Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
At the beginning of 2014, our daughter Sophia passed away. I decided to write some things down after we lost her, and we turned it into a short devotional booklet. It was the only product we had when we launched our shop. Eventually I expanded the shop to include many other encouraging and faith-based items for women. We focus on products that most people do not have in-person access to, so e-commerce is the perfect platform to get these encouraging products in front of a large audience. We source our products from a variety of local printers and wholesalers. We have learned that when it comes to sourcing, Google is our best friend! There are so many amazing resources available for business owners.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Our first sales were through word of mouth and social media. Instagram has been HUGE for the growth of our business. We make it easy for our followers to share our products online and they love to do it! Our Instagram following has grown from 2500 to over 30,000 in just about 1 year. I think it is all about being authentic and really believing in your product. If you are sharing your product authentically with your audience, they will want to engage and experience it for themselves.
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 use Shippo for fulfullment and we can't say enough good things about them. We currently handle shipping in-house. We are a husband and wife team and we also have one outside employee who works out of our home and helps with order fulfillment.
What are your top recommendations for new store owners?
If you have an idea, or something you are passionate about...try it!!! Leverege your strengths and be authentic and people will want to engage with you and follow your brand. Interact with your customers, and get to know them through social media. If you get to know them, you will better be able to meet their needs.