They say that you should sell what you know.
After several years of working hard in stressful corporate environments in France and Australia, I started experiencing low energy levels and brain fog. When faced with the overwhelmingly wide array of products available at the chemist, I had an epiphany: I knew there was a need for simple, effective health solutions that are bespoke and personalised for all Australians. And so, Vitable was born.
Starting your own business can be challenging at the best of times, let alone during a global pandemic so here are four lessons I’ve learned from starting a company during the pandemic:
- Find a market gap that you can exploit
For us, this meant providing a solution to a real problem: the lack of guidance in the vitamin and supplement industry. If you are looking to launch your own product, do your research first. Find out the areas where customer needs aren’t being fulfilled, and find the best way to fulfil them. Our product and services are unique as we were able to leverage technology that builds authentic and meaningful customer experiences; we listened to our customers to provide them with a real solution. - Build your professional support network
Use your existing network to start connecting with like-minded people. Be bold and try to connect with people who can help you understand the market landscape and navigate the challenges and pitfalls all business owners can face. Knowing that you’re not alone, or that someone else has managed to successfully navigate a similar situation can be extremely comforting. There are many really nice people out there willing to connect and share valuable knowledge…and it could only cost you a coffee! - Focus on engagement and customer experience
We are proud of the way we engage with our customers, listen to them, understand them, and pay attention to their specific wants and needs. When it comes to health, it’s vitally important to deliver a frictionless and meaningful customer experience. One of the ways we personalise our customers’ experiences is by leveraging hundreds of thousands of data points that we capture with our tech-enabled platform. This enables us to develop novel products to address unmet needs in the market, contextualize messages, offers, and experiences we deliver, according to each visitor’s unique profile. The pandemic and resulting technology have opened doors for this to be taken to a new level, one that is unique and engaging: we launched a Mobile App in March this year to further support our customers: Our App is free and reminds you to take your vitamins, helps you track your progress and gives you personalised lifestyle and diet tips to make the most of your vitamin regime! - Aim for greatness, never for perfection
Starting a business in a time of uncertainty means having to let go of the idea of perfection. It’s important to remain focused on the overall picture, which may mean you need to let go of your idea of perfectionism. And also means putting your health and wellbeing first!
