I get lots of questions about how I started my own business selling natural hair & skin products and what to do to get started. I'm always honest and upfront about what it's like to own your own business and what I've learned. So, I decided to put it all in one post. Hope this helps you all!
Owning your own natural hair & skin product business:
1. Research- You can never do too much research. You may think you already know what it takes but, internet marketing is a very tricky and complicated ball field. Research web design tips, internet marketing, SEO, branding, logo design, networking, social media, and how to sell. Start with your local library, blogs and YouTube, most of this information can be learned for free or for a low cost. Learning these things is most important before you even think about opening a store and what products you're going to sell.
2. Target Market- Your target market is your ideal customer. You need to know exactly who you'll be marketing to. What that person looks like, wears, eats, shops, salary, hair styles, all of it. Write all this down and it will help you choose your website colors, prices,retail stores, etc.
3. Integrity- Please don't start a business just to make money. The natural hair product industry is growing and there is a lot of money to be made but, if you're not in business to help, customers will notice. Be truthful and always communicate with your customers. Let them know if their order will be delayed, something is out of stock, etc.
4. Pricing- Make sure your prices are compatible with other products in your market or niche. If you are using an exotic, rare ingredient than you'll be able to charge a bit more and compete at a higher price point. Just make sure your prices don't leave customers feeling like they just got bamboozled and wondering "Was that really worth it?".
5. Costs- For me, I started with a set amount of money and a lot of my marketing I've had to do myself. I've learned so much just by doing a lot on my own. If you can afford to pay for designers and consultants by all means, do it because, it takes A LOT of time to learn it all. But, don't just hand over checks, ask them questions, find out how they're doing what they do. Make sure you can survive without them.
6. Humility- Above all be humble. Remember your customers, treat them like you want them to shop with you. Thank You notes are nice, emails, and samples all are great ways to say "Thanks for shopping with us!". Be personable and try to answer questions and really let your customers know if they need you, you'll be there.
7. Say NO!- You will get ALOT of people wanting FREE products with the promise of a review or something. It's okay to say "No!". You can't giveaway all your products and shipping is expensive. Make sure you have clear guidelines for what you expect from reviewers and be stingy. Don't just look at their following, look at how they review products, do they do tutorials? Are they honest? Do they even use products similar to yours? How often do they do reviews? Are they likely to make your product a staple if they like it? Remember you want reviews to produce sales, if they don't look like they can produce more exposure for your business, which ultimately turns into sales, then it's okay to politely tell them "Not at this time.".
So these are what I've learned in the 9 months I've been in business. I've had hundreds of sales and with each sale I think I learn something new; a new way to package, label, speedup processing... something. I try to always ask questions to other business owners and I try to keep an open mind and take their advice. Not everyone is competition. I am always willing to support other businesses and network because, the best sales pitch is one that comes from a friend who genuinely believes in you.
I am still learning and I definitely don't know much but, what I do know, I am glad to share.
Do you have a business? What have you learned? As a customer, what do you want from a business?
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