14 months ago I quit my job and have had over 8.5k orders since!
How did I do it? I'll tell you how! This start-up guide is for those people that want to leave behind their cubicle and create fantastic opportunities for their family and jobs people cherish - just like I did. Shopify is a robust platform that enables anyone to start selling something today!
Where to start... isn't that the hardest part?
The best method is to find products that interest you and get creative juices flowing. Go on Pinterest.com, Etsy.com, or google "shopping" search for product ideas. Start off small, stay focused, and test your products. To date, ThinkBazaar, has mostly stuck to fitness apparel, but I still test other products.
You don't need to change the world to change your life. Too many entrepreneurs, especially within start-up culture, feel the need to create something revolutionary and untested. One of the companies that first got me thinking outside of the "change the world" mindset was an awesome brand selling beard kits and supplies for men. They had an awesome brand, concise message of quality, and he was doing 5-figure sales every month. Finding a niche that interests you is very important, but not necessary.
Niches are very important, however, make sure you know (and preferably can relate to) your target audience. Somehow within the saturated fitness market, ThinkBazaar has been able to stand out and keep bringing people (and their friends!) back. I suggest you set your mindset more about "I can do this better than website XYZ" rather than "what is something that's never been done before?!"
Once you have some products you'd like to sell, buy wholesale, or sell in general - it's time to move on to the next step!
Creating a brand is important!
Branding is super important. It builds confidence in your potential customers if done properly and gives their memory a point of reference in the future. Making your brand stand out is the most important part to really make a sustainable business that converts to sales. ThinkBazaar got it's name from a random picture I found online. I spent very little time picking colors or other non-essential time sinks. Just stick to the necessary things and develop it as you go. The Key is to focus on making sales, rather than focus on the little details.
Once you know the products you want to sell, the name, and have a general idea about how you want the brand to look, create a Shopify store using the free trial.
Awesome! What next?!
On the next post I will go in more detail on how to setup your Shopify store.