Q&A WITH LHS STUDENT KIMBERLY F.

Why did you decide to start your ecommerce business using the Low Hanging System?

After graduating from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, my mom was the one who actually bought the system for me and said, “Merry Christmas! This is your early gift.”

So prior to that I really had not been selling Full-Time online. I had tried Facebook Ads as well as Artist Websites that would pay you royalties but Facebook Advertisements were not easy.

When I signed up for LHS, I had no idea I would be able to sell my first product within a week. I was hooked.

Where are you from?

I was born in Manila, Philippines, but my family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida when I was around 1-2 years old. I’m now living on the East Coast.

What were you doing to earn money just prior to getting started with LHS?

I definitely tried opening up a Shopify website to Dropship products through Facebook Ads, but the time it took for me to learn was consuming as well as expensive.

I had just graduated from college so I didn’t have a full-time job and since doing LHS, I haven’t exactly had a real 9-5 job! I love to sell products online, go running outdoors, hiking as well as writing on my blog, www.ByKimberlyFaye.com. I truly believe that LHS has opened doors for me mentally as well as financially to be able to sell products online, with confidence and ease. I love that Rachel was able to make a system that is just so simple, easy and it just works.

How did you get started making money online?

I’ve always been more drawn to creativity so when I was younger I used to make and sell bookmarks for my classmates in middle school. One day my teacher found out and she said it wasn’t really part of the school policies, so I had to stop selling to my fellow elementary classmates. However as the years progressed I got more into putting my artwork online, on places such as Zazzle and Fine Art America, after seeing another girl take what she created and make money off of it.

Did you see success quickly?

After learning from the course I was able to make my first sale within the first week. Before that I did not see success quickly but I saw the light bulb flash in my head after graduating from university in 2016. While all of my classmates wanted to work for a company, I decided instead to do the new opportunity in front of me, which was to start my own business and do LHS. I owe it to my Mom who introduced me to the world of Internet Marketing. It was very much a trial and error method with online courses. The difference between what I was doing back then versus now is that I am able to make money from a system that utilizes the best parts of selling online.

What are your top tips to keep your mindset up?

Persistence always beats resistance. When you have your own business and you are your own boss, then developing self-discipline is one of the fundamental tools to success. At the end of the day whether I succeed or if I fail, it’s on me in the end. There’s going to be days when you don’t feel like giving 100% your all and that’s okay.

Keep your mindset positive and happy by taking care of yourself, your body and then go back to uploading and finding new ways to improve your stores.  Business is great but you still have to make time to nourish yourself and live life. I find that life motivates me to work even harder on my business. The thing about a normal 9-5 job is that you WILL make money, however, you can never win back your time. Appreciation and gratitude for what you have, no matter what stage you are in, is key.

How are you doing now?

I’m learning to balance a lot of new projects while maintaining the great foundation I’ve built from LHS. Right now I am the main person in charge of my Etsy since Etsy isn’t very fond of hiring Virtual Assistants. I would love to delegate some responsibilities to an assistant someday for my Etsy store. Amazon is a breeze and because of the integration, I don’t really have to check on the orders as often.

What have you done to scale your business? (If anything, as scaling is optional)

I’ve expanded beyond just the mugs. There’s always going to be a new passionate niche out there and some that haven’t yet been explored. There are just some items that hit very well with certain crowds and others that may do well on the mugs. Don’t be afraid to experiment. During the holiday season I hire a designer to do work for me, which saves a lot of time and energy. I like the saying, “Work Smarter, Not Harder.”

Can you offer any advice for people struggling with this?

Absolutely. Do not give up! Everyone has his or her own version of what success means. Before The Low Hanging System, I was very much struggling with different courses here and there. I had just graduated from college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and had no idea what to do with it. If you hit your version of “rock bottom” then there’s nowhere to go but up. Whether you have been designing your entire life or are a master stick-figure artist, LHS can and will benefit your success. One of my favorite aspects of the course is that these are such amazing techniques that you can apply to almost every single online market out there. It is such a personalized experience and everyone will have different results.

What had you tried before LHS?

I’ve tried various methods such as putting my own artwork up online through third parties that don’t really give you a great commission, Facebook Advertisements that can always change depending on the new algorithms…etc. When I was in middle school I actually had built my own website with products on it but I did not know how to drive traffic to the website. We live in a time of viral sharing new ideas and being able to connect to the same passionate groups from the other side of the world.

Are there any practical tips you can give around succeeding with LHS?

Keep it simple and know the rules before you break the rules. Develop a game plan that you’ve already learned from the course. If you have any questions then drop by the online Facebook group. I absolutely love the community there. What I like to do is make a very long list of phrases that I’ve been inspired by but do not copy it word for word. Just make the phrase your own or find a new way to say it better. If there’s anything that will keep you from your success then it’s trademark infringement, especially on Etsy. It can be competitive out there and you don’t want to give other sellers a reason to report your store. By being original, you won’t have to really worry about that.

Aside from Amazon, what other selling platforms (if any) do you use and can you offer any practical tips about getting started with / using those platforms?

If I had an online child then it would be Etsy. I love Amazon for the integration aspect but Etsy has my heart. Ebay is sort of the cousin you care about but don’t really talk to that often. All platforms have the ability to make great money. What I love about Etsy is the incentive to be more creative. If you have this ability, then by all means show it. Make an extra effort with your mockups and keywords. Find an angle to your store that makes it different from the others. You also have the ability to have more than one Etsy shop if you sell different items on each. When you work on Etsy then it also works for you. Every time you put up a new listing then that’s more incentive for the search results to bump up your items on the first page.

Please share some of the tangible things you’ve been able to do with your earnings.

I’ve re-invested a good amount of my earnings to Cryptocurrency, buying new courses and fitness classes! Apart from that I try to save as much as possible because you never know what the future holds.

Results are not typical. Ecommerce sellers’ results will vary based on effort and skill, etc.