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Jazzi McGilbert didn’t exactly start out with a business plan, but rather a vision of a space for Black people in Los Angeles. She wanted to create a place where they could gather as a community, inspired by her own childhood in the city. “I was just a creative, bookish, introverted Black girl growing up and always needed spaces to just feel safe. And I lacked those,” Jazzi says. “So I went out and built one.”

With just $20,000, Jazzi started Reparations Club, a bookstore and community space. In just three years, the store has grown into a seven-figure business. Much of that growth has happened organically, driven by creativity, curation, and careful risk-taking.

Harnessing her creative side

Jazzi is an artist who works in multiple mediums. She was a fashion magazine editor and a creative director before starting Rep Club, and brought a similar artistic sensibility to designing the store. “I approach my business like an artist in that I am thinking about color and texture and how people are going to resonate with the work,” Jazzi says.

For Reparations Club, Jazzi wanted the store to have a 1970s-inspired aesthetic, similar to the décor of her childhood.

Curating with purpose

Reparations Club sells books and products from Black-owned brands. “I think every bookstore is ultimately, in some way, a reflection of its owner,” Jazzi says. She explains that her interests and identity, as well as the interests and identity of her staff, are reflected in the products on the shelves.

The ups and downs of entrepreneurship

When she started, Jazzi had a vision for Reparations Club and knew the community she was building it for, but she didn’t know how it would be received. When she did find her first retail space, she went in expecting the worst. “If nobody walks in this space and buys anything, how much do I stand to lose?” she asked herself.

When the building’s roof had a leak, Jazzi almost did lose it all, with water damaging almost all of the store’s inventory.

Jazzi kept going, though. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Reparations Club to shut down its brick-and-mortar location temporarily, but Reparations Club opened an online store and started making book deliveries around the city.

And Reparations Club was able to meet customers’ needs when people were looking for resources amid the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. “This was the summer of anti-racist reading. People were really seeking out education that they were now realizing they lacked,” Jazzi says.

Growing through word-of-mouth marketing

Reparations Club hasn’t spent any money on advertising. Instead, the brand’s growth has been organic. “I just wanted to focus on people having such a good experience that they told somebody else about it,” Jazzi says. Creating that experience is sometimes as simple as recommending a book to a customer or helping an author celebrate their first release. 

The indie bookstore business can be challenging at times, but Jazzi does see some hope in the amount of books that people are reading and how many films are based on books. “There is this return to reading that I’m deeply inspired by,” she says.

To learn more about Reparations Club and Jazzi’s journey to becoming a business owner, listen to the full interview on Shopify Masters.

The sedentary life of mid-day cocktails and leisure sports might suit some as a reward for years of hard work, but it’s not for everyone. Retirement brings an end to work and with it goes its built-in routine, social interaction, and physical activity (say, walking to the office).

What if retirement looked more like work and less like golf and sandy beaches? It’s not a completely absurd idea. In fact, Boomers of retirement age account for 37% of all small business owners, and one survey found that 54% of Americans would prefer starting a business over retiring. 

Ahead, find a list of retirement business ideas, tips, and advice for pursuing entrepreneurship. And hear from small business owners over 50 who found happiness in working (after retiring from working). 

Why start a retirement business

Research finds that Americans staying in the workforce cite financial stability, access to benefits, and physical ability as reasons to not to rush retirement. The same study also found that due to the nature of jobs changing, including technology replacing manual work, many jobs have become more “age friendly.” When they do retire, some take a phased approach with part-time work for the same reasons.

If you’ve asked yourself, “Should I start a business after I retire?” the answer depends on your goals, personality, and retirement income needs. There are plenty of benefits to starting a business in retirement, while still finding room for a little R&R.

Take advantage of your experience

This demographic is well suited to entrepreneurship, due to having more life experience and fewer responsibilities. The risk may be much lower, too: for many in this age bracket, pensions can provide backup, the kids are on their own, and living expenses are typically lower.

Stay active

It’s no surprise that study after study shows staying physically active can stave off health issues and prolong your life. But keeping an active mind can also reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

A small business demands both physical exertion (packing orders, trips to the post office) and mental exercise (writing product page copy, planning marketing campaigns). A business run from home also allows for those with limited mobility to set their own level of activity.

Supplement your pension or income

Depending on your situation, you may be relying on reduced income after you retire. A new business could provide support for staying on top of bills, paying down debt, or tucking away for a rainy day. 

Pursue a lifelong dream

If sitting around just isn’t your thing, retirement is the perfect time to find a new kind of freedom. Starting a retirement business is the opportunity to live out the dreams you may have put on hold for “someday.” Today is someday. Entrepreneurship carries less risk than it might have in your younger years, keeps you active, and can help offset the cost of a passion project.

Fund a hobby

If the goal isn’t to make money, dig into your interests and hobbies and choose something that brings you joy. Sell handmade items online or at local fairs to help pay for materials and fund a retirement hobby. This can offset the reduced income that you’ll experience after retirement.

Stay social

The passive life of retirement might feel like the opposite of freedom for some who get social interaction through their work. Removing this benefit could actually be detrimental to your health.

Though loneliness levels among those 50 to 74 have actually decreased in recent decades due to more social opportunities and access, nearly half of all Americans report feeling lonely always or sometimes. 

Starting a business could replace some of that interaction—with customers, suppliers, postal carriers, and other professionals. There are also plenty of online and IRL communities for small business owners where you can get advice and meet friends with similar interests.

7 retirement business ideas to act on today

1. Start a consulting business
2. Make products to sell
3. Start a coaching business
4. Sell courses
5. Offer tutoring services
6. Become a reseller
7. Sell services

The best retirement business ideas start from what you know. If the goal is not necessarily to make money online, dig into your interests, experience, and hobbies and choose something that brings you joy. The business ideas for retirees are infinite!

1. Start a consulting business

Retirees can leverage their years of experience and expertise in a specific field by offering consulting services. Did you work in corporate interior design? Sell consultations for smaller residential projects. Were you an investment advisor at a firm? Start your own financial consultancy and set hours that work around retirement leisure.

There are many consulting business ideas that are ideal for new retirees who want to set their own pace without stopping work altogether.

2. Make products to sell 

If you occasionally sell jams or knitted goods at your church’s bazaar on weekends, you can ramp things up by starting a maker business. Consider expanding your sales channels into other local markets and craft fairs. If you’re less mobile, an online store is an excellent option for retirees, as it has the flexibility to be run from home.

What are you already doing in your spare time? Wooden dollhouses, prize-winning pies, and crocheted blankets are just a few things you can make and sell in retirement.

Trisha Trout didn’t start her handmade soap brand until after she was 50. She spun a weekend hobby into a retiree business after a family tragedy. “The best part of running my business is just the knowledge that I’m able to support myself,” says Trisha. “I’m not wealthy, but I make enough to enjoy life and help others here and there.”

3. Start a coaching business

Coaching is one of the best retirement business ideas for those with a background in business or psychology. You could start a successful business after retirement doing what you already do best. As a small business owner, you can now set your own hours at your own pace, and only take on projects that energize you. 

4. Sell courses

You have a wealth of life and work experience! How can you monetize what you know? Sell digital products like video or PDF instructional courses—these require more work upfront, but have excellent margins and minimal effort in the long run.

You can also run courses from your home such as art tutorials or yoga classes, inviting students to join in person or via livestream.

Chiara Nicolanti found a way to keep her grandmother busy during the COVID-19 pandemic when lockdowns forced her in-person cooking classes to shut down. Chiara took those classes online and her late grandmother, Nonna Nerina, became the face of Nonna Live. In her memory, the business lives on, employing other retired women in her small Italian village. 

Small business owners of older generations have a lot to share due to their years of experiences—and people are willing to pay for it. “I share our history and let [customers] experience a part of Italy, our family, and my grandma’s culinary secrets,” says Chiara.

5. Offer tutoring services

Teachers who love sharing knowledge but want to retire from formal education environments can consider starting a tutoring business. Tutor children, college students, or adults either in person or virtually from home through an online business. This is a great way to make money as a teacher after you retire.

6. Become a reseller

If you have retirement savings to invest in a new business, consider becoming a reseller. This involves less work than developing your own product. Starting an online store to sell goods from other brands is a great small business idea to make extra income. And, if you choose a dropshipping model, you won’t even need to handle inventory.

Sonja Detrinidad took a new hobby to the next level when she went viral on TikTok. The former mortgage professional was sourcing plants for her own garden and documenting her journey online. Soon others were requesting her services. Sonja started Partly Sunny Projects to bridge the gap between greenhouses and plant parents everywhere.

7. Sell services

As an older entrepreneur, you can sell services like landscaping or pet sitting—activities that can keep you physically active and social. This is a great way to stay connected to your local community and pick your own hours. Other services may be related to your former career. Retirees from service industries like accounting, construction trades, or wellness services may choose to downgrade from working full time to selling these services on the side&

Retirement business spotlight: Bernie Rothrock

When Bernie Rothrock retired after 30 years of teaching, he accepted his brother-in-law Tom’s offer to manage his alpaca ranch. Bernie and his wife had no specific retirement plans at that point and took a chance. “I had never worked with any animals whatsoever in my lifetime,” says Bernie.

When Tom passed away, much of the herd was sold, and the ranch was purchased by new owners to use as a getaway home. Since the new owners had no use for the barn, they allowed Bernie to keep 11 alpacas on the property. He continued to care for them as pets, with no intention to breed them for profit. “Alpacas are just really nice, neat little animals,” Bernie says. “And our grandkids love them.”

Bernie’s sister-in-law had a small store at the ranch. “The alpaca socks always sold really well,” he says. That’s when his son Drew suggested Bernie sell those socks online.

The resulting fiber from the annual shearing of alpacas is sent to a fiber co-op and turned into products like socks, hats, and mittens. Co-op prices are lower than wholesale for ranchers like Bernie, because he’s providing the raw materials.

Bernie initially bought $1,000 worth of socks and launched them on his own website in time for Cyber Monday in 2015. The response was overwhelming. “Within a day, I’m calling my wife and saying, ’We need more socks!’” he says.

Maximus & Penelope—named for two alpacas in the herd—became a thriving Shopify store, run by a retiree with no previous business experience. The store provided Bernie and his wife a little extra money to travel and enjoy a peaceful retirement. “I really did not have that entrepreneurial bug, if you will,” he says. “It was happenstance. Things just worked out.”

4 questions to ask before starting your retirement business

Once you have an idea, the best way to get started is to just start. You can begin a free trial on Shopify and play with your new store before you go live. If the prospect of building a website is overwhelming, start with free resources to guide you through the process. Next, ask yourself a few important questions:

1. How will you finance your new business?

What if we told you that you can start a business with a $0 budget? It’s possible. If the point of starting your business is staying active or social, there’s no need to invest a lot upfront. There are a few avenues to pursue if your project requires startup capital. Plan ahead and seek advice from a financial professional before starting your business. 

Here are few tips to get you started:

• Start small. Don’t invest a ton into a business idea simply because you’re passionate about it. Test your idea with a small audience, and start with a little inventory.
• Borrow against retirement savings. In the US, you can borrow against your 401(k) like a small business loan. Check with your local government for rules specific to your country or region.
• Consider a micro-loan. Keep an eye on the SBA’s website (or your local government’s small business site) for small loans and grants specific to retirees or your age bracket.
• Keep it lean. Starting a business on a budget means leaning into free resources like logo design tools and spreadsheets to track financials. 

2. Can you play to your strengths (and learn the rest)?

Bernie’s 30 years as a teacher has made him quite the wordsmith. He writes all of the site’s copy, product descriptions, and blog posts. With a little help from his son, he learned the mechanics of building and maintaining a website.

It’s never too late to learn something new. In many cities, public libraries, government-run facilities, and community groups offer free courses for seniors like basic computer skills and web design. Check listings in your area for programs catering to retirees or older folks.

3. Do you have an exit strategy?

You may retire with tons of energy and the ability to run a business on your own, but what will happen if you no longer can? What’s your plan if health issues prevent you from continuing to manage the business? Have you had discussions with your family about your wishes? 

Bernie says he watched many like him enter the alpaca business at an older age. “You’re just one health issue away from no longer being able to care for your herd,” he says. That’s why he’s keeping the business small.

4. What about a family business?

Consider starting a business that brings your family together and builds a legacy for future generations to carry on in your name. Bernie and Drew might live in different countries, but the business was the catalyst for keeping them connected regularly. Bernie’s wife has even joined the team, and between caring for her grandkids, she managed the store’s social accounts.

Retirees make great small business owners

Let’s face it: You’re in the prime of your life. Ideally, you have fewer responsibilities and more savings, making the prospect of acting on a business idea all the more possible. There are plenty of retiree business ideas for every type of lifestyle you hope to have in your older years. Take those decades of experience and make extra income doing something you love.

Founder Mike Alfaro played his cards just right. He started a side project called Millennial Lotería, designing modernized versions of a traditional card game played in Latin America.

At the time, Mike was still working a full-time job in advertising, but invested $20,000 of his savings into the first production run of 1,000 sets of the game. It sold out in four days. “I was like, ‘Whoa, OK, there’s a big demand for this out there,’” he says.

That’s when Mike decided to pursue Millennial Lotería full time. His journey as a business owner has opened the door for other opportunities as an influencer, advertising creative director, and children’s book author.

Learning on the job

Mike didn’t exactly set out to be an entrepreneur, but he was gaining all the skills he needed in his advertising career. He learned how to build a brand and shoot commercials—things he does regularly for Millennial Lotería. Even the designers and the first manufacturer he worked with came from his advertising connections.

As Millennial Lotería grew and started doing partnerships with McDonald’s, Disney, and other brands, Mike’s previous work experience came in handy. “Because I spoke that language of advertising and marketing, knowing how to deal with clients, meeting deadlines, I think it was an easy transition for me to work with studios and different agencies,” he says.

Focusing on his strengths

Mike has always been more interested in the creative aspects of the business, so when a publisher approached him to license Millennial Lotería, he jumped at the opportunity to delegate. “I don’t have to worry about when shipments are arriving from Colombia to the US and all that kind of stuff,” he says. The publisher also helps facilitate partnerships with retailers.

Mike has thought of the licensing agreement as a way to generate passive income from the game. It has also allowed him to focus on the aspects of the business that he enjoyed, like coming up with new versions of Millennial Lotería.

Representation matters

Mike created an exclusive family-friendly version of Millennial Lotería to sell at Target. He says working with the retail chain is a full-circle moment. 

Mike remembers feeling foreign when he first walked into Target, after arriving in the US for college from Guatemala. He hopes other Latino immigrants will see Millennial Lotería on the shelves and feel differently. “Maybe they’ll feel more like, ‘Hey, this is a place where I belong,’” he says.

Mike was so proud of the partnership with Target that he posted a TikTok about his journey getting there, which went viral. Soon, the game started selling out at Target stores across the nation.

Mike thinks social media engagement comes down to being authentic. “Brands pay millions of dollars to advertising agencies to make their brands feel more human online,” he says. “I think that for small business owners, it is just easy to just be human.”

Using business to fuel a career

The success of Millennial Lotería led to more freelance advertising work for Mike as well. “People started to also follow me as a creator, not just as the brand,” he says. 

His collaborations with different companies on Millennial Lotería have been such positive experiences that these brands invited him back to work on other projects, including advertising trailer concepts.

Mike also is now writing bilingual children’s books, which he sees as the next step in helping Latino children, like his own daughter, feel represented. “Hopefully that love translates to other people and their kids and seeing that excitement that these books will bring to bilingual Spanish-English education,” he says.

To learn more about Millennial Lotería and Mike’s multifaceted career, listen to the full interview on Shopify Masters.

Showing sincere appreciation is one of the easiest ways to build a closer relationship with your customers. It’s simple, but remarkably few companies ever take the time to genuinely show customer appreciation.

When it comes to standing out against entrenched competitors, it’s rarely practical to compete on price or efficiency. However, new and growing stores that focus on loyalty and word of mouth, can carve out their own place in the market.

In this pursuit, thanking customers for their purchase goes a long way. In fact, nearly half of US consumers say customer appreciation is an indispensable part of providing excellent care.

Being purposeful and personal when thanking your customers can help create connections, increase customer lifetime value, and improve customer retention.

This guide will explain why you need to show customer appreciation, provide you with 44 thank you for your purchase templates, and offer useful advice on providing memorable customer service.

6 types of thank you for your purchase messages

1. Handwritten thank you notes
2. Package inserts
3. Free gifts or samples
4. Personal connections with video
5. Post-purchase discounts
6. Customer spotlights

While creative planning and smart decision-making set the stage for delight, at the end of the day, you still need a few simple ideas to act on. A great thank you message not only shows you care about your customers, but can also encourage customers to share their experience with family and friends.

If you’re in need of a little inspiration, here are six ways you can show your thanks, with examples, and move one step closer to a loyal and satisfied customer.

1. Handwritten thank you notes

This is a tried-and-true way to thank your customers. Writing a personalized thank you note shows that there’s a human involved behind the scenes and behind the screen.

Thank you notes are effective because they’re a bit of a lost art. Think about the last time you actually sent a handwritten letter instead of quickly firing off an email or a text. Those mediums allow for incredible efficiency, but a handwritten thank you card creates something tangible and meaningful.

Remember these five steps when writing the perfect thank you note:

• Greet your customer by name.
• State why you are sending them the note, like mentioning the specific product they purchased.
• Leave directions on how to get in touch if they have questions or issues.
• End the note by adding “Best,” “Warm regards,” or “Cheers” and sign your name.
• Sign off with your website and social media handles.

A brand that describes itself as “a business built on love,” John’s Crazy Socks knows a thing or two about making a connection. Customers almost always receive a personalized, handwritten note inside their sock order.

While sending a handwritten note in every order might not be scalable, you can always set a monthly goal for yourself or for your team. Brandon Eley, founder of 2BigFeet, explains how he ensures he contacts as many customers as possible: “It’s my goal to send 1,000 cards every year, which works out to just four cards every weekday.”

Involving your entire team helps create a culture of gratitude for your customers.

You might also send out thank you cards after replying to a customer, a special order, or a holiday. It doesn’t just have to be a card inside the order.

If you’d like to streamline this process a bit, you can use a service like Postable to send out thank you notes on your behalf.

For one-off notes, or if you’d like to invest a bit further in this idea, there are a number of online options for sourcing quality cards that will brighten up your customers’ mailboxes, including:

2. Package inserts

Packaging inserts are all about exceeding customer expectations. Unboxing is an experience in itself, and customers look forward to the moment they get to hold their new product in their hands. They are primed to be delighted with just a little extra effort. It’s also an opportunity to add value to the order through beautiful how-to manuals, and a chance for upsells.

Below are a few standout examples from stores that understand the value of delivering a small surprise.

TheFrank Body brand is bold, to the point, and all about beautiful bodies. It includes a package insert with its body scrub orders that reinforces the brand, offers a simple how to, and encourages customers to stay in touchthrough social media.

Package inserts can be as targeted or as catch all as you like. Just make sure you keep a stack next to your order packers and toss one in each box. Need to stock up on package inserts? Check out these providers for high-quality stickers, business cards, and flyers:

Stickers

Business cards or promotional material

Resource: Before you check out the providers, use our free business card maker to design your own cards in minutes — no design skills necessary.

3. Provide free gifts or samples

Free samples aren’t just an amazing way to say “thank you for purchasing” anddelight your customers. It also showcases something the customer hasn’t tried yet. If they like it, you might even see them purchase it in their next order. Just be sure to try and match the sample to your customer’s profile as much as possible to make sure it’s something they can use.

4. Create personal connections with video

If you want to take things a step further, try recording a personalized thank you video for your customers. Whatever the medium, the key to thanking customers is to be personal, thoughtful, and genuine.

Personalized videos feel thoughtful because they are time-consuming manual work. Send videos in apost-purchase follow-up or as a separate interaction entirely. Videos are particularly great for special occasions and holidays where you can be creative with the theme.

Videos are a great experiment to run if only to see how customers react. There are many different ways to use videos to say thank you for purchase, which means you can really get creative. Here are a few tools to check out to create quick, personalized videos:

5. Offer post-purchase discounts

Rewarding loyal customers with discounts and coupons is a great way to keep them coming back while thanking them for their patronage. Although you have to be careful with discounts, as they can train customers to wait for deals, sending a discount to a new customer is usually a cost-effective way to get them to return and make another purchase.

Julep runs a makeup box subscription and always adds a little bonus for customers who need to stock up.

Writing copy for your coupons can be a bit tricky, because you don’t want to come off as trying to make a sale or as overly pushy. Use words to promote the exclusivity of the coupon like:

• Just for you
• As a thank you …
• A customer perk for you!
• For our loyal customers

Discounts can either be sent separately, as a package insert, or in a thank you email. If you’re creating discounts, make sure youuse a unique coupon code so you can track how effective it is.

6. Spotlight your customers

Showcasing your customers is a great way to publicly share how much you appreciate them.

Build strong customer relationships to elevate your brand above the competition.

User-generated content (UGC) is especially great in the creative industries, because your customers rely on exposure to grow their own audience. For example, hairdressers love to be featured on Instagram. Small businesses love a shout-outs. It can help give them credibility and gain clients. Plus, it creates a bond between you and them.

Showing off its product is just one advantage of Luxy Hair’s user-generated content. It also helps its clients build their brand through sharing beautiful images.

To find great content to share, create a hashtag that customers can use on their own posts. Before sharing content, make sure you ask the owner for permission.

44 best thank you for your purchase message templates

Now that you have an idea of what a good business thank you looks like, let’s check out some templates you can use to say “Thank you for your purchase.”

You can copy and paste these customizable templates into an email or purchase note and send them to customers after they’ve made a purchase.

1. Thank you so much for your order! We really appreciate it. Enjoy 10% off your next purchase with this coupon code: THANKYOU10.
2. Thank you for shopping with us. If you want 15% off your next order, leave a review on our website.
3. Thank you, [first name]. We’ve received your order, and it’s really lovely. We’ll send you an email when it ships.
4. Thanks for your support! We think you’re pretty awesome. As a token of our gratitude, below is a reward you can use during your next visit. Enjoy!
5. Happy [day of week]! This is not a marketing email, just a quick thank you note for your purchase. 
6. Hi, [customer name]. Thank you for your recent purchase. We are honored to gain you as a customer and hope to serve you for a long time.
7. Hey, [customer name], just want to drop a quick note to express our genuine gratitude. Your purchase allows us at [company name] to continue to do what we love and provide you with quality products. 
8. Welcome to the family, [first name]. We at [company name] love big families, so here’s a small thank you for your purchase. 
9. Hi, [customer name]. Thanks for your recent purchase. We hope you’re loving your new [product name]. If you haven’t started using it yet, check out the following tips below.
10. Hi, [first name]. We got your order! We’ll let you know when it ships and is headed your way.
11. Thank you for your purchase and for joining our mailing list. We look forward to having you be one of the first to find out about the exclusive deals, new arrivals, and big events coming up. 
12. Thanks so much for your recent purchase. We appreciate you and hope you enjoy your new items. Here’s a 10% discount on your next purchase, our way of saying thanks!
13. Thank you, [customer name]! We got your order and it’s quite gorgeous. We’ll send you an email when it ships!
14. We’re honored that when it comes to style, you think of us. There are a lot of choices out there, but you singled us out, and that means a lot. We just want to express how much we appreciate your business.
15. Your business means a lot, so here’s a gift to show you how much we appreciate you. Get $20 off your next purchase with code 20THANKYOU.
16. A great big thank you for shopping with [company name]. We love our customers dearly, and hearing your feedback is so helpful to us. If you have a few minutes to answer a quick survey, we’d be very grateful.
17. Thank you for shopping with us during this busy [special occasion] season. You have a lot of choices, and we appreciate that you chose us. 
18. Thank you for your order and for supporting our small business! If you want to track your delivery, use the tracking number provided.
19. Thank you for supporting my online store! Purchases both big and small help us keep our dream of providing the best quality products to our customers.
20. Dear [customer name]. You made our day, thank you for choosing us for your [product type] needs. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us.
21. Hi, [customer name]. Thank you for your recent purchase. We are so happy to serve customers like you.
22. Hi, [customer name]. Thank you for shopping with us. Want early access to our best deals? Sign up for our newsletter (if you haven’t already!)
23. It’s important for us to make sure our customers feel appreciated and valued. We want to make sure you’re happy. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any concerns.
24. Thank you for your support. We appreciate you!
25. Thank you for your purchase. We love having customers like you, and your support means everything to us.
26. Thank you for your order. We hope to see you again soon! Please follow this link to choose two free gifts—on us!
27. Thanks for choosing us again! We appreciate your repeat purchases. Here’s a little extra gift for you. 
28. Thanks, [customer]! We just received your order and we’ll get started right away.
29. Thanks for your order! We’re working hard to get it shipped to you. We hope to see you again in the future. 
30. Thank you for choosing us! We’re dedicated to giving you the best products possible. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.
31. Thank you for shopping with us. We’ve successfully processed your payment. You can access your order information through the link below. 
32. Thanks a million for your purchase!
33. Hi, it’s [your name and title]! Thank you for purchasing [product]. It really means a lot to us at [company name].
34. [Customer name], we’ve received your order and all systems are go. When your order ships, we’ll send you another email with your tracking info.
35. Thank you for your purchase! To get access to all our amazing deals and discounts, subscribe to our completely free customer loyalty program here.
36. Thanks for your order. Enjoy this free gift!
37. Thank you for joining the [company name] family! We value our customers and want to ensure that your experience is amazing. If you could fill out this survey, we can make sure you get only the best.
38. You made our day, [customer name], now we’re making yours. We’ve added 50 bonus points to your account.
39. [Customer name], thank you for your continuous support. Please enjoy this gift as a token of our appreciation. 
40. You’re our hero! Thank you for choosing [company name]. We hope you enjoy your [product name].
41. Your purchase has just helped a small business. Thank you for your support. We can’t wait for you to try your [product] and tell us what you think.
42. We can’t say thanks enough for your support, but we’d like to try. Here’s a 15%-off coupon for your next purchase.
43. Thank you for your purchase. We have the feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! So that we can get to know each other a little better, we’re offering you $10 off an order of $50 or more!
44. Dang, you’re smart. Not only did you get a [product], but you got it from [company name]. We’ll package and ship it to you shortly!

Don’t just copy these message templates—customize them to your liking and brand voice and you’ll be amazed at how far they can go in helping create a loyal customer for life.

How to write a “thank you for your purchase” note

Sending the perfect thank you doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, most consumers don’t have a high bar when it comes to appreciation. Show customers that there’s a real human behind the scenes and behind the screen.

Simply express gratitude, personally and directly, for being a customer and placing trust in you to deliver. That’s enough to create a connection.

Know who are you thanking

It might feel overwhelming, or even disingenuous, to personally thank every customer for every order. For that reason, it can be helpful to segment customers into the groups that you’d like to prioritize.

For example, handing out a swanky gift package with every order is a surefire way to blow your budget. But segmenting high-value customers and sending them a handwritten note with a branded gift can cement an already positive relationship. Here are a few ways you can group your customers into different tiers of thank yous:

Set an appropriate budget

The budget for your thank you program will be linked with the number of customers you want to reach out to. But even if you’re hoping to show gratitude to all of your customers, you don’t need to spend a ton of money to create moments of delight.

In The Thank You Economy, Gary Vaynerchuk writes: “It’s not the money that makes these efforts shocking and awesome, it’s the care and creativity involved.” Frugal wows are often just as effective at creating that connection. It could be as simple as a card, package insert, or small sample, just be sure it fits within your budget.

Build a repeatable process

Depending on whether you’re including a thank you in every box or just occasionally sending out swag, decide on a repeatable process to get those thank yous in the hands of your customers. It doesn’t have to be automated, but structuring the process will make sure it happens consistently.

If you’ve got a team working for you, provide an easy way for them to nominate customers for thanks. It might be a Google form or a Friday afternoon session hand-writing cards.

Pulling the entire team into these moments of delight creates a culture of gratitude for your customers.

A thank you goes a long way

There are so many different ways to thank your customers and create moments of delight post-purchase. Remember, the key is to be personal, thoughtful, and genuine. Customers—and people in general—love a sincere thank you but dislike insincerity.

When you have an attitude of gratitude, creating connections and building brand advocates is natural. Building these customer relationships gives you the opportunity to elevate your brand above the competition.

Illustration by Lynn Scurfield
Design by Brenda Wisniowski

What if you could turn a hobby you love into a thriving business? South Van Der Lee took her passion for knitwear and après ski fashion to grow GOGO Sweaters into the successful brand it is today. As president and designer, South works with a team of knitters in Calgary, Canada, to create handmade luxury designs. 

Today, you can find GOGO Sweaters in stores like Free People, Revolve, and Holt Renfrew, thanks to international demand for the brand. One of the biggest levers of growth for GOGO Sweaters is its Instagram account. Over the years, South has put together a successful recipe to help her create engaging posts that drive engagement and increase sales.

4 tips for creating social media content that converts 

Ahead, South shares her four tips for creating Instagram content that will help you attract new customers. 

1. Stick to a theme 

South wants most of her products shot in the snow in Canada so viewers can get an authentic feel for what the brand is all about. These images depict a consistent aspirational lifestyle that attracts an audience of winter sport lovers. 

“Skiing will always be the anchoring point, and when I decided that, that’s when things really started taking off [on Instagram],” South says. People like familiarity on social media. It will make your brand easier to remember, and identifiable characteristics can help a brand travel faster to the right audiences by word of mouth. 

2. Capture a lifestyle 

“It’s really hard to sell someone on a flat image, especially in the luxury business. You have to sell a fantasy too,” South says.

When capturing photos of your products, include lifestyle shots to give social media users an idea of what life would be like if they too owned the item. “It’s really important to have photos that the shopper can put themselves into,” South says. 

With so many shopping options, potential customers need to be able to picture themselves in your products to justify the purchase. 

3. Think outside the box

To catch people’s attention on social media, standing out from the competition should be your goal. “You want to get people thinking about how they would want to wear your product, your brand,” South says. 

One example she shares is posting daily to her Instagram Stories, showing different ways she wears her GOGO sweater to work. Some of them are less traditional than others. “I want people to re-envision how they wear their clothes, so I’m trying to train people to wear sweaters over things instead of under,” South says. 

This approach helps draw people in, piques their interest in the brand, and makes the Instagram page an enjoyable follow for users. 

4. Set up shop 

South has found that most customers are shopping on their phones, so she makes sure to shoot and post content with this perspective in mind. 

To make things easier on her followers, South connects her Shopify store to the product images on Instagram. When her site is working with Instagram Shop it makes each of the photos shoppable and speeds up the checkout process all together. “This was a big moment of change for our sales,”South says. 

While growing your Instagram following will take time, these four steps can help you simultaneously grow an audience and convert them into loyal customers.

To hear more of South’s social media marketing tips and discover her best strategy for negotiating with retailers, tune in to the full Shopify Masters episode. 

Ryan Lagasse took her two loves—coffee and ceramics—and turned them into her own business: a mobile coffee shop based out of a converted airport shuttle. Alongside coffee, Little Lamb sells ceramics and other goods at farmers markets, college campuses, and production sets in Los Angeles.

Being mobile is a key differentiator for Ryan’s business. From her previous role as a production coordinator, she knew there was demand for artisanal coffee on sets. To address this need, she bought a vehicle to drive around to TV, film, and photography productions around the city. 

Ryan believes her unique mobile aspect helped her secure a loan from the US Small Business Administration. It also gives her the flexibility she wants in a career. “I’m not sure that LA is where I’m rooted for the rest of my life, so I didn’t want that to prohibit me from starting my own business,” Ryan says.

Ahead, Ryan shares her advice for taking your business on the road.

4 tips for running a mobile business

In the first year of Little Lamb, Ryan learned that a business on wheels comes with a few unique challenges—and opportunities that brick-and-mortar store owners might not have. 

1. Consistency is key for getting customers

It’s not as simple as parking somewhere and expecting customers to show up. Ryan says going to certain locations regularly helps people find out about the brand and makes them curious enough to try a new business. “It’s going to take about three solid weeks of going [to a spot] to get any sense of the business in the neighborhood,” she says.

2. Wake up earlier than the competition

“LA is bogged down with food trucks, so it’s competitive to find a spot,” Ryan says. Some food trucks might have partnerships that let them park outside certain stores, but everyone else is fighting for the same areas with good foot traffic.

That means Ryan wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to get a parking spot that’s big enough for her mobile shop. In some cases, it also means eating the cost of parking tickets if she expects there will be enough customers to make up for it.

3. Go cashless

One of the considerations of a mobile business is safety. Ryan pays $1,500 a month at a commissary to be able to park her shop overnight, which provides some security.

She also runs a cashless operation, even at farmers markets, where cash is still the norm. “I want to make it clear to people that there’s no cash on the bus,” she says, pointing out a sign in the window.

4. Make your vehicle your own

Knowing that she would be spending a lot of time alone in the converted airport shuttle, Ryan wanted to create a space that was creative, warm, and inviting. 

It’s a stark contrast to generic food trucks that typically are colored stainless steel gray on the inside. “The shop was meant to be marketed toward a different market of people that have a bit more appreciation for a creative aesthetic,” Ryan says. 

Ryan has been able to tap into that market further by selling the ceramics she creates herself, along with other goods. Ryan says she eventually wants to grow the business to the point where customers can sip their drinks from her very own creations.

To learn more about running a mobile business, listen to Ryan’s full interview on Shopify Masters.

Every entrepreneurial journey starts with a seed, a small idea that grows into a blooming business. Often, it’s the only thing standing in the way of you and the life you’ve always wanted. But what if you can’t find one? How do you get unstuck and train your brain to produce great ideas? 

Ideas might strike when you least expect it, but often they need to be actively summoned. In this step-by-step guide, learn how to come up with a business idea, with brainstorming exercises and real examples.

Once you find that one idea, understand how to determine if it has the potential to become a profitable business. Plus, take a personality quiz for more tailored ideation tips.

8 ways to come up with a successful business idea

1. Find a problem to solve
2. Assess your interests
3. Audit your skill set
4. Improve an existing product or service
5. Conduct market research
6. Identify an underserved market
7. Spot emerging trends
8. Get innovative

Let’s be clear: No new business idea is guaranteed to be successful. But if you’re running your ideas through the right checkpoints, asking the hard questions, seeking feedback, and open to pivoting, you have a solid chance of reaching success—whatever success means to you.

1. Find a problem to solve

Many great business ideas start with a problem. If you can identify a problem in your own life or the lives of the people around you, it could inspire an idea. After you’ve narrowed in on an area or industry of interest, find out what pain points people have with the products or services offered within. This might mean iterating on an existing idea or inventing something completely new.

Range Beauty founder Alicia Scott struggled to find the products that wouldn’t irritate her reactive skin. “I just couldn’t get with the makeup brands that were not only ignoring my skin tone but my skin conditions too,” she says. Alicia’s business idea was based on solving that problem, offering reactive skin-friendly beauty products in a range of skin tones.

2. Assess your interests

A good business idea often stems from a founder’s own interests or hobbies. Brainstorm ideas related to things you already enjoy, like a sport, craft, hobby, or subject. Choosing a business idea based on a passion means you’ll have a better chance staying motivated through the twists and turns of starting a small business.

3. Audit your skill set

What are your strengths? Which entrepreneurial traits do you already possess? As you look for an idea for your own business, tap into your existing skills. Many entrepreneurs use this as their starting point. A few examples of this could be:

• Creative skills. Think of ideas that allow you to work with your hands or put your great eye for design to use.
• Technical skills. What services can you offer to help others solve problems?
• Mechanical or construction skills. Can you design and build a new product and a working prototype?
• People skills. What are some business ideas you can pursue that involve working with or helping people?
• Do competitive analysis. Who are the major players in the industry and what do they lack?

4. Improve an existing product or service

A great business idea doesn’t have to be an entirely new invention. Some of the most successful brands are those that iterated on or modernized an everyday product or service. Think Uber for taxis and Tinder for analog speed dating—these companies changed the business model for a longstanding service. 

Is there a product or service in your area of interest that you can improve on? Can you innovate to make it faster, smarter, smaller, lighter? What if you offer it in an unexpected color or texture? Can you take an existing concept and apply it to a new purpose?

That’s what Bartesian did when its founder Ryan Close riffed on the idea of a capsule coffee machine to create the brand’s single-serve cocktail maker. “I understood it was difficult to make great tasting cocktails at home if you’re not a bartender,” Ryan says. Instead of inventing something from scratch, he leveraged existing technology to create something new.

5. Conduct market research

Take a look at the current market as a source for possible business ideas. This is a great option if you’ve already narrowed your idea down to an industry, target audience, or product category. There are several market research tools and exercises you can use to find a gap in the market or a trend worth pursuing. Some of the ways you can do this are:

• Interview or survey potential customers and host focus groups.
• Consult trade publications and industry reports.
• Run relevant keywords through Google Trends to assess interest over time.
• Follow influencers and popular accounts in the industry to understand their audiences.

6. Identify an underserved market

If you’re a member of a niche online community, that might be a good place to mine for ideas. Is there another niche market you can cater to? As a consumer with specific needs, are these needs being met by the market? When finding ideas for an underserved market, it’s best if you’re already a part of that market and can understand its needs. 

When Yelitsa Jean-Charles spotted a gap in the toy industry, specifically for young Black girls, she used a school assignment to explore it as a business idea. The results of that exploration formed Healthy Roots Dolls, a brand helping girls love their curly hair. “When you’re ignored by the mainstream media, you have to become a problem solver,” says Yelitsa.

7. Spot emerging trends

New business ideas are often sprung from consumer trends or trending products. There are several resources available—most of them free—that can help you identify trends as they emerge. Social platforms such as Pinterest and TikTok have dedicated trend pages. You can also see trending topics within social platforms themselves, usually within the search function. On Instagram, navigate to search and you will see a row of trending keywords below the search bar, while in TikTok you can filter search results by “Top” or toggle to “Hashtags” to see the usage volume for related tags. 

Sometimes, though, as soon as you spot a trend, it might already be on its way out. Spotting trends before they emerge might mean translating them into a different industry. That’s what Miguel Leal did when he and his co-founders came up with the idea for Somos. They looked to restaurant trends and imagined how those could be translated to consumer packaged goods.

8. Get innovative

New ideas are often sprung from existing ideas or as a modern replacement for an everyday product. But there’s still room to create something entirely new that the world hasn’t seen before. If you have a knack for design and you can identify a problem not solved by something that already exists, develop a product prototype and test it with your target audience.

7 ideation boosters for aspiring entrepreneurs

Simple routine changes in your life can kick-start a flow of ideas. Exercise, better sleep, more water—all common recommendations for whatever ails you. But taking care of your mental health and wellness can have positive psychological effects like improved confidence and motivation. 

Try these ideation techniques, life hacks, and simple exercises to give your brain a boost and come up with new business ideas.

1. Break your routine 

Shake up your usual routine by taking a new route to work, eating outside rather than at your desk, or doing something new on a Saturday night. A rigid routine might keep you productive, but it’s easy to move through it on auto-pilot, missing out on inspiration.

2. Chill out

There won’t be any vacancy for those fresh ideas if your mind is booked solid with other concerns. Carve out time that’s dedicated to self care, whether for you that’s swinging in the hammock or getting absorbed in hobbies. Go a step further and practice mindfulness, an activity that has been shown to improve divergent thinking. There are plenty of resources, from apps to guided meditation podcasts to help you get started.

3. Doodle

Think of this as completely unstructured visual brainstorming. Just start drawing and let your page fill with scribbles, words, and images that flow from your mind. Don’t judge your drawing ability—this exercise is meant to spark creativity.

4. People-watch and observe new surroundings

Be present and take a look around you. Park yourself on a public bench or on the patio of a café you’ve never visited before and take note of what and who you see. Observing how people interact with their surroundings might spark an idea that solves a problem.

5. Meet and engage with new people

Gain energy from people with different perspectives and run ideas by new friends. Join entrepreneur social groups to engage with folks who are keen to swap ideas and give/get feedback. You might even meet your future business partner this way!

6. Consume content and culture

Read books, listen to audio books or podcasts, watch documentaries, or try a new album or genre of music. Whatever your medium, get inspired by other creators. Don’t limit yourself to just business content—even fiction stimulates creative thinking.

7. Try journaling

Ideas might strike you in the middle of a dream or on a bike ride. Get in the habit of jotting them down to revisit later, even if you don’t have the time to fully flesh them out in the moment. If writing doesn’t come naturally to you, try a journal with structured sections, questions, or exercises.

Brainstorming exercises for business ideas

Formal brainstorming techniques can help squeeze out more startup ideas now that your brain is primed for creativity. Whether you opt for a solo practice or a formal exercise with a group, try these methods of brainstorming at any stage—from coming up with a business idea to growing your dream even bigger:

Classic brainstorming

In its most widely accepted format, brainstorming is the process of throwing out any and all ideas unfiltered. Participants call out words or thoughts verbally then engage in conversation to help each other build on ideas. You can set your own rules for the session (like time limits) but the fewer restraints, the more vast the ideas. 

Brainwriting

Brainwriting is similar to the verbal version but is done silently, on paper. This method may be preferable if you are in a larger group—that way all voices have equal opportunity to be heard. 

You can use Post-it notes to gather ideas, then discuss as a group. Other variations on silent brainstorming to investigate are: brain netting (online version using a tool like Miro), rapid ideation (lightning round), or method 6-3-5 (timed and structured).

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is a visual method of brainstorming that you may use in the latter part of your ideation journey. Say you’ve come up with a great startup idea, you’ve gathered feedback, and you’re ready to flesh out that idea. You can use a storyboard to illustrate scenarios or situations that apply to your idea or work through solving a problem via narrative. 

Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a brainstorming format that is great for solo ideation. It involves writing the central idea or theme at the center of a page then “mapping” word associations off of that idea. 

You can then continue to branch out additional word associations from each of those spin-off ideas. This exercise can also be done in a group using a whiteboard or online whiteboarding tool.

How to validate your business idea

Now that you know how to come up with a business idea, it’s time to validate it. This is the process of understanding whether your idea has a market. These methods will help you answer important questions about your business idea and its viability.

Test half-baked ideas

If you’re having trouble validating your ideas on paper, what if you tested them out through a prototype or beta version of your product? It might not be perfect, but it will allow potential customers to interact with your idea and provide feedback you can use to hone the final product. This means you’re not investing in large scale manufacturing until you’re sure your idea is viable. 

Do competitor analysis

Competitive analysis is a market research process that evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of competitors in your industry. It involves gathering data and insights on your competitors, including details about products, pricing, marketing strategies, distribution channels, and customers. 

Analyzing your competitors can help you spot gaps in their offerings—gaps that you can fill with your business. It also provides a benchmark for what’s expected by consumers for your product. This information can be used in your business plan.

Conduct SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis can help you evaluate what’s good about your business idea and what’s a potential risk. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This is a framework that prompts you to consider your idea from all angles, including internal and external factors that could impact its success. This can also be included in your eventual business plan.

Engage in trend spotting

If you found your idea through an emerging trend, you can skip this step. But it’s a useful exercise for those ideas that were formed through other means. If you came up with a business idea in the cosmetics industry for example, investigating color trends within that market may help steer your palette in the right direction. 

You can find trending products and other social and cultural trends through Google Trends, publications in your industry, and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Seek customer feedback

Don’t live in a vacuum. As you start to come up with a few ideas, workshop them with friends or people who would fit the description of your potential customer. Informal polls or surveys on social media might help confirm your idea’s viability.

“I went directly to consumers,” says Yelitsa about her decision to use crowdfunding to validate Healthy Roots Dolls. “I presented the concept to them and let them vote with their money and proved that there was demand.”

Conduct a gap analysis

While competitive analysis can be used to find gaps in the market of your competitor’s businesses, a gap analysis looks at your idea’s own gaps. You can use this process to determine where your business or idea is in its current form, and the ideal future state to become viable or competitive. 

A gap analysis is often conducted by a company after a period of being in business, but you can use many of the same exercises to identify gaps before you launch.

Ideation strategies for every personality type

How you best come up with ideas will depend on your personality type. Do you ideate effectively in groups? Are you inspired by art, nature, or books? Understanding a little more about your personality will help unlock the best strategies for coming up with winning small business ideas.

Take our quiz: What kind of entrepreneur are you? Then, return to this article and navigate to your Founder Sign below for tailored tips.

Business idea generation for Trailblazers

You’re full of ideas, Trailblazer! Where you might stumble is focusing on just one or doing the work to validate that idea beyond your passion for it. For you, ideating in a group is ideal, because you could use voices of reason to balance your gut instincts.

Ideation techniques picked just for your personality type are:

• Tap into your community to share your ideas widely and use outside perspectives to help shape your ideas. But share early—if you fall too deeply in love with an idea, you may have a hard time hearing criticism.
• Try visual brainstorming techniques like mood boarding, mind mapping, or storyboarding that let you express yourself creatively.

Business idea generation for Outsiders

Ideation is hard for you, Outsider, because you like to operate within a strict routine. Inside the bubble you’ve created for yourself, it may be challenging to gather inspiration. Pushing outside of your comfort zone will expose you to creative stimuli and help shake off the brain dust. 

Get unstuck and open your mind to new ideas by trying these techniques, handpicked for you:

• Try a more structured brainstorming approach that prompts you with set questions rather than a brain dump style which may be too overwhelming.
• Get out of your comfort zone. Even baby steps like breaking routine or visiting a new restaurant can bring inspiration into your life.

Business idea generation for Mountaineers

Chances are, Mountaineer, you’ve already found your big idea and you’re pushing toward it with pure, uninterrupted dedication. If not, you might be feeling a little lost right now. That’s because you’re driven by goals that you map the rest of your life around. 

Discover your true calling through these ideation techniques picked just for you:

• Call on your most trusted allies—ideally a group of people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives and who are confident enough to challenge your ideas. Bounce ideas in an informal brainstorm or organize a structured session.
• Expand your circles. Seek out new experiences, travel, and meet new people. Expose yourself to situations that inspire and spark ideas. 

Business idea generation for Firestarters

Ideas? You’re dripping with them, Firestarter. If we know you, you’re probably chasing down half a dozen of them right now. Ideas are what drive you, so you’re not looking to nail yourself to just one. For you, finding deep pools of inspiration, ideas, and collaboration is where you’ll thrive. 

Try these methods for gathering ideas, picked for your personality type:

• Surround yourself with folks like yourself who inspire friendly competition, but also seek out counterpoints. Healthy debate will only strengthen your ideas.
• Don’t settle on just one business idea. Narrow your ideas to the most promising and put them into practice. The best ones will reveal themselves through trial and error.

Business idea generation for Cartographers

Your attention to detail and ability to examine all angles tend to produce iron-clad ideas, Cartographer. Where you falter is in letting go. Being too rigid at this stage of the process might cause you to miss truly creative and wild ideas. 

Try these ideation strategies picked just for Cartographers like you:

• Solo mind mapping is a great exercise for Cartographers because it marries creativity and structure.
• After gathering inspiration and landing on a new business idea, it’s time to give it shape. Market research can help you gather data to support your sharp instincts. Leverage free entrepreneur resources to help you where you may have knowledge gaps.

Successful businesses are born from an idea

The best business ideas are those that bloom into thriving brands. But don’t act too quickly on an idea before you validate it first. Every successful founder asked themselves hard questions, conducted research, and tested their ideas before launching their product or service to the world. Put your brand new business idea to the test and you’ll have a better chance of transforming it into a profitable business.

Feature illustration by Alice Mollon

Whether you’re searching for partners or trying to secure funding, growing a brand takes determination. Venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton looks for that determination, and other traits, in an entrepreneur to determine if their business will be successful. 

As the founder of Backstage Capital, Arlan invests in overachieving, underrepresented entrepreneurs. To date, she’s backed 200 companies, including Shop Latinx, Bippy, and Couplet Coffee. 

In nine years, Arlan has met with thousands of potential founders and narrowed down her checklist of prerequisites. This list helps her make more informed decisions and find entrepreneurs who are worth her investment.

When it comes to launching a successful and sustainable brand, Arlan has specific character traits she’s looking for in a founder.

The 5 character traits every founder needs 

Ahead, Arlan shares five traits she needs any startup founder to have if she’s going to invest in them.

1. Confidence

To Arlan, the embodiment of a good founder is someone with “radical self belief.” A true sign of confidence is powering through when someone thinks you’re going to fail or won’t agree to work with you. 

“You first have to believe that you can accomplish it and that you are the one to do it,” Arlan says. Ownership in your idea is important too, because if you don’t believe you’re the one to bring this business to life, then an investor won’t either. 

2. Resilience

“If I’m going to pattern match for anything, it’s going to be grit, drive, and resilience,” Arlan says. Entrepreneurs need to be able to survive ups and downs—dealing with delays, or managing customer service, for example. Your determination will keep you motivated as things evolve over time. 

3. Open-mindedness

As an entrepreneur, it’s important to remember your business is going to change. Arlan wants to work with people who have accepted that some shifts along the journey will be necessary. 

There will be a lot of pivoting, Arlan warns. Get comfortable learning along the way, rather than fighting to stay the same. “It’s not just changing your mind. It’s evolving and having opinions as data presents itself,” she says. 

4. Kindness

Unexpectedly, kindness is one of the key factors Arlan looks for in founders. As a business owner, it’s inevitable that you’ll interact with hundreds of people, and you never know who may be able to help you in return. 

The way you interact with other people and businesses is a direct reflection of your brand. 

“There’s so many people involved in your story, and there’s an impression you leave on this world, and kindness goes really far,” Arlan says. 

5. Uniqueness

Arlan admires a founder who isn’t afraid to highlight their unique perspective and what makes them different. One of the best ways to embrace your unique view is to begin sharing your ideas with others—and find who you can partner with to bring them to life. 

“Have an unique view of the world with strong opinions and willingness to execute, even if others are telling you you’re crazy,” Arlan says. 

If you don’t already possess these soft skills, work on building them alongside your business. Treat every interaction as a way to grow personally and professionally. 

To learn more about how Arlan chooses founders to work, with and her strategy for reaching $1 million in revenue, tune into the full Shopify Masters episode.

For commerce companies selling big-ticket items, it can be challenging to move buyers from consideration to checkout. But sticker shock doesn’t have to be a sticking point. That’s where buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans come in. BNPL plans like Shop Pay Installments can drive more sales by allowing buyers to split large purchases into smaller, more manageable payments over time. 

With a new upgrade, Shop Pay Installments shows your buyers their purchasing power even earlier in the buying process. Now you can display estimated payment amounts directly on your product pages—making it easier for customers to check out with confidence. Here’s how the internet’s best-converting checkout helps you increase your conversion rates and average order value.

Merchants using Shop Pay Installments experience up to a 50% increase in average order value and up to 28% fewer abandoned carts.

What is Shop Pay Installments purchasing power?

Shop Pay Installments purchasing power estimates how much a buyer is eligible to spend on a merchant’s store. Shop Pay Installments informs buyers of their purchasing power directly in your online store, helping them understand how far their money can go.

For example, say a buyer is interested in buying a $1,001 side table. Shop Pay Installments informs the customer that they can buy it today, by choosing a plan to pay $90.35 monthly over 12 months at 15% APR. Rather than abandoning their cart, the customer knows they can make their order now, and choose the payment plan that best fits their budget.

Purchasing power estimates help your customers understand their payment options, so they can complete their purchase while selecting a budget-friendly plan. Purchasing power allows merchants to provide customers with the information they need to buy with confidence. 

Buyers who know their payment options upfront are more likely to complete checkout. They’re also more likely to add more items to their cart, increasing average order value. It’s a win-win for customers and merchants. 

What are Shop Pay Installments purchasing power banners?

Shop Pay Installments banners appear in your online store and display a buyer’s estimated purchasing power amount and payment options. The banners help your customers see they might be eligible for a buy now, pay later plan. Banners can appear in two places in your store: on the product detail page and in carts.

Product detail page banners

A product detail page banner is exactly what it sounds like: a banner that shows an estimated payment amount on your product’s webpage. These banners appear directly below the full price of a product. Product detail page banners let your customers see their payment options early in their buying journey, so they can make an informed purchase on their terms.

Cart banners

Purchasing power banners also display in your customer’s cart. Your customers can see cart banners below the subtotal on the cart page before completing checkout. Cart banners help customers see they might be eligible for flexible payments, so they’re more likely to make the purchase.

What are the benefits of Shop Pay Installments banners?

Higher conversion rate

Shop Pay Installments banners make it clear to customers that paying in full isn’t their only option. With product detail page banners, you can reach customers as soon as they’re interested in a product and keep them on the path to checkout. When customers know manageable payment options are available, they’re more likely to buy higher-priced items. In fact, merchants using Shop Pay Installments experience up to 28% fewer abandoned carts.*

Increased average order value (AOV)

Companies using Shop Pay Installments see up to a 50% increase in average order value.* When customers know they can pay incrementally instead of all at once, they’re more likely to add other items to their carts. Banners on both the product detail page and cart ensure your customers know their options. 

Sleep brand Pillow Cube has seen the positive impact Shop Payment Installments can have first hand. 

“Shop Pay Installments is now 6.5% of our GMV [gross merchandise volume]. We’ve also seen a consistent increase in our average order value rate,” says Will Beck, director of business development at Pillow Cube.

For Pillow Cube, Shop Pay Installments drove 10 times more installments revenue than its previous provider.

Shop Pay Installments is now 6.5% of our GMV. We’ve also seen a consistent increase in our average order value rate.

Improved customer confidence

Purchasing power banners on your product detail pages and in carts provide the transparency customers need to make informed purchases. With estimated payment options and a prequalification amount provided upfront, purchasing power banners help customers understand how your products fit into their budget. Customers get a clear picture of pricing, so they feel more confident completing bigger purchases and adding more to their carts.

How Shop Pay Installments purchasing power banners work

Shop Pay Installments purchasing power banners are only available to merchants based in the United States, selling in USD, and that have both Shopify Payments and Shop Pay activated. 

If you’re eligible and using default themes, banners will be shown on your store automatically. For merchants using custom themes, you can use the following help center resources to add your banners: 

If you’re using custom themes, you can also work with a Shopify Expert partner at HeyCarson to help you set up your banners free of charge.

Add purchasing power banners to your product pages

Knowledge is purchasing power. Give your customers more insight into their payment options and drive higher conversion rates and larger cart sizes. Shop Pay Installments purchasing power banners ensure your customers know they can make the most of their budget, so you can make the sale. 

*These statistics are based on internal Shopify data. The sample size consisted of 281 merchants using Shop Pay Installments with varying financial packages. Individual results may vary. 

Purchasing power is an estimate of what a consumer can spend using Shop Pay Installments. Rates from 0%–36% APR. Payment options through Shop Pay Installments are subject to eligibility, may not be available everywhere, and are provided by Affirm’s lending partners: affirm.com/lenders. Options depend on your purchase amount, and a down payment may be required. More options may be available upon approval. State notices to consumers: affirm.com/licenses.

You have an innovative product, an air-tight business plan, and the chops to make it as an entrepreneur. But you’ll launch to the sound of crickets without compelling branding. The key to success is packaging your strengths into a brand that speaks to your target audience.

Selling a product or service isn’t enough in the competitive world of ecommerce. To stand out, you have to sell a feeling, a dream, a promise. Creating your brand means telling a story and translating that story into visual elements that build brand recognition.

What makes a customer buy one white t-shirt over another? An effective brand. What makes instant noodles more than a quick snack? Again, brand. In this guide, learn how to brand your business with advice from pros and real examples of businesses with winning brand strategies.

What is branding?

Branding is the strategic process of creating a distinct mission, visual identity, and voice for your business, products, and services in a way that makes them instantly recognizable to customers and the general public. 

A strong brand identity helps your business stand out from the competition. And, effective branding provides a promise to customers that they will have a consistent experience with your brand everywhere it shows up. 

Elements of branding and brand identity

Your brand is defined by a set of rules, usually called brand guidelines. It contains direction around the following elements of your brand, including how to use—and not use—them. 

• Value proposition. What do you offer that your competitors don’t? Define this at the start of your branding exercise.
• Brand story. Telling your brand story helps you demonstrate authenticity. Help customers relate to a real person behind your brand and build loyalty.
• Values and mission statement. Setting brand values can help customers identify that your business aligns with their own values. Your mission statement is your North Star, offering a promise to customers and guiding your business decisions.
• Logo. This is your company’s visual identity—it communicates what the company does and stands for. It can be a combination of symbols, brand colors, and other identifiers. 
• Company name. Create a unique business name that conveys your company’s message and works across your website domain and social handles.
• Tagline. A tagline is a memorable catchphrase that communicates your company’s mission, value proposition, and even what you offer.
• Voice and tone. Your brand voice is a manner of speaking that resonates with your target customer and helps build brand recognition.

The visual elements of your brand, including color palettes and fonts will all become part of your brand style guide. This document will inform everything from marketing materials to social media posts.

Why a strong brand identity is important

Brand identity is more than a logo. It’s a visual representation of your brand’s mission, values, and unique selling proposition. Branding your business means choosing colors, fonts, and other visual elements that convey a specific mood and message. It’s important to build a strong brand identity for a number of reasons.

It has a competitive edge

Distinguishing your company from competitors can be the difference between attracting a new audience and fading into the crowd. Defining a distinct brand means understanding what the market expects through competitive analysis, but applying your own unique spin. 

It builds trust

According to one study, 85% of consumer purchases involved a brand they already knew and 22% of consumers reported feeling anxiety about trying a new brand. Gaining a customer’s trust starts with building a solid brand. If potential customers get a consistent brand experience everywhere they encounter your business, it goes a long way to building trust. 

It attracts customers—and keeps them coming back

What does loyalty mean for businesses? It could equate to repeat sales and lower customer attrition, also known as churn. Customers who trust your brand tend to be more loyal—and they become ambassadors for your business, building your brand equity with user-generated content and word-of-mouth referrals.

It attracts talent

Companies with strong brands not only attract customers but also qualified employees who see strong brands as stable and dependable. A brand with clearly defined values attracts talent that aligns with those values, making them ideal representatives for your company. As you are building a brand, consider creating your employer brand with care. This is the part of your business that defines the experience for employees.

It increase revenue

An effective brand can even increase revenue. That’s because it encourages repeat sales, builds customer loyalty, and generates steady business. In 2023, brands that topped the Prophet’s Brand Relevance Insights Report outperformed revenue gain of S&P 500 companies by 201%.

How to brand your business in 9 steps

1. Determine your goals
2. Know your audience
3. Establish your unique value proposition
4. Identify your mission and core values
5. Define your brand voice
6. Tell your brand story
7. Create brand assets
8. Apply your brand across channels
9. Reinforce your brand

1. Determine your goals

Beyond sales goals, businesses often set brand goals. These may include increasing customer retention or building a premium brand that commands higher prices than the competition. If you’re running a sustainable business or B Corp, your brand goals may be related to reducing packaging or donating a specific amount to a partner charity.

Dan Demsky, founder of Unbound Merino, advises other entrepreneurs to start with one “big hairy audacious goal” (BHAG) before breaking it down into achievable chunks. “From the BHAG, figure out where you could be in three to five years if things go extremely well,” he says. 

After that, break those into yearly, then quarterly goals. “Three months is the perfect amount of time to conquer one meaningful and sizable project.”

2. Know your target audience

Understanding your target customer is the key to creating a brand that resonates with them. By conducting market research, you can uncover customer preferences and interests, such as which social media channels to frequent to discover products. 

Create a buyer persona and get to know the slang they use and the other brands they gravitate toward. This will help you brand your business in a way that speaks their language.

3. Establish your unique value proposition

A unique value proposition (UVP), is your product’s competitive advantage. It describes how your product or service solves your customers’ pain points or meets their expectations better than the competition. Creating a UVP means understanding who the competition is, the needs of your customers, and what your business offers that others can’t. 

✏️ Note: A unique selling proposition is similar, but it focuses on the products or services, whereas a UVP encompasses the full brand offering.

4. Identify your mission and core values

Customers are increasingly choosing to buy from ethical companies with a clear mission and values that align with their own. Consumer trends have been leaning this way for years, with Gen Z and future Gen Alpha consumers leading the charge. Featuring core values on your website and in your marketing messaging can influence how customers and investors feel about your brand.

5. Define your brand voice

A brand’s voice is its unique personality. If you think about your brand like a person, what would it be like? How would it speak? To develop a distinct voice and tone for your brand, create buyer personas that help you understand how your customers communicate. 

Your brand’s voice could be charismatic and bold or formal and motivating. A brand voice that resonates with a target customer fosters connection, community, and trust. 

6. Tell your brand story

Once you’ve established your UVP, core values, and voice, piece them together to tell your brand story. The most obvious place to tell this is on an About Us page on your website, but mission-driven companies and founder brands may choose to incorporate this story into their marketing strategy. 

A brand’s story can be one and the same with the founder’s own, or a more formal story that details the mission and history of the company.

Polysleep used storytelling to set itself apart from the competition. “The goal was really to humanize a brand, make people realize that we’re actually a team,” says co-founder Jeremiah Curvers. “[We wanted] to connect the users to Polysleep as a brand, and not just as a company that sells mattresses.”

7. Create brand assets

Brand assets include your brand’s logo, as well as other design elements that align with your style guide. These may be fonts, color palettes, photo treatments, graphic shapes, social media templates, and secondary logos and wordmarks. 

This becomes an asset library that works alongside your style guide, used by anyone speaking about your brand—from staff to partners to press. A comprehensive asset library can help maintain a consistent brand image.

8. Apply your brand across channels

Establishing your brand in the market means being loud, proud, and consistent on every channel. All the decisions you’ve made and assets you’ve created to this point will now be put into play. Apply your brand across social channels, your website, online ads, email marketing templates, retail displays, marketing materials, and everywhere potential customers may find you.

9. Reinforce your brand

A set of brand guidelines will help you maintain brand consistency as you grow. This is a document that will guide future decisions, from creating marketing materials for a campaign to expanding your business into new markets. Use this guide to stay focused on your mission and values.

How to brand your business on social media

Whether you’re trying to attract an audience or keep existing customers engaged, there’s no better place than your active social media accounts to do so. It’s often the place where users discover new products and brands. Certain platforms have even become the go-to for discoverability. 

TikTok users are 1.5 times more likely to buy a product they discovered on the platform compared to other social networks. And, 80% of Pinterest users report they discover new brands and products through the platform. 

That’s why it’s important to brand your business on social media with the same vigor you would apply to your website. 

Tips for branding your social media presence

There are a few best practices when it comes to applying your brand on social channels:

• Optimize your profile page with SEO in mind for descriptions and use a size-appropriate version of your logo for the avatar.
• Be consistent with posting, not only through frequency of content but also considering how each post communicates your brand.
• Don’t set it and forget it. Your voice also shines through in how you engage with social media comments and DMs.
• Your logo isn’t as important here. Forget pushing products and heavily featuring your branding—social media is a place for your brand personality to shine. Entertain, don’t sell.

3 brand examples to inspire your own

Want to see the results of effective branding? Look no further than successful brands around you. Who’s dominating the space? What makes their branding resonate with their audiences? Get inspired by these three brands winning in their respective industries.

1. The Honey Pot

The Honey Pot is a sexual wellness and feminine care brand that’s made breaking taboos central to its brand. Its beautiful visual identity and product photography aside, The Honey Pot’s brand truly shines through its frank tone of voice and messaging: a carefully crafted balance between educational and funny. “Our content might have an angle of humor, but then the caption, for example, will be deeply insightful, with reference points that are backed in science,” says VP of marketing Giovanna Alfieri.

The Honey Pot invests in influencer marketing, choosing ambassadors that can evoke the brand’s unique tone of voice—and creators with stories that mirror those of its target customer. This approach builds trust with the community it aims to reach.

2. Heyday Canning

What’s so special about Heyday Canning is that its market research didn’t prompt it to follow the norm. In fact, the exercise highlighted the need to do something bold and daring in an industry stuck in time. Heyday took an everyday product and spiced it up—both inside the can and out.

The brand chose a modern color palette and suite of fonts along with a playful tone of voice to reach a specific type of customer. The consistency of the brand can be seen through Heyday’s approach to social media content, including daring viral campaigns like its NYC Bean Swap.

3. Unbound Merino 

Unbound Merino’s branding is as unfussy as its products. This apparel brand aims to communicate product benefits like versatility, ease of care, and timeless design. That messaging is not only explicitly called out in website copy, it’s also reflected in the brand’s laid back visual identity. 

On social media, Unbound carries that messaging through its content. It partners with influencers and uses UGC to reflect the faces of its ideal customers back to them. 

Best practices for building a brand

Every brand is unique, and the experience of building yours will be, too. But there are a few general guidelines that every business can apply.

Be consistent

Building a recognizable brand relies on showing up consistently. When you set expectations with your customers, be sure you can meet them every time they engage with your brand. Consistent branding isn’t just about using the same palette across your social channels. It’s also about a consistent ordering experience and a customer service experience that’s predictable. 

Always center your customer

Your customer is the true hero of your brand story. Remember to center their experiences throughout every business and branding decision you make. Brand your business in a way that appeals to your target market and reflects its values. Everything from marketing campaigns to website design should be approached from the customer’s perspective. 

Remember: Less is more

“One issue I see the most is logos that are very busy with lots of color and without any refinement,” says designer Skyler Hestnes. Simple branding will be the most versatile across several mediums. This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it—just make sure your logo and branding assets work at every size, from website favicons to massive billboards. Even the most “out there” brands are crystal clear on their brand image.

Even though Omsom’s homepage is busy and bright, if you dissect its elements, it focuses on a tight color palette and clean type-based logo that reads clearly among the chaos:

Use tools to support your strategy

There are many free tools available online to help businesses on a budget craft a professional brand. And, if you’re a team of one, they can even save you time or simplify marketing efforts. But use caution with AI tools specifically, says Polysleep’s Jerimiah Curvers. “Really spend the time to ensure it makes sense for the user,” he says, “because it’s easy to pump gibberish that will not bring value to the user, and ultimately that will not help your brand.”

Building a brand that reaches your target audience

Now that you know how to brand your business, it’s time to put that learning to work. As you set out to build your own successful brand, take the long view: How will your branding hold up in five years? What about 10? As you evolve your brand to suit trends or consumer preferences, what values will remain consistent? No matter how much you grow, never lose sight of your brand’s goals, mission, and customer.

One of the best ways to build trust and connection with customers is through your content strategy.

“Content is a free tool that allows you to get brand awareness and traffic,” says Anaita Sakar, cofounder of Hero Packaging. “Especially when you’re starting out as a bootstrapped business, it is critical that you are just pumping out content, whether it’s educational or product-based. Because when you are creating more content, it builds up your credibility and therefore the search engines will actually point to your website.”

A carefully planned content strategy allows you to demonstrate your brand’s unique point of view and appealing products—which ultimately helps bring in more (and better) customers.

What is content strategy?

A content strategy is the practice of planning marketing content—which can include blog posts, emails, posts on social media platforms, videos, and podcasts—that speaks to your audience and serves your business goals.

A successful content strategy is the framework that helps you plan what kind of information you publish—and to whom. If your content isn’t backed by strategy, it can become busywork; a solid strategy should deliver return on investment (ROI).

How to develop a content strategy

1. Choose your template
2. Define your goals
3. Research your target audience
4. Audit your existing content
5. Assess the competition
6. Decide what types of content you’ll create
7. Create engaging content
8. Build an editorial calendar
9. Measure content effectiveness

1. Choose your template

You don’t necessarily need a content strategy template to create your own content marketing strategy, but a good template will make the process easier. The free content strategy template linked in this article includes everything you need to get started.

2. Define your goals

Select concrete goals for your content strategy, and choose the KPIs you will use to measure success. Think about what kind of content would help you reach these objectives.

Examples of content marketing goals include:

• Increasing brand awareness by tripling your social media following within six months

• Increasing customer acquisition by growing your conversion rate from 2% to 4% in six months

• Increasing brand authority by growing organic traffic (visits from unpaid search results) to your landing pages by 20% in a year

3. Research your target audience

Study your target demographic’s interests and preferred content channels so you can create content that will appeal to them on platforms they use. Two ways to find your audience include:

1. Market research. Use market research tools on consumer behavior and trends, as well as conduct your own primary research through surveys, customer interviews, and reading customer feedback. This legwork can help you understand your target audience, their buying preferences, preferred social media channels, and the way they consume content.

2. Using web analytics. Web analytics will tell you not only who’s visiting your site, but also how much time they spend there, which pages they visit, and how they find your site.

As you move through this process, consider creating a buyer persona to help you understand how to create content that will resonate with your audience. Give your persona a name, occupation, age, hobbies, geographic location, income, and aspirations, and list the types of content they consume. Use your buyer persona as a guide to shape your content marketing efforts.

4. Audit your existing content

If you have already created content, audit your existing assets. Ask yourself:

• Is my current content still relevant?

• Will my planned content be a significant departure from my existing content?

This may be the time to phase out some of the old stuff. Use social media analytics tools and Google Analytics to see what content is most popular and what falls flat. Consider ending production of content that doesn’t resonate with your audience or that diverges from your goals.

5. Assess the competition

Do a competitive analysis so you can compare and measure the success of similar companies’ content strategies. Create a list of your direct and indirect competitors, then visit competitor sites and go through their customer experience—identifying content you like and dislike. Subscribe to their newsletters, read their blog posts, follow them on social media. Check out what types of content they post—and how often.

If you like their content approach, consider what you could do better or differently. Use SEO tools to see which keywords drive traffic to competitors’ sites. This can help you determine which keywords are worth building content around to help your audience find you. 

6. Decide what types of content you’ll create

Understanding how your target audience engages with content will help guide your content decisions. Refer to the sales funnel, which is the process by which prospective customers become aware of your brand, consider your products, and eventually make a purchase.

Producing different types of content aligned with each stage of the funnel can help your target audience arrive at the sale. Here’s what that might look like:

Awareness

At this stage, you’re introducing your brand. Create educational content in the form of articles, blog posts, ebooks, explainer videos, newsletters, and social media posts. You’re not pitching a product—you’re only trying to pique your audience’s curiosity.

Charlotte Palermino, cofounder of skin care company Dieux, credits brand storytelling with Dieux’s success on social media. “For Dieux, it’s always about telling stories and getting really geeked out on different parts of the story of how we got to where we are,” Charlotte says on Shopify Masters. “I mean, one of our most viral videos right now is just talking about packaging. It’s like a five-minute video about plastic and aluminum and it’s doing really well, and that’s because it’s about storytelling.”

Consideration

Here, you’re nurturing the relationship with your audience, shifting into a combination of product marketing and helpful information that educates them about areas where you can claim a competitive advantage. This might look like how-to articles that feature your product, product reviews, and case studies.

For example, Fellow, which makes electric kettles and other coffee-making tools, has a collection of brewing how-tos on its website. You don’t need to own any of Fellow’s products to find the guides useful, but these educational materials feature plenty of product images. If someone is considering buying a new coffee grinder or kettle, the guides nudge them toward Fellow’s versions of those products.

Purchase

Your audience has done its research and is ready to buy. This is where you can focus on why your product or service is better than the others using buyers’ guides, product videos, and user-generated content.

Post-purchase

In the post-purchase phase, your customer may have questions about how to use your product. Answering these questions with high-quality content can encourage customer loyalty.

For example, bike and outdoor gear company Retrospec’s guide center serves as both an FAQ page and educational blog. “If they are purchasing the product directly online, they probably have questions on how to make sure they fine-tune the bike specifically to how they want to ride it,” Retrospec founder Ely Khakshouri says on Shopify Masters.

The guides include information on how to set up your new bike, plus specific articles about charging electric bikes, repairing flat tires, performing a tune-up, and more. “We’re using the guide center as a resource to educate our customers and make sure the post-purchase experience is one that’s pleasant,” Ely says.

7. Create engaging content

In the early stages of your business, you may create your own content. For example, Charlotte Palermino of Dieux leveraged her prior experience at Snapchat to create short-form video content.

As you scale up, you might have a dedicated team member tasked with creating content, or hire a freelancer or content agency to execute it. If you’re planning to publish a series of articles, shoot video, or run a full social media campaign, you might want to add creators that specialize in social media or writing.

8. Build an editorial calendar

Create a content calendar to ensure your content has a regular cadence and is cohesive across channels. Creating a system to publish content on a regular, predictable schedule reinforces to your audience that you’re a trusted source for information.

9. Measure content effectiveness

Evaluate how well your content is performing with your audience by using tools like Google Analytics, email marketing software, social media analytics tools, and other analytics tools to track KPIs like click-through rate, website traffic, social media reach and engagement, mobile traffic leads and conversion rates, and search rankings. Depending on your results, you may make tweaks or change your strategy over time.

Questions your content strategy should answer

1. What do you want the content to do for the business?
2. Who is the content for?
3. What will your content do for your customers?
4. What channels will you use?
5. How will the content reflect your brand?

There is no single way to create a content strategy, since it’s dependent on your target audience. Still, you can ask the following five questions to help create the framework for your content strategy:

1. What do you want the content to do for the business?

Content can serve a number of purposes for a business, and it’s important to get clear on your objectives. Ask yourself: What are the business goals associated with our content efforts? What key performance indicators (KPIs) will we use to assess success? Common goals and metrics include:

• Increase brand awareness, measured in impressions, traffic, and brand recognition surveys

• Drive engagement, measured in email open rates, clicks, and time on page

2. Who is the content for?

Identifying your ideal customer will help you understand how to communicate with them and what value your content can bring them. Ask yourself:

• What are my target audience groups?

• What needs or challenges do they have that I could fulfill with good content?

• What content formats are most likely to connect with them?

• Where do they consume content?

Answering these questions will help inform the next few aspects of the framework.

3. What will your content do for your customers?

Once you understand your audience and their needs, desires, and pain points, you can set out to solve those with content. Be clear about how your content will deliver value. For instance, if you sell fishing flies to novice fishing enthusiasts, your content might be informative—like a series of articles on choosing bait, casting techniques, and types of reels.

4. What channels will you use?

Content is most effective when it reaches audiences where they are—meaning they can discover it on channels where they already consume content. For business-to-business (B2B) companies, that might be on LinkedIn; for a Gen Z skin care brand, it might be on TikTok. Or, you might try to reach your audience when they’re searching on Google with paid search ads or a blog post designed for search engine optimization (SEO).

5. How will the content reflect your brand?

Does your content have a point of view? A distinct brand voice enables a company to reach its target audience and build connections and community. Consistent messaging in your brand voice will help you speak to your target demographic in language that resonates.