Upon graduation from my degree, I would have never said that less than one year later, I would be owning and running my own little business. And yet...here I am! After a few months off from Uni and trying to find my feet within a very big world of creative career opportunities, I was really struggling to find my niché and really didn't think that I fitted anywhere. So, like most creatives tend to do, I turned to art and drawing to relieve some of my stresses and give me some kind of focus. It wasn't until a close friend of mine said, 'Chloe...you should be selling these!' that I ever really considered starting my own business venture and from there...well I'm sure you can guess the rest!
Taking the Plunge & Setting Up Your Online Business
Posted by Chloe Miles on
So, if I have any advice to give anyone who is considering starting their own business (and I am not going to pretend that I'm some kind of expert who know's what I'm talking about! But based on my own experience so far...), the points would go as follows. Enjoy!
| Make sure you are doing something that you love
Owning and running a business requires so much time...yes, even more time than you could ever possibly imagine! For this reason, it is so so important that you initially start with something that you love, especially if it's something artsy and creative. Of course motivation, know-how, drive etc. are key, but if you enjoy something, you're going to want to put those extra hours in and therefore, hopefully, you won't grow to resent the amount of time it is taking up when you could be watching Netflix!
| What is your edge?
Before diving straight in (which I know is very tempting to do once the excitement and drive kicks in!), have a bit of a research around and look at other businesses that are doing a similar thing to what you want to do. You need to question what you can offer that is different, that will make you stand out and that is going to make customers shop with you instead of them (as cut-throat as that sounds!). Another thing to consider, of course, is a business name and branding that is going to be relevant, catchy and stand the test of time as new trends come and go. There are so many resources out there to help with all of this, but below is a link to a video that I found really helpful when it came to choosing a name for my business.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r4Z3PizZ9g
| Rome wasn't built in a day!
If you're really lucky, your business and your brand will take off super quickly, however, most, (mine included!) will not be so fortunate. As any business expert would tell you, it is imperative to build a good foundation of reputation for your business to grow from and this is going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort. I remember when I posted my first listing on Etsy and I genuinely thought that I was going to wake up the next day to hundreds of orders...ofcourse I was being incredibly naïve and optimistic because it didn't go quite like that! Even now, my business is still in the very early stages of growth and I won't pretend that we don't have a very long way to go...but if you're willing to persist and invest the necessary time, you WILL get there!
| Stay aware and stay engaged
One thing that I am very aware of, is that in this modern age, social media plays a massive role in your traffic flow to your site, whether you are selling on Etsy or through your own online store. It is therefore very important that you get your business on every form of social media that you can think of; Instagram and Facebook being the front runners for small business owners. I have found that most of my sales come from my own work on social media so make sure you are fully engaged.
Many of us have already got personal social media accounts so to begin a base of followers that will get behind you and believe in you, try promoting your new business using these accounts and encourage people to follow your new pages. From there, following people who are doing similar things to you and then interacting with them and their followers is a good way to continue growing further. This will also help you to be more aware of what others are up to and may help you to learn tips and tricks from people who have a larger following than you do.
In regards to staying engaged, I try to post one picture a day where I highlight our newest collections and then supplement our interactiveness further by posting our day to day at The Doodle Shed on our stories. I like to think that this keeps the page professional whilst also making it more personable by showing the 'behind-the-scenes'. It makes us more real and encourages people to get to know us as people a bit better. I have found that it is also important to interact with your following and your followers. Commenting and liking different things on your feed builds up a rapport and allows you to form a community which will also really help your business to grow.
Lastly, hash-tagging and algorithms. Now, I am not even going to pretend that I have the first clue when it comes to either of these social media functions. But what I do know is; when it comes to Instagram, making sure you switch up the hash-tags you are using in each post is something that will get your posts out there and therefore get you more views. For some reason, the Instagram algorithm isn't a fan of too much repetition. This goes for every aspect of Instagram: commenting, liking, following. They also have a habit for blocking you if you are 'spamming' these features..so watch out and try to be real!
As I learn more, I will be completing more blog posts to help you guys out with regard to social media, so for now... I'll let you know when I know!
P.s. If anyone is a complete whiz at this, please get in touch...I could use all the help I can get haha!)
| Lastly...Organisation, Organisation, Organisation
I'll be honest, this is something that comes naturally to me...in fact, anyone who knows me would probably say that I'm borderline obsessive compulsive! BUT for anyone who may struggle a bit more with this, one piece of advice that I would suggest is make notes, make lists, make more notes and make more lists! They don't have to be physical (saving the trees and all...), I jot absolutely everything down on my phone and at this point..I have notes for my notes and lists for my lists! Both are such a good way to ensure you don't forget anything and to effectively plan your time. Plus... you get that little bit of satisfaction when you tick your last task off for the day and can sit and have a G&T or two!
All jokes aside..In order for your business to be as successful as possible (and to prevent any customer dissatisfaction) you have to make sure that you stay organised and stay on top of everything. Once you start to grow, you will inevitably have more and more orders coming in, and as long as you are concise, you can keep things under control so will (fingers crossed) be able stay on top of everything. If that fails...you could always rope in some family and friends who have an obligation to help because they love you and can't bare to see you in a state (me over the Christmas period)!
Seriously though, no matter how stressed you may feel at the time, you will get through it and it will be so satisfying and so rewarding when you do!
I hope that gives even the smallest bit of help to anyone who is considering taking on a new business venture...as I say, I am no expert so no offence will be taken if you think that was five minutes of your life you will never get back! But I am so so glad that I took the risk and started up The Doodle Shed. To begin with I was so worried about what people would think as I absolutely hate putting myself out there for judgement, but at the end of the day, it is so much better to be able to say that you did rather than you wish you did! And now, I won't ever look back. I hope you won't either.
Chloe x
You are so inspiring well done !