[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message]Niche : Clothing and Shoes
Shop link : https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/JustFurYouNZ[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Tell us something about yourself. What is your niche? How did you get your idea or concept for the business?
Hello, My name is Rosauro but you can call me Sau, I would like to remain anonymous if that’s okay. I was just a normal guy working for an Electronic company operating machines. My wife used to work as a process worker but eventually left after she gave birth to our daughter which is also the reason why I started my business. At first, I thought of finding a sideline to fill up my wife’s position to make money so, I watched plenty of videos online on how to build a business but and I came across a product that I really liked which was a coat that had fur in it which gave me an idea of “this looks amazing” and end up buying a sewing machine and this is where it all started. I have only just started but it seems like people like my products and that gives me more motivation to make more and improve.
What are your responsibilities as a business owner?
With my I.T background which I wasn’t able to use for a company, I managed to use it for this purpose. I started selling on Etsy because most of the products sold on it were handmade products and mine was handmade and within two weeks I managed to create at least 200 NZD$ of revenue which is quite a lot for a newbie. So I have started to buy more materials and create more products, I also have to import my materials from other countries so I could provide the best quality for my customers. I also have just started listing my products to other online market platforms like eBay, Amazon, etc… I am now in the process of creating my own website and build my own brand “Just Fur You”
What are your best selling products, what type of materials are used in your creations, how do you design your products, what makes your products stand out?
Well… I only have one product at the moment and I am using an acrylic and polyester blend fur fabric materials to create my “detachable fur hoodie trim” and sew it on a backing material with cotton to keep my customers even warmer and with styles! I’m not sure what makes it stand out.. maybe because it’s cheap? I made it cheap for business strategy, the more you sell the more reviews you get, the more reviews you get the more customers to come in, the more customers to come in the more sales you generate.
What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur? What’s the hardest about it?
When someone appreciates your work, you feel appreciated. I enjoy sewing, It doesn’t sound very manly for a married man with a daughter but it’s what I want to do. The hardest part would be being restless and I don’t like having unhappy customers but the courier companies really make it hard for me the most.
Who do you sell to (and how do you get customers)? What marketing tools or strategies you use to boost your sales? Are you satisfied with the results?
Well, most of my sales came from manual search and I have just started using Ads but was not very helpful though I want to see how it progress further. I believe the more traffic I get the more my product will pop up in the first search result.
Do you believe there is a winning formula for becoming a successful entrepreneur? What is yours?
I wasn’t trying to become a successful entrepreneur just a guy who wants to share his creation with the world and that made me think is the reason that would make me successful.
What was the toughest moment you have experienced in your business practice? How did you succeed to get over it and move forward?
The part of getting a good courier service. I mentioned it below.
What inspires you when you’re creating? How do you get ideas for new products? What are some methods or tools you use to get creative?
Hmmm… What I see, enjoy, what amazes me, and what I like to do inspires me and create something from it.
Do you ship your product internationally? How do you handle postage pricing? What is the average time it takes from the order to the delivery? Do you use free shipping? If so, why? How do you package your products?
I think I mentioned this above and below already. I had to do a lot of online research and walked into a different courier company until I found the best one.
What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful online business?
Work hard don’t give up Research.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are starting out?
Never give up! People try, they fall but they get back up. You can’t shoot the ball in the ring with just one shot. If you do you are lucky but if you fail you can just try again. You are selling a product that doesn’t sell? try a different one, fail again? try again until you find someone to appreciate what you are selling until you shoot that ball in the ring. Work hard! you are old enough to be spoon-fed! And always remember you need money to earn money. Don’t be afraid to spend money to make money.
How do you personally define business success? Is it money? Freedom? Influence? Creative expression and innovation? Something else?
All of the above but I am more into the goal of providing and making my family happy.
Describe your day-to-day operation. How do you manage your time?
I rarely sleep. I wake up early to cook, fulfill orders, play with my daughter, get ready to work, go to work, get home, look after my baby, when the baby sleep I sew and make a product, more research, sleep, then wake up again. It’s all about time management and squeezes as much as you can.
How do you plan on growing your business? What is the biggest impact on your profitability?
As I mentioned earlier I started to expand using different online market platforms and create my own brand and will soon be known locally.
What are some things you did to set your shop for success on Etsy? What is one lesson you learned the hard way?
Well, it was a hard way that’s for sure. I did a lot of research to become successful but where I struggled the most was figuring out how to pack my products, what box or bags to use, what courier company to use. I and I learned it in a hard way. find a courier company who can send my products internationally so I went to the post shop and they were charging me 90 NZD$ to send a tracked product so I went ahead and sent them untracked and that doesn’t make customers happy so I had to do more research and found a way to send them tracked and for the right price.
Anything you wish to add, feel free to do so here. We value your opinion
I think I said more than enough and this took longer than 30 minutes, but you can message me anything 😉
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