We didn't start out as "Write Thinking Wear" or with the domain writethinkingwear.com. In fact, my original goal was to develop a digital agency focused on landing page optimization. From there I combined my experience managing ecommerce sites, copywriting, and split-testing to help Shopify store owners improve their bottom line. But first I had to lean Shopify.
My journey began with the idea that all shopping cart platforms are the same. Shopify corrected that misplaced idea. They are different. Way different. Not better. Different. In many ways I'm not much of a fan of this platform. Then again, I'm still getting settled in but I'm used to Volusion - a platform I hated almost from day one, OpenCart, and to a lesser extent WooCommerce with a touch of Magneto. I also became familiar with a host of other platforms in my search to replace Volusion. My favorite is Netzcart. While I do not currently use this platform, I've no doubt if my current efforts are more than moderately successful, I'll be migrating there. Meanwhile...
Back to the near present, I started my first Shopify store while learning to set one up. It was for Havens Agency, in anticipation of my digital endeavor.
A note here, IF you are going to start a Shopify store with your own domain (recommended, start from scratch, i.e. a newly registered domain. do NOT try to use one where you've set up any sort of content OR any email addresses. Maybe it is for the best but I'd registered Writehinking.biz and was using an email address when it occurred to me - can use this address after it is tied to a Shopify store? (I don't know but if I could, it is bound to be a pain.) I saved myself some grief by sidestepping the issue and registered WriteThinkingWear.com
Okay so between these two events, I got caught up in the idea of building a store that actually sells something and I settled on gadgets. I thought (and still do) think that would be one of the coolest and most fun niches to be in. AliExpress cured me of that idea. I found them somewhat miserable to work with. Oh they are nice enough but they are clueless about marketing. For one thing, I'm still waiting for them to get back to me on an issue when I tried to by some items to sample. They tripled+ the offered price in my cart. Once I got some items they were willing to sell at the offered price, my cc was declined for 'security reasons'. Huh? No. Just no. That was over a month ago and still no word. I still get marketing emails but no love concerning the issues I raised. I did chat with a couple of their cs people and they are darling. Very nice and sweet but also somewhat powerless to help. Oh well.
Then I discovered POD and here I am. I found Sarah Chrisp (Warehouse Ted) to be most inspiring and her videos helpful.
I started out with some Mama Bear T-shirts of my own design. I found I rather like designing things though the word is still out whether anyone else likes them well enough to part with hard-earned money. After that I decided to offer a few Mother's Day/ Remembering Mom T's. Again, no sales. Maybe they suck. Maybe it's too soon to tell. No matter. I struck another idea, my current idea.
Vote Like a Boss
This is a major project for me as I am building T-shirts AND a line of other pintables such as stickers, posters, mugs, plus a totes, sports bottle, and notebook all with state specific QR codes linked to each states voter registration page. Whew! If my count is correct, we're talking 43 versions of each.
My hope is not only to sell some stuff but to encourage fellow citizens to stand up and be counted - as well as to encourage other fellow citizens to do likewise.
I don't know about you but I've had enough of "the last election was stolen" whining. It's time to take some action. AND, rather than a shrug of the shoulder and mournfully crying, "What can WE do?", offer a chance to take a positive action.
Look, my tiny voice is nothing. No wonder I feel helpless. Yours is no stronger than mine. I can only vote once and so can you. What CAN we do?
We CAN register and vote. We CAN encourage others to do the same. Vote Like a Boss makes it easy. Scan the QR code, register online. NOW all you need to do is show up at the polls.
WE CAN DO THIS!
I'm excited about this. I'm just getting started but I'm hopeful this effort will actually make a difference. Best of all, this entire project is entirely decentralized. Even IF some major organization or several organizations of any size take up this banner, nobody has to join them to "do their own thing".
Even if you simply own an independent coffee shop, you can get a couple of mugs, or some stickers, or hang a poster. Of course you can buy some T-shirts.
Any business owner or even "just" a customer can do the same. Decentralized. Beautiful.