Whether you are just a novice looking for the best way to start an online business for some extra cash or an accomplished professional willing to diversify your earnings and try something new, a self-owned online store is a fitting option! That’s exactly what you can see yourself from the story of our today’s guest. Jude Massillon, a top-level coach working with A-level sportsmen on their way to world championships, has recently decided to meet a new ambitious challenge of being an online entrepreneur – so let’s see how it’s working out for him!

Hi, please introduce yourself!

My name is Jude Massillon, I’m from New York. As an ex-physiologist, I train elite athletes in multiple sports, making them ready for Wimbledon, World Karate Championships, the Olympics, and more. My goal is always to try to find solutions to develop the athletes a little further.

Fascinating! With such a background, why did you get curious about starting an online business?

I’ve always wanted to do it, to actually test it out and see if it’s a viable strategy, but I had no prior experience. With that in mind, I entered the process of getting an ecommerce store – and opted for a ready one. Now it’s doing about $4,500 in sales per week, with monthly sales of almost $18,000.

What did you do, exactly?

I initially bought an AliDropship online store made for selling AliExpress products. The team gave me the opportunity to see some of the site data insights so I didn’t make my investment decision blindly.

And then they gave an opportunity to use Sellvia for importing products so I knew exactly where I was getting my products from.

Did it change anything in your business practice?

Once I set up the mechanism for the Sellvia products to be sold online, I knew the products would reach the consumers safely. I could track every package from the moment I processed the sale till it would actually arrive to the door. I even went to Sellvia and ordered some stuff so that I could see how quickly it comes, what packaging it comes in, so I felt more comfortable with that.

What are you selling and why?

My store niche is car accessories. I think these are the things you always know you need. That’s why I’ve chosen this niche. And when you’re online, you’re more likely to buy these products because it’s a quick purchase: online shopping allows you to make a decision quicker.

How did you feel about your first online sales ever?

I think my first sale amounted to about $29. In the first 3 or 4 days I had maybe 3 sales for like $78 in total. I wasn’t exactly too thrilled at the prospect and thought that maybe I made a mistake, but then, as the advertising kicked in, the sales started pouring in.

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How have you achieved these numbers?

I’m doing Facebook ads, trying to list ads in as many places as possible, and they are doing well. Sometimes I bring the ad spend down for testing purposes, just to see how it correlates with the actual sales. I’m doing the ads consistently, so people see the website, visit it, make a decision, and purchase after that. Also, for a higher conversion, I create separate landing pages for the products I’m advertising.

In your experience, what’s the best way to manage an online business on a daily basis?

Truth is, most people don’t really understand dropshipping unless they’re walked through the process. But with the store systems in place, it’s an easy thing to just focus on the sales.

What I do is start the day with the store management so that I know what my current sales are. Also, I get alerts throughout the day when I get sales, so I know if it’s a busy sales day and I have to set aside some time to deal with order processing. I try to begin and finish the day with some sales management to make sure everything’s right.

Any tips for other ecommerce newcomers looking for the best way to start and grow an online business?

Make sure that you set up your advertising and have fulfillment sorted out like I have with Sellvia, where you know you’re going to get products in a timely fashion. It’s critical in order not to get any chargebacks and continue with a good track record. Make sure you choose products that you think people will be willing to purchase going forward.

What are your business plans for the future?

The operational goal now is to add more products, advertise more products, and strategically keep looking at the ad spending making sure the money gets invested correctly. And my larger goal is to continue growing the profit into a significant number. That, I think, could give me an opportunity to use that revenue to get more ecommerce websites in different niches and then, I think, it will be life-changing.

What a thrilling prospect! We are beyond grateful to Jude for choosing our solutions as his best way to start an online business, and wish him the best of luck with creating a whole ecommerce empire!