I ask because most of the posts I read here are from service providers. And while a decent amount of the info is relatable, I’d love to hear from people who sell physical products and have to deal with manufacturing, inventory, wholesale/retail/ecom sales, etc.

As for my business, I own and game company (board games, card games). My two current titles are aimed at kids 3 and up. My next title (going into production shortly) will be same demo, then the following two titles will be aimed at the whole family (ages 8+). While my business is mostly profitable, I’m basically investing every dollar back into the company (more inventory, more titles, more marketing/sales).

I’m just 2 years into my journey (mostly part time), learning an entirely new industry, and would love to hear stories from other people selling consumer goods.

Where are you in your journey? What struggles did you encounter/are you encountering? What was the hardest part in the early years? Hardest ongoing struggles? Did you have any aha moments that helped you turn a corner? Did you ever get to a place of any real profitability? If so, how long?

I don’t have much of a network of people doing anything similar, so thanks in advance…hopefully we get a good discussion.

  • Hotpocket14OPBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Thanks for sharing…that’s some great insight. I worked in branding and marketing for a big craft brewery and led the launch of one of the biggest brand currently in craft.

    I agree with the notion that small business ownership is the only path. My field is always one of the first to get laid off, and as I get older (mid 40’s now) finding a job gets harder and harder. I love every aspect of owning a business. Even the hard stuff is extremely rewarding once you find a solution.

    I’m a one person shop, so I have to do a lot…but I do catch myself falling into the trap of doing the stuff I enjoy the most (product dev and package design) when I know I could be pushing harder in other areas (building social media presence, being a better/more driven sales person). I am trying to adopt a “sales, sales, sales” mentality.