Blog post by Navitas Skilled Futures
Looking to embark on an entrepreneurial journey by starting your own business? Take inspiration from Oranan Jantatep, who turned her passion for baking into a thriving enterprise.
Despite initial challenges, such as moving to Australia from Thailand, adapting to a new country and learning a new language, Oranan’s perseverance and innovative approach to business paved the way for her success.
Her story is a great example of how creativity and dedication can transform a simple passion into a lucrative venture, and we can’t wait to share some of the key lessons from her journey! Let’s dive in.
Step 1: Identify Your Passion or Skill
Discovering your passion is the first step to starting a successful business, as it helps to ensure you’ll find enjoyment in your day-to-day work.
Oranan’s journey began with her love for baking, nurtured during her university days in Thailand where she baked cookies for family and friends. Her unique, soft cookies that look like ice cream quickly became a hit!
If you have a hobby you love, think about how you can turn it into a product or service. Whether you enjoy creative activities such as crafting, writing or painting, or something more technical like building websites or coding for fun, every passion has the potential to become a profitable business.
Consider how your unique skills and natural talents can solve a problem or fulfill a need in the market. Remember, what you consider to be simply a fun and easy hobby could present a significant challenge for others – and chances are, they’re happy to pay a business owner like you to help them overcome this challenge!
Step 2: Get to Know Your Market
Online marketplaces and social media platforms offer vast audiences searching for products just like yours. A great example is Etsy, which has enabled crafters worldwide to reach customers interested in handmade and vintage items. Consider which platforms will best showcase your product to a global audience.
In addition to understanding the products available to your target audience, it’s important to research your competitors to see what other products or services they have on offer, how they differ from your products, and which platforms they’re using to market themselves.
By knowing which products and businesses are similar to your own, you can establish unique selling points (USPs) to help potential customers understand what makes your product stand out and why they should purchase from you, rather than a competitor.
Let’s take a look at USPs in more depth.
Step 3: Establish Your Unique Selling Points (USP)
What sets Oranan’s cookies apart is their unique, soft texture and ice cream-like appearance, which is different to any of her competitors in the market. Identifying what makes your own product special is essential – these are your USPs.
Take Dollar Shave Club, for example, which disrupted the razor market with a subscription model, offering quality razors at a fraction of the cost of other suppliers. This helped set their company apart from competitors and presented a unique selling point to their customers.
Understanding your USP helps target your marketing efforts more effectively. Remember, you don’t have to completely innovate something brand new or ‘reinvent the wheel’ – you just need to establish at least one point of difference, and use this to inform your marketing strategy.
Step 4: Test and Refine Your Product
Before turning her love of baking into a fully-fledged business, Oranan shared her cookies with colleagues and friends, receiving rave reviews.
Start by sharing your product or service with a small group to gather feedback and make improvements. Sharing with trusted friends or loved ones is a great first step – once you feel confident, consider expanding your audience to strangers as they’re often not afraid to offer their honest feedback.
This testing and refining process is particularly crucial for product-based businesses. According to a Nielsen report, most consumers trust peer recommendations over advertising, highlighting the importance of positive word-of-mouth.
There are other clever ways to test your service or product, including tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to gather customer feedback efficiently. Conduct your own research to see which solutions suit you best.
Step 5: Start Small and Simple
You don’t need a fancy warehouse or huge office to get your business up and running. Oranan began her cookie venture from her home kitchen – a true testament to the power of starting small and keeping things simple!
Launching a business from home can reduce overhead costs and simplify your operations. Then, once you’ve created stable income from your business venture, you can scale up as needed.
It’s important to be aware of any laws or regulations that apply to home-based businesses. Start with a Google search to see what your local Government outlines, then seek further support from professional bodies if required.
Step 6: Enhance Your Skills
When starting a business and establishing a marketing strategy for your products or services, you might find that you have skill gaps or areas that could be improved in order to help your business thrive. These might include verbal communication skills, written English skills, digital literacy, or finance management skills.
Oranan took the initiative to improve her English and digital skills through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) at Navitas Skilled Futures – a Government-funded program that provides a free pathway to further education, a new career, or a chance to transfer existing skills to the Australian workplace.
In addition to the AMEP, Navitas offers short courses to start a small business, plus the Pathways to Work (PTW) program and the Skills for Education and Employment Program (SEE), which are designed to further enhance your skills and prepare you for a successful transition into working and living in Australia.
Programs such as those offered by Navitas can inspire new ideas and strategies for your business, provide guidance on the best ways to market yourself, and help connect you to others who can provide advice or companionship throughout your business journey.
Step 7: Spread the Word Through Marketing
As is the case for many new business owners, deciding which marketing strategies to use was a challenge for Oranan. After researching, she decided to utilise social media platforms such as Instagram, as well as printed business cards, to spread the word about her cookie business.
A well-defined social media strategy can enhance your brand’s visibility and engage with your target audience – the trick is discovering where your audience gathers online. Consider demographics such as the general age range and gender of your target audience, and conduct online research to decide which social media platforms are the most popular amongst your potential customers.
Hashtags also played a significant role in increasing Oranan’s online presence. Using relevant hashtags can expose your business to a wider audience. It’s also essential to engage with your followers by responding to comments and messages, building a community around your brand.
Social media analytics tools, such as Instagram Insights, provide valuable data on content performance and audience demographics, helping you tailor your content to your audience’s preferences.
Don’t be overwhelmed by marketing your business – just make a start and learn as you go! Speciality courses within the AMEP, such as the module for small businesses, can provide support with digital skills to help you market your business effectively.
How to Start Your Own Business: Our Final Thoughts
Oranan’s journey from passionate baker to successful entrepreneur illustrates the potential within each of us to turn our passions into a thriving business. By embracing your creativity and willingness to learn, you too can make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality!
We recommend taking advantage of every opportunity to learn and improve your skills, and expand your professional and personal networks along the way. Navitas Skilled Futures’ free programs are an excellent starting point to help you establish and enhance your skills, giving your business the best possible chance of success.
Visit the Navitas Skilled Futures website today to explore their course offerings and see where your business ideas could take you.