Being a Product-Based Business: Expectations vs Reality

With everything, whether you sell products or offer your services, there is always one common subject, time management. Working from home for me might be different for you or anyone for that matter. Today we are meeting a woman entrepreneur who not only sells beautiful products but also manages to work a full-time job and manage her household. Among other tasks.

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If you’ve been thinking about what you should do to get extra income or get a side hustle, today’s guest will be letting us into her day in the life of an entrepreneur.

Sometimes when we hear the words, work from home, we believe that someone is just kicking back in front of a monitor while listening to music or the TV. Don’t get me wrong, that could possibly be the case for some but they are still hustling.

I met Danisha in a Facebook group when she announced that she would be selling lovely products for “womenpreneurs” and that’s when I started following her journey. So, without further ado, let’s meet the entrepreneur behind Lovely Goods. Be sure to read until the end to get a special discount code.

Tell us a little about yourself

Danisha Carter. Owner of Lovely Goods. I live in Thomasville, GA.

Tell us about your business. How did you start your business? What made you decide to go into the business of selling cute feminine office accessories?

I sell pretty office accessories. I have always loved pretty office products, so I was inspired to start selling them. I wanted consumers to be able to purchase pretty office supplies online at affordable prices.

My business is online-based. I started my business by doing research on my target market before I started purchasing inventory.

LOVELY GOODS Products:

How long have you been in business and how long did it take you to get your first clients and start seeing income?

I launched my business in May 2019. I actually received orders on my launch day! The key to doing that is to advertise and market your business before you launch.

Do you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert? How has this helped/challenged you and your business?

I would say I’m a mixture of both! I love meeting new people. I have no problem with talking to a total stranger about my business. I love attending networking and vendor events in order to meet new customers.

That has helped me in my business because it’s easy for me to talk to people about it. At the same time, I’m kind of an introvert because I love being alone at times.

Being an #entrepreneur takes lots of patience and research. Read how this womanpreneur got her hustle on while selling lovely goods. #womenentrepreneurs Click To Tweet

What were some of the start-up costs to build your business?

As with all businesses, there were several start-up costs to start mine. It costs money to make money! My startup costs were as follows. Business cards, labels, website domain, website host, inventory, mailers, and I’m sure I’m missing some other things.

Did you face any challenges while starting your business? How did you overcome them?

Yes, I faced challenges. My main challenge was financial. It seemed like every time I had put money to the side to start buying inventory, something more important in life came up that I had to pay for. It definitely takes patience. I didn’t want to rush into starting my business anyway.

Were there any learning curves while starting your business?

The learning curve I had with my business was to do more research on shipping options. I think I spent too much money on mailers instead of doing more research on a less expensive option.

What do you recommend to those wanting to go into this type of business?

I recommend doing research on the industry and target market for the industry. Don’t half step when starting your business. I would wait until you have a website before you launch.

It’s more professional and a lot of customers don’t like sending personal messages to your inbox to get orders. It also makes it easier on you as a business owner.

Being an entrepreneur takes lots of organization and time management, how do you keep yourself accountable to meet client workload? Any systems or software recommendations?

Whoa! This is something that I’m still working on. In addition to Lovely Goods, I have a full-time job in human resources. I also am in school working on my MBA. Most importantly, I’m a mom, so of course, that keeps me busy as well.

It doesn’t take too long to package up orders, so that’s a good thing for me. As far as software systems, I use Shopify for my website host. I highly recommend it. To help keep me organized, I use Google calendar as well as a physical planner.

As a business owner, you have to market yourself and promote your products. What platforms do you use and how do you manage negative feedback?

I use Facebook, Instagram, and email marketing to promote my business. The email marketing company that I use is called MailChimp. I also attend networking and vendor events to promote my products. I love attending those because it allows consumers to see my products in person and also I have the opportunity to meet new customers.

Attending those events also allows me to ask people to sign up for my email newsletter. If I get negative feedback about my business, I would immediately address it and try to correct the problem. I haven’t had any negative feedback, but I know how I would handle it. Never ignore the feedback that someone leaves on your social media. When you address it, that shows that you care.

Any additional comments or advice for those wanting to start up their own business?

Again, I definitely recommend doing research on the industry that you want to start a business in. Also, having a marketing plan is important as well. Interact with customers and potential customers outside of the internet! Attend networking and vendor events. Always carry business cards with you.

I also recommend having an email newsletter for customers to be able to subscribe to. Not everyone is on social media. Network outside of your family and friends.

Joining Facebook business groups has been a great help for me as well. I have done some good networking in those groups and have received sales from them. Joining your local Chamber of Commerce is a good idea as well. Sponsoring events for local nonprofits is a good idea too.

Conclusion

As you can read, hustling isn’t always easy. When you want to invest and money has to be set aside for other things or when you need to find the time for yourself, it can be tough.

But it is possible!

As Danisha has done, she balances her work, school, family, and business as best as she possibly can. If you have a business and feeling overwhelmed, don’t give up and keep hustling my friend! Sometimes our expectations are so much different than the reality.

PS. If you have a 9-5 and a side hustle, how do you try to keep a balance?

To visit Danisha at Lovely Goods:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

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