While no two businesses are exactly the same, there are common steps entrepreneurs and potential business owners must take before opening the doors of a new company.

When it comes to launching a new business venture, the intrepid entrepreneur spirit hasn’t suffered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a record 5.4 million new business applications were filed in 2021. It may be the right time for you, too, to embark on starting a new company. Before doing this, however, there are essential steps entrepreneurs need to take.

1. Identify a creative idea.

The most successful businesses all started from the same place: an idea. Think of a business idea as the seed of your company. You need that before you can begin adding fertilizer, watering and growing complementary plants. In other words, before you can do all the steps below, make sure you have a solid idea for your new company – it’s what your business hinges on. What is a unique service you can provide? Where is there a gap in the marketplace that you can fill? Consider these cheap business ideas for inspiration.

2. Write a business plan.

After identifying a business idea, experts agree that writing a business plan is the next step you should take. Creating a business plan displays a genuine level of commitment, but it also forces prospective business owners to answer essential and sometimes challenging questions at the start of the development process. A business plan is also the first thing any potential investor will request. It will give them a detailed overview of your proposed business venture, your level of industry expertise and understanding of the opportunity, and the financial requirements and potential upside. 

3. Choose a legal structure.

Selecting the proper legal structure for your business at the outset is critical, especially since it’s not an easy change to make after the fact. Each type of legal entity comes with specific requirements and restrictions, and only certain types of corporations may apply to your particular business needs. If you need help, a corporate attorney or experienced business accountant can offer timely and accurate advice for creating the proper legal structure for your proposed company.

4. Get your business registration, licenses and tax identification.

Once your business structure is in place, you need to register your business and obtain the correct licenses, taxpayer identification number (TIN) and employer identification number (EIN). There are various resources to assist with business names, filing incorporation paperwork, obtaining necessary licenses and registrations with your local municipality, and getting your federal tax information squared away. Aside from the IRS for federal tax matters, regional corporation commissions (typically at the county level) can assist any new business owner with meeting the regulatory requirements for each locale around the country. If you’re planning on hiring staff to help run your business, you’ll also need to apply for a federal tax ID or an EIN. Having an EIN will protect you and your identity, allow you to file business taxes separate from your personal taxes and help establish credit for your business.

5. Know your competition and the marketplace.

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of competition. It allows business owners to innovate and evolve their products and services continuously. Knowing your business’s market, what your competition is doing and how your company fits into this landscape is critical in establishing your business. Including this information in your business plan will showcase your thorough knowledge of the industry for your proposed company. Without this information, no serious investor will rise to the occasion, and it will be hard to stand out in the marketplace. Know your industry, know your competition and understand how your business will become a differentiator in the market.

6. Finance your business.

Unless you’re an accountant, have a degree in finances or are a sophisticated investor, you’ll need some help nailing down this part of your pre-launch planning. Investors will want to know how much money your company will have to begin with and how much it will need in the future. Regardless of where your revenue will come from, list it in your business plan. Will you use your credit cards and home equity to start? Will you need a loan to get started? Are you willing to give up a percentage of your ownership in exchange for cash? Will you have sales the day you open your door? These are all critical questions to address.

Tip: Find out the best business loan and financing options so you can make an educated decision on how to finance your new business.

No matter how you plan to finance your business, include that information in your business plan. There are many investors out there, and they’ve seen it all. Don’t assume that no one will invest just because you aren’t also bringing some capital to the table. Investors typically want to know three things:

• How much?
• For how long?
• What is the exit strategy?

7. Identify and secure a location.

Whether it’s a home office or an entire building in an industrial park, you need to know where your business will be located before you launch it. Prior to your first day of operations, you’ll want to have the following in place:

• Phone and internet service
• Business directory listings
• Utilities
• Lease or purchase agreement for your workspace

If you haven’t identified or secured a location for your business before meeting with investors, don’t fret. Investors, bankers and legal counsel generally don’t see the lack of a specific location early on as a dealbreaker or red flag.

8. Get proper insurance.

Selecting the right business insurance for your company is not a decision to make lightly. There are several types of insurance to consider, including health, auto, directors and officers, liability, performance bond, travel (including AD&D) and life. In addition to understanding the differences between the available options, it’s important to identify any local regulations that might require your type of business to carry certain types of insurance. For example, if you’re starting a carpentry or plumbing company, you’ll need liability insurance, which typically isn’t necessary for businesses in other industries. Learn what else you need to keep in mind when choosing business insurance.

9. Obtain legal counsel.

Whether you want to have in-house counsel or hire an attorney as needed, your business needs to have access to legal advice. You may need legal representation specializing in corporate, tax, intellectual property, labor, or international law. Wherever regulatory requirements demand compliance, asking a lawyer to review and sign off on this part of your business will save you time and money and protect you from potential legal ramifications.

10. Establish a web presence.

In addition to securing your business’s physical location, you’ll also need to establish a virtual presence on the web. First, you’ll want to register a domain name that matches your business’s name so you’re ready to build your website when the time comes. Then, once you’re ready to develop your website, research the options available to ensure you’re selecting the best website builder that will meet your immediate needs and be able to support your desired functionality in the future, such as online ordering capabilities. Enlist the help of an SEO expert before starting so that they can ensure your website’s design and content are fully optimized. You may also want to consider the cost of starting an online business when deciding which kind of company to start.

Tip: In addition to a website, set up accounts to build a social media presence for your business. A consistent username across all of your preferred social channels will build credibility for your business. Read more about the importance of social media for small businesses.

11. Use local and national business resources.

There are plenty of local, county and national resources to make sure your business name is available, verify the legal structure you’ve chosen is correct and in compliance with location-specific ordinances, and advise on the different business loan options and other funds available to entrepreneurs. You can also refer to resources provided by your local corporation commission, the Small Business Administration and the IRS throughout the planning process.

12. Create a marketing plan.

Writing a marketing plan that complements your overall business plan will help ensure your new business’s success. A fully optimized website should be at the center of your marketing plan, even if you’re planning a brick-and-mortar business. Review these additional tips for creating a marketing strategy for your business.

Wrapping Up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

The article originates from: https://www.business.com/articles/10-things-you-must-do-before-starting-a-business/

TikTok has seen explosive growth in recent years. It has not only become a destination for fun hashtag challenges and viral music trends, it also offers brands the opportunity to attract customers using TikTok for ecommerce.

Brands are recognizing how important it is to jump on this exploding global trend. That’s because no other social media platform has the level of engagement that TikTok earns from its users. Whether you’re a business owner selling your own products, an influencer monetizing your personal brand, or an affiliate entrepreneur partnering with businesses, TikTok is worth the investment.

In this guide, we’ll look at why you should consider TikTok for your ecommerce brand, along with tips to make the most of your presence on the platform and real examples of businesses winning on TikTok.

Why should you use TikTok for ecommerce?

TikTok is part of a larger trend of retail social commerce, an industry expected to reach $80 billion in the US by 2025. While this industry was growing on its own, TikTok has made a unique and significant contribution. This is especially because of the natural tendency of its users to engage in social shopping.

Take for example the viral hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. Since its birth, the hashtag has generated 60 billion views (as of the time of this writing)—and it’s used by consumers, partners, and brands to discover new products and jump on hot trends.

Benefits of TikTok for business

Part of its success is that TikTok harmonizes a few key elements that make it stand out from other social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat:

• Video content that’s short, snappy, and bingeable (though longer videos have also been introduced with success)
• A fun, lighthearted, authentic, and sometimes “messy” feel that isn’t overproduced and doesn’t have a salesy undertone
• A huge emphasis on trends, adding to its cultural relevance
• Appeals to a broad demographic. While Gen Z makes up the majority of TikTok users, other demographics are also increasingly becoming users of the platform.

Attracting TikTok users to retail stores

TikTok has made its mark on brick-and-mortar businesses too. For example, Indigo Books and Music, one of the largest bookstores in Canada, says that TikTok helped generate a “new demand lifecycle.” The company even included TikTok in a quarterly earnings report.

You can find versions of an “As Seen on TikTok” section in several big retailers, like Ulta, Barnes & Noble, and Trader Joe’s.

Another example is ice cream artist Dylan Lemay. His account originally started with videos of him throwing perfect scoops at his Cold Stone Creamery job. After Dylan saw some success, he started traveling and working in ice cream shops around the country. Now, he has more than 11 million followers—and opened his own retail ice cream shop in summer 2022. 

7 ways to grow your audience and increase sales with TikTok

1. Lead with entertainment, not a sales pitch
2. Strive for virality
3. Set up TikTok Shop to sell directly to fans
4. Engage your community through TikTok’s special features
5. Partner with influencers in your industry
6. Get more traction with TikTok ads or promoted posts
7. Use affiliate links to promote products and partners

Now that you know how incredible TikTok can be for brands, it’s time to get your hands dirty. These tips will help you build a TikTok ecommerce strategy, start creating content, reach your target audience, and publish TikTok videos that convert.

1. Lead with entertainment, not a sales pitch

Don’t just repurpose all your boring marketing content to TikTok. This is a unique social media platform with a certain “personality” to its posts. Even if you’re regularly churning out content for other channels, take some time to get to know the platform’s quirks and trends.

Dig deep into what your peers, competitors, and potential customers are looking at and talking about. Stay on top of what’s trending, including memes and popular hashtag challenges. And remember: Have fun with it. TikTokers log in to learn, explore, and discover—but above all else, they want to be entertained.

The more fun and engaging your content, the more likely you are to hit glorious viral TikTok status with one or more of your posts. If your brand voice permits, get silly with it. Consider the brand Habit. Among other fun strategies, Habit likes to make meme videos using its products as the stars. This one is inspired by a trending TikTok sound from the Netflix series Inventing Anna. 

2. Strive for virality 

Let’s be real. The ultimate goal here is to create viral content that makes it across the globe and garners attention for your brand. Generally speaking, a surge of attention almost always equates to a surge in sales—whether it’s a quick, temporary pop or a sustained boost in your numbers.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to go viral thanks to some coveted user-generated content (UCG). This is where a user creates content that includes your brand or products. You can encourage customers to post UGC with incentives like discounts and other perks.

A great example of UGC is the story of catnip product Cat Crack: a video a user posted of their cat going crazy over the product gained more than 20 million views.

After the viral moment Cat Crack sales jumped from 510 units on January 10, 2021 to 2,673 units two days later.

3. Set up TikTok Shop to sell directly to fans

If you run an online store, consider adding TikTok as a sales channel. Many social media platforms offer ecommerce features, and TikTok is no exception. As a business account, you can apply to TikTok Shop and get features like a shopping tab on your profile, live shopping, and paid advertising.

Creating video shopping ads lets you insert product links directly into engaging content. This makes it an effective ecommerce tool. Your ecommerce brand benefits from setting up a TikTok store because of the way the social media platform has become a destination for product discovery and the genesis of trending products. 

4. Use TikTok features to connect with potential customers

TikTok has several features that create a direct communication channel with your viewers to learn more about them and build more meaningful connections.

One of them is the Q&A feature, which allows your audience to ask you questions directly through your profile, in the comment section of a video, or during a TikTok LIVE. Try having users ask you questions about you, your brand, and specific products you offer or promote.

Two other community-building features are Sitch and Duet. Stitch lets you “stitch” another user’s video into yours. Duet plays another user’s video next to yours in split-screen format. These tools have great viral potential. For example, sports brand Puma used Duet to feature another user’s viral TikTok fail. Puma then created a TikTok challenge to make their own Puma latte art while riding the wave of a viral video.

5. Partner with influencers in your industry

Like any other social platform, TikTok influencer marketing can be a boon for your ecommerce store. While there are thousands of creators ready to work with brands, make sure the influencers you choose—and the audiences that follow them—are aligned with your products. This will ensure that the sponsored content feels authentic.

A great place to start is TikTok’s Creator Marketplace. It’s a “matchmaking service” to help brands find the right influencers. Since this tool was developed exactly with this purpose in mind, you’ll find helpful features like creator discovery, campaign management, and reporting. There are a number of other marketplaces to find and connect with influencers, including Shopify Collabs.

Find influencers to drive sales with Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs makes it easy to partner with creators, promote your products, reach new customers, grow your sales, and track affiliate campaign performance all from Shopify admin.Discover Shopify Collabs

There are plenty of ways to partner with an influencer, such as:

• Have them create and post TikTok videos that include them using, promoting, and/or reviewing your products
• Invite them to host a contest or giveaway featuring your products as the prize
• Let them do a “takeover” of your brand’s account for a day or week make sure you take safety precautions and choose an influencer you can trust)
• Ask them to push their audience to your TikTok storefront
• Compensate them with free products, affiliate commissions, and/or a more straightforward cash-per-post arrangement

6. Get more traction with TikTok ads or promoted posts

Creating organic marketing content and building your following this way can be a lot of work. If you have extra budget and you’d like a boost to help reach your goals faster, TikTok ads or promoted posts are great options.

TikTok ads work much like ads on other social media platforms. Using the Shopify TikTok app, you create campaigns with specific objectives, then build your ads within them. Once the ads are live, use the dashboard in Shopify to track their performance and optimize.

If you don’t want to invest in full ad campaigns, you can promote individual posts. The Promote feature is fairly straightforward. Choose your budget and duration, as well as a few other settings, including whether you’re interested in getting more views, website visits, or followers.

7. Use affiliate links to promote products and brands

Creating an affiliate program can help you spread the word about your brand on TikTok by allowing other TikTok users to promote your products and earn a commission on sales. 

On the other end of the spectrum, affiliate marketing is a great way for those without a dedicated brand to earn some income while promoting your favorite products and businesses.

TikTok ecommerce examples from successful brands

Need some inspiration from the pros? Here are three examples of ecommerce businesses that are killing it with TikTok marketing and generating sales from the video-sharing social network.

Contour Cube

This ecommerce phenomenon is also helping brands get noticed. Sarah Forrai, the founder of Contour Cube, embraced TikTok to build awareness of and sell her face-contouring products. The brand’s TikTok account has grown to nearly 200,000 followers and more than 2.9 million likes across all its videos.

“We’ve been lucky with a number of videos reaching large audiences between one million to seven million views,” says Forrai. “This has driven a huge amount of traffic to our website and helped grow our online community.” Within three months of launching its product on TikTok, Contour Cube was approached by large retailers and found distribution partners, and is now stocked at THE ICONIC, Uncommon Goods, and Dolls Kill. 

“Launching on TikTok catapulted Contour Cube into the mainstream, and for us, we were truly surprised by the huge engagement from what we thought was a niche idea,” says Forrai. “TikTok has since become our primary marketing platform, accumulating over 30 million views to date, which is amazing for a startup like us.”

Glow Recipe

Glow Recipe takes a different approach to TikTok ecommerce. The Korean natural skin care brand uses a link-in-bio tool to send its followers to a curated collection of all its content.

This collection includes shoppable links for the products featured in Glow Recipe’s videos, so its followers can buy items directly on its website, as well as access other important links for its business. 

Glow Recipe also takes advantage of the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend, which has become a popular marketing tool for businesses promoting products and services. This simple hashtag gives social validation to users who are deciding if they’re ready to make a purchase.

GymShark

Challenges are one of the biggest trends on TikTok, with many brands using them to earn UGC and build a reputation with the TikTok community.

One of those brands is GymShark, a fitness apparel, and accessories retailer that creates unique hashtag challenges that are in line with its aspirational workout-focused content. 

Its #gymshark66 challenge, which asked users to transform their body within 66 days for a chance to win a free year’s supply of GymShark goods, garnered over 45.5 million views, 1.9 million likes, and 12,500 comments.

Naturally, the entries also included participants who regularly wear GymShark apparel. These entries gave exposure to the brand’s products and helped maximize its credibility and sales. 

Now is the time to step up your TikTok ecommerce game

A social commerce revolution is happening, and TikTokers have a front-row seat. As you’re creating content for your TikTok videos, have a strategy in place to maximize the results and drive more traffic to your site and convert fans into buyers.

Create fun, timely, and relevant content. Build relationships with your audience and key influencers. Explore TikTok’s helpful tools and features. If you can entertain and connect with your potential customers, you’re already paving your path to growth.

Wrapping Up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3Cfdu4w

The article originates from: https://www.shopify.com/blog/tiktok-ecommerce

Understanding your customers is critical to success. It allows you to create messaging and offers that resonate with your audience, rather than guessing about their preferences and needs.

And taking it a step further, segmenting customers into groups based on similarities, helps you develop a deeper understanding of those groups. You can then build targeted campaigns addressing each segment’s specific needs. Pretty cool, right?Click here to start selling online now with Shopify

So, what exactly is customer segmentation and how do you do it? Let’s take a look.

What is customer segmentation?

Customer segmentation is the process of dividing customers into groups based on common characteristics so companies can market to each group effectively and appropriately.

In business-to-business marketing, a company might segment customers according to a wide range of factors, including:

• Industry
• Number of employees
• Products previously purchased from the company
• Location

In business-to-consumer marketing, companies often segment customers according to demographics that include:

• Age
• Gender
• Marital status
• Location (urban, suburban, rural)
• Life stage (single, married, divorced, empty-nester, retired, etc.)

Why segment customers?

Segmentation allows marketers to better tailor their marketing efforts to various audience subsets. Those efforts can relate to both communications and product development. Specifically, segmentation helps a company:

• Create and communicate targeted marketing messages that will resonate with specific groups of customers, but not with others (who will receive messages tailored to their needs and interests, instead)
• Select the best communication channel for the segment, which might be email, social media posts, radio advertising, or another approach, depending on the segment
• Identify ways to improve products or new product or service opportunities
• Establish better customer relationships
• Test pricing options
• Focus on the most profitable customers
• Improve customer service
• Upsell and cross-sell other products and services

How to segment customers

Customer segmentation requires a company to gather specific data about customers and analyze it to identify patterns that can be used to create groupings.

Some data can be gathered from purchasing information—job title, geography, or products purchased, for example. Some of it might be gleaned from how the customer entered your system.

An online marketer working from an opt-in email list might segment marketing messages according to the opt-in offer that attracted the customer, for example. Other information, however, including consumer demographics such as age and marital status, will need to be acquired in other ways.

Typical information-gathering methods include:

• Face-to-face or telephone interviews
• Surveys
• General research using published information about market categories
• Focus groups
• Loyalty program data
• In-person conversations
• Customer reviews
• POS data
• Customer support interactions
• Purchase history
• Online analytics

With Shopify’s segmentation tools, you can collect this data directly from your online store traffic. Discover powerful insights about your customers by creating unique segments, and then reach out with personalized campaigns to drive sales.

Shopify also includes some default customer segments and templates to help you get started. You can refine, add, or even remove customer segments over time as your business evolves. Build your customer segments in the editor on the Customers page by adding filter names, operators, and values.

Using customer segments

Common characteristics in customer segments can guide how a company markets to individual segments and what products or services it promotes to them.

A small business selling handmade guitars, for example, might decide to promote lower-priced products to younger guitarists and higher-priced premium guitars to older musicians based on segment knowledge that tells them younger musicians have less disposable income than their older counterparts. Similarly, a meals-by-mail service might emphasize convenience to millennial customers and “tastes like mother used to make” benefits to baby boomers.

Once you’ve identified your segments, list their shared characteristics, paying careful attention to pain points and desires. Lean into those commonalities when developing your segmented marketing strategies and promotions. You don’t have to offer every promo to every customer—send your promos only to those who will be interested. A discount on dog food surely isn’t going to drive any sales from your customers who don’t own dogs, for example. So consider creating a segment of dog owners and only send those promos to them.

The main idea behind customer segmentation is you don’t need to send every promotion to every person all the time. Instead, send targeted promotions to relevant audiences.

Additionally, you can put customers into multiple segments—you don’t have to pigeonhole everyone into just a single group. For example, people in your dog owner segment may also be in your parents’ segment.

Customer segmentation can be practiced by all businesses regardless of size or industry and whether they sell online or in person. It begins with gathering and analyzing data and ends with acting on the information gathered in a way that is appropriate and effective.

Customer segmentation examples

Examples of customer segments to build include:

• Geographic: Dividing customers by location or region. For example, you might market bathing suits to your Florida-based customers year-round, whereas advertising winter coats for your New York–based customers may be more appropriate in colder months.
• Demographic: Putting people together by age, gender, marital status, and other demographic information. One example could be a bookstore creating a segment for parents and advertising children’s books to them.
• Behavioral: Grouping your audience by purchase behavior, usage patterns, customer loyalty, etc. These segments get more complex and interesting. A hair care brand could create a segment of customers who have only purchased shampoo and not conditioner, and then create promos around the conditioner for that segment.
• Psychographic: Dividing your audience by attitudes, values, lifestyle, etc. Another more complex segmentation option: You can create segments of customers who love animals or people who love to travel, for example.

Start segmenting your customers today

Customer segmentation is a great way to kickstart your personalization strategies and develop promotions and campaigns that directly relate to your target audience. And it’s easier than ever with Shopify’s native customer segmentation tools.

With these tools, you’ll understand your data better and be able to act on it for free from the same secure platform you use to run your business.

Customer segmentation FAQ

What does customer segmentation mean?

Customer segmentation is the process of dividing a customer base into distinct groups of individuals that have similar characteristics. This process makes it easier to target specific groups of customers with tailored products, services, and marketing strategies. By segmenting customers into different classes, businesses can better understand their needs, preferences, and buying patterns, allowing them to create more personalized and effective marketing campaigns.

What are the 4 types of customer segmentation?

1. Demographic Segmentation: This type of segmentation divides customers into different groups based on shared characteristics such as age, gender, income, occupation, education level, marital status and location.
2. Psychographic Segmentation: This type of segmentation divides customers into different groups based on their lifestyle, interests, values and attitudes.
3. Behavioral Segmentation: This type of segmentation divides customers into different groups based on their purchase history, usage patterns, brand loyalty and response to marketing campaigns.
4. Geographic Segmentation: This type of segmentation divides customers into different groups based on location, such as country, region, city or neighborhood.

What is customer segmentation example?

Customer segmentation is the practice of dividing customers into distinct groups with common characteristics. Examples of customer segmentation include geographic segmentation (dividing customers by region), demographic segmentation (dividing customers by age, gender, marital status, etc.), behavioral segmentation (dividing customers by purchase behavior, usage patterns, loyalty, etc.), and psychographic segmentation (dividing customers by attitudes, values, lifestyle, etc.).

Wrapping Up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://bit.ly/3Cfdu4w

The article originates from: https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-is-customer-segmentation

You’ve worked hard to ensure all boxes are checked for a successful product launch: you have a beautifully designed website, saved enough to cover three months of operating costs, and hired a virtual assistant to handle simple tasks you don’t have time to take on. What could possibly be risky about this business?

No matter the precautions you take, all businesses involve some risk. These may be internal risks from employee errors placing incorrect inventory orders, or external risks from a new competitor selling a lower-priced version of your product. By learning about the types of business risks you could face and how to address them, you can be better prepared with a contingency plan that helps ensure your business’s longevity.

What is business risk? 

Business risk is anything that could expose you to financial loss, reputational harm, or failure. To assess business risk, examine all pertinent legal, financial, and operational information relating to your business and take any necessary action to prevent or minimize negative outcomes. 

Most business owners design a risk management strategy as part of its business continuity plan, which helps protect your business from disruptions such as flooding of your warehouse after a hurricane or a viral video about a negative customer interaction. The strategy includes identifying risks, assessing them, taking steps to avoid or reduce risks, and, in some cases, accepting risk as part of the normal course of business.

Depending on the particular industry, business owners’ risk management strategies might include having comprehensive insurance coverage, minimizing debt, or retaining lawyers to address legal issues.

What causes business risk?

Business risks come in many forms. Examples of events that could cause business risks are:

• Natural disasters. Flooding, storms, wildfires, and other natural disasters can cause business loss.
• Human error. A production mistake, for example, might result in a recall or warehouse overstock.
• Regulations and laws. Rule changes or failure to comply with regulations or laws could impact business operations or financial performance.
• Uncertain financial or economic conditions. Global or national financial crises may affect business solvency, increase exposure to credit risk, and lower profits and revenue. 
• Tariffs and currencies. Changes in tariffs and trade policies, or fluctuating currency exchange rates, can impact risk. 

6 types of business risk

There are six major types of business risk that can affect how you do business. 

1. Financial risk

Financial risk is any situation or factor that jeopardizes a business’s finances and operations. Depending on the sector and a startup’s capital structure, financial risk could be caused by: 

• Too much debt
• High interest rates on loans
• Insufficient cash flow from sales 
• Poor investment strategies
• Inflation

2. Strategic risk

Incorrect assumptions about the success of a business’s product or service can lead to strategic risks, which involves your ability to execute key business objectives. Examples include: 

• There is little or no market demand for a product or service, like a $100 smart shampoo dispenser or a nail salon for pets.
• A brick-and-mortar shop operates out of a beautiful historic building, but its landmarked designation doesn’t allow for expansion to accommodate business growth. 
• A startup is creating an app, but in its pursuit of perfection, another startup builds it first. 

3. Operational risk

Operational risks are ones that have an impact on a business’s activities and daily workflow. You may face operational risk if you:

• Don’t consider your supply chain and business logistics needs working together holistically—proper supply chain management can help ensure your products are produced and distributed on time 
• Are lacking or have insufficient business insurance, which can leave your business exposed to losses from manufacturing breakdowns, product malfunctions, natural disasters or legal damages, among other issues 
• Have inadequate information technology (IT) protocols in place when computer systems fail 
• Hire employees that repeat human error due to insufficient training, causing harm to productivity 

4. Compliance risk

Compliance risk is either failing to qualify for or obtain the correct permits and licenses to operate in accordance with state or federal regulations or laws. Or, it’s being in noncompliance with industry laws and regulations. If you fail to take compliance risks or regulatory risk seriously, your business could be fined, shuttered, or reputation harmed. Actions that might be considered compliance risks include:

• A factory illegally dumping manufacturing byproducts into a local river to avoid waste treatment costs
• Food companies not adhering to health regulations to prevent consumer illness 
• Discrimination against job applicants based on gender, race, nationality, religion, or ethnicity, which is illegal under federal law 

5. Reputational risk

Reputational risks include actions, behaviors, or events that hurt public opinion of your business. Examples of things that could put a company’s reputation at risk include: 

• Social media postings of conflicts or hostile interactions between customers, business owners, or staff 
• Failing to honor a return policy or guarantee, selling defective products, or poor customer service
• Companies that experience a cyberattack or customer data breaches

6. Global risk

International businesses may experience global risk when they don’t follow the laws or respect the customs of the countries in which they operate. If your business is involved in international commerce, you may be exposed to geopolitical events such as wars, border conflicts, and elections that could harm your company’s ability to operate profitably and efficiently. Global risks can include:

• Overseas labor disputes
• Gas price hikes
• Border conflicts 
• Fluctuating currency exchange rates
• New or increased sanctions, tariffs, and taxes 

7 ways to minimize risk to your business

There are seven steps you can take to manage your business risk:

1. Calculate risk

The best way for a business owner to measure business risk is to conduct a risk analysis that assesses possible threats or adverse events that could hurt your business. A risk assessment may include making budgeting decisions, analyzing future costs, and estimating future sales.

2. Stay in compliance 

Staying in compliance with regulations can help ensure that your business avoids fines and penalties, can continue operating, and wins and retains the trust of customers. Compliance strategies include offering training for employees, consistently monitoring industry regulations, and documenting all compliance efforts.

3. Review the company’s finances to manage debt 

Regularly review your company’s financial picture to know when to spend and when to cut costs. Taking this approach can assist in managing debt. More specifically, you can:

• Avoid maxing out business credit cards
• Consider business financing options such as low-interest community development financial institution (CDFI) loans that lend money to small businesses that may be considered risky for conventional banks 
• Track and monitor cash flow and expenses regularly
• Keep financial obligations, including making on-time monthly payments toward any debt obligations 
• Keep a lean budget and low overhead costs
• Save three to six months of operational costs to minimize liquidity risk

4. Buy insurance coverage

Wildfires, hurricanes, floods, among other natural disasters happen, and equipment like ovens, sewing machines, and refrigerators break. Or, you may lose income due to theft or experience a data security breach of your customer information—there’s insurance options for that, too. To help protect yourself, thoroughly research the types of small-business insurance policies available, and pick the ones that best suit your needs. Together with a business continuity plan, you can be better prepared should a business disruption occur.

5. Cultivate a loyal customer base 

When customers know they are valued, they are more likely to become repeat buyers. Ways to cultivate customer loyalty include:

• Honoring return policies and money-back guarantees
• Creating loyalty programs 
• Addressing any customer complaints or negative online reviews

6. Diversify suppliers and vendors 

A diverse group of suppliers and vendors ensures that your business can continue if one suddenly goes out of business or experiences supply chain disruptions. 

7. Hire experts

If you don’t have the expertise or time to perform certain specialized tasks, hiring professionals could be the solution to keep your business running smoothly. For example, consider hiring accountants, financial experts, or ecommerce consultants to help with financial and compliance responsibilities and prevention of security risks. 

Wrapping Up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

The article originates from: https://www.shopify.com/blog/business-risk

Every business must contend with a broad range of costs and expenses associated with startup, operations, and growth. Some of these costs remain relatively constant over time. For instance, unless you’ve moved or signed a new lease, the cost of rent for storage or manufacturing facilities will stay the same.

However, other costs can vary significantly as your business grows. These are called variable costs.Click here to start selling online now with Shopify

In this guide, you’ll learn the definition of variable cost, how to calculate variable cost, and how variable costs can impact the profitability of your business.

Table of contents

• What is variable cost?
• Types of variable costs
• How to calculate variable costs
• Importance of variable cost to business
• Variable costs and economies of scale
• Variable cost FAQ

What is variable cost?

Variable cost is a business expense that rises or falls in direct proportion to production volume. The more goods a company produces, the higher variable costs become, and vice versa. While total variable costs change based on production volume, the variable cost per unit produced remains constant.

Variable cost vs. fixed cost

Variable and fixed costs both represent key expenses of running a business. However, while variable costs change depending on production, fixed costs remain the same even as production and sales volume changes.

Common fixed cost examples include:

• Rent
• Salaries
• Insurance
• Property taxes and interest
• Depreciation
• Some utility costs

Variable and fixed costs are key elements of break-even analysis, which helps businesses determine what they need to do or produce in order to make a profit on their initial investment.

Variable cost vs. marginal cost

While variable cost often measures the cost to produce each unit, marginal cost considers the total cost of production (including both fixed costs and variable costs) to find the cost of producing one additional unit with the goal of maximizing efficiency in the manufacturing process.

Types of variable costs

Common variable cost examples include:

• Raw materials. If you’re manufacturing your own product, these costs are allocated to the materials you purchase in order to produce the goods. This is a variable cost that should remain fairly consistent.
• Sales commissions. If you operate on a commission structure, either for associates or brand ambassadors, for example, this is another variable cost to consider. It changes depending on the way you have commission structured and number of products sold.
• Packaging. Product packaging and shipping materials are another necessary cost. These vary depending on the quality, material, and design of packaging as well as the total amount of packages and their sizes.

• Shipping costs. Shipping expenses vary depending on the shipping method, location, and package size and weight.
• Labor (when workers are paid per unit completed). The one variable cost you may have difficulty negotiating is direct labor costs. One strategy for reducing those costs is to switch to a payment-per-piece produced, rather than an hourly wage. That way, labor costs are truly tied to production.
• Credit card fees. Credit card fees are a variable cost because they vary depending on sales volume. In some cases, you may pay a flat subscription fee for credit card processing, but these vary for most businesses.

How to calculate variable cost

Where fixed costs are simply added together to find a company’s total fixed costs, variable costs must be multiplied. The formula to calculate variable costs is:

Total variable costs = production output x variable cost per unit

For example, the total variable cost for 10,000 units produced at a per-unit cost of $2.57 would be $25,700. (This cost per unit is often referred to as average variable cost, as it’s calculated by dividing total variable cost by the number of units produced).

Importance of variable cost to business

Variable costs can have a significant impact on the profitability of a business. Below are some ways variable costs impact your business.

• Consistent profitability. A business with higher variable costs relative to fixed costs is likely to have more consistent profitability. That’s because the break-even point is lower, due to lower fixed costs, and higher variable costs yields lower profits per unit sold.
• Protection during slow sales periods. A company with higher variable costs can bear economic downturns more easily by reducing production.
• Competitive advantage. Conversely, a company with a higher proportion of fixed costs to variable costs requires a significant upfront investment, but will likely enjoy lower competition and higher profits once fixed costs are covered. That’s because once break even is achieved, profits are higher per unit, thanks to lower variable costs.
• Inform pricing. Knowing your variable costs is important to ensure you’re pricing profitably.

Variable costs and economies of scale

While variable costs generally increase with more production, it’s possible to lower variable costs by achieving economies of scale. For instance, by focusing your manufacturing on fewer products, you can save on costs associated with running multiple product lines, including sourcing materials, maintaining equipment, and managing different business units.

In addition, as your production volume increases, you gain leverage to negotiate more competitive prices for variable costs like raw materials and shipping, further decreasing your variable cost per unit.

Wrapping Up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

The article originates from: https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-is-variable-cost

Running a small business definitely has its appeal, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. The truth is, starting a business of any kind is hard work, and the first step is thinking of an idea. In this guide we’ll give you several online business ideas for beginners and experienced entrepreneurs alike, as well as steps for setting up an online business.

Countless people have already made the leap to entrepreneurship. And with the right online business ideas and plenty of sweat equity, you can too.

This isn’t about one simple life-changing trick. Starting an online business doesn’t work that way. Instead, to help you find profitable online business ideas, we’ve put together a collection of simple tips on how to start a business without quitting your day job.

29 best online business ideas in 2023

1. Start your own clothing line

If you have some designs in mind and a little bit of time on your hands, you can get your clothing company off the ground.

If you already own a Shopify store, you can set up your own clothing line using Printify, Printful, or a similar product-sourcing app. Each automatically links your store to apparel printers and clothing manufacturers. They also handle every step of the retail fulfillment process for you, giving you the freedom to design and ship a wide range of pieces right out of the gate.

Why start a clothing line?

• There’s nothing more satisfying than creating products people will use every day.
• As soon as you build your Shopify store, you can start selling instantly. Thanks to print-on-demand apps, the process of designing and delivering your own custom-made clothing has been streamlined and simplified.
• You’ll love the feeling of seeing your designs come to life by transforming your creativity into something real and profitable.

We used Printful to create THINK PUP, an apparel store for dog owners, and ended up making over $1,200 in just three weeks. With some time and research, you could be well on your way to building a successful t-shirt company, too.

2. Start a dropshipping business

Think you need a warehouse full of inventory to run your own business? Think again! Dropshipping is a great way to start a business on a budget. You can hit the ground running by sourcing a pre-existing product from a supplier and having them take care of things like packaging and fulfillment.

This process lets you skip a lot of obstacles that might be standing in the way of you starting your own business. More importantly, dropshipping eliminates the risk of finding out there’s no market for your product after investing in a huge order with a manufacturer or supplier.

Why choose dropshipping?

• You don’t need to stock products in a physical location, meaning your cash flow won’t get tied up in inventory. There’s less of an upfront cash risk.
• Whenever a purchase is made, you place an order with a third party that handles the rest of the process for you. Since you don’t have to deal with things like tracking inventory or mailing packages, dropshipping eliminates a lot of potential headaches for budding entrepreneurs.
• No warehouse means you can run your business from anywhere. Whether it’s your living room or the café down the street, you decide where you want to work from.

3. Sell your art online

Whether you’re a painter, photographer, or musician, there are plenty of online business ideas and ways to turn your latest masterpiece into a source of revenue with a beautifully designed ecommerce website.

If painting or photography is your forte, you can sell your art as prints, canvases, and framed posters using Printify or Printful. This is a fantastic way to turn your art into something tangible that people can take home and integrate into their space. Is music your thing? You can sell your beats, songs, samples, and more as digital downloads.

Just take a look at The Drum Broker, the largest online drum sample business in the world. Its founder created a successful and sustainable small business model with the help of apps like FetchApp and ShipStation.

Why sell your art?

• You’ll be part of people’s lives by getting your work into customers’ homes.
• You’ll create a platform for showcasing your work by setting up shop online.
• As an artist, creating art isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of life. This is your chance to turn your passion into an income stream and potentially do what you love for a living.

Free Guide: How to Find a Profitable Product to Sell Online

Excited about starting a business, but not sure where to start? This free, comprehensive guide will teach you how to find great, newly trending products with high sales potential.Get the free guide

4. Become a freelance writer, designer, or developer

Writers, graphic designers, and developers can start a low-cost business based on their talents. As a freelancer, you’ll be able to put your skills to good use by helping people across the world with their projects (while making some money yourself, of course).

Freelancing doesn’t mean committing to months-long projects that eat away at your free time. You can easily pick up bite-sized tasks that fit your schedule.

To find people that need your help, try freelancing marketplaces, like Upwork and Fiverr.

It’s worth noting that Fiverr is a little different from a traditional job board. As the name suggests, a lot of the posted jobs pay $5. The key to making big money on Fiverr is carefully setting up your offers so you can easily upsell the client.

For instance, you could offer to write a 150-word introduction for a blog post as your initial $5 service. As an upsell, you could charge another $10 for every additional 150 words. You can tweak your services until you’ve found a combo that makes it worth your while.

If you want total control over how much you charge, create a Shopify store. You can list your services as products and disable shipping, since you won’t actually be physically delivering anything to your customers. You can even use apps like BTA: Appointment Booking App and Events Calendar to give your customers the option to schedule appointments.

Why freelance?

• When you freelance, you choose which projects you want to work on and set your own schedule and workplace.
• Getting paid to do something you’re good at is a rewarding feeling, whether you’re looking to strike out on your own or just want to make some extra cash on the weekend.
• If you’re new to writing, designing, or developing, freelancing is an excellent way to build your portfolio and get some real experience in a wide range of industries. You might discover that you have a knack or passion for something you never expected.

If freelancing sounds like it might be a good online business idea for your lifestyle, we’ve put together some great articles that can help you make the most of your time:

5. Teach an online course

Teaching an online course is a low-investment online business idea for generating passive income. All you need to do is put together a video walkthrough explaining a subject you’re familiar with and then host it on your own personal website.

Although it requires effort up front, if you manage to design a popular high-value video tutorial series, you can make money on an ongoing basis as people continue to enroll in your course.

To start creating your first online course, brainstorm a topic you know well enough to teach someone how to do from scratch. This can be anything—music production, social media marketing, web development, you name it.

Next, you’ll want to grab a screencasting app, like ScreenFlow, to record your screen and voice while you walk your students through your tutorial. ScreenFlow also comes with a built-in video editing suite, so you can shoot and cut your videos all on the same platform.

Why teach an online course?

• With an online course, you can set it and forget it. Take a few days or weeks, depending on the complexity you’re aiming for, to build an online course, and you could reap the benefits for months.
• You already have the knowledge, you just need to share it. Focus on teaching something you’re already an expert at and the rest will come naturally, whether it’s building iOS apps, creating monthly budgets, or running Facebook ad campaigns.
• Teaching someone a new skill is its own reward. While there’s definitely money to be made teaching online courses, helping other people is always a satisfying experience in itself.

6. Flip your thrift store finds

If you love hitting up thrift stores and hunting down great deals, then one great online business idea is selling your second-hand treasures online.

Your potential customers want to buy cool stuff, but they don’t want to dig through old soccer jerseys and braided belts to get their hands on that one amazing find. Take advantage of this by positioning yourself as a trustworthy curator who can go out and uncover those great vintage pieces for others.

Why sell your thrift store finds?

• Let’s face it, you’re combing through thrift store racks anyway, so you might as well make some money while you do it by putting your shopping addiction to work.
• The margins are huge. That $2 RadioShack ball cap you found over the weekend? You can turn it into a $40 vintage hat.
• You’re selling something unique. Nowhere else on the web will people be able to find the vintage collections that you put together.

Want to turn your cool stuff into pizza money? Take a look at these guides to making your products look great in photos:

7. Publish your own book

It’s OK to admit it: you’ve thought about publishing your own book someday. While seeing your name on a list of bestsellers might seem like a pipe dream, it’s actually not that far out of reach.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a science-fiction novel, a marketing guide, or a children’s picture book, there are now plenty of options for successfully self-publishing your work. These include releasing your writing as an ebook with the Digital Downloads app or using on-demand printing services like Blurb.

To sell ebooks through your online store, install the Digital Downloads app and you’ll instantly be able to stock digital files as products. Once purchased, your ebooks will be sent to your customers via email or as a direct download link.

If you choose to sell physical copies of your book, you’ll just need to place an order whenever your work is purchased. They’ll custom print your book and handle the entire storage and fulfillment process.

Why publish a book?

• What’s the point of writing something if there’s no one around to read it? Self-publishing is the quickest way to get your book into the hands of potential readers.
• Printing, storage, and delivery are taken care of thanks to services like Blurb.
• Creative writing is your passion and you deserve to be able to make money while doing something you enjoy.

8. Start a blog

Blogging has come a long way since its inception. What was once a virtual journal has now turned into a marketing and a monetization tool. 

Whether you make money from publishing sponsored posts, hosting third-party ads, or selling your products, a blog is a great online business idea you can start at home.

The key to starting a successful blog is to focus on building an engaged, loyal audience. When you start with an audience-centric approach, you’ll cultivate a community that trusts you. And when you can earn trust, you can start to drive revenue.

That’s how Mr. Money Mustache started his popular personal finance blog. What began as a movement has turned into a successful business that’s earned national media coverage. 

Why start a blog?

• Blogs have unlimited growth potential. You can expand into affiliate marketing, ecommerce, courses, and essentially any other online business venture. Some blogs even use a paid subscription model to drive revenue.
• A blog is a long-term play. While you won’t see overnight results, they are likely to be more sustainable. A blog lives on the web forever—or at least until you delete it.
• It lets you practice your writing—an essential skill to have in business and communication. Use tools like Grammarly or Hemmingway to improve your writing. 

9. Become a virtual assistant

Are you super organized and love working behind the scenes? If so, you might be the perfect candidate to start a virtual assistant (VA) business.

A VA helps entrepreneurs, businesses, and executives organize their personal and professional lives. There’s a broad spectrum of duties, ranging from appointment scheduling to basic marketing management and everything in between. And everything is done online.

Why become a VA?

• Work with your ideal client. Even if you don’t know at the start, over time you’ll find out who you love working with and what you love to do for them. You can evolve your business to cater to those preferences.
• Interact with people from all over the world. All you need is an internet connection to do your work and you can have the chance to work with international clients and professionals. 
• Grow your business into a network of VAs. If you become too busy or have growth goals, you can hire and train VAs to work under you and increase profits.

10. Become an influencer

Influencer marketing has exploded on the marketing scene, and though consumers are becoming more savvy, there are still plenty of business opportunities to be had.

Because influencers have gotten in hot water for dishonest practices, there’s been a movement toward micro-influencers—profiles with smaller but more engaged followings. Good news: you don’t need millions of followers to earn money on Instagram.

Why be an influencer?

• It’s an opportunity to get an introduction to marketing—particularly valuable if you’re interested in pursuing it as a career or additional business venture.
• You’ll learn about new and interesting brands. You might discover products and companies you love that you never would have found had they not solicited your services.
• It’s so easy a monkey can do it. Well, not literally—but you can make your pet the star if you’re camera shy.

11. Build apps and websites

If you’re tech savvy, acquire some coding skills and start building. Whether it’s mobile apps, Shopify apps, or websites, you can create digital products for purchase or as a service provider.

For example, you can create a custom Shopify theme template and sell it to merchants looking for an affordable DIY approach to designing their website. Or work with clients directly to build websites and apps tailored to their specific needs.

Why build apps and websites? 

• Technology isn’t going anywhere, and the demand for the technical skills necessary to build apps and websites will only continue to grow. 
• There’s an endless number of platforms and systems out there. If you get bored of one, learn and transition to another.

12. Launch a podcast

If you like the sound of your own voice, consider recording it for a podcast. Podcasts are a great home business idea with multiple monetization options, similar to starting a blog. 

Here’s what you need to start your podcast: 

• A high-quality microphone 
• Audio recording software 
• Call recording software

To promote your podcast, consider collaborating with prominent figures as guests on your show. Encourage listeners to leave reviews and share your podcast with their friends and family. 

Why start a podcast?

• Podcasts continue to grow in popularity. According to Statista, 79% of Americans have heard of podcasts and 38% have listened to one in the past three months.
• A successful podcast can lead to endless possibilities: turn your episodes into a blog, solicit sponsors and advertisers, and make connections you never would have been able to before. 

Get some inspiration for your own podcast with these best business podcasts for entrepreneurs.

13. Become an affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing is when you recommend a product or service by sharing it on your blog, social media, email list, website, or other channel. You earn a commission each time someone converts through your unique referral link or code.

Find an affiliate program that suits your interests, personal brand, and target audience. Affiliate Future, ShareASale, and FlexOffers are a few examples. Amazon has its own affiliate program, and you can also check out the Shopify Affiliate Program. 

Once you’ve signed up, start sharing. Create social media posts, blog articles, emails, and other content about how great the product or service you’re promoting is. Don’t oversaturate your audience with ads, otherwise you risk coming across as spammy or inauthentic.

Why do affiliate marketing?

• It’s easy: you likely already promote the products and services you use. Now you can get paid for it! 
• Affiliate marketing is a great source of passive income. With the Shopify Affiliate Program, affiliates earn an average of $58 for each user who signs up for a paid plan and $2,000 for each Plus referral.

14. Curate subscription boxes

Subscription boxes are themed packages of various products. There are subscription boxes in pretty much every industry, from meal-prep kits and craft snacks to fitness products and makeup. You can curate subscription boxes around virtually any theme of your choice.

Bokksu, for example, curates Japanese snacks and sends them to customers each month.

When you curate subscription boxes, you work with brands and artisans to purchase and resell their products in a bundled offering. Typically, consumers expect to be surprised by what’s in the box, though there are some (like meal prep kits) where the customer chooses what they receive.

Why curate subscription boxes?

• It’s a viable seasonal business. Subscription boxes are often purchased as gifts. So if you’re only interested in running your online business for part of the year, this could be a model worth checking out.
• It’s a growing industry. Subscription commerce sales are exptected to hit $38 billion by the end of 2023.
• You don’t need to create your own products. Instead, you can use proven, successful products and simply put them together in a nice package.

15. Develop a niche product

If you recognize an opportunity in a certain niche, you might be on to your next successful online business idea. Niche products cater to a unique audience. When done well, they serve a specific community. 

Niches could be based on industry, demographic, price point, geography, values, product attributes, and more. Really, a niche could be anything specific enough to target a small group of potential customers. For example: 

• Conscious consumers: think vegan, sustainable, and eco-friendly products and brands. 
• Pet owners: you could even drill down by pet type.
• Remote workers: these professionals have specific attributes different from the traditional office worker.

Why develop a niche product?

• Niche products are unique and, thus, buzzworthy. Early success can be all you need to drive press coverage with zero budget. 
• Though niching down might be scary to some, choosing a specific target customer makes it easier to create marketing and messaging that resonates. Rather than trying to speak to a broad, diverse group, you’re talking to a group of individuals with lots of shared characteristics.

16. Create handmade goods

If you’re particularly crafty, selling handmade products would be a great online  business idea for you. Whether you make jewelry, picture frames, or furniture, one way to monetize your craft skills is to sell products online. Handmade goods is a great industry for creatives and even an achievable business idea for kids.

While you can use platforms like Craigslist or Etsy, your own online store will give you more control and make it easier to track and fulfill orders. 

Why sell handmade goods?

• Devote as much or as little time as you want. It’s your choice how big you want to grow.
• Create on your schedule. Make your handmade goods when you have spare time or whenever you want. 
• Turn your passion into income. Like many of the online business ideas on this list, an entrepreneurial endeavor backed by passion leads to a more fulfilling experience. 

17. Become a social media manager

Effectively managing and growing social media accounts is a skill. If you have the chops, consider becoming a social media manager or a consultant for brands. 

You’ll be responsible for maintaining a company’s social presence online, developing its social marketing strategy, managing campaigns, and other related tasks. It’s a solid online business idea with plenty of demand, with jobs in social media expected to grow by 10% through 2031, and it doesn’t take that much startup capital to begin. 

To start, get a website, your own social media profiles (grow them and use them as social proof to win clients!), and a payment processing system. As you gain more experience, you can start catering to a wider array of social media needs, like profile growth, outreach, or brand sponsorship management.

Why start a social media management business? 

18. Invest in real estate

It might sound scary when you hear it, but investing in real estate isn’t hard to break into once you’ve done your research. Depending on the market, getting your hands on opportunities like accessible FHA loans can be the kickstart you need to ensure a cash-flowing business from the start.

With real estate, you don’t have to worry about stocking inventory or supply chain troubles. Instead, you can scout properties from the comfort of your couch. There are startup costs and purchase requirements to account for, but you can get loans to help cover them.

The cash flow you establish with your first property can be reinvested into buying your next. Do this enough times and you can start making some serious revenue.

Why invest in real estate? 

• It’s a long-term investment in a business with appreciating assets and almost immediate cash flow. 
• Real estate will always be in demand as a need rather than just a want. 
• It can be relatively hands-off with the right management structure in place.

19. Sell on marketplaces 

The ability to sell your goods on marketplaces isn’t new. Yet it’s still a very lucrative way to start a sustainable online business. Seller platforms like eBay, Bonanza, Etsy, OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace make the process of listing products, capturing contact information, and receiving payments easy. 

The best part? These massive seller platforms already come with built-in traffic. As the seller, it’s your job to get strategic with your listing and keep track of what sells and how well so you can optimize your efforts. You can do all of this from the comfort of your home, too. 

Why sell on marketplaces? 

• It’s affordable to start, without a hefty upfront investment.
• You get access to a pool of traffic you might not be able to tap into on other platforms.
• The online selling skills you acquire can translate into adjacent businesses down the road.

20. Become a translator

Knowing more than one language can make you money. Along with internet access and a laptop, you can be well on your way to starting an online translation business. The translation industry is booming—it doubled in size in the past decade. 

As a translator, you can apply your skills to translating content, meetings, résumés, books, or even online conferences. As you refine your skills, you can charge by the hour or by the project. Either way, the bottom line is that a translation business can be both flexible and lucrative once you get started with your first few clients.

Why start a translation business? 

• There are plenty of translation platforms, like Gengo, willing to pay competitively for your skills in case you don’t want to start your business on your own. 
• Alternatively, it’s easy to list your translation services on platforms like UpWork for a more independent approach to translation where you get to set your own prices.
• Translation can be a flexible business that doesn’t require ad management or dealing with inventory. 

21. Start an accounting or bookkeeping firm

Take advantage of the steady market demand for accounting and bookkeeping by going freelance and offering your services to clients looking to outsource this part of their business. Granted, the more experience and education you have in the field the better your chances of success.

You can bootstrap an accounting or bookkeeping business with access to software like QuickBooks, some word of mouth, and some tenacity. As you begin to gain clients and deliver great work, referral clients start coming your way. As a service-based business, the hardest part about starting an accounting or bookkeeping venture is getting started.

Why start an accounting or bookkeeping business? 

• It’s a great way to put your math skills to use while leveraging the flexibility of being your own boss.
• You don’t need a ton of customers to generate sustainable income each year. 
• A service-based business like accounting and bookkeeping thrive on building relationships and returning customers, which makes the digital marketing part of the business more manageable. 

22. Become an online fitness trainer

Fitness trainers like Kayla Itsines are making a killing online through memberships, fitness apps, and ebooks. If you’re naturally adept at being active, starting an online fitness business might be a no-brainer.

As you get started, don’t forget to leverage social media—fitness is a visual industry. Being present on platforms like Instagram and TikTok can be a great way to build an audience and win clients. With a digital fitness business, you can also create several streams of income that can be set up passively (think digital guide books or PDFs of workout plans).

Why start an online fitness trainer business? 

• There is already an existing demand for people that want help with their personal fitness journey. 
• It can all be done online. You don’t ever have to meet people in real life for fitness training if you don’t want to. 
• You can create evergreen content like courses, cookbooks, or fitness plans that can continue to bring in revenue in the background and require minimal upkeep. 

23. Create and sell NFTs

Creating and selling NFTs is one of the newest ways to start an online business. There is a passionate niche market worth tapping into if you leverage community building and manage to sell NFTs on platforms like OpenSea.

If you’re an artist already making physical art, translating those skills into marketable NFTs can prove to be a solid pivot into the online business world. First, get informed on what NFTs are, where their value really lies, and what tools you need to get started generating NFT art on the blockchain and developing a brand.

Why create and sell NFts? 

• It’s extremely easy to get started and mint your own NFTs once you learn the basics.
• It’s a solid way to leverage your creative skills and generate income as you tap into a wider digital audience. 

24. Start an online coaching business

Have coaching skills? Join the online coaching industry and start coaching clients in your niche. How? Start by getting clear on what you offer and the results clients can expect from your coaching efforts.

Online coaches like Simone Seol use Instagram to access clients who want the results she offers. If you’re going to go the coaching route, social media marketing is a must. Taking the time to get certified in your particular area of expertise can help establish you as an expert in your field and increase credibility.

Why start an online coaching business? 

• Online coaching has high income potential if you have solid interpersonal skills and can get clients results
• There’s no gatekeeping to the industry. You can start coaching in any subject you’re knowledgeable enough in to charge for. 
• Word-of-mouth marketing can be a powerful client generation source once you get started. 

25. Do voiceover work

You can become a voiceover artist from the comfort of your home once you’ve built a voiceover brand producers can trust. There’s no telling what you can voiceover after you’ve set up your own home recording station.

You can voiceover audiobooks, YouTube videos, internet commercials, webinars, coursework, and more. To start, consider recording a demo reel, establishing a professional website, and establishing a social media presence that will attract potential voiceover customers to you.

Keep in mind that the voiceover industry is creative, which means you might need to be creative in how you attract clients and generate revenue.

Why start a voiceover business? 

• Starting a voiceover business can be a niche opportunity for a candidate with the right skills.
• It has high income potential depending on how it is leveraged.
• It can be an unconventional way to make money in an industry that isn’t oversaturated. 

26. Become an ad consultant

Ads are everywhere. Why not be the one who gets to make a consulting fee from businesses looking to optimize their ad strategy? Yup, that’s a business you can run fully online. Ad consultants like Monica Louie are already doing it (and doing it well!).

Pick the types of ads you want to specialize in—whether that’s PPC ads on Google, Instagram ads, Facebook ads, TikTok ads, or even display ads—and then start marketing your services with a professional website and different service offering packages.

Keep in mind that consulting isn’t for everyone. You want to have plenty of experience under your belt to ensure you can deliver results to the clients seeking your ad expertise. If you’re brand new to ad strategy, you might want to hold off on consulting until you gain more experience. 

Why start an ad consulting business? 

• What you charge for an ad consulting business can be scalable and highly dependent on perceived value.
• It’s a great online business idea if you’re savvy with people, management, and meeting KPIs.
• If you enjoy networking it’s one of the best ways to earn consulting clients.

27. Build niche websites

The only obstacle standing between you and building niche websites as a service-based business is a learning curve. Not only are there tons of free resources online you can tap into to learn the ins and outs of web development, you can also learn website builder platforms like Shopify to gain marketable skills clients are actively looking for.

While learning to build niche websites isn’t hard, it’s the marketing part that might take more legwork. Consider finding your first handful of clients on platforms like UpWork, Indeed, or Fiverr. As you get the ball rolling, don’t forget to collect testimonials from past clients so selling your services to new clients becomes easier. 

Why start a niche website business? 

• There’s very little to no cost to get started in a service industry that’s in-demand.
• You can cut the time you spend creating niche websites in half once you create reusable website templates for yourself. 
• Building niche websites can be an engaging business venture if you have an eye for design.

28. Start a membership community 

Can you say recurring monthly payments? That’s exactly what a membership business idea can do for you. Membership business ideas are limitless.

You can create content and set it behind a paywall, or create a members-only community that gets access to your niche expertise on a monthly basis. Check out membership communities like Peak Freelance or Superpath for inspiration. 

As you decide on a membership business model, get clear on your value proposition. You can deliver value in the form of written content, video content, exclusive group coaching, PDFs, guides, courses, or downloadable workbooks. It’s also possible to provide a monthly physical product to each member—though keep in mind this means dealing with mailing, more overhead expenses, and inventory logistics.

Why start a membership business? 

• A membership is a great business model because of the recurring monthly income potential. 
• You can leverage the build-once-sell-multiple-times model to content creation that software makes possible. 
• There are plenty of out-of-the-box membership creation tools to get you started quickly building a hub where users can create their own profiles and consume your content. 

29. Promote sponsored posts on Instagram

Instagram accounts in all kinds of niches are making bank through sponsorships. Here’s a quick rundown of how it works:

1. Grow an Instagram page in a relevant industry that lends itself to sponsorships. Accounts like Mochi In The City and Studio DIY are great examples of this. 
2. Make sure you cultivate an engaged audience that interacts with your content.
3. Create a brand kit and reach out to potential brand partners to discuss a collaboration. 
4. Set your prices, publish your sponsored content, and get paid. 
5. Rinse and repeat. 

Why start an Instagram sponsorship business? 

• You don’t need any money, certifications, or clients to get started.
• Instagram sponsorships can be a sustainable business that doesn’t have to take hours of your time.
• You can grow your Instagram profile organically, without having to invest upfront money into marketing. 

What were the best online business ideas in 2022?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as reported by Forbes, the following niches had the most growth and success in 2022:

• Information technology (IT)
• Construction
• Personal services
• Food services
• Health care

Online businesses that operate in those industries had lots of potential for success in 2022. This includes SaaS companies, online stores that sell home improvement products or materials for construction, and anything else related to the list above.

How to start an online business in 6 steps

Once you’ve decided on an online business idea, you’ll want to do your due diligence and, eventually, give it life. Here’s how to start a business online, step by step.

1. Validate your idea with research

It might sound harsh, but it’s true: just because you think you have a great idea doesn’t mean there’s a market for it.

Before investing your time and energy into starting your business, research how feasible it is and whether there’s any potential buyer interest. You can hire an agency to conduct market research for you, but if you’re on a shoestring budget, you can also take the DIY approach:

After conducting market research, write a business plan to clarify your ideas. Having a business plan will help you stay organized and focused as you go through the ups and downs of starting a new business.

2. Develop your product or service

You’ve validated your idea, now it’s time to turn it into a reality. Whether you’re selling a product or service, you need to create it. Find a manufacturer to bring your product to life, create packages of your service offerings, or write your book and identify a self-publishing option to bring it to fruition.

If you go the dropshipping route, the product has already been developed for you. It’s up to you to choose the products you’re passionate about or that you’ve identified a hot market for. To help you, we’ve put together a guide to finding the best products to dropship.

3. Set up your business finances

“How do I open a business bank account?” is a common question for many new entrepreneurs. After you’ve officially registered your business with your local government, you should have the tax identification numbers and other information required to open a business bank account.

As you grow, you might need funding for future endeavors, be it a new product launch or marketing and advertising spend. Having business bank accounts makes it easier for you to manage that capital, as well as track your revenue and expenses.

Having a bank account is also helpful when it comes to tax preparation, since your business-related transactions will be in a single place. As your business finances get more complicated, hiring a professional accountant or tax professional could be a viable option.

4. Find vendors and suppliers

Product-based online businesses in particular may require lots of business relationships. For example: a manufacturer, a dropshipper, or a third-party logistics coordinator. When identifying which partnerships you want to move forward with, it’s best to shop around and compare your options to make sure you’re getting the best solution for your needs.

Other online business ideas may require different relationships or contractors. If you’re writing a book, for example, you may want to hire a professional editor and book designer.

5. Build your business website

If you want to start an online business, you need to have a website. And to make money online, you’ll need to incorporate payment processing functionality. 

First, come up with a business name. You can use a business name generator to help you if you’re stuck. You’ll need one to start building your website.

Then choose a domain name and verify that it’s available. You can purchase a domain name for less than $20 a year in some cases. From there, you can build your own store on a platform like Shopify and start accepting payments from customers right away.

6. Market your new small business

Getting your first paying customer is a huge milestone for a new small business owner. Now that you’ve got your store set up, you’ll want to start getting your business out there. But finding new customers and creating convincing promotions takes time and energy.

There are so many channels to choose from—email marketing, Messenger marketing, mobile marketing, etc.—it’s hard to know the best way to grow your online business. It’s easy to get caught up in the wrong tactics and invest your time and money in the wrong places.

Start your online business today!

Wrapping Up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

The article refers to: https://www.shopify.com/blog/online-business-ideas

TikTok has taken the world by storm, but it can be tricky to figure out what content to create. The platform requires a different approach to other social channels, but coming up with a TikTok marketing strategy for your brand doesn’t have to be difficult.

With so many new TikTok trends popping up, it can be tempting to jump on every one. But, it’s vital to consider what your audience wants to see. Once you understand your target audience, you’re on your way to getting your brand noticed, growing your following, and engaging your community.

Ahead, find 15 TikTok video ideas you can use for your brand. Whether you’re just getting started or need some inspiration to get you out of a creative rut, there’s a TikTok idea for everyone.

15 TikTok video ideas

The best TikTok video ideas are the tried and true formats that pop up in TikTok trends over and over. For brands, however, choosing the right TikTok video ideas is important to attract the right audience. From TikTok challenges to educational videos, explore these ideas in depth before you post videos to your brand account.

1. Human moments

Get real with your followers, and don’t be afraid to break that fourth wall. We’re all people here, and your audience loves hearing from the people behind the brand. 

Isabella Lin of Fizzy Soaps took a break from the brand’s typical content to talk about and rate the videos that had previously gone viral. It’s refreshing to see a brand’s founder take center stage and discuss the realities of social media. 

If you have something you want to share or discover something that inspires you, your brand’s audience will most likely love it too. Try sharing favorite book recommendations or the Netflix series you can’t stop talking about.

You don’t need to talk to the camera to make your brand feel more human. Using images and captions can work just as well. Imagine you’re sharing with a friend, and keep it short and sweet. 

2. Trending and topical content

It’s tempting to create content in advance, and this certainly works for other social media channels. When it comes to TikTok account ideas, it’s all about balance. Keep track of holidays and events and see what’s trending on TikTok at that time. Make sure you’re ready to react and create topical and relevant content.

Topical content doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, sometimes simple posts are best! Natural deodorant brand Wild filmed this short video for its followers at Easter, showing its reusable deodorant cases repurposed as an Easter treat. It’s just a few seconds long but was seen more than 100,000 times.

Trends can be even trickier, and they come and go quickly. While there may be trends like lip syncing videos, animal videos, or dance videos, they might not be the right fit for your brand. Hop on trends that are relevant to your audience. Your next viral video might not be a trend at all. 

3. Inside the creative process

Revealing your brand’s creative process is another great TikTok idea. This could be a video of you making products by hand, sketching new ideas, or anything else that shows followers the creativity and skill you put into your brand. 

Burn.in Candle Co.’s TikTok account is full of videos showing how its various candles are made. Not only are they satisfying to watch, but they also show how much time and effort goes into each and every one of its candles.

If there’s anything more satisfying than shopping with small brands, it’s seeing the product being created by hand.

4. Inspiration TikTok videos

Your TikTok account is the perfect place to share your brand’s values and ethos, reaching like-minded viewers and converting them into followers. 

Share what inspires you and any other content that aligns with your brand values and mission. Your brand is more than just its products, and your TikTok account is a great place to make that stand out.

Sustainable swimwear brand SevenSeas Swimwear is all about summer vibes, so it’s no surprise that this dreamy video got almost two million views. 

Create and post content that fits your brand’s mood and it’s sure to resonate with your followers. 

5. Sneak peeks

Engage your followers and build anticipation for upcoming launches or campaigns by teasing new products and giving your TikTok audience a first peek.

Give followers the first look at new products, colorways, or anything else exciting your brand is working on. Offering sneak peeks also encourages your followers to come back for more.

Elyse Breanne Design took a trending song and created this simple but effective video, 

revealing her newest product range to her followers and showing her taking the product photos.

If something is exciting to you, then chances are it will be exciting to fans of your brand, too. Use this as a part of your TikTok ecommerce strategy to build momentum for a new product launch.

6. TikTok video Q&As

TikTok’s new Q&A feature allows your audience to submit questions to your account. It’s the perfect way to engage with your followers and get invaluable customer insights and new content ideas. 

By enabling the Q&A feature, you can allow your audience to flag their comments as questions, making it easier for you to spot them and reply. 

Soap brand Fizzy Soaps recently created this video in response to a follower’s question, which got almost half a million views. Combining a voiceover with a video of the soaps being created it’s a simple way to engage with followers.

The best part is that Q&As provide you with ready-made TikTok video ideas: you can dedicate multiple videos every week or month to answering the questions asked by your community. 

7. Ask your audience videos

It’s not just your followers who can ask questions. Putting questions out to your audience is a surefire way to boost engagement and find out exactly what your followers think.

What colors do customers want next season? What do they want to see more of on TikTok? Give them the opportunity to get involved and share their views and you’ll gain valuable input from your target audience. 

Parakeet Slimes Shop cleverly combines both ideas into one. The slime brand created this video responding to a follower’s question and threw it open to their audience, asking them for their thoughts—a sure-fire way to get even more engagement.

8. Educational TikTok videos

Whatever your industry or specialist subject, it’s time to share your skills. Own your niche and share your knowledge with followers in informative videos, from breaking down complex topics to creating fun how-to videos. 

It’s a great way to reach more viewers within your niche and convert them to followers. Make it a regular series and consider making a TikTok Playlist so all your informative posts can be stored in one place as a go-to resource.

Peach & Lily created a series revealing the little-known facts about Korean skin care. The video below got almost one million views, and it’s also part of a series that guarantees viewers will be back for more. 

Not sure where to begin? Ask your followers or check for commonly searched questions within your niche. Answering commonly asked questions will create valuable evergreen content that people will return to again and again.

9. Behind the scenes TikTok videos

Giving your followers an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of your company is a great way to get them involved and boost your engagement. 

Behind-the-scenes content makes things more personal. Whether you’re a one-person show or have a team of 100, TikTok ideas that provide a peek behind the scenes will always be engaging. Show your team at work or behind the scenes at your photoshoots, or share something as simple as your morning coffee. Followers value this honest approach.

New York–based fashion brand Cee Cee’s Closet NYC shared this authentic behind-the-scenes moment with followers, getting almost 300,000 views.

XXL and Co brand founder Tina Nguyen created this heartwarming video showing how her mother helps behind the scenes, and with 3.1 million views, it’s one of her brand’s most viewed posts to date. 

10. Vlogs and recaps

Putting together a recap of your day, week, season, or event is a great and easy TikTok video idea. Add a trending sound and give your audience a quick and authentic insight into your brand.

These vlogs act like a diary or scrapbook, and they’re perfect for rounding up a specific time period or event. Just throw together all of the best content that you’ve captured. 

This example from jewelry brand Uncommon James stitches together video clips to capture the mood of a whole day, from buying flowers and hanging out with the dog to visiting the brand’s store and showcasing products. 

You don’t need a physical store to create something just as effective. Snap moments wherever you go and you’ll have a constant supply of engaging vlogs. Give followers a real insight into your brand and effectively capture your aesthetic and ethos in these short posts—and the best thing is, you can rely on them repeatedly. 

11. Collaboration videos

Teaming up with other TikTok accounts is a sure-fire way of reaching new audiences. Influencer marketing allows your brand to reach a whole host of potential new followers who most likely have interests that align with your brand.

We’ve already shown how skin care brand Peach & Lily shares its knowledge, but it also teamed up with one of TikTok’s favorite dermatologists, Dr Zion, in this video.

This video not only spreads the word about Peach & Lily’s products but also builds trust. When it comes to skin care, is there anyone more reliable than a dermatologist? It doesn’t always need a doctor’s opinion, though. Well-known faces and relatable, trusted opinions work just as well.

12. #StoryTime videos

Who doesn’t love a good story? The #StoryTime hashtag is an excellent source of TikTok ideas and lets you get honest and personal with your followers. 

From the story of how your brand started to your biggest inspirations (or even your biggest fails), these stories provide insight into your brand and are simple to film. Tell your own story or shine the spotlight on your team. Authenticity is key, and what better way to be real with your followers than by sharing stories yourself. 

The creator behind Elyse Breanne Design uses a question from a follower as the starting point for this story video. Combining a personal story with footage of the artwork being created makes it extra personal.

13. TikTok video introductions 

This one might seem like a no-brainer, but introducing your brand, yourself, and your products in short videos is a great way to get exposure and ensure you’re reaching your target audience. 

Take a look at this video from skin care brand aavrani: It’s a short and sweet introduction to the brand, its product, and its story. It’s not only effective at explaining the product and its benefits, but it also gives the brand a friendly and relatable face. 

Feel Your Soul’s intro video is another great example of making a brand feel human and introducing new audiences to the people behind the brand.

Even if you’ve been posting for a while, it’s never a bad idea to introduce yourself and your brand to your followers. Why not take every new follower milestone as an opportunity to re-introduce yourself and say hi to new followers? Or pin your introduction story to your profile so any new followers can get to know you.

14. TikTok video tips and tricks

Who doesn’t love a good life hack? Share your best tips and tricks to create videos to get people talking. Focus on your niche and share product or life hacks that will interest and engage your audience.

Skin care brand Drunk Elephant created this simple video to show how its products can be mixed and matched to create a “smoothie.” Some product images, trending audio, and a caption are all it takes. 

15. Duets and stitches

TikTok’s Duet and Stitch features can be found in the Effects menu and allow you to collaborate with other TikTok users.

They’re the perfect way to react to or elaborate on content you’ve spotted that hits a nerve with you—and, ideally, your audience. They can even be a good way to create funny TikTok videos, as you’re really relying on whoever you’re dueting or stitching with to make the bulk of the content. While Duet will create a split-screen effect that lets you react in real-time alongside another video, the Stitch feature allows you to clip and edit a recording responding to an existing video.

These TikTok video ideas are just the beginning

These TikTok video ideas are a great starting point to help you find what works for your brand and your audience. Many of these videos result in even more content, meaning you’ll never be stuck wondering what to post. 

Remember that, as a brand, it’s important to experiment with TikTok video content to see what inspires the most engagement with your target audience. Social media marketing should always involve two-way communication—listen to your audience, gather feedback and center their stories.

Wrapping Up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

The article refers to: https://www.shopify.com/blog/tiktok-video-ideas