Eric Evenstad

My newest micro-business is beginning to take shape, and its all taking place on Ebay. I have begun learning the ins and outs of running a profitable Ebay business – how to research your products, write compelling descriptions, take high quality photos, price your items, encourage bids, ship, and most importantly collect your money.

So far, the most difficult thing has been researching my products. I currently have a wide variety of antiques with little to no information about them. I don’t know who made them, where they are from, and in most cases what they are even called. Fortunately, I have developed some serious Google Search skills and have slowly begun identifying even the strangest of my antiques. While there are many websites dedicated to antique identification, I’ve found that describing each item and then sifting through Google Images has been a far more successful method. I’ve also found that its a pretty huge adrenaline rush when you finally stumble across your item only to find that its worth way more than you estimated.

I’m sure most people think of antiquing as a hobby for people much older than me, but I’ve found it to be quite fascinating. Maybe its because I’m a bit of a history nerd, but I think its pretty cool to find out your holding an item that was made during the Civil War! Then on top of that you have the ability to sell that item to somebody who really values it for a profit. Just this week I sold an antique tea cup and saucer to a lady in Tennessee and after talking to her, I found out that it was part of a set – with a separate cup and saucer for each month of the year. The one that I ended up selling to her was September, and it was the second to last one that she needed to complete her set, a set that she is trying to complete in time for her sister’s birthday.

Getting started definitely takes a lot of work and there is a ton of testing and learning that goes on. But as I begin to improve my skills and knowledge everything gets much easier. I’m able to research quicker, price more accurately, and photograph with ease. Each day I add something new to my Ebay Seller’s Account (Ebay name SventerprisesLLC) and each day I watch more money come into my PayPal account. By no means is this a full time job and by no means am I getting rich, but it has turned out to be a fantastic side business that generates the additional income needed to fund some adventures and travles.

For anybody that wants to join in on the fun, I’m happy to share my tips or even join you for an estate sale or garage sale to gather merchandise. If you know me, call. If you don’t, shoot me an email.

I’ve always said that I want to be an entrepreneur, but whenever somebody has asked me about what I intend to do, my response has always been “I’m just waiting for that great idea to come.” Well, I got tired of waiting. I realized it was time to take a break from being an underpaid, under appreciated, and over worked employee and become a focused, driven, and proactive entrepreneur.

Since that realization, I have dedicated all of my time and energy towards finding my entrepreneurial path. I’m working more than I ever have at my full time jobs in the past, but I’m also enjoying myself WAY more too. It really doesn’t feel like work when you’re doing what you’re passionate about and you’re able to reap the rewards of your progress and hard work.

I am learning as much as I can about entrepreneurship – focused primarily on the internet’s role in business. I am reading books and articles about online marketing, SEO, traffic generation, and web design at a rapid rate. I have become proficient in HTML and Dreamweaver and I’m quickly become a master at WordPress.

What I have learned so far is that it takes an incredible amount of dedication and willpower to be an entrepreneur. The good days and the bad days really take a toll on you emotionally so you have to be ready to balance the ups and downs. I have also learned that everything takes WAY longer when you are just learning the ropes – but it only gets easier. For example, my first website took weeks to build, whereas this site has taken me just one day. The last thing that I have learned is that there is a massive community of brilliant people on the web that are extremely gracious and willing to teach you everything you need to know about succeeding online. Many people view online businesses as a fad or a bubble just waiting to burst, but I have learned that there are some extraordinary things taking place on the internet.

Sventerprises LLC is officially a state recognized legal entity. Yesterday, I turned in the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State and put the finishing touches on the company’s Operating Agreement. Next on my list is creating a business banking account for the company and depositing enough money to get things started. Its all very exciting!

With only a couple hundred dollars and a laptop to the company’s name, growth will surely be slow, but with hard work and persistence I believe I can grow this into a successful business focused on online sales. So stay tuned as I continue to document Sventerprises’ progress and growth.