Women's Biz Magazine
HOW TO GET
THE BEST OUT OF YOUR ECOMMERCE OPPORTUNITY By Louise Malone
If you love something and want to share your passions, then read on
T
hey say the streets are paved in gold, so if you have a passion to share with the world, then do your homework first. There might be a lot of opportunities out there, but there are many traps as well. E-commerce platforms, like Shopify or Square, are really appealing platforms for selling your goods. They have done all the hard work for you and have prepared themes that can suit your style of sales products.
Baby steps first But first, take baby steps before jumping a mile. My advice to you is hold back and consider the market that you are so passionate about. Is it saturated with like-minded businesses? That’s still okay, but you must have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Try to think about what it is that you and your customers need and want. Is there something you can do to be a little bit different and better? It’s difficult to rise to the top, while other e-commerce businesses have enormous marketing budgets. 24 | WOMENSBIZGLOBAL.COM
Slow down My choice has been to take it slow and keep my full time job, while indulging in my passion. I create plant-based skincare, candles and textiles. I have been learning the full spectrum of managing an e-commerce website and it has been an incredible learning journey. I love to read and learn every day. But most importantly, I love seeing smiles on the faces of my happy customers. My life in commerce has given me a degree of empathy and respect for the feelings of my customers. Being fair and transparent is such an important consideration in commerce. It should not be about the deep pockets of Big Business.
Due Diligence What is due diligence? It’s something we should all do before investing time and money into a business. What legal considerations should you think about before getting an unpleasant surprise? Consider getting advice from a small
business advisory, or look into indemnity insurance. Better to be safe than sorry. Legal woes are not a place any of us want to face.
Plan it - peace of mind Planning is also a great way to keep your mind free from worry. By writing it down, I feel as though I am starting a process to help myself progress. It’s such a great feeling to complete a task. My ‘To Do’ list seems to be never ending! But I can also look back and see the achievements that I have ticked off when they’re finished. Even if you can’t see too far ahead, it will get better and clearer as time goes by. So definitely, plan and write it down.
Be patient with yourself Please be patient with yourself. Time is a continuum that we travel on. Tomorrow will be a little bit better if you do your homework and plan. There’s no point beating yourself up with little setbacks as these are merely learnings that we can use to improve ourselves.
