Shift4Shop eCommerce Blog | Starting a Business (3)

The pandemic accelerated the trend towards digitalization of shopping, communication, and much more. While online shopping was common pre-pandemic, demographics that previously hadn’t used technology as much - such as seniors - learned how to do everything from grocery shopping to medication ordering online simply by necessity. 

A product launch represents the culmination of months or even years of hard work researching, developing, and perfecting a new product. It signifies a product’s first foray into the market, and, as we all know, first impressions are critical. It is important to ask ourselves, then, why so many product launches fail.

Starting your own business is exciting, but it can also be a bit daunting to learn exactly where to start. Understanding the different types of businesses that you can choose from is an important first step.

Will you have a partnership, sole proprietorship, or non-profit organization? Which is best for the dreams you’re building? We’ll discuss the five most popular types of companies and how they work so that you can make an informed decision.

You can find anything you want online. At this point in time, no one should be surprised by the vastness of information that lives on the internet. But using that information, and simply just scrolling through, are two very different things. And in the world of business where everyone is looking to get ahead (and stay ahead), actually putting knowledge into action is what separates the best from the mediocre.

In early April 2021, LinkedIn reportedly suffered a data breach that compromised over half a billion profiles. Just recently, Facebook was a victim of a similar attack.

When Big Tech, with their sophisticated cybersecurity systems, can be victims of data scraping attacks, small businesses need to be exceptionally watchful. An airtight business continuity plan can help combat these with simple yet effective solutions that you can quickly put into practice with limited resources.

No business owner enjoys doing taxes. You could be punished for silly mistakes. The whole process is boring. On top of that, it’ll cost you money that could otherwise be reinvested in your business. As intimidating as it may seem, you’ll have to learn how to take care of it as early as possible. Thankfully, filing your taxes doesn’t have to leave a gaping hole in your wallet.

When it comes to human resources (HR), few things can make life simpler than the right software. From recruiting to hiring, and then evaluating and tracking performance, HR software allows teams to function better. That means less back and forth and fewer unnecessary emails to remind everyone of what’s going on. Additionally, great HR software ensures that other aspects of business operations are streamlined, including payroll, benefits, time tracking, etc.

When you think of starting a new online business or making the transition to eCommerce, costs and fees may float around in your head. How much will you need to spend on building and hosting your online store? What extra fees will you need to account for?

At Shift4Shop, we want to ease those worries by providing you with a free eCommerce solution – no strings attached. We’ve worked to make eCommerce affordable so that any-sized business can take advantage of our platform.

There is no better time than right now to start your own clothing line online. Not only are there more resources than ever to get you started in the right direction, but there are also endless ways to market your clothing line, which means it’s easier than ever to find your customers and put your products in front of them.

Of course, no matter how simple it might be to start your own clothing business online, there’s still plenty of work to be done. While anyone can have a good idea for a[...]

Rules and best practices surrounding eCommerce can be numerous. They can also be quite confusing and overwhelming to the uninitiated. If eCommerce isn’t something a person formally studied, it must be learned on its own, which requires guessing, testing and a significant amount of reading to ensure they are going about it the right way.

Blogging can be an awesome way of expressing your creativity, documenting your day-to-day life and meeting like-minded people.

But did you know it can also be an extremely lucrative business model?

Whether you’re looking to build your blog as a brand or simply use blogging as a promotional tool for your online business, there are a ton of ways to monetize a blog once you’re generating consistent traffic.

In this article, we’re going to break down our 7 favorite ways to make money from blogging,

Do you know what one of the best ways to achieve financial independence is?

The answer: Working for yourself. I know this from experience – people always ask me for self-employment business ideas that they can do as a side hustle. I don’t mind walking them through their options, because everyone starts somewhere.

I have been working as a freelancer for the past three years now. I always have a few things in the works on the side. In this blog post, I will present to you ten business ideas for[...]

Creating a website for an online business has never been easier than it is right now. While there are plenty of ways to create a shop online in order to generate sales, one of the easiest methods is fueled by the power of print-on-demand services (or PODs).

With the eCommerce industry becoming increasingly popular over the last 20 years and certainly picking up traction in the last 10, dropshipping has become an exciting and innovative new way for people to run a business without the need to buy a load of stock and find a warehouse to store it in. In the earlier days of dropshipping some big-name brands became hugely successful. You’ve probably seen the viral picture of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, sitting in his small, dark office as he[...]

Are you a business owner that needs an easier way to procure custom branded corporate merchandise? Making orders one at a time from a third-party with little control over materials and designs may not be cutting it anymore. But, did you know that you can save time and money while creating higher-quality custom products by starting your own company merch store online?

Starting an eCommerce business seems relatively simple at first. Yet, many eCommerce merchants are unable to sustain their online stores for too long. A large number of companies fail to derive any return on their investment (ROI). In the long term, they suffer heavy losses and collapse.

Failure can be attributed to multiple factors, but the truth remains that running an eCommerce website is complex. It requires meticulous planning in both the pre- and post-launch phases. Beyond this, you also[...]

Digital products are all the rage today. However, creating one is easier said than done.

First, let’s begin by understanding the different forms of digital products available today.

Making money is more than putting up some banner ads or throwing open your blog for sponsored content. These strategies can work. However, people are increasingly turning a blind eye to ads and to sponsored content. That’s the reason you need a change in strategy.

Offering digital products is a cool alternative.

Whether you play video games or you model high-fashion clothing brands, you’re an influencer if you have an audience that loves your content. Being an influencer introduces a wide variety of opportunities to make a living, from brand deals to advertising revenue. But, one of the most popular ways that influencers monetize their following is through branded merchandise.

Whether you're starting a new business or building upon an existing one, at some point, you will have to start selling a new product or service. Doing so, however, is risky because it's hard to tell for sure how they will be received until after you've done all the hard work.

By 2025, the dropshipping industry is expected to generate more than 550 billion US dollars in revenue according to some projections. Every year, billions of consumers acquire new products through dropshipping companies, which has driven many entrepreneurs to set up their own websites and try to profit from this business model.