On March 16, 2020, President Duterte announced a lockdown across Luzon due to rising COVID-19 cases. My out-of-the-country trip was canceled, and I was left feeling frustrated. However, I decided to use my approved leave for something more productive, starting my own e-commerce business. Since I already knew the ins and outs of this industry through my work, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I'd been planning this for a while but never had a concrete timeline.

A Simple E-commerce Process

1. Supplier Sorcery

The first step was finding a product and testing its demand. After a lot of discussions, I connected with a verified supplier on Alibaba who offered a great price

2. Marketing Magic

E-commerce is incredibly cost-effective to start, and with my skills, I set everything up quickly. One of the biggest advantages of starting an e-commerce business is the low capital required, you don't need a brick-and-mortar setup, and you can start small. This business model is flexible and scalable; once you find the right product, you can grow without major upfront costs. I chose Facebook ads to test my product since it's a platform with billions of active users.

3. Lean and Mean Logistics

As a solopreneur, I kept things simple. My warehouse? The trunk of my car. My shipping partners? Local heroes like LBC and J&T. Sometimes, simple is best.

Numbers Don't Lie: Unexpected Explosion

By July 2020, the setup was complete, and sales started picking up. From flat sales during the early days of setup, by July to October 2020, I saw significant growth, nearing ₱1M in revenue. My returning customer rate hit 6.79%, a key indicator of organic sales success.

Fast forward to July 1, 2021: Total sales had skyrocketed to ₱3,544,810.14, with a returning customer rate of 14.02%. All while I was still working full-time. This simple business became my savings and investments accelator.

Data is King

E-commerce is a booming industry. It's a business where you can start small and grow over time. It's projected to reach ₱60 billion in market size by 2030, making it a solid, data-backed choice for anyone interested in starting their own business. If you're already considering on starting a business, you're on the right track with e-commerce.

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1125455/e-commerce-market-size-philippines/

Why E-commerce? Why Now?

As a corporate worker pursuing a solopreneur venture, this business model fits me perfectly. I know the process, understand the analytics, and the data shows it's a growing industry.

If you're looking for a business opportunity with proven potential, you can consider e-commerce on the list.