Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Leigh.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Carrie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
About two years ago I decided it was finally time to take the entrepreneurial leap and quit my job of 13 years at a medical device company. I wanted to explore a new industry and started researching the food and beverage scene and the unique trends in how consumers experience their favorite beverages. I started using Shopify to host my blog, Bevver.com, and became fascinated with on-demand fulfillment services and e-commerce in general. Bevver is supported by e-commerce rather than ads. Over time I started setting up websites and making one-off prints of merchandise for friends and people I met through Bevver, and my house was getting full of samples. I decided to get an office/showroom for meetings and for my clients to see samples before ordering products, and that’s how Get It Made was born. Get It Made is a marketing boutique that helps artists, businesses, and individuals take their ideas to the next level with eCommerce. We specialize in designing and printing merchandise (beyond t-shirts) with no minimum order quantity.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t have a technical background at all, so learning how to use Shopify, Google webmaster tools, and a laundry list of services to run a business has had a learning curve. Starting up is also difficult (when it’s a solo mission) because there will always be more to do than you can fit into a day. It’s a constant balancing act between meeting deadlines, prioritizing the right things, and keeping sane. I developed what I call my CORE to stay focused, which stands for Content, Outreach, Revenue, and Exercise. Content creation includes marketing collateral, SEO analysis, email marketing, etc. Outreach is heavily focused on social media and networking with businesses and users. Revenue generating activities include designing products, creating ads and any other sales/marketing efforts. Exercise is a reminder to stay healthy and is related to the keeping sane objective!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Get It Made story. Tell us more about the business.
Get It Made is heavily focused on selling merchandise through eCommerce. Our best clients are artists, small businesses, and makers with a side hustle looking to grow. For example, I met an artist with a huge Instagram following, and he had followers asking him for t-shirts. On-demand printers make it so easy to sell t-shirts (and other merch) online without holding inventory, and so many artists like him aren’t yet taking advantage of the opportunity at their fingertips. How it works: Your design is uploaded and attached to a product, let’s say a pair of leggings. Someone sees your leggings for sale online and buys them. Your on-demand printing partner gets an automatic email about your order, and produces your leggings using your design file. They then ship the order directly to your customer. You set the price your customer pays, and the printer charges you product cost and shipping with each order. The beauty of on-demand fulfillment is you can upload a bunch of designs and don’t have to carry any inventory. However, it’s helpful to order samples of a product before selling it, and the Get It Made showroom has a collection of samples to preview.
We specialize in building an eCommerce store from scratch, integrating a shopping cart into an existing site, and we can also host an online store for those who don’t want to maintain one. We have an extensive catalog of print on demand partners and also print products for individuals who don’t want to buy in bulk.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I am very lucky to have a supportive partner, enthusiastic friends and family, and the Chicago community. Starting a business is fun but also a roller coaster that you must ride. Daily. Some days are easier than others but having a good attitude and solid support system are incredibly important. I’ve met some great people along my startup journey, and I enjoy paying it forward when I meet aspiring entrepreneurs. There are times that I wonder whether my online sales are coming from good luck or good marketing and SEO. I think it’s a mix of both and am so grateful to continue my adventures in commerce, and I’m so excited to help others in Chicago and beyond Get It Made too.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1024 West Fry Street Ste 101
Chicago, IL 60642 - Website: https://GetItMadeChicago.com
- Phone: 3124871755
- Email: info@getitmadechicago.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getitmadechicago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getitmadechi/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/get-it-made-chicago-chicago
- Other: https://vimeo.com/thinkanddo
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