brilliant Blogs Run by Ecommerce Stores (And What You Can Learn From Them) 4 Ecommerce Blog Post Templates To Build Traffic For Your Store How a Blog Became a Physical Store in Two Years 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: What It Actually Takes to Become a Full-Time YouTuber: The “Yes Theory” How to Make Money on YouTube (Without a Million Subscribers) The Unfair Advantage of Making a Mega Influencer Your Co-Founder 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: How to Build a Shopify App in One Week 4 Essential Tips for Building Your First Shopify Theme 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. [abc] 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. 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: How to Launch a Subscription Box: Lessons from a Successful Korean Beauty Business Designing a Subscription Box That’s Worth Unboxing Every Month 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: Validate your idea with market research Develop your product or service Set up your business finances Find vendors and suppliers 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. [abc] 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: 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. [abc]
How Tokyobike Synced Their Storefronts and Doubled Sales February 1, 2020 bizadmin With shopping moving online, it’s not unusual to see brick-and-mortar retailers moving into the eCommerce space. But not all brands have been able to move online and boast a 100% increase in sales in less than six months. Meet tokyobike. The independent bicycle company was founded in 2002 in the quiet suburb of Yanaka, Japan, and first made its way to the United States in 2014. The company is now headquartered in Los Angeles, which is where we sat down with Juliana Di Simone, tokyobike’s Partner in America, to discuss their journey to selling online. The ethos behind the in-store experience The tokyobike brand is inspired by the clean, minimalist aesthetic of Japanese design and pays homage to the “Tokyo Slow” movement—an emphasis on comfort over speed and a nod to simpler times. Their stores are designed to reflect this sentiment. With the open space, subdued colors, and thoughtfully-curated merchandising, customers are invited to explore the store at their leisure. Buying a bicycle is very personal, explains Juliana. She adds, “[They’ve] traditionally been purchased in person. You want to see them, touch them, ride them. See if what you’re buying will actually fit your needs.” In fact, tokyobike’s commitment to their in-store experience is so integral to the brand’s ethos that the founders originally had no intention of selling online—they didn’t think they’d be able to mirror the experience or the high-touch service. Up until 2015, tokyobike operated as a brick-and-mortar, exclusively. But when their staff could no longer support the influx of foot traffic in their bustling SoHo shop in New York City, they knew they had to offer an alternative for their customers. Compounding this shift was a challenge specific to its flagship product: tokyobike’s purchase journey was longer than is typical for most direct-to-consumer brands. At $900 apiece, their bicycles aren’t an impulse buy. Bikes are a long-term investment and often an expression of one’s personal taste, so people take their time exploring their options before making a purchase. This wasn’t a problem for local shoppers, who could return to the store once they’d made up their mind. But out-of-towners and tourists didn’t have the same luxury. Instead, they would typically test-ride a few bikes in-store, come across one they loved, only to return home without an easy way to finalize their purchase. All roads lead to eCommerce [abc] At first, tokyobike’s sales associates tried to solve this problem by writing names and emails on the back of business cards for shoppers to take home. This allowed tokybike’s staff to then follow up with an invoice and credit card authorization form via email and gave would-be customers the chance to buy the product. But this manual process was time-consuming, fraught with error, and introduced the joys of paperwork into what should be an exciting purchase. “When you’re a small team, time really matters…If your team is taken away from things that grow the business to do small, laborious things, you need to find tools that make it easier…If you’re looking to scale, you really have to find platforms and systems that can help you do those things,” Juliana tells us. Launching an online store was the clear next step for the retailer. But not all platforms are created equal, and in three years, the cracks were beginning to show. “We knew there were things we wanted to do that we couldn’t, and that’s mostly because of the way we fulfill our orders and the way we wanted the online experience to be. We thought somewhere in there we were probably losing customers,” says Juliana. They needed something more robust. According to Juliana, the ease of Shopify’s mobile POS system was a big selling point. tokyobike Taking Shopify for a test ride In early 2019, just six months after moving onto Shopify, online sales would surpass tokyobike’s brick-and-mortar sales, with the physical locations increasingly being used for test-rides only. For Juliana, the synergy between their storefronts—and the role tokyobike’s physical spaces would come to play in driving online sales—was an unexpected, but a welcome shift in the company’s business model. And the relationship is a two-way street. Juliana shares a typical scenario where a customer buys a bike online and opts to pick it up in-store. Once they’re in the store, they might realize they need a lock, and a helmet, and maybe a bell. All of a sudden, an online purchase has driven in-store sales, too. The idea that each channel should complement and influence the other to nurture customers through the sales cycle is the foundation of a unified commerce strategy, and ultimately, the goal for every retailer. Switching from Lightspeed to Shopify POS The journey toward a harmonized online and offline experience wasn’t without hiccups. “Until recently, we’ve always had different point-of-sales and a different platform for our online store,” admits Juliana. [abc] When they switched to Shopify’s eCommerce solution, they decided to switch their Lightspeed point-of-sale (POS) systems to Shopify POS, as well. The separate systems were creating a messy experience—from minor frustrations, like not being able to redeem gift cards across sales channels, to bigger issues, like the inability to see inventory across locations. Switching to Shopify’s POS allowed tokyobike to sync their online store with their physical stores, and manage the entire business from one backend. “There are very few steps with Shopify. It’s a one-click kind of thing.” “We integrated everything, it just made more sense logistically to have everything in the same place. Especially because sometimes, we’ll have customers who are interested in things that we only have in-store. So if you need a new set of wheels, we don’t have those on the website…but we can easily email a cart to a customer with items that are only in the store and they can complete that purchase as if it was an online sale,” explains Juliana. For multi-location retailers like tokyobike, having an up-to-date inventory that could be moved on demand, with flexible payment and fulfillment options is often a turning point. When asked about her staff’s experience with Shopify’s retail technology, Juliana says the platform’s ease-of-use was a big selling point. “In terms of our team, I think everyone thought it was way easier. The transition was actually really, really easy for us. There are very few steps with Shopify. It’s a one-click kind of thing.” Free Webinar: Introduction to Shopify POS Get a step-by-step demo of Shopify POS and hear success stories from fast-growing retailers. The team has also benefited from a faster checkout experience since moving to Shopify POS. “Our transaction times are way quicker now. From the moment you decide which bicycle you’re going to purchase, to actually inserting your card or tapping your phone, is a much shorter period of time than it used to be before,” adds Juliana. Beyond ease-of-use, Shopify’s unified platform allowed tokyobike to provide its customers with a consistently delightful experience across every touchpoint, staying true to the brand’s origins, and their commitment to white-glove service. The future of commerce is unified It’s impossible to think of retail as separate…this idea of unified retail is the future. Today, customers can begin and complete their journey with tokyobike wherever and whenever they want. “It’s impossible to think of retail as separate. You have to be able to bring the physical into the digital, and the digital into the physical. From an experience perspective, but also in terms of systems. Connecting the two is important…this idea of unified retail is the future,” says Juliana. The company continues to use its brick-and-mortar locations as a showroom for its products—an opportunity to get in front of new customers who are intrigued by their beautiful storefronts, and to give potential customers the option of experiencing their unique products in-person before ordering online. For the folks who aren’t ready to purchase on the spot, tokyobike’s sales associates can keep the conversation going by re-engaging these shoppers online with cart reminders and e-gift card offers. Across the board, this strategy has helped them boost sales and scale across the United States. Since switching over to Shopify, tokyobike doubled their online sales in under six months, and shrunk their sales cycle from 14-30 days, down to a single week. Their brick-and-mortar presence is growing too, with 13 flagship locations around the world, including stores in London, Berlin, Bangkok, and Mexico City. You could say they’re moving at a pretty good clip. Photography courtesy of tokyobike [abc]
This Millennial Entrepreneur Is Carving Her Own Path to Success January 14, 2020 bizadmin Millennials, huh? Those avocado-toast-loving, Instagram-influencers, selfie-taking young’uns. They’re always too busy disrupting industries to get to the business of making themselves a proper career. Just kidding. You’re safe here in the knowledge that I, too, am planted firmly within the age range that defines me as a Millennial. And personally, I think we’re great. And as for traditional careers, who needs ‘em? Today, more and more Millennials are rejecting traditional career paths and stepping out on their own, and entrepreneurship has always been an appealing alternative. According to a study by the Kaufmann Foundation, 54% of Millennials want to start their own business or have already started one. With the promise of setting your own hours, not having to call anyone boss, and the satisfaction of watching something grow from the ground up, it’s easy to see why Millennials are drawn to the idea of starting their own businesses. Jenny Lei is proof that despite their age, Millennial entrepreneurs are ready to play in the big leagues. With no formal business training and a single internship on her resume, this self-taught entrepreneur has grown her e-commerce business to an enviable success. Her business, which sells handbags and accessories, has recently passed the $600,000 revenue mark despite launching less a year ago. I called her up at her apartment/office/temporary warehouse in New York City to talk to her about finding her feet as an entrepreneur, her biggest mistakes, and the little details that have made all the difference to her success. [abc] The First Steps as a Millennial Entrepreneur Jenny Lei is 22 years old, and brimming with energy and enthusiasm. She’s a self-described optimist, a trait she thinks is crucial to her success as an entrepreneur. “I’m a very positive person, I think that helps. You have to be optimistic when doing this because a lot of things are going to go wrong,” she says. Then after graduating college early in December 2017, she found herself out in the real world with the prospect of her entire career spanning before her. [abc] “This past year I was trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, and how I’m going to make money, so I was interviewing a lot,” she says. “But I realized that the jobs I was interviewing for, I wasn’t really interested in.” Unsatisfied with the idea of falling into an office job, she started to look for projects she could pick up to make some money to support herself. So in April 2018, in between interviews and job applications, she started dabbling in her e-commerce businesses. She’d tried running an e-commerce business before in college, selling avocado slicers to her Instagram followers. Her followers (all 800,000 of them) were part of a healthy recipe page she’d spent most of her high school years building. “I was thinking, I have a recipe Instagram page, and people love avocados! Let’s do this,” she says. In the end, the store made a few sales but didn’t take off in the way she’d hoped. But this time around, she went for a different approach. First came the clothing store. Then the jewelry store. Then the bangle store. Then the luggage cases. “My original goal was to start one store a month,” she says. While she had some success, most of the businesses didn’t amount to much. [abc] “I don’t remember how I stumbled on the idea of selling bags,” she says. “But it appealed to me, I collect handbags, so I thought it would be a good idea.” She quickly launched her store with Shopify and used Oberlo to source the product suppliers and help fulfill the orders. She chose to dropship the products from her supplier in China so that she wouldn’t have to buy inventory upfront. Then, once a customer had placed an order from her store her supplier would take care of the delivery of the items directly to her customers. In May 2018, she launched her handbag store. And her success was quick. After advertising a couple of the bags on her Instagram page, she scored her first sales. And once they started, they flooded in – she made $1,000 in sales in the first 24 hours. [abc] “I was with my boyfriend at the time and he was like, ‘Woah, what are you doing?’” she says. “He works in finance and works really long hours. He was like, ‘I’m sitting next to you and you haven’t done anything and you’re making money!’” “At that point, I told him that my ultimate goal was to get to $200,000 per month because that’s what I see all the YouTubers doing. He was like, ‘That’s impossible!’” she says. “Well, I got to that in November!” The Journey from $0 to $200,000 a month When it came to marketing her bags, she began with the area she knew best. “I started with Instagram influencers because that’s what I was doing during high school so I was familiar with that space,” she says. She paid influencers in the fashion space to promote her products by sending them samples to pose within photos. Then, she and offered them an affiliate code to incentivize them to promote the brand even more. [abc] “I dabbled in Facebook advertising in the beginning too. But in the first week I did it I’d be like, ‘Oh, I spent $10 and nobody has bought anything! I’m going to stop this ad, I’m losing money!’” she laughs. Eventually, she grew tired of constantly coordinating promotions with influencers, and was looking for a way to run marketing that could be automated to keep pulling in sales 24 hours a day. She thought back to some fatherly advice. “Like my Dad says, ‘You have to lose money to make money,’ so I thought I’d give it $200 to try Facebook ads properly.” (Click to expand) At first, she struggled to find a formula that worked. “In the beginning, I was doing my ads wrong, they looked really bad,” she says. “I was basically using the product description as the ad copy. Then I was scrolling through Instagram and I was like, ‘Hey! Nobody else does that, I’m going to stop doing that.’” Eventually, after tests upon tests upon tests, she found her winning format. A carousel ad showing a collection of her best-selling bags, with simple copy inspired by the ads of fashion retailer Revolve. “People say that video marketing is the best thing, but for me personally, my best ad has been a carousel post of different products. My best performing ad is the simplest,” she says. Then everything started to click. “My first $1,000 day was at the end of August, that happened on my Dad’s birthday. Then the first $2,000 day was a week after that! And then the first $10,000 was the day before Black Friday in November. These little milestones keep you going,” she says. Although Black Friday turned into the biggest weekend in her store’s history, Jenny says the weekend was, “actually kind of calm.” She had planned to be on a cruise with her boyfriend over the weekend of Black Friday, so she started planning early to make sure everything would be in place for the weekend. In September she hired two virtual assistants to help with customer service and order fulfillment, so she could focus on the marketing. [abc] “I didn’t do too much prep for Black Friday, but I had three different ads set up to run the day before Black Friday. Then we just kept the best running one and scaled that up for the following week.” On the day of Black Friday, as she was cruising around the Bahamas, she kept an eye on the Shopify app on her phone as the orders flooded in. Midway through the weekend, she realized that orders were coming in faster than she expected and she quickly hired another virtual assistant to help with the workload. In the end, the day was a huge success. “I did $18,000 on Black Friday, so that was our best day,” she says. The sales from Black Friday helped tip her revenue over the $200,000 mark for the month – the very amount she was told was impossible. “I think anything is possible now after the past few months. Because my boyfriend said that I could never get to $200,000, and I got there while we were on a cruise!” she says, grinning. What Makes Her Store Successful? So what makes this store, out of all the stores, stand out? For Jenny, the answer is in her dedication to the details. She knew from the beginning she wanted her store to feel premium, so she went looking for inspiration from some of the world’s best designer brands. “I went to Celine’s website and decided I want my website to look like that. So, in the end, it doesn’t look like that, but it was a good inspiration,” she says. Determined to make her website and products feel just as cohesive as the designer brands, she spent hours photoshopping all her product images to make them match perfectly. [abc] “If you’re selling a physical product, you need to have really good product images. Even better if they’re cohesive. You need to make all the images the same size, and you need to position all the bags at the same spot. So when you’re scrolling down all of the items you can see it’s consistent. You know when you click on it that it’s going to be the front, the side, the back, someone wearing it. That’s something that I think is very important. If I went to a website and all the images were different, I wouldn’t buy. The websites that I personally use are very easy to use, easy to navigate, the product images look beautiful. That’s a sign of trust to me.” [abc] The level of dedication to cohesion not only builds trust with her store, but it elevates the feel of the brand, allowing her to charge higher prices and make a healthy sales margin. The bags in her store cost $80 on average, with a sales margin of 66% thanks to the premium brand image she’s built. “In the beginning, it took a lot of time to write the product descriptions, but now I have a good idea of how to write them. I write a little blurb of what the bag is, and how to use it. Then I write what it’s made of, dimensions and suggestions of what you can fit in it.” But unlike designer brands that can come across as cold and clinical in the way they describe their products, she wanted her to feel more approachable. “There are some brands like Warby Parker, where you can imagine someone reading the product description to you, and you can imagine how it fits into your life. That’s the direction I’m going for,” she says. [abc] To make her products feel personal, she took the descriptions one step further. “I gave all of my bags names, so it will be something like the ‘Annie tote’ or the ‘Lauren bag’. I didn’t use to do that, it used to be like, ‘Round Circle Bag,’” she says. “I think that made a big difference too because people will say, ‘I like the Annie!’ or ‘Do you know when the Annie will be back in stock?’ I think that’s something worth considering doing, I noticed a difference after doing that.” Ignore Everyone’s Advice, Follow Your Gut Sure, Jenny’s success sounds exceptional, but I know from experience that it’s never smooth sailing to get to this point. “So, what were some of your biggest mistakes?” I ask her. “Oh let me count the ways!” she replies, laughing. Then she pulls out her phone, where she has compiled an actual list of the mistakes she’s made. She learned the hard way that there are good suppliers and bad suppliers and that choosing a good one is crucial to making your business a success (and reducing the amount of stress-induced freakouts you experience). “I learned that on AliExpress a lot of the suppliers carry the same items, but they’re not necessarily the same quality. The first batch of bags I had, some people said that they smelled bad and that the zippers broke a lot. So I ordered the same bag from five different suppliers to my house to compare, and then I picked the one that I thought was the best quality. There actually was a visible difference between the bags.” In the end, the situation turned into a positive one. By ordering samples of the products she was able to determine the best supplier in terms of quality and delivery service. “After that, I built up a relationship with this supplier and now he sources all of my bags for me,” she says. She’s gotten better at trusting her own instincts too. In the beginning, it was tempting to follow the advice of e-commerce gurus and experts, but she found that their suggestions often just didn’t feel right for her business. So she ignored them and went her own way. [abc] “Don’t listen to everything that people tell you,” she starts. “Do your research and follow your gut. Don’t do it unless you feel like it’s the right thing to do in your heart.” Why Dropshipping Works So Well for Millennial Entrepreneurs Because e-commerce businesses built with the dropshipping model are so lightweight, they’re flexible enough to let you start, stop, or change course if the direction of the business isn’t matching what you need from it. And for a Millennial entrepreneur who is still trying to figure out both business and adult life, that’s kind of perfect. Jenny’s the first to admit that if there’s one thing that’s certain about her life, it’s uncertainty. And she’s okay with that. “The idea of having a set career path is scary to me,” she says. “But someone like my boyfriend, he’s got a great job, and it’s a job he’s wanted since he was five. I’ve never been like that. I don’t buy plane tickets months in advance, I buy plane tickets a week before when I’m sure I want to go. Then I’ll buy a one-way ticket there because maybe I’ll want to stay a few extra days. I’m that kind of person. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing next week, let alone five years from now.” So she’s keeping her options open. This year, she’s headed to grad school to study information science and will keep running her business on the side. Thanks to the help of her team of virtual assistants, she’s been able to scale back her work on the business to only 5-10 hours per week. As for any other Millennial entrepreneurs thinking of following in her footsteps, she has one piece of advice: “Honestly, don’t give up. It’s not easy, but it’s also not as hard as people make it out to be. As long as you keep at it, you’re bound to succeed sometime. I succeeded on my seventh try or something. You’ll find a product that sticks.” [abc] Venetia Anderson Venetia Anderson is a content marketer at Oberlo. She’s passionate about discovering great stories from entrepreneurs, as well as plants and disco music. Follow Venetia on Twitter at @venetia__a.