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My Failed Business

Angelicrain

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Okay, so here’s the deal, I tried to start an online boutique and sold nothing. I tried it out for 2-3 months then shut down my Shopify shop because so was paying $40 bucks a month for nothing. I want to start it back up because I feel that it’s a large market and there’s enough space for me in it.

Do you have any advice for getting my first sale? How long did it take to get your first sale?

I feel like I’ve done all I can at this point, I don’t have a big social media following, so I can’t fall back on that. I also feel dumb paying for advertisement to result in nothing. Shopify says if I don’t reinstate by March, they will permanently delete my site I might let them smh.

1. I bought an online domain and created my site on Shopify, it looks nice compared to some of the other small shops I see

2. I paid for Instagram and Facebook advertisement (reached about 8,000 ppl)

3. I made a Facebook business page, so you can buy on (Facebook, Instagram, or Direct from site)

4. Never realized how hard it was to build a following on Instagram I have accumulated (162) followers

I feel like people only share success stories, I never see anyone with my problem, so I wanted to share.
 

TreeHundred

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-Did you have a precise demographic?
- Did you have a marketing plan?
- Did you test the market?
- Did you research if your products are wanted?
- Was your products original /solved a problem/ niched down?

The best part about failing is understanding where you went wrong and doing it correctly the next time.

You have to market, market, market...forever and ever.

Things doesn’t happen after you complete the aforementioned steps, you have to keep going through the failure over and over again.
 

crystalsbutnotmeth

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How’s your marketing going? I think today and in the age of social media that is what sets a company apart from a different one.
 

FaCough

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Can you afford to send samples to people to market your products?
 

Moorpheus

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What exactly were you selling, to who, how, and what do you know about online business or any type of business?
 

JESSI1111

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1. Consistency is key! Make sure you are posting DAILY at least 2-3 times.
2. Look at the analytics on IG to determine the best times for you to post and to see which content received the most engagement. Engagement is KEY not followers.
3.Tik Tok and reels can help you reach people faster.
4. Google ads
5. Facebook ads
6. Create sharable content.
7. Comment and reply under popular pages in your niche.
8. Use RELEVANT hashtags.
9. POST-DAILY.
10. BE CONSISTANT.

*keep logs of the strategies that worked and didn't work so you can really go back and see where the problems were/ what not to do again. It helps*

(the people will come don't think too much about them.)

Don't give up sis!
 

Angelicrain

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What exactly were you selling, to who, how, and what do you know about online business or any type of business?

I was selling the cute plush headbands, name plate necklaces, eyelashes, and lipgloss.

My demographic according to Facebook advertising seems to be 20-35 year old women.

My followers consist mainly of black women.

I wanted to start small and build up.
 

Angelicrain

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What niche?

Beauty, I also added a top. I saw this top and knew it would pop off 1 week later every major IG girl had and still wears this top.

I think I have a good eye for trendy items, I think my price is affordable but it seems like people won’t buy unless you have a large following.

Maybe they think it’s sketch
 

SavageKarter

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Can we see the store, what does your IG look like?

FIRST - you need to create a customer profile - who are you selling to do not skip this step it help when marketing
- this video helped me, actually the fully series but this focus on defining the customer (selling to everyone is selling to no one)


Marketing via clubhouse always suggest the following -
The IG page need to have a good brand aesthetic
- you might want to archive photos with low engagement
- don’t do a lot of flat lays people want to see people with the material on or using it
- no meme on the page
- utilize the IG reels
- engage with people selling your similar products to you
- follow people that fit your brand
- it has been repeats that micro influencers actually sell more because of their loyalty follower are more engaged with them
- DO GIVEAWAYS (your products or $10-15 lunch on me giveaways/ egift cards)

Are you using email marketing, encourage people to give sign up with their emails
 

Cybilbhvr

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I use Shopify and they have a lot of ways to help you succeed. Give yourself some more time and use the tools and tutorials that Shopify provides as part of your package, before you quit. The videos and tutorials may seem boring, but it is part of the learning curve and learning new material is part of the cost of doing business. They cover a lot of subjects and have a support team available to answer your questions.
Use everything they have available, there is a treaure trove on information and you are already paying for it anyway, so you might as well use it.

Driving Traffic but No Sales? Here's How to Diagnose and Improve Your Store

AN excerpt:
So take a step back from the online store you’ve poured hours into building, look at it with fresh eyes, and ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Is your main navigation easy to use?
  2. Can you move any non-essential pages to the footer navigation?
  3. Does your visual brand look professional?
  4. Does your homepage have a clear call to action?
  5. Does your website copy speak to your target audience?
  6. Does your website look just as good on your mobile phone?
  7. Does your business seem trustworthy?
  8. Are shoppers adding products to their cart?
  9. Are shoppers abandoning their cart?
  10. Is price or payment options stopping them from checking out?
  11. Are you remarketing to your website visitors?
  12. How are visitors scrolling, clicking, and searching your website?
  13. What else could be stopping you from making sales?
 

Angelicrain

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What does the item you are selling look like?

How are they priced?

Who are the people you are marketing to?

I’m marketing to women aged 20-35

The items I’m selling are not necessarily unique to the IG boutique space.

Headbands priced at $23
Necklace $15
Lashes $10

I think everything is reasonably priced but I might be wrong. I saw other shops selling the headbands for 30-40. Only things is I don’t offer free shipping.
 

Angelicrain

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Can we see the store, what does your IG look like?

FIRST - you need to create a customer profile - who are you selling to do not skip this step it help when marketing
- this video helped me, actually the fully series but this focus on defining the customer (selling to everyone is selling to no one)


Marketing via clubhouse always suggest the following -
The IG page need to have a good brand aesthetic
- you might want to archive photos with low engagement
- don’t do a lot of flat lays people want to see people with the material on or using it
- no meme on the page
- utilize the IG reels
- engage with people selling your similar products to you
- follow people that fit your brand
- it has been repeats that micro influencers actually sell more because of their loyalty follower are more engaged with them
- DO GIVEAWAYS (your products or $10-15 lunch on me giveaways/ egift cards)

Are you using email marketing, encourage people to give sign up with their emails


The esthetic is very girly and pink

I have a clubhouse I might make a new account just solely focused on pushing it

Doing this was a big leap for me, I usually hate putting myself out there, but I think I can succeed.

ADE99789-9E03-40D5-B9A0-3969CE0C58BF.jpeg
1F0DBC29-EF06-4DD2-9FA0-BC1380E5A7C9.jpeg
 

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SavageKarter

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Black girl do have a room now on clubhouse join and ask your question - very help

Eta. Not sure they are focusing on IG I’ve listening in now they seem to be focus o. Entertainment tonight - but check out Boutique Besties on clubhouse they something do it audits - signup for that club they had a room yesterday
 
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beautifull

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Beauty, I also added a top. I saw this top and knew it would pop off 1 week later every major IG girl had and still wears this top.

I think I have a good eye for trendy items, I think my price is affordable but it seems like people won’t buy unless you have a large following.

Maybe they think it’s sketch
Maybe. It could be something with the website.
 

JESSI1111

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The esthetic is very girly and pink

I have a clubhouse I might make a new account just solely focused on pushing it

Doing this was a big leap for me, I usually hate putting myself out there, but I think I can succeed.

View attachment 2334718 View attachment 2334719

Try to take your own product images also. Make sure that they are cohesive. Too many different random images give off "scam website vibes". You can take them at home with a clean background of your choice (until you can hire a photographer). Just make sure that they are clear and focused.
 

Lady Luck 321

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I was selling the cute plush headbands, name plate necklaces, eyelashes, and lipgloss.

My demographic according to Facebook advertising seems to be 20-35 year old women.

My followers consist mainly of black women.

I wanted to start small and build up.
I think that's perfect for etsy.
 

Cybilbhvr

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The esthetic is very girly and pink

I have a clubhouse I might make a new account just solely focused on pushing it

Doing this was a big leap for me, I usually hate putting myself out there, but I think I can succeed.

View attachment 2334718 View attachment 2334719
You are on the right track. Try adding a little more product desription and better pics.The fonts are a little off, maybe use a font set in the template so that they coordinate.
Also, use Alibaba directly to start looking for manufacturers that have unique beauty products, to supplement the apps that shopify offers. You should also set up an Alibaba account so that you can interact directly with manufacturers, and make your own branded products.
Also, set up an Etsy store, Pintrest, and link your site.
Most of all don't get overwhelmed with information, and take a brain break every so often.
As a boss, you will have to work at least 8 hours a day, just like a regular job. But you will reap the rewrds of your work, don't quit.
 

Angelicrain

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I want to think everyone for their advice, with work I find myself not devoting time to this and it’s a financial investment, but I feel more motivated.

I’ll update when I get my first sale.
 

getterdone

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-if money's tight, build it on wordpress+woocommerce
-with your niche, take pics modelling the items
-if you're going to be using interruption marketing (ie. facebook ads), you really should collect emails and have a proper funnel
-if you have the margins, start with search ads
 

Nelly Gh

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Have you tried any promotions or giveaway? Themes promotion eg women's Day?
 

Moorpheus

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I was selling the cute plush headbands, name plate necklaces, eyelashes, and lipgloss.

My demographic according to Facebook advertising seems to be 20-35 year old women.

My followers consist mainly of black women.

I wanted to start small and build up.
I love what you’re showing. Get with the person talking about Wordpress that will be cheaper. It looks good give us mooore. You got a good eye and feel. Don’t mess with google ads unless you can burn money. In the beginnings sometimes things take a minute like we do all this stuff and then. Nothing and more Nothing. Then finally 1 customer. Then if we hang on bam you end up with the dream happening. Keep learning and don’t give up. This is good.
 
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cutechica

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I use to sell nameplate necklaces and a couple of the years I was in business I was profitable. Take all of this with a grain of salt because I closed in 2019 & digital marketing changes quickly.

I started my IG page and quickly found a group of girls and did SFS (shout out for shout out). I don’t know if this a thing anymore.

I paid Instagram influencers to promote my products. If you go this route start with the micro influencers 5k -30k.

I got very detailed with my Instagram ads. Don't use the ads created on Instagram. Make sure you are using Facebook manager to promote on IG. Much better reports and you can get very detailed with your target audience. My target audience were women ages 25-34, so an ad’s target audience would look like this:
Women
25-34
Interests:
Jewelry
Fashion Jewelry
Who liked:
The Shaderoom
SZA
Rihanna
City Girls
Etc - you get the gist

Target audience is important but your creative has to be on point too. My videos always performed better than a pic.

Be consistent, it doesn’t happen for most people in 2-3 months.

That’s all I feel like writing. Hopefully this helps.
 

Addicted 2Diamonds

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Parking my ass here because I too am a shopify beginner but I do dropshipping. Me and my sister just launched a month ago and we're real excited to learn.
 
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GlamChick

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I have questions for you:

Who provided those photos you or the vendor? You don't have no friends that can model your products for you?

Op you got to get more creative and learn how to take photos of your product. For your lipstick/lipgloss do you have other colors? The headband you got to show what it look on somebody with a cute outfit.

Go and buy a fashion/boutique template to used for your instagram page so it can look cute. You can edit to whatever color scheme that you want.

Instagram Templates | Premium & Free Instagram Posts, Stories, Mock Ups + More

https://creativemarket.com/search?q=boutique+templates

If you planning on doing reel learn how to do a slide show or showcase a video.

Get you a notebook or journal and write what you do each and everyday so you see what you have done in case your process.

I wish you so much luck.





The esthetic is very girly and pink

I have a clubhouse I might make a new account just solely focused on pushing it

Doing this was a big leap for me, I usually hate putting myself out there, but I think I can succeed.

View attachment 2334718 View attachment 2334719
 

GlamChick

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I learn some things this morning from listening to these instagram folks on the clubhouse. I stay in the clubhouse learning things.

IG is adding alot of things that people don't know about:

Guides:



They also have chat bots coming soon but you check out mobile monkey to play with it.

I start follow some people that work at IG and FB so I get me some tips. LOL


Okay, so here’s the deal, I tried to start an online boutique and sold nothing. I tried it out for 2-3 months then shut down my Shopify shop because so was paying $40 bucks a month for nothing. I want to start it back up because I feel that it’s a large market and there’s enough space for me in it.

Do you have any advice for getting my first sale? How long did it take to get your first sale?

I feel like I’ve done all I can at this point, I don’t have a big social media following, so I can’t fall back on that. I also feel dumb paying for advertisement to result in nothing. Shopify says if I don’t reinstate by March, they will permanently delete my site I might let them smh.

1. I bought an online domain and created my site on Shopify, it looks nice compared to some of the other small shops I see

2. I paid for Instagram and Facebook advertisement (reached about 8,000 ppl)

3. I made a Facebook business page, so you can buy on (Facebook, Instagram, or Direct from site)

4. Never realized how hard it was to build a following on Instagram I have accumulated (162) followers

I feel like people only share success stories, I never see anyone with my problem, so I wanted to share.
 

Cybilbhvr

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Also try the Canva 14 day full trial for additional photo editing and templates for promotions, advertisements, etc. It is very user friendly and makes editing photos easy.
 

amyyyu1998

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All of this is great advice! So happy to see so many ppl jump in to help one another.
Don’t forget to pray & ask God to bless your business. All riches belongs to God anyways❤️
Declaring Gods word over your business and life is the KEY TO SUCCESS
 

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