Online Seller Experience, Small Business Success Stories
… The organization, product procurement, efficient production, and communication. The organization is the top priority because receiving online orders can quickly get out of control and sacrifice customer service if you don’t have systems in place. Customer service is also our top priority. We always want to make sure that our customers are happy.
… I used to work in the hotel industry and had a few little entrepreneurial businesses when I was in school so I have always been this minded. My mother and gran always sewed so I must have absorbed some info from them, so when I bought a sewing machine to try to make something for my apartment I self-taught and took it from there. I do a lot of online learning courses and absorb as much as I can to keep evolving.
… The challenges aspects of my business are mostly operational. It is important to me that my customers receive a super-fast service and the highest quality product. In order to face the challenges, I checked for many months different printing manufactures across the United States and Asia that will give me the highest level product available with fast delivery, and super attentive and professional customer service.
… I did have experience making necklaces and earrings when I was a kid, but I had to teach myself how to use a loom or do individual stitches. It didn’t take long to produce projects. I was happy enough for sale, but I do find that I don’t think my projects are as good as people tell me they are. I seem to be a bit of a perfectionist.
… In the bedding industry, we will have competitors in everything even in life people are trying to get better than the rest that is my least concern if worry about how cheap someone is selling something similar like my item or how quick delivery there can do it does not affect me if there can do it for cheaper and dispatch it quicker.
… We did not have sales goals. We knew that our sawhorse was an excellent product because we had refined its design in our own shop for over 50 years. We figured that over time, sales would grow: it was true, useful, beautiful, very light, and very strong. We enjoyed making it and enjoyed sharing its clever nature. It was our way of conversing with the world – our sanity if you will.
… We are not much worried about this as in gemstone every piece is unique and we need to get it priced right first so that we don’t miss sales. Our Photography standout our gemstones, as our gemstones are the same in the photograph as it is in real, We don’t use filters, lights, etc to enhance the look of the gemstone, we keep it the way they are.
… I had no bad experiences yet, it is my style to always have a happy customer, no matter what, if the piece they bought is not what they wanted once they receive it, is better to work with them and change their unhappy experience into a good one. Bad reviews are probably the worst for new business and you want to avoid having any.
… Absolutely it has changed my life! I cut down my work hours to focus on this career. I’m so proud of how far the business has come! I do get stressed! Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in orders but I take a deep breath and remind myself of how far we have gotten in the last year! My husband helps a lot with the business! Sometimes it’s chatting with customers so I have more time to focus on getting orders completed.
… Our life has completely changed now that we sell through Etsy. We love running our own business and we never thought we would get that far. There have been many challenges and stresses from time to time, but it has been such a rewarding journey. We try and tackle things one problem at a time, and we talk a lot together, this really helps.