SURPRISE, I’ve been working the last three months on building and launching my very own online shop: Shop Jenna Kutcher. It’s been something we’ve been pretty quiet about, only hinting about projects behind the scenes, but I’ve been a content machine getting everything ready for launch and my gosh, whenever I go to launch something new it just feels like CHRISTMAS!
So why an online shop? Well, I’ve had a “form” of a shop for a few years but that was just passively selling my artwork and to be honest, I haven’t updated my listings in well over a year. I realized it was a fun side gig but I wanted to serve the world in a bigger way.
Tune in to the podcast to hear the story of how the shop came to be and the (many) changes the vision went through before we landed on the final product!
Launching an online shop has helped me with staying in alignment with bigger goals, mission, and how we want to show up in the world.
Tips for launching your online shop:
Focus first and foremost on building your email list
If you don’t focus first on building an audience and capturing their emails (so you can keep in touch) you won’t have anyone to launch to. Also make sure to then make sure to capture new email addresses as people purchase from your shop as well! Consider offering a discount for signing up for your email list as a pop-up as another means to build that list.
Don’t let the tech stress you out and keep you from getting off the ground
You have many options here including outsourcing to someone who knows what they are doing (which is worth every penny). Also consider keeping it simple. We went with a Shopify site and it has been such an seamless process.
Poll your audience
I feel like I’m saying this over and over again, but it’s true – ask the actual people that you’re creating for what they need from you! If you’re in one of my Facebook groups, you’ve likely noticed me reaching out more regularly and hopefully are seeing products fitting the needs you expressed there!
Break it up in bite sized pieces
When we first started creating for the shop, it was a challenge to break my material up into smaller pieces to hit a lower price point. We’ve been so used to giving people everything in my courses, so narrowing the topic and delivering very targeted content was something different for us!
Tease before you launch
You may have noticed me dropping hints of this new shop I’ve been working on the last few months (it’s hard not to share because we’re so excited!). Leading up to a launch is a great way to build momentum and excitement from your followers.
Consider electronic downloads vs. physical products
This is something we’ve debated extensively within my team. One isn’t better than the other, there’s just a lot to consider and pros and cons of each.