How I Became an Entrepreneur

Hello,

Today, I'd like to share the story of how I decided to start my own business and the process behind it. My journey into entrepreneurship wasn't a simple plan, but the result of many challenges and considerations.

Starting a Business? That Wasn't for Me

In my 20s, I majored in Management Information Systems with a minor in Business Administration. However, during college and after graduation, entrepreneurship wasn't on my radar at all. My introverted nature and lack of adventurousness drew me more towards a stable job as a salaried employee. Most of my college friends also chose employment over starting businesses. Only one friend started a startup, where I worked for six months. While it was interesting, entrepreneurship still felt like a different world to me.

15 Years as a Full-time Homemaker

I spent about 15 years as a full-time homemaker due to marriage and childcare. However, I always felt a thirst for economic activity and tried to obtain certifications and find employment in my spare time. But these plans were repeatedly thwarted by the realities of childcare and caring for my father. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Amidst the global difficulties, I too felt frustrated and anxious about the future. Our family's tight financial situation also played a role.

First Challenge: Starting an Online Shop

I recalled my experience working as a web designer 15 years before marriage. While looking for work-from-home opportunities, I discovered a course on starting an online shop for women with career breaks. I immediately signed up.

However, my husband opposed it. Concerned about our child's online classes, he wasn't keen on me taking long training sessions. So, I woke up at 6 AM to prepare meals for our child, then attended classes from 9 AM to 4 PM.

I took various classes on photography, Photoshop editing, internet marketing, and practiced sourcing and selling products from Alibaba in China. I enjoyed the process so much that I often stayed up all night working on assignments.

Venturing into Amazon Selling

A friend happened to own a hair clip factory. When I asked my instructor if I could sell these products, she suggested I try becoming an Amazon seller myself.

Amazon seller? I remembered buying clothes for my child on Amazon a few years ago. "Could I really become an Amazon seller?" I felt both excited and scared.

My husband's opposition grew stronger. He worried I might get scammed, having been a homemaker for so long. But my desire to have my own career was strong. So, I registered a business and took my first steps by creating an Amazon seller account, guided by a book called "Amazon Seller Guidebook."

Small Capital, Big Passion

My initial capital was $500. I took photos at a public studio in my provincial city and edited them on my husband's computer before he came home from work. I also worked late into the night on my child's computer after they fell asleep.

Fellow course participants helped as models, and I struggled to get English translations from a friend's acquaintance living in the US. To save costs, I bought small quantities of ready-made packaging materials online and decorated them with stickers.

I learned about insert cards from a YouTube channel run by an Amazon seller named "Bopyo." So, I created insert cards featuring images of 'binyeo,' a traditional Korean hair ornament, along with a thank-you message for customers.

First Product Shipment and Excitement

In October 2020, I finally shipped my first products to Amazon. It was hard to believe my products were flying to America, a place I'd never been. My fellow trainees and instructors sincerely wished for the success of my first business venture.

So, did my business succeed or fail?
I'll continue my story in the next newsletter.

Thank you for reading.