Sell a small personalised item on marketplaces, not on ads

Who it’s for

Someone with a craft or a laser engraver who wants to test a small made-to-order gift business on existing marketplaces.

The lesson

A father-and-son team built a personalised leather-goods business by putting one simple item, the engraved keychain, in front of buyers already searching on large marketplaces, then adding the personalisation themselves. They report that paid ads did not pay back, so most sales still come from marketplace search and reviews.