Taking your business online

Taking Your Business Online Trying Times Call for Drastic Measures

“Our business model needed to change desperately, and it needed to happen fast. I was borderline burnt out trying to do it all.”

By Heather Carr

After two years on Main Street in small-town Azle TX, we decided to close our storefront this year on March 1st. Overhead just wasn’t making sense anymore. Our business model needed to change desperately, and it needed to happen fast. I was borderline burnt out trying to do it all.

In the year prior we rebranded and began trying to ramp up our online sales. We were doing events, trying to stay active in the community and gain influencers on social media. We reached out to Donnie Boivin and a few friends whom we met through networking for some guidance. We began to put some of the things we learned into motion.

We were gaining some followers on Social Media by following some simple rules. We chose two platforms to advertise (Facebook and Instagram) and post every day! I started an Etsy store and began listing our products there. Etsy is great for showcasing your products and integrating them through your social media channels.

Slowly, we started adding more products to our website. We wanted to concentrate on maintaining a certain vibe with product pictures to convey the brand. I also put some products on a group called Range Me. Range Me has buyers for wholesalers and BIG Box stores to buy your products in bulk. A good friend introduced me to an awesome program to use for stock photos in a pinch. Keep posts simple and make sure to post a link for purchasing. We also partnered with a local cafe to serve some of our Teas. And I have decided to reach out to a few other Coffee and Tea shops to see what other opportunities we could use to get our products out to more people.

Initially, I had a hard time deciding to close. I loved our little shop, the friendships we made and the people we met. Let’s be honest though, that wasn’t going to pay the bills. So, time to get serious and move on. We were increasing our online presence; it was a slow trickle. Then February rolled around. Christmas and Seasonal sales were fading, and the realization set in. I was going for it! It was time to close. The real magic started to happen here! Once I announced we were closing, people were coming out of the woodwork. We decided to lease a small display space within the Cafe we teamed up with. We could keep our Teas accessible to regular customers and have a place to mix products in bulk. During the process of moving, we

were contacted by a Tea Membership company called Sipsby. They found us through Range Me. They wanted to add our teas in their monthly membership boxes! Score!!! Things are finally happening!!

But Wait...Then COVID Happened… Sigh… It was even more important now to use this opportunity to teach people how to shop for the products they loved online. Much of this was copy and pasting links to our best-selling products, sharing on our social media platforms, and guiding them to our web page. I made exceptions at first, invoicing if necessary but gradually grew them into our process of online shopping. We also began a delivery service once every 2 weeks. Now we are doing delivery twice a week for a small fee per delivery. I researched shipping platforms from third parties such as Shipstation and stamps.com for customers outside of the delivery zip code. This can cut your cost for shipping by almost half! My Sales took a jump by about 40%, and Guess What? I can hang on to some of it because we moved our business primarily back home.

During this difficult time, ask yourself, “what can I do to be proactive? How can I help, still make sales, and keep momentum?” Making Hand Sanitizer and teaming up with a friend who makes cloth masks was one of my solutions. I was overwhelmed with orders! The moral of the story here is to see a need, fill a need. Know when to fold ‘em and just go for it! Take advantage of this time to move into online shopping. We still have a lot of work to do and always room for growth. When you see that something is not working, for the love of God, change it! Things will start happening if you adjust your mindset! Best of Wishes to Y’all! Keep up the momentum.

Heather has been an entrepreneur for 5 years. Her background includes twenty-plus years in the Allied Health Industry. She currently owns and operates two businesses including Tin Star Tea, which is her main passion for herbal teas and Preferred Sleep Scoring Contract Services. Azle Tx is her home town, where she shares her home with her husband, 7-year-old son and two dachshund puppies.