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Hi! I'm a piece of sh*t dropshipper transitioning into creating a real, sustainable business!

aminmo

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I'll try to get straight to the point:

I've had many failed businesses in the past but I've finally had some success with my latest venture. Unfortunately, that venture is a dropshipping business. The reason I say unfortunately is because it's a dropshipping business that uses the whole AliExpress/Oberlo/Shopify combo, and not one that uses actual high quality suppliers (who are based in the same country as the business itself).

So you can see why I call myself a piece of sh*t (don't worry, I don't actually believe I am -- in fact, when it comes to my dropshipping business, I try to have the best customer service and highest quality products as possible... but there's a limit to 'quality' when it comes to AliExpress).

But this store actually started out as a testing ground for me. Long story short, I was a marketing consultant who wanted to try their hand at eCommerce, so naturally, I took the lowest risk path.

Surprisingly, I made decent money. About $970k in revenue in my first 6 months (20% of it being profit). But one thing I realized is that it wasn't the dropshipping model that made me successful, but it was the years of studying and mastering marketing that helped me.

Since it wasn't my intention to make this dropshipping store my main source of income in the first place, I've decided to take everything I've learned (and take the data I have from this store), and create an actual business that has staying power.

What actually got me to make this decision was when I read @MJ DeMarco's book (Unscripted ) and got to the Productocracy section. You see, when I started seeing the money come in (at first), I started to think that this would be my main business that brings in all the $$$ I've ever dreamed of. But then I read this section in MJ's book and I realized that this business wouldn't survive a single week if I stopped my advertising. Basically, I didn't have a truly fastlane business.

So I've decided to create a new business that will have such great products that my customers will be doing the marketing for me (through word of mouth, recommendations, referrals, etc.). And, obviously, that means I have to create a business that has both perceived and intrinsic value (which is the path I'm on right now).

I have a lot of things planned for the near future and I'm currently in the midst of working on my new store (which I've already validated using my current store -- if that makes sense), so that's what I'll be focusing on for the time being (I'll get into the details of all my past, current and future businesses in later posts/threads).

Anyway, not gonna lie, I think I joined this forum at the wrong time lol. Since it's so close to the beginning of the year, it makes me look like a New Year's Resolutioner. But trust me, I've been at this for years (and have failed many many times). The reason I've created this account right now though is because I finally have some free time since the holiday rush is over, I've actually been a lurker for a long time!

Okay, I think that's enough for my introduction. So I think I'll finish this post off with saying, THANK YOU, @MJ DeMarco!

I won't say you're the only reason why I'm somewhat successful today, but if I hadn't found your book (The Millionaire Fastlane ) when I was first starting on my entrepreneurial journey, then I wouldn't have gotten here so quickly (I'm guessing it woulda taken me at least 5 more years to get to this point).

So thank you! You're f*cking awesome, mane!



P.S. Along with the thank you, I also want to say, DAMN YOU, @MJ DeMarco! One of my dreams in life was to get so successful that I could write a book with all the information you'd need to become successful in life and hand it out to anyone who needs help on their entrepreneurial journey... but you beat me to it! Now I'm out here handing YOUR books out to friends and family (dat Productocracy tho). Damn it, MJ!
 
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ljb7

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Welcome to the forum!

Everyone shits on dropshippers (and rightly so most of the time)

But, I still think its a great way for somebody to get into ecommerce to begin with, because of the extremely low risk factor.

Learn the ropes, get some small successes, test a bunch of different products / niches, then move into private label and building a real, tangible, sellable brand. And if you can do 1mil in rev through dropshipping... the sky is the limit with your own brand.

You'll be glad you made the switch, I promise. Go crush it!
 

aminmo

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Welcome to the forum!

Everyone shits on dropshippers (and rightly so most of the time)

But, I still think its a great way for somebody to get into ecommerce to begin with, because of the extremely low risk factor.

Learn the ropes, get some small successes, test a bunch of different products / niches, then move into private label and building a real, tangible, sellable brand. And if you can do 1mil in rev through dropshipping... the sky is the limit with your own brand.

You'll be glad you made the switch, I promise. Go crush it!

Thank you!

And I definitely agree. I've learned so much in the past few months that I basically have no doubt in my mind that my next few ventures will be successful.

But this time, I'll actually be building BRANDS (and be proud of them, too lol).

Also, side note, it's so crazy how when you put all your effort into making something successful, it basically becomes your passion. I had literally no interest in the niche I'm selling to, but after a few months of talking to customers and getting to know who these people are, I can say that I'm finally one of them. I've found myself Googling and researching things (of my own accord) for things I've never cared about in the past (and it wasn't even for my business... I just did it because I wanted to). I think I may have somehow become my own best customer!
 

MJ DeMarco

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Excellent introduction, sounds like you've gotten some success under your belt already. I'm sure once you apply yourself in a productocracy pursuit, you'll get there!

And of course, welcome aboard!
 
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ADR

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Welcome to the forum. I too have an ecommerce site but yet to have any success. Its my first attempt and I will start marketing on a new product soon. I want to cater to the specialty tools for handymen and DIYers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

The EL Maven

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Drop shipping has been around for decades and promoted by gurus everywhere, and yet you've still managed to make it work. No doubt that you have some insight. I look forward to reading more from you down the road!
 

RGG55

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Not kidding when I say this is the first forum I've joined, so please forgive any faux pas I'm about to make in learning. Would you be willing to talk offline?
 
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BD64

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Not kidding when I say this is the first forum I've joined, so please forgive any faux pas I'm about to make in learning. Would you be willing to talk offline?

Or just ask your questions here. The point of this forum is to have discussions where everyone can interact in and get value from.

If you are going to try and make a personal connection at least do so through direct messaging someone, not where everyone can see it.
 

RGG55

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I apologize again if I'm violating any etiquette rules of the forum, it's not intentional. I searched some instructions on how to DM or use the tools but must not be asking the right question. (I'll get better)
I need something more than the typical Google responses to dropshipping/affiliate programs than saturate the internet. I need clear and concise instructions, "this s exactly how you work with dropshippers" and "this is how you get the inventory grid on a website" to see if I'm heading down the right path. A phone call or IM would probably be quicker and I would post my success/failures on the thread.
Your thread said you generated over 900K in revenue in six months through dropshipping. Sounds like you did something right. In the meantime, I'm still fishing through all the information that came back from my last search.
Thank you for your patience!
 

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BigBoats

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I apologize again if I'm violating any etiquette rules of the forum, it's not intentional. I searched some instructions on how to DM or use the tools but must not be asking the right question. (I'll get better)
I need something more than the typical Google responses to dropshipping/affiliate programs than saturate the internet. I need clear and concise instructions, "this s exactly how you work with dropshippers" and "this is how you get the inventory grid on a website" to see if I'm heading down the right path. A phone call or IM would probably be quicker and I would post my success/failures on the thread.
Your thread said you generated over 900K in revenue in six months through dropshipping. Sounds like you did something right. In the meantime, I'm still fishing through all the information that came back from my last search.
Thank you for your patience!

not sure about the rules on this either, but google Alex Becker HCOM - He's a fast laner - teach you all you need to know
 
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BigBoats

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Read on Reddit that he sells courses on seo

Reddit - SEO - Has anyone ever bought a product from Alex Becker? Guru? Scam?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not sure if you are asking a question or not, but yes, I purchased his SEO University last year, HE is definitely a GURU, not a scam at all, but his course is old and not updated, jumbled, not organized, SEO was a starting point for him years ago, he has moved onto much larger things. SEO changes all the time, you don't want your business to depend on old info, you will wake up 1 morning without a business anymore. His partner Gregory Ortiz is branching out on his own in 2018, I would go with his SEO courses.
 

aminmo

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I apologize again if I'm violating any etiquette rules of the forum, it's not intentional. I searched some instructions on how to DM or use the tools but must not be asking the right question. (I'll get better)
I need something more than the typical Google responses to dropshipping/affiliate programs than saturate the internet. I need clear and concise instructions, "this s exactly how you work with dropshippers" and "this is how you get the inventory grid on a website" to see if I'm heading down the right path. A phone call or IM would probably be quicker and I would post my success/failures on the thread.
Your thread said you generated over 900K in revenue in six months through dropshipping. Sounds like you did something right. In the meantime, I'm still fishing through all the information that came back from my last search.
Thank you for your patience!

Hi!

Unfortunately, I don't really have time to walk you through all the steps of how to start up a dropshipping business (I'd actually be doing you a disservice by hand-holding you -- if you really wanna gain valuable knowledge & wisdom, you need to do things on your own).

But to keep it short: Dropshipping is just a fulfillment method. There's tons of documentation everywhere on how to get started in dropshipping (search something along the lines of "Shopify Oberlo"). I actually don't recommend you to go down the Shopify/Oberlo/AliExpress route though. The reason I've had success using this specific model is because I've spent years studying and practicing marketing, copywriting, salesmanship, etc. So it wasn't necessarily the model that made me somewhat successful, it was the skills I've honed over the years through studying and actually emulating / putting into action what I've learned that got me to this level of success (surprisingly, $800k of the total I made was generated in the last 2 months alone).

I also have someone I've been somewhat 'mentoring', but like me, he's had experience in marketing (he was an affiliate marketer for some time) so all I really had to do was give him some tips on how to scale his ads, and from there he was able to do everything else on his own. Now he's bringing in about $200 - $300 profit every day, and he started just a couple of months ago (I'm extremely proud of him and he's actually my business partner for the new store I'm working on right now).

Anyway, to get back to the point: Dropshipping is just a fulfillment method. Once you get past that, it's just a regular business. You need good products, a unique selling proposition, and a solid marketing / advertising strategy. That's it. So study the fundamentals. Find out what problems people are facing, find a product that can help alleviate that problem, then market it to your customers (in a unique or better way than your competitors).
 
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Parker fields

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To the OP: How has the transition going?
I myself just started dabbling into marketing, eCommerce. I've been obsessively researching how to perfect my implication. Dropshipping is good for people starting in the market, and sounds like you have way more knowledge than that. The only problem I have with DROPSHIPPING is that there is no created or added VALUE to the customer. Verse building your own brand or selling your product which is hard to pull out of thin air when your plowing along at break neck speeds into the vast world of online marketing hah.

I'm trying to take advice i've heard from successful owners. Start with What and Why and then build from there.. its very basic but if you pass some basic rules. We will always feel empty in our ventures regardless of their success. Which is always a EVENT we hope for.


I myself wish I would've found MJ's book sooner than later. But Instead of being a pessimist, I'm happy I didn't have to read 100 books to find it either :).
 

cwalto12

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I'll try to get straight to the point:

I've had many failed businesses in the past but I've finally had some success with my latest venture. Unfortunately, that venture is a dropshipping business. The reason I say unfortunately is because it's a dropshipping business that uses the whole AliExpress/Oberlo/Shopify combo, and not one that uses actual high quality suppliers (who are based in the same country as the business itself).

So you can see why I call myself a piece of sh*t (don't worry, I don't actually believe I am -- in fact, when it comes to my dropshipping business, I try to have the best customer service and highest quality products as possible... but there's a limit to 'quality' when it comes to AliExpress).

But this store actually started out as a testing ground for me. Long story short, I was a marketing consultant who wanted to try their hand at eCommerce, so naturally, I took the lowest risk path.

Surprisingly, I made decent money. About $970k in revenue in my first 6 months (20% of it being profit). But one thing I realized is that it wasn't the dropshipping model that made me successful, but it was the years of studying and mastering marketing that helped me.

Since it wasn't my intention to make this dropshipping store my main source of income in the first place, I've decided to take everything I've learned (and take the data I have from this store), and create an actual business that has staying power.

What actually got me to make this decision was when I read @MJ DeMarco's book (Unscripted ) and got to the Productocracy section. You see, when I started seeing the money come in (at first), I started to think that this would be my main business that brings in all the $$$ I've ever dreamed of. But then I read this section in MJ's book and I realized that this business wouldn't survive a single week if I stopped my advertising. Basically, I didn't have a truly fastlane business.

So I've decided to create a new business that will have such great products that my customers will be doing the marketing for me (through word of mouth, recommendations, referrals, etc.). And, obviously, that means I have to create a business that has both perceived and intrinsic value (which is the path I'm on right now).

I have a lot of things planned for the near future and I'm currently in the midst of working on my new store (which I've already validated using my current store -- if that makes sense), so that's what I'll be focusing on for the time being (I'll get into the details of all my past, current and future businesses in later posts/threads).

Anyway, not gonna lie, I think I joined this forum at the wrong time lol. Since it's so close to the beginning of the year, it makes me look like a New Year's Resolutioner. But trust me, I've been at this for years (and have failed many many times). The reason I've created this account right now though is because I finally have some free time since the holiday rush is over, I've actually been a lurker for a long time!

Okay, I think that's enough for my introduction. So I think I'll finish this post off with saying, THANK YOU, @MJ DeMarco!

I won't say you're the only reason why I'm somewhat successful today, but if I hadn't found your book (The Millionaire Fastlane ) when I was first starting on my entrepreneurial journey, then I wouldn't have gotten here so quickly (I'm guessing it woulda taken me at least 5 more years to get to this point).

So thank you! You're f*cking awesome, mane!



P.S. Along with the thank you, I also want to say, DAMN YOU, @MJ DeMarco! One of my dreams in life was to get so successful that I could write a book with all the information you'd need to become successful in life and hand it out to anyone who needs help on their entrepreneurial journey... but you beat me to it! Now I'm out here handing YOUR books out to friends and family (dat Productocracy tho). Damn it, MJ!
As @MJ DeMarco says in TMF , Chapter 36. Someone is doing it. "Someone is already doing it, but you can do it better. The opportunity is an open road." I'm paraphrasing (and quoting it like The Bible) but it's so true. I used to come up with ideas in my head and say to myself, "If it were that big of a need, someone has already done it or come up with it." That's why TMF changed my life. No joke. I would leave any idea right there in my head with every idea coming to a sharp end because I convinced myself that someone had already come up with it. I'm not some successful entrepreneur (yet) but it gave me confidence to TRY things. Make moves. Learn lessons.

Most important few pages of the book for ME.
 
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