Tips from Online Stores that have been successful Managers
Entrepreneurship is exhilarating -- fun, humbling, rewarding, monotonous, and exciting simultaneously. It causes you to work more hours than you had planned however it also allows you to be flexible to get the most out of your life.
It is WordPress' goal of democratizing publishing to online store ownership, providing everyone with the opportunity to pursue your passion, and then turn it into an income stream. But every entrepreneur has issues they'd like to know before starting their store: the things they'd change as well as lessons that they'd like to pass on to help others avoid these same errors.
Joe Niemann:Co-owner and president of Acoustical Solutions, an international distributor and manufacturer of solutions for noise control issues for churches, schools, factories, outdoor spaces hospitals, and other. They enhance productivity, increase security, and increase speech understanding.
Katie Thomson: A certified dietician who holds a masters in nutrition and the co-founder of Square Baby. The company offers a variety of meal plans that can be customized that provide 100% nutritional daily for infants at every age and stage of development.
Ivan Rivera:Co-founder of Little Giants - Giant Shorties, a clothing brand that makes quality, modern-day goods for children that are influenced by the youth culture of the past and present. This isn't your average brand and the clothing designed for the future rulers of tomorrow can be described as "good enough for grown-ups, however, they are designed specifically for children."
What was the reason and how did you get started?
Three of the entrepreneurs we spoke with had strong corporate backgrounds however, they believed they could be more successful.
Joe Niemann took an alternative approach by partnering with several individuals to buy into an established business. He had spent the last 25 years working at corporate positions, which included some that focused on mergers and acquisitions of large industrial companies, but was ready to capitalize on the experience gained to create the smaller company, one that would allow him and his co-workers to expand their way. However, Acoustical Solutions wasn't his original goal:
"Our goal was to purchase an industrial manufacturing business. However, we found this company, that is mostly a B2B distribution business."
He purchased the company in 2014 and, at the moment, the business was making around $10,000 in online sales every month. Today, the figure is closer to $450,000.
In the case of Katie Thomson, Square Baby was formed out from a desire to provide proper nutrition to her children.
"I became a mom in 2008 and as I cruised the aisle in search of food alternatives I was disgusted by what I found. Did you know that many infant food bags contain similar amounts of sugar that an entire bowl or Lucky Charms? Mind. Blown."
At the time, Katie was the senior nutritionist at Starbucks. She was responsible for many of Starbucks' changes in healthier options through time and also provided strategic and nutrition consulting for products such as Perfect Oatmeal, Skinny Lattes as well as Frappuccino Light. Additionally, she was an advisor and was a part of top executives, including the CEO Howard Shultz on product development travels to Italy. In 2010, Katie left her dream job in Starbucks and began working on her customizable meal plan idea. "I was not sure I wanted our next generation of kids growing up with So. Much. Applesauce," says Katie.
However, for Katie, things didn't happen over night. "I worked on the Square Baby concept and business plan for the past eight years. Sounds crazy, right? Sometimes timing is everything," she says. "It was a lot of effort and time to create, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity to work so hard for something that I am so passionate about."
Ivan Rivera and his wife were also influenced by their transition into motherhood with having their first child, Knowledge.
"We could not find anything within the children's wear market that was modern that was culturally relevant as well as affordable," says Ivan. The majority of the brands were high-end luxurious, way overpriced and did not match the values and love of the sub-cultures we're into. Therefore, we began making our own clothing to support Knowledge and then expanded out from there."
What have you learned about life? How has it changed you?
Just like Acoustical Solutions wasn't the kind of business that he hoped to purchase, Joe Niemann's job as HTML2's creatordidn't turn out like his expectations either.
"When we took over the company, my partners and I did not have a lot of knowledge about music or acoustics. We had also not run a business of any size ourselves. We had the general manager who was supposed to run the business day-to-day, but he left after just a couple of months. I had to step into the presidency role. It was never my intention to hold the role long-term, but now I'm really happy with the decision. As of now, I think it was the right option."
When he was inspired to create Little Giants - Giant Shorties, Ivan Rivera was employed as an IT in the field of database consultant as well as a highly successful hip-hop profession. The life he led was filled with activity: quick journeys, studio sessions, late night clubs as well as everything else associated with professional music.
Today, the world is packed with action. "But the main thing is being a parent to a boisterous six-year-old, and constantly putting out fires in our company," says Ivan, smiling. "I have so many hats and play a variety of duties, and experience the daily ups and downs of business. When you add that to having a baby for the first time and the exhaustion isn't over, just different."
Katie Thomson is a resounding echo of the feelings on balance:
"I think I've done quite well in maintaining some balance at home and at work. I'm a mom of two kids, which means it's a lot of carpool homework, schoolwork, teachers' follow-ups, games/practices with the kids as well as cooking and chores . . . And a start-up. This is a bit crazy, but completely achievable.
If you are passionate about what you do, and frame the work as an honor instead of a chore, your energy to cross the finish line is strong. I'm proud of the fact that my boys get to see how hard I work to pursue my dream. And I'm proud that I'm in a position to shut it down when I need to, so they can get the attention and affection they need. Everyday is a balance act, but that's just life, right?"
What are the things you wish you knew before starting your business?
Katie Thomson is Katie Thomson iswell aware of the fact that her lengthy time to market, though certainly not unusual, isn't exactly the norm. It's a good thing she just went for the opportunity, not realizing that she wouldn't see her vision come true for a long time. "I'm happy that I wasn't aware the time it would take me to start my business. I might have been discouraged in the past," Katie says. Katie.
If you inquire of Joe Niemann the same question, he immediately gives you a list of bullet points. He has a clear idea of what was he studying prior to his being thrust into the leadership position:
- Search engine marketing and the ways Google and Bing can drive visitors to the website.
- Search engine optimization and how to use keywords in content development to get more prominently placed in search results.
- The future impact of state sales taxes.
- The ins and outs of credit card processing as well as how to guard against fraudulent transactions.
The list does not just give us a glimpse into Joe's organized and straightforward approach to management, but also serves as a good guideline for those who are looking to begin your own eCommerce company. Some people may be familiar with certain points, but that's not the case for all. Joe advises you to learn more about the topics that are unfamiliar to you, or find allies who can help you in the areas that you aren't.
Ivan Rivera,though, jumped into business without pause:
"I wish I knew a lot more about marketing, sales, or all things business. The clothing line we started and didn't have the knowledge to run it. This has led to much 'trial by fire. I would have liked to have were able to establish more processes at the start, with a particular growth plan, and an knowledge of the actual production process."
What advice do you offer to anyone who is considering starting your own business?
Katie Thomson encourages entrepreneurs to not be scared of starting small: The following is an excerpt from her article:"Don't invest too much in any given path before testing it. Be aware that you'll need to change direction in some manner."
Katie mentions that, beyond continual advancement and constant change, to improve your business You must study the customer journey and make decisions based on what you learn.
"Listen and take lessons from your clients. It's more important than your customer's experience particularly when it comes to DTC (Direct to Customer). Beginning the moment they come on your website, they can navigate through it, search for answers and make purchases, take delivery of the product and seek assistance on the way. Being laser-focused at the user is the key to building a trusted brand and the loyalty of your customers."
To Ivan Rivera, there's no moment like now "I'd advise them to take the time to do it! However, they should keep their job as long as possible and make as much savings as they possibly can. I had to quit my job way too soon. And get comfortable with the basics of sales, marketing and product development prior to when you get distracted by flashy technology. If you're lacking the fundamentals dialed in, once your business takes off, it can become a bit ahead of you, and make it difficult to reel in."
As per Joe Niemann, the key is careful planning:
"It isn't a matter of whether you're a first-time entrepreneur or have run an online business before. You should develop a thoughtful business plan that includes an in-depth comprehension of the landscape of competition."
He also agreed with the advice to start with a small amount and concentrate on the customer experience:
"I believe you should keep your website's navigation and site design simple for your first launch and start with a a limited number of products. You should plan to invest money in SEO to increase visitors, but stay clear of Amazon as well, and focus on making your buyer's experience as enjoyable and easy as is possible."
What's the most important lesson you've taken away?
They are constantly making improvements and are focused on their customers and their needs, which is how Joe Niemannsummed the idea:
"Competitors are constantly improving, too, and you have to keep updating your shop to ensure customers have a superior purchasing experience than theirs."
Katie Thomson stresses that you must live and breathe the customer experience. It extends beyond UX design and into customer service in general:
"How you react and listen to customers, as well as the way you communicate with them, and then follow up is key."
Then she pivoted into something we hadn't talked about in the past: visuals and design.
"Don't reduce the quality of your photography for products. When you run an online business landing page, and site is your chance to capture the attention and admiration of your prospective client. The beauty of your site is equally important as its functionality."
Ivan Riveraalso found the strength of a strong team:
"Life is much better when everyone is eating. And 100% of a grape isn't more nutritious than one third of an ice-cold watermelon. Be a good person and not selfish with regards to your company and your team.
An effective team is essential. You need a multiplier increase in something's size to allow it to expand exponentially. If you don't have that team there will be many hats than you can count fingers and not enough time in a day to do everything."
So where does come in?
Before we parted, we had to know the reasons that caused them to select it as a solution.
Katie Thomson mentioned the flexibility of it:
"With as well as a few additional plugins, we've been capable of creating a custom subscription service. With customer experience as our focus, we empower users to move their subscriptions to pause or delay a week, alter their delivery options, etc."
User-friendliness was an important factor in Ivan Rivera:
"WordPress has made it simple to have a website operating in no time. It's easy and simple to manage it from day to the day. Then your only concern is to put your basic procedures in order so that you're ready in the event that you decide to start making sales."
Joe Niemann has been introduced by the web designer he worked with:
"When we relaunched our website in 2015 , our web developer introduced us to as an eCommerce platform that was easy to use and corresponds to the type of transactions we conducted online at the time. We've added a variety of plug-ins to our initial implementation for the purpose of enhancing the functionality of the website for us to expand the online store's business to where it is now."
This is the place for entrepreneurs.
Being an entrepreneur, there are times when you're too concentrated on growing, moving forward in your career, and helping others, that you don't stop to reflect and appreciate how far you've made. We'd love to see each store's owner has the moment to reflect and gratitude. In addition, if they've improved the revenue they make or improved their lifestyle, or grown in immeasurable ways, we're happy to be a part of their journey.
If you're contemplating launching your own store The community is eager to embrace the idea. So don't delay any longer and get started now.