Over recent years, more and more people are realizing the power of working for themselves. Whether that be freelancing or starting your own business, the benefits are numerous and incredibly attractive. If you’re looking to become an eCommerce solopreneur, we’ll walk you through 5 critical steps you should attempt to follow – we’ve also discussed the benefits of being a solopreneur here.
Each of these steps will take you through the initial process of starting a business, from the initial ideation stages right up to the management process.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear vision of how to get going with, and how to sustain, your eCommerce solopreneur business.
We’ll be looking at these five steps:
- Identifying your passion
- Formulating a plan
- Including benefits for yourself
- Using customer data efficiently
- Staying organized
Each of these flows naturally from one into the next. Let’s take a look!
Identifying your passion as an eCommerce solopreneur
One of the most efficient ways that you can harness the online flexibility of the internet is by creating your very own eCommerce business. As a solopreneur, or someone who starts and runs a company completely by themselves, there are several different options you could go down.
Possible paths to follow would be:
- An eCommerce dropshipping business
- T-shirt Marketing
- Amazon FBA seller/ Kindle Direct Publishing
Each of these pathways will allow you to develop a scalable business. What’s even better, each of them is something you can begin to work on slowly. By putting in a few hours here and there, you’ll be able to develop your business while still in your current job.
Then, when you’re ready to make the switch to a full-time eCommerce solopreneur, you’ll have a built-up business to fall back onto.
When deciding on what career path you’re going to take, it’s a good idea to work out where your passions and skills lie.
Are you a particularly good graphic designer? Perhaps T-shirt designing and marketing is for you.
Maybe you have a great eye for business? Then a dropshipping route could work wonders.
No matter where your skills lie, be sure to find a niche or interest that genuinely captures your attention. Passion is the core skill that will keep you driven, motivated, and one step ahead of your competitors when times get tough.
Formulate a plan
No matter what business idea you settle on, you’re going to need to find a platform and a method of producing products.
Most commonly, eCommerce solopreneurs use sites like Shopify to set up their stores. After you’ve done this, you should also try and source a retailer to work with. What format this takes will vary depending on the business you’re pursuing.
For example, suppose you are aiming to run a dropshipping company. In that case, a site like Alibaba will be a great location to source products to sell.
Alternatively, if you’re running a T-shirt business, then something like Printful might be better suited to your goals.
Be sure to find a platform to host your business on, as well as a way of delivering or distributing products.
If you want to learn even more about eCommerce dropshipping, we’ve written a short beginner’s guide here.
Including benefits for yourself
One of the primary reasons for becoming an eCommerce solopreneur is choosing your own hours. While building your business, don’t forget to take a moment to yourself and design a working day that you actually enjoy.
You’re no longer bound to that 9-5 life, so it’s worth making the most of your newfound working situation. Arrange your day in whatever way you like. More of a night owl? Start at mid-day and work until later into the night. Now you’re your own boss – you get to make the calls.
Make sure to remember why you’re doing this and actually enjoy your solopreneur status!
Let your customer data make the calls
One of the toughest parts of being a solopreneur is the lack of people around you to bounce ideas off. That’s why incorporating intelligent data-management systems is one of the most effective ways you can boost your business’s success.
Instead of working through problems by yourself, you’ll be able to take a look at your customer data and make data-driven marketing decisions. With a data management platform like Verfacto, you’ll gain a level of insight into your customers that you never thought possible.
From in-depth customer profiles and customer segmentation to continual eCommerce analytics and behavioral targeting, you can let your website’s data begin to work for you. Due to this, every decision you make on your site, whether it be choosing between two landing pages or designing your sales funnel, can be decided by your data.
By setting up a/b testing across your site, you’ll be able to see which version of your website is truly the most effective for your business.
Managing your customer data is by far one of the most overlooked aspects of running a business. But, especially as a solopreneur, getting that helping hand from data has never been more important.
Be sure to take actionable steps based on your data, improving your website based on facts.
Keep your eCommerce solopreneur business organized
Now you’re working alone, you need to stay on top of every single part of your business. From customer data to finances, you should try to stay informed.
Staying organized is vital for your success. Not only does keeping on top of things make tax season a breeze, but you’ll also be saving yourself time on day-to-day tasks within your business. From reducing your own stress to boosting your customer satisfaction, making sure everything with your business is in order is essential.
Check out this list of organizational tools that you can start incorporating into your business.
Once up and running, a great organizational structure will help your business sustain itself and keep on the path towards success!
Final Thoughts
Starting an eCommerce solopreneur business is a difficult task. But, by following these 5 steps, you’re much more likely to succeed.
If you’re looking to make the process of starting an eCommerce business as easy as possible, take a look at Verfacto. The free tier of this service allows you to test all the best functions of the data-driven marketing platform completely for free.
You’ll be able to steer your business to success by following data without having to lift a finger! Best of luck on your solopreneur journey!
And if you’re ready to step up your game, check out the article we’ve written about how to be a successful eCommerce solopreneur!
