What is Dropshipping | The Best Option to Start An Online Business

What is Dropshipping

The Best Option to Start An Online Business

Often touted as one of the top three “easiest ways to start an online business,” dropshipping is a relatively straightforward online business method, if not the most popular e-commerce revenue generation model of many. The reason? You are about to find out!

Let’s walk through some basics about dropshipping, its benefits and challenges, a feasibility study of it in the context of 2022, and some tips for starting your own dropshipping business to save precious trial-and-error time before settling on whether you want to commit to dropshipping, and where. 

What is dropshipping

Dropshipping is an order fulfillment method that has since evolved into the popular E-commerce business method that it is today.

The main difference between dropshipping and other online buy-and-sell retailer activities lies in the inventory source and fulfillment method — all other steps are nearly identical.

In dropshipping, you, as an entrepreneur, focus on advertising and selling while your suppliers ship your goods directly from their warehouse to your customers after your online store (read more on how to create a top-performing store) makes a deal. In other words, dropshipping means that there is no need to maintain an inventory and handle product delivery.

What Is Dropshipping and How Does It Work

The typical process can be summarized in three steps. It begins when your customer purchases products from your online store. Subsequently, as the seller, you order those particular products from the relevant supplier, who will then send the products to the customer directly. By effectively acting as a middleman in the transaction, you profit by marking up your products.

5 benefits of dropshipping

Low-Cost Business Ideas: Startups under $100, Cheap, and Free!

Aspiring entrepreneurs, do you want to start your business but don’t have much money? No worries.

Here are tons of low-cost business ideas that you can launch right away. Some of these business ideas get be started for free with no money ($0 zero dollars)! Other business models are cheap to open at $25. The balance of new business concepts has startup costs of less than $100.

Music Lessons & Singing Instruction – Startup Costs $0 – $25

If you are musical, can play an instrument or sing, your talents can earn you money.

Costs to startups are low because your students will bring their own instruments for their music lessons.  You will need to purchase some sheet music or songbooks for various student levels. Buy them used on eBay to get started on the cheap.

Voice singing lessons are among the most profitable and lucrative. Market your services to local community theater troupes and high schools.

For This Business idea, you do not even need a Website, since most of your Customers will be local. Get a low-cost business card ( $25 for a discount full-color business card at PsPrint) and distribute it in schools, theatres, concert halls, and libraries. your startup costs or even lower as in just a business card or flyer.

1. How to Start a Dog Training Business

Dog ownership spiked in 2020 as people sought companionship while cooped up at home. This was good news for the dog training industry, which is worth over a quarter billion dollars and growing. If you’re a potential “dog whisperer”, you could start your own dog training business and cash in on a growing market. You’d be helping dogs and their owners live happier, more fulfilling lives while making a good living yourself. 

While it seems like a simple Business to Start, you still need to understand the ins and outs of how to launch and run your own company. Luckily, you’ll find everything you need in this step-by-step guide designed to train you to be a successful business owner.

List of Dog Walking Startup Costs

Dog owners rely on dog walkers to take their pooches outside for exercise and to eliminate, while they're away on vacation, on business trips or at the office. "Entrepreneur" Magazine suggest that the start-up costs for a dog walking business total less than $2,000. Before you start your dog walking business, visit a local pet supply store to find out the average costs for your start-up supplies.

Marketing and Advertising

To properly advertise your dog walking services, you need a website, logo, business cards and brochures/fliers. These tools will help you make potential customers aware of your business and services and help you attract a clientele.

Cellular Phone

Besides email, your potential clients need a way to contact you to ask questions about the dog-walking services you provide. Add a cellular phone and its monthly fee to your start-up budget.

Business Registration and License

When you start a dog walking business in Houston, you have to select a business name, then register it with the Harris County Clerk's Office. You can download the application from their website, take it into the court, or mail a notarized copy to the clerk's office. As of 2011, the cost for registering a business starts at $15.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance can help you protect your Dog wWalking business and your clients. Contact a local insurance agent to get coverage so that you and your business are protected, if any unfortunate event occurs.

2. Start a clothing line

The clothing industry is big business. Global consumers Spend $775 billion on fashion e-commerce every year. Get a slice of that spend by using the print-on-demand model.

Platforms like Printful, Lulu Direct, and Printify allow you to upload your design onto t-shirts, sweaters, hats, and more. 

The best part about this side business idea is you don’t need to invest tons of cash upfront. Whenever you receive an order through your online store, print-on-demand suppliers will print your design and ship it to the customer—no need to hold inventory yourself. 

3. Sell your art

Making money as an artist isn't always easy – particularly when you're first starting out. But selling art and earning an income from doing what you love really is possible.

Network with art buyers

When you first start out as an artist, it can feel daunting to know where to begin meeting potential buyers for your art. Luckily, though, there are so many opportunities to meet art dealers and buyers – the important thing is to be confident.

Galleries usually host a fair amount of exhibition openings throughout the year. As an opportunity to get the first pick of new and exciting art, you can pretty much guarantee that they will attract keen buyers and collectors.

A lot of exhibition openings will be open to the public, but you'll usually need to RSVP to get added to the guest list. Check the gallery's social media and website for info about who to contact ahead of the event.

When you're there, talk to as many people as you can. It's also wise to arrive armed with images of your art to show, and maybe some business cards to hand out, too.

You're unlikely to make a sale there and then, but building up a network of potential buyers and other art enthusiasts is essential.

It could be that you meet somebody who is interested in buying one of your pieces. Or, you may even end up impressing the curators and directors at galleries, which could then lead to you actually consigning your work to them (i.e. agreeing for them to represent and sell your work) – which brings us to our next point...

4. Sell handmade goods

Handmade goods are amongst the most profitable things you can sell online. Take raw materials and turn them into something of higher value—be that clothing, jewelry, or skin care products—to sell through an online store. 

Sydney So Sweet founder Jen Greenlees started a side business selling handmade children’s products when her first daughter was born: “At the time I was a high school chemistry teacher. I ran my new business while teaching full-time and also raising five kids.

It took very little money to start since I was making everything myself. Time was another issue. There were weeks during the fall where I was staying up until 2 a.m. to make and fulfill orders, and then getting up at 6 a.m. to get ready for work.

Jen eventually took her side business idea full-time. “It was a huge risk at the time,” she says. “Teaching provided a great salary and benefits, and I gave up a lot leaving my job. But the risk has paid off, and the freedom I enjoy being an entrepreneur is worth more than any paycheck!

5. Become an event planner

Just as there isn’t one route to a great event, there isn’t a single tried and true path that magically leads to a career in event planning. This is a field that thrives on ingenuity, creativity, and constant reinvention. Still, there are smart steps to take to begin the journey, build skills, and make a name for yourself. 

Read on for a roundup of the top strategies for kickstarting a successful and rewarding event planning career. 

Plant seeds for an event planning career in a sector you love.

When it comes to hunting for jobs within events, don’t limit yourself. Many types of organizations hold events and are looking to hire professionals that can take on a planning role. Are you passionate about the work of a local non-profit? Volunteer to help their planner, or design events for them yourself. Interested in the arts or healthcare, you can look for associate roles in these organizations to build your portfolio. 

Whether you’re working for a pharmaceutical company and planning their annual convention or working for a small restaurant that plans and hosts social events, you are still gaining valuable experience within events.

To grasp the varied opportunities of the events industry, keep these two acronyms in mind: 

1. MEEC. This stands for ˜Meetings, Expositions, Events, and Conventions’ markets. MEEC events include travel, hospitality, and corporate events, often with a business-centric spin.

2. SMERF. This stands for ˜Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal’ markets. Weddings, bridal showers, birthday parties, and family reunions fall under ˜social,’ and these markets also include recreational activities, alumni events, and sports groups. SMERF markets often involve recreational weekend events. 

While planning a weekend rafting trip plus transportation for a group of 25 is a far cry from the elegant events you hope to coordinate, it’s a fantastic way to learn, make connections, and develop your unique event style.