#there seems to be some thirst for this guy online and you know what. valid

[swordofmoonl1ght]

Akihiko Hirata as Dr. Daisuke Serizawa in ゴジラ (GOJIRA, 1954) dir. Ishiro Honda

[edwardsvirginity]

a short(er) twilight-themed guide to my dissertation on memes

for anyone who wants to know why and how i wrote 8k words of academic theory on memes, but doesn’t actually want to read 8k words of academic theory on memes

so to begin with, a meme is really hard to define. this part is pretty boring if you don’t care about linguistics, so just take my word for it. i ask a lot of questions like “is a meme still a meme if” (no one shares it, no one makes different versions of it, there’s no standard format for it) and the answer is “sometimes! but we can’t tell you when!” and i also ask “how do you know when you’re looking at a meme?” to which the answer is “you just do! except when you don’t. that happens too.”

so basically, memes are like porn, you know them when you see them

then i talk about why it’s hard to study memes. this is fairly obvious if you think about it. imagine trying to find out the source of a random meme. and then every iteration of that meme anyone has ever made. then how popular each iteration got. how one iteration inspired another. how many times each iteration is reposted by someone else without credit. THEN, attempt to do that for every meme in existence. actually, just try and get a definitive count of how many memes exist. then, realizing that’s impossible, attempt to choose a “random” selection of memes to study not influenced by your personal online world. attempt to study memes that you don’t even know exist bc they don’t exist within your highly-customized online world. basically, memes are a rabbit hole and i don’t even pretend to do any sort of formal semi-comprehensive study, because i do not hate myself.

ok, moving on. i’m actually trying to write this post based on what I remember from my dissertation, which i haven’t reread in... a while. but i like to think i have a fairly good grasp of it bc i wrote it.

so basically the most important part about memes is that they function on at least 2 levels. let’s say there’s an active level and a passive level. the active level is the conversation you THINK you’re having when engaging with a meme. the clearly stated point/idea of the meme. the passive level is all the assumptions a meme is making in the background that, if you are not actively challenging, you are endorsing.

let’s see some examples.

this is a meme *i* made, so i’m gonna put myself on blast here

So the active level of this meme is the text/the point i’m trying to make, which is basically that bella is horny. but like, so horny that she’s willing to throw everything else in her life under the bus for some sexual satisfaction. i feel like this is fairly clear and most people interacting with the meme would consider that what the meme is about. we’re having a conversation about bella’s insatiable thirst for sparkling penis when we engage with this meme. 

sort of an in-between level that provides us with further information about the point i’m trying to make is context for the meme/meme format. this meme format is about someone choosing between a good thing and a bad thing. they’ve got the good thing, but they’re tempted by/indulging in the bad thing anyway. it’s fairly reasonable to come to the conclusion that i’m judging bella, when you combine the meme context with the actual text. i’m not only interpreting bella’s behavior here (she eschews her loved ones for sexual gratification), i’m also giving it moral value, labeling yeeting herself onto that dick = bad, building/maintaining relationships with friends and family = good. however, if you’re not familiar with this meme and it’s format, the fact that i’m throwing shade at bella is less clear, even if you understand how i’m interpreting her behavior. 

now on to the passive level of the meme. this meme makes some ASSUMPTIONS, and in engaging with the meme you’re validating those assumptions as “how this thing is/how the world works”. so here are a FEW of the assumptions this meme makes: 1. this is a man with his girlfriend checking out another girl. 2. the girlfriend is angry/jealous of her boyfriend expressing interest in another woman 3. everyone in this photo is heterosexual 4. men are always checking out other women/otherwise unfaithful, and this is normal/funny 5. this “couple” is monogamous 6. the “boyfriend” is relatable and we understand and condone his actions 7. maintaining a relationship with the “girlfriend” is a good decision and pursuing the girl in red would be a bad one

these assumptions might seem fairly clear, obvious, and straightforward, but they are ultimately, assumptions. we know NOTHING about the people in this photo and are projecting relationships on them. and clearly, we’re projecting some pretty intense gender and relationship roles on to them. and it’s necessary to accept those gender and relationship roles as “truth” long enough to understand the meme, because otherwise the meme wouldn’t make any sense, because the person who made it (me) made it with the understanding that you would be operating with the same set of assumptions about these people and their relationships as I am. understanding of what i’m trying to say with this meme is dependent on understanding and accepting the assumptions i’m handing you with it. 

and again, these ARE assumptions. take away the text, and there could be plenty of things going on in this photo. it’s possible none of these people are in romantic relationships, and this is a guy with his friend/family member, and they like to hold hands. this guy could be whistling at a dog he sees on the sidewalk because he wants to pet it, and the girl in blue is mad because they’re in a hurry. the girl in red could be his ACTUAL girlfriend, whose self esteem he’s boosting, and the girl in blue could be some random girl who wants his attention. this could be a couple in an open relationship, but the girlfriend is in the middle of an argument with this guy about something else. the guy could have shoulder checked the girl in red and is looking back to say sorry, and the girl in blue is mad bc shoulder checking this poor girl was a rude af thing to do. 

the reason why we don’t think any of those things ^^ upon seeing this meme is bc we live in the patriarchy. however, unfortunately, by sharing this meme uncritically, we’re also reinforcing the passive ideas within it, that men are unfaithful and it’s no big deal, that women are always competing with each other, that heterosexuality and monogamy are standard and correct. 

let’s look at another meme.

i didn’t make this one, i found it on a really cringy list of (old) twilight memes

active level of this meme: kristen stewart never smiles

in-between context level: this is the “most interesting man in the world” meme, where, bc he’s so interesting, he rarely has time to do normal things, and when he does them, he does them in a weird way. so according to this meme, kristen rarely smiles, and when she does, she does it in a weird way

passive level: kristen stewart SHOULD smile, and the fact that she doesn’t is weird/bad. WHY she doesn’t smile, and WHY she should, is left to viewer interpretation, but the implication is she’s doing something wrong. this meme wants you to fill in the blanks with the idea that kristen stewart is a bad actress because she doesn’t smile. it also reinforces the idea that women are SUPPOSED to smile and not be serious all the time. you could even go so far as to assume this meme is condemning bella’s character as a whole for being overdramatic and not smiling, playing into the narrative that women are hysterical and get upset about things that aren’t a big deal, and we shouldn’t take them seriously. personally, i think kristen’s acting in twilight was spot-on and super nuanced, and it was true to bella’s character that she didn’t smile often. i also think that kristen as a person smiles a reasonable amount and is only criticized for not smiling bc ppl so heavily associate her with bella. but if i were to share this meme uncritically, i wouldn’t just be reaffirming the (false) idea that kristen stewart doesn’t smile, i would also be reinforcing the idea that women SHOULD smile all the time, kristen is a bad actress, and bella is a bad character. i could go further into the sexism of all that but this is already long. 

HOW DID I GET AWAY WITH WRITING ABOUT THIS FOR MY MASTERS DEGREE?? 

basically, while you think you’re engaging in a conversation on one level with memes, you’re actually engaging in a lot of conversations. when it comes to political memes, often the “passive” levels of the memes come with a lot of ideas about how the world is or should work, which you reinforce when engaging with those memes. these passive assumptions shape the conversations we’re having, and the kind of policies we’re willing to support. memes come encoded with opinions on gender, relationships, race, sexuality, class, etc, and and make declarations about how these things DO or SHOULD work, shaping our own personal understanding of them. a meme that makes donald trump look stupid is advocating for different policies/political decisions than one that makes him look dangerous. and if all of our memes about trump focus on him looking stupid, we put more political effort into addressing that problem than the problem that he’s dangerous. memes can be used to challenge norms/question widely accepted ideas (here’s an example i literally just made):

but they can also be used to help people internalize ideas/messages that they wouldn’t be willing to accept uncritically if those ideas were presented in a different format. sometimes this is good, if you use memes to help people internalize good messages, like self-love. however, unfortunately in recent years this has mostly been used to radicalize lonely men, who internalize increasingly more hateful assumptions in memes and don’t realize that they’re doing it, because those messages are not explicit. just look at how pepe became a hate symbol. if you laugh at enough memes that operate on the assumption that women are sluts, you’re gonna start believing women are sluts, and are gonna be more likely to laugh at memes that imply that women are bad because they’re slutty, then that since they’re bad they don’t deserve rights, etc. 

basically, memes shape our understanding of how the world works because they make assumptions about how the world works that we have to agree with in order to understand the meme. when these assumptions involve identities or politics, they affect how we understand those things, and what conversations we have about them.

and that’s basically my dissertation on memes, minus a lot of other discussions about pop culture, humor, and group formation. 

any questions??

[uberrapidash]

This is a post I made on Facebook, but I’m also putting it here since I can tag it and find it again later.

Hey, guys.

This post is somewhat self-reflection, processing, and validation, and somewhat PSA-ish/FYI-ish since I am posting it online.

Mental health is nuts. It affects everything. I took an Adderall this morning for the first time in over a month and a half, and it changes everything. I know I have shared about how Adderall changes everything for me before, but this time is different in some important ways because of the circumstances.

At some point during the spring semester this year, I began seeing a new PCP and a new psychiatrist, since I'm in a new city and actually have health insurance. I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 29, this year. It was like a dream come true, because it was so incredibly validating, but also because I thought I would be able to get all the help I needed because I had this Very Important Answer now.

However, that was not the case. Upon diagnosis, I asked the psychiatrist if there were any support groups or resources that I could access to learn about my newly-confirmed Neuro-Divergent Brain™. She said she didn't know of any. So I have been learning about how my brain works through Youtube videos, Reddit posts, and the experiences that other people share with me.

At the same time that this was happening, I continued searching for answers about my ongoing mysterious health problems. One of the FIRST things that my PCP jumped on was to tell me, in clear terms, repeatedly, that I needed to ask my psychiatrist about putting me on something for "psychological pain." What she means by this is that she thinks that my body pain happens because of something going on in my brain, or that my brain is heightening normal aches and pains for some reason. And so I began taking Cymbalta (prescribed by the psych). This was later in the semester by now.

After being on the Cymbalta for about a month, I could no longer take my Adderall - I found that any time I took Adderall, I became extremely anxious, would physically shake and feel ill, and it was just all around a bad time. (Adderall is not a drug that you need to keep in your system - you can start it and stop it at any time. Cymbalta is one of those drugs that has to build up in your system. It takes like a minimum of two weeks to even start seeing how it affects you.) There was clearly something going on between the two drugs, so the clear choice was to not take the Adderall while I got in touch with the psych.

Now, at this time, I did not have an appointment set up with the psychiatrist, because she wanted to go two whole months before seeing me again (which seems like a really bad idea considering that I was still new on the Cymbalta... it baffled me when she told me that and I was not happy with it). So I made a mental note that I needed to make an appointment ASAP because this wasn't working.

Except... It's now July, and I still have not made an appointment. I have run out of Cymbalta and cannot get a refill because it needs to go through the doc. And I am in this situation because that's just how low-functioning I have been since starting the Cymbalta.

I needed to have been closely monitored. I needed to have frequent appointments. And when I didn't pick up the phone or return the calls to the psych's office, they should have kept calling me.This is the nature of mental illness. It controls everything. Your brain controls everything you do. I need someone to be assigned to my case to make sure that my life isn't falling apart, especially when I've been given new meds. I'm not the only one. And this isn't my first time going through something like this. The entire mental health field needs a lot of work.

Anyway... I haven't had Cymbalta in a few days, and I took Adderall today for the first time in a while. It's like putting glasses on. It's like an enormous heavy fog has been lifted. It's like I have been pulled out of a pool of molasses. 

So... I am now capable of making that appointment, which I actually needed months ago. How fucked up is that?

__________

This is what it's like to be on the wrong meds, or to be unmedicated:

Every day for over a month, I have woken up every morning thinking about all of the really important things that needed doing, but as if I were chained to a pole or being held hostage in a cage, I could not do them. I was so sick that I had thoughts of telling Aaron that I needed help doing these things, but I couldn't even communicate it to him. That might sound impossible to someone who has never experienced any sort of mental illness or brain fog or executive dysfunction, but I and millions of other people are crying out about how so very real it is.

Today, after starting to gain some separation from the Cymbalta and after taking an Adderall, here are some things that have been different that I wasn't able to do before: 

- I told Aaron basically the above paragraph ^^^ (Contrast: remaining silent on these problems... not communicating my plight at all whatsoever) 

- I reached out to two (2) dear friends because I wanted to know how they are doing (Contrast: not reaching out to the people I love, ever) 

- I drink water when I notice thirst (Contrast: becoming so thirsty that it's too distracting to ignore, getting a headache, increased body aches) 

- I changed clothes once I recognized that what I was wearing was too warm (Contrast: suffering for hours until I felt sick from being too hot and couldn't do anything else, until doing something to alleviate that suffering) 

- easily and efficiently gave my body breakfast (Contrast: not eating anything until I feel sick/am extremely physically weak) 

- nearly automatically cleaned up after lunch (Contrast: leaving the mess until it's in the way at a later time) 

- easily and efficiently picked up some dishes and trash in the apartment (Contrast: seeing dishes/trash, thinking "I want to clean that up/put that away," and not being able to make my body do the thing) 

- not running into things when I walk around, being able to carry objects easily, and being able to efficiently pick up and put down multiple items without much effort. AKA - better motor control 

- scheduled a time to go grocery shopping today (and I'm going to make a grocery list and meal plan after I'm done typing this) (Contrast: another day without having gone grocery shopping, another day of fast food)

The list goes on and will continue to go on...

__________

Shame on my PCP for pushing on the "psychological pain" thing instead of doing more to actually discover what is wrong with my body. Shame on me for seeing that red flag, but going along with it anyway. I feel like I'm constantly torn between wanting to trust medical professionals, who have had years and years of education and practice, and wanting to fight them. I thought I was in good hands. But add this onto the list of stuff that quickly built up with that doctor... I won't be seeing her again.

[therachelperspective]

BOOK ⎟ A Work in Progress by Connor Franta

Don’t feel bad if you don’t know who Connor Franta is. I openly admit that I didn’t have a clue who this 24-year-old YouTube sensation was until I decided to pick up his memoir, A Work in Progress, at Target. It seems silly, doesn’t it? Reading a memoir written by someone who doesn’t seem nearly of age to do so, and is a few years younger than me at that. But this is one of those times when you should not judge a book by its author, nor an author by his age. Connor Franta is more – much more – than he seems. 

Published in 2015, A Work in Progress is described by Franta himself as an elaboration of what he discusses in his vlogs (blogs in video form; his channel found here). Its content, as such, covers a variety of topics that include the usual growing up, family, school, friendships, relationships, sexuality, and beyond. What I really discovered, though, was that it is more accurately a self-help book masquerading as a memoir. My copious notes made up almost entirely of quotes show that Mr. Franta is wise beyond his years. Although he is a relatively privileged white boy with very little struggle under his belt (being chubby as a child and coming to terms with his sexuality being the two major high points), Franta does well to remind readers of what’s important in life: discovering who you are, following your dreams and passions, living your life in the present, and accepting your flaws as part of your uniqueness. He has a lot to say and gives incredible amounts of advice as he discusses his life, but these concepts are generally the major takeaways throughout AWIP. 

As much as I appreciated what Franta shared in his novel – and trust me, so many good things – the only truly special aspect about the book is that he makes a “healthy living” making YouTube videos (thanks to advertising revenue) and he was, at the time of publishing, only 22 years old. Franta has made a name for himself online and has the large fanbase currently sitting at just over 5.5 million people to show for it, but his story at its core isn’t much different than my own. Part of the reason I chose to read A Work in Progress was because of the fact that he, too, is from Minnesota (try to find La Crescent on a map, I dare ya); I’m always drawn to tales of those who also hail from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” and how they made their way in the world... But he’s no Bob Dylan or anything. It’s refreshing to know that fame is achievable in such a way that Franta achieved it, I will give him that. But it is, at times, hard to wrap your head around how he did it. I absolutely enjoy his videos, so don’t think I’m just slamming the hell out of this kid; he’s funny and incredibly relatable as a person. YouTube fame is just weird.  

Something I became increasingly aware of as I was reading was the particular vernacular and mannerisms Franta used – one might say, the type of communication specific to millennials of today’s society, especially in textual form. It is all the more apparent if you watch his videos and witness his traits in action. Franta is, by definition/for all intents and purposes, a “hipster,” made all the more clearer as he uses pages of AWIP to document his love for vintage record players and Polaroid cameras, how he considers coffee to be a full-body experience, and he even dedicates a page to talk about looking at the moon. I understand this though because, hey, I myself am on the older end of the spectrum for the millennial generation and also a part-time hipster. I, too, enjoy a good specialty coffee from Starbucks, often enjoy staring at that bright circle in the night sky, and use some of the same language Connor Franta does. But being the older millennial that I am (i.e. I’m just enough of a millennial to be engulfed in technology on a regular basis, but also know how to *gasp* go without it), I sense that gap in the forms of communication. Read an older novel from Hemingway, for example, and then read Franta’s AWIP; you’ll see what I mean. Fortunately, it’s safe to say the majority of his readership comes from his viewers that are his own age. As such, AWIP doesn’t have the opportunity to get lost in that translation with any older age groups, nor does it get slammed as for it’s incredibly conversational qualities. As a reader stuck in the middle of old school vs. new school communication, it can just, at times, distract from the story. 

I’ll be the first to say I’m shocked when confessing that Connor Franta’s A Work in Progress was surprisingly helpful to me. A Work in Progress is merely some youngster’s story about his 22-year life; who knew it would be so damn relevant to me... maybe to everyone willing to read it. Thanks once again, Universe, for having me read a book that is incredibly pertinent to the exact situation(s) I’m going through *shakes fists*. I picked it up because this book is so aesthetically pleasing I about died – understandable considering the design nerd Franta is (his words, not mine) and as much as I equally am. The personal photographs provided and taken by Franta himself are so beautiful, you could spend just as much time leafing through the pages just to admire them. But add to the fact that this young man is far more enlightened than you could ever imagine makes this book worth reading at least once in your life. Sure, he talks about everyday stuff that is hardly exceptional (bonus: his parents and his family are SO SUPPORTIVE), but the way he touches on the difficult topics with grace and awareness bring back the slightest ounce of faith in humanity. 

FAVORITE EXCERPTS

“Friends are not a number. You can’t collect connections.”

“Girls can be athletic. Guys can have feelings. Girls can be smart. Guys can be creative... Gender is only specific to your reproductive organs (and sometimes not even those), not your interests, likes, dislikes, goals, and ambitions.” 

“Guys need feminine energy as much as girls need masculine energy to get by in this world.” 

“Not all attention is created equal.”

“Sometimes we lose sight of why we’re doing what we’re doing. We get sick of certain aspects of our lives and forget the end goal. But everything has a purpose. There is a reason behind every struggle.” 

“We live in a world where the importance of stability is drilled into use from an early age. If it’s not explicitly stated, then it is seen in the way most of our parents, other elders, or authority figures live their lives: cautiously, pragmatically, and sensibly... The potential risk of failure scream its warning from far away, which is why those with experience feel it is necessary to tell us to find ‘proper jobs’ – the kind that pay well and guarantee long-term security.” 

“Failure is your teacher, not your judge.” 

“All you have to know is why you’ve done something and like it, without seeking the validation or approval of others... Create first and foremost for yourself, no one else.”

“If you like you, that’s all that matters.” – Connor’s mom

“Own every aspect of who you are and present it to the world with the utmost pride.” 

“It’s okay to be liked. It’s okay to seek likes. But it’s not okay if you allow those likes to become the foundation of your sense of self-worth.” 

“Who are you? Answer: You are who you are in this given moment. Label-less. Limitless. Remember that from this day forward.” 

“Destination and destiny share a root word for a good reason.” 

“The only thing holding you back from experiencing [opportunities] is yourself and the false limitations you’ve imposed on yourself.”

“A thought is only as strong as you allow it to be. We either fuel it or release it.” 

“Life waits for no one.”

“It’s not okay to just get by existing day to day. Where will that get you? Aren’t we here to live? To squeeze the maximum amount of juice and at the end of the day, say to ourselves ‘Wow I’m so grateful to have what I have and do what I do.’”

“The hardest part was allowing myself to want something other than what was socially acceptable...”

ABOUT CONNOR FRANTA (from the inside back cover)

Connor Franta is an internet sensation and global trendsetter with millions of followers on YouTube and many other social media platforms. He is the founder of Common Culture Coffee and works closely with The Thirst Project, a charity that provides clean drinking water in Africa, for which he raised more than $230,000 in thirty days. He also curates music from up-and-coming bands for his Common Culture compilation albums. This is his first book. To learn more, visit: youtube.com/ConnorFranta and twitter.com/ConnorFranta

A Work in Progress: A Memoir by Connor Franta Atria/Keywords Press (Simon & Schuster) | April 2015 | 212 pages

MY RATING: ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ There are some pretty deep praises of this book in my review and you’re probably wondering about its lower rating. Don’t get me wrong, this book was wonderful and provided a multitude of amazing advice... but I personally felt there wasn’t a lot of substance. He was able to give said advice because he lived it, but all of those things are honestly what every kid has gone through (give or take some personal details). That makes it very relatable, for sure. But his unconventional fame and the age at which he wrote his first memoir really feel like the only noteworthy details. Change some details and this could be my story. Also, I know he meant well by them, but his words of encouragement that often concluded each chapter were a bit much for my tastes. Which makes me believe that his coaxing words are better geared towards his younger readers just getting to know themselves, not a near-30-year-old who has a pretty good grasp of who she is. 

His sage advice helped me cope with some friendship issues, as well as following my gut, so I will absolutely give him incredible kudos for his novel in that sense. But... I really kind of feel that he is a kid of opportunity. He is definitely a hard working guy, but a lot of his opportunities and achievements are spawned by who he now knows or due to the reach he has across the internet. 

[baliemarabica]

Dropshipping success stories From Zero to $1M in 8 Months | Awesome Dropshipping Success Stories

During my years of doing dropshipping I’ve met countless people who wanted to make money online and build a lifestyle business where they can travel the world and work from their laptop. Of all of those people, I can count only a handful who really made it a reality. These people are self starters who actively search for other sources of income or who have turned selling on eBay into their main revenue source. But what about becoming a millionaire from ecommerce or making $30,000 a month? I know it sounds far fetched but in this post I will introduce you to three exceptional individuals who are the embodiment of dropshipping success stories.

Top Dropshipper #1: Irwin Dominguez

From zero to $1M+ in less than 12 months

Meet Irwin Dominguez from San Diego who within 8 months made $1,000,000 in profit as a dropshipper.

What drove Irwin to e-commerce entrepreneurship as a dropshipper ?

Dominguez happen to have a very good friend who was bringing in large amounts of cash on a monthly basis as a dropshipper. Irwin had no clue how to start dropshipping but he figured he would give it a try since he felt he had more to gain than to lose. He started by doing three simple things:

He learned about e-commerce using Google

He opened a Shopify account

He started using Oberlo which is a platform which helps you import dropshipped products into your ecommerce store and ship them directly to your customer

What was Irwin doing before dropshipping and how did he make his first sale ?

Before becoming a dropshipping success story, Dominguez was a local marketing consultant helping small businesses increase online traffic. The skills he acquired through this job no doubt helped him succeed in his new online venture.

He made his first sale using Facebook ads which he says ate into most of his profit but was well worth the investment in order to jumpstart his business. He swears by advertising on Facebook and says he owes most of his success to this form of marketing though he stresses that business owners must learn over time how to balance the cost of Facebook ads with profit margins.

Let’s talk numbers – what is Dominguez’s  revenue per day

On his best day of e-commerce, Irwin pulled in a cool $30,000 and on average pulls in $10,000 a day though he says he is trying to increase these numbers. He talks about finding a niche product but that at some point you have tapped most of your target market so you need to find new products in the same niche (learn how we found the perfect niche) or move on to a different niche entirely.

What recommendations can you give to aspiring dropshippers ?

check_circle

Pro tip # 1: Before dealing in large quantities, validate your product idea by making a few sales before jumping in head first.

check_circle

Pro tip # 2: Be prepared when the floodgates open! Once you find a product that is super popular, make sure you have a mechanism in place to deal with the demand.

Top Dropshipper # 2: Kate

$32,000+ monthly revenue from her dropshipping business

Kate is not making millions like some other dropshippers but I decided to write about her since I think her business story and strategy contain great actionable insights for dropshippers across the board.

Who is kate and what is her background ?

Kate works for Aliexpress’s e-commerce department creating and testing promotion strategy for dropshipping stores. But kate knew nothing about dropshiping just three years ago when she started working for Aliexpress – before that she worked as a journalist and as a saleswoman at an offline gift store.

From “Account Suspension” to “eBay awards”, we’re sharing everything from our journey to $100k in monthly sales.

We’re learning a lot and so will you.

And don’t worry, we hate spam too! You can unsubscribe at anytime.

What type of ecommerce store did Kate create ?

Kate decided to create a dropshipping store using anime (roughly: Japanese comics) theme based on research she did which told her that there was a lot of interest in this niche. Her logic says that many dropshippers can make money by pooling different items from a variety of dropshippers based on a common theme and thus create a dedicated shopping base.

check_circle

Pro tip: Kate stresses that her idea was perfectly legal as anime creators do not aim to profit from merchandise as opposed to Disney for example who absolutely does aim to profit from paraphernalia – make sure your themed drop shipping store is not legally infringing on anyone’s copyrights.

What is your strategy for finding successful products to dropship ?

Offer a large variety – Kate says that even when she got to 100 products in her store’s inventory it wasn’t enough to quench fan’s thirst.

New products – You constantly need to add new products, kate says. Don’t just look at ‘Best Sellers’ on Aliexpress or eBay, also look at the ‘new arrivals’ and you will often find your next top selling products.

Duplicate and modify – Constantly check which products are selling best and which are not. Try and get rid of the items which are unpopular and import more items similar to the successful ones in order to generate more sales.

How do you learn about your target audience?

Google Analytics – Kate uses google analytics to find out crucial information about her customer base such as age, gender and country. Since she now knows that most of her customers are young men from developing countries she tries to keep prices low in order to move more merchandise.

Targeted Facebook advertising campaigns – Kate says Facebook is also an integral platform both for advertising and data collection. Facebook and google complete and complement each other.

Tell us some more about how you promote your dropshipping store on the internet ?

Instagram – The store’s Instagram account currently has 1,851,910 impressions, 81,000, 8,272 posts and has an ever growing fan base.

Kate used a variety of simple methods to achieve these astounding results including:

Writing an appealing bio

Analyzing the most popular hashtags

Experimenting with different post formats

Using Instagram Ads

2. Facebook – On Facebook the store is also very popular with 34,000+ followers – the main tactic is providing high quality content and attracting buyers and visitors vis-a-vis Facebook ads.

Content Marketing –

This includes writing original content or rewriting original content which is related to the product and publishing this on the store blog and on Facebook. This is a great way to engage people and get them interested in your product in an indirect way.

Google Shopping –

This is a semi – automated option and generates 300 sales on average per month. When someone searches for something related to the product, in this case anime, a picture of some products and prices appear in the google search.

How successful is your dropshipping business ?

The numbers talk for themselves – as of October 2017 Kate’s dropshipping business had 922 orders and $32,000:

Note the conversion rate which is 1.31%, this is a standard conversion rate for eCommerce sales so there’s a lot of opportunity to improve here, as you’ve probably read already, we increased our eBay conversion rate by 220% by optimizing our eBay listings.

Top Dropshipper # 3: Aloysius Chay and Galvin Bay

$60,000 a day within a year of starting their dropshipping store

How did these guys get started in dropshipping and what were they doing before ?

Before becoming successful dropshipping entrepreneurs, these guys were professional poker players in the Vegas like city of Macau. Like so many others, they had heard of friends who were making big bucks and wanted in on the action.

What challenges did these guys face ?

Towards the beginning they really struggled to find the correct product and the correct market. They failed at the beginning, trying to sell 20-30 different items. “Creativity and perseverance are key to success”, they both say.

They started selling Jewellery in June 2016 but did not end up even breaking even but they did learn many things such as the need to target specific audiences by country.

Chay and Galvin don’t really have a niche – they sell products that seem to be in demand or try selling products that are new on the market (you may remember the post we wrote about what to sell on eBay, these guys are implementing some of the best practices)

How did they promote and develop their business ?

These guys swear by Facebook ads and say that this was hands down the best marketing tool at their disposal. They say that it is super user friendly and any information or skills they lacked were easily enough found in online tutorials.

The pair also recommends networking and sitting down with friends and family who are involved in e-commerce in order to exchange and improve ideas (you’re welcome to read some of our eBay selling advice and how to boost eBay sales to get ideas for your eBay business).

What do you love about running a successful dropshipping company ?

Chay and Galvin love the most obvious and envious things – the income and the freedom. Now that they are totally independent they have a large source of income and they get to decide when they work and when they don’t. For most people in the workforce this sounds nothing short of a magical dream.

What is your highest sales record and what advice do you have for new entrepreneurs ?

Their record is 5 figures in one day and they hope to make it to six figures.

As far as advice for new entrepreneurs – always add new products (learn more about finding the best things to sell on eBay)! This will keep your business fresh and customers coming back. They say that the risks of adding new products pay off in the long run.

check_circle

My pro tip: This is a valuable advice for any online seller, it’s very important to understand that as a business owner you must be on your toes all the time, ready to make bug changes in order to grow your business. I always say that a business who’s not growing is essentially slowly dying and finding new products is a lifeline to business growth.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”, Thomas Edison once famously said.  All in all there are many dropshipping success stories but also people who have failed. Failure lays the foundations for success and we can learn from both experiences. I hope this post gave you some insights into how to better start or run your dropshipping business  – I would love to hear your stories and experiences with dropshipping below.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/36834B8 via IFTTT