Is it feasible to successfully run an e-commerce agency as a solo entrepreneur?
Answered
Rhinelander posted this in #help-forum
RhinelanderOP
Most agencies typically have at least 3-4 team members and take around 14-45 working days to complete projects. These agencies often rely on outdated technologies, leading to longer setup times.
However, with Next.js, a simple e-commerce site can be created in just a few hours, and hosting on platforms like Vercel is more straightforward compared to traditional methods.
Given this, I am considering starting a solo e-commerce agency. Is it feasible? I’ve been programming since 2019 and feel confident in my skills. My focus would be on smaller, growing companies looking to expand their online presence or medium-sized local businesses needing a fast, attractive website for around 100 products.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or experiences are welcome. Is 14 days realistic time frame to create this type of e-commerce (14 regular working days - I would be working over the weekend and more than 10h per day so that makes it around 180h of work)
Note: I was previously designer, photographer, videographer and marketing guy so I am asking just about the programming part.
However, with Next.js, a simple e-commerce site can be created in just a few hours, and hosting on platforms like Vercel is more straightforward compared to traditional methods.
Given this, I am considering starting a solo e-commerce agency. Is it feasible? I’ve been programming since 2019 and feel confident in my skills. My focus would be on smaller, growing companies looking to expand their online presence or medium-sized local businesses needing a fast, attractive website for around 100 products.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or experiences are welcome. Is 14 days realistic time frame to create this type of e-commerce (14 regular working days - I would be working over the weekend and more than 10h per day so that makes it around 180h of work)
Note: I was previously designer, photographer, videographer and marketing guy so I am asking just about the programming part.
Answered by B33fb0n3
if you know what you are doing 14 days should be fine. However think about the need for a customer. I guess most of your customer group will go to shopify to easily create an ecommerce store. So give your future customer the WHY on why they should buy at our agency
9 Replies
@Rhinelander Most agencies typically have at least 3-4 team members and take around 14-45 working days to complete projects. These agencies often rely on outdated technologies, leading to longer setup times.
However, with Next.js, a simple e-commerce site can be created in just a few hours, and hosting on platforms like Vercel is more straightforward compared to traditional methods.
Given this, I am considering starting a solo e-commerce agency. Is it feasible? I’ve been programming since 2019 and feel confident in my skills. My focus would be on smaller, growing companies looking to expand their online presence or medium-sized local businesses needing a fast, attractive website for around 100 products.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or experiences are welcome. Is 14 days realistic time frame to create this type of e-commerce (14 regular working days - I would be working over the weekend and more than 10h per day so that makes it around 180h of work)
**Note:** I was previously designer, photographer, videographer and marketing guy so I am asking just about the programming part.
if you know what you are doing 14 days should be fine. However think about the need for a customer. I guess most of your customer group will go to shopify to easily create an ecommerce store. So give your future customer the WHY on why they should buy at our agency
Answer
RhinelanderOP
One of the reasons is payment fees. If I integrate Stripe, fees for EU cards are 1.5% + 25¢, and for non-EU cards, they are 2.5% + 25¢. Since I am based in the EU and most of my clients also sell within the EU, Stripe is a far better option compared to Shopify, which charges 2.4% + 30¢ in the advanced plan and 2.9% + 30¢ in the base plan. Additionally, Shopify costs €32 - €384 per month or €288 - €3,468 per year. Assuming the average e-commerce site lasts for 5 years without major updates, that would cost them €1,440 to €17,340.
I could create an e-commerce site for €1,500-€3,000, which would be much faster, potentially leading to more sales. It would feature a custom design tailored to their specific audience, unlike a generic Shopify template that looks the same on every site. Customers would also receive a CMS tailored to their needs, resulting in a faster and stress-free workflow. Moreover, I could integrate AI tools such as a blog writer, customer support, or role-based authentication.
Furthermore, I would provide support for 3-6 months after launching the website to handle any technical issues. If these reasons aren't compelling enough, I may reconsider starting this business, as success would seem unlikely.
I could create an e-commerce site for €1,500-€3,000, which would be much faster, potentially leading to more sales. It would feature a custom design tailored to their specific audience, unlike a generic Shopify template that looks the same on every site. Customers would also receive a CMS tailored to their needs, resulting in a faster and stress-free workflow. Moreover, I could integrate AI tools such as a blog writer, customer support, or role-based authentication.
Furthermore, I would provide support for 3-6 months after launching the website to handle any technical issues. If these reasons aren't compelling enough, I may reconsider starting this business, as success would seem unlikely.
@Rhinelander One of the reasons is payment fees. If I integrate Stripe, fees for EU cards are 1.5% + 25¢, and for non-EU cards, they are 2.5% + 25¢. Since I am based in the EU and most of my clients also sell within the EU, Stripe is a far better option compared to Shopify, which charges 2.4% + 30¢ in the advanced plan and 2.9% + 30¢ in the base plan. Additionally, Shopify costs €32 - €384 per month or €288 - €3,468 per year. Assuming the average e-commerce site lasts for 5 years without major updates, that would cost them €1,440 to €17,340.
I could create an e-commerce site for €1,500-€3,000, which would be much faster, potentially leading to more sales. It would feature a custom design tailored to their specific audience, unlike a generic Shopify template that looks the same on every site. Customers would also receive a CMS tailored to their needs, resulting in a faster and stress-free workflow. Moreover, I could integrate AI tools such as a blog writer, customer support, or role-based authentication.
Furthermore, I would provide support for 3-6 months after launching the website to handle any technical issues. If these reasons aren't compelling enough, I may reconsider starting this business, as success would seem unlikely.
I can't give you any advice about your future business, but I guess you will find a way to provide your future customer something, that they won't get anywhere else. The price fight isn't good
RhinelanderOP
Thank you! Last question. This thing really depends on location and how big the project is but as solo developer what is the range i should charge for let say ecommerce with 100 products.
Know this is really subjective topic that can vary a lot.
@Rhinelander Thank you! Last question. This thing really depends on location and how big the project is but as solo developer what is the range i should charge for let say ecommerce with 100 products.
That's depends very much on your customer needs and a general price is impossible to say. However, when you want to find a fair price, try thinking from the persepctive of your customer. What's worth for me, to get this done? or When I would be the customer, would I buy that for the price XY?. Like that you can easily define a correct price. Don't think from the developer perspective (you), because your customer is not interested how much time you investigate or how much any server costs or whatever. The customer want to reach his goal and not to hear what every detail costs
RhinelanderOP
Thank you once again
@Rhinelander Thank you once again
Sure thing. Please mark solution