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The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Valentine - 04-30-2017

Fear of taking action is probably the single biggest obstacle to wannabe entrepreneurs. Laziness or other reasons are bullshit when you've seen the same people work their asses off for other activities like fitness or their 9-5.

Beyond that I've seen a variety of common problems appear such as:

- Not having a singular focus on one business (mainly a problem for first-time entrepreneurs)
- Being cheap in investing in staff, software etc which only ends up wasting your time
- Focusing too much on the product and ignoring marketing

When you get started you'll find obstacles like those above appear and much more that you never expected. These can all be overcome, what's most important though is that you get to these normal business obstacles rather than getting stuck in the first hurdle.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - All or Nothing - 04-30-2017

Quote: (04-30-2017 06:35 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  

Why does it take till later this year to build a website to sell "a product." Why arent you selling it elsewhere already?

I don't think we are getting the whole story.

It is taking a long time because I am building the website personally (a clothing ecommerce website). I come from an engineering background and I wanted to be able to be fully involved in all of the technical aspects of the business. The technical side of things is my comfort zone, so that is where I want to focus my energies on first and then build the business from that core. It is taking a lot of upfront work, but I am 100% convinced that building the website from the ground up (while learning how to code in the process) will pay for itself in the longterm.

And I am not selling anything on other websites because I want to be able to build a following for my personal website.

Edit: Also, we can agree to disagree on this one. Maybe my paranoia will hurt me. Maybe wasting time on building the website will not work out. But this is the way I want to do things and my way of doing things may not be the best way, but it is the way I want to go.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - roberto - 05-01-2017

Quote: (04-30-2017 06:56 AM)Valentine Wrote:  

Fear of taking action is probably the single biggest obstacle to wannabe entrepreneurs. Laziness or other reasons are bullshit when you've seen the same people work their asses off for other activities like fitness or their 9-5.

Beyond that I've seen a variety of common problems appear such as:

- Not having a singular focus on one business (mainly a problem for first-time entrepreneurs)
- Being cheap in investing in staff, software etc which only ends up wasting your time
- Focusing too much on the product and ignoring marketing

When you get started you'll find obstacles like those above appear and much more that you never expected. These can all be overcome, what's most important though is that you get to these normal business obstacles rather than getting stuck in the first hurdle.

Quoted for truth. Been there, got the T shirt.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Off The Reservation - 05-01-2017

Quote: (04-30-2017 05:07 PM)All or Nothing Wrote:  

Quote: (04-30-2017 06:35 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  

Why does it take till later this year to build a website to sell "a product." Why arent you selling it elsewhere already?

I don't think we are getting the whole story.

It is taking a long time because I am building the website personally (a clothing ecommerce website). I come from an engineering background and I wanted to be able to be fully involved in all of the technical aspects of the business. The technical side of things is my comfort zone, so that is where I want to focus my energies on first and then build the business from that core. It is taking a lot of upfront work, but I am 100% convinced that building the website from the ground up (while learning how to code in the process) will pay for itself in the longterm.

And I am not selling anything on other websites because I want to be able to build a following for my personal website.

Edit: Also, we can agree to disagree on this one. Maybe my paranoia will hurt me. Maybe wasting time on building the website will not work out. But this is the way I want to do things and my way of doing things may not be the best way, but it is the way I want to go.

It isn't a matter of disagreement, I have no disagreement with you. I am simply pointing out that you are not doing anything.

You have the attitude to control everything, know everything, eliminate all risks etc. Which is all fine but you can't and aren't doing any business.

Business (of selling clothing) is buying pieces and selling them for more. Why don't you sell one piece somewhere else and make a profit today? Buy for $20 and sell for $25. You would rather wait for this painfully built custom website (which will have zero traffic btw) and let time pass and pass and pass and pass and you are doing nothing but jerking yourself off that you are in or going into business. But if you come back here and say I sold a single piece on amzon or ebay then you can say you are in business.

I stand behind what I said before I suspect we are not getting the whole story. If you are selling knock off clothing then you are just a thief not a businessman, and none of my advice applies. If indeed this is an illegal business such as knockoffs I encourage you to have the self-esteem to sell some real products and make great money in some clean fashion. Yes, it is 100% a self-esteem issue. People who sell knockoffs think they are getting away with something and the something is they hold in their sub-c mind the idea that they can't do anything worthy and the knockoff is a reflection of their cesspool mentality and cheating their way to a profit. I am personally suspicious of your LLC and trademark comments because what you don't say says more than what you say. You haven't answered this issue. A simple I am not selling knockoffs would go a long way.

If you are selling used pieces of real authentic brands then you better stop your coding hobby and get selling fast because you are several years late to that game. Get an ebay and start getting a reputation that you can find good pieces if that's what we are talking about. Yours better be the nicest used 80s Members Only jackets and once you have a good reputation you can always bring the customers over to this school project website you are building by hand. And you should know there is plenty of case law you can sell used authentic pieces (or new) and mention the trademark of what you are selling without problems in most cases.

Look, I am 100% supportive (if this is not knockoffs) and you have guys here who have built businesses which you literally couldn't believe who you are talking to behind the screen names. What I am telling you is VERY VERY hard to see in your shoes. Believe me I had this disease for YEARS. You aren't doing anything. But the guy who takes 30 seconds and makes and ebay store and puts up a listing is passing you at the race at 100mph while you apply tire shine under a shade tree.

Go make a sale.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - worldwidetraveler - 05-01-2017

Quote: (05-01-2017 06:57 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  

Go make a sale.

OTR is right, again.

You will want to test your idea before putting significant resources into it. Quickly weed out the ideas that won't make you money.

I had an idea for a software program that I was toying with for some time. I decided to put together a quick demo and test the waters. It took me about a week to build something and I put it up for sale. I ended up making around 10k on it that month.

The money showed me there was demand for the idea.

I ended up making that technology my core focal point for the next 6 years.

While working on this program, for this particular market, I also noticed demand for something similar in a much bigger market. I can tweak it a little, rebrand it and position it within an emerging billion dollar industry that will end up doubling in the next four years.

The demand for this type of product will continue for a very long time.

All that started because I quickly got something to market to test.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Valentine - 05-01-2017

These gentlemen are saving you potentially years of your life, trust me. As an entrepreneur it's an essential skill to be able to quickly test demand and discard ideas which aren't viable.

You need to learn the concept of Minimum Viable Products. You're obsessing over a website but you have no clue if your product will even sell. What a waste of time.

You can setup a e-commerce site and buy a premium theme for it and in one day make your first sale. Wanting to build your custom site for it when you haven't even tested demand is a classic example of fearing getting real market feedback on whether your idea is any good or not.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Irenicus - 05-02-2017

This is going to be a long post.



All or Nothing, before you answer, know that I am in the same field as you (I sell very expensive clothing on Ebay - of course, genuine). Thus, I am not some dipshit (known as professors and teachers in real life). All I say is from personal experience. I might use some harsh words, but know that I mean well to you.



My advice for you is to stop building your personal website - for now. Why I am telling you this? Because no one knows who the fuck are you! Nobody will Google your site! Even if they do, they will be afraid to business with you, because you are unknown in the market. For example, would you buy a dress shirt from someone who (1) has a very good reputation (House of Fraser, for example) for $xyz or (2) THE EXACT SAME from you for the same (or even cheaper) price? Most people will choose the option number one because that website has (1) great reputation and (2) they are known. They know that there will be no problems, and that the possibility that they will receive a fake is 0%. On the other hand, if they buy from you... .



I have started the same as you on Ebay. I had no reputation. I was unknown. If you scroll back this very thread, you can see how much I struggled in the beginning. But gradually, despite everything, I built my reputation and ''brand''. Now, after almost a year on the online selling ''front lines'', my total sales increased. I learned how to describe a product better than 70% of sellers. I have learned how to provide a excellent service (one buyer told me that I am the best seller he met on the internet). We can say about Ebay all we want but...if I started my own website, I would not be here where I am. Nobody would hear about me, trust me and buy from me. And I would be forced to shut it down.



When you build a lot of reputation (that will take a long time, few years at very least) on Ebay, then start gradually moving your operations to your site (also take advantage of Facebok and Instagram). The most successful sellers on Ebay do that.



My final thought is be bold, but not reckless.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - AneroidOcean - 05-02-2017

Great advice being dispensed in this thread. I for one, truly appreciate it.

I'm just back from a nice vacation to a sort of mess at home. In the back of my mind constantly was the thought that I needed to get back so I could get over the last few hurdles that will allow me to advertise my product in multiple places and get it sold, sold, sold. This sort of mess I'll have to deal with but I need to open the gate and get people coming through.

I can't imagine all the things I'll encounter in the future that will seem difficult but are just small steps in the grand scheme of things. I look forward to it.

Those who have commented about a new entrepreneur trying to run too many businesses/areas, can you give some examples of how you did and how you changed your path towards success? I'm currently part owner of a healthy/growing business that needs some more attention, am starting a new business, and have a full time day job. I don't want to have a day job, but I think I'm going to really have to focus and maximize the amount of time I can spend on the new business so that I can grow it enough to replace my need for the day job's income and thus free up way more time/energy.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Off The Reservation - 05-05-2017

Quote: (05-02-2017 07:18 PM)AneroidOcean Wrote:  

Great advice being dispensed in this thread. I for one, truly appreciate it.

I'm just back from a nice vacation to a sort of mess at home. In the back of my mind constantly was the thought that I needed to get back so I could get over the last few hurdles that will allow me to advertise my product in multiple places and get it sold, sold, sold. This sort of mess I'll have to deal with but I need to open the gate and get people coming through.

I can't imagine all the things I'll encounter in the future that will seem difficult but are just small steps in the grand scheme of things. I look forward to it.

Those who have commented about a new entrepreneur trying to run too many businesses/areas, can you give some examples of how you did and how you changed your path towards success? I'm currently part owner of a healthy/growing business that needs some more attention, am starting a new business, and have a full time day job. I don't want to have a day job, but I think I'm going to really have to focus and maximize the amount of time I can spend on the new business so that I can grow it enough to replace my need for the day job's income and thus free up way more time/energy.

GREAT question. Asking this and similar questions directly to a lot of successful people and business owners has helped me a lot.

In your case focus on the most profitable activities which directly lead to profit. Since your time is limited eliminate or hire out other aspects.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - H1N1 - 05-05-2017

Quote: (05-02-2017 07:18 PM)AneroidOcean Wrote:  

Great advice being dispensed in this thread. I for one, truly appreciate it.

I'm just back from a nice vacation to a sort of mess at home. In the back of my mind constantly was the thought that I needed to get back so I could get over the last few hurdles that will allow me to advertise my product in multiple places and get it sold, sold, sold. This sort of mess I'll have to deal with but I need to open the gate and get people coming through.

I can't imagine all the things I'll encounter in the future that will seem difficult but are just small steps in the grand scheme of things. I look forward to it.

Those who have commented about a new entrepreneur trying to run too many businesses/areas, can you give some examples of how you did and how you changed your path towards success? I'm currently part owner of a healthy/growing business that needs some more attention, am starting a new business, and have a full time day job. I don't want to have a day job, but I think I'm going to really have to focus and maximize the amount of time I can spend on the new business so that I can grow it enough to replace my need for the day job's income and thus free up way more time/energy.

A big part of it is recognising that success is generally the product of a lot of really focused hard work over a long period of time. If an idea is genuinely good, and worth a lot of money to you, then there are no spare hours for anything else - the cost to you of dabbling in other ventures is simply too high.

I have a lot of opportunities come my way, from friends and acquaintances. I'm really the only one amongst my peer group who didn't become a banker or lawyer, or some other city type, so I'm the go to guy for everyone I know who's got an idea to approach for advice, collaboration etc. Whilst I'll always help, and give time and advice as far as I'm qualified to give it, I have not yet accepted any offer to go into business with anyone on their idea.

The main reason for that is that my own ideas are potentially very lucrative, and it simply requires all of my energy and focus to remain diligent with doing what needs to be done to realise them. Any spare time is critical to me for training and decompressing - just the bare minimum to stay sane. This is how my life has been for more than five years now, and it is only just starting to pay off. For example, today I signed my largest customer ever, a contract worth in the region of £500k to us over the next 3 years. Putting myself in a position to do this, and to reap the rewards of the business that will now inevitably follow on from this contract, has required my singular attention.

Perhaps other people who are more naturally diligent than me could juggle more things, but I suspect even in their case it would prove unwise. In my summation this is really an all or nothing endeavor, requiring all of one's talents be applied maximally.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - All or Nothing - 05-05-2017

Quote: (05-01-2017 06:57 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  

It isn't a matter of disagreement, I have no disagreement with you. I am simply pointing out that you are not doing anything.

You have the attitude to control everything, know everything, eliminate all risks etc. Which is all fine but you can't and aren't doing any business.

Business (of selling clothing) is buying pieces and selling them for more. Why don't you sell one piece somewhere else and make a profit today? Buy for $20 and sell for $25. You would rather wait for this painfully built custom website (which will have zero traffic btw) and let time pass and pass and pass and pass and you are doing nothing but jerking yourself off that you are in or going into business. But if you come back here and say I sold a single piece on amzon or ebay then you can say you are in business.

I stand behind what I said before I suspect we are not getting the whole story. If you are selling knock off clothing then you are just a thief not a businessman, and none of my advice applies. If indeed this is an illegal business such as knockoffs I encourage you to have the self-esteem to sell some real products and make great money in some clean fashion. Yes, it is 100% a self-esteem issue. People who sell knockoffs think they are getting away with something and the something is they hold in their sub-c mind the idea that they can't do anything worthy and the knockoff is a reflection of their cesspool mentality and cheating their way to a profit. I am personally suspicious of your LLC and trademark comments because what you don't say says more than what you say. You haven't answered this issue. A simple I am not selling knockoffs would go a long way.

If you are selling used pieces of real authentic brands then you better stop your coding hobby and get selling fast because you are several years late to that game. Get an ebay and start getting a reputation that you can find good pieces if that's what we are talking about. Yours better be the nicest used 80s Members Only jackets and once you have a good reputation you can always bring the customers over to this school project website you are building by hand. And you should know there is plenty of case law you can sell used authentic pieces (or new) and mention the trademark of what you are selling without problems in most cases.

Look, I am 100% supportive (if this is not knockoffs) and you have guys here who have built businesses which you literally couldn't believe who you are talking to behind the screen names. What I am telling you is VERY VERY hard to see in your shoes. Believe me I had this disease for YEARS. You aren't doing anything. But the guy who takes 30 seconds and makes and ebay store and puts up a listing is passing you at the race at 100mph while you apply tire shine under a shade tree.

Go make a sale.

Thank you for the advice, Off The Reservation and fellow posters. I have read all of the advice, criticisms (from everyone) and taken them into account.

I am not going to be selling knock offs, so don't worry about that. I am going to try and develop an independent brand.

I understand your criticisms and will take them into account. I realize there is a level of intransigence emanating from my posts that are frustrating you and various members that recognize how impractical my idea is. Working to develop and create an ecommerce platform without testing if there will be a market for the clothing I will sell does not make sense.

I will work to transition from hobby to sales and update you guys on my progress.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Leads - 05-05-2017

"Fear of taking action" falls into the realm of micro-fears, which falls under the umbrella of general laziness.

I know a guy that had this NFL T-shirt hustle in Seattle. It was around the time they legalized weed. Anyway, he sat outside the stadium selling these shirts with that sea hawk head logo, but it was smoking a joint. Made stacks of cash from this, however I had little respect for the guy, since he would whine about not being able to pay rent for months, but then said his chinese girlfriend was paying it for him, and not even living there. Anyway, those T-shirts were great...and sitting around all day, outside sounds fun

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - abt - 05-05-2017

Quote: (05-05-2017 12:40 PM)All or Nothing Wrote:  

Quote: (05-01-2017 06:57 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  

It isn't a matter of disagreement, I have no disagreement with you. I am simply pointing out that you are not doing anything.

You have the attitude to control everything, know everything, eliminate all risks etc. Which is all fine but you can't and aren't doing any business.

Business (of selling clothing) is buying pieces and selling them for more. Why don't you sell one piece somewhere else and make a profit today? Buy for $20 and sell for $25. You would rather wait for this painfully built custom website (which will have zero traffic btw) and let time pass and pass and pass and pass and you are doing nothing but jerking yourself off that you are in or going into business. But if you come back here and say I sold a single piece on amzon or ebay then you can say you are in business.

I stand behind what I said before I suspect we are not getting the whole story. If you are selling knock off clothing then you are just a thief not a businessman, and none of my advice applies. If indeed this is an illegal business such as knockoffs I encourage you to have the self-esteem to sell some real products and make great money in some clean fashion. Yes, it is 100% a self-esteem issue. People who sell knockoffs think they are getting away with something and the something is they hold in their sub-c mind the idea that they can't do anything worthy and the knockoff is a reflection of their cesspool mentality and cheating their way to a profit. I am personally suspicious of your LLC and trademark comments because what you don't say says more than what you say. You haven't answered this issue. A simple I am not selling knockoffs would go a long way.

If you are selling used pieces of real authentic brands then you better stop your coding hobby and get selling fast because you are several years late to that game. Get an ebay and start getting a reputation that you can find good pieces if that's what we are talking about. Yours better be the nicest used 80s Members Only jackets and once you have a good reputation you can always bring the customers over to this school project website you are building by hand. And you should know there is plenty of case law you can sell used authentic pieces (or new) and mention the trademark of what you are selling without problems in most cases.

Look, I am 100% supportive (if this is not knockoffs) and you have guys here who have built businesses which you literally couldn't believe who you are talking to behind the screen names. What I am telling you is VERY VERY hard to see in your shoes. Believe me I had this disease for YEARS. You aren't doing anything. But the guy who takes 30 seconds and makes and ebay store and puts up a listing is passing you at the race at 100mph while you apply tire shine under a shade tree.

Go make a sale.

Thank you for the advice, Off The Reservation and fellow posters. I have read all of the advice, criticisms (from everyone) and taken them into account.

I am not going to be selling knock offs, so don't worry about that. I am going to try and develop an independent brand.

I understand your criticisms and will take them into account. I realize there is a level of intransigence emanating from my posts that are frustrating you and various members that recognize how impractical my idea is. Working to develop and create an ecommerce platform without testing if there will be a market for the clothing I will sell does not make sense.

I will work to transition from hobby to sales and update you guys on my progress.

I agree you should build your own platform.

Worst case, you can reuse the code to build quick affiliate sites.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - worldwidetraveler - 05-06-2017

Quote: (05-02-2017 07:18 PM)AneroidOcean Wrote:  

Great advice being dispensed in this thread. I for one, truly appreciate it.

I'm just back from a nice vacation to a sort of mess at home. In the back of my mind constantly was the thought that I needed to get back so I could get over the last few hurdles that will allow me to advertise my product in multiple places and get it sold, sold, sold. This sort of mess I'll have to deal with but I need to open the gate and get people coming through.

I can't imagine all the things I'll encounter in the future that will seem difficult but are just small steps in the grand scheme of things. I look forward to it.

Those who have commented about a new entrepreneur trying to run too many businesses/areas, can you give some examples of how you did and how you changed your path towards success? I'm currently part owner of a healthy/growing business that needs some more attention, am starting a new business, and have a full time day job. I don't want to have a day job, but I think I'm going to really have to focus and maximize the amount of time I can spend on the new business so that I can grow it enough to replace my need for the day job's income and thus free up way more time/energy.

I never ran multiple businesses at one time. I always focused on one business at a time.

I did switch from on market to another. Mainly because there was more potential in the second market.

I do think people would be better served looking at markets instead of products. Serving a market will make you more money than selling one product in different markets.

You get a type of synergy when working a market.

Your research can be used over and over again with different products since the reasons for purchasing will be the same. Purchase triggers will remain the same. What I mean is why do people really purchase products in this market. Is it to be free of corporate slavery or to satisfy their ego and make them look good to a boss or spouse. Once you know the triggers it can be aplied to all products being sold to that market.

You know the language being used. By language I mean specific terminology that customers, in that market, will commonly use. This is useful for trust.

The costs of marketing is reduced bigly. You're bringing in leads and will have many different products to sell them. It raises the customer's lifetime value which then allows you to spend more money on acquisitions. This is huge. It is only going to cost more money to get leads and you want to be able to outspend everyone else.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - CleanSlate - 05-06-2017

Quote: (05-06-2017 01:00 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

I do think people would be better served looking at markets instead of products. Serving a market will make you more money than selling one product in different markets.

This. The more time I spend on my business, the more I move towards this thinking.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - This Is Trouble - 05-06-2017

Quote: (05-06-2017 01:45 AM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

Quote: (05-06-2017 01:00 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

I do think people would be better served looking at markets instead of products. Serving a market will make you more money than selling one product in different markets.

This. The more time I spend on my business, the more I move towards this thinking.

"Synergy" is VERY important for these purposes.

I run 5 different sites now - if they all had completely different products/audiences/etc, it would be a nightmare to try to produce that content and learn it all.

Once you have some synergy among your ideas and businesses, it becomes a lot easier to spin new stuff up, make improvements across the board, etc.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Off The Reservation - 05-08-2017

Quote: (05-05-2017 12:40 PM)All or Nothing Wrote:  

Quote: (05-01-2017 06:57 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  

It isn't a matter of disagreement, I have no disagreement with you. I am simply pointing out that you are not doing anything.

You have the attitude to control everything, know everything, eliminate all risks etc. Which is all fine but you can't and aren't doing any business.

Business (of selling clothing) is buying pieces and selling them for more. Why don't you sell one piece somewhere else and make a profit today? Buy for $20 and sell for $25. You would rather wait for this painfully built custom website (which will have zero traffic btw) and let time pass and pass and pass and pass and you are doing nothing but jerking yourself off that you are in or going into business. But if you come back here and say I sold a single piece on amzon or ebay then you can say you are in business.

I stand behind what I said before I suspect we are not getting the whole story. If you are selling knock off clothing then you are just a thief not a businessman, and none of my advice applies. If indeed this is an illegal business such as knockoffs I encourage you to have the self-esteem to sell some real products and make great money in some clean fashion. Yes, it is 100% a self-esteem issue. People who sell knockoffs think they are getting away with something and the something is they hold in their sub-c mind the idea that they can't do anything worthy and the knockoff is a reflection of their cesspool mentality and cheating their way to a profit. I am personally suspicious of your LLC and trademark comments because what you don't say says more than what you say. You haven't answered this issue. A simple I am not selling knockoffs would go a long way.

If you are selling used pieces of real authentic brands then you better stop your coding hobby and get selling fast because you are several years late to that game. Get an ebay and start getting a reputation that you can find good pieces if that's what we are talking about. Yours better be the nicest used 80s Members Only jackets and once you have a good reputation you can always bring the customers over to this school project website you are building by hand. And you should know there is plenty of case law you can sell used authentic pieces (or new) and mention the trademark of what you are selling without problems in most cases.

Look, I am 100% supportive (if this is not knockoffs) and you have guys here who have built businesses which you literally couldn't believe who you are talking to behind the screen names. What I am telling you is VERY VERY hard to see in your shoes. Believe me I had this disease for YEARS. You aren't doing anything. But the guy who takes 30 seconds and makes and ebay store and puts up a listing is passing you at the race at 100mph while you apply tire shine under a shade tree.

Go make a sale.

Thank you for the advice, Off The Reservation and fellow posters. I have read all of the advice, criticisms (from everyone) and taken them into account.

I am not going to be selling knock offs, so don't worry about that. I am going to try and develop an independent brand.

I understand your criticisms and will take them into account. I realize there is a level of intransigence emanating from my posts that are frustrating you and various members that recognize how impractical my idea is. Working to develop and create an ecommerce platform without testing if there will be a market for the clothing I will sell does not make sense.

I will work to transition from hobby to sales and update you guys on my progress.

Glad we could help. Ask questions along the way if needed.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - whenthesunhits - 05-09-2017

Hey, new guy here. Great discussions, been learning a lot! Been working on a pet product idea, going to sell mainly through Amazon initially. Focusing on Amazon initially due to the ease of FBA, but would also consider other platforms such as direct, and doing wholesale to brick & mortar if the product takes off. I figure that having a highly ranked/highly rated Amazon product would be a good selling point when trying to convince brick & mortar to carry my product.

Do you guys have any recommendations for a factory in the US for plastic-based consumer goods? What would the price differential be compared to China? Also, would the factory be willing to ship to Amazon directly? I would never ask a Chinese factory for that due to fears of them messing it up, or them going around me to sell on Amazon directly. As I live in NYC, it would be logistically challenging to physically receive the shipments, so shipping directly to Amazon would be much better for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Off The Reservation - 05-11-2017

`

welcome

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Suits - 05-12-2017

I made a big step forward in the design of one of my products today. It was a graphic design issue that I tried to solve months ago with no success, so I just stuck with what worked for the time being.

Product testing was getting to a point where this design iteration was becoming extremely necessary, so I put some time into it today and just got it done. I did a little experimenting until I started seeing what I wanted to see.

The design update fits seamlessly into my existing design files, some making the necessary changes will be a pie of cake.

Very pleased with myself now. Today was a good day.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Irenicus - 05-12-2017

Just received a NWT Ralph Lauren Black Label suit from Ebay. Which, of course, I planned to resell.



But...when I was checking it, I found a hole on one of the sleeves (a rather big one). It may be caused because the security tag was improperly removed. In other words, it was stolen.


That hole was not mentioned on the description, of course. Also, that seller has only 10 points, and was friendly, so I did not want to give him a negative just yet. If he turns out to be a dick, I will, with gusto.


I have taken photos, and informed him that I will leave him a positive, if I get refunded in full (that is not considered extortion).





Did anyone have any problems like that, and if so, what did you do? Will I get my money back soon (i.e directly on my Paypal balance, and not pending Paypal balance)? And most importantly...will I get the money which I used to pay the import fees?

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - the1element - 05-15-2017

I've been working towards STARTING my own business since January.

The key word here is STARTING...

The first idea was a grocery delivery service but upon further research, I realized that it's not really profitable.

After that was copywriting, the plan was to learn how to write "direct mail copy" and sell products through it. Then once I was writing great copy and was confident in my skills I'd pay experts in fields to write content which I then sell with my copy through direct mail.

I told a few people my plans and they all told me that direct mail is dead and there's no money to be made which discouraged me and I eventually scrapped the idea without even really getting started.

After that I thought I'd make an online course and sell it, problem is to create an audience for a course requires a lot of work and capital which I don't really have. (I work a minimum wage job, never went to college)

Then I thought i'd be smart to go back to copywriting and then focus on the online course once I've made enough money as a copywriter. I decided to position myself in the golfing niche because I know a lot about golf (played at high amateur levels). Now I don't feel like being in the golf niche, I don't have a website and I have no clients for the niche. The only client I have is this guy who has me write real estate ads for craigslist and he hasn't paid me yet.

I took a good three weeks off my copywriting business. I don't really want to continue it but I also don't want to quit. I went through a bit of a depressive episode during those three weeks because I felt I should be working on business but I wasn't.

Another thing that happened (I'm kind of ashamed about this) is that I started playing a video game on the computer (Terraria) and I'm kind of good at it. I've posted some of my builds and I got quite a lot of likes/comments.

I'm really at the point where I want to say fuck it and just start something fucking anything, even if it's shit. I want to say I started and followed through with something. Which is a habit of mine, I have a VERY hard time following through. I lose interest quick and then jump on the next thing.

I don't know guys.

Now I'm on about creating a guide or course on Udemy for the game, and perhaps creating some form of "Architects course" for people that want to build more appealing structures in the game. There is a big demand for wanting to build better in Terraria but the question is if the market will pay for a course.

I know video games sounds dumb but honestly it's what I'm probably the best at. A side from golf which is really hard to get into and the demand for online courses or products isn't really there (I've researched it).

Originally I went to reddit for help with my situation but honestly, I feel like most of the people that replied don't really know what they are talking about and idk I don't like the reddit community. Something about it irks me. I like this forum and I've been reading through this entire thread, there's clearly people who know what they are talking about and aren't hiding behind a screen.

What would you do in my situation?

Part of me wants to say fuck it and build the course and see what happens, you know..take a risk and the other part of me wants to stick to the copywriting but truthfully I have no interest in the business (that's what I think anyways, perhaps i'd have an "interest" if I could make some fucking money at it.)

I'm fucking tired of always being on the "starting" phase of business and never the actual implementation stage or sales stage.

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Suits - 05-15-2017

^^Do you watch Sharktank?

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - the1element - 05-15-2017

Quote: (05-15-2017 08:12 PM)Suits Wrote:  

^^Do you watch Sharktank?

A few times. Why?

The Entrepreneur / Business Owner's / Self Employed Lounge - Suits - 05-15-2017

Quote: (05-15-2017 08:13 PM)the1element Wrote:  

Quote: (05-15-2017 08:12 PM)Suits Wrote:  

^^Do you watch Sharktank?

A few times. Why?

Watch it more.

Lessons to be learned: If you can't think of a product, then do the next best thing...build an audience.

Start a blog about golfing. Grow readership by providing quality content on a consistent basis (something new every one to three days).

Build that audience and even if you don't have product ideas, you can sell other people's product ideas because you now have something even better....a marketing channel.

That's actually the hardest part of business. Not the creating (which is hard), but rather the marketing. No point in having a million dollar idea if no one knows about it.

If you have 3000 visitors a day, people will be throwing money at you to review their newest golf club innovation.