# How I turned my passion for art into a global business through online sales Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2021-08-04 Category: BUSINESS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business Meta Title: Liverpool-based Online Boutique Owner Shares eCommerce Meta Description: Discover how Kate Chesters turned her art passion into a successful online boutique business, delivering unique hand-crafted resin art products globally! URL: https://financedigest.com/how-i-turned-my-passion-for-art-into-a-global-business-through-online-saleshtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2-1736838064962-compressed.jpg) _By:_ **_Kate Chesters_** _, a Liverpool-based online boutique owner and Amazon Handmade Seller_ Over the last few years, the digital world has become an indispensable part of our lives. With the recent pandemic, more so than ever, people are turning to online shopping for convenience and perhaps even emotional comfort. For me, the online world provided me with a platform to [turn my passion into a successful](https://www.financedigest.com/tips-on-how-startups-can-turn-their-business-into-a-success.html "Tips on how startups can turn their business into a success") livelihood! Having pursued an education in art, I was not prepared with how difficult it was to make a career for myself despite graduating with a Master’s degree back in 2014. I wanted to work at an [art gallery but found myself working at a car dealership instead](https://www.financedigest.com/investing-property-invest-art-instead.html "Investing in property? Invest in art instead."). Completely unsatisfied and not wanting to give up on my passion, I saw eCommerce as an opportunity to get my art out there and make some money. So I resigned in 2017 and set out to create [art that combines the beauty I saw in nature with practical applications around the house](https://www.financedigest.com/top-auction-houses-cancel-russian-art-sales-in-london.html "Top auction houses cancel Russian art sales in London"). Now I am running a successful [online boutique store](https://www.financedigest.com/the-benefits-of-developing-online-stores-through-shopify.html "The Benefits of Developing Online Stores Through Shopify") selling a range of hand-crafted resin art products. The world of eCommerce can be daunting and for those taking the plunge, I would like to [share a few tips](https://www.financedigest.com/young-leaders-forum-niamh-corbett-shares-her-top-5-tips.html "Young Leaders Forum: Niamh Corbett shares her top 5 tips") that I have learned along my journey. **Find the right platform for your products** Leveraging the right platform to [sell has been crucial to the success of my business](https://www.financedigest.com/reasons-why-you-should-hire-a-business-broker-to-sell-your-business.html "Reasons Why You Should Hire a Business Broker to Sell Your Business"). I saw an opportunity to open an Amazon Handmade storefront in 2019 and it helped my [business go global](https://www.financedigest.com/2021-the-year-of-the-global-workforce-for-british-small-businesses.html "2021: The Year of the Global Workforce for British small businesses "). Exposure from the biggest online [sales market allowed me to expand](https://www.financedigest.com/geelys-ev-brand-zeekr-aims-to-double-sales-in-2023-expand-in-europe.html "Geely’s EV brand Zeekr aims to double sales in 2023, expand in Europe") to new regions that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to so soon. I now [deliver products to 21 countries globally](https://www.financedigest.com/new-global-relationship-between-reckon-software-and-myfirmsapp-delivers-closer-interaction-between-accountants-and-their-clients.html "NEW GLOBAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECKON SOFTWARE AND MYFIRMSAPP DELIVERS CLOSER INTERACTION BETWEEN ACCOUNTANTS AND THEIR CLIENTS") and 39 US states. Amazon Handmade offers a lot of support for individual sellers and you can leverage the platform to boost your exposure, a welcomed relief for [small independent boutique owners](https://www.financedigest.com/5-reasons-why-you-need-to-step-into-your-ceo-role-as-a-small-business-owner.html "5 Reasons why you need to step into your CEO role as a small business owner") like myself with limited resources to spend on marketing. **Know your niche and deliver on quality!** It’s important to know what your product is promising and to consistently deliver on it. My [customers expect](https://www.financedigest.com/99-financial-firms-expect-benefit-open-banking-improved-customer-onboarding-main-driver-adoption.html "99% of financial firms expect to benefit from Open Banking, with improved customer onboarding the main driver of adoption") my products to be one-of-a-kind, beautiful, and environmentally friendly. I make sure to only use natural, responsibly sourced materials such as olive wood from Tunisia, where the olive trees are protected by [government regulations](https://www.financedigest.com/gecko-governance-launches-compliance-solution-for-ico-market-following-approval-by-isle-of-man-regulator.html "GECKO Governance Launches Compliance Solution For ICO Market Following Approval by Isle of Man Regulator"). My customers want handmade products so, [despite the growing](https://www.financedigest.com/5-ways-to-grow-your-business-despite-a-bad-credit-score.html "5 Ways to Grow Your Business despite a Bad Credit Score") demands, I handmake every product myself so that each piece unique. The care and attention to detail have been [integral to my success and customer](https://www.financedigest.com/why-finance-teams-are-integral-to-the-customer-experience.html "Why finance teams are integral to the customer experience") relationships – my reviews are consistently great, and my return rate is pretty much non-existent! **Do your products justice** Another thing that I cannot stress enough is to make sure the product images you have on your online boutique are as high quality as your actual products! As an online boutique, you need to catch the fleeting attention span of the average online shopper so make sure you present your best [foot forward](https://www.financedigest.com/putting-your-right-foot-forward-the-secret-of-successful-retail-bank-footprints-is-in-the-data.html "Putting your right foot forward – the secret of successful retail bank footprints is in the data"). [Nothing turns a customer](https://www.financedigest.com/doing-nothing-is-not-an-option-when-it-comes-to-the-customer-experience.html "Doing nothing is not an option when it comes to the customer experience") away quicker than unclear, low-resolution product photos that don’t inspire the desire to purchase. The same goes for any imagery on your online shopfront – consistent and high-quality visuals establish a strong, trustworthy [brand and will help your customers remember to come back](https://www.financedigest.com/2016-the-fight-back-of-the-established-brand.html "2016 – THE FIGHT BACK OF THE ESTABLISHED BRAND") to you. There are lots of guidance available on the Internet for you to take your own photos but it is worth [hiring a professional to do the job if you’re](https://www.financedigest.com/5-steps-hiring-top-talent-youre-just-start.html "5 steps to hiring top talent when you’re just a start-up ") not up for it. **Keep yourself inspired and keep on learning** I had no [business training or mentors when I first started and have been learning](https://www.financedigest.com/what-b2b-businesses-can-learn-from-b2c-e-commerce.html "What B2B businesses can learn from B2C e-commerce") everything on the job. [It’s important to look for inspiration in the world](https://www.financedigest.com/why-its-time-to-adapt-to-the-virtual-world-how-to-master-online-negotiations.html "Why it’s time to adapt to the virtual world: how to master online negotiations") around you. From the artist’s perspective, I find my inspiration from my observations of the world, beautiful feeds on Instagram, and other artists’ works. From a [business owner’s](https://www.financedigest.com/ladbrokes-owner-entain-buys-sports-media-business-365scores.html "Ladbrokes owner Entain buys sports media business 365scores") perspective, I engage with the online communities of other Amazon sellers to learn from each other’s experiences. **Look for opportunities to collaborate** Extending from the previous point, it is important to develop professional relationships with other like-minded people and look for synergies. You should [always be on the hunt for new ways to get your products](https://www.financedigest.com/what-are-the-best-ways-to-become-more-productive-working-from-home.html "What are the best ways to become more productive working from home? ") more exposure. I’ve been lucky to win the Theo Paphitis’ [Small Business](https://www.financedigest.com/10-dirty-tricks-for-small-businesses-to-watch-out-for-when-negotiating.html "10 dirty tricks for Small Businesses to watch out for when negotiating") Sunday (SBS) initiative and my prize was a sponsored stand at the Autumn Fair in 2019, which was worth several thousands of pounds and gave a huge boost to the business. I have also [worked on a collaborative](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-based-bitfount-raises-5m-seed-to-streamline-collaboration-between-organisations-working-with-sensitive-datasets.html "UK-based Bitfount raises M seed to streamline collaboration between organisations working with sensitive datasets.") collection with British designer Olivia Rubin to produce a coaster collection for Etsy. At the end of the day, if you’re looking to kickstart your own [online business](https://www.financedigest.com/6-practical-tips-for-starting-an-online-business.html "6 Practical Tips for Starting an Online Business"), be ballsy with your business approach, be confident in the quality of your product and back yourself to succeed. Make sure you’re ready to make [mistakes and learn](https://www.financedigest.com/time-merchant-acquirers-extra-mile-customers-first-sector-must-learn-mistakes.html "It is time merchant acquirers to the extra mile for their customers. But first the sector must learn from its mistakes. ")! --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---