Back in 2014, I quit my day job and started my entrepreneurial dreams. The only issue is I had no idea where to start. I read some lousy art blogs and those “just do it” posts and could not find anyone saying what would make businesses work. Just “you can do it” and “follow your dreams.” You see, the issue is when you start out, you don’t know the terminology you must search. You don’t know the categories that will help you grow the most. You don’t know what you don’t know!
Well, here’s what happened to me.
My greeting card business failed.
So did my portrait painting business.
So did my gaming youtube channel.
So did my art tutorial blog.
So did my how-to juggle class.
So did my Greenwood utensil carving shop.
The first 5 failed fast. And that is a good thing.
In a few months, I realized they were not for me, or at least I didn’t know how to monetize them, so I stopped.
However, the carving business failed slowly and painfully.
They all failed because they had a bad foundation from the start. I did not know how to make a business work. Nor did I know how to market or brand a business.
One, however, did succeed.
I have a sling-making shop. The old school slings that throw rocks. And it makes $500 or more a month, every month. Not that much, but I only focus some of my time on it. And I have had a more than full-time day job while I have been getting to this point.
How did this one work where the others failed?
Let’s take a look
I tested small.
I first tested the market to see if there was a need for my skills. This was easy. I started selling some slings on eBay and Etsy in college way back in 2009. Nothing crazy, just a few extra here and there. At that point, I had been making slings for 10 years, so I knew what I was making at least.
They sold.
Then I tried to scale up and decrease my quality… well, none of those sold. I got discouraged and stopped. Then, one day an old customer reached out and wanted to know if I still made slings and if he would like a new one; his old sling was worn out. I figured out how to make a recurring product on Etsy and made him a new one. This is really important and is my second point.
I made a really high-quality product!
I needed to separate myself from the competition. I already tried to compete on price, which was a complete disaster. I decided that I wasn’t going to be a discount brand. I decided to compete on quality and be an exclusive and high-quality brand. This is an important distinction. I now don’t offer discounts or deals but provide immense value and high-quality goods. This is what gets people coming back and talking well about my shop. I have over 600 sales and over 150 5-star reviews. This really means something to me and to those coming to my shop. This also puts me at or close to the top of my field. It is great to be at the top of your field. It is easier the smaller your field is.
Next, my niche is small, and I made it even smaller.
There are few sling sellers. But I also only sell woven slings. And they are only made from natural material. This makes me very specific. I could cater to all sling styles and still be a small shop. But I don’t. I make woven slings from natural materials only. This means when a person wants a sling woven from natural materials, there is one person that is the best and other people that try their hand at it. So in the search, I will come up first. Then, when the customers read reviews, I will have hundreds of 5 Star reviews from other satisfied customers.
But what this does is helps me stand out by being the best! If you can be the best at something, then your audience will line up to get “your” product because it is made by YOU. They are not just coming around to get a product cause they like this one. Getting your brand to be at the top makes it easier for you to charge premium prices and get people to pay for them. I started not charging a lot for what I was making, which helped me get sales and great reviews. But now I can charge more because people are lining up to get orders from me and asking when things will be back in stock. That is how you know you have a good product and are in the right spot in your field.
I did a lot of business research and learning.
I would not have gotten here if I had stayed on the lone wolf path. And tried to learn all I could from blog posts and youtube channels. I have read a lot of books to get me here. I now know the direction I need to take and the steps to get there too. I am a firm opponent of the “follow your dream” mantra. The YouTube gurus out there telling you that are focusing on their clicks and views. Not your success.
For me being a creative entrepreneur is right. What I don’t like about the typical style of advice is that you can “learn as you go.” Yes, I learned as I went. But you only know what you should actually be learning once you are too far into a problem.
I don’t want to learn boat repair on the water in the boat that I need to fix to get to shore. I want to learn it first so I can spend an hour fixing a problem, not a day learning the problem, a day researching the answer, and a day trying to solve the issue.
To help you start your journey into asking the right questions. Here is a list of books that influenced me the most in my journey to living a creative life.
The Richest Man in Babylon- George S. Clason
Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert T. Kiyosaki
Own Your Weird – Jason Zook
The $100 Startup – Chris Guillebeau
The E-Myth Revisited – Michael E. Gerber
12 months to $1 Million – Ryan Daniel Moran
Bluefishing – Steve Sims
The Millionaire Fastlane – MJ DeMarco
Take your Shot – Robin Waite
The 10% Entrepreneur – Patrick J McGinnis
With these books, you get a wide range of thoughts on running a business. You also get to expand your business terminology and vision of what a business is.
Expanding your terminology is the most impactful research in pursuing knowledge in anything.
Comment or message me if you have any questions or if anything isn’t clear.
Till next time.
Glenn Paskiewicz 