According to ecomerece.shopify.com, international or local drop shipping is not hard. It takes a lot of work, but no more work than any business would. “As with any other business, building a successful dropshipping business takes significant commitment and a long-term perspective. If you’re hoping for a six-figure income from six weeks of part-time work, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. By approaching your business with realistic expectations about the investment required and your profitability, you’ll be much less likely to get discouraged and quit.”
Hard work is still necessary. “Bootstrapping and investing sweat equity to build your business is our recommended approach, especially for first-time dropshipping entrepreneurs.”
It is going to take some energy and for you to keep your day job, “Realistically, most people aren’t able to quit their job to spend six months ramping up their new online store. It may be a bit more challenging, but it’s definitely possible to get started with dropshipping even if you’re still working a 9-to-5 position assuming you set appropriate expectations regarding customer service and fulfillment times for your customers.”
The option of quitting your job is a good idea to focus on drop-shipping businesses. “If you have the option to work on your business full-time, it’s the best choice to improve your profit potential and chance of success. Focusing all your efforts on marketing is especially helpful in the early days when building momentum is crucial. Based on our experience, it will usually take at least 12 months of full-time work with a strong emphasis on marketing for a dropshipping business to replace an average full-time income of $50,000.”
The website does come with warnings, though, “It’s possible to create and grow a dropshipping business by investing a bunch of money, but we advise against it. We’ve tried both approaches to growing a business (bootstrapping it ourselves versus outsourcing the process) and have had the most success when we’ve been in the trenches doing most of the work.”
So, what does it take to work on making drop shipping successful? “In the early stages, it’s crucial to have someone who is deeply invested in the success of the business building it from the ground up. Without understanding how your business works at every level, you’ll be at the mercy of expensive programmers, developers and marketers who will quickly eat up any profits you’re generating. You don’t need to do absolutely everything yourself, but we strongly recommend being the primary driving force at the outset of your venture.”
Decide on your business’s structure, “SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP – This is the simplest business structure to implement but also offers no personal liability protection. So if your business is sued, your personal assets also may be in jeopardy. Filing requirements are minimal, and you simply report your business’s earnings on your personal taxes. No other state or federal business filings are required.”
You need to make sure your business does not hurt your personal finances and your personal life.
