I used to think that every “brand” was supported by its own factory and an army of in-house employees. I was wrong. Branding your own product doesn’t mean you need to design and manufacture it yourself.
Of course, most brands partner with factories, freelancers and agencies for extra support. But many others use white label designs straight from a factory. Here’s how it works:
You find a manufacturer with a product design you like
Add your brand name on it
Sell it as your own
Sometimes there’s simply no need to design a product from scratch. There are plenty of well-designed products out there that just need a brand to sell them.
Where can you source white label products?
You can use sites like Alibaba and AliExpress to find pre-designed products ready for your brand name. No need to invest in product development, which can take months (or sometimes years) before a final sample is ready for production.
This Reddit post shows you how to use Alibaba or AliExpress to build your own brand step-by-step with just $1,000, a little imagination and a healthy amount of drive and ambition.
White labeling gives you so much freedom compared to reselling other brands’ products.
It can be the stepping-stone you need to put your brand on the map — even if you do end up reselling in the future or invest in R&D for products down the line.
1. Building your own brand means having control
When you buy stock from other brands to resell on your website, you’re not in control. They are able to dictate things like:
The price you pay
Whether you can discount it and for how much
How you can and can’t market it
When you start your own brand, you have control. If you source directly from a factory, you can afford to drop prices to undercut competitors, while still making large margins. The tough design decisions have already been made, but you still get to make the product yours by customizing its look and adding your branding.
Where the brand goes in the future is up to you — it’s your adventure!
2. It reduces competition
Selling other brands’ products seems like an easy way to get rich. But often, you end up competing against other companies selling the exact same products. It’s not easy.
When starting your own brand, you’re the only one selling the products with your name on them, so you can build your own reputation.
For example, if I sell Beats headphones, I have to compete against all the big names already selling them. Those bigger companies can undercut me because they buy the headphones in bulk, which means they can sell them at a cheaper price.
So without competitive pricing, I could be crowded out of the market altogether. There’s just no way for a one-person company to achieve meaningful success by selling Beats headphones.
That said, if I launch my own brand of headphones called Nick’s Brilliant Headphones, I’ll still be competing against other companies making headphones. However, I’ll be the only person in the world selling Nick’s Brilliant Headphones.
With proper branding, some good reviews and the ability to maintain a good reputation, I could be on my way to the top.
3. It’s a stepping-stone to success
Perhaps you’ve heard of the popular saying, “Mighty oaks grow from little acorns.” The understanding of this quote means that sometimes something grand can stem from a small venture.
It doesn’t matter if you start out selling water bottles you bought on Alibaba, then rebrand them in your living room. After all, Jeff Bezos started Amazon out of his home.
The biggest brands have humble beginnings. There’s no telling how far you’ll take your brand once you get off the ground.
You could be importing en-masse from factories this year, developing your own products the next and building your own factory in five to ten years. As your brand reaches more people, it’ll gain recognition and loyalty. You’ll be able to take the brand wherever you want from there.
Importing products and adding your brand name to them may seem primitive, but it’s the first step to success and ownership over your future.
4. You can become the distributor
Today, you might approach Beats by Dre to resell their products. But instead, imagine if people approached you to sell your product?
You still get a cut of every sale, but you also get the following perks:
Increased brand exposure
Added benefit of a new revenue stream
No burden of selling to customers all by yourself
You can go from begging other brands to let you work with them to the person whose products everyone else wants to stock.
I know several companies whose products are stocked in brick-and-mortar stores — and they all tell me it adds cushy extra income. There are always people who prefer to shop in a store or buy important last minute purchases in-person so they don’t have to wait for delivery.
5. Increase profits by cutting out the middlemen
If you resell products from an existing brand, you pay a wholesale fee to them. This helps cover their margin, plus the cost of the product, but may leave you with a lower profit.
If you start your own brand and sell it online, you only pay the manufacturing costs and any import and shipping fees.
That wholesale fee you would’ve paid another brand is money in your pocket.
You can then afford to undercut other sellers of similar products, while still maintaining a great margin.
It’s time to build your own brand
There are many merits to selling other people’s products. But the advantages speak for themselves when you have:
Time
Determination
Personal drive to start and build your own brand
And with white labeling, it’s easy to get started with a small investment.
Save the time and effort of marketing someone else’s products and promote your own instead. It could be the start to your brand becoming a household name.
Have thoughts on building a brand? Share them in the comments!
While lots of people are interested in taking up side hustles, far fewer actually succeed with them. What’s one sign a side hustle will likely do well, and why is that such a good indication of its success?
These answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at yec.co.
1. It Breeds Consistency
A side hustle that’ll likely do well is the one that breeds consistency. There’s no such thing as overnight success; you’ll fail multiple times until you reach your goal. The reason most side hustles don’t make it is that people quit midway and don’t see things through. If you don’t mind giving 100% despite failing at something multiple times, you’ll eventually find a way to turn things around.
One strong indication of a side hustle’s potential success is when it’s based on your area of expertise. When you share what you’re good at, not only do you have the chance to earn extra income, but you also deepen your understanding of the subject. Teaching requires exploring every aspect of your craft, keeping you engaged and pushing you to improve continuously.
A side hustle will likely do well if there is a clear and well-defined business plan outlining the goals, strategies, target market, financial projections and operational details of the side hustle. It helps the side hustler stay focused, make informed decisions and navigate challenges effectively. A well-structured plan shows that the side hustler has thoroughly thought through their venture.
Is it a job or a passion project? Are you pursuing it for the dollars it will bring? Or are you pursuing it because you enjoy it? In order for any venture to be successful, you need to invest your time, energy and commitment. If you’re not enjoying it, you won’t pursue it for long enough. Choose a side hustle that doesn’t feel like a hustle! Success and money will follow.
Side hustles that can be automated and run on low overhead costs are more likely to succeed. A side hustle should only take up a maximum of five to 10 hours a week, and anything longer starts to creep into part-time job territory. Try to generate a positive return on investment using a sustainable revenue plan within three to six months before you worry about scaling or investing more money.
If you can define a unique value proposition for your side hustle, you’ll know that you can achieve success from it. Look for ways your users can benefit from your product or service. Is it different from your competitors? Does it offer a unique solution to solve the pain points of your users? These are a couple questions that can help you identify your unique value proposition.
A promising sign of a successful side hustle is consistent, increasing customer interest and engagement. Whether through sales, inquiries or social media interactions, sustained customer engagement indicates your offering resonates with people. It’s a practical metric of market validation, which is crucial to the longevity and success of any business venture.
8. It Combines a Growing Trends With Your Own Interests
A side hustle will likely do well when it encompasses a growing trend that happens to coincide with one of your interests. Starting a side hustle may sound fascinating, but people often don’t give 100% to it. But when it aligns with your interests, work becomes fun. So, you’re more likely to commit to it even after a busy day at work, day in and day out. That’s what ensures its success.
People often take up side hustles without careful consideration, and that’s one of the major reasons they don’t succeed. Market research is very important and provides you with relevant insights to make informed decisions. So, you should consider different factors such as market demand and competition along with careful analysis of your available resources before getting started.
A key factor for a successful side hustle is its “expandability and longevity.” If your venture can grow without a significant increase in effort or resources, it’s likely to thrive. Also, it’s crucial that your side hustle isn’t a fleeting trend but addresses a long-term need. This balance ensures your side hustle can evolve over time, providing a steady income and satisfaction.
Your business plan is the document to help you go from idea to execution. You’ll likely depend on your business plan to organize your thoughts, strategize for success and stay focused. You might also write a business plan to secure funding.
If you want to write a winning business plan, read this comprehensive guide. We’re sharing step-by-step tips on how to write a business plan.
What is a business plan?
A business plan is a document that you use to strategize for your business’ future. The business plan includes an overview of your business, its goals and your marketing strategy. The document will also include financial forecasting.
Need help deciding on a business to start? Check out this list of small business ideas that are easy to launch on a low budget. You might also consider other online business ideas that require minimal upfront investments.
In this article:business plan
Why do you need a business plan
You need a business plan to outline your business goals and the strategy to achieve them. Your business plan is also your first opportunity to create something tangible from your ideas. By putting ideas on paper, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to properly think through your plan and vet its likely effectiveness for business success.
Outside of your personal reasons for writing a business plan, you will need this document if you need to convince funders or investors that your business is legitimate and likely to return a profit. You would be expected to provide investors with a well-thought-out business plan demonstrating market awareness and financial planning.
How to write a business plan
If you’re ready to get stuck in and write your business plan, the next steps will greatly help. You want to be thorough at every step, especially if you’re sharing the plan with potential stakeholders. But remember, this is your business; your plan will be unique to you.
1. Create an executive summary
Your executive summary is essentially your first impression to investors. In a few sentences, it needs to grab attention and explain what you/your business does. It wants to grab the reader’s attention, so they’re compelled to read on.
2. Describe your company
Your business plan will include a description of your company. Think about your elevator pitch and write your company description into your plan. Be very clear here, think about what you do, who you do it for, and exactly what problem you are solving.
You’re likely not the first person to create a company solving a particular problem for your audience, so try and detail what it is that makes your company stand out.
3. Introduce team members
If you have any particularly credible or expert team members, be sure to introduce them within your business plan. Write a short bio with key credentials and how they contribute to your new business.
4. State your company goals
Every business needs goals, and deciding exactly what yours are might not be so obvious. Yes, your company needs to make a profit, but the goals need to be broken down into more measurable and actionable steps.
Start with desired business goals. Then decide what you need to achieve to make each goal a success. For example, for your company to meet your projected revenue goal, then what do you need to achieve? What marketing goals does the business need to meet to satisfy business goals?
5. Detail values and a mission statement
Of course, your business is here to make money and provide the lifestyle that you want. When writing a business plan, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the data and the money, but your why is the lifeblood of your business.
Take some time to create a page that digs into the meaningful element of your business. What larger problem are you trying to solve? What values will you hold the business to? How will you create a truly meaningful layer within your business?
This section should be very useful for you as a business owner since this is what will keep you going. But, it can also be used to help onboard a team later and better understand your connection with your audience.
6. List products or services
When you write your business plan, you must include your products or services.
Within this section, write:
What the product or service is
How it helps your audience
How it stands out in the marketplace
For product-based businesses, include:
A brief introduction to costs (you’ll expand on this later)
Where products are sourced
Quantity of products owned
7. Do market research
Every business must conduct market research. You need to think about the local market and if you’re starting an online business, you must consider the digital market. You may have different competitors in each marketplace.
It’s crucial that you can develop comprehensive market research that shows a deep understanding of competitors and your place amongst them.
Your market research will help you determine if your business venture is justified and also act as support to your proposition which is especially useful when pitching to investors.
The market research section will help you see where the gaps are between your business and competitors, and it will form the beginning of your sales and marketing plan as you strategize to close the gap on leading competitors.
8. Create a marketing and sales plan
Your marketing and sales plan will generally be built from your competitor research. You can use competitive data to get a feel for what’s working. However, it’s important to remember that your brand and its audience are unique.
Also, when it comes to marketing, you are better off doing less better than trying to do more poorly, so you must factor in your budgets.
Your marketing plan should be in support of the business goals outlined previously. Your marketing plan should have a clear goal and a strategy to help achieve it. As a business owner, you are not necessarily expected to know the ins and outs of marketing, so if you need support here, you can get it. You may need to reach out to your marketing team or other professionals who can help you decipher what the business needs to succeed.
9. Create a financial projection
When it comes down to it, finances determine a successful business from an unsuccessful one.
If you’re seeking investment, your financial forecast is everything. If there’s one thing that investors need to know very clearly is the financial estimations and performance of your business over time.
In your projection, plan for:
Sales
Expenses including wages
Pricing of products and/or services
Contingency for unexpected finances
10. Add an appendix
It’s not enough to simply write a business plan; every claim you make needs to be well-documented and supported. So, include an appendix.
Your appendix is a compilation of supporting documentation and/or evidence. Items that might be included in the appendix include:
Resumes of key team members
Documentation supporting your market research and analysis. If your plan summarizes findings, include the marketing research and data here.
Legal documents, such as incorporation papers, patents, or trademarks
Marketing materials, such as brochures or flyers
Customer testimonials or case studies. New businesses might not have this, but if you have conducted research or focus groups, you can include findings here.
Product prototypes or lab tests if you have them
Any other relevant supporting documentation that was referenced in the main body of the plan.
Business plan format
There are three types of business plans, traditional, lean, and nonprofit. Whilst this article focuses primarily on the most common business plan format, the traditional plan, it helps to know what might be involved in other formats.
Traditional
The traditional format provides a detailed business overview and is useful for presenting to investors or lenders. In a traditional plan, you will likely write more than you would in a lean plan. Some businesses might opt for a traditional plan and then create a lean version for specific functions.
Lean
The lean business plan format is, as you would expect, a leaner (simplified) version of a traditional business plan. The lean business plan format includes the most critical aspects of the business. If you’re writing a lean business plan and you want to pitch to investors, then you must include key sections like market analysis, revenue forecasts, etc.
Nonprofit
The nonprofit business plan is similar to the traditional business plan, but naturally, it differs as it includes items that are required to run a nonprofit organization. For example, if you were writing a nonprofit business plan, you would likely include all elements of the traditional plan, plus fundraising and development, governance, and financials.
You may also have research from the local area you’re serving to help with that market analysis section. Your aim will be to prove that there’s a public need for your nonprofit.
Tips for writing a small business plan
Before you start writing your small business plan, read through these tips that might not be so obvious.
Use a business plan template.
Business plans are not new, so why not start with a tried and tested template? There’s plenty of space to turn the template into something unique that feels like yours. Using a template avoids overwhelm and provides structure. Check out this free business plan template you can download and customize in a cinch.
Write for yourself, not just investors.
Your business plan is yours. Writing your business plan is your chance to organize your thoughts and get your ideas on paper. Upon completion, you should feel satisfied with your robust roadmap to success. Of course, consider your audience and investors and give them everything they need, but don’t forget to satisfy your own intent. Remember the business plan formats; you can always start with a traditional plan for you, then provide the investors with the lean version.
Demonstrate what makes you unique.
You’re likely joining a busy marketplace, and you want to go in ready to disrupt and stand out. Clearly articulate what sets your business apart from the competition, and explain why customers should choose your products or services.
Use concrete data and examples.
Your business plan is no longer your place to dream. Writing your plan takes dreams and helps you turn them into something tangible and achievable. Within the business plan, you should be able to support your ideas with concrete data and real-world examples. You need to prove to yourself – and investors – that this business is viable.
Be realistic in your projections.
As above, writing your business plan is about creating something achievable, You must be realistic with your projections. Whilst being optimistic is exciting — and you can still be optimistic — you must be realistic in your plan.
Realistic projects are better for you mentally, too. If you’re more likely to achieve your goals, you’re less likely to get overwhelmed. Plus, goals that are not realistic will heap pressure on you and your team, and that’s the last thing a new business needs.
Business plan FAQ
Here are your most asked questions, answered.
How do I write a simple business plan?
You will write a simple business plan if you keep focused and aim to be thorough but concise. Aim to cover all important aspects and don’t over-plan. Focus on shorter time frames and be realistic about what can be done. Rely on research and data to help shape the plan.
Can I write a business plan myself?
Yes, you can write a business plan yourself. That said, if your plan covers areas of business where you’re not so strong, you might need support.
How long should a business plan be?
Your business plan will be as long as it needs to be, but the aim here is to create something thorough but concise. As a guide, aim for around 15 to 20 pages.
How long should it take to write a business plan?
Writing your business plan will probably take a few days, but you’ll need to do a lot of research behind the scenes. You also need to step away from the plan, return and edit it to ensure it is accurate and void of errors. A business plan should take three months from beginning to end.
Chelsea Guffy recently began a side hustle as a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations.
“I thought to myself, ‘Okay, this could be something really cool,’ Guffy said when a friend she helped advise on a Disney vacation suggested she do it as a job.
This is Chelsea Guffy’s story, as told to writer Jamie Killin.
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This is an as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chelsea Guffy, who recently began a side hustle as a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Last year, I noticed on social media that one of my sorority sisters had started working as a travel agent on a lot of Disney vacations and working for a travel agency called ET Family Travel.
I had a Disney vacation coming up that November, and I had already booked the whole thing but I had asked her if she could get me dining reservations, because those are the hardest thing to get at Disney World, and she agreed. She helped me get all the dining reservations that I wanted.
Then she said to me, “Chelsea, you know Disney in and out. You should come on as an agent.” So, I thought about it, and come the new year I thought to myself, “Okay, this could be something really cool.” I joined the team and I fell in love with it.
Travel is just in my blood, and I love booking vacations for my family, so it was a no-brainer.
I grew up in Florida about two hours away from Disney World and grew up going.
The first time I went, I was probably three weeks old. I’ve always had a love for travel – I studied abroad in college, and when I was growing up my family would take trips at least once a year to different places all over the country.
Travel is just in my blood, and I love booking vacations for my family, so it was a no-brainer that I’d like doing it for other people.
The agency I work for focuses on Disney and family-friendly trips, so most agents focus on theme park vacations. However, we do all kinds of travel. I mainly focused on Disney at first, but then I got requests from my friends, so I decided to branch out.
I did a United Kingdom trip for a friend of mine in June, and now I’m doing another UK trip as well as a New York trip. I’ve also helped with California trips and even staycations.
My clientele is primarily my friends and people in my network, but now I’ve had two clients who I did not know previously – one reached out to me through my social media, and another was a referral through the agency.
I’m able to help my clients save a lot of time. I have a lot of knowledge; while they might need months to plan a trip, I can do it for them in three weeks. Sometimes I also find lower prices for them.
I also make sure to tell my clients that this is my second job and that I have a full-time job. I try to give as much time to my clients as I can – but I make sure to set expectations.
I do also get benefits like free Disney tickets and discounts at hotels.
As a side hustle, it’s nice to have the extra cash. I am an independent contractor who makes money based on commissions from the theme parks and hotels. There can also be perks from vendors we work with, which is a benefit for a travel enthusiast like myself.
The amount of time I spend on the job varies, but I average 12 to 15 hours a week in addition to my full-time job. I start as soon as my son goes to bed, so 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. are my prime. It works because I’m a person that likes to be busy – we’re always go, go, go.
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