Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
I worked in the outdoors and retail space for years for various companies in the UK, New Zealand and USA. I knew what I wanted to do, just waited until I had the skill set to execute it. We use a combination of overseas manufacturers and finish the products in-house.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Family and friends. They'll be there at the start and they'll be there as you grow. We also rely on Facebook Ads, Instagram and word of mouth (still the most powerful way to reach people). We also employ some guerrilla marketing tactics like stickers, events, influencers, etc.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
We don't use many apps, but we have a great theme that covers a lot of things that stores use apps for. We do use Store Locator, which is great for showing off our retail locations. The fraud filter is vital too, even more so as our business has grown and we've seen overseas sales increase. We offer free worldwide shipping and handle it all in house. All our orders are dispatched the same day or the next day. Only sell what you have in stock.
What are your top recommendations for new store owners?
- Customers are everything. 2. Protect your brand.