johnnyfdk
Loading...

New Store Update #1 - Picking a Niche and Creating a Demo Store

It's our third day into our 30 day new store challenge and wheew, it feels like we've done a ton already. We actually started thinking about potential niches while we were on vacation in Borneo, but since the internet sucked there we didn't actually do anything aside from write down our brain storm ideas until we got back. Larissa created a master list of potential suppliers and I started looking at our competition to see if we could provide any unique value to our niche.

We didn't do any keyword research, SEO or anything like that...I just followed the basics in Anton's course, and assumed that if other people are making money selling these both online and in stores, then why not us?  In this post we detail what we've done so far, how much we've spent and what we're doing next so you can follow along!


Larissa is fantastic at taking notes, keeping us on track with a to-do list and even went through my old "Step by Step Progress Thread" on the private member forums of Anton's course to write down everything I did when I started my first store, just in case I missed anything.  Here's what we've done so far in these past three days.

1. Decided on a niche to go after - It fits Anton's niche selection criteria, seems to have enough potential suppliers, are expensive items that aren't easily found at Target, Best Buy, or Home Depot. We followed the instructions in Anton's Dropshipping Course.  Cost: $997 or 4 payments of $297.

2. Bought a domain name - We brain stormed a bunch of potential names, and found one that was available.  This was easier than we thought and you can do it through NameCheap.com Cost: $10 for 1 year.

3. Created a Logo - Since neither of us are designers, we're just buying one off of Fiverr.com for $5.50



4. Started a Shopify Store - Instead of messing around with wordpress, we're going to pay $29 a month and use Shopify instead, which is super easy to use and set up for ecommerce.  Right now the website is blank but we've chosen a template, started adding a few demo products per Anton's course and started writing the about us page, contact us page, and FAQ.  We used this 20% off Shopify link to get started.

5. Started an LLC - I started my first store as a sole proprietorship which was basically as easy as using my social security number to start a personal business and took two seconds. But this time around I've decided to start a real company, simply because it's about time and may have some tax benefits if we start making a ton of money from this.   It'll take about 10 days for the LLC to get finalized but it was only $249 and we did it through MyUSACorporation.com 

Edit: Even though I paid full price, you can save $25 by using coupon code: JOHNNYFD0924 and the above link when starting yours.

6. About Us/Contact Us - We need to spend some time making a killer About Us story and Contact Us Page.

7. Got a Phone Number - If I was in the US I would just use a second cell phone, or maybe even google voice or skype, but since I want the flexibility and a completely new phone number, I decided to sign up with Grass Hopper using this $100 Free Credit at GrassHopper.com link and got a new toll free number.



Still to Do:

Larissa is sitting next to me busy writing up a great About Us page and finding stock photos to use on our site.  I'm waiting on the Fiverr gigs to do their stuff and get back to me, and in the meanwhile we're both going to add some more demo products and finish filling in the website with some fresh content.

Even though we have started the process for the LLC, videos, logo, etc, it still takes a few days and sometimes a week or more to get them which is why we decided to do those first.  While we wait we're going to continue researching and start contacting suppliers and get approved by.  Wish us luck as there is going to be a ton to do in these next few weeks!

We've been waking up at 6:30am everyday and going to PunSpace, drinking Bulletproof coffee, and taking little stretch breaks every 30 minutes to keep ourselves fresh!  Keep in touch and we'll update you on the progress!

If you want to follow along and start your own dropshipping store, and hopefully also replace your income by doing the 30 day challenge with us, check out Anton's Dropshipping training course.


NEXT: Update #2: 30 Day Challenge

Warm Regards,

Johnny and Larissa

Enjoy this post?  Share it with your friends!

Like This Post? Share It!

Business 9088512777226387206

Post a Comment

  1. What did you use for to-do list?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I use Momentum for Chrome, it's in my resources page or https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca?hl=en

      Delete
  2. Thanks for sharing. I learn something new.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So interesting to follow your updates on store! I've read a lot of reviews on Essay ace but still it is a complicated thing for me to set up a small business.

    ReplyDelete

Please take a second to log in before you comment. I've turned off the anonymous commenting option. I'm open and respectful with you, please be the same back. Stay positive, trolls and spam comments will be automatically deleted.

emo-but-icon

Home item

Blog Archive

Are you an Insider yet?

Search this Blog

Keep in touch




Recommendations


Any product or service I recommend on this blog I personally use and would recommend to both friends and family. All links on this site are affiliate links so please use them in the resources page or anywhere on the blog if you want to give me credit for referring you.

If you want to learn more about how to start your own blog and make money as an affiliate by earnestly recommending products, check out my course Income Boss.

Featured Post: Read Me!

2020 Travel Plans and 2019 Recap: 11 Countries Traveled!

Want to start an online business?

Want to start an online business?
A post written for friends and family - Step by Step instructions on How to start your own online store.