Ada Liu | On 10, Jun 2014
Meet the face behind Wolves and Butterflieswho sells dark and vintage-styled jewellery. Due to the nature of her job, Erika is constantly exposed to designer jewellery. However, you will be surprised to know that she scouts for unique jewellery online and at flea markets. “I am willing to pay up to $100 for a piece of non-branded jewellery as long as the design attracts me,” shared Erika.
At a young age of 25 years old, Erika has the ambition to succeed in other fields. “There are aspiring models who are successful in their own business such as Erin Wasson with LowLuv and Miranda Kerr with KORA organics. I want to be like them,” said Erika. With a strong passion, Erika decided to start an online store selling jewellery.
The special meaning behind Wolves and Butterflies
Most of her friends thought that she will sell the usual high-street style jewellery. However, she feels that it is not necessary to follow the norm. “If I don’t like the products I am selling, I don’t see how I can convince my customers to buy from me,” shared Erika. She started sourcing for jewellery that has a blend of grunge, edgy and Victorian feel, something which she will see herself wearing. After determining her product range, she immediately thought of her store name: Wolves and Butterflies. By naming after a ferocious animal and a pretty insect, Erika hopes that people will see the contrast in the products that she is selling.
Her biggest mistake was her lack of research on web hosting companies
Just like any first time online business owner, Erika has her ups and downs. As she was operating on a tight budget, she did a price comparison on the different web hosting companies and chose the cheapest option. Erika regretted her decision immediately when she realized that there are many missing functions and she ended up having to solve the issues herself. “It was a waste of time and money. I should have focused on the functions offered rather than the costs,” said Erika.
Advice to those who are starting an online business
It was an obstacle after another for Erika as she faced her second challenge of promoting her online store. She went for the cheapest option of using Facebook and her advice is: “Never sit and wait for people to ‘like’ your page.” To attract people to like her Facebook page, Erika made use of hashtags. For instance, she will use keywords like “sneakpeek”, “newarrivals” to promote her latest product launch. It works as she managed to see higher traffic and as of today, she has 2199 Facebook likes.
Her second advice to those who are juggling between a full-time job and managing an online store is to have a fixed schedule. Erika will carry a planner around with her everyday to check on what needs to be done. “I will allocate a task to be done everyday. For instance, Monday is the day for me to do stock taking,”shared Erika.
Lastly, Erika feels that patience and determination is the key to sustain an online business. It may be difficult at the start, but you will find everything worthwhile in the end.
Calling out to all aspiring entrepreneurs, online business owners and anyone who is interested in eCommerce! Join us this June to find out how you can take your business online easily and grow your business. For more information, click here
http://www.ecommercesos.com/singapore-based-model-becomes-an-online-business-owner/
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