When I launched my first online store, I was full of optimism. You know that feeling when everything seems to click, and you’re sure you’ve got it all figured out? That was me.
I had planned every detail—product design, marketing, everything. I believed the world was waiting for exactly what I had to offer. It was exciting, like taking a leap off a cliff and knowing you’d land safely.
And to be fair, I wasn’t wrong to be confident. I had a solid plan, a product I believed in, and a clear strategy. My first store wasn’t just a leap of faith—it was a calculated risk. And it worked. Sales grew steadily, and so did my confidence. I felt like I had unlocked the secret to online success.
So, when it came time to launch my second online store, I was ready. No, scratch that—I was confident. I was sure it would be even easier. After all, I had experience and a bigger vision this time.
But then reality set in, and let me tell you—nothing humbles an entrepreneur faster than realizing past success doesn’t guarantee future success. My second store featured a different product in a different niche, and I assumed my expertise alone would be enough to carry me through.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t. This time, I was met with obstacles I hadn’t faced before—unresponsive customers, unexpected supply chain hiccups, and marketing strategies that simply didn’t land.
The thing about optimism is that it can sometimes blind you. My first success wasn’t just about my skills—it was also about timing, customer curiosity, and even a bit of luck. I mistook those wins as proof that my plan was perfect, ignoring the cracks forming underneath.
The truth is, getting stuck in your own brilliance can happen to anyone, not just beginners. We get attached to our ideas and assume what worked before will work again.
But the market doesn’t care about your ideas—it cares about solutions. If your product doesn’t solve real problems, you’re just building a house of cards.
Lasting success isn’t about brilliance alone. It’s about staying curious, being humble enough to adapt, and questioning your own assumptions. Brilliance might light the way, but adaptability is what keeps you moving forward.
Falling in Love With Your Idea Can Hurt Your Business
It’s normal to fall head over heels for your business idea. After all, it’s your brainchild. But just because you love it doesn’t mean your customers will.
One of the biggest mistakes online sellers make is assuming they know what people want without validating their ideas in the real world.
Take the case of Juicero, a startup that raised $120 million in funding for a high-tech juicer that only worked with proprietary juice packets. The founders believed they had a revolutionary product.
But when people discovered they could squeeze the packets by hand—rendering the expensive machine useless—the company tanked.
Juicero's downfall wasn’t just about a flawed product. It was about founders so convinced of their brilliance that they failed to see the glaring flaws in their concept.
Validation is your safety net. Before investing time and money, you need to test whether your brilliant idea has real-world traction. Launch a simple version of your product or service to a small, targeted audience.
This is called a minimum viable product (MVP). Your MVP should be just enough to demonstrate value while allowing you to gather feedback.
Imagine you’re launching a custom soap business. Instead of stocking 50 varieties from day one, start with three to five scents. Use platforms like Etsy or local markets to gauge interest.
What scents sell fastest? Do people ask for specific sizes or packaging? This feedback helps refine your product line without wasting resources.
This approach worked wonders for Nick’s Ice Cream, a Swedish low-calorie ice cream brand. Before scaling up, the founder tested flavors locally, tweaking recipes based on customer feedback.
By the time they expanded internationally, they knew exactly what consumers wanted—and they delivered.
Listen to Your Audience (Even When It Hurts)
Feedback isn’t always comfortable. It can feel like someone is critiquing your child. But if you want to succeed, you need to listen. Customers are your ultimate focus group. Their opinions, not yours, decide what sells.
Take Netflix as an example—not their streaming service but their early business model as a DVD rental service. Initially, Netflix wanted to compete with Blockbuster through late fees and complex subscription tiers.
Customers hated it. Instead of doubling down on their initial model, Netflix adapted. They listened to user feedback, eliminated late fees, and pivoted to a flat-rate subscription model, paving the way for the empire we know today.
Similarly, an online seller specializing in handmade jewelry might think chunky, bold designs are trendy. But if sales data shows customers favor minimalist pieces, ignoring that data is a surefire way to fail.
Every idea starts as an “ugly baby.” It’s raw, unpolished, and not quite ready for the world. And that’s okay. The goal is not to perfect your business in one go but to iterate until it meets the market’s needs.
Picture the founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely. Her idea for footless pantyhose wasn’t glamorous at first—she cut the feet off her stockings with scissors in her apartment.
But she tested her prototype, received feedback from potential customers, and refined the product until it became a billion-dollar brand.
Your business, like Blakely’s early pantyhose, might look rough in its early days. That’s not a failure—it’s growth.
Stay Open to Change
Being flexible is not a sign of weakness; it’s a hallmark of good business. Some of the most successful brands in the world are masters of adaptation. Take Lego, for example.
In the late 1990s, Lego was struggling. Their business model, focused on a narrow set of traditional toys, wasn’t resonating with kids in a digital age. They revamped their strategy, incorporating video games and movie tie-ins like Star Wars. The result? A complete turnaround.
For online sellers, staying open to change could mean pivoting your niche, introducing new products, or even rebranding entirely.
Maybe you start as a seller of eco-friendly reusable straws but discover your customers are more interested in the bamboo cutlery you bundled as a freebie. Adapt. Double down on what works.
Think of your business as a tree. Your original idea is the seed, but seeds don’t grow in isolation. They need sunlight (market validation), water (customer feedback), and pruning (adapting and refining your strategy).
Ignoring these essentials leads to a withered sapling, not a flourishing tree. For instance, the skincare brand Drunk Elephant began with a simple mission: eliminate potentially harmful ingredients from their formulas.
Founder Tiffany Masterson started small, used direct customer feedback, and refined her product line. The brand’s growth wasn’t a straight line—it was a process of pruning, growing, and adapting to customer needs.
Let Data Give You a Nudge or Two
If you’re still skeptical about testing and adapting, let’s talk numbers. According to CB Insights, 35% of startups fail because there’s no market need for their product.
That’s over a third of businesses collapsing because founders ignored market validation. On the flip side, businesses that actively seek customer feedback are 60% more likely to succeed in their first five years.
Online sellers who consistently analyze data—like website traffic, conversion rates, and customer reviews—gain insights that drive smarter decisions.
For example, if 70% of your store’s visitors abandon their carts, you’re not just dealing with a “bad week.” That’s a sign to rethink your pricing, shipping policies, or checkout process.
Again, don’t let your brilliance blind you. Fall in love with solving problems for your customers, not with your own idea of what’s brilliant. Test, validate, and adapt. Remember, no business succeeds in isolation. It’s a collaborative process between you and your audience.
Launching your online business is just the first chapter. The real magic happens when you’re willing to refine, evolve, and listen—because in the end, brilliance isn’t about having the perfect idea. It’s about building something people actually want.