I started AE a year ago. My late mother-in-law told me that if I ever had a little girl I needed to dress her as a "Southern Girl". When I had my daughter I fell in love with boutique brands such as Matilda Jane, Kpea, and Persnickety, but none of them had good "essentials." I needed clothes to complete the outfits, that were perfect for the playground and pictures, yet were still affordable.
I started researching about clothing production and decided I would try to find a supplier that could make cute essentials, then try selling to my Facebook friends.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
My first sale was on Facebook! The first night I listed them to my friends I sold 30 pairs. One year and over 15000 sales later, we use many avenues to generate sales, including mailing lists, Facebook ads, Instagram, Pinterest, and even local ads.
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?
MailChimp, Ordercup, and Dropbox are must haves with our business. I run my business from my smartphone. It is essential for me to have apps and tools that are efficient.
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
Don't give up! Be persistent. Set yourself up for success. We didn't take any profits out of our site for 6 months. I was working to build a business not a paycheck. Read forums, listen to people, and find a niche that no one else is doing, then run with it.