I want to change my life, Business advice needed

[Maddex]

Hi guys,

 

So I am working on an idea for an online business, sort of a subscription service. I have some general questions that maybe I can get some opinions on.

 

First some back story. I entered University 7 years ago having no idea what to do with my life (like most people). I ended up graduating with a Commerce degree, and since then have been seeking ways to use it without hating my job. I have yet to find this type of work. Going to work every day and sitting in the office for 8 hours, then going home and just waiting to do it all over again the next morning is exhuasting and demoralizing. Frankly it depresses me to no end. But what else can a guy do? I mean you have to make money, you have to have a job, you cannot just piss your life away. These thoughts are how I kept getting up for work everyday.

 

So what if there is another way? I was reading Nerdfitness for the first time the other day and I became inspired. Maybe there is another way to live your life. I don't want to check into an office doing the same thing 8 hours a day for the next 30 years. It's exhuasting, it doesn't challenge me and I simply do not enjoy it.

 

So I started picturing a way to get out this life path. I came up with the idea of starting a online distribution business based on subscriptions. Which brings me to my questions for you guys:

 

• I know zero about programming/web development. Is it possible to create a site without this knowledge? I was thinking of trying Squarespace or some similar service versus hiring a web developer.
• How difficult would it be to deal with shipping products without a warehouse? Do you think its possible to find wholesalers that ship products for you, or is a warehouse to hold product necessarry?
• How do you think the best way to advertise is, without spending outrageous amounts of money? I was thinking advertising on social media, podcasts, and word of mouth.
• If I have never done anything like this before, am I doomed to failure? Would failure be the worst thing or should I accept the possibility that it could happen, and if it does use it to learn?

Anyways these are just general inquiries/doubts that have been running in my head. This may not be the best place to ask these questions, but I love the nerdfitness community since I heard about it, and am just hoping for some general advice/tips for where I can get better information should anyone have any ideas.

 

Thanks!

 

[JPrev]

Not really sure what your concept is, but it sounds like you're asking to do a lot with very little investment - cheap, no experience, alone, etc.  Before you even get into the logistics, what's the idea?  What will your concept provide that someone can't find elsewhere?  Once you have the idea, the truly hard part begins.  Almost anyone can come up with an idea, but very few can go the distance.  Getting a business off the ground almost always is more costly than planned.  Some businesses - like tech start ups - don't even plan to make back the investment until they're bought by some other company.

 

And maybe before you even think of the work it'll take to get everything built and advertised, you need to think about your personal finances.  How much money do you need to get by?  How much do you need to be saving?  Do you have dependents?  Will you have dependents?  Once you know your number, how will you achieve it through the new business?  How many subscriptions or deliveries would you need per month/year?  Can you spare the money and time for the years it could take to break even, let alone actually make enough money for your needs and dreams?

 

Importantly, can you do any of that with the small amount of investment you're asking to put forth?

 

I'm not saying you shouldn't do something like this, only that I've seen other people like you try and they fall into a hole because they drastically underestimated the challenge.  The job you have now may do nothing for the dreamer in you, and by all means, find a way to change what needs to change.  But before you go off on your own, make sure you're taking care of yourself!

[Maddex]

^{Thanks for the response! I hear everything you are saying. I guess you can compare it to a company like Nature box in terms of it being a food subscription service.}

^{I agree I have no experience, and am not looking to have huge overhead investments. Basically I am trying to figure out if there is a way to skip the overhead costs of holding onto product, but instead to organize a website where people can subcribe to my service, and based on subscriptions I make orders. So there is very little cost. The costs come in once I have people ordering, because then I need to actually get them the product.}

 

^{So most of my pre-investment is the time of trying to figureout/understand the possibility of getting product from one place to another without storing the product. I would obviously need to organize packaging and branding of what I am sending, but as far as product holdings it would be minimal and be 100% related to subscriptions in versus orders out.}

 

^{I do not see this as something that would be a magic bullet getting me out of my current job/projectory. But rather a supplemental side business that allows me to gain experience and supplement income, so that maybe I can work on different projects versus my current job.}

^{I wouldn't be abandoning job, and I would still have that steady income. So subscription amounts dont need to be high at first, and in fact while I figure out the process a low number of subscriptions would likely be beneficial. I dont have any dependents, nor anywhere near that point in life.}

 

^{I appreciate your feedback and it definitely has given me lots to think about (hence the days later reply).}

^Thanks!