You wake with a start.... of excitement! You've decided you're finally going to do it. You're finally going to start you're dream business.
You're mind is racing with all the awesome things you're going to do once you are your own boss. Running the show, the way you want.
Your plan: to start a Shopify store.
You've done some research. ( a few google searches, that is.) Maybe you'll try this whole drop shipping thing you keep reading about. Can't be that hard, right?
I'm here to help you on your way and tell you what it's REALLY like to start and run a drop shipping store on Shopify (or any ecommerce platform for that matter. But for the purpose of this article, I'll be referring to Shopify.)
Back to your question of is it hard to start an online boutique. No.... and Yes.
Now before you stop reading because I said it can be hard, let me explain.
It's not hard to start that online dream of being your own boss. But it does take some work on your part. I'm not going to sugarcoat this for like some of the so-called "gurus" out there. I'm going to be honest and tell you what my experience was.
You don't just throw together a store, import some cheap products, and just wait for a flood of orders. Similar to starting a brick-and-mortar business, there is some planning and research involved. The beauty of doing your business strictly online and using drop shipping suppliers is very LOW OVERHEAD and start up costs.
That's great news for you!
That means you CAN go after that dream business of yours with very little risk other than your time and determination. Which you need to start any business.
Lucky for you, I'm a no BS kind of woman, so I'll be telling you EXACTLY how I have started 3 successful online stores. AND how I'm now in the process of sharing all of this with you with complete transparency. My plan is to grow my new business by helping you to start your dream business.
I'll be doing a mini blog / podcast series on starting your online dream business. If you want to come along on this journey, just click this link right here so The Internet Gods let me know your on board.
Let's get started.
You and I are having coffee, enjoying the afternoon.
You pause and say, "Tara, I've secretly always wanted to start an online boutique like you did. How do I do that? Where do I even start?"
My first question to you is, "Why do you want to start this little side hustle? What is it you want to sell? A product? A service?"
You'll stop and say something like, " I want more time with my family." Or, I'm tired of living paycheck-to-paycheck" Or maybe even, "I want to do something that lights me up in the morning."
Great. What are you passionate about? What is something you won't get tired of talking about?
Now, let's pause for a moment.
I'm going to be mostly talking about starting an online boutique that sells physical products. Why? This is where most of my experience is. I do have some experience with digital products as well. However, most of the questions I get are about physical products. But as this continues on, I'll be sure to include what I've learned about selling digital products as well.
Ok. Back to it.
You tell me that you love jewelry and you think it would be awesome to sell beautiful, amazing jewelry. You could talk about this all day long!
First we have to find you a reputable supplier. But not just any supplier. One that also offers drop shipping AND has great products. This is absolutely your first step.
I know, I know! All the other "Gurus" are screaming at me right now saying, "YOU have to do your research first and see if there's a market for it yet!"
True. But, let's be real for a minute.
Jewelry has been around since the dawn of time. I'm quite sure there's a demand for it. In my experience I first looked to see if I could find any reputable drop shipping suppliers, THEN I NICHED DOWN. I looked at what was available and if it was something I could niche down for marketing purposes, then if it still felt exciting to me .... I went for it.
Here's the thing. When I first decided to start an online drop shipping business, I spent MONTHS ( and by months I mean almost a year) doing research. I'd find a "hot & trending" product only to find that
A) I wasn't excited to sell the product.
Or B) It was crap that others were making money from by running a ton of ads to.
NOTHING WRONG with this way of doing it. But, for me, I needed and wanted something I was proud to sell and felt good doing it. I wanted to sell ONLY products, I myself would not only use, but LOVE.)
So, if you've made money doing it differently, good for you. I'm just telling you how I chose to do this online thing.
How do you find a reputable drop shipping supplier?
DO NOT GO TO ALIEXPRESS!
There may be some good products on there at a great price. But with all the changes in shipping times and cost, it's just not worth the headache. Trust me on this. This is exactly where I first started.
Plus, you'll be competing with sellers who have larger budgets and also the big guys like Amazon.
Sure, it's easy to import the products and even download reviews, but in the end, no matter how good the product is, the wait times for customers and shipping costs are not worth it.
Its going to take you a few hours of doing some well refined Google searches and looking closely at some sites.
There are some marketplaces now that you can easily find reputable drop shipping suppliers from. For example Syncee or Inventory Source. I've used both and had some really good results. You will need to still open up accounts with each individual supplier first, but like I said, in the end, it's worth the little time it takes to do so. Also, there is a monthly fee to use both marketplaces.
ONLY USE SUPPLIERS THAT ASK FOR A TAX ID OR RESELLERS PERMIT
This is big one. So, pay attention.
If a supplier is willing to give anyone with an email address a "wholesale" or "drop shipping" account, beware. This usually means that they also allow you to sell their products on Amazon or Ebay which equals a flooded market.
One of my prerequisites to any supplier was they did not allow you to sell their products on Amazon or Ebay. A little bit harder to find. But, with the popularity of shopping sites like these, it's much harder to market and promote your products.
There were times, that a product was so unique and fit into my branding that I did sometimes sell them even if also sold on Amazon, but it was few and far between. Go with your instincts on this.
But Wait! Now you're saying I need to get a Tax ID? Yes. But one step at a time. First up, find the suppliers.
My first little drop shipping adventure, I chose to sell Luxury Fetish Lingerie. (Talk about niching down!) It started with just selling stockings. (I love them and they are light enough to have small shipping costs.) But it quickly spiraled into a full blown lingerie store!
So much fun and I've got some beautiful lingerie as well!
Which brings me to next thing.
ALWAYS BE SURE TO GET SAMPLE PRODUCTS
This is sooooo very important!
It can be tempting to just fill your store with beautiful imagery, but it sucks to find out that it's not good quality. Or the shipping was a long wait. I know, it's a small investment on your part. But still way less expensive than having the overhead of a physical store.
Now, You know what to do.
Find something you're passionate about.
Find your supplier that's legit, asks for a resellers permit, has clear shipping and return policies in place, and great products.
Next up, I'll tell you how to easily get that Federal Tax Id and reseller's permit! Then you'll really be in business!
In the meantime, get excited! You're about to go on an amazing journey!
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