🇺🇸 On the road to success, the steps of success
Artists are often lost in the storm of information, and tons of advice on launching their business. They hear everything and its opposite, and it can cost a lot of money. Even worse, a lot of time.
We will therefore offer you a clear path to follow to ensure you make quick progress and get your business off the ground. We relied on the experience of Afrikrea’s best sellers who make more than 5000 € of sales per month on average. We also share our own lessons as an entrepreneur, and the lessons of countless readings that our journey has driven us to do. More than a method, it is a state of mind to adopt. Everything is detailed and illustrated by numbers in our white paper.
- You too, are a Start-up!
We are in a world where everything is accelerating and where uncertainty is more and more present. With technology, you are part of a vast world of brands that spans 5 continents. You can no longer think of yourself as the local dressmaker, because potential customers on your street now have access to worldwide crafts just a click away.
So you have to adopt the Start-up mindset: welcome to the club!
According to the author of the famous book The Lean Start-up, Eric Ries, “A start-up is a business structure organized by people looking to design a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.”
When creating your activity, your adventure will be full of pitfalls, but it will also be one of the most exciting of your life. You will achieve success thanks to your three faithful teammates support: humility, determination and courage.
- Forget the collections
Major ready-to-wear brands have accustomed us to the launching new collections every season. Do not make the mistake of imitating them, because nothing justifies this way of working today. If you look closely, they themselves do not follow this model of producing 2 collections a year, but instead capsule collections and collaborations, almost every month. And let us not mention leaders of the field today, such as Zara or H&M, which do not even bother pretending as if they followed this rhythm, and test way more.
As a small organization, you must focus on discovering your best-sellers, those that will become the symbol of your brand.
Think of Coco Chanel’s black dress, Burberry’s trench coat or Hermès’ square. You should produce your best-sellers in various shapes and colors, while offering new products in limited quantities, as and when.
- Know yourself (and your customers)
The best initial strategy is to start is to go without saying and create products, which you will be a customer. Then start by selling to your surroundings. This will save you a lot of marketing costs, and you’ll improve quickly. You will also get a better understanding of your customer base. Honestly, if even your loved ones don’t like your products, convincing strangers will be very complicated. Once you have your best-sellers, you can expand, and use word of mouth to boost your sales.
- The market is always right
Whatever your marketing strategy or desired positioning, it is the market that decides the success of your crafts.
By market, we’re talking about the customers and the price they are willing to pay to get your products. It is therefore necessary to remain objective on products’ appeal and to test and to test different levels of price, with discounts for example.This is how you discover your best crafts, and the right price.
On Afrikrea.com, creators have access to encrypted data on each of their products (visits, abandoned shopping carts etc.). They can also compare their price and shipping costs, compared to the best-sellers of the same category.
Even for us in Afrikrea, when we work for months on a new feature and it doesn’t sell or get traction, it’s hard to accept. If nobody uses or buys it, you just have to stop it.
- Branding to create a connexion
To ensure the sustainability of your business, you need to go beyond simple sales. The goal is to create a real relationship with your customers. It is therefore essential to build a brand image, which will remain recognizable and memorable. This can be achieved through the brand, the logo, your story and even your personality. Create a world around your business, produce quality content on a regular basis, and maintain direct contact with your community.
- Best practices are your best friends
To get your business off the ground, it will be necessary to follow the best practices in terms of operational excellence. It’s about giving your customers an exceptional shopping experience.
For that, it is enough to follow and apply what is done best in e-commerce:
- Be proactive and keep in touch
- Do not take things personally
- Control costs and shipping times
- Offer free returns and refunds
- Offer the greatest selection of sizes to lose no sales
With this mindset, you stay focused on two essential elements: your products and your customers. You do not have to disperse any more, and you can move on with peace of mind. Even if it requires commitment and empathy, the progress made and the satisfaction of the clients are well worth it. After all, what’s better than living with your passion, while spreading happiness around you?
And if you want to know more, do not hesitate to browse our free White Paper.
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