Setting Up Online Store With No Previous Experience: Steve Of MyWifeQuitHerJob

I am resuming the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series. I haven’t been writing about entrepreneurship for a while, but it’s something very close to my heart. Entrepreneurship is empowering. It’s about believing in yourself and your idea and taking the initiative to bring it to the world. (Photo by leefotos)

Today’s guest is Steve at My Wife Quit Her Job. His blog is full of practical advice. I am very interested in what he has to say because his business is about selling stuffs, not service. So far, we’ve had only one guest (Susanna Ordway, who sells her handmade jewelry) who is in product-based business. All others are in service business, and I myself am in service business.

I guess product-based business has a set of unique challenges, such as managing logistics and inventory. To me, it sounds so difficult.

So please welcome Steve.

1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.

When my wife and I first got engaged, she laid down the terms up front that she was going to become a housewife and quit her job as soon as we had our first child. This was something that I had no problem with since I strongly believe in having a parent stay at home with a child especially during the early years.

But when my wife became pregnant with our first child, we faced a huge dilemma. With mounting bills to pay and a child right around the corner, we would be taking a 50% hit on our total household income during a period of time in which our expenses would increase dramatically.

Since my wife was not going to work and we needed the money, we decided to create an online business selling wedding linens to offset her lost income and thus Bumblebee Linens was born.

We chose the wedding industry because my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed planning our own wedding and wanted to help others do the same. If you are interested in how we stumbled upon on our store idea, you can read more about How We Found Our Niche For Our Online Store for more details.

2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?

I would say that most of our challenges were mental. Getting the online store website up was relatively easy. But working out the logistics and getting customers in the door was the hard part. In fact, there was a point after we launched our online store in which we had no business for many weeks and we almost decided to call it quits. It’s difficult to narrow down the biggest challenges down to three but I would say that the following were the largest obstacles.

• It was extremely hard for us to find the time and motivation to actually work on the business. Both my wife and I had full time jobs at the time and we were always extremely tired after coming home from work. In fact, working on the business was probably the last thing on our minds at the end of the day. It also didn’t help that my wife and I are lazy at heart and like to relax in front of the TV
• It was also really hard for us take action early on because we knew absolutely nothing. We had no idea what the hell we were doing. I didn’t know a single thing about websites or web programming. My wife didn’t know anything about how to run an online store. What ended up happening was that we got stuck in this loop of doing research instead of taking action because we were afraid of doing something wrong.
• When we finally got some momentum going, we found that there was an enormous amount of information that we had to digest and learn in order to open our online store and we constantly burned ourselves out while trying to cram it all in. The problem was that we wanted to get our online store up and profitable as quickly as possible so we often worked late hours to try and jam everything in. All of these late nights took a huge toll on our psyche and our morale. Then, when we finally opened our online store to zero customers, our excitement and hopes turned into despair.

3. And how did you work through these challenges?

Finding the time and motivation was probably the hardest obstacle to overcome. Our minds were always motivated but somehow we could never find time in our schedules to work on the business early on.

Starting a business is hard work and requires constant, steady progress. Steady being the key word, my wife and I overcame this barrier by dropping certain activities and setting aside specific times and days during the work week to work on the business. By setting aside and scheduling “business” time, we eventually started making progress towards our goals.

The “knowing nothing” aspect of our business was very frustrating as well. We kept second guessing ourselves and early on, we had a bad case of analysis paralysis. Ultimately, we overcame this by just putting our foot down and telling ourselves “Screw it! Let’s just launch the business and figure things out as they come”. Turned out to be a wise decision because in the end we came across problems and issues that we would never have been able to predict ahead of time. For example, we were completely wrong in terms of what we predicted would be our best selling products.

Once we got going, my wife and I kept burning ourselves out. For example, I stopped exercising, stopped eating, stopped sleeping and focused all of my time on the business. It took us a while but after getting sick multiple times, we finally discovered a proper balance between work and play. It’s easy to get caught up with your business early on, but it’s important to find the time for a break as well. Ironically, taking time away from the business allows you to be more productive.

4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?

The best part of being an entrepreneur is the ability to set your own schedules. These days, my wife stays at home with our daughter full time and works on the business when our daughter takes naps. There’s no way that you could do this with a full time day job.

In addition, I like feeling in control over my own destiny. Running a business is hard work, but it’s worth it knowing that you get to call all of the shots.

5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?

My advice is to set aside at least one day of the week to think about and brainstorm business ideas. Once you have a few ideas in mind, you then need to find that magical trigger that will motivate you to follow through with your plan. Why do you want to have a business? Are you really serious about it?

Our trigger was obviously our first child. We desperately needed to find another money source to replace my wife’s lost income. In fact, our desperation was probably the single most important reason why we were successful with our online store.

Motivation will provide you with persistence and mental strength when things go wrong. Motivation will provide you with the necessary energy to succeed. I strongly believe that if you are properly motivated that everything will work itself out. Everyone has their own “Go” button. You just need to find yours.

Regarding the product-based business aspect, my wife and I had no prior experience in managing logistics, importing goods or managing inventory.  We basically learned through trial and error and getting advice from friends who run brick and mortar stores.  My advice to people in the product business is to find a friend or mentor that you can consult with early on so you don’t get bogged down with stupid mistakes.

My Takeaway
I love their “Just do it” attitude. As he says, we could be caught up in the analysis paralysis forever. And that doesn’t get you anywhere nor make money. Taking actions empowers you. And I agree that there are problems you get to learn only after you start — even if your pre-launch research is extensive.

I checked their online store and it’s beautiful and easy to navigate. It even has some fun craft ideas, so even if you are not getting married, you might enjoy checking it out ^_^

Are you interested in starting your own business? Not just as a way to pay bills but as a way to bring more meaning, passion, and fulfillment to your life? Check out my (free) eBook, too!

My eBook On Spiritual Entrepreneurship

Finally! My eBook “Lightworker’s Guide to Self-Employment” is ready for your free download.

I feel strongly about self employment. I love being my own boss, and I envision more and more people will be self-employed in the New World. Having made the transition from a corporate employee to a small business owner recently, I also know there are a lot of questions and fear among aspiring entrepreneurs.

This eBook guides you from the embryonic phase of “Can I possibly start my own business? Do I have what it takes? What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur anyway?” to the point you make the leap of faith with a clear vision of your success. It consists of three parts:

Part I: Myths & Reality
Part II: 5 Steps to Self-Employment
Part III: Your Success

A lot of materials comes from the posts I wrote on this Yes to Me blog, but I have added new ideas and insights, and put them all together in an integrated one vision, one process. It discusses paycheck mentality vs risk management skill, our attitude about marketing, very practical suggestions about business names (which is a key to effective marketing), the unavoidable issue of money, our secret fear of success that deters us, and a lot more.

Spiritual entrepreneurship

Throughout the eBook, I point out how spirituality can help you in the endeavor of starting a new business. If you think spirituality has nothing to do with the real world challenge of making money, you are in for a good surprise. If you think spirituality is a drawback, putting you to a disadvantage against those aggressive “practical” type who would do anything to make money, you are in for an even bigger surprise.

I know this from my own experience. I don’t think I had the courage to quit my cushy corporate job if it wasn’t with my spirituality. I don’t think I could survive the transitional phase when nothing much was happening (at least on the surface) if I didn’t have the willingness to contribute to the world. Now, this year, which is my second year, I’m making more than I did in the corporate world and my business is growing. Doing what I love and by helping people.

This eBook is a gift to you and to the world. You can just click on the icon on this page or on the sidebar to download it. You are also welcome to share it with your friends.

Social entrepreneurship

The eBook is free, but if you find it valuable, please consider making a contribution to Kiva. Kiva is not a charity — they help entrepreneurs in the developing countries by lending money for their businesses. Those entrepreneurs will pay you back. You can then take back your money or re-loan to another entrepreneur.

When I think of the many small business owners all over the world, I feel so inspired and I’m sure the feeling is doing me good in my business. Plus, by making them rich, we are developing a worldwide market — for your business.

I appreciate if you could leave a comment with your thoughts on this eBook. Perhaps I will revise and enrich the eBook in the future to make it even better, and your feedback is priceless in such an effort.

My gratitude also goes to those many entrepreneurs who have inspired me through the interviews and other communications. Entrepreneurs are never alone (which is another critical point I make in the eBook). In fact, I will be publishing several more Interviews With Successful Entrepreneurs soon — interviews with some spirited business owners that I came to know recently. (Stay tuned!)

What To Do When A Customer Makes Unreasonable Demands

In “Are Customers Stupid?”, we discussed how important it is to listen attentively to customer complaints and inquiries even when such feedback seem negative or trivial.  As business owners, we can improve our business system by listening to such feedback and possibly make more money.

One reader commented on that post, saying

“Sometimes (not often), they (my note: customers or prospects) do need to be put in their place for consuming too much time and resources, even to a point of letting them go from your business. But I would hope this is the exception rather than the rule.”

Another said,

“There are just some people out there who will complain for the sake of complaining. There are also those who are just trying to get something for nothing and play the system.”

This is a critical issue all businesses are aware of but not very willing to discuss.  There are customers who make unreasonable demands.  In this post, I’d like to explore this sensitive issue with the highest level of honesty and integrity I have in order to help other entrepreneurs.

(Hey, I’m keeping my promise to write a post on this issue.  Although writing this now, after almost five months may not qualify as “soon” )

Which demand is reasonable and which is not?

I fist started thinking about this issue when I read about Nordstrom’s customer service training in Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.  For those of you outside North America, Nordstrom is a major department store chain that is famous for its excellent customer service.  It’s a high end department store.

On page 73 (BTW this book itself is a great read.  A must read for writers), there are some stories that are meant to illustrate the extraordinary customer services by “Nordie” (Nordstrom’s customer service representatives) such as:

• The Nordie who cheerfully gift wrapped products a customer bought at Macy’s
• The Nordie who refunded money for a set of tire chains – although Nordstrom doesn’t sell tire chains

Now as you can see in my aforementioned post, I take customer service seriously.  I don’t really know if it’s Japanese thing like some commenters pointed out, but anyway, I do.  I believe money follows when I deliver value, and customer service is a significant part of any business offer.

But these examples are a bit different.  Why does Nordstrom refund money for something it didn’t sell?  Is it because this customer makes other lots of purchases?  Or is it because he made a fuss?  Do they do this to anyone who wants money for unwanted tire chains?

And where does that money come from?  From other customers, of course.  So Nordstrom is spending their profit made off from honest customers and making dishonest customers happy.  Is this really an example of outstanding customer service?

In my opinion, this is the case of unreasonable customer demand.

How about gift wrapping Macy’s products?  This is less of a problem . . . wrapping paper cost is pretty negligible. Still, Nordstrom is using their employee time to do this.  And their paycheck comes from – again, from the money customers pay.  I think this is a borderline demand that is very close to being unreasonable.

Where is the healthy boundary?

I like Nordstrom, but after reading this story, I was baffled.  And I think twice when I buy anything there.

Personally, I think Nordstrom is making a mistake.  There is great customer service, and there is brown nosing.  I’d be happy to pay for great customer service, like sales reps helping me find the right stuff, but I don’t want to pay for some jerks who make money with lies.

As a business owner, I understand the fear you may have when dealing with the kind of customers who make unreasonable demands.  It’s not just the loss of sale to that customer.  They can spread bad words about your business.  These days, they can post unreasonable reviews on the internet and affect tons of unsuspecting prospects.  And people who make unreasonable demands are likely to write unreasonable reviews.  They are good at pushing people’s buttons.

I still think businesses are better off in the long run to have the healthy boundary and make that clear to everyone.  Like clear refund policy.

What we can do as customers to promote and protect good businesses

And I think, as customers, we are better off to protect good businesses that treat all customers fairly. When you see or hear negative reviews, be sure to check the facts.  Contact the business to check if the said problem is true.  Like in any dispute resolution, hearing both sides’ stories is important.  By doing this, you are ultimately protecting yourself and your money from being spent on the few unreasonable customers the businesses have to deal with.

If you automatically sympathize to all the stories of “OMG I got ripped off by that business, they are horrible.”  watch out.  Check if it’s true.  Likewise, don’t just trust the reputation that Nordstrom is a great place of shop.  Check it out for yourself.

The dark manipulative energy

And then, there are people who are not customers, not really prospects, but just want to make fuss.  People who likes to use the dark manipulative energy.

In online world, one way this happens is negative comments.  By negative comments, I don’t mean comments that disagrees.  That can be constructive feedback and I love them.  What I mean is comments with name-calling.

For example, check this out in which the proud Lord Chartland got called prostitute. (It’s the second comment there.)

This is the post James talked about money, and because the word money pushes many people’s buttons, it wasn’t a surprise he got some difficult comments.  Most, however, were trying to come up with good ways to deal with the sensitive issue of pricing.  For example, Tony showed off his peacock feathers and took the side of free offer.  He was disagreeing James but with great logics = great feedback.  But calling James prostitute?  That’s just pointless name calling.

What is this person’s motivation?  He does seem to have bought anything from Men with Pens.  Doesn’t sound like he ever wanted to hire them.  Subscribers are kinda like customers, but still losing one subscriber probably didn’t hurt Men with Pens.  So why is this person doing this?

To make people feel bad?  I guess.  There are souls like that.  Watch out.

The line between seemingly negative feedback and really negative feedback

Knowing the difference between the complains / inquiries we discussed in “Are Customers Stupid?” and the unreasonable demands discussed in this article is wisdom.  As an entrepreneur, we need to be mindful about this.  When you encounter difficult situations, refrain from reacting it – whether the reaction is the “No way” kind of rejection or “Whatever you say” kind of brown nosing.  The first step to solution is to keep your calm.

So what do you think?  If you are an entrepreneur, will you please share how you handle with customers who make unreasonable demands?  And as customers (which, we all are), what do you think about this issue?  Have you ever stood up to protect your favorite business? Do you think some (few, hopefully) customers who make unreasonable demands are hurting you indirectly? (Photo by Denis Collette)

If you like this article, you might enjoy my eBook on spiritual entrepreneurship. Click here for free, immediate download

« Previous Page — Next Page »