Many of us are led to believe that being young and broke is an unavoidable stretch on life’s long highway of experiences. If you suffer hard enough, for long enough, at some point your luck will change and you will no longer be “struggling.” But what if there was a way you could bypass that dangerous stretch of highway altogether? Thanks to the many opportunities provided by the internet, you could make a living, and a name for yourself, without ever having to leave the house. Anyone can become an online entrepreneur, and with a little help, you could start building your own e-business today.
Kevin Lavelle, Web Smith, and Steven DeWitt were just three ordinary men, sick of sweating through their work shirts. In less than a year, they designed a collection of performance dress shirts that were moisture-wicking and wrinkle-free. Using the web-design company Shopify, Lavelle, Smith, and Dewitt built a completely customized page from which to sell their vision and their products. Mizzen+Main appeared in the online marketplace less than six years ago, and has since become a fashion empire. The brand’s highly durable dress shirts have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal’s Accelerator Blog. The co-founders have also established partnerships with multiple NFL superstars including Chris Ogbonnaya and Malcolm Jenkins. Because of their overwhelming success, Lavelle, Smith, and DeWitt have even found a way to give back to the community. “A Shirt for a Start” serves as a bridge between dedicated servicemen and entrepreneurial success. Using a portion of their sales revenue, Mizzen+Main’s CEOs support veterans as they launch their own start-up companies. Although Mizzen+Main began as a small, online business, it has since expanded beyond the net. The co-founders now oversee two brick-and-mortar establishments, one in Columbus, OH and the other in Dallas, TX, and their goods can be found in fine retail shops in Louisiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. It’s almost too incredible to believe; the fashion empire of Mizzen+Main exists because three men hated their pit-stains
You don’t have to be a Harvard graduate or a Mensa member to start an online business. With the right product, and a little assistance, anyone can make it big online. Websites like Shopify and Etsy simplify the process by providing information on web design and ecommerce. Shopify also helps users advertise on social media platforms like Facebook and Pinterest, understand the intricacies of SEO-formatting, and browse successful pages for inspiration. Understanding enterprise ecommerce solutions and how to anticipate trends are essential skills for anyone looking to take their business online. For up-to-the-minute industry news and advice, check out Shopify’s page on ecommerce news.
There is no reason why you should ever have to use the word “struggling” to describe your lifestyle again. If you take the time to learn about ecommerce and online marketing, you will figure out just how much the internet can do for your business, and your life.