[RobertM]

Ah, I live here (Mill Valley, CA) but I'm not quite a millionaire yet. Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself a bit. I'm 26 years old and have worked in Marketing (grassroots, direct, overt) for a little over three years for some very large companies.

I've recently gotten the e-commerce bug after testing the waters a bit at sites like ebay. I'm having a very difficult time trying to find my 'niche' though. I have somewhat esoteric interests, interests that might not appeal to most, but there isn't a whole lot of market for these items. It's a bit ironic I'm having trouble finding a niche because in marketing,

Working in marketing, I'm always finding new ways to get interest in other people's products but can't seem to find one of my own. I've had a decent amount of success in marketing, working as a privately contracted associate, so I'm well equipped when it comes to self discipline and handling my own business. I can market myself and other people's products exceedingly well but when it comes to trying to find a specific product to sell, I seem to be having quite a challenging time. I joined this forum in hopes that I could get some beneficial advice and perhaps get the creative juices flowing. I consider myself to be very creative, resourceful and intuitive. I've also noticed I'm often ahead of the curve when it comes to certain trends, so I really want to make this happen. I have all the will in the world to make it happen right now and realize that I need help in the process and will actually have to work hard to make it happen.


I could sell myself as a marketer for hire on here, but thats not really my main interest. I really want to focus on e-commerce right now and hope I can gain some insight. I've got the marketing element down. If only I could get the other pieces to fall in place.

[phppoddotcom]

I wish you good luck and remember you can always have a friend by your side.

[Woodcs82]

Welcome Robert!!

This is a great place to network and learn from other people.

Welcome aboard.

-C

[RLorenzen]

Welcome Robert!

[aleish]

Welcome aboard Robert!

[Xanifur]

This thread is going nowhere fast -- So let me add a few comments. Do your market research. Retailing (or e-tailing) is a lot different from marketing, as marketing is only one aspect of your business (but let's not forget, it's a BIG one!)

Well, answer me a few questions --

• What is your product?

• What is your demographic?

• Will you be selling on your own website, B&M, or eBay?

Recognize trends -- Is there a big film coming out? Popular fad? (be careful with this!)
Keyword research -- Find products that have low competition, and higher search volumes (fire up Google for keyword tools)
Do you -- already have a customer database built up, or will you be a new player?

Try to use all of these to come up with something that you will enjoy doing, and relatively familiar with, and know it has profit potential. Of course, finding the niche product to sell is a whole other HUGE subject in itself. I invite you to take the time to check out my website, in my signature or: Product Sourcing Methods - Wholesale, Liquidation, Importing, Drop Ship, Market Research which explains a lot about finding a niche, finding the products to fulfill that niche, as well as some tools you can use, like videos, ebooks etc.

If you are not selling a tangible items please PM me so I can set you up with "information product" strategies and help.

Hope this helps. Also, welcome to the forums!