Completely stuck again with my business

[MitchC]

Writing email flows and adding new products to sell to existing customers and improving existing products so you can increase prices.

Not going to lie I barely work on my ecom business and feel the exact same way so I can relate perfectly. It just keeps making money and I don’t have to do anything but if I did I know I could make a lot more money.

 

[LiveEntrepreneur]

I'm guessing that you don't have a brand and that you are just selling a product or two on your store.

I didn't see anything in your ideas about brand building. Where is the FB, IG, Youtube, part? I see FB ads in there. Where is Google PPC?

You aren't doing anything active to build traffic.

Everything you are doing is passive to get traffic (expect for FB ads).

Hey, I am building a brand and have quite a few products. With facebook group what I'm doing is posting my blog post on there from my website once a week or so. With Instagram, I didn't want to spread my self so thin is the reason I haven't done instagram. Google PPC I've stopped but I am getting back into it.

 

[LiveEntrepreneur]

It seems like you have an e-commerce store just to have an e-commerce store and maybe because you think this is what you have to do?

Event vs process pops into my mind here. You maybe have an end goal but you are really not enjoying the process? Are you really selling things that really give you the satisfaction of helping others? Or are just selling something or a lot of things that are off the shelf common goods?

If I had a valuable product that could help people I would spend my weekends targeting niche groups who could use that product and sell. Instead of sitting back waiting for SEO to kick in. If you have something valuable the word of mouth from your sales will do the work for you. Can you target forums where people may benefit from your products? Can you go on there, help people and build trust and rapport? Then once established then sell to these people?

If you are happy where you are now and your eCommerce store is draining you, then stop. It sounds like you have already got what most of us wish for and your side hustle is bringing you down?
Yes, okay you have not reached the end goal financial freedom. You are young, so instead take the time now while you can (guilt free) doing the things that make you really happy and motivate you. While you are doing this, try to find ways to help people and search for needs in the places which give you most motivation, happiness and where any result will impact both you (satisfaction of helping) and the customer (in need of help).

I hope then, you will find an idea that matches your key values, where you can see how your product or concept impacts other people lives and gives you the sense that the world is a slightly better place because you are in it. That sense of fulfillment drives my side hustle, not the money (i have a 9-5 job for that )

Well yeah, I haven't enjoyed the process in the last 5 years I've been attempting entrepreneurship. With dropshipping I don't think it's a good idea to target forums, maybe if I had my own custom product. What I'm selling I honestly couldn't' give 2 shits about the product or any product in my niche for that matter.

In regards to happiness, my life is decent the only thing is I'm not the biggest fan of my job as it's boring and tbh I made a mistake in applying for it but at the same time the pay is really good for someone with no qualifications and security is good but I can move up/down/or sideways and hopefully find some more interesting stuff.

 

[BD64]

Hey, I am building a brand and have quite a few products. With facebook group what I'm doing is posting my blog post on there from my website once a week or so. With Instagram, I didn't want to spread my self so thin is the reason I haven't done instagram. Google PPC I've stopped but I am getting back into it.

Spread yourself thin? Your complaining about having 14+ hours of extra time that you don't know what to do with. Seems like you ain't spread thinly enough. The real problems come when the opposite is true and you don't have enough time to do everything.

 

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[LiveEntrepreneur]

A few things might be happening here.

1. You're spending energy on your day job, and on the weekend you want to relax and unwind.
   • Nothing wrong with this feeling. You just have to decide if it's worth overcoming until you ditch the day job.
2. Your motivation level is just low.
   • You forgot why you're doing all this.
   • You feel like you already did what you wanted to do by getting an ecom store that works -at all-.
   • Pretty much you need a new goal, if you want motivation to do anything but chill when you're off work. Make a far-future goal and a series of shorter goals leading up to it, all focused on a future state. Make sure your goals are in the form of "repeating activity" so they don't stagnate.
3. Your goals are using the wrong kind of grammar.
   • This is a traditional, useless goal: "I will be a millionaire by Oct 2020."
     • It is useless for these reasons (my opinions):
       • It's talking about what you will be rather than what you or your business will do.
       • It describes a static state, rather than a recurring activity or ongoing state.
   • This is a little better, at least to start: "My business will generate an average of $170,000 in monthly online sales by October 2020."
     • It's better because:
       • The activity is repeating: monthly sales.
       • The activity is something you/business does, rather than a defining state. It makes revenue monthly.
       • Most importantly, it is easier to transform this goal into approachable goals and routines.
   • To make a goal useful, you almost always need to create "repeating activities" that support it. Call these habits or routines, they are the things you do every day, week, month, etc that logically lead up to your goal. Examples:
     • Every Saturday, I'll review sales and where they came from, and create a new a/b test for an ad campaign.
     • First weekend of the month, I'll review copy and photos for any possible improvements.
     • Quarterly I'll review and re-develop my referral and repeat business incentives - things I pack into every order that either bring the customer back or give them an easy way to refer a friend.
     • When I get the easier things above going, I'll find a freelancer I can pay $100 or so to, and pay them to do it so it gets done even if I'm too lazy. If I'm not too lazy I'll be free to review the work being done for me, or work on new routines that support my financial goal.
4. Maybe you should treat your business like a game. It sounds like you're not having fun, and that doesn't have to be the case. Put your own voice, your own sense of humor, etc into your business. Don't try to be "corporate" and blend in with the big guys. It's more entertaining, and differentiates you from bland competitors. Also gives you something to do when you can't think of anything else.

Of course, it might not be any of those things, but if it was me complaining, it would be one of the above. Maybe it will help you too.

Hey,

1. With my day job I actually don't put that much effort into it, most people would consider it a high stress environment but I am pretty relaxed about it so I'm not exhausted when I come home or anything like that.

2. Yeah definitely is low, but lately is the lowest its been.

3. With this one, I've lately been "meh" about goal setting. One thing I can't understand is. What is the point of saying "I want to increase my sales by 20% this month">? Like I can't control if I get 20% or 30% I just put in the work and whatever happends, happends. Am I missing something here?

4. Can try but that will be a challenge haha.

 

[LiveEntrepreneur]

Spread yourself thin? Your complaining about having 14+ hours of extra time that you don't know what to do with. Seems like you ain't spread thinly enough. The real problems come when the opposite is true and you don't have enough time to do everything.

Ah I see what you're trying to say now, that makes sense. I had a feeling might be the case haha. What I was thinking is surely there was some guy I could spend 14 hours for example doing 1 marketing strategy? But I guess aint a bad idea to do multiple until I figure it out.

 

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[LiveEntrepreneur]

I don't know if I missed it and someone else said it but my only question is this:

If you made money from sending facebook ads traffic to your site, why don't you post more damn ads?!

And if they weren't profitable, why don't you make better ads or improve the product?

Who cares about motivation? Just go get a sale man.

Hey, am doing that. Just there is a million variables that I think about it like is my audience working? is is the creative? etc.

 

[Rabby]

3. With this one, I've lately been "meh" about goal setting. One thing I can't understand is. What is the point of saying "I want to increase my sales by 20% this month">? Like I can't control if I get 20% or 30% I just put in the work and whatever happends, happends. Am I missing something here?

Yes, what you're missing is that this is only a partial goal. It doesn't answer the question of "how" or "by what means" will you realize that increase. Goals left in this state are demotivating. They will make you give up, in time. You have to keep going and say "I'll do this and this once a day, and that once a week, and increase this other thing to $1,000/mo budget, and see if THAT can increase my sales by 20% each month." And if it doesn't work, you have a baseline experiment that you can modify until it does.

 

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[Blu H]

Unfortunately you don't have a Biz problem... You have a directionlessness LIFE Problem! If I was you... I'd go to work... & stay in bed with pen & paper til I figured it out!

Your current emotional state is far from being condusive to bring wealth... since you're anti- value @ the moment! Just stop!

 

[Entre Eyes]

So I've been running a Shopify store for the last couple months and have generated a few hundred in sales (actually got sales relatively fast), I've done this using Facebook ads and Google Shopping ads. I am also working on the SEO side of things, contacting people for backlinks, writing one or 2 blog posts a week for my business then posting in on my website and Facebook business page. But the weekend has come and I've got all day to do......... and this is where I'm stuck. It's a challenge I've never been able to solve.

I even hired experts and paid some thousands to find the answer but still got the same F*cking problem. Just wondering for someone here who does run an eCommerce business at least in the startup phase how did you spend your time? Because I feel as there is nothing to do. One thing I've noticed though when I get an idea of what to do I then execute upon that information and find it's too boring or hard and I go back into procrastinating.

Even with all the sales I've gotten, I don't really care that much about it even when I got my first sale I didn't find it that exciting and there was a period where I was getting sales every day for a short period of time and didn't really care that much about it. My motivation and drive is at all-time low, just don't know what to do.

I did not read all the comments shared BUT YOU NEED TO BE FLIPPING WEBSITES MY FRIEND.

Potential Investors love a site that has Revenue proof and something they can improve on.

 

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[LiveEntrepreneur]

It sounds like you lack a process or a plan.

Weekend are excellent times to:

Saturday

Write (blog posts or guest blogs)
Journaling (yes, this is writing, but not for public consumption, more of an exercise in working "on" my business instead of "in" my business).
Taking time away from work. Some of my best ideas come on a hike.
Take a look at the upcoming week's schedule and handle any tasks that need handled ahead of time.
Spending time with others who might be helpful to know, but on a personal level, not talking business.
Evaluate competitors (sign up for their emails, check out their sites, etc) and use this to come up with new ideas
Read (books or blogs to improve business acumen)

Sunday

Set up new split tests
Evaluate the previous week's data to see where improvements can be made
Set up new ads/campaigns
Take new photos
Add new products to the site

During the week I have more demands on my time, so I find these activities are better left for the weekend. By having a stock pile of articles ahead of time, you won't be scrambling when you pitch a story idea, you'll be able to deliver it pretty quickly.

Hope this helps.

Well this is defintently part of it, I've been seeking a professional to make a plan for me, but I get the feeling even if I was to have everything laid out step by step my mind would find another excuse. I'm from tommorow starting to do some exercise maybe that will bring my energy levels up and make it easier to work.

 

[liero1]

got the solution - sell the business (to me?)