Starting a business can be (and definitely is) a daunting task. It’s so hard to figure out exactly where to start that more times than not, things never get off the ground. So here are five things you can do today to help jump start your online business. Because sometimes the hardest part is just getting started.
- Pick a name and use NameCheckr to see if it’s available on social media. Nothing is worse than committing to a great name just to find out that it’s not available on Instagram. So put some of your favorite names into NameCheckr to see on what platforms they’re available. That way you can work to find a name that you can use across as many platforms as possible. It’ll make it way easier for people to find you once your business is up and running.
- Create a list of 5-10 products you want in your shop starting out. Don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to plan 20-30 different products. You’ll never get anything done if you’re starting at a huge list of things to do. So start small with a few products you can make right now. That way you can get your shop up and running as soon as possible.
- Give yourself a small loan to get started. It’s important that you give your business a fighting chance by giving it some money to get started. I recommend around $500 so you can buy any supplies, machines, website domains, etc you may need. Plus you won’t be dumping money into a business and not knowing how much you’ve actually put into it.
- Once you have a few products, take photos of them! Do standard, bright product shots, but also show them in action. Lifestyle photos are so much more engaging on social media than boring white backgrounds. So try and give whatever you’re selling some life!
- Tell people about it. Nothing makes you more accountable than telling people you’re going to do something. No one wants to be that person who’s all talk. So start spreading the word about your business and follow through by making it happen.
Let me know in the comments if you found this post helpful and I’ll keep sharing my tips and tricks to getting started!
The question I always get asked when I share that I work from home with Alex is, “What’s it like to work with your husband?!” Let me tell you, it’s not what you think.
First and foremost, it’s the best. I would much rather work with my husband every single day than work anywhere else with anyone else. He’s my best friend. So it’s great to have someone who knows me so well and I enjoy to be around. Plus I can wear whatever I want which is a nice bonus.
Beyond the mushy, “I love him” stuff it’s really simple. We are completely different in so many way that it works in our favor to get stuff done. I like to work in quiet either in bed or within eyesight of bed, while Alex is the exact opposite. He needs a designated space, as much music and coffee as possible, and room to brainstorm. I also tend to be more of a details person and he’s all about the big picture. We’re just so different, and it works.
And to be honest, we really don’t see each other that often during the work day. We message each other over the internet with questions, projects, and other information, but more times than not we’re doing our own thing. We usually meet up over lunch or dinner, but keep to our projects and to do lists.
We also keep our job tasks quite separate from each other. We both have things we’re very good at, and things we’re awful at. So the job roles were pretty easy to define and stick with.
I think that’s why we’re so successful. We understand our vast working differences, and don’t hover over each other. We let each other do our own thing because that’s what has worked for us so far. I also don’t think working with your significant other is for everyone. We sometimes do get short with each other, but we try our best to not let that flow into our relationship outside of work. It’s important to have that separation because if you don’t, it’s hard to see where your relationship ends and work life begins.
Over the past two weeks I attended the Chicago Planner Conference and PlannerCon 2018 in San Francisco. Back to back conferences proved to be quite a lot to handle while trying to build inventory for or vendor booths, prepare for our workshops, and speak on panels. But I’ve come out on the other side (
with vlogs to show our adventures) and I feel like things are definitely different.
I’ve been to planner conferences in the past, but these left me feeling a mix of motivation and fear. After every speaker I became more aware of the fact that my business needs to change. For years I’ve been happy maintaining what I built in 2014 without much variety or advancement. But I can’t keep continuing like this and expect my business to sustain itself without any effort on my end. That’s a scary thought to have while everyone around me flashed smiles and gabbed about what was in their swag bags.
So I started to make lists. To figure out what I needed to do to keep Oh, Hello running and growing. Alex and I talked for hours on car rides, plane rides, and continue to dig deeper into the business now that we’ve made it home. We stopped taking risks. And now we’re gearing up to take more than we ever have before. We have two big ideas that began growing in our minds thanks to these two conferences.
We’re going to expand. We’re going to hire employees and take ourselves even more seriously. We’re going to double down on our new traveler’s notebooks since they’re something we created completely on our own. We’re going to delegate. We’re going to wake up early. We’re going to spend more money in the hopes to make more money. We’re going to accept that it’s ok if everything comes crashing down in a year, because it’s better than watching the ship sink slowly.
And we’re also going to start a planning magazine. Now you’re hearing it first and this idea is about a week old at this point. But it’s a void in the community that I think we have some amazing ideas to help fill it. Think tangible magazine/subscription/swag box all rolled into one. We’ve picked a name and snagged up the social media for it (
here’s the completely empty Instagram if you’re curious). Now to find a team (email me at plannerpeacemag@gmail.com if you have any design experience) and start turning some crazy ideas into something real.
This blog has been a bit quiet as I’ve come to terms with the twisty-turny road we’ve decided to take. But I’m excited to share the uncertain journey with you. Even if it’s to document the failures as well as the successes. So let me know if you want more of something in particular as we head down this road. I’m more than happy to go into specifics. Because it’s annoying to hear about people’s journey without tangible steps on how you can trek down a similar road too.
So yeah. Here it all is. The scary truth and a promise to try despite the fear and potential of failure. Two big ideas that I can’t wait to tackle.
Guys. It’s finally happening. I finally got off my butt and placed my first order at
Glossier. Can I have my beauty blogging street cred back now? (Can you imagine if beauty blogging street cred was actually a thing?!) After a whirlwind of a weekend last week at the Chicago Planner Conference (watch the
vlog if you haven’t the foggiest clue of what I’m talking about), I decided to treat myself to some new beauty bits. Glossier was my first stop followed quickly after by Sephora.
I have yet to really test out any of these products so expect more posts and reviews in the future!
At Glossier I kept things simple. I went for their
Phase Two set to test out three of their popular products while saving some extra cash by getting the bundle. I also picked up the
Moisturizing Moon Mask after hearing
The Anna Edit rave about it one too many times. Plus
click here to save 10% off your Glossier order.
StriVectin also sent along their new
Instant Wrinkle Blurring Primer. I’m getting the sense that they might start venturing into the makeup game. I love a lot of their skincare items so I can’t wait to give this an honest go.
My pal Aimee from
Lilac Pineapple Co is a couponing wizard at the drugstore and gifted me a TON of new drugstore bits to try out. I made it one of my
beauty goals of 2018 to get back into drugstore so I’m definitely well on my way with all of these products.
I think I’m most excited about checking out this
Magnif’Eyes Shadow Palette by Rimmel. They are one of my favorite drugstore brands and this palette sure looks impressive in the packaging. Now to find out if they’re as great as the look…
My Sephora order contained just two items, one of which is a repurchase. I’m still only about half way on my
Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo but it’s such a favorite I made sure to get a backup. Plus it helped me get to free shipping which is always a must.
So this girl has a lot of new products to slap on her face and report back. Let me know in the comments if there are any products in particular you want to see first!
Whenever I find myself falling slightly out of love with blogging (key word slightly. I can’t quit you blog!) I always like to think about what the last ten years have taught me. A blog is more than just its daily posts. There’s a whole lot more to it than that…
1. Consistency. I’ve talked about how this blog has landed me actual jobs in the past and that’s largely due to consistently posting. This blog has shown me that I’m not going to be an instant success overnight, but with a lot of hard work this space has truly become something.
2. Photography skills. Ironically enough I thought I was a pretty good photographer when I started this blog, but boy have I improved since then. With every post my skills have gotten better and better. Now I do freelance photography for other companies. All thanks to this piece of the internet.
3. Pride in my work. This goes along with the first point, but I’m so incredibly proud of Microscope Beauty. For the longest time I didn’t feel comfortable sharing this blog with people in real life, but now I talk about it to anyone who will listen.
4. It’s ok to be different and have a weird hobby. What used to make me uncomfortable about beauty and lifestyle blogging is now such a defining trait. I love that what I’m into isn’t super common or a popular hobby. And that’s ok.
5. You don’t have to spend tons of money on new products to be a good blogger. I’m fortunate enough to every now and again have the opportunity to review pr samples, but for the longest time this blog ran on literally no spare money for new products. Instead of giving up I found other things to blog about to fill the gaps when there weren’t new products. It helped me become a stronger writer, be able to brainstorm a bigger variety of posts, and improved my blog overall.
I’m pretty sure you all know now my complete and utter love for blogging. I sincerely think everyone should have one. So get to it!
