Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product using the dropshipping model, it
purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. As a result, the seller doesn’t have to handle the product directly.

In practice it’s broken into four steps:

1. Customers order from you site
2. You send the order to supplier
3. The supplier packs and ships the order
4. The customer recieves the order

Since dropshippers do not need to buy or store inventory it makes it very easy to start, giving access to people who couldn’t otherwise start a business.

Advantages of Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a great business model for aspiring entrepreneurs to start with because it’s accessible. With dropshipping, you can quickly test different business ideas with limited downside, which lets you learn a lot about how to choose and market in-demand products. Here are a few other reasons why dropshipping is such a popular model.

1. You can start with a small budget

A traditional retail business requires the purchase of inventory in bulk, storing it, and the suppliers to pack and ship it to the customer. Dropshipping avoids these costs by relying on the supplier to handle the storage and fulfillment.

The majority of costs dropshippers incur are from marketing. Your website and advertisements will be the bulk of what you spend growing your business, but you can start with as little as a few hundred dollars to test a product. Once you start bringing in orders you can use the revenue from your sales to fund your ad campaigns.

2. Easy to test ideas

Since your costs are relatively tiny compared to a traditional business model it gives you the ability to quickly test ideas to find something that works. If you have 2 or 3 three products you think could work you can easily run them side by side to find the most profitable. In most cases, you will know if a product is able to scale after a week or two.

3. Easy to scale

Compared to traditional retail, dropshipping is much easier to scale. Traditional retailers have to worry about manufacturing capacity, pack and ship operations, and other problems to scale. Dropshippers on the other hand focus on expanding marketing campaigns. While your product may require some negotiation with your supplier or the use of dropshipping agent to scale that process is a lot easier to handle than all of the operations suppliers are dealing with.

4. Starting a dropshipping store is easy

All you need to start a dropshipping store is a willingness to work hard, learn, and a small budget. Ecommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce make launching a store easy. There are a ton of other free tools and apps that help automate and optimize your store. When getting started keep your store simple and track your ROI along the way. Find what works through A/B testing and getting feedback from friends and family (or join our dropshipping Facebook group).

5. You can dropship from anywhere

Many people that start dropshipping are after a lifestyle rather than an ecommerce site. They want to travel and make money without working a 9-5 style job. Good news, dropshipping is a great way to build passive income from anywhere in the world. Word of caution, dropshipping DOES require work, marketing skill, and hard work, but thousands of dropshipping sites have led to a great profit and lifestyle for their operators.

Disadvantages of Dropshipping

While dropshipping is a great way to quickly start and grow an online business, it’s not perfect. While you get the benefit of skipping a large portion of operational costs it means that you have to rely heavily on dropshipping suppliers. When your store relies on third parties it can face problems that are out of your control. Here are some examples.

1. Inventory and supplier issues

This problem usually happens once you start to scale a product. One day you’re averaging a handful of orders a day, then all of sudden you’re getting dozens (or hopefully hundreds) of orders. While you’re celebrating your success, your supplier can’t keep up. Since they can’t ship the products you aren’t able to fulfill the order and end up refunding all your sales.

While this problem is a “good” problem to have it often stops dropshippers from growing their business to its full potential. Make sure you have an open line of communication with your supplier. Before you start dumping money into ad campaigns, find out what capacity they can handle if necessary find alternative suppliers.

2. Shipping times

Many dropshippers use Aliexpress or Alibaba to fulfill their orders. While it’s easy to find products and start with these types of suppliers, they almost always have terrible 30 day (or longer) shipping times. In today’s world that just won’t cut it. Max shipping times should be less than 10 days and ideally less than 5.

If you find a product that you want to test on Aliexpress we recommend ordering the product from the supplier to see how long it takes to deliver. You can also contact the supplier to see if they offer faster shipping times.

3. Supplier errors and quality control

As a dropshipper you have essentially no control of what your supplier ships to customers. Since the customer ordered it from your store, you are the one they contact to get the order corrected. To make the situation right you have to contact the supplier and order to get another product shipped or refunded etc. This gets time-consuming and frustrating quickly.

How to Find Products to Dropship

So you’ve decided to give dropshipping a try, congrats! Now what are you going to sell? This is the first roadblock and the biggest potential mistake new store owners make.

Choosing a winning product that people actually want. Aliexpress has millions of products, most are garbage. 

Successful dropshippers use one or a combination of these methods:

Competitor Research

Why reinvent the wheel? Go to Facebook or Instagram and start looking for items that look like dropshipping items. Make sure to click the ad and note the quality of the page pricing etc. 

Then use Facebook’s Page Transparency tool to gauge the success of the product. If the ad has been running for several weeks or months and has lots of comments and likes it’s probably because this product is profitable. 

Create a list of 5-10 items you come across and list pros and cons to each. You can use the list of 5 tips for picking winning products that’s a few sections down to help narrow down to the right product. 

Looking at the world around you

Okay this sounds simple and vague, but when you start looking at the world through the lens of an ecommerce store owner you will start seeing opportunities everywhere. 

You will start noticing new trends and products just by watching what others are wearing, using, or talking about. Look for new gadgets, accessories, or even seasonal items you see friends buying.

Here are couple of examples:

Smokeless Fire Pits – Every spring and fall I noticed friends and family members buying fire pits. It’s the time of year when everyone wants to be outside and what better way to relax than sitting by the fire. This is also a high-ticket item with good search traffic so Google Shopping ads could be a great channel.

Cell Phone Popsockets  – I’ve been kicking myself over this. Several years ago my 6 year old niece grabbed my brother’s phone and pulled something from the back. Confused, I asked what it was and he told me how it helped my niece hold his giant smartphone with her little hands. I had never seen one before. It interested me but seemed kinda dumb. In hindsight I missed out bigtime. Now this market is saturated, and I missed out on a very profitable trend. 

Keep your eyes open, watch what influencers or “trendy” friends are talking about and bre ready to test out products quickly. 

Google Trends

Google Trends is a free tool that helps you identify and measure the popularity of an item or topic based on how many people are searching for it over time. Here’s an example for pool floats:

You can see that every year during the summer months interest in pool floats skyrockets. This sort of short term interest can be a great indicator of when to launch a product or what sort of product you should be selling at X time.

Here’s another example of where Google Trends identified a spike in interest in popsockets:

Tips for Picking Winning Dropship Products

Picking winning products can be a time suck. There are several product research strategies that deep dive into niches, seasonal strategies, one product branded stores vs general stores etc…

But, across all of the different product research strategies there are few core principles that they all share. Here’s 5 tips for picking profitable products.

1. Can you cross-sell or up-sell with the product?

One of the best ways to make more profit from your store is to expand your profit margin. While increasing the price of the item may be the first thing you test, adding cross-sells or up-sells to your product is one way you can maximize your profit. Even by tacking on a few extra dollars at checkout can quickly add up.

What is a cross-sell?

Cross-selling is the practice of introducing additional (usually complimentary) products to your visitors. For example, if your store sells memory foam pillows you could also offer items like pillow cases, sleep spray and so on. These products are usually offered on the product page as a bundle or during the checkout process.

Cross-selling is a highly-effective strategy used in almost every industry to boost sales and value to the customer.

What is an up-sell?

Up-selling is the practice of marketing higher-end (and higher price) products to your customer. For example, if you manage an electronics store that sells speakers when a user is looking at a 6 inch speaker you would use images or charts to show how much better your 9 inch speaker is. Generally, up-selling has a better conversion rate than cross-selling.

The key to success with cross-selling and up-selling is to create a product offer that fits your customer needs. Create more value for your buyer and conversion and profit will follow.

2. Is it easy to ship?

Every dropshipper has struggled with shipping at some point. Whether its shipping times, packing quality, or cost it is a constant battle we all face. That is why it is crucial to sell items that are small, lightweight and easy to ship. 

While this isn’t as important when you are testing items from some place like Aliexpress, once you start to scale your store and move to a fulfillment service you will quickly realize how important this is.

Many fulfillment services like ShipBob will pack several items into one shipment and only charge shipping once. So if you sell multiple items to one customer you only pay shipping once, erasing a big portion of your variable expense.

Additionally, as you scale you will inevitably have returns. While you may ask your buyer to pay for return shipping, in today’s world that doesn’t go over very well. If your item is cheap and easy to ship, getting items returned takes a lot less out of your pocket.

3. Is your item eye-catching or unusual?

Common items that you can find at any store are NOT good dropshipping products. This doesn’t mean they are bad products or won’t sell online, it just means that if your plan is to take a boring old product like a spatula, run Facebook ads to a Shopify store and expect success, you will fail.

Your product has to stand out in someone’s distracting social media feed. You have less than 3 seconds to grab their attention, and if you’re lucky 10 seconds to show off your product. This means your product has to be something that will draw interest and your ad creative and copy needs to be spot on. Not to mention, that’s just to get the click to your store, where you then still have to peak their interest through the checkout process.

4. Does your item have a perceived value?

Perceived value means that users will associate a price to the item as soon as they see it. For example, when you think of a coffee mug you can easily associate a price range. It may go up or down based on the quality or size, but you can easily determine it’s perceived value.

Winning products do not have a perceived value because they are unique and solve a problem. Their price is based on the uniqueness and value of the problem they solve. This is why comfort products like posture correctors and back braces do well for dropshippers. They solve a problem that is high value. If you have back pain how much would you pay to have it disappear? Probably a lot and you’re willing to try almost anything.

Selling the value of the problem your product solves means you can increase your profit margin exponentially higher than products that are commonplace with a value already attached to them.

5. Can you sell more than one?

This is particularly important if you are selling a low cost item in the $10-$20 range. If you are selling low cost items you will quickly learn that to sell enough items to make a decent profit you are going to have to sell a lot of products. That means more time fulfilling and tracking orders, more customers to communicate with, and more headaches.

However, if you can bundle low cost items into packs of 2, 3, or more you can make more profit with less orders and headaches. Many sellers do this successfully by adding bundles discounts like by 3 for 20% off, but if you are a competent copywriter you may be able to sell the value of having multiple of the same item. Whether that means selling different variations like color or being able to have multiple uses.

How to find dropship suppliers with fast shipping

If finding a winning product is the first hurdle dropshippers face, getting reasonable and reliable shipping is the second. This should not stop you from testing a product. The first step is to make sure you can actually sell and make a profit on your product. Step two is to get shipping times down and work out supplier issues. 

While some suppliers on Aliexpress have express shipping most products have insane 3 week+ shipping times. That simply doesn’t cut it in today’s market where 3-7 day shipping is pretty much expected. 

Make sure you test shipping times by actually ordering your product from the supplier – this also makes it easy to get unique product images and create custom video ads

This leaves you with a few options:

1. Use Aliexpress suppliers with U.S (or local to your market) warehouses. This will quickly limit the amount of products available. Make sure to test the shipping time. 
2. Contact the supplier or use an agent to arrange for faster shipping
3. Use a dropship aggregator like Oberlo, Salehoo, Doba, Wholesale2B or others. 
4. Find a local supplier

The best option will depend on your product. Some products can be sourced from Aliexpress using their ordering system. Sometimes just sending a message to the Aliexpress seller can connect you with better shipping and pricing terms.

Connecting with dropship suppliers

Keep in mind many of Aliexpress sellers are just a middleman between you and the actual supplier or manufacturer. If you find an item on Aliexpress and can’t work out better shipping the next step would be go to Alibaba and see if you can’t locate the actual supplier or manufacturer. They can usually tell if they have any express shipping options or local warehouses.

Dropship agents can also help connect you with the right company to fulfill your orders. Agents are usually people with industry experience in China who work with suppliers to get you the product you need. Many of these agents try to sell orders in bulk and then get you to pay for third party logistics (3PL). This isn’t really dropshipping in the basic sense and requires more money.

Be very clear with what you expect when working with an agent. In most cases I would advise involving an agent only when you are looking to scale your store. 

Dropshipping directories

If you can’t get the right supplier with manual outreach and an agent is a bit too involved then using a dropshipping aggregator is a good option. While they do have some monthly costs you are paying for the ability to have a stable supplier who can fulfill orders.

Not all suppliers in these aggregators are made the same. The aggregators screen suppliers but each one has different requirements. Just because you find a product or supplier doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect.

Here’s some of best dropshipping directories available: 

(no particular order)

• Doba
• Oberlo
• SaleHoo
• Spocket
• Wholesale2B
• Inventory Source
• Worldwide Brands
• Dropified
• DropCommerce

Use Local Suppliers

While the US doesn’t have quite the amount of product manufacturing as China, you might be surprised what options there are for dropshipping. Many small-to-midsize US brands offer dropshipping. DropCommerce for example connects dropshippers with US based companies that offer dropshipping and gives you an order management platform.

There are two downsides to US suppliers: low profit margin, and product selection. Manufacturing is cheaper in China so profit margin is greeted if you can get goods made overseas. The types of products made in the US is limited, so finding something unique and interesting you can sell via Facebook ads can be hard. 

How to Build a Dropshipping Store

This section will give you a high level walkthrough on setting your dropshipping store. We will focus specifically on Shopify, but if you have experience with WordPress or other platforms feel free to use what you are used to. For most, Shopify is the fastest and easiest way to build a dropshipping site. 

Step 1: Create a Gmail Account for Your Store

Creating a Gmail account gives you a way to keep everything related to your store separate from your personal inbox. You can create your account here. Keep the email professional and similar to your store name. If your name is taken you can use something like “storenameshop@gmail.com” or “trystorename@gmail.com” etc…

Step 2: Create Your Shopify Account

Go to Shopify.com and start your free trial. It will ask you a few questions about your address etc. Using your home address is fine for now.

Step 3: Setup Your Store’s Backend

General Settings

After you create your account you will need to make a few quick edits to get your store setup 100%. Click settings in the left menu then the General Tab. 

In the general tab there are 5 things you need to look at. 

1. Make sure your store name is correct and change to match your brand if it doesn’t 
2. You can change this email to anything you want like support@yourdomain.com etc…
3. Should match A
4. You can use a dummy phone number, your personal number or something else. If you want a phone number but don’t want to share your personal information, the Burner App is a cheap option to spin up phone numbers that get forwarded to your phone.  
5. You can use your home address, but you can put anything here. Generally using a UPS Store address or other mail room is a safe bet. 

Payment Settings

Next you will need to set up Shopify payments. To do this go back to settings and select payments. 

One you’re in the payments tab you will want to do two things.

1) Click the “complete setup” button for Shopify payments and fill out the information including your bank account routing and account number. This where Shopify will send your money. 

2) Complete the PayPal account setup. If you haven’t already, use the email address for your store to create a new PayPal business account specifically for your store. 

That’s it for payments. Don’t worry about Amazon pay or the other payment options for now. 

Checkout Settings

Your site’s check out flow is extremely important for increasing conversion rates. Here’s some basic settings you should implement. 

First, go to settings and navigate to checkout.

Step 1) Change customer accounts to optional. 

Step 2) Make email address mandatory for checkout. This helps grow your email list. 

Step 3) Require First and Last name at checkout. Oberlo and other apps require first and last to fulfill orders. 

Step 4) Activate tipping options. This helps increase your order values. Yes, people actually leave tips.

Step 5) Activate preselected email marketing opt-in. 

Hit save and we are done with the checkout settings. On to shipping. 

Shipping Options

You should always offer free shipping. The idea of paying for shipping is a big turn off for many, so just include your shipping cost in the price of the product.

Start by going back to settings and click shipping and delivery. 

Next, select manage rates. 

Shopify will have rates already built in. Delete all of their prebuilt rates and create a new rate. Call the new rate “Free Shipping” and select “Custom flat rate”.

You should now have one rate called “Free Shipping”. 

If you are shipping worldwide you should create another rate the same way in the “Rest of World” rate options. 

Legal Settings

Thankfully Shopify makes it really easy to generate all the boring legal terms and conditions so this part isn’t as bad as it sounds. Start by going to legal settings.

On the legal settings page there are 4 sections: refund policy, privacy policy, terms of service, and shipping policy.

Each one of these sections has a “create from template button” except shipping policy. Click create template for each policy and review the policy to make sure you contact information is correct and remove anything that doesn’t apply to your store.

Step 4) Adding Products

There are a lot of apps and integrations for dropshippers to add products to their store. For the sake of simplicity we will focus on Oberlo in this guide. It’s free and easy to use. To get started, go to Oberlo in the Shopify App store. Then click “Add App”.

On the next page click “Install App”.

You will then be prompted to create an Oberlo account or log in. Create a new Oberlo account specific to your new store. Once your store is connected you should be in the Oberlo dashboard that looks like this:

Once your Oberlo account is linked you can import products from Aliexpress and manage your orders. If you need help importing products or learning more about Oberlo’s capabilities you should refer to their documentation. They have a ton of info and tools to help you get started dropshipping. 

How to run successful ad campaigns

After getting your store setup the next step is getting traffic and eventually sales. Nailing your targeting, creative, and copy is key to growing a successful store. Make sure you track and tweak your ads as you learn what works.

What channels should you test first? 

Facebook ads are typically what people jump to but in reality there are several channels you should consider for testing ads. Your product and audience will determine which ones you should test first, but here’s some questions you should answer to determine where to start.

• Is there search volume for your product? (Use a free Chrome extension like KeyWord Surfer to see search volume) If so Google Shopping ads or Google Paid Search may be a cheap way to drive high intent traffic.
• Does your audience have a niche audience or persona? Products that appeal to a very specific person are more likely to have success on social networks and/or with influencers. For example, energy drinks are pretty broad VS an energy drink designed specifically for yoga enthusiasts. The drink designed for yoga enthusiasts is much easier to create hyper targeted ads than just a “energy drink”
• Do you have direct competition? If you have competition selling the same product as you, don’t reinvent the wheel. Use the Facebook ad library to see if they are running ads or use SpyFu to gauge how much they are spending on Google Ads. Research how they are marketing their product and see if you can find a starting point. 

Facebook Ads

Dropshippers most commonly start with Facebook Ads. If your product is trendy and has a wow factor, Facebook can be an easy to scale solution for driving traffic. 

But…it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. There is not a silver bullet strategy for every product or site for Facebook ads. The mix of your product, target audience, site experience, and ad creative will determine your success with Facebook ads. 

Many dropshippers get stuck here. It’s not always easy to know what’s working and what’s not. 

By far the most common question we see from dropshippers goes something like this…

My Facebook ads have 120 clicks but no purchases. What am I doing wrong?”

The easy answer is it depends…

There is not a perfect formula for Facebook ads. It’s not a matter of setting up 3 ad sets and two video ads, one carousel ad and magically making sales. 

This guide will help you get familiarized with Facebook Ad basics and start getting sales. 

Types of Facebook Ads

Types of Facebook ads

Your success in Facebook advertising depends on your objective and the types of Facebook ads you use. Producing effective, high-performing ads, however, presents a challenge for many beginners because there are so many different types to choose from. 

To help overcome this hurdle, we’ve outlined five key Facebook ad formats you can use. 

Image

Single image ads are the default for Facebook ads. They are easy to make, offer a clean format for you to promote your brand, and are effective. Dropshippers often rely on video ads, but standard image ads can be very successful as well. It just requires the right creative.

Image ads are best for when you want to create an ad quickly or don’t have much of a budget. You can create an image ad right from your Facebook page as a boosted post, or if you want more detailed targeting options, you can make one in Facebook Ads Manager.

Video

Video ads let you show off your product or brand and capture viewers’ attention in the feed. You can create video ads in Facebook Ads Manager or boost a post that has a video from your Facebook page. These ads appear on Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and Messenger. 

You can use Facebook video ads to show unique features or tell your brand’s story. Videos that are 15 seconds or less can help capture your audience and keep them engaged. They should also have a clear call to action (CTA) at the end, such as purchasing a product or visiting a website. 

Carousel 

Carousel ads let you include up to 10 images or videos in a single ad, each with its own link. People can scroll through the carousel by swiping left or right on their devices or by clicking directional arrows if using the desktop client. 

You can use carousel ads to:

• Feature multiple products and link out to different landing pages
• Showcase different angles of one product to inform potential buyers
• Explain a process or offer a tutorial 
• Present one large image across multiple frames to create a more immersive experience

Collection

The collection ad format includes a full screen, Instant Experience to make it easier for people to browse and buy your products. These ads include a cover image or video and can show multiple products underneath.

How to advertise on Facebook, step by step

Follow this Facebook ads tutorial to create, launch, and optimize your first ads. 

1. Setting up your Facebook Business Manager
2. Installing the Facebook pixel
3. Creating Facebook audiences
4. Creating a Facebook ads campaign
5. Setting up your first ad sets
6. Choosing your creative
7. Optimizing your Facebook campaigns

#1 Setting up your Facebook Business Manager

The Facebook ad ecosystem is not the most user friendly ad platform. Starting off on the right foot by setting up your account correctly will save you trouble in the future. 

1. Go to business.facebook.com and click Create Account.
2. Enter your business name, your Facebook business page (create one first if you don’t have one), your name, and your email address.
3. Create or add an existing advertising account. This can be done by choosing Business Settings in the Business Manager menu, then clicking More Tools and Ad Account Settings.  
4. You will be taken to a new window and given the option of adding an existing ad account, requesting access to an ad account, or creating a new ad account. If you’ve never advertised on Facebook before, click Create a New Ad Account and follow the prompts.
5. Once you have completed those steps your account should look like this: 

If you need more help getting your account started watch this video. 

#2 Installing the Facebook pixel

Setting up the Facebook pixel in Shopify is really simple. 

1. Go to “Preferences” under Online Store
2. Copy and Paste your Facebook Pixel ID into the field.
3. Click Save
4. Test your Facebook Pixel in Facebook Ads. 

#3 Creating Facebook audiences

Audiences are why Facebook Ads are such a valuable tool. You can target niche audiences and demographics to get your product in front of the people most likely to purchase. 

Interests, behaviors, and demographics

If you don’t have a list of past customers or website visitors to create a Lookalike Audience, you can use Facebook’s interest, behaviors, and demographic data to create prospecting audiences using the saved audiences option.

Interests relate to pages and content Facebook users have interacted with (e.g., golf, football, fashion).

Behaviors are actions taken by users (e.g., moving to a new city, getting married, having a baby).

Demographics include user profile information (e.g., parents, doctors, college grads).

You’ll want to test from all of the options available within interests, behaviors, and demographics. The Audience Insights tool can help you narrow down these options and identify categories for testing.

The information gathered in Audience Insights can be used to identify new interests for targeting experiments, as well as placements and locations that might work for your chosen demographic.

Note* The Audience Insights tool will be deprecated on July 1, 2021. It is moving to the Facebook Business Suite Insights. 

#4 Creating a Facebook ads campaign

Before you start building your first campaign you need to understand how the Facebook Ad structure works. It has 3 levels. Campaigns, Ad sets, and Ads. 

Choosing an objective for your campaign

Time to create your first campaign. Go to the Ad Manager inside your Business Manager account and click the Create button. You will be then asked to choose an objective. For dropshipping stores we almost always recommend choosing “Conversions”. 

No matter what objective you choose, Facebook will always charge you for impressions.

It is important to tell Facebook what your objective is so your ads will be optimized to reach your goal. If you choose Traffic but are actually looking for purchases, you won’t be guaranteed to reach your goal because it was not chosen as your objective at the campaign level. 

Facebook will try to get as many conversions that you have set as your objective as possible. We don’t want people that are likely to click but not purchase. We want people that are likely to click AND purchase. 

#5 Creating your first ad sets

The next layer of your campaign you will need to create is ad sets. For each ad set you can define 3 things.

• Target audience
• Budget
• Placements

Ad sets are useful for testing audiences and placements against each to see which performs best. For example Ad Set 1 you may leave the audience extremely broad like Male/Female 18-65 with no or broad interest target vs Ad Set 2 that has a more target audience like Female 18-30 who are single with Instagram only placements. 

It’s important to think about who you believe would be interested in your product and A/B test difference audiences and placements. 

#6 Creating high converting ads

While audience and placements are important they don’t mean anything if your ads suck. 

Think about how many ads you see on Facebook and Instagram. Most of them barely (or don’t at all) catch your eye.

You have a split second to grab your customers attention and get them to engage with your ad.

No matter what product you are selling, the key is to sell the problem your product solves. This idea is summed up with this simple quote: “Noone Wants a Drill. What They Want Is the Hole”

Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when build your ads:

1. Keep Your Ad Copy Short – (posts with fewer than 80 characters earn 66% more engagement than longer posts) 
2. Give Your Audience Fewer Choices – more decisions, more problems. Create unique ad copy for each of your featured products, rather than trying to cram them all into a single ad. 
3. Keep Your Discounts in Dollars Rather Than Percentages – discount codes and coupons can boost conversion but dollars speak more than anything. If you have a coupon code use the dollar value. Ex: “Save $5 when you use coupon code XYZ at checkout”
4. Use Text in You Images – Stylizing your images with text and graphics sharply increases conversion rate. Here’s an example:

5. Show Your Product in Action – Actions are stronger than words. Show how your product works to make it easy for the customer to understand. 

Influencer Marketing

If you are intimidated by Facebook Ads or Google Ads then using an influencer for a paid post can be an easy way to get traffic for cheap.

But…beware it’s not as easy as finding a profile with a few thousand followers and getting them to post some crappy ad.

Just like anything, it takes time and effort to be effective. 

What products sell with influencers? 

Products that have a strong niche focus are usually a good match for influencer marketing. Ex: matching a piece of exercise equipment with an exercise influencer. 

More general products are more difficult to sell with influencers since it’s a shot in the dark if their followers are actually going to be interested. In addition if the paid post looks like an ad unrelated to their usual content their followers are significantly less likely to engage or purchase. 

How to find an influencer 

There are tools like BuzzSumo Influencer Finder that can help you find influencers in a particular niche. You can also dig around in social media platforms manually and quickly find accounts.

Start by creating a spreadsheet (or use this free template) to store accounts and metrics. This will help us find and track which influencers have the best engagement. 

The main metric we will use to find influencers is engagement rate. This metric will tell us which influencers get the most engagement on their posts. The higher their engagement the more likely a paid post will generate clicks and purchases on your site.

ER post = Total engagements on a post / Total followers *100

Follower count while important to determining the size of your potential reach is secondary to engagement rate. The follower count will often dictate pricing for sponsored posts. Find the best mix of engagement rate and follower count. Generally influencers with 20k – 150k are the best bang for your buck. 

Next, go to whichever social media platform you plan on using and start browsing hashtags and accounts in your niche. Look for profiles that post consistently and have lots of likes, comments, shares etc. on each post. Just because an account has a lot of followers doesn’t mean they have an engaged audience.

Influencers will often buy followers to make it appear like they have a huge audience when in reality they only have a small amount of active fans. Avoid these types of accounts like the plague. 

Negotiating with Influencers

Once you have found a few influencers with good engagement rates it’s time to get pricing. Their profile will often have an email or instructions to get advertising information. If not just send them a direct message. 

Start with something like this: “Hi [name], i’m interested in partnering up for sponsored posts. I think your audience is a great fit for our product. Please let me know if you’re interested and if so what sort of pricing you have.”

Most influencers will respond to the first message, but if they don’t just send a couple of follow ups. 

Using the Right Creative

Your ad should feel like a normal social post from the influencer. If your post looks like an ad their followers will quickly skip over it, but if they feel like the influencer is actually suggesting your product they are way more likely to purchase. 

Here’s an example from Pro Disc Golfer Brodie Smith doing a paid post for a smart watch.

Notice the image is of him playing disc golf, similar to an image he would usually post, and is not just a picture of the watch. Along with the image is ad copy that’s written from Brodie’s point of view. 

Keys to Successful Influencer Campaigns

• Only work with influencers with a high engagement rate
• Send the product to the influencer when possible
• Create posts that looks like the influencers normal content
• Track engagement and ROI for each sponsored posts

Google Ads

Google Ads is one of the best ways to scale your store and maximize return on ad spend. Since you’re serving ads to people actively looking for a product the conversion rate is generally much higher than Facebook or other social ads. 

For example, someone searches for “portable blender”. The entire screen is filled with Google Ads. Depending on the product and niche the CTR for these ads can be up 35%.

The downside of Google Ads is that you have to rely on search volume to drive quality traffic. If no one is searching for your product, then Google Ads is not going to work. If you’re not sure how to tell if your product has search volume you can use the free Chrome plugin from What’s My Serp or use the Keyword Planner tool in Google Ads.

Setting Up Your Google Ads Account 

We aren’t going to deep dive into Google Ad strategies in this article, but we will cover the basic setup and give you a starting point for testing Google Ads. If you want a deep dive into strategies check out this guide from WordStream. If you want a step by step video then follow this guide on YouTube. 

Step 1: Create your Google Ads account. 

Create your Google Ads account here. If you need help getting setup this guide will answer any questions you have. 

Step 2: Google Merchant Center

Ecommerce sites must set up and link a Google Merchant account to create product feeds. Create your Merchant Center account here. 

Step 3: Link Google Ads and Merchant Center

Merchant Center Is where you will manage your product feed so to get the data into Google Ads you have to link them. Follow this guide from Google to link your accounts. 

Step 4: Add Products to Merchant Center

If you have one product you can simply add the product info in the Merchant Center. If you have multiple products you want to create a product data feed. This guide takes you step by step on how to create a data feed. 

Other Channels

While Facebook, Influencer, and Google Ads are the most common marketing channels for dropshippers there are several other channels that can make your store profitable. Rather than deep diving into each this guide will give you a quick intro to other channels that you can test. 

These channels effectiveness will depend on your product and own marketing prowess. If you have experience creating engaging ads then trying out new channels can be a good way to find new ways to scale your store. If you have never run digital ads before then sticking with more tried and true is your best bet. There are hundreds of videos on YouTube that can teach you how to run Facebook, Influencer, and Google Ads. Get comfortable with the most common channels and expand from there. Don’t reinvent the wheel. 

Email

As you start getting traffic to your store you will quickly start gathering customer emails. Even if they didn’t purchase, sending abandoned cart offers or sale discounts can be a simple way to retarget and grow traffic that has already been exposed to your brand. 

SnapChat

SnapChat has over 265 millions users, most are 30 or younger. If your product has a younger audience then SnapChat can be a lucrative channel to scale. 

TikTok

TikTok has a huge user base and in many head to head tests has much better economics than Facebook ads. If you’re having some success with Facebook but not hitting a good ROI perhaps testing TikTok can put you over the top.  

Organic Search

Organic search is extremely lucrative if your product has a large search volume, but it can be incredibly competitive and difficult to rank for a keyword. It’s a long term strategy but can pay off big. 

Bing Ads

Bing only makes up a relatively small portion of search compared to Google Ads, but if you have success with Google Ads then Bing ads can be another way to scale your search campaigns. 

Referral Marketing

As your store grows and you do your part to keep customers happy it only makes since to ask them to refer friends and family. 

Affiliates

Affiliates are similar to referrals except you are counting on a site or person to send your site a lot of sales. For example, if you sell a campaign tent you could pitch an outdoor blog to write a review about your tent and give them X dollars of sales from their link. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has 300 million monthly users, including one the most active affluent audiences according to WordStream. 

Reddit

Reddit is a conglomeration of very specific niche communities. Your product will most likely appeal to subreddit or groups of subreddits that you can leverage to drive low cost clicks to your site. 

Twitter

While not quite as ecommerce friendly as other channels, Twitter can be a great tool to grow demand for your brand. 

Enough Reading…GO GET STARTED!

99% of people fail at even getting started. Don’t wait until the timing is perfect. Don’t spend weeks or months spinning in circles over a product, domain name or whatever else. Start your store and learn.

You may not hit out the park on your first try (It would be shocking if you did) but you will learn and you can turn your dropshipping side hustle into an extremely profitable business.

The post How To Start Dropshipping – A Complete BluePrint appeared first on Business Chew.

If you are frugal and don’t mind putting in the extra work you can launch one of these profitable businesses with just a few hundred dollar (or less).

Freelance Service

Freelancers work in a wide range of industries. The idea is simple. Take something that you are good at, or currently do at you job and offer it to others. If you are good at writing, write for other businesses. If you are good bookkeeping, bookkeep for others. Here’s how to get started:

• Determine your skills and areas of expertise
• Create a portfolio website or use a platform like Upwork or Fiverr to showcase your work
• Advertise your services on social media and network with potential clients
• Set your rates and complete projects for clients

Dropshipping Store

Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third-party supplier and has it shipped directly to the customer. The store is responsible for marketing and selling the products, while the supplier handles the storage, packaging, and shipping. This allows businesses to offer a wider range of products without the need for large amounts of inventory or storage space, reducing the financial risk and overhead costs associated with traditional retail. Dropshipping is a popular business model for e-commerce entrepreneurs and can be easily set up through platforms like Shopify. Here is how to start your dropshipping business:

• Choose a niche for your store (e.g. fitness, pet supplies, etc.)
• Find a reliable dropshipping supplier
• Create an e-commerce store using a platform like Shopify
• Advertise your store and products through social media and search engine optimization
• Process orders and ship through the supplier

Learn more in extensive guide: How to Start Dropshipping – A Complete Blueprint

Online Tutoring

Online tutoring refers to a method of delivering educational support and guidance to students over the internet. Tutors provide one-on-one or group instruction to students, using video conferencing tools to facilitate live sessions. Online tutoring can be offered in various subjects, including math, science, language, and more, and is often available 24/7. This mode of tutoring offers students the flexibility to receive education from the comfort of their own homes and the convenience of scheduling lessons around their own schedules. Online tutoring can be a lucrative business opportunity for educators and experts in a particular subject, and can be easily set up through dedicated tutoring platforms.

Here’s how you can quickly launch your own online tuturong business:

• Determine your area of expertise and teaching style
• Create a profile on tutoring platforms such as Tutor.com or use video conferencing software
• Advertise your services through social media, word of mouth, and targeted online ads
• Set your rates and schedule for tutoring sessions

Social Media Management

Social media management is the process of creating, publishing, and monitoring content on social media platforms to build and maintain an online presence for a business, organization, or individual. This involves creating a strategy, scheduling and posting content, engaging with followers, tracking analytics, and continuously monitoring and adjusting the strategy to achieve desired outcomes such as increased engagement, brand awareness, and sales. Social media management typically involves a combination of creative and technical skills, and can be done in-house or outsourced to a professional service.

Here is a quick start guide:

• Familiarize yourself with social media platforms and strategies for managing businesses’ accounts
• Reach out to potential clients and offer your services
• Create content, engage with followers, and monitor analytics
• Charge a monthly retainer or per project fee

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing where a business pays an affiliate for each customer or sale generated from the affiliate’s promotional efforts. An affiliate promotes the business’s products or services through a unique affiliate link and earns a commission for each sale made through the link. To start an affiliate marketing business, you need to choose a niche, create a website or blog, research and join affiliate programs, promote your affiliate links through content creation and advertising, and track your earnings. Affiliate marketing is a low-cost and flexible way to start a business, as it does not require you to handle any inventory or deal with customer service. However, success in affiliate marketing requires dedication, hard work, and a solid understanding of the niche and target audience.

Here is how you can get started quicky:

• Choose a niche and products to promote
• Create a website or blog and produce content that showcases the products
• Join affiliate marketing programs and include affiliate links in your content
• Promote your content through social media and advertising
• Earn a commission for each sale made through your affiliate link

Food Delivery Service

A food delivery service allows customers to order food from local restaurants or cafes for delivery to their homes or offices. To start a food delivery service, you’ll need to research the local food industry, partner with restaurants, create a website or mobile app for ordering, establish a delivery system, and market your service to customers. Key factors for success include strong partnerships with local restaurants, efficient delivery operations, and a user-friendly ordering platform. Food delivery services can be profitable by charging a commission or delivery fee on each order, and they offer a convenient solution for busy customers who want to enjoy restaurant-quality food in the comfort of their own homes.

To get started, follow these steps:

• Research local food regulations and obtain necessary licenses and permits
• Partner with local restaurants and caterers to offer their food for delivery
• Create a website or app to take orders and process payments
• Advertise your services and hire delivery drivers

Home Cleaning and Pet-Sitting Services

Home cleaning and pet-sitting services provide in-home services for individuals and families who need help with cleaning their homes or caring for their pets. To start a home cleaning or pet-sitting service, you’ll need to research the local market, create a business plan, obtain any necessary certifications and insurance, and market your services to potential customers. Key success factors include good organizational and time management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to form strong relationships with clients and their pets. Both home cleaning and pet-sitting services have low start-up costs, can be run on a flexible schedule, and offer a way to provide valuable services to busy individuals and families in the community.

Get up and running quickly following these steps:

• Obtain necessary insurance and business licenses
• Advertise your services through local classifieds, social media, and word of mouth
• Set your rates and schedule appointments with clients
• Provide high-quality cleaning or pet-sitting services and build a positive reputation

Event Planning

Event planning services help individuals and organizations plan and execute special events such as weddings, parties, corporate events, and more. To start an event planning business, you’ll need to research the local market, build a network of vendors and suppliers, create a business plan, and market your services to potential clients. Key success factors include strong organizational and project management skills, creativity and attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple events and timelines simultaneously. Event planning can be a lucrative business, as clients are often willing to pay premium prices for high-quality and stress-free event experiences. Starting an event planning business requires a significant time and financial investment, but can provide a flexible and rewarding career for those who are passionate about bringing people together for memorable experiences.

Start you event planning business today by following these steps:

• Familiarize yourself with event planning logistics, vendor contacts, and budgets
• Build a portfolio of event planning experience by assisting with friends’ or family events
• Reach out to potential clients and offer your services
• Plan, coordinate, and execute successful events for clients

Landscaping and Gardening

Landscaping and gardening services involve designing, installing, and maintaining outdoor spaces such as gardens, lawns, and other green areas for residential or commercial clients. To start a landscaping and gardening business, you’ll need to research the local market, build a network of suppliers and equipment, create a business plan, and market your services to potential clients. Key success factors include a strong understanding of horticulture and design principles, attention to detail, and the ability to manage a team and equipment effectively. Landscaping and gardening services can be a lucrative business, as clients are often willing to invest in enhancing their outdoor spaces. Starting a landscaping and gardening business requires a significant investment in equipment and personnel, but can provide a flexible and rewarding career for those who have a passion for creating beautiful outdoor spaces.

Launch your landscape business by following these steps:

• Familiarize yourself with plants and gardening techniques
• Build a portfolio of gardening experience by assisting friends and family
• Reach out to potential clients and offer your services
• Provide high-quality landscaping and gardening services and build a positive reputation

Personal Shopping or Styling Services

Personal shopping and styling services help individuals enhance their personal appearance and wardrobe through professional styling and shopping assistance. To start a personal shopping and styling business, you’ll need to research the local market, build a network of clothing and accessory suppliers, create a business plan, and market your services to potential clients. Key success factors include strong fashion sense, an understanding of client needs and preferences, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Personal shopping and styling services can be a lucrative business, as clients are often willing to pay for the convenience and expertise of a professional stylist. Starting a personal shopping and styling business requires a significant investment in clothing, accessories, and equipment, but can provide a flexible and rewarding career for those who have a passion for fashion and helping others enhance their personal style.

Get started by foloowing these 4 steps:

• Familiarize yourself with current fashion trends and personal style
• Build a portfolio of personal shopping and styling experience
• Reach out to potential clients and offer your services
• Provide high-quality personal shopping and styling services and build a positive reputation.

The post 10 Simple Businesses Anyone Can Start with $500 or Less appeared first on Business Chew.

Step 1: Research the Market

Before you start your business, it’s important to research the market in your area. Look at the competition, pricing, and services offered to determine if there is a need for a pressure washing business in your area.

There has been a spike in the amount of pressure washing businesses since a few success stories went viral. Make sure you aren’t launching your business in an oversatured market.

This will also help you to identify what sets your business apart from others and how you can differentiate yourself.

Step 2: Create a Business Plan

A business plan is a detailed document that outlines your goals, strategies, and projected financials. It will help you to organize your thoughts and plan for the future. A business plan will also be required if you plan to seek funding from investors or loans from banks.

Business plans seem sort of old school. Most business owners can’t tell you the last time the actually looked at their original plan. But, the act of sitting down and thinking about the details of your business are crucial. So to quote Sun Tzu “He will win who, prepared himself”

1. Executive Summary: This section should provide an overview of the business, including the services offered, target market, and financial projections. For example, the business could offer power washing services for residential and commercial properties, targeting homeowners and property managers in a specific geographic area.
2. Company Description: In this section, provide more detail about the business, including the ownership structure, management team, and any unique selling points. For example, the business could be a sole proprietorship, run by an experienced power washer with a strong reputation in the community.
3. Market Analysis: This section should describe the industry and target market, including size, growth, and trends. For example, the power washing industry is a growing market, with a steady demand for both residential and commercial services.
4. Services: This section should detail the specific services offered, such as exterior building cleaning, deck and patio cleaning, and concrete cleaning.
5. Marketing and Sales: This section should describe the marketing and sales strategy, including how the business will reach and attract customers. For example, the business could use a combination of online advertising, local promotions, and word-of-mouth referrals.
6. Operations: This section should describe the day-to-day operations of the business, including equipment, staffing, and location.
7. Financial Projections: This section should include projected income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, as well as any assumptions used to create the projections.
8. Conclusion and Next Steps: Summarize the main points of the business plan, and outline any next steps for implementing the plan.

Step 3: Register Your Business and Obtain Licenses and Permits

Once you have a business plan, the next step is to register your business and obtain any necessary licenses and permits. This will vary depending on your location, so it’s important to check with your local government to find out what is required in your area.

Step 4: Purchase Equipment and Supplies

Next, you will need to purchase the equipment and supplies necessary to start your pressure washing business. This includes a power washer, hoses, nozzles, detergents, and other cleaning solutions. It’s important to invest in high-quality equipment that is durable and reliable.

The cost to start a pressure washing business can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, such as the location, equipment, and marketing expenses. However, a rough estimate for starting a small pressure washing business could be around $5,000 to $10,000. This could include the cost of a pressure washer, a vehicle, and initial marketing expenses. It’s always a good idea to consult with a financial advisor to get a more accurate estimate for your specific business plan.

If you are just getting started you can find most if not all of the equipment you need at your local hardware store.

Here are some common expenses:

1. Equipment: This would be the main cost of starting a pressure washing business. A good quality pressure washer can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000. Other equipment such as wands, nozzles, hoses, and detergents would also be required.
2. Vehicle: A reliable vehicle would be needed to transport the equipment to job sites. The cost of a used van or pickup truck could range from $5,000 to $15,000.
3. Insurance: It is important to have liability insurance to protect the business in case of any accidents or damage. The cost can vary depending on the location and coverage, but it can range from $500 to $1,500 per year.
4. Marketing: Initially some costs would be incurred to promote the business such as business cards, flyers, brochures, website, and online listing. These costs can vary, but they can be around $500 to $1,000.
5. Licenses and Permits: Depending on the location, a business license and any necessary permits may be required. The cost for these can vary, but it can range from $50 to $500.
6. Additional costs such as employee payroll, office expenses, and other ongoing expenses will also be incurred.

Step 5: Develop a Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is essential for any business. It will help you to reach your target market and attract new customers. Some effective marketing strategies for a pressure washing business include online advertising, flyers, and networking with other local businesses.

Step 6: Start Building Your Customer Base

Once you have your equipment and marketing plan in place, it’s time to start building your customer base. Offer discounts to new customers, and ask for referrals from satisfied customers to help grow your business

Step 7: Continuously Evaluate and Improve

Running a business is not a one-time task, it’s a continuous process. Continuously evaluate your business, monitor your progress, and make changes as needed. Listen to customer feedback, and always strive to improve your services.

Starting a power washing business can be a challenging but rewarding endeavor. By following these steps and putting in the necessary effort, you can successfully launch and grow your business. With the right mindset and a willingness to work hard, you can turn your power washing business into a thriving enterprise.

How Much Does a Pressure Washing Business Make?

The income for a pressure washing business can vary depending on several factors such as the location, the size of the business, and the pricing structure. However, on average, a power washing business can make anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 or more per year.

It’s important to note that as with any small business, the early stages of a pressure washing business may not be as profitable as it would be once it has established a solid customer base and reputation. Additionally, the income can also vary depending on if it’s a one-person operation or if the business owner has employees and if they are offering additional services beyond power washing.

It is also important to remember that like any business, power washing also has operational costs such as equipment and supplies, insurance, marketing and advertising, and staffing, which would need to be factored in to determine the net profi

The post How to Start a Pressure Washing Business [2023 Guide] appeared first on Business Chew.

Starting a brewery may seem simple, but it requires more work than you might think. Some people figure that since adults enjoy alcohol, there will always be a market. However, profitable markets like this are the riskiest, mainly because there is a lot of competition. Even if you have a concoction that rivals all other beers, there are still a few things you need to consider before starting your own brewery.

Expenses and Finances

The brewery business is costly. For starters, coming up with a good batch will take time and money. It won’t happen overnight. Finding the perfect combination uses up a lot of resources. Make sure you have the funds for this new business venture.

As a starter, you’ll need to consider the cost of equipment and labor. You don’t want to start the business out of your garage. A proper facility helps make the perfect drink. Brewery equipment costs anywhere between $100,000 to $1 million. Come up with a solid business plan to bring to investors so that they have confidence in your brand before they invest money.

Licenses and Restrictions

There are specific permits and licensing you’ll need to ascertain before getting started on production. The federal side of the license is free but your state prices may vary. Start investigating your current location or the location you wish to start the brewery and consider the prices and restrictions.

Factor in the timing, too. The government moves at its own pace. If we’re talking about the federal government, it might take up to four months before getting approval. Consider the timeline you have now and extend it to accommodate any roadblocks you may encounter.

Upkeep and Staffing

Getting the brewery up and running is only half the battle. Sustaining and maintaining it is the second part. There are specific practices you’ll need to implement to keep your brewery clean. These procedures act as security and insurance for your business. Following them will help ensure you achieve success.

Start thinking about your staffing. If you start with a small operation, you may not need more than a few people. However, as the business grows, you’ll probably need to increase your operations. Look over your expenses now and see how much manpower you’ll need versus how much you can afford.

Marketing and Advertising

Finally, it’s time to start thinking about marketing and advertising. This is where you separate the wheat from the chaff. What is the one thing about your brew that makes it special? What’s your brand? Make it solid and build on that.

Research the current market and see what’s in high demand. What do distributors and customers want out of their drinks? Gaining a better idea of those accounts might be the very thing that makes your beer more profitable.

There’s a lot to consider before starting your own brewery, but once you get the ball rolling, it will be full steam ahead. So, saddle up.

The post Things To Consider Before Starting Your Own Brewery appeared first on Business Chew.

Online businesses are an increasingly popular option for people looking to reach unique audiences and avoid the troubles storefronts present. The beginning of your online business is exciting and will lead you to many new opportunities for financial gain. However, there are numerous things a person must know before starting their online business, and these tips will help you begin.

Know Your Goals and What Your Business Will Do

Anytime you start an online business, you should understand fully what that business will do and how it will function. Knowing the ins and outs of every aspect of your business will make it easier to manage and improve. Take note of the services that will attract customers and what you offer that makes your business exceptionally great. Set up goals and milestones for your business to reach so that you can know how much work you need to do to become more successful.

Have a Great Home Network

When you start an online business from home, you must have a solid home network with a fantastic connection. Companies rely on larger networks to connect to the internet and perform tasks online, but since your business starts from your home, you will only need a network to suit a localized connection. A wired connection will help you create a network from home, as it creates a LAN that will help connect the devices within your home faster.

Understand Online Business Laws

Before you open your online business, you must keep in mind the digital business laws you will need to follow. There are numerous laws involving taxes, copyright, licensing, privacy, and many more about online business. Online companies can fail after facing lawsuits stemming from their failure to follow the laws for companies with an online presence. Take time to thoroughly read through each direction and the rights involved for the company and its customers so that your business will be safe and successful.

Find the Best Ways To Reach Out to Your Audience

It’s beneficial to understand and connect with your target audience as you’re starting your online business from home. You will not be able to see all of them face to face, and you will need to rely on their online feedback. When you create your website, offer an area where people may leave comments and reviews so that you will better understand what steps will make a customer’s experience better.

Use these tips to help you achieve a great start for your online business and maintain your success throughout your journey. The possibilities are endless when it comes to online stores, so don’t hesitate to be creative!

The post Tips for Starting an Online Business From Home appeared first on Business Chew.

But we can help with our guide that offers tips and tricks for helping your pop-up business stand out from the rest!

Location Is Everything

It’s as true in pop-up businesses as in real estate—location is everything. A novel and interesting location for your pop-up business instantly makes it stand out from the crowd and creates some buzz and excitement.

You want your pop-up business to be somewhere with a thriving market of consumers to target, but you also want it to be something new for people to check out. The location is probably the most critical choice and helps determine your pop-up’s success, so look hard and all over for the right site for your business.

Get Experimental With the Design

Once you’ve got the right location, it’s time to design the look and function of your upcoming pop-up business. The design is an excellent opportunity to get experimental and different to make your pop-up business distinct and appealing.

If a pop-up shop looks like your existing business or like every other pop-up around, why would anyone want to check it out? It’s a temporary business, so don’t be afraid to get different—the more novel, the more likely people are to post pictures on social media and give you free advertising!

Utilize a Storage Container

Speaking of location and experimental designs, you could achieve both for your pop-up business with a storage container as the physical space! Storage containers are popular pop-up alternatives for restaurants and businesses—and it’s easy to see why.

Instead of looking for available space in your area, a storage container allows you to take your pop-up business practically anywhere you want. A storage container instantly makes your pop-up stand out, catches the eye of consumers, and draws them in to check it out. Don’t limit your locations by only renting available spaces—utilize the portable advantages of storage containers!

Pro Tip: A used storage container is just as useful and valuable as a new container at a discounted price.

Create a Theme

Pop-up shops are all about grabbing the customer’s attention—one of the best ways to do that is with a theme. You want your pop-up shop to have a distinct idea that customers can easily understand and attracts them to check out what your business is all about.

Maybe the theme is something from pop culture or a special promotion for your business. It’s only a temporary business, so kick around ideas on a premium theme that’ll attract people from all over!

The post Tips for Making Your Pop-Up Business Stand Out appeared first on Business Chew.

Starting a business from scratch is hard work. It requires a lot of time, effort, and dedication. 

But building your own business from the beginning is not the only way to be an entrepreneur.

There are many alternative ways to become an entrepreneur, and each has its own set of benefits and drawbacks.

Buying an Existing Business

Purchasing an existing business is often seen as less risky than starting a business from scratch.

After all, the company is already up and running and, hopefully, generating revenue. There are a few things to keep in mind if you consider this option.

1. You’ll need to have the capital to purchase the business. Money can be hard to obtain, especially if you’re not already wealthy.
2. You’ll need to be prepared to take on all the responsibilities of being a business owner, including any legal liabilities.
3. You’ll need to do your due diligence to ensure the business is a good fit.

Franchising

Another option for becoming an entrepreneur is to purchase a franchise. Franchising can be a good option if you want to be part of a well-established brand. You’re buying into an existing business model and brand.

Franchises have their ups and downs. On the plus side, you usually have some support from the franchisor and access to a proven business model. On the downside, you may have less flexibility than you would if you were starting a business from scratch, and you often have to pay royalties or other fees to the franchisor when it comes to the most popular franchised industries. 

Offer Services for Equity

If you don’t have the capital to buy an existing business or start a new one from scratch, another option is to offer your services for equity. This offering means working for a company in exchange for a percentage of ownership in the business.

This option can be appealing if you have some skill that is in high demand and you’re passionate about the company’s mission. However, it can be risky because you’re essentially putting your time and effort into someone else’s business with no guarantee of success.

Become a Consultant

If you’re not interested in any of the above options, another way to become an entrepreneur is to become a consultant. 

This option can be appealing because it offers a high degree of flexibility. You can work with as many or as few clients as you want, and you can often set your hours.

The downside of consulting is that it can be challenging to find consistent work, and you may have to work harder to find clients than if you had your own business.

These are just a few of the alternative ways to become an entrepreneur. Discovering which option is right for you will depend on your skills, interests, and circumstances.

The most important thing is to find an option that you’re passionate about and that you believe has the potential to be successful. Being an entrepreneur is not easy, but it can be gratifying.

So, if you’re feeling stuck in your current situation, don’t be afraid to explore some of these alternative options. You might find the perfect fit for you!

The post 4 Alternative Ways To Become an Entrepreneur appeared first on Business Chew.

If you’ve recently set up your own business, or you’re thinking of launching your own business, there are a few essentials you need to know. In the guide we’ve put together below, we will detail these to help your business run smoothly and avoid any costly mistakes. So keep reading to find out more.

1. Liability Insurance Coverage

General liability insurance covers you should a customer or an employee make a legal claim against you. For example, if they received an injury while on your business’s premises or received damage to their property. The legal costs can impact your business, so general liability will help to cover the cost of these claims.

2. Workers Compensation

As a business owner, you should also have worker’s compensation too. Worker’s compensation helps to cover the cost of things such as medical care, funeral costs, and missed wages due to an illness or accident experienced by employees while on your business premises. The Hartford offers cover for businesses and their teams if you’re looking for worker’s compensation in NC.

3. Review Your Performances

The best way to identify if your business is going from strength to strength is to review your performance weekly or monthly across the business and from individual employees. From this, you’ll be able to see where you’re hitting targets or failing to, and which areas of the business to invest more money or redirect your focus. Having targets and milestones in place for your business to reach gives your business and team goals to work towards and areas to identify in performance reviews.

4. Monitor Your Competition

Keeping an eye on your competition, how they’re performing, and the moves they’re making will help you to keep one step ahead of them. You need to be able to reach your target audience before they do, so you have to be on the ball in regards to aspects such as:

• What services/products they’re offering that you may not
• The keywords being used in their website to boost their SEO performance
• Whether they’re expanding their business
• Researching the content, they’re sharing on social media

5. Invest in Your Digital Marketing

In order to target your audience best, bring in new customers, and be a strong competitor in your business field, you need to be investing in your digital marketing. Firstly, you need to identify the type of digital marketing that will reach your intended audience the best. For example, is email marketing the best contender? Or social media content? Do you need to be investing more into advertising, such as banner ads on other websites? Finally, make sure to be monitoring your ranking on search engines and what keywords to include in your website.

6. The Importance of Communication

Having excellent communication across all aspects of your business is hugely important. This includes between management and other employees, across different departments, and with customers and clients. Poor communication will lead to a domino effect of failures across the business and could lead to poor reviews and loss of profits. If you receive poor reviews from customers or within feedback from your team, you need to make sure this is addressed and improved immediately.

The post 6 Things All Business Owners Need to Know appeared first on Business Chew.

Every business owner is looking for ways to make their business run a bit more smoothly. They look at productivity, growth and how to best beverage their expertise and the expertise of those around them. Whether that’s expertise with complex accountancy, tax, programme development or many other niches. The truth is that whatever you need help with, there will be an expert out there somewhere. However, not every business can afford to hire someone. This is where outsourcing can be so valuable.

Outsource To Growth Specialists

Sometimes it’s hard to see the wood between the trees and finding those growth areas can be difficult. You might not want to hire a new sales manager or pay out for lead generation. Sometimes that outside view can prove pretty insightful. It’s why business consultants are so popular. You just need to find a good one. Do your research, look for their references and previous work. A consultant can zoom in on exactly where they think you can grow. It might be Organic SEO (search engine optimisation), social media growth, local marketing, etc. It’s not just knowing where you can grow, but how to do it. If you find the right growth specialist, you’ll be able to put a workable strategy together. 

Outsource To Specialist Accountancy Teams or Software

Accountancy and tax suck huge amounts of time from your day and the working week. This is especially the case if you’re concerned with complicated accounting like leasehold accounting or complications over a right of use asset. Before you know if you’ve spent hours in the mire. Instead, you can simply outsource your woes to either a trained accountant in your relevant field, or purchase software which can do it all for you. It can be expensive, but it’s better than getting lost in the mire of deferred rent accounting or trying to make sure your accounts are drawn up to GAAP. 

Freelancers Can Help You Move

Freelancers are great because they each are experts in their given area, but at the same time, you don’t have to employ them. You don’t have to worry about all the hassle employment presents. You simply use them until you don’t need them anymore. A great example is in the padding out of content on your website. Maybe you’re selling more products and need better sales descriptions. Perhaps you want to add a blog but don’t have the time or workforce to pump out the content. There are many different places you can find and hire a freelancer.

• Fiverr
• Upwork
• Toptal
• People per hour

Those are just a few examples of what’s a large and complex area. It sounds great, and it can be. However, you need to be careful when finding the right freelancer. Look at their portfolio if they’re a graphic designer. Do they come with recommendations if they’re a writer and what kinds of reviews do they have if you’ve found them on a freelancer website. Be diligent and the right freelancer can help you cope with areas of business growth or support you and your business when you’re particularly busy.

Software and Hardware Solutions

You might not need either depending on your business type. With that said, most businesses need some element of software or hardware. If you’re not tech forward and need help, you can outsource this to others. If you need servers, for example, you can outsource and store your data in the cloud. It means your data is safe from workplace issues like natural disasters or data corruption. At the same time you can use a business analyst to help you with hardware. So many business owners over subscribe to hardware and waste money. A business analyst can reign in your enthusiasm and save you some money. They might also be able to suggest hardware or software you didn’t know existed…meaning a more productive and better streamlined workforce. 

Human Resources

There are those out there who believe HR is dying. However, larger businesses with multiple employees will need help with their staff and if it’s something that takes time and bothers you, you might as well outsource it. External HR companies can help with things such as timekeeping, employment law and discipline. If it’s something you’re not quite so good at, whether that’s because of your time constraints or just the type of person you are, then outsourcing your HR can make things a lot easier for you to manage. It might get to the point where you’d just be better off hiring a manager but if you can’t afford it, or don’t want to do it, try outsourcing for now.

Ensure it’s a reputable HR company who have the right qualifications otherwise they might end up making mistakes and as the business owner…the mistakes will always come back on you no matter what help and advice you sought out. . 

Outsourcing can push your business upwards without having to hire someone. So long as you’re careful and considered…and make sure you apply the right levels of research, you’ll be able to find people who can handle and advise you on certain elements of your business.

The post How Outsourcing Can Push Your Business To New Heights appeared first on Business Chew.

If you are a budding entrepreneur with a love for making delicious treats then opening a food franchise can be a great investment. 

Franchising a business can save you from making mistakes and provide a clear path to a profitable business. Unfortunately, many of the fast-food and restaurant franchises that are well known, like Subway and Crumbl Cookies require hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

For those of us with a little less in the bank, forking over hundreds of thousands of dollars may not be an option. 

Thankfully, there are a few low-cost options that you can franchise for under $10,000. Check out these restaurant franchises under $10K!

Champs Chicken Franchise

• Minimum investment needed: $9,000
• Number of locations: 400+
• Founded: 2013
• Financing available: 3rd party

Champs Chicken is a fast-food franchise with a menu focused on fried chicken. Their menu includes chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, and even offers pork and fish options. Franchise owners get access to their app marketing programs and more. 

Champs Chicken is owned by PFS brands who owns other franchises such as Blu Taco and Hanger 54 pizza. Most of their franchises are food locations in or attached to convenience stores.

Benvenuto’s Italian Grill

• Minimum investment needed: $2,000
• Number of locations: 239
• Founded: 2011
• Financing available: Yes

Benvenuto’s Italian Grill is a full-service restaurant franchise with only a handful of locations in Wisconsin. While they are small they promise to provide support and training for their owners. Unlike larger franchise chains Benvenuto’s appears to want to work with people that are passionate about the business not people who just want to sit back and collect a paycheck.

They promise to only work with a select few in any size market. 

Southern Maid Donuts

• Minimum investment needed: $5,000
• Number of locations: 100+
• Founded: 1937
• Financing available: 3rd party

Southern Maid Donuts is a donut franchise based out of Garland, Texas. They offer franchises to owner-operators who are looking to start a business and get their hands dirty taking care of the day-to-day operations. 

Their history dates back to the great depressions when Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Hargrove. created Southern Maid because they saw the need in the market for quality donuts. Their recipes focused on quality ingredients and unchanged techniques have proven to be successful to this day.

What to consider before investing in a franchise

Starting a business is a big commitment on its own, but when you open a franchise you are also adding another party to the mix. Franchisees are expected to follow the franchise’s procedures and contractual obligations to the tee. 

This means forfeiting your own ideas about menus, recipes, and possibly decor. Make sure you believe in the franchise you choose to invest in. 

Franchise investment amounts

These franchises offer options for owners to start their investments for less than $10K, but that doesn’t mean that’s all it will cost. Your location, equipment needed and other factors will determine the total cost of the franchise. 

If you don’t have all of the money required to cover all the costs of opening a franchise like equipment and furniture you can find financing to help cover the costs. Whether you use a private lender, bank, credit union, or even an SBA loan there are lots of options to help you realize your dream of opening a food business. 

The post The Best Food Franchises Under $10K appeared first on Business Chew.