Though many of us enjoy working in a corporate job, others dream of running their own startup. In today’s article, we share a success story and tips for how you can move from corporate to starting your own business. Whether you want to start your own successful eCommerce business as well or you’re looking for tips on how to grow your business, we hope this article inspires you!
Entrepreneur of the month
Successful startup owner, Eunica Shaw, managed to pivot career paths from taxation law at Ernst Young to being among one of the flourishing, award-winning businesses in Workit Spaces. Her business, Alcmena, uses our eCommerce showroom and storage solutions. Shaw decided to make the jump to working on her startup full-time when Alcmena started making her work day have “double-digit hours”.
“I was working from 8:45am to 5:30pm at EY, and then coming home at 6pm and working on Alcmena until 2am or 3am,” described Shaw.
Earlier this year, Shaw qualified as a finalist in the NSW Emerging Leader Award category in the 2020 Telstra Business Women’s Awards. A great achievement for a startup, particularly one that has only gone full-time in the last few months. Due to Eunica’s success, we’ve asked her for her top two tips for making the change from corporate to startup.
Tips for going from corporate to startup
- Start doing. “I’ve made a tonne of mistakes along the way, some probably because I was too excited or impatient, but I’ve also learned a lot through my mistakes. If you plan and plan and plan, the market will evolve and change and by the time you think you’re ready to take your product or service to market, people’s needs and preferences will have changed and you’ll need to start from scratch.”
- Give customers a reason to choose you over a similar brand. “For us, it’s our prints and our customer service. Our customers are our friends first and we make sure they feel it. Nothing is ever too much trouble – that’s why they remain loyal, despite all the manufacturing and other issues we have experienced in the past 12 to 18 months.”
However, Shaw realises that not everyone will have the right circumstances that can allow you to take your business full-time right now. Shaw states that she was able to for two key reasons, “My family did not rely on my EY income to survive so when we lost it, we didn’t starve, and I don’t have kids yet so my time, money and emotional energy could be spent flexibly. I say this to highlight the reasons I have been able to achieve what I have.”
If your circumstances mean you cannot take your business full-time, Shaw advises to not immediately think it’s because you’re not good enough. “There are enough voices out there telling you to “do more, be more” and I refuse to be part of that narrative,” said Shaw.
What does Alcmena do?
Alcmena is known for its unique nappy prints. Her business partner (her husband, Kang) has been the one behind “a lot of our geeky prints”. However, a lot of the print inspiration comes from speaking to customers, which has been an easier way for Alcmena to figure out what to do next.
Most of the prints being designed by Australian artists. Eunica describes the creative process between her and them as “giving them free reign to draw what they want, as from experience, those prints are the most beautiful and best-selling”.
How to start your own eCommerce business?
If you’re looking for more information, you can read more of our articles on starting an online business in Australia and getting storage as an eCommerce business. You can looking into our coworking spaces based in Sydney where you’ll find a community of other eCommerce businesses. We’ve created a great, active, and supportive community of successful entrepreneurs here at Workit Spaces.
