ActionMonth
New Contributor
The title is meant to say: Branding a generic item. Is it worth it?
I'm writing this as a very novice fast laner. In this post you aren't going to find anything about funnels, click ads or other fancy terminology. My numbers aren't substantial and is quite hysterical. I just want to share my story of how I created my first brand that sold. How I first got a taste of the fast lane and experience my first slow lane job loss when I thought nothing could go wrong.
The Beginning
A year ago I started a brand for an accessory item. The market was saturated as hell, but there were a few little things I noticed that would make me stand out. Some of these items were being sold for $20-$30, others were selling it for $100+. People were buying as much of the $100+ ones as much as they were buying the $20 ones.
Same exact items, different brands.
The other thing I noticed is that even though this market is completely saturated, not one of these brands were efficiently branding their products. Almost all of their photos they used were stock photos besides the odd, low quality photo of their cousin or friend wearing it...
Well, they're doing something right because they have a few hundred to a few thousand reviews! Either that or these products are selling themselves.
I happened to stumble upon the fast lane while trying to create my brand and order my products. I had a hand drawn design and was trying to figure out how to create it in reality.
Thanks to TFLF I found a manufacturer in China and ordered 30 samples for $400 with my logo on them.
The Struggle
My decent paying warehouse job went under new management and fired me. Perfect timing because I had just put a down payment on a used car.. I needed it because my old one constantly broke down leaving me stranded multiple times.
Ordering them was tough, there was a language barrier and I had trouble paying him. The bank kept refunding my money for some reason and paused my account. I was beginning to get suspicious, but we worked it through and I made the payment.
It had been a month, he's a week past his shipment deadline. I'm pissed, I've been scammed... I sent an angry email and told him that I would get Alibaba involved if he didn't give me a refund or send me my product.
He wrote me a story on how there was a monsoon in his area and caused a flood that damaged a few homes, businesses and factories. BULL SHIT so I looked it up and it turned out that it was true...
I gave him another chance, he said he would overnight ship them to me so I accepted it, but informed him that if I do not get it within 2 days then I will contact Alibaba. I had screenshots, photos and everything to prove it.
I got them 2 days later and was euphoric. Something I drew on a piece of paper that was in my mind has manifested itself into reality.
Work hard, party easy
With newfound free time, I went to the lake in 100 degree heat to take professional pictures with my DSLR camera and almost passed out from heat exhaustion. The photos looked great and I spent an hour or two editing them.
I had enough lot of money saved up so I took a budget-friendly road trip to Austin, TX to enjoy myself, clear my mind and celebrate my first attempt to start a brand/business venture. Of course, I had to take a few more pictures of my product with the awesome scenery.
Back home and back to work, first thing's first, I need a new job. I applied like crazy 30+ applications in one day and ended up getting a full time job at a grocery store for minimum wage...
That night I posted all the photos of my branded product and copy wrote on facebook, woke up and went to work the next day. During my lunch break I got on facebook and saw that my post got over 100 likes and about a dozen shares. People were already contacting me about grabbing some!
My job hired more people and cut me down to part-time. It's ok I'm making sales right!? WHO CARES!
RESULTS
It's amazing what branding a generic item can do! In my first week I made $600 so that's $200 profit so far. People I didn't even know were sending me messages asking if they could buy a pair! The next week I made $800 and by the end of the month I had $1200 in revenue. All sales were done locally.
I know $1200 isn't a lot to many of you on here, but at the time, it was a lot to me.
Seriously, I know this number isn't astronomical, but it especially meant a lot more to me because of how little effort I put into earning that much after I received and posted my products. That was more than what I made in a month from my grocery job.
This was my first taste of the fast lane and I fell in love.
This was all from posting it on facebook. No paid advertising, no social media page, no website. If I had actually tried by paid advertising, creating an instagram and a personalized website, who knows how well they could have been.
The end of times
I didn't see it coming
Unfortunately this parade was coming to an end. My bills were around the corner, payments were due and I was getting hungry. My plan was to sell out and reach $1800 so I can buy the next batch. My job gave me back full-time hours at the worst possible time so I couldn't go downtown to meet up and sell the rest of my products. I had no choice but to use the $1200 to help pay the bills and necessities.
I was still getting messages about my products, it was a hit item.
Lessens learned
- Be financially stable is a must under any circumstance.
- Personal branding works when done correctly even in a saturated market
(Other brands that I've studied)
- Set up advertising, personal pages, social market ASAP.
- Constantly stay updated
- Don't count on job security
- Ego is the enemy
Feel free to rip me a new one.
I'm writing this as a very novice fast laner. In this post you aren't going to find anything about funnels, click ads or other fancy terminology. My numbers aren't substantial and is quite hysterical. I just want to share my story of how I created my first brand that sold. How I first got a taste of the fast lane and experience my first slow lane job loss when I thought nothing could go wrong.
The Beginning
A year ago I started a brand for an accessory item. The market was saturated as hell, but there were a few little things I noticed that would make me stand out. Some of these items were being sold for $20-$30, others were selling it for $100+. People were buying as much of the $100+ ones as much as they were buying the $20 ones.
Same exact items, different brands.
The other thing I noticed is that even though this market is completely saturated, not one of these brands were efficiently branding their products. Almost all of their photos they used were stock photos besides the odd, low quality photo of their cousin or friend wearing it...
Well, they're doing something right because they have a few hundred to a few thousand reviews! Either that or these products are selling themselves.
I happened to stumble upon the fast lane while trying to create my brand and order my products. I had a hand drawn design and was trying to figure out how to create it in reality.
Thanks to TFLF I found a manufacturer in China and ordered 30 samples for $400 with my logo on them.
The Struggle
My decent paying warehouse job went under new management and fired me. Perfect timing because I had just put a down payment on a used car.. I needed it because my old one constantly broke down leaving me stranded multiple times.
Ordering them was tough, there was a language barrier and I had trouble paying him. The bank kept refunding my money for some reason and paused my account. I was beginning to get suspicious, but we worked it through and I made the payment.
It had been a month, he's a week past his shipment deadline. I'm pissed, I've been scammed... I sent an angry email and told him that I would get Alibaba involved if he didn't give me a refund or send me my product.
He wrote me a story on how there was a monsoon in his area and caused a flood that damaged a few homes, businesses and factories. BULL SHIT so I looked it up and it turned out that it was true...
I gave him another chance, he said he would overnight ship them to me so I accepted it, but informed him that if I do not get it within 2 days then I will contact Alibaba. I had screenshots, photos and everything to prove it.
I got them 2 days later and was euphoric. Something I drew on a piece of paper that was in my mind has manifested itself into reality.
Work hard, party easy
With newfound free time, I went to the lake in 100 degree heat to take professional pictures with my DSLR camera and almost passed out from heat exhaustion. The photos looked great and I spent an hour or two editing them.
I had enough lot of money saved up so I took a budget-friendly road trip to Austin, TX to enjoy myself, clear my mind and celebrate my first attempt to start a brand/business venture. Of course, I had to take a few more pictures of my product with the awesome scenery.
Back home and back to work, first thing's first, I need a new job. I applied like crazy 30+ applications in one day and ended up getting a full time job at a grocery store for minimum wage...
That night I posted all the photos of my branded product and copy wrote on facebook, woke up and went to work the next day. During my lunch break I got on facebook and saw that my post got over 100 likes and about a dozen shares. People were already contacting me about grabbing some!
My job hired more people and cut me down to part-time. It's ok I'm making sales right!? WHO CARES!
RESULTS
It's amazing what branding a generic item can do! In my first week I made $600 so that's $200 profit so far. People I didn't even know were sending me messages asking if they could buy a pair! The next week I made $800 and by the end of the month I had $1200 in revenue. All sales were done locally.
I know $1200 isn't a lot to many of you on here, but at the time, it was a lot to me.
Seriously, I know this number isn't astronomical, but it especially meant a lot more to me because of how little effort I put into earning that much after I received and posted my products. That was more than what I made in a month from my grocery job.
This was my first taste of the fast lane and I fell in love.
This was all from posting it on facebook. No paid advertising, no social media page, no website. If I had actually tried by paid advertising, creating an instagram and a personalized website, who knows how well they could have been.
The end of times
I didn't see it coming
Unfortunately this parade was coming to an end. My bills were around the corner, payments were due and I was getting hungry. My plan was to sell out and reach $1800 so I can buy the next batch. My job gave me back full-time hours at the worst possible time so I couldn't go downtown to meet up and sell the rest of my products. I had no choice but to use the $1200 to help pay the bills and necessities.
I was still getting messages about my products, it was a hit item.
Lessens learned
- Be financially stable is a must under any circumstance.
- Personal branding works when done correctly even in a saturated market
(Other brands that I've studied)
- Set up advertising, personal pages, social market ASAP.
- Constantly stay updated
- Don't count on job security
- Ego is the enemy
Feel free to rip me a new one.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Last edited:
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
