A lot of brilliant business ideas start out with someone thinking: “Surely there’s a better way to do this!” And this was the case for Benedikt.
As a passionate Lindy Hop dancer (a type of swing dance), he often works up a sweat. He needed a towel, but taking a bath towel onto the dance floor? No thanks! So he created his own fast-drying, microfibre towels that look like stylish scarves.
He sold them online because he’d found a clear niche with his scarves. First he created his own online store. Then he tested different ways to market his product without a big budget. In this interview, Benedikt tells us exactly how he did it!
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A personal online store in no time
Benedikt’s business idea came about thanks to his hobby. But the challenge was: With such a niche product, how do I reach the specific people who need it?
It soon became clear to Benedikt that being online had lots of advantages. “All you need is a product you want to sell. Then, with just a few clicks, you create your online store—and off you go!”
He created his new Jimdo online store very quickly. “It was very important to me to limit the costs,” says Benedikt. “BJ Dancetowels was a brand new adventure.”
So he chose a store solution with no seller fees: “100 percent of my sales stay within my project!”
One post, 30 orders
The initial boost for Benedikt and his small company came from the oldest marketing strategy in the book: personal contacts.
Thanks to his connection with the Lindy Hop scene, Benedikt knows a lot of famous dancers who travel all around the world with his Dancetowels from Kassel. “Lindy Hop is a very particular niche. There’s never been anything like Dancetowels.” Benedikt also uses other marketing strategies.
He’s currently using two of them on Facebook. With Jimdo’s Facebook Business features, Benedikt simply connected his online store to his Facebook account. This feature lets him share his Dancetowels with his community discussion group, without any extra effort: “I just manage everything through my Jimdo store, and my Facebook catalog updates automatically. I can also post adverts in just a few clicks! It’s incredibly practical.”
Benedikt’s favorite tool is influencer marketing: “If a popular Lindy Hop dancer has a Dancetowel with them at an event or posts a photo with one, I can receive 30 orders!” Sometimes the first orders come in during an event. “If you see someone on the dancefloor with a Dancetowel and you think it’s cool, you can simply go to my online store on your phone and buy yourself one.”
“Everyone can make their dreams a reality with Jimdo”
Looking back, it’s clear to Benedikt that starting his own business from his passion project is much easier than he’d ever imagined. “Jimdo doesn’t just help when it comes to creating a store. They also help you to get found on Facebook, Google, etc, and to actually sell!”
According to Benedikt, the biggest hurdle is surpassing your own expectations. And believing in yourself and your idea: “At the start, it’s hard to believe that someone would actually buy something from you eventually. When I made my first sale, I was over the moon, and even today, every sale is like a dopamine rush for me!”
