If you are a stay-at-home wife and/or mom, or someone who has got a little extra time just scrolling through Netflix and social media apps but who craves to do something more fulfilling, then the idea of starting an online business such as opening an online shop may have occurred to you. As it did to me. Well, I'm here to say I finally went for it. I got started at least - and that, for me, is quite something already.
Tbh, I didn't have the slightest idea how to do it or even how to start. But don't let it faze you. Fortunately, from a simple Google search (that led to another and another), trying to answer my questions from as many reliable sources I could find, ultimately constituting what we would call 'research', I was provided the help I badly needed. It was the help at least to get started as I am sure bigger struggles are yet to come. But hey, getting started is a win in itself, don't you think? By the way, when I say "reliable sources" for your searches, it does not always mean peer-reviewed articles with extensive bibliographies. Loosen up a little but be sensible. This should be self-explanatory. Okay, I'll give you a hint: print-on-demand services. See if that is something you'd be interested in. Or who knows maybe you will come across other ideas and you will let me in on it.
Quick note: This post includes affiliate links to products that could earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you decide to buy through one of those links.
From the get-go, I already knew what I wanted. I had a vision for my shop but back then the idea was to have it in physical store form. And then the online shopping revolution that has been brewing for more than a decade went full-blown when the capitalistic world as we knew it went into lockdown - as you may well know. Okay, I am obviously not counting the time that e-commerce started to become a thing with the rise in popularity of Amazon and eBay in the late 90s but I digress.
Initially, the idea was to get locally sourced products from indigenous groups in the Philippines and around Asia and promote them to the world. Not the small knick-knacks that you always find in touristy spots (i.e., keychains, fridge magnets), but functional and practical items for home, office, and personal use. You see, if I buy these items directly from the locals, I eliminate middlemen fees which are usually hefty especially when they add up, and this will then allow me to market at a lower retail price - which is a win for me and my customers.
Additionally, middlemen tend to haggle to the lowest price they could get that indigent suppliers are left with miserly profit, sometimes even selling their merchandise at a loss. I have seen it happen. It's not pretty. Let's make sure our suppliers also win.
So, yes that was what I wanted to do. Every time I find myself in a new place, new island, new city - I go into novelty shops and gift shops that have similar items on sale, check their price points, compare them with other shops and with the prices of raw materials and calculate labor and transport costs, that sort of thing.
Although my original idea did not materialize as the years went on, I still find myself drawn to it. This is why when I realized that I could actually set up and manage a similar shop online and in my free time without the burden of coming up with a sizable amount for starting capital, not to mention the stress, time, effort, and lots of people interaction that goes into putting up an actual physical shop, I was thrilled!
I decided that, as much as possible, my products would still be the biodegradable, organic, and reusable kind as originally planned. Although I will not be able to meet my local sources myself and be able to learn from their ways and cultures, as exciting as it sounds. I can at least assure myself that I get to encourage the use of earth-friendly materials by making them available for sale and giving consumers a choice. iykyk. So, I mustered up the courage and fought through my procrastination.
Opening an online shop is a multitude of feelings. I just had to write it. Many people would probably say that I am late to the game but I do not see it that way. There is plenty of room to learn creative ways to market and promote products online even in a saturated arena. Most importantly, I don't think it would matter much to me whatever the outcome of this endeavor will be, because right now I am simply happy to get started and I did it myself and for myself. Again, the way I see it, I am already winning. You can, too. I mean it does not have to be another e-commerce business like an online shop. It can be anything you've been thinking of doing for yourself that would be fulfilling and productive for you. It could be painting, doing pottery, a vegetable garden, or writing a book. The circumstances don't have to be perfect or the timing to be right, it does not even have to be the way you dreamed it should be. It just has to feel right.
Padayon!
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