One of the things I love about the work I do is hearing stories of how entrepreneurs started their ecommerce businesses…especially when they grow them into six-figure online businesses by starting with old pallets!
Most of them never think about growing businesses that big. Some didn’t even think about starting a business at first. Instead, they see something in some store somewhere (or on Pinterest—oh, how I love Pinterest!) and think to themselves, “Gosh dang it! I could make that.”
Like…Laura Hutcheon, for example.
Laura’s story just makes me want to be her when I grow up.
Okay, not really.
Well…maybe a little.
At the very least, it makes me want to shout her story from the rooftops because:
- She tried something. Yes, I said it. Too many people aren’t willing to give something a go, and gosh dang it! She did.
- She saw an opportunity and, with the encouragement of her husband, decided to go for it. (Yay for both of them!)
- She learned the importance of systematizing, simplifying, and seeking out great people who could help her achieve milestones that surprised even her.
C’mon, you’re dying to know all the details, right? Well, download this episode, put in your pods (or buds or knockoff ear whatevers) and take a listen.
How the road to a six-figure business started with old pallets.
To be truthful, the road to Laura’s ecommerce business actually began with a sweet, darling baby. Now with a toddler and a newborn, Laura quit her job as a dental assistant to be a stay-at-home mom in 2010.
Laura loved, loved, LOVED being able to stay at home with them, but living life on one income meant that money was tight. She started looking for jobs that would let her work from home but couldn’t find an option that would let her balance work and family. She continued her search while working to keep her budget in line.
It was when Laura was looking for inexpensive home décor ideas on Pinterest in 2011 that she came across instructions to make signs from pallets. It was a design trend that was just getting started, and she loved it. She decided to make one even though she’d never really done anything like it before.
Her neighbor had an old pallet behind his barn she was able to put to use. She used a crowbar and hammer to break it down (she was NOT messing around!) Sanding, gluing, and stenciling followed.
Laura says that first sign…well…looked horrible.
Still, she was super proud of it and hung it in the master bedroom. Her husband was proud of her too—and told her that he thought she could sell them to people in their small town.
It was a (pallet) sign.
Fortunately, Laura listened to her husband. She snapped a photo of her pallet sign and posted it on Facebook for her friends to see—and orders started rolling in. An ecommerce business was born.
Every sign she created allowed her to refine her technique, and word spread about her products. People started ordering customized pallet signs for their homes, which Laura was able to fulfill using free pallets that businesses around town saved for her.
She learned valuable lessons along the way—including the fact that she needed to charge a reasonable price for her products *****Alert!! Anyone with a handmade craft business needs to learn the same lesson!!!****
Laura moved from local orders on Facebook to an Etsy store. She was swamped with work—and loving it. Come rain or shine, she was busy breaking up pallets, sanding them, and turning them into amazing signs that were in demand. Her ecommerce business continued to grow.
She was creating something people loved, helping build her family’s financial future, and selling products that cost her almost nothing out of pocket to make.
What more could she want?
Yep, that’s a cliffhanger right there.
And spoiler alert: she has an amazing new business—and the story of what happened with her first business is so, so good.
Tune in now to learn the rest.
Top Takeaways
- Invest in yourself.
- Systemize your processes.
- Hire out where you can.
- Find people you can trust to help you.
- Figure out how to simplify your product.
- Let go of the things that you don’t have to do by yourself.
- Talk yourself through it.
- Make your dreams happen.
- Set up your business in a way you can sell it if you want to.
- Stay organized!
