80 Reed Gift Fairs I also advise businesses to look at automating (or handing off) systems and processes that take a lot of time but don’t yield much in terms of a result. This could mean finding an affordable bookkeeper, automating shipping processes, batching social media content so it’s a fortnightly job and so on. This allows the business owner to spend time on marketing and product strategy, rather than being down in the trench’s day after day. To keep profit margins high, it’s also a good idea to continually monitor and look for better deals in your supply chain. Push your suppliers for lower prices where possible, examine your freight costs and keep an eye on these – if they’re rising you need to make sure this is reflected in your pricing to ensure your business remains profitable. How can business owners reduce the feeling of overwhelm? For most of us, the balance is uneven and we put ourselves at the bottom of the list. We get stuck, overwhelmed & guilty, and we forget why we are losing ourselves in building a business which has taken over our lives. And when we start to feel overwhelmed, we lose sight of the big picture – why we started our business to begin with. My best tip is to only have 5 things on your to do-list at any time. This gives you focus, clarity, and motivation to tick things off your list. For all the other projects and ideas you have that will help grow your business, I suggest a hallway filled with butchers paper to capture these ideas, then a small to do list on your desk each week taken from that wall, with achievable items on it! Aim to block out some time (even if it’s just an hour or two a week) to work ON your business, not in it. This might mean setting some goals and outlining your priorities for growth each week. What are the biggest mistakes you see e-commerce business owners making? I work with a lot of businesses who, when I meet them, aren’t differentiating their product enough from the competition. Businesses in competitive categories such as skin care, beauty, kids & baby need to have a point of difference to make their brand stand out from the crowd – be really clear on who your competitors are, how you can be different from them and what additional value you can offer. Another mistake is putting all your eggs in one marketing basket – only using Facebook ads, or only using social media, or only using email marketing. To succeed, brands need a truly multi- channel approach utilising as many channels as possible. No one channel will work on its own, or if it currently does, there’s no guarantee that that single channel will continue to work in the future. Your top advice for retailers with online stores? 1. Focus on conversion rate optimisation on your website – if you can double your conversion by being clever with your copy, hierarchy of order, trust factors and transforming the customers pain points with your solution, you will sell more without spending more on traffic generation. 2. Know your numbers intimately – so many brands fly blind when it comes to knowing their own numbers, what they mean and then actively working to slowly and incrementally increase each number. Overall, this strategy will grow your sales through attention to the right metrics. 3. Think about creating raving fans by serving your customers, not just providing a transaction. Every time someone new lands on your website, that’s an opportunity to serve them through your website, your communication during the shipping process, the unboxing of your product arriving and your follow up process post purchase. Don’t blow it! Gain a customer for life and a raving fan who will tell others about your brand as well.