“I Got My Life Back”: It’s Not Just About Money When You Buy An Ecommerce Business

Why do people want to buy ecommerce business? What does it feel like to be an owner and where can this business road take them? Are there any extra benefits apart from a new income stream? To answer these questions, today, we’re talking to Miandra who has recently bought an ecommerce business. Her store has already made over $10K in revenue – but she’s gained much more from it than just money. We’re thrilled to have a chat!

Hi, please introduce yourself!

Hi, my name is Miandra Delport, I’m a 42-year-old mother of 3 teenagers.

Originally, I’m from South Africa, but 7 years ago, my family relocated to New Zealand. I have a degree in Occupational Therapy and over the years, I’ve done a bit of everything! Recently I worked in the events space as an events manager. I am also an artist and do freelance styling jobs for film shoots.

How did you get the idea to buy an ecommerce business?

About a year ago, my colleague introduced me to the concept of ecommerce. I did some research but was daunted by the fact that I had to build my own website and run ads. It all felt too overwhelming and I had no experience or background in this field. I felt that my lack of knowledge in marketing as well as web design and so forth would cause me to fail.

Plus, I wasn’t happy with buying products from China because of the quality of products and shipping times. Also, I didn’t want to sell products on the New Zealand market because it’s too small. I’ve had a little website where I sold vintage clothes and it was really difficult to get into the market in New Zealand because it was already flooded, it’s a really small country. So I just abandoned the idea.

What made you change your mind?

Back then, my full-time employment was really tough, I worked really long hours, sometimes up to 50-60 hours a week. I was very unhappy with my job and wanted something to do from home. Eventually, I decided to resign from my job – I actually started going for interviews for new jobs. I just wanted to get out of that hectic environment.

A week after I submitted my resignation, I came across an ad for AliDropship on Instagram. I decided to research it and I phoned Christopher in the US. All my concerns regarding the ecommerce business were addressed, I felt at ease. AliDropship met all my needs and provided a solution for every fear regarding starting an ecommerce business. I felt secure that with the services AliDropship and Sellvia provide combined I could make my business a success.

So, I was also in a space in my life where I was ready to take a leap of faith and try it out, and I just took the plunge. I did it, and I’m very happy I did. After 1 and half months of having the store it is providing an income for me. I now work for myself.

Wow! Tell us more!

I have been running the store since mid-October and the results are promising. My gross profit for November was about $6,400, with the net profit about 18% of it. I am very happy as I didn’t think I would even come close to that number in the first month!

The gross revenue since taking over the business mid-October is $10,274, and I made 239 sales with the average order value of $42.99.

I am very happy with the net profit to hours worked ratio. With the sales my business generates at the moment I only spend about 30 min a day managing my business and about 2-3 hours a day one day of the week when I spend time on bookkeeping and marketing campaigns.

And with all that considered, I was able to pay myself the same salary in November that I used to get in full time 40 hour per week employment!

What are you selling exactly? Why did you decide to buy ecommerce business in this specific niche?

I sell baby and kids products provided by Sellvia. The reason why I chose this niche is because I felt comfortable with the product line due to my background in Occupational Therapy.

I used to have a private practice where I worked with children and used a lot of educational toys. The products listed in the store were all products that I would totally buy myself. Integrity is really important to me: I wouldn’t want to sell products that I’m not happy with.

The Sellvia product offering was included in the store at the moment of the purchase, and it’s a good match. I didn’t consider any other provider. On the contrary, I was looking for a US-based supplier that could ship in less than a week. With Sellvia, I’ve got it.

What can you say about your experience with Sellvia?

It makes running the business easy for me! I feel that I have a supplier I can trust, that Sellvia has my back and as long as I feel that way, I will remain faithful. Sellvia has my business’s best interest at heart, I am sure of that.

I am especially impressed and very thankful and grateful for Larissa, my personal business advisor. Knowing that she is there to support me and give advice when I need it gives me so much reassurance, I don’t feel like I’m going at it alone. A lot of my business’s success is because of Larissa’s expert advice and input — not only on Sellvia products, but also marketing strategies.

Also, the Sellvia support team has been phenomenal, with quick response time to emails and always ready to help. Between Larissa, myself, AliDropship, and Sellvia I feel like I am part of one big happy family. You have won my heart and I will remain an avid supporter.

That means the world to us! Let’s discuss your initial insecurities about business promotion. How are things going now?

Well, obviously, sales are directly linked to promotions. If you do a little bit of research, you’ll find that video ads are best to generate sales.

It helps your client to see the product in use and is very important for ecommerce stores where the client cannot view the product in person. And you’re right, that was another reason I hesitated to get into ecommerce business a year ago. How was I going to create video ads? But Sellvia makes this so easy: products come with ready-made social media ad materials. Just another reason I won’t use another supplier!

I have decided not to put any pressure on myself to generate huge sums of money in the 6-12 months, but rather to use this time to learn as much as I can from Larissa, my business advisor. I follow her advice down to the last detail: knowledge is very valuable. She is teaching me how to interpret Facebook metrics and suggests strategies when sales take a dip.

As time goes by, I need Larissa’s help less and less! In the beginning, I used to contact her almost daily, and then it went to weekly calls, and now it’s maybe every second or third week. I feel I’m learning a lot. For example, I read all the blogs and how-to articles on Sellvia and AliDropship websites. I keep careful records of Facebook metrics across time on an Excel spreadsheet to see how a specific ad performs over time. And of course, I push more money into ads that perform the best.

How has your life changed since you’ve managed to buy ecommerce business?

Having this business has impacted every aspect of my life positively. A year ago I was stressed, overworked and underpaid. Then, I used to work ridiculously long hours in a high stress job that did not recompense me nearly enough. I wanted out of full time employment.

To make it perfectly clear, I was not looking for a get rich quick scheme. Ecommerce is not that. My goal was to replace my salary I received when employed. I hit that target within 1.5 months of opening the store. My net profit was enough to replace my salary! I now have time to invest in my relationship with my family, my physical health has improved so much that friends and family comment on it, my mental health is better than it has been in years. Now I am content and patient for my business to grow slowly but surely.

I am surrounded by a team of people who want my store to succeed and I feel supported. I am careful not to focus on the money only: this business is giving me so much more than just income. It gives me time to restore relationships with friends and family I had no time to see in the past, restored my health, and restored the quality of my life.

It feels like I bought a lifestyle – I got my life back.

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