Researching the Web – Small Business Advice

Wow, I’ve never had someone beat me over the head with advice quite like this before.

A lot of my free time lately has been spent researching how to conduct a small business and specially how to take my crafts to full-time status in a Smart way. Since 2 of my 3 stores are part of Etsy I get a lot of emails on how to do this from Etsy. Their guest bloggers direct me to other reviews and advice on furthering this goal, it’s a never ending chain. Today I was smacked with the idea (see above link) that maybe I am doing things right by trial and error. Things on my stores, specifically MasonCJ, are starting to feel “right”. Based on blogger advice this seems like a good start (there is always someone with advice you want to hear). Hubby has told me on many occasions that it takes 4-6 solid years of blogging to become a professional blogger (from what he’s viewed in the computer world) and I tend to believe him. My store probably isn’t much different and will take time. I have time.

Still, I would love to see a few more sales because that is soooo exciting when it happens.

Now for some practical advice that I’ve collected over the last six months. This is all my research findings and no one has paid me to list any of the following.

Tips for creating an online store

A Few Online Store Options
-etsy.com (handmade online mall)
-artfire.com (handmade online mall)
-shopify.com (your individual store can be attached to blog etc.)
-vistaprint.com (handmade online mall)
-amazon.com (online mall)
-create your own

Marketing
-post on other people’s sites and leave your blog address
-FB page’s do some work (must have a FB account to make pages, can also purchase ads)
-how-to’s on http://utube.com
-Moo business cards http://us.moo.com/en/
-Big Crumbs for deals & coupons works with Etsy and a few other online stores http://www.bigcrumbs.com

A Few Tools
-http://gmail.com (google email)
-google analytics (google traffic tracker)
-google reader (google internet reading tool)
-google docs (google documents similar to Microsoft Word & Excel, Adobe Reader, file storage)
-delicious.com (bookmark links found on the internet, can be used on any computer connected to the internet)
-personal blog (create your own blog from scratch or use http://www.blogger.com)
-read other blogs to get ideas
-work with other sellers, family, friends to create a collaboration store (example Etsy Teams)
-spreadsheet to track sales, shipments, time, etc. (see google docs)
-free banner creator http://insupport.com/create_a_banner/banner_for_a_buck.php
-scheduling program ($$$-$$$$ or $15-60 per month for 3 users) http://www.planplusonline.com/
-document management system with basic calendar and other features (scales well and free) http://www.alfresco.com/
-lots of Etsy sellers will sell you designer labels. You can also create your own by purchasing Avery labels and using their template. To get things lined up it is best to put images in the Header/Footer section and format the image so it isn’t aligning to a specific place. Copy and paste as needed.It’s also important to know if you need water resistant labels, matte finish or ink jet/lazor labels.

Getting Started
-Start with a clear business plan. This may include taking a year or two to find out what works for you but you need a plan so write it down. It is surprising how much clearer you vision of the future will be.
-Start a journal with what works and what doesn’t. Memory fades and your favorite iteams may not be the most polular sales. It’s time to let go of those, try new things, keep doing what works.
-Set a goal. 20 sales in a month, or 150 sales in a year. Setting dollar amounts is also a good idea.
-Sit down and think about the look you want. It may help to look at other online stores to get a feel for what works for others. It’s important to have consistant pictures, noticable/consistant labeling, store policies with shipping information and disclaimers.

I may or maynot update this list over time but I’m happy to share it with the “interweb” and even the “all-google”.