May 10
17
Small Business Ideas 101: Selling Custom Products
Starting from this post, I will write a series of articles on small business ideas. Many of us who have desires for starting our own business typically don’t have a clear idea on what business to start. Hopefully these articles will shed light on what business model you are willing to engage in.
The Internet has enabled new forms of business and commerce. E-commerce through the Internet has been around for about two decades, and the amount of dollars spent by online shopping customers has grown significantly. This fact leads to the proliferation of more online shopping websites which are either owned by big corporations or small business owners.
Although there are so many online shops offering any kind of products, opening an online shop is still a promising way to start a small business. The challenge, among others, lies in creating unique products and services so as to differentiate your shop from the existing ones.
You might ask, “What kind of unique products should I create?”. Why don’t you let your customers answer that question? Instead of designing your own products, provide a way for your customers to design what they want to buy from you.
In case you’re still wondering, have a look at Zazzle. This online retailer is one of the best examples of successful business selling custom products. Zazzle allows visitors to upload their own pictures and design their own T-shirts, mugs, shoes and other apparels.
Another example comes from a big company. LEGO, the famous construction toys company, now also jumps into custom product business.
Lego creates a product named LEGO Design byME that allow kids to design their own Lego creation. The design is performed through a software, Lego Digital Designer 3, which is provided for free. You should visit the website yourself to get a better idea.
After examining the examples of custom product business, now it’s time to decide whether this business model is the right one for you. As for the initial investment, it can be modest or somewhat large, depending on the type of products to offer.