Starting your own dropshipping business requires concrete planning to actually make it work. I suggest creating a document where you can lay out your dropshipping business plan to make sure you cover every aspect of the process.

In this article, I will provide you with pointers and how to work on each one of them. It is important to note though that this process will take a lot of your time so it’s a must that you give this your one hundred percent attention.

As you already know, the success of your business depends on how much time and effort you put into making sure every detail is right. Every business should have a plan and the dropshipping model is not an exception. 

Dropshipping Business Plan

This guide on starting your dropshipping business will cover the basic things you need to set up. This is going to be your roadmap to success. 

During this planning process, you may also ask the opinion of your family or friends and ask for suggestions if needed. Their suggestions or opinions can come in during the process of choosing the name, brand color, logo, etc. 

What looks good for you may not be good for others and vice versa, so might as well ask others’ opinions on it. This is pretty much also like listening to what your customers would have to say about your brand.

Business Name

Now that you have decided on what to sell and your target market through the market research you did, it’s time for you to choose your brand name. 

Here are some tips on choosing a business name:

• Avoid hard-to-spell business names
• Pick a name that conveys a meaning related to your products
• Pick a name that would give your customers an idea of the type of products you sell
• Avoid names that would limit your business growth. For example, the name – US Garments Store, because it indicates that you’re only catering to US customers. Remember that you can sell to pretty much anyone in the world unless you intend to target US customers only. Aliexpress has worldwide shipping so might as well have a name that would not limit you to a specific place only
• Conduct trademark research. When you’ve finally decided on a name, conduct research to make sure you are not using someone else’s intellectual rights on it!
• It’s ideal to use catchy names but not always
• Use a business name generator and ask a friend or family what they think of it.
• Make sure you are personally happy with the name
• Your chosen business name should also be your domain name

Read Complete Guide to Dropshipping

Write at least five options of business names and do the following steps: 

1. Check if there are other existing businesses with the same name.

Do a simple google search on this. It’s pretty easy to find out if there’s another business with the same name on Google. You can also go to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest and do quick research on the business name. If you find none, then you’re good to go.

2. Check if the domain is already taken

Whether you want a .com or .net domain go to www.domain.com and search for your domain name. If your domain name is not yet taken lucky you, tick this off your to-do list, if the name is already taken, it will give you suggestions for other URLs to consider. 

If you could not find the one that suits your business, go back to your business name list and repeat step 1.

3. Check social media handle

Your business must be on social media platforms to engage with your audience. This is where you will create a connection between your brand and market which will eventually lead to sales. 

It is ideal to have the same handle for all of your social media profiles. This way you are easy to find and remembered by your followers. If your handle on Facebook is @generalstore it is ideal to have the same handle on Instagram instead of @generalstore4u. 

To do this step, go to Namech_k to see if your handle is available on all channels.

If you’re lucky enough that your chosen name is not yet taken go to the next step. If not, go back to your list and repeat step 1.

4. Register and create social media profiles 

Businesses are being launched every day and you don’t want your domain or handles to be taken by someone else. Once these things are good, go ahead and register right away. 

Build your website

Building your own website depends on the level of knowledge you have in this area. Whether you plan to use Shopify or WordPress you can use drag-and-drop themes for your webstore. Both have readily available store themes that all you need to do is upload your products, add descriptions, and do some small tweaks to personalize them.

If you’ve decided to go with WordPress, you can find tutorials on WPbeginners. It has video and article tutorials to help you with any questions about building the site.

For Shopify, go to their website and visit the Shopify Help Center for support as you learn about and use Shopify.

The Logo 

Your logo speaks a lot about your brand. The color, design, and font should carefully be thought about to make sure it represents your business.

In creating a logo for your business, you need the help of an expert in this (unless that’s you!). You can hire a graphic designer and talk and describe your business, brand, products, and market. 

If do not know anyone who designs logos, you can use Fiverr to search for logo makers to create one for you.

Social Media Profiles

Businesses today use social media to market their products. It is a way to connect to your audience and build a relationship with them. Engaging with your audience is a way to acquire customers by bringing traffic to your website. 

Read our article on How to Use Social Media to Drive Website Traffic.

Even though you are still in the process of building your website, I suggest creating the social media profiles of your business already and start posting content related to your products. 

It is important to note though that you shouldn’t be posting selling content all the time. You should also provide value to your audience by posting content where they can get something like tips, advice, or even entertainment.

For example, if you are selling fashion items such as dresses or accessories, post articles from online Magazines about tips on fashion and the latest trends. 

You can also post some funny memes about fashion for entertainment. 

Also read 15 Social Media Content Ideas to Boost Your Brand

Connect your Paypal account to your store.

Once your store is done, it’s time to connect your Paypal Business to your store.

Use the following guide to do this:

Shopify – How do I integrate Checkout with Shopify?

WordPress  – WooCommerce PayPal Checkout