The year I became a gold member on Aliexpress.

The idea

An online shop selling quirky iPhone Cases.

‘We plan to build our small quirky company to be the No.1 store to get the coolest, quirkiest iPhone cases at the best prices.’

The iPhone case game is crazy. They are ridiculously cheap to get and companies like Skinny Dip or Casetify who have marketed themselves well are killing it.

I wanted a piece of the pie 🥧My first mistake… having too many styles.

I wanted to make the site seem fuller and more established BUT I also needed 4 sizes of each style (iPhone 6/6+/7/7+). This meant I had to order a LOT of cases.

Second mistake… not being remotely interested in what I was selling 

I got the cases, built the site (Big Cartel), became busy and did 0 marketing.

This is becoming a similar story with my ‘side’ projects.

At the start, I sold a few cases on the website before transitioning to eBay. Over the next 3 years, they would sell slowly. The leftover cases became a distraction until I needed them out of my life.

I friend referred me to a local organisation called ‘Dreamscheme’ who were able to give the cases to there young people. They do amazing work with at-risk young people. You can support the work here: dreamschemeni.org/donate

Hope you enjoyed the Quirky Cases story. Again, it was lack of consistency and commitment which meant this side project was not as successful as it could’ve been. It has taught me that you need to truly love what you are pursuing. Passion fuels perseverance.

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