Hijo De Luna's E-commerce store progress thread

[Hijo de luna]

Double

 

[monsterpreneur]

Update: I probably put in about 20 hours this weekend. I went to bed at 4 this morning and was back up and at it around 7AM. Something magical happened and my store/product design really came together very well. I hooked up with a local photographer, and the breh nailed my product images. I found a super talented business copywriter on Fiverr that hooked my descriptions up. Now what?

I modified my Shopify store and turned it into a pre-launch page. Edited the code and removed the shopping cart and search options. Also removed the blog, about us page, basically everything that wasn't essential. It looks like a basic landing page with a newsletter pop up. There are no prices listed, nor is there an option to buy. I now feel I'm at a good place to hire a marketing consultant. For this task I'm turning to upwork. Lot's of talent on there. I'm really looking for particular type of person, a big dreamer.

So next week my goals are to complete my first video ad(my specialty), meet with a business strategist/consultant, the LLC application process. I'm going to hold off on the trademark until I learn a bit more about that. There are "trademark squatters" out there that will steal your business name, register it before you do then hold it for ransom. But its expensive and laborious so Ill lean on the common law protections until I get some sales. Trademarks, unlike LLC formation, is a hell of a process and can take several months and lots of back and forth before finalization.

Up until now I've been a one man show. But now I am looking to hire a consultant and a social media Manager. I am a really private and introverted person and I will happily pay someone to Manage the social media aspects. Let me focus on design, procurement, and logistics.

I don’t know what your product is, however, have you ever thought of using an Instagram influencer (i think that’s the term used for people with a big following but I might be wrong) to shout you out? Bassically find a person that has a an ig account geared towards your niche and have them shout you out to drive sales. I was thinking of doing that for my autism geared toys stores. I know one of my friends dm’ed a new artist that has a hit now and surprisingly she responded. My friend asked her if she could send her clothes and have her post pictures of her in it on her insta and she was all for it,

 

[Hijo de luna]

I don’t know what your product is, however, have you ever thought of using an Instagram influencer (i think that’s the term used for people with a big following but I might be wrong) to shout you out? Bassically find a person that has a an ig account geared towards your niche and have them shout you out to drive sales. I was thinking of doing that for my autism geared toys stores. I know one of my friends dm’ed a new artist that has a hit now and surprisingly she responded. My friend asked her if she could send her clothes and have her post pictures of her in it on her insta and she was all for it,

Autism toys PM me when they drop. I'm certain I will use influencers at some point but right now my main objective is to build an email list. My crazy dream is to use whatever traction I get to get the attention of investors. When they say no, Ill ask why not? Take what I learn and grow. White dudes in a similar market raised $5M. I'm dont expect that much of course but I know for a fact, if you dont ask you dont get.

But I really need some major capital for a proper launch. In the subscrption box business the logistics is an absolute nightmare. It takes lots of money and planning in advance. So in short I need a strategist that will help me build my list to take to investors.

 

[kevm3]

nice thread

 

[monsterpreneur]

Autism toys PM me when they drop. I'm certain I will use influencers at some point but right now my main objective is to build an email list. My crazy dream is to use whatever traction I get to get the attention of investors. When they say no, Ill ask why not? Take what I learn and grow. White dudes in a similar market raised $5M. I'm dont expect that much of course but I know for a fact, if you dont ask you dont get.

But I really need some major capital for a proper launch. In the subscrption box business the logistics is an absolute nightmare. It takes lots of money and planning in advance. So in short I need a strategist that will help me build my list to take to investors.

Yes I’ll definitely message you when I start my store. Been doing research on different types of toys. I’m glad to see a breh putting in work to create wealth for himself and hopefully generational wealth in the future.

 

[Hijo de luna]

I'm officially incorporated

Forming an LLC is by far the easiest part of this entire process. $45 online app filed with the Secretary of State. Reviewed and approved 2 hours later. Got my lil Articles of Incorporation certificate and everything

. But yeah when you hear people bragging about an LLC, it aint really nothing to it. Simple application, bunch of repeat information. I chose to be my own Registered Agent for now. This cost of this venture is getting out of hand. I now have to apply for a DBA.

 

[Hijo de luna]

I have officially launched!.... To crickets , well sort of. Moms and auntie were my first two customers. Having years of content marketing experience I knew going into this that driving traffic and building trust would be the most difficult part. In hindsight I wish I would have started there first. I will definitely do that on my next niche ecomm store.

I'm currently working on content for FB ads and IG posts. I might have to take a cheap Udemy course to better learn how to grow an audience and build my email sub list through those platforms. I really wish I could just pay someone to handle this part so I can focus on importing but I feel like I need a basic understanding on the marketing side.

There is so much to learn and do, importing and finding manufactures that will work with smaller MOQs, crafting a consistent content marketing strategy, organizing my home/warehouse, figure out the shipping logistics.

So far I have:

-Shopify storefront
-mailchimp for email subs
-zohomail email client
-Go Daddy Smartline business phone
-LLC, DBA, EIN

Sources:
-Packlane
-Uline
-Vistaprint
-Discountmugs
-Uprinting
-About 15 other suppliers and manufactures

The challenges are many but its exciting seeing my ideas come to life. Hopefully I can get this FB video ad completed this weekend and get some traffic to start testing to see what works and what doesn't.

 

[.r.]

..

 

[ORDER_66]

 

[DarrynCobretti]

Dope thread. It's always great to see black people's journey to achieve entrepreneurial success. May success be with you homie, I'm rooting for you (and all brothers and sisters trying to make it). Good luck and I hope the process continues to be efficient.

 

[monsterpreneur]

Congrats on your launch. You can actually find someone cheap to launch facebook, google, insta ads on fiverr or if you are willing to pay more go to upwork.

 

[Hijo de luna]

Congrats on your launch. You can actually find someone cheap to launch facebook, google, insta ads on fiverr or if you are willing to pay more go to upwork.

Thanks I have a FB ad running now that I made myself that isn't doing too bad, but I can already tell that running ads without an audience built up is just throwing money away.

 

[Hijo de luna]

What I know now that I didn't know then

The cool thing is that once you learn how to reach your target audience and set up a sales funnel that works, you're good. You can replicate the model for any industry or niche. The amount of data available from Facebook insights, Google Analytics, Shopify etc is insane. Test and adjust until it works.

I definitely underestimated the importance of content marketing in today's world. If I was starting all over I would begin with building an audience in my target niche. Spy on your competitors or others in similar niches, see what content gets the most engagement and replicate whats working for them. Maybe run a cheap Like Campaign to get more exposure. Don't build a store or buy any product until you have an audience.

 

[freakgxd]

Dope thread; keep it up big homie!

 

[freakgxd]

What I know now that I didn't know then

The cool thing is that once you learn how to reach your target audience and set up a sales funnel that works, you're good. You can replicate the model for any industry or niche. The amount of data available from Facebook insights, Google Analytics, Shopify etc is insane. Test and adjust until it works.

I definitely underestimated the importance of content marketing in today's world. If I was starting all over I would begin with building an audience in my target niche. Spy on your competitors or others in similar niches, see what content gets the most engagement and replicate whats working for them. Maybe run a cheap Like Campaign to get more exposure. Don't build a store or buy any product until you have an audience.

What does that look like in a workflow manner (step 1, 2, 3, etc.)?