As a self-employed entrepreneur, you’ll likely wear many hats. You’re the business owner, you’ll tackle project management, handle marketing, be the product developer, and deal with all aspects of customer service. When you’re first starting out, this might work, but as you seek to grow your home-based eCommerce business, it may be necessary to change your strategy to enable that growth.
Whether you’re new to entrepreneurship or you’re seeking to grow your home-based business, the tips and strategies in this article will help. If you’re committed and willing to put in the work, you can successfully work from home and build a thriving eCommerce business.
1. Determine Your Product and Target Audience
The first step in building an eCommerce business is discovering the right product to sell. There are millions of eCommerce businesses already well-established on the internet, so if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to have a good product. Make sure you spend enough time brainstorming ideas to discover the ideal product to help you attract customers.
You should also recognize that you don’t need to create a product that appeals to everyone. Instead, think about who your ideal customer and audience is. You will need to define and research your target buyer so you can figure out which marketing strategies and price points will most resonate with your perfect customer.
2. Create a Marketing Plan
Marketing is a crucial part of the business strategy. As an eCommerce business, without a physical storefront, you must do as much as you can to market your product online so that customers can find your website.
Start by coming up with a good logo and name. From there, you will likely want to dive into learning about SEO and social media marketing so you can increase your chances of people finding your brand and encouraging them to buy your product.
If this is uncharted territory for you, don’t be afraid to get help. You can teach yourself or look into digital marketing classes. If someone you know works as a marketer, consider asking them to teach you a thing or two or do some contract work to get your marketing plan off the ground.
3. Build Your Website
Your website and online store will be one of the most important features as it is the primary way that your customers will interact with your brand and be able to purchase your product. If you already have a website and your sales are low and you want to grow your business, you may need to consider a website redesign.
Your website needs to be captivating while also being easy to use and navigate. Think about some of your favorite eCommerce websites and what you like about them and try to mimic those features. That’s not to say you should copy exactly what another website is doing, but studying other online stores, especially your competitors, will give you a good idea of how to create a successful website of your own.
4. Increase Sales and Encourage Repeat Business
When you first start your home-based business, it’s wise to keep it simple while you get the hang of things and start building your customer base. You will eventually want to ramp things up though if you want to grow your business and increase sales.
Once you have established your business, consider expanding your product line or offering other services to draw more customers in. You can also start developing special deals and promotions for your customers at this point and offering things like rewards or membership programs to reward your loyal customers and keep them coming back.
5. Expand Your Home Office
It’s not sustainable to run a business from your living room for long periods, especially as it grows. You will eventually need to have a dedicated space so you can focus and get your work done.
Some home-based entrepreneurs will dedicate one room to their home office or even their basement, but if you have one, it’s worth considering renovating your garage. This can allow you to spread out and have more room to create your products and keep everything organized. It also allows you to separate your work life from the rest of your home life.
If you do decide to go this route, some steps you will need to take to convert your garage into a home office include:
- Thorough cleaning and decluttering;
- Insulating the garage;
- Installing heating and cooling;
- Routing power to your garage;
- Installing good lighting;
- And choosing suitable furniture and decor.
You may also want to consider installing a security system for your garage to keep all of your business equipment and products safe.
6. Hire Some Helping Hands
In addition to creating a bigger home-office space for your business, you may also want to consider hiring some employees or freelancers to help you as you grow your business.
You can hire an assistant who can help you with various tasks, or you can look into hiring people for specific roles, like someone to handle your marketing and someone to handle your customer service. You can also consider hiring an agency or using automation software to help with things like project management, invoicing, customer service, and marketing.
7. Don’t Forget About Your Needs
Running a home-based business can be stressful, especially if you are still handling most things on your own. One of the most important things you can do to ensure your business is a success is to remember to take care of yourself. Working long, stressful hours can have numerous impacts on your body and mental health. In the short term, stress can cause negative effects like headaches and even heart pain. If left unchecked, the long-term impacts can range from mental health issues to heart degradation.
So while your business might feel like your number one priority, you must take breaks to give your body and mind what it needs as well to stay happy and healthy.
Wrapping Up
The eCommerce landscape is ever-evolving, which means there are continually new technologies and resources popping up that can help home-based entrepreneurs. Once you get up and running, it is worth looking into these resources as they can significantly improve your productivity levels and your ability to provide a high level of service to your customers.
