I've been had an online business for 5 years now and have attempted selling products more than once.
What that really means is I've become an expert on making sales.
However, It wasn't always this way. I was once new at this little game I like to call making money.
I have made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I'm proud to say I've learned from my mistakes and always come back stronger and more knowledgeable than before. (Thankfully!)
Do you think me baring my soul will help you learn from my mistakes?
Let's give it a try. Grab your notebook, and let's get into the first time I failed at selling products online.
Just Another Day as “Mom”
Let me set the scene for you, the year is 2017, and I have a 2 year old and a 9 month baby playing beside me as I buy my first website domain.
This day was significant because it was the day I decided that teaching was no longer my future but building a business was going to be. I wasn't ready for all of the twists and turns that came with starting a business because I literally dove headfirst in without a second thought..
Little did I know, there was so much more to building a business than I had anticipated.
Because this was , I had a lot to prove.
Spoiler alert: My business isn't even in the same realm as it was the day I started it!
Pssst, do you want more stories from my life as a former teacher turned successful business coach? Then you may want to join my weekly email list! Not only do I share my hard fought lessons each week, I am to inspire you to keep growing!
Click here to subscribe now and Get a Free Daily Planner template!
3 Ways that Led to My Failure at Selling Products Online
When you look at how I failed at to make a single online sale, you could easily think the reason I failed was due to lack of marketing.
In reality, there were 3 things I was doing that led to my failure as an ecommerce store.
#1. I was selling other people's products in my online store.
Growing up at my house, I watched my dad create and patent his own invention.
This led to me believing that I would never create and sell something of my own because I just didn't have any “big” ideas like he did. So when I started my own website, I figured my best bet was to purchase and resell other people's products in a small online shop.
The Solution:
Instead of buying and selling other people's products, I now create my own.
This has led to even more success because I'm in control- I control the products I offer, the cost of materials and how much I sell them for.
Remember, if you have or are struggling to make sales with other people's products (because you think it's easier than other business avenues), you may be missing out on other opportunities out there.
#2. A Lack of Experience
Remember, I was a baby entrepreneur at this point, which meant I was quite green when it came to sourcing products, closing retail deals .
This left me with very little profit margin because I have always lived by (and still do) the idea that the price of a product I'm selling shouldn't be more than I'm willing to pay for it.
The Solution:
I joined an online membership with an active community that allowed me to learn all of the
“things” I needed to know and in real time.
Remind you, at the time I was creating teaching resources and selling physical products for teachers on my own website. This membership allowed me to learn things like SEO, how to build a sales page, what type of website I needed for maximized sales, and so much more. Plus, when I had a business question, I could hop right on into the community and ask away. I almost always got an answer within the hour.
It's actually because of this membership that I created my very own called The Get it Done Academy. You can find all of the details about this amazing community by clicking here.
#3. Forgetting to Keep my Values at the Forefront
It's easy to look back at this and think but you still haven't shared why you weren't able to make any sales-
At the time, I was so new to the business world and because I jumped head first into it, I didn't really know what I wanted to accomplish with my business. There were so many other teachers doing things online that it seemed like everything was already being done so I just combined ALL the things I liked into one business model. #EpicFail
The Solution:
Changing my business to fit my values allowed me to build something that aligned with ME and the life I wanted to live.
Once I knew and understood my values, I was able to create a business plan and organize a strategy that allowed me to be passionate about ALL the pieces of my business. I was no longer doing things just because it worked for other people.
Perseverance Pays Off
I wish I could say that I never failed in my time as an entrepreneur. That would be impossible, though, because failure is how we get future successes and innovation.
However, I never failed again once I stopped selling other people's products. I have now made it my mission to take people by the hand and teach them everything I know.
Here at Marissa Rehder Coaching, I live and breathe teaching other small business owners because it brings me the most amount of joy to help people the way I was helped when I started out.
Clients have said:
and
Got a question about where you should go next in your business? Get in touch over on Instagram today for impartial advice! or take my free 90 second quiz by clicking here! It will give you tons of resources for the specific stage of business you're in!