These days, people all over the globe are getting increasingly interested in side hustles from home. The most desirable ones, of course, are the ventures that have little to no startup costs, but start making profits as soon as possible. Ruby, our today’s guest, is a lucky owner of a business that meets these criteria perfectly!
Hi, please introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Ruby, 41, a single mom of twins from Northern California, the San Francisco Bay Area.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree and work full-time as an Admissions Specialist at a Community College. I love singing for fun, giving tarot readings, and working on several side projects to earn extra income.
Sounds fantastic! Can you tell us more about the venture you’re running with Sellvia?
I was researching dropshipping opportunities on Google and somehow came across the Sellvia ad for a $0 online store. I have to admit I was sold very quickly! That’s how I got one for myself and here I am, having my first sales right from the start, within the first week or two.
Have you tried any side hustles from home before?
This is my second time trying to run an ecommerce store. The first time was a few years ago when I tried running an ecommerce store on Shopify. I was in college at the time, I was really overwhelmed, I had no idea what I was doing… At that time, Shopify offered no support: there was no one from the team who contacted me to check on the status of my website or provide any resources. Looking back, this is surprising to me, especially compared to the incredible support that Sellvia staff have provided from day 1. Long story short, I made no sales and quit after only 1 month.
I’ve also tried POD stores, Amazon Merch, Amazon KDP, and I even monetized a YouTube channel… but I’ve made more with Sellvia in 1 month than all of those others combined.
What, in your opinion, makes Sellvia different from other side hustles from home?
The main thing that sold me on Sellvia is the California fulfillment center. As someone who primarily shops online, fast shipping is essential. I love being able to offer that convenience to my customers.
I can’t stress it enough: having a fulfillment center in the US is huge. I’ve read so many stories online of people quitting the dropshipping business model because customers complain that shipping is too slow. That alone is a game-changer in this business! It’s all about making and keeping our customers happy.
I also love that Sellvia has a wide selection of products ranging from functional to unique/fun and eco-friendly (sustainability is important to me as a consumer). They even have many items you can’t find on Amazon, so there’s a competitive advantage.
Overall, it’s been a great experience. Everyone at Sellvia is so friendly and it really means a lot. From a business standpoint, I’ve learned more with Sellvia than any other service that I’ve used.
So, how is your store doing, exactly?
It’s been live for around 5 weeks and I’ve already had 7 sales in the first 4 weeks! This is a great motivation considering I had minimal experience with marketing, SEO optimization, and running ads online.
With $303 in total revenue, I know that’s a humble start, but I only work on my store a few hours a week given that I have a full-time day job. Not to mention the fact that I opened my store during Christmas week, which is probably the worst time to launch a store! I’m living proof that this is doable even if you have no experience and can only work on your side business part-time. It’s pretty amazing and now that I’m in my 2nd month I feel more confident in what I’m doing.
Tell us more about your strategy and promo efforts!
In terms of products, it’s a general store with several niches combined. I like having variety for advertising and it makes the overall experience more interesting and fun.
I’ve run ads on Google, Facebook, TikTok, SnapChat, and Taboola. Believe it or not, Google Ads and Snapchat brought me the first sales. I don’t have a big budget for ads, but it’s fun testing ad copy on different platforms and seeing what consumers respond to. I’m gaining so much experience.
The Sellvia team helped set up my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Gmail accounts and I’m so thankful because I was really overwhelmed at first. I highly recommend the Social Media package to anyone who needs help in that area and wants to save time. It’s worth it! For example, I had never used the Facebook Business Manager before and now I know how to schedule Facebook and Instagram posts together, respond to inquiries, set-up Messenger auto-replies, etc.
Even with a small budget we can still try many different types of ad styles. It’s a huge help that Sellvia has marketing materials for the products they sell. I want to keep experimenting with different products and niches and keep a consistent posting schedule across all of my social media sites. It’s actually been fun engaging with people online and seeing real feedback from real people.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m still pretty new, but I plan to dedicate at least 1 to 2 years to this business model and hopefully, much longer. I believe this is an investment in myself and a valuable asset for my sons. It’s worth being patient, staying motivated, and giving 100% effort!
Eventually, I want to make my brand more personalized and connect with my customers on a meaningful level. Other than selling cool products with fast shipping, my bigger goals are to be an advocate for female entrepreneurs, single moms, minorities, and veterans to show people that anyone can do this.
I’m also excited to hear that Sellvia considers expanding fulfillment to other countries. It’s only going to get better and more efficient in the future. I would love to gain customers in places like the UK, Canada, and beyond.
How has your life changed since you launched a side hustle with Sellvia?
I can honestly say I finally feel like a real entrepreneur! I know that sounds a bit silly, but I wasn’t confident before working with Sellvia because it’s all very overwhelming initially and there’s so much to learn in this business. Sellvia provides tons of resources, tools, guides, even a Facebook support group! Other people have had massive success with Sellvia and I love reading all of the stories and getting a boost of motivation.
Most importantly, I get to set a positive example to my sons and that’s my driving force to succeed. I noticed that my friends and family, even though they support me 1,000,000%, are not really willing to take a lot of chances themselves. This is why it’s great to speak up! A lot of people are scared to do something like this or they think it’s too overwhelming, so I want to set this example for my family and friends – to prove this really is doable.
I feel like this is the future: I know that ecommerce isn’t going to go anywhere. I think this is the best time to take advantage of it – and why not make some side money?
Such a thrilling story! With limited experience and humble startup investment, Ruby became an owner of a full-scale online business that’s bringing profits already. This is great news for everyone looking for the best side hustles from home to try out! Spending $0, you get yourself a powerful tool to make money online – and during the free trial period, you explore its ins and outs in full, and can even make your first sales just like Ruby did. Wouldn’t you love to check it out yourself? One day or day one, you decide.
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