Online Seller Experience, Small Business Success Stories
… Passion, drive, customer service focused, and being a bit OCD. I am obsessed with my business. I spend all of my spare time working on it. I enjoy doing it which makes it not feel like work. I think it takes a special personality type, one who can hyper-focus on their brand. As I mentioned before, customer service is also key! I talk to all of my customers like they are my friends.
… I personally define a business that is doing well money-wise as successful, The reason I say this if you haven’t got the money to keep the business going you won’t be around for long. Also, one that can adapt to the times, we were such a different company 5 years ago compared to what we are today. We have been able to change with the environment.
… I find literally everything inspiring. When I see billboards, I get an idea. When I see the way the colors of the dirt are blending together, I get an idea. I built my entire Ophelia Collection off of this concept. I can’t help it. I never used to consider myself a really creative person but in college (although I studied science) my favorite class was art.
… Being an entrepreneur is a big chance to spread the word about our business to as many people as possible, all around the world. For us, it is a very exciting journey! The hardest thing is to find a balance between business and family.
… We only ship in North America for the moment. We include the price of shipping in the final price. Shipping is obviously our biggest cost that’s why we always try to make our product flat pack because we believe that it makes sense to be able to move wherever with a Knot product without having it take too much space. It helps us and it helps the clients when they move when they want to change their place in their house.
… Yes, it is nerve-racking as you worry about turnover. It is a competitive market. You have to be constantly thinking of new products and innovations. And keeping an eye on competitors and pricing models. Costs of raw materials fluctuate, and when working with tight margins, this can make the difference between profit or loss.
… I discovered Etsy online since it is a great website for selling handmade products. I decided to sell on Etsy because I want more people to wear my handmade rings. In my perspective, my handmade rings represent my effort, and making rings brings me happiness.
… We are very active on Pinterest and Facebook. It’s a great way to reach customers, share ideas, and promote your products. Social networks are today a very powerful tool in any business. I think in today’s world the one who doesn’t take advantage of the opportunities that social media provides lags far behind the competition.
… I’m not actually worried about competitors because my products are guaranteed by quality and price but it has an impact on my shop that lots of rug shops on Etsy and they sell bed products for a cheaper price. I always choose good quality products and it costs so I price products in accordance with this method.
… A question before the start was, are their customers who need the product we offer. But as we started it as a hobby, there was no risk in starting it. And when it turned into a full-time job, it was easy to handle problems. But the situation this year is very hard. The problem is not Etsy or the customers, the problem is the post-service because they reduce a lot of delivery possibilities.