I’ve had more businesses fail than ones that have worked. But the successful businesses paid for the failed ones many times over.

Discussing my e-commerce journey, I'm often asked:

“How did you build and sell multiple brands?”

“Where do the ideas come from?”

“Did you like, actually, create the products yourself?”

I didn't reinvent the wheel for any business. Instead, I identified a unique competitive edge for each, which shaped the brand's entire strategy.

The competitive edge could be a fresh twist on an existing product (like our yoga mat below), adding the ability to customize, or having a better price point.

It's not always about creating something entirely new, but about finding a niche or angle that hasn't been fully tapped into or addressed in the current market.

I begin by researching on Amazon, Etsy, and Pinterest. The goal? Find products that add value, even if it's as simple as making someone smile (boom, value-added).

Products are listed on a Google sheet before deep diving into reviews, forums like Reddit and Quora, and direct conversations to refine the idea.

I work with my design team (hired from Upwork) to create product prototypes and specs that I send to suppliers.

I use Alibaba or Global Sources to reach out to multiple suppliers. I want to make the product for 20-40% of what it will sell for on my store to ensure I have enough money to spend on marketing.

If the products fall within this price range, I continue working with designers to create more “mock-ups” of the products. I make them attractive and eye-catching.

I haven’t spent $1 on inventory yet—just a few hundred dollars on designer fees.

I launch Meta and TikTok ads for my products I haven’t made yet.

I drive people to my Shopify store, where they can pre-purchase my products.

Within the first $1000 of tested ad spend, I gauge whether or not a product/brand has potential based on how people engage with my ads, how frequently people click through my ads to my site (CTR), and how many people buy from my store (conversion rate).

If the results are promising, I scale up. I expand my winning products, create more ads and landing pages, and improve my site conversion rate and average order value.

In summary, I go to the market first and let them tell me whether or not I have a good idea. So often, founders think they have an amazing idea, but the market tells them otherwise.

The same methodology can be used when developing a second or third product line after the initial launch. Always test before making assumptions (this is true with EVERYTHING e-commerce).

This method is one of many ways to launch a new business.

But if you are bootstrapped and only have a few thousand dollars to spend when starting, this is as good as any place to start.

Have you tried a similar approach, or are you considering launching a new product? Drop your experiences or questions below.

An example of a fresh twist on an existing product that we made.