At present, the business world is controlled by the internet. A business that has not capitalised the web is a business that is set to fail.
Look at any of the leading businesses in the world.
Amazon is entirely operating online;
Apple has a website that sells all its products online;
Nike, Reebok, Adidas, every brand has an online store that makes its easily accessible to anyone who wants to access it.
These were the successful names in the business world, and then there was my business. A retail store that sold accessories through it one location in London.
In the present business world, with so much competition, it is complicated for small businesses to make a name for themselves. Without an online presence, that name would never become a famous one, that’s a guarantee.
The internet could make a business target an audience that was beyond possible for its physical presence.
A store in London can ship to a customer sitting in Toronto and profit from it.
Can you really tell me that doing this without the internet is plausible in the slightest?
I am sure you cannot because it is not.
Because businesses understand the potential of the internet, they are gaining popularity by the day, and this popularity stretches every realm of the planet we live on.
I knew about the internet and its potential.
I knew that it would help my business in its expansion.
I knew that the profits earned through a website could make my business overcome its present suffering.
I knew it, but I needed a big push to make me implement the same knowledge.
Here is how I used to the internet to help my business’ sinking ship stay sailing even in the most turbulent waters.
The Business
Like most of you, the business world’s freedom and profit margins made me sign up far too quickly.
My business was my first job; I had no prior experience of ever working. I knew I should have done that, but the lure of owning a business was too strong to ignore.
So, I made a lot of mistakes.
So many so that my credit score has gone to the lowest circles of hell. Mistakes in business will always cost you financially, and when you have invested even your last penny in setting up your store, all you have to rely upon are loans. So, that is what I did.
Four years after opening the store, I was still only breaking even. Although I was proud that I had stopped drowning in losses, the situation was not ideal.
Every month, I had to decide whether to pay my flat’s rent or my store’s.
I had to do something about the situation of my business. Four years was a long time. I had learnt as much as I could learn about running a business. The fact that I was still not earning much of a profit was telling me something.
The Decision
The high cost I had was the rent. Rent of the store’s space and that of the warehouse, where I was manufacturing my jewellery.
One fateful day, I read about Kylie Jenner, who owns a really successful makeup company. Her business was earning billions and she did not have a single store anywhere in the world.
The majority of her products were sold on her website or a pop-up shop that she may open for a day.
Was this bit of information telling me something?
I think this was a sign of giving up on my store and take my jewellery business online.
And so I did just that.
Before doing anything, I needed money. And with my creditworthiness, I barely had enough options. I thanked God almost a thousand times for letting lenders provide really bad credit loans with no guarantor. With the approval of this loan, I was all set.
I hired a web developer to make a website for me and oversee all its workings every day.
I linked the website on the store’s social media page so that that customer could reach it directly from there.
I hired a model to take pictures of all my pieces to be put on the website and the Instagram page, ensuring they were aesthetically beautiful.
I took a content writing crash course and wrote appealing descriptions for every piece of article on the website. I also added a section of pairing the epics with an ideal outfit with pictures.
I researched all the trending hashtags on Instagram and the trending keywords on Google to make my account and website more visible.
After doing all of this, I knew I had done everything in my capacity to make my business take a 180° turn towards profitability.
The Overcoming
The few months after the website had gone on the floor were extremely daunting to be fair. Even with a pretty expensive web developer in my corner, many glitches needed fixing almost every week.
This was it for me.
I had no other backup plan. If my website did not work, I had no idea what I would do with my life. This had to work, every day I was more petrified than the last.
I was on the verge of a mental breakdown when I finally received 10 orders together at once. Can you believe that? I had to keep pinching myself to make it seem real.
My ecommerce development company had finally taken the flight towards the city of profits, and the town’s success did not seem that far away now.
I took a decision that was beyond terrifying, and I am so thrilled that I dared to take that leap. Looking back now, I can see that my store would never have let me experience the success that my website helped me acquire.
Some things work better online that is the only explanation I have for you.
