Claudia’s Story: From A Digital Newbie To Generating Over $5000 Online
Today, we’re catching up with power-woman Claudia who’s gone from “never even using social media” to learning all about the digital world! She can now build websites, design images, and is selling her stock online across multiple countries. She’s an incredible inspiration for us all and demonstrates just how much we can learn when we focus.
If you’re wondering whether the “online world” might be too technical for you – Claudia learned it all, with zero experience. She even helped her friend take her art business online by creating her website. Now, her friend is selling art in New York – something which never would have happened had she not embraced the online world.
If you’d like to learn more about her journey, keep on reading below… but before we get into the juicy questions, you can meet Claudia in the short video below!
Let’s start with a bit about who you are and how you got into ImportXperts?
I joined the SFM back in 2017 because I wanted to learn about digital marketing. For me, I didn’t join because I wanted to quit my day-job; it was more because I felt there was a big opportunity which I didn’t know very much about…and I was just intrigued more than anything!
The other reason I joined was because I was interested in the freedom of working for myself; I wanted the option of having more time.
After my father passed away in 2015, my mother then fell very ill. She ended up in a coma & needed intensive care for months. My biggest fear has always been of losing the people I love, and suddenly I’d almost lost them both. While caring for my mom, I was juggling a full-time job (which included a lot of travel). It made me realize that I wanted to have more time available to spend with the people I love.
That’s why I then joined ImportXperts in 2019. I have a background working in sales so I thought eCommerce might be a good fit for me. I’ve always done a lot of buying-and-selling, so I was interested in learning how I could do this online.
So how has eCommerce been for you since you began?
It’s been a real rollercoaster of a journey with lots of highs and lows – but it’s always been fun. My personal journey has also been massive. Before ImportXperts, I’d never used social media and barely knew anything about the digital world. Now, I’m often posting on Facebook & Mentors and I’ve learned all about Amazon. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in such a short period of time.
The best moment which I’ll never forget was making that first sale. It sounds crazy as I’ve generated over $80m for my day job… but when I sold my first product for $20 – I almost started crying! It was proof that the process works and gave me such a boost of motivation.
How have the sales been?
The sales in Q4 were really good… Some people even ordered three units at once! They slowed a bit in January and then corona hit, but the boom of online shopping meant that I sold out of my stock faster than I anticipated. I’ve been trying to restock as quickly as possible so that I’m not sold out for too long.
What part have you enjoyed the most?
The imagery is definitely my favorite part! One of the other ImportXperts members, Amanda, helped me with my hero image by photographing my product in a beautiful setting, and then I designed the other images myself on Canva. I really enjoy designing all the images myself.
Have there been any challenges that almost led to you throwing the towel in?
Oh yes! I’ve had a few hurdles along the way… As soon as I launched my first product, I was immediately shut down! I was very unlucky in that Amazon Germany had just introduced some new tax forms and so all German sellers needed to complete the forms in order to be allowed to sell.
However, I did my research on YouTube and within 2 days, I had the tax form completed and submitted to Amazon. It all went through ok and I was finally up-and-running!
I’ve also had my Amazon listing “hijacked”. This was when someone claimed to sell my product but for a lower price – encouraging my buyers to buy from them over me. I overcame that challenge by contacting the other seller to say I’d report them to Amazon if they didn’t stop selling my product…Luckily it worked and they left me alone!
How have you kept your motivation up through the harder times?
I have an incredible support network. My husband is my biggest supporter and he is always very encouraging. I also have an accountability partner and we call each other whenever we’re going through low times. It definitely helps to talk it through with someone else.
I know that there will always be ups and downs. So if I experience a down, it won’t be forever. Failure only happens when you completely quit – and I’m not a quitter. I just come back the next day with a fresh pair of eyes and try again.
Is that why you’ve started offering mentoring calls to other members?
Yes exactly, I want to help other members stay accountable and give them support – especially if they feel nervous to ask questions.
Time management is one of the big challenges which many members seem to face; and that’s one area where I’d love to help, based on my experiences. I know how easy it can be to get distracted by YouTube or Instagram, so I want to help people cut out these distractions.
I am quite good at structuring my day and have always applied certain strategies to help me to achieve my goals – be it in my day job, in my Amazon-business, or in fitness. And I do whatever it takes to get there – as I know why I am doing it and I have a plan.
Also, I know that some members don’t have English as their first language and so it can be a bit scary asking questions on webinars. As I’m German, I’ve been there! So I wanted to offer a safe space for people to ask their questions – however slowly they like!
Success often comes from setting the right plan and being persistent – that’s why I’d like to help other members make their own plans and hopefully, give them a little bit of extra support to stay accountable.
Have you learned anything along the way, which you wish you had known from the start?
I should have been more mindful of the initial cost price of my product.
Jay mentions this in the training videos but I didn’t have a big enough profit margin. I ended up spending too much on PPC advertising as my aCos was around 65% so it would have been great to have been more aware of the numbers from the beginning.
So what’s next for your business?
My goal is to have 3 products live and selling by the end of this year, so I’m currently in the middle of sourcing two new products.
I’m also in the process of opening an Amazon UAE account. As the market has recently launched, I’m going to send a small batch of products there to test the market.
Things have been a bit delayed due to the current global situation but I’m hoping to catch up in the second part of this year!
What are some of your ultimate goals and aspirations for your business?
I’m looking to generate at least $10k in revenue each month from my products. And the overall aim is to make enough money from my online business to replace my income.
I love waking up every day and seeing the number of sales made overnight – it really is true when they say:
The money is coming in while you’re sleeping…and that’s amazing!
And finally, what words of wisdom do you have to offer someone looking to start an eCommerce business?
Make sure you have set aside enough money for your launch and don’t be afraid to spend. You need to allow for reviews, advertising, imagery, and then restocking. I’d recommend having $5000 – of course, you can do it all cheaper but you get what you pay for, and I believe it’s all an investment. If you pay once for amazing imagery, there’s more chance you’ll make 10x more sales – and that, in my opinion, is worth it.
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We hope you’ve enjoyed reading Claudia’s story. She’s a testament to what we can achieve when we really focus. If you’d like to book a motivational chat with Claudia,
If you’re interested in launching an online business like Claudia, just apply by clicking on the link below:
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