Want to make something from scratch and sell it online?
Today thousands of people are producing handmade
goods and selling them at pop-ups and markets and more.
And recently there has been a massive surge in online
shopping, so many entrepreneurs are looking to capitalize on
this by selling on Shopify.
The e-commerce advantage gives you the opportunity to
sell anywhere in the world.
E-commerce gives makers more reach and apps help their
businesses run more efficiently, letting them focus on what
they do best, their craft.
The best part about e-commerce is that many of these business
ideas can be started from home with minimal upfront investments.
So here's a list of six things to make and sell online from home.
Now, whether you're a beginner or an advanced craftsperson there's
options in this list for everyone.
I'll give you an overview of each, but if any of these ideas
spark your interest, I'm going to share links for each one
with more in-depth guides on what you'll need to get started.
Hi everyone.
I'm your host Michelle Bali.
Learn with shopify is a channel dedicated to small
business owners with big plans.
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Also, if after watching this video, you want even more
help finding a product, make sure that you're checking out
our free 40 minute webinar.
That's going to teach you how to find winning product
ideas, how to validate them and how to get started.
Just click the link in the description box
below to get started with this free training now.
All right.
Let's hop into the list.
Bath bombs and soaps.
Bath bombs, bath salts, and soaps can be made at
home in a few easy steps.
If you do a quick Google search, you'll see tons
of tutorials and recipes.
They range from simple recipes for bath salts, like these to
more complicated formulas that require preservatives like these.
You don't have to be a creative genius to make
this business a success.
Soaps and bath bombs can be made using molds that you buy
online or at a craft store.
Packaging is a huge influence on purchasing decisions specifically
in the beauty industry.
So make sure that you're hiring design help if need be.
You can head over to Fiverr to hire a freelance graphic designer.
All right.
So here's some tips before deciding on this idea.
First of all, you're going to want to keep your inventory tight.
If you sit on your bath bombs, they can lose some of that fizz.
And also keep in mind that natural ingredients in soap can expire.
Do some research on what wrong ingredients are beauty
grade and safe for skin.
You'll also want to make sure they're approved
for use in your country.
So for all my Canadian and US citizens out there, I'll drop a
link in the description box with cosmetic guidance and regulation.
It'll outline which ingredients are prohibited and which are safe.
On that note, also check with your government to ensure
that your production facility meets health standards, even
if it's only your own kitchen.
Simply just Google production facility standards for
cosmetics in your region.
This regulatory information is important, so be sure
that you're doing this.
Skincare accounts for 60% of the total profit in
the beauty industry, and entrepreneur Lisa shared her
inspiring story about how she claimed a piece of that pie.
Lisa, founder of the honey bunch shop bypass the
banks to create a wildly successful bath bomb business.
With creative campaigns, like "we've got balls" lisa was
able to sell 45,000 units.
In addition to her marketing, her business success was also
due to her own transparency.
As a business owner, she posted this to Facebook asking
her audience to support her business during a financial rut.
She also told Shopify, I'm not afraid to say I'm
broke, I'm broke, but I'm also the person to celebrate
anything that's successful.
People seem to connect with that.
It takes some bravery, but being human with your
audience increases trust.
If you're interested in making bath, soaps and bath bombs,
you're going to want to check out this blog article that
takes you through the method to make them check out the link in
the description box for that.
T-shirts and printed merch.
This is a maker business for the non-maker.
Your design idea or slogan can be printed onto various goods like
t-shirts mugs and dog bandanas.
With this business idea, you can opt in for a print on demand model.
This means that you hold zero inventory and you get your
printing house to ship your products to your customers.
This is a very hands-off business that has low barrier to entry.
Now, if you wanted to increase the handmade factor, consider
learning the art of screen printing and purchasing equipment
to print your designs at home like this design over here, or
you can hand stitch patches and yarn work like these over here.
Here's an inspiring story about how this entrepreneur started a t-shirt
business to fund a new puppy.
Liz Bertorelli, early owner of passionfruit apparel really
wanted a French bulldog.
So she told herself if she could make an extra five
grand, she would get one.
So while working a full-time job, she started an online
print on demand t-shirt company, and she exceeded her $5,000
goal in a matter of months.
Roughly five years, one dog, and a full rebrand later
Passionfruit, Liz's LGBTQ plus online store is still kicking.
Liz mentioned that when she came out, it was really hard.
So she now sells tank tops with slogans.
Like love is love for the people who want to show themselves
without saying it out loud.
Here are a couple of tips for getting started with
your t-shirt business.
T-shirts and printed merch can supplement an existing business.
So gyms and musicians, for example, can sell branded swag
to their current audiences.
This singer song writer, Lolo sells t-shirts and stickers.
For example, now, if you're not a designer, don't sweat it.
You can use sites like Shopify experts, creative market, or
Upwork to find talent, to help turn your ideas into designs
for your t-shirt business.
I'll link all of those in the description box
for you to look at later.
Use a print and fulfillment app, like Printful,
Gooten or even teelaunch.
They'll integrate with your Shopify store and automatically print,
fulfill and ship each order.
So you can be up and running in a matter of days, if not hours.
I'll link those resources as well.
If you're inspired by Liz's quick success, and you want to know more
about how print on demand works.
We have a whole video dedicated to just this.
If you want to dive a little bit deeper, I'll also put a link for
a free 40 minute webinar below.
Make sure that you're opening these links in a new tab for when you're
done watching this video here.
Shopify is offering a free 14 day trial.
All you have to do is click the link in the description box to
take action, so that you can level up your ecommerce business.
Jewelry.
Jewelry is another business idea that can range in skill levels.
You can create really simple and low tech pieces like beaded
necklaces and woven bracelets.
Or you can really dig your feet in and use special
silver smithing equipment to create necklace pendants like
this cadet one over here.
Now think about how your designs can stand out.
And what niche you can carve out for yourself.
To do this, you're going to want to validate your idea by
following fashion influencers.
So I tend to pay really close attention to what my friends
and bloggers in London are wearing because, while Toronto
has some really well-dressed people, we're a bit behind.
So if you're in the same boat, it helps to follow influencers
in London, Paris, and Berlin.
For example, that way you'll be first to market with a
particular trend in your area.
Here's a motivating story of ten-year-old entrepreneur Riley.
Her jewelry brand called Gunnar & Lux has caught the
attention of some of the biggest retailers in the US.
So one year Riley upped her lemonade stand game by adding some
of her creations to her table.
When her dad posted photos to his Instagram, his followers
asked where they could buy her necklaces, so he set up a website.
Four years later, Riley's still head of design, but she now has
staff helping her make jewelry and fulfill orders from the
likes of Barneys and J-Crew.
If you're feeling inspired by Riley's resourcefulness,
here's some tips on how you can get your own jewelry
business started as well.
If you're crafting jewelry at home, try accentuating the
imperfections of your jewelry.
So look at these handmade blog rings.
For example, these use resin and costume gemstones.
If this all seems a little much, and you've decided to
just source jewelry instead check out jewelers in Indonesia,
they have great quality craftsmanship and unique designs
at really reasonable prices.
If you're looking for step-by-step instructions on how to start
a jewelry business, don't worry, we've got you covered.
Make sure that you're clicking here to watch that full video.
Curated gift and subscription boxes.
A gift or subscription box business is a great idea for
those who are less crafty, but more have an eye for curation.
Now let me just start by saying that the assembly part can
be a tedious task, but the business has its advantages.
Subscription boxes are a great source of recurring
and semi reliable revenue.
And if you already have a reasonably sized audience that
brands want to get in front of, you can sell your subscription
box as a marketing opportunity, so that you get the items
to go into the box for free.
Listen to this crazy story about subscription box owners,
Sophia Pierro, before she started her own business.
Rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite was just
another day on the job.
Sophia was raking in a good living and she was the top of her game,
but none of it made her happy.
So she started a subscription box business.
She turned down the opportunity to work with Matt Damon, because she's
so happy writing Present Day Gifts.
These are curated gift boxes, featuring products from local,
handmade and small batch brands.
If you're going to start your own subscription box business, here
are a couple of things that you're going to want to keep in mind.
Calculate your storage and assembly needs.
Can your home accommodate your business or do you need
to rent additional space?
Also ease your customers into commitment.
Offer a substantial discount to those who pay upfront
for subscriptions or offer the first month free.
Use an app like recurring orders and subscriptions to manage
your subscriptions as well.
We have an entire blog post that walks you through the basics of
getting a subscription box started.
I'll make sure to link that in the description box for you, but
if you'd rather watch a video, we have a whole episode on how
to start a subscription box that you can watch right up here.
Cookies, pies, jams, and cakes.
Sugar can be spun into endless things to make and sell.
This is a category with unique stipulations, legalities, labeling
and shelf life, but also worth it with lots of room to get creative.
Niche markets include holidays like new years and
occasions like weddings.
You can do custom orders for families or catering for business
meetings, or why not make pet treats and gift baskets.
Be sure to investigate the viability of selling
your product online.
Also keep in mind how fragile your item is when shipping
and how you'll keep items cool or warm in transit.
So we've talked a lot about overnight successes here, but let
me give you a practical story about how this dessert founder Ramya
keeps her day job while managing her healthy dessert business.
After curing her own sinus issues through a wellness
lifestyle, Ramey eliminated gluten and dairy from her diet.
The avid baker relearned how to make sweets with
alternative ingredients, and that eventually became the
inspiration for a sweet new business called, Oh my goodness.
Ramya still works other jobs to pay the bills, and financial
success sometimes feels impossible, but her business is taking off.
Ramya's cakes are now made an industrial kitchens and she
has more than a handful of people who help her with making
and packing up her cakes.
Her social enterprise hires people with disabilities and
those who are transitioning out of the criminal system.
When pressed Ramya notes, she feels successful because she
hits her goals and makes a difference in people's lives.
If you're looking to make a food business into a side
hustle, here are some tips for when you're getting started.
So first of all, trace the supply chain.
Carefully select your raw ingredients suppliers to ensure
that what's on your label is actually what's inside.
Ask questions like how and where things are made and grown.
Consult with a lawyer or a food inspection agency, to
be sure that your labeling meets local requirements
for nutritional content, ingredients, and allergy warnings.
If you're looking to get into depth about how to start your
own online food business, I have an amazing guide.
It takes you all the way from brainstorming ideas to starting
and marketing your business.
I'll drop that link in the description box below.
Lip balm and cosmetics.
As the owner of a makeup brand, I can tell you that starting
your own cosmetic line may seem daunting, but it's totally doable.
I started by formulating simple lip glosses in my kitchen from
vegan beeswax and oils to do this.
Try sourcing ingredients from makingcosmetics.com and you can
also try wholesalesuppliesplus.com for budget-friendly options.
Now I work with a freelance chemist who produces my formulas.
Chemist consultants are really, really hard to come by,
especially if you're in Canada.
So if you two are looking to get advice on producing your
own formulas from a skilled chemist, you can chat with
Sherry from A Cosmetic Chemist.
She'll get you started.
I'll drop her website in the description box below.
Here's a story about how an ex financier left an unfulfilling
job to build a beauty behemoth business, right from her kitchen.
After working a lucrative yet unfulfilling day job, Melissa began
making lipsticks in her kitchen.
She had become increasingly frustrated by the lack of diversity
in beauty at the time, and decided to do something about it.
It started as a side gig and then Melissa hit some lows.
She ran out of money and had to live with strangers to cover rent.
But seven years later, the lip bar is a thriving business
that believes beauty should be diverse and accessible to anyone.
Melissa has worked with the likes of Bloomingdale's, Urban
Outfitters, Target and forever 21.
And in February, 2019, she cut the ribbon of lip Bar's
flagship retail store in Detroit.
If you're ready to get started on your own beauty brand,
here's some tips from me to you.
Invest in ingredient research.
It pays to talk to a health regulatory consultant so that you
can be sure your products are safe.
They'll help you understand if your ingredients are
rated for cosmetic use.
Karen Friedman consulting is an example of a specialist
that can help bring your product to market safely.
I'll link her website below, understand the labeling laws
of any country or region where you plan to sell your products.
In some countries, the word organic is regulated and you
can not use it unless you have acquire the proper certification.
Digital goods.
The digitalization of goods shows no signs of stopping,
making and selling digital products like font licenses,
wedding invitation templates, webinars, or even Photoshop
actions requires a little bit of upfront work, but it's relatively
hands off once you get started.
The overhead costs are very low and the typical pain points that comes
with physical goods like inventory and shipping are non-existent.
Dustin Lee generates passive income through digital products.
Dustin is the founder of retro supply, a store that sells digital
assets for graphic designers and illustrators inspired by history.
If you work in Photoshop or illustrator, for instance,
there's a variety of ad-ons.
You can get like custom brushes that give you
a very specific effect.
Dustin sells those digital assets, or I should say
they sell themselves, but it wasn't always like this.
When he first started out, he was getting up early and
working on this side business for an hour every day.
His hard work paid off and he is now enjoying the ability for these
digital assets to be sold multiple times to multiple people anywhere
in the world, if you're okay with an upfront time investment so that
you can later relax, here's some tips on how you can make digital
assets work for your business.
Choose a delivery method.
Apps like Digital Downloads and Sky Pilot, integrate with your
Shopify store to automatically deliver digital goods or provide
a download link to each customer.
If you're hosting files on Shopify, make sure your files
are each five gigabytes or less.
For larger files, try compressing them into zip archives.
After creating assets consider focusing on SEO so that people are
organically finding your content.
So those were six ideas of things that you can easily make
at home so that you can get started on your business fast.
If you found this video helpful, be sure to give it a thumbs up.
That's going to help our channel and our community grow.
If you want to build an online business, but still aren't
sure what to sell, check out our free 40 minute webinar.
It will teach you how to find winning product
ideas, how to validate them and how to get started.
Just click the link in the description box to register
for your free training now.
Did I miss anything that you think would be a good business idea?
If so, make sure you're dropping it in the comments below.
Thank you so much for tuning in this time.
I'm your host Michelle Bali, and I will see you the next one.