How did you get your first customers?

[subbase]

Just curious how you guys got your first jobs when you were first starting out? I am planning on getting some equipment by the end of this month and plan on spending some time to learn it, but I am trying to figure out what my plan of attack is going to be once I am confident in the process and end result. Should I.....

Create a website?

Sell on ebay?

Etsy? Amazon?

Knock on some doors?

What has worked best for you so far? What has your experience been like when you were first starting out and how did you get your first customers?

At the moment, I am trying to draft out a plan where I am targeting specific markets and trying to find out the right substrates to create a sample pack to present to those markets, but would love to hear some of your experiences, suggestions, stories, and advice on how you got started with your first jobs.....

Thanks in advance!

[Tubstar]

My wife sells on etsy. Its a pretty good community where the customers seem to understand the value of the product more than those on ebay. It's also good to target some of the local smaller business that cant attract the good prices that buying in bulk offer. Either for promotional goods for them or for a small shop. If you can offer them something local, with no crazy minimum orders you will get more repeat business. Its more encouraging to not have to hold as much stock for a small shop than getting a super price. It worth checking out what these sort of places are selling already, then trying to look for something that you can do in line with those.

With Etsy, the value of one or two well deigned products is key. A mug for an occasion like mothers day or fathers day will be competing against lots of the same style. But if yours is good then there are plenty of potential buyers.

We supply trade to a couple of local visitor attractions. Its a good market if you can get in to it as new visitors are coming by all the time.

Alex.

[subbase]

Thanks Alex.....ok, this might seem like a totally stupid question, but what do you mean exactly when you say you "supply trade to a couple of local visitor attractions?"

[Andrew]

Thanks Alex.....ok, this might seem like a totally stupid question, but what do you mean exactly when you say you "supply trade to a couple of local visitor attractions?"

That's selling the products by wholesale to a retail outlet and not direct to consumer. Specifically they are selling to places like gift shops.

I started selling into sports clubshops which is a huge market in the USA. You have a lot of blanks targeting that sector as well. I put a flyer together and emailed various customers until I got a meeting.

[Curry]

Finding potential customers on Google Twitter & facebook