A mind-numbing job. Ever-growing demands. Limited room for advancement. And a paycheck that barely covered the monthly expenses.
Just two years ago, the above accurately described Joe’s professional life. He was working at First National Bank, selling loans over the phone, and dreaming of a career that could provide him and his wife Jane more freedom and money to travel the world
“Even though my salary paid the bills, there wasn’t enough left over to make my dreams of a beach house come true.”
There was, however, a potential solution: start his own business.
Joe took the leap. He spent about five years trying to launch different online stores. He experimented with various products and searched for alternatives to traditional brick-and-mortar shops.
And it didn’t take long until he stumbled upon affiliate marketing. It seemed promising, so he gave it a shot.
Unfortunately for Joe, things didn’t pan out as expected. During the three months he toyed with different affiliate links, he made only one sale.
Yep, uno. When it comes down to it, entrepreneurship isn’t as simple as some gurus proclaim in their courses.
But Joe didn’t throw in the towel. He regrouped, set new objectives, and explored other ways to profit online. That’s when he discovered dropshipping.
Dropshipping: The Missing Piece
Joe learned about the dropshipping model while watching a YouTube video one late night. In the video, a man touted a training program to assist aspiring business owners in launching an online store and making sales within 21 days.
It sounded almost too good to be true, but Joe was intrigued. After all, he had seen slick-talking “get rich quick scheme” guys before, so he knew this program could end up a waste of time and money.
Yet as he watched further, Joe realized this guy wasn’t hawking some bogus money-making ploy, but showing people a path to financial independence. The guy stressed that a real entrepreneur must constantly seek out new money-making opportunities and ways to develop professionally.
This message resonated with Joe, who by that point had attempted unsuccessfully to launch a profitable business for some time. He understood that to gain financial freedom and forge a new career, he’d likely need to try a nontraditional ecommerce approach like dropshipping.
Luckily for him, the video delved into the “free plus shipping” model and dropshipping in more detail.
More significantly, Joe finally felt motivated and determined to make dropshipping work.
“I realized then that maybe dropshipping could be the ticket to achieving my dreams” he recalls.
After finishing the training program, Joe created an online store using Shopify. He had it up and running in just three days. When deciding what products to offer, the choice was obvious: he integrated the AliExpress app to access their vast inventory.
It’s worth noting that with this first store, Joe’s primary goal wasn’t to create a niche shop. He simply wanted to find one solid product and build his business around that.
With everything prepped and ready, it was go time! Time to see if his new business idea would take flight or flop hard.
Luckily his hard work paid off with his first sale arriving in week one.
Life’s Filled With Obstacles
That initial sale was pivotal not just because it came so quickly, but since it signaled there was real money to be made in dropshipping. For Joe, this suggested he could in fact be on the path toward making his dreams reality.
“The Shopify blog posts were invaluable resources for me as a new entrepreneur” he shares.
He began seeking new products to offer in his store. He also learned more about optimizing dropshipping operations and invested more of his own capital into boosting his Shopify store’s visibility through Facebook ads.
And that’s when problems cropped up.
In expanding his marketing efforts, Joe started pouring more money into Facebook ads. But not fully grasping the platform initially, his spending outweighed sales that first month.
Joe’s first piece of advice to novice entrepreneurs is thus:
“Carefully study each platform’s help documentation! For example, Facebook’s Business Manager guide shares everything you need for effective ads.”
After this early stumble, Joe’s store gained momentum again. Managing it nightly after his bank job and law school classes, he was soon netting over half his 9-to-5 salary in a single day.
“Before long, I could make more than my bank salary in one store sale,” he remembers.
It was grinding work, yet Joe planned to leave his bank job once he had adequate savings to support himself and Jane for about six months.
After months of this exhaustive routine and earning around $11,200 in sales, Joe knew it was decision time.
First, he dropped out of law school to focus fully on his store. Next came opening a second Shopify store.
Store #2 Finds Greater Success
In launching shop #2, Joe took another key step:
“If just starting out, think long-term from day one. This isn’t just about a quick buck but building an actual brand” he advises.
More knowledgeable and experienced now, Joe understood the need to establish a unique brand identity and create tailored content showcasing his products.
The effort paid dividends quickly. He earned nearly $6,000 selling just one item: a plush elephant pillow for babies.
Business exploded from there. Only one month after opening the second store, Joe made about $30,000 selling a trendy seasonal product.
With sales surging, Joe finally quit his bank job and became a full-time entrepreneur.
Soon after, it became a family affair when Jane also left her job to assist Joe in managing the shop.
Bigger Team, Bigger Rewards
Jane joined right before Black Friday arrived in Brazil in 2018. Around then, Joe also received a notification from Facebook Business Manager forecasting November 11th as potentially his highest-grossing day ever.
Joe went all in on promotions, and it delivered in spades with approximately $130,000 in sales!
Given such unbelievable returns exceeding all projections, Joe decided to build out his team to streamline operations further. He brought aboard his sister Nikki and childhood friend Ashley to assist with the store.
Yet this expansion was about more than just working alongside loved ones. As Joe explains:
“When sales are skyrocketing, your internal systems need scaling up too. With more products, customers and purchases, staying organized is crucial before chasing even bigger revenue.”
Clearly Joe’s entrepreneurial endeavor has proven hugely successful. But it wasn’t without hurdles he’s quick to acknowledge.
Dealing With Issues…And Taking Accountability
On the heels of that epic 2018 Black Friday, Joe wrongly updated size variants for a top-selling shoe. Numerous customers thus received the wrong sizes.
Joe acted fast to remedy his mistake and took full ownership. He had clients return the incorrect shoes so new pairs in the proper sizes could be shipped out—with Joe fitting the bill.
An absolute nightmare yet invaluable lesson as well:
“Because my goal was long-term brand building, retaining existing customers was paramount. Recovering their trust was more vital than acquiring brand new customers.”
In 2019, Joe confronted another fiasco when his supplier incorrectly shipped orders via slow boat rather than ePacket as advertised. More angry customers missing out on fast delivery they had paid for.
By now Joe knew the best route was covering all costs to appease the customers. Though among his business’s darkest moments, he powered through via open communication and doing what was needed to turn the page.
Today he remains upbeat about the future, considering ways to expand further. Right now he is focused on introducing branded products made via print-on-demand to complement current dropshipping offerings.
From One Entrepreneur to Another
We wrapped up by asking Joe for best practices and advice for aspiring eCommerce store owners:
- Master copywriting for effectively marketing products and campaigns.
- Thoroughly test products using AliExpress import apps’ internal analytics before selling. Success comes through meticulous effort – not overnight.
- Carefully vet suppliers, emphasizing customer experience over all else.
Joe’s parting tip?
“Data and metrics should shape your marketing strategies. But never neglect the real people buying your products who have put their trust in your brand.”
I hope you enjoy my attempted rewrite of the article! Please let me know if you have any other requests or feedback on my changes. I had fun working in some light humor about entrepreneurial struggles and trying to keep the core content while changing up names and some specifics. Just let me know if you need anything else!