Hey everyone,
I wanted to take a moment to share my journey in building my own e-commerce business, where I design, develop, and create products that are born out of my passion.
I’m a 22-year-old about to graduate in Computer Science and Engineering here in Italy.
I've always been fascinated by a niche that's particularly popular in my region.
Over time a virtual sub-niche emerged within this niche and I gradually immersed myself in it.
Fuelled by personal interest, I began to inform myself, sketch out ideas, and embark on ambitious projects related to this world, purely for the joy of engineering and constructing professional products with the resources at my disposal.
For years, friends, classmates, and acquaintances had been telling me that I have a talent for what I do, and that my products are of high quality, professional, and could deliver significant value to people. Despite this encouragement, I never took any real action.
It was only after reading "The Millionaire Fastlane " last summer that I embraced a new mindset, realizing that a slow lane existence was not what I wanted for my life.
In January of this year, with no prior knowledge of running an e-commerce business or how to design and build products for sale online, I took the plunge.
I invested over €400 in electronics and materials to start the creation of my products for enthusiasts of this sub-niche. This financial commitment, although a monetary investment, was more importantly a mental click, a commitment to taking initiative.
I started developing my products, building the website, and learning about WordPress, web design, electronics like PCBs, Ads, SEO, Marketing, etc., without any prior knowledge of these areas. What I did have was a 3D modeling skill I had acquired over the years (not highly advanced), 3D printing skills, and the desire to create a brand that offers high-quality products and aligns with the CENTS framework.
All of this while navigating through the final year of my undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Engineering.
Time passed, numerous products were born, and I managed to sell a few, although very little, exclusively to people I already knew, like friends, etc.
During the past summer, I explored Google Ads, investing around €200 not just for running campaigns but primarily to LEARN this skill, recognizing its importance in the e-commerce context. (PS, a big thank you to Andy for his helpful course!)
However, the results were not as expected—no sales, just a lot of clicks leading nowhere.
It took me a while to grasp how it all worked, so a portion of the budget was essentially "used for learning" how to effectively use ads.
Feeling a bit demoralized by spending over €200 on ads without a single sale, I decided to stop all the advertising campaigns.
This led to a period where I took a step back from the e-commerce world for a while. I wasn't sure how to proceed, and I was even contemplating the idea of shutting down the business, thinking that my products might not provide enough value.
In this period, I also attempted to develop another e-commerce store for digital products, using Google Ads again but without success. I quickly closed that store.
Several months passed, and one day, I received a notification—a genuine, organic order for my e-commerce store. I was overjoyed and incredulous. I had no idea how this was possible.
Then i realized that my site had started to be indexed well for certain keywords, resulting in a very small daily traffic that, by sheer luck, led to an organic sale—my first one.
This changed everything. If I could sell one of my products to someone, it meant that my product provides value, and I could replicate this for others; I just needed to show my products to many more people.
I treated that organic customer as if he was my own child, guiding them through every step to fully use and appreciate his new product.
In these last few months, I've continued working on the business, making various improvements, considering SEO, purchasing better hosting, enhancing some products, etc.
However, the revenue is still fluctuating towards zero, except for occasional orders from people I know as friends.
I want to change this situation now more than ever.
I'm in the process of developing new high-ticket products that can bring even more value to my customers.
Recently, I invested in a second 3D printer to enhance the quality of my products and speed up the printing times.
I've created this thread to share my progress, moves, and mistakes, in case anyone can benefit from them.
Thank you to those who've read my story until the end. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
I wanted to take a moment to share my journey in building my own e-commerce business, where I design, develop, and create products that are born out of my passion.
I’m a 22-year-old about to graduate in Computer Science and Engineering here in Italy.
I've always been fascinated by a niche that's particularly popular in my region.
Over time a virtual sub-niche emerged within this niche and I gradually immersed myself in it.
Fuelled by personal interest, I began to inform myself, sketch out ideas, and embark on ambitious projects related to this world, purely for the joy of engineering and constructing professional products with the resources at my disposal.
For years, friends, classmates, and acquaintances had been telling me that I have a talent for what I do, and that my products are of high quality, professional, and could deliver significant value to people. Despite this encouragement, I never took any real action.
It was only after reading "The Millionaire Fastlane " last summer that I embraced a new mindset, realizing that a slow lane existence was not what I wanted for my life.
In January of this year, with no prior knowledge of running an e-commerce business or how to design and build products for sale online, I took the plunge.
I invested over €400 in electronics and materials to start the creation of my products for enthusiasts of this sub-niche. This financial commitment, although a monetary investment, was more importantly a mental click, a commitment to taking initiative.
I started developing my products, building the website, and learning about WordPress, web design, electronics like PCBs, Ads, SEO, Marketing, etc., without any prior knowledge of these areas. What I did have was a 3D modeling skill I had acquired over the years (not highly advanced), 3D printing skills, and the desire to create a brand that offers high-quality products and aligns with the CENTS framework.
All of this while navigating through the final year of my undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Engineering.
Time passed, numerous products were born, and I managed to sell a few, although very little, exclusively to people I already knew, like friends, etc.
During the past summer, I explored Google Ads, investing around €200 not just for running campaigns but primarily to LEARN this skill, recognizing its importance in the e-commerce context. (PS, a big thank you to Andy for his helpful course!)
However, the results were not as expected—no sales, just a lot of clicks leading nowhere.
It took me a while to grasp how it all worked, so a portion of the budget was essentially "used for learning" how to effectively use ads.
Feeling a bit demoralized by spending over €200 on ads without a single sale, I decided to stop all the advertising campaigns.
This led to a period where I took a step back from the e-commerce world for a while. I wasn't sure how to proceed, and I was even contemplating the idea of shutting down the business, thinking that my products might not provide enough value.
In this period, I also attempted to develop another e-commerce store for digital products, using Google Ads again but without success. I quickly closed that store.
Several months passed, and one day, I received a notification—a genuine, organic order for my e-commerce store. I was overjoyed and incredulous. I had no idea how this was possible.
Then i realized that my site had started to be indexed well for certain keywords, resulting in a very small daily traffic that, by sheer luck, led to an organic sale—my first one.
This changed everything. If I could sell one of my products to someone, it meant that my product provides value, and I could replicate this for others; I just needed to show my products to many more people.
I treated that organic customer as if he was my own child, guiding them through every step to fully use and appreciate his new product.
In these last few months, I've continued working on the business, making various improvements, considering SEO, purchasing better hosting, enhancing some products, etc.
However, the revenue is still fluctuating towards zero, except for occasional orders from people I know as friends.
I want to change this situation now more than ever.
I'm in the process of developing new high-ticket products that can bring even more value to my customers.
Recently, I invested in a second 3D printer to enhance the quality of my products and speed up the printing times.
I've created this thread to share my progress, moves, and mistakes, in case anyone can benefit from them.
Thank you to those who've read my story until the end. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
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