ონლაინ მაღაზია / Online Store: Starting an Online Business

Plan your first 90 days in online business in three stages: choose a product, understand who needs it, and prepare a working plan in the first month; open your store and run a small test in the second; review results, fix problems, and decide what to continue in the third. Test assumptions and find a workable routine.

Month one: decisions before opening#

Thinking about a store name is enjoyable, but first you need a product and a buyer. Write down the problem the product solves, when someone notices that problem, and what they currently use to address it. If your answer is vague, take time before choosing. The guide to choosing a niche can help you turn a broad idea into a specific need you can describe clearly.

Describe your buyer through more than age or interests. Think about the situation in which they look for this item, what they might ask before buying, and what might hold them back. Talk to people with a similar need. Do not count approval as an order: record their words, questions, and doubts. Ask how they last dealt with the problem and what remained inconvenient.

Next, decide where the product will come from. Holding your own stock means storing and dispatching it yourself. Having the supplier ship directly is also called dropshipping. When comparing inventory models, focus on your daily responsibilities: who checks the item, who packs it, and who answers for delays. Find out how you will receive stock updates and when you can give a buyer a delivery estimate.

Ask the supplier to confirm product specifications, availability, and shipping terms in writing. Do not settle for a general answer: if they say an item is in stock, clarify how you will learn about stock changes and check availability before accepting an order. When a sample arrives, compare the actual item with its description. Record any differences and ask for an explanation. Also establish whom to contact if the item becomes unavailable or cannot be sent in the agreed packaging. Keep unanswered questions separate, and avoid making commitments to buyers before checking that you can fulfill them.

By the end of the month, have notes on the product, buyer, supplier, and costs. Inspect a sample yourself if possible. Check its material, packaging, and use. Write down what you know for certain and what you will test next month. Opening your store will then become a test of a specific assumption. You will also see where you need further answers before accepting orders.

Month two: opening your store and running the first test#

Use the second month to prepare a working version. Buyers need to understand what you sell, how they will use it, and how they will receive it. Answer the questions you heard during preparation in your product description. Show the details mentioned in the description in your photos too. Check whether you are leaving important details for private messages.

Before inviting people to your store, go through the ordering journey yourself. Check whether the choices are clear, where delivery information appears, and how someone can contact you with a question. Ask someone else to go through it and tell you where they became confused. Finding a problem is a useful result at this stage. Avoid prompting them with answers while observing, or you may miss the unclear part.

Before starting your test, decide what you want to learn. For example, you might want to find out whether the product’s benefit is clear or whether the delivery terms are acceptable. A product testing plan can help you connect actions with observations. If you use advertising, decide in advance how much you can afford to spend and under what conditions you will stop the test. Do not change those stopping conditions while waiting for results.

Pay attention to every question, even when it does not lead to an order. Someone may not understand the size, may need an example of the product in use, or may be waiting too long for a reply. Note where they came from and what they needed to make a decision. Avoid making major changes together: you will struggle to tell what helped. At the end of the week, use these notes to define the purpose of your next test more precisely.

Month three: measure, fix, decide#

In the third month, make reviewing your notes a weekly habit. Write down what you tried, where interested people came from, what they asked, which orders you received, and where conversations ended. Record spending, delivery problems, and your working time separately. Do not rely on memory alone. Pay particular attention to cases you will need to revisit with a supplier or buyer.

An order alone does not tell you how well the business is working. Look at product, packaging, delivery, and advertising costs together. Use the margin guide to check what remains after those costs and where an amount is still uncertain. Separate estimated costs from confirmed ones so that expectations do not get mistaken for results. If a cost appears later, revisit your earlier notes and correct the picture.

Next, choose an area to fix. Do people repeatedly ask about sizing? Review the description and photos. Are buyers waiting too long for shipping updates? Review the journey from order to courier and clarify responsibilities. After making a change, observe the same issue again. Comparing results from different weeks makes sense when you remember the conditions of each test. You can label changes with the relevant week of your plan.

At the end of the month, decide whether to continue, change direction, or stop. Continuing has a basis when you can see a need and manage the process. A change may be worthwhile when the problem lies in the particular offer. Stopping is also reasonable if the costs, time, or delivery arrangements do not work for you. Base your decision on your notes. For your next attempt, write down what did not work and why.

What you should not expect in the first 90 days#

This plan comes with no promise of income. You may change products, reconsider working with a supplier, or discover that the daily work does not suit you. Those answers matter too. The plan is a framework: it helps you divide the work into manageable parts and make decisions instead of postponing them. The passing of a month does not itself mean that everything is ready for the next stage.

Another store’s appearance will not tell you how its business is doing. Comparing results from different weeks is more useful: what you learned, what you fixed, and what remains unclear. If you lack enough information to decide, write down what else you will test and under which conditions you will stop. Adapt the plan to your available time and capacity.

Frequently asked questions#

How do I start an online business without experience?

Start by describing a need, checking a supplier, and recording costs. An online business requires daily decisions. Set aside learning time during the first month, but connect the answers you find with practical action.

Where can I find online business ideas?

Look for recurring problems around you, buyer questions, and complaints about existing products. An idea starts as an assumption. When choosing, consider whether you can check the quality, clarify delivery arrangements, and describe the product clearly.

Do I have to start with dropshipping?

No. Dropshipping is a fulfillment model. You can also consider holding your own stock. Choose based on your time, your ability to inspect the item, and the terms agreed with your supplier before deciding to open the store.

Your next step this week#

This week, prepare a short working note: what you sell, who it is for, where it comes from, and what you need to check. Add whom you will speak to and what you will ask. Record answers as you hear them; do not reshape them into the answers you hoped for. At the end of the week, return to your notes and choose your next action.

If your store is already open, identify which stage of the plan you are at. Your pages may be ready while you still lack answers from the supplier. In that case, return to those questions. The purpose of the 90-day plan is to help you understand what you need to decide now.

When you reach the store-building stage, you can try Sellit: you arrange pages by dragging and dropping elements, without writing code. Use it to prepare your test offer (Source: sellit.ge/llms.txt).

Taxes and customs clearance are outside this article’s scope — they are covered on a separate, manually written page.