Need guidance from entrepreneurs who started their own business

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1

I’m getting ready to start my own online store focused on handmade products. Right now I’m deciding between two main categories - leather items (wallets, key holders) and fabric products (laptop cases, pillow covers). All my products will come from small makers in South Asia.

My plan is to create high-quality items with simple designs and nice packaging. I’ll sell everything through my own website and I have about $1300 to start with.

Here’s where I am right now:

  • Working out final designs with suppliers
  • Planning custom boxes and packaging
  • Getting ready to order my first batch of products
  • Want to advertise on Instagram and TikTok

I really want to hear from people who have started similar businesses. What I’m most curious about:

Brand building: How did you make people remember your brand when you didn’t have much money?

Packaging: Did fancy packaging actually help you sell more or get better reviews?

Getting customers: What marketing tricks worked best when you were just starting?

Product testing: How did you know people would buy your stuff before you invested big money?

Working with suppliers: What questions should I ask now to prevent problems later?

If you made any big mistakes or learned important lessons while starting your first business, I’d really appreciate hearing about them.

2

Started my accessories business three years ago, so here’s what I’ve learned the hard way. Your budget’s solid for testing things out—I started with way less. For suppliers, communication speed and consistent sample quality are everything. I screwed up by not asking about backup production capacity. My original supplier got slammed during peak season and left me hanging. Always get multiple samples over time to check if their quality stays consistent. Product validation—I wish I’d done way more pre-orders before going bulk. Try running ‘coming soon’ campaigns on social media to see who’ll actually buy, not just like and comment. Real money commitments tell you everything. Packaging matters but start simple. My first boxes were basic kraft paper with a nice sticker. Customers ate up the ‘authentic handmade’ vibe and it cost almost nothing compared to fancy packaging. Invest in good product photography from day one. That’s huge. Biggest lesson: stick to one product category first. I launched too many variants at once and my marketing message got muddy. Pick leather OR fabric, nail that market, then expand. Your supplier relationships get stronger too when you’re ordering bigger quantities of fewer items.