imnotreallysure

Hi! I actually have a question for fellow e-commerce store owners here. I've been running an online t-shirt company for almost 3 years now. Basically, its just a graphic design tee dropshipping store. In those 3 years, I was using a 3rd party fulfillment company called Red Stag here in the US for bulk orders - and for the most part that has been working well. For smaller orders, I do the usual direct to customer dropshipping set-up, and if its bigger orders from retailers, I work with Red Stag. However, fairly recently (give or take the last 3 months) I was keen on seeing if I could actually start doing customized shirts, which would require me to drop my supplier (as they don't offer than option) and take everything in-house. I was wondering what software (for tracking, inventory, etc) are y'all using for your stores that are self-managed? I could still stick with Red Stag but from a financial pov, it only makes sense with bulk orders. Would love some input and feedback regarding this - any comments at all is highly appreciated. Tysm!

Have everything written down, and get legal advice. Whenever you're starting out a business or any monetizable adventure, always think in a futuristic perspective. Other than what the other members mentioned like personal marketing, brand identification, or product establishment–you'll need to manage your taxes, monitor your growth, and gauge your net worth. Another important thing to remember: don't grab opportunities right away. This might sound like a negative thing to say, but listen for a minute. When you're growing, your presence will be more known to a wide variety of 'seekers'. You'll have brands reaching out to you, people trying to offer you all sorts of stuff and knocking at your door. Don't let them in... yet. Because before any partnership is formed, you need to master the art of contract negotiation. To do this, you need to know the quality of your work and your products, and you need to quantify it in its monetary equivalent. Never let anyone lowball you–unless they're a potential long-term asset.

When we created our About Us page, we wanted to make it minimalistic while still telling the public who we are. The one thing that was agreed upon in this is our values and story behind them because through these things, people feel like they can connect with us more personally. We want others to know what it's been like for us going through the same struggles too so that way they understand where their clothes come from at all times

The time for maximal designs were long gone but it does not mean that they should be forgotten. Personally, I am a pure minimalist in my designs but I would love to see how maximalists would resurge in the future. It would be pretty interesting to see them both existing at the same time.

Generally, I'd agree with the usual aforementioned suggestions like diversifying your ad strategy, spreading out your content, SEO, and etc–but with the current trend overtaking the market, the number one tip I can suggest to every aspiring online entrepreneur out there is softwares and apps are your best friends. The pace at how much the world of e-commerce is changing is subtle, but astronomical. One quick look at job ads and you'll see what I mean–you'll see ton of job postings and ads saying something along the line "looking for [insert name of app/software] expert to join our team etc etc" this is because tech-companies and everyone within the digital realm is realizing the income potential there is to automating what an entire department (marketing / finance) does by using a piece of software, and just having one person oversee that app. Leading apps in the automation game are Zapier, customer.io, and mailchimp–to list a few. But there are a plethora of other options that you can explore that suits your needs. It's all about recreating a system that you already have (manual stuff) by using these tools to make it faster, more efficient, and best of all–automatic. So case and point: the best way to position your online store for success with the current market, is by making the business run itself. I highly suggest reading up on sales automation guides and tips like this one to fully understand the potential this technique has in ensuring a smooth flow for your business.

I agree with most of what you've said but I think diverse social media networks are useful for those who're starting out too! Remember, you're not the only entrepreneur out there, there will always be the small chance that someone thinks of the business name you already have. Securing the handles for all relevant platforms is key if you plan on actually branching out to socmeds in the future!

I wish I knew that Pinterest was the best website for promoting my blog, and that I hadn't wasted my time on Instagram lol.