Jacinta's Blog

In this entry I thought I would write about how I got started on the Internet. I have been online for the last 10 years basically using it as a communication tool for emails and surfing. It wasn’t until halfway through 2005 when I had an ‘Aha’ moment and saw eBay! At the time I was teaching at a city Beauty Training College and training Beauty Salons how to spray tan.  

I was looking for something new to do and I knew that in the future I wanted to create a business from home but didn’t quite know what. I loved teaching the girls at the college, and being out on the road with the salons but I knew I didn’t want to do it forever so I thought I would give eBay a go on the side. I started out like most people, just selling my unwanted stuff. I loved the whole experience of what I was doing. I was addicted. My biggest giggle was selling a set of egg cups for $30 that cost me $5 many years earlier. I couldn’t quite work that one out! I learnt people will buy unusual things. 

I think eBay is amazing and should definitely be a spring board for a newbie on the Internet to get their feet wet. Over the last few years I have encouraged friends & family to sell their stuff on eBay as well, it is amazing what you can find lying around the home that you don’t want anymore. There is that old saying “Someone’s trash is someone’s treasure!” and when it comes to eBay that is so true! 

Well over the last 3 years my little eBay business expanded and I started selling spray tanning systems & spray tanning solution. This little venture was a great teaching curve for doing business over the Internet. Doing business online is not that different to doing business offline. It is all about the customer service. During the first 2 years I enjoyed the selling, however everything changed between 2006 & 2007. A lot of other people came online to sell spray tanning systems and I found that typical of any competitive industry everyone was undercutting everyone and it got to a point that I was selling everything at cost price and it really wasn’t worth my time.   

The thing that became interesting was that while I was selling my spray tan systems I was also being asked regularly for my training manual as an individual item. At first I didn’t do this as my manual was only a guide for my particular system, however then I realised I could create a generic manual that trained the techniques based on most spray tan systems. My first individual training manual was launched late 2006 as a printed version and was quite successful. I was shocked at the time, but I was also flattered that people enjoyed my teachings and I was receiving thank you emails all the time. What I giggled about at the time was that I was technically an author! For years I had created training manuals for people within the industries I have worked in but never quite thought of myself as a writer, it wasn’t until I had sold a printed manual overseas that I realised what I was doing! Little did I know that this was just the beginning to lead me where I am today…….. 

So until next time when I tell you more of my online journey………………. 

Be Good To You & Believe In Your Dreams! 

Jacinta