Today I'll be interviewing Charles Jennings from Dicey's Online. He has a very inspiring story about why he wanted to start a business and how he donates money from every sale for a great research foundation.
What motivated you to start your very own business?
I have been working in the corporate environment for over 20 years and receiving a respectable steady income ever since the wife and I completed our military obligation. However, a few circumstances occurred over our lifetime, and even more so recently, that put a strain on household finances.
The primary reason we started our business was to find a way help finance my kid’s college education. I currently have three kids attending State Universities in Ohio that we are struggling to pay for and it ain’t cheap. We saved as much as we could beforehand, but with the high cost of getting an education, we quickly depleted what we saved. Like many people, we are currently financing their education with student loans; however, our capacity to borrow is running out and we are forced to find alternatives. I am determined to find a way to keep them in school and eliminate their debt prior to them receiving their degrees.
Secondly, we had have some expected, and some unexpected, medical bills. My wife is unable to work due to medical reasons and my son, diagnosed with Type I Diabetes as an infant, has been living with the disease (or condition as we would like to refer to it) for nearly 20 years.. The medical bills are getting tougher to keep up with. Finally, I have always had an entrepreneur spirit. Through my military and corporate life experiences. I figured I could hone my skills to help people fill their wants and needs. It’s frustrating seeing retailers take advantage of shoppers by overcharging for products and services. I know the industry and I know I can source high quality products, minimize my expenses, and pass those savings on to customers in the form of great prices. So, once the wife and I agreed on a plan we decided to launch Dicey’s.
How long had you been thinking about starting?
We’ve been thinking about it for years; however, we were reluctant to pull the trigger. Once we made up our minds, we decided to go all in, we researched our options and developed our plan over a 3 to 4-month period prior to launching our store.
What is your business all about?
Our tagline pretty much sums it up “complement your style”. We want to provide a location people can come to and find quality products without the extra markups. We sell fashion apparel and accessories. So whatever style people have we want to complement with clothes, shapewear, and accessories. People are only given one body, we want them to have the opportunity look their best. We believe looking your best shouldn’t be expensive. We eliminate the middleman by dealing directly with the manufacturers. We took the time to negotiate great deals with our partner dropship vendors. We dropship so we can eliminate all our overhead cost and keep our prices highly competitive. We trust our customers will love our products. We have so much confidence in our products that we offer a 90-Day, 100% money-back guarantee on everything. We want our customers to be happy with their purchases, and, of course, to continue to rely on us for selection, quality, and value. Our money-back guarantee is iron-clad. If for any reason, a customer is not happy with their purchase they can return it for a full-refund no questions asked, no hassle, no complicated process.
Where is your business located?
Columbus, Ohio
How is life now you’re a business owner?
It is time-consuming. A lot of long nights and busy weekends, but it is all worth seeing your vision come to life and being able to provide for others. It is very rewarding. I have learned a lot, but the more I learn, the more there is to learn. I feel like I’m on a never-ending mission, but I will keep plugging away.
How have you found using Shopify?
Love Shopify. User-friendly, great support, they have all the tools you need to setup a fully functional shop. They want you to be successful. Shopify has been a great experience.
Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to start a business?
Yes, do your research. Find an item (niche) that is selling, become an expert on it, and get started. Once sales start coming expand. Don’t wait, they will never be perfect conditions. You should get going, learn from you mistakes, and never give up - to borrow a quote from Nike “Just Do It”!
How can we find you ?
Website: CLICK HERE
Anything else you would like to share?
Yes, find a good cause and support it. It feels good to give back and to help others in need. Over our lifetime, we became involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and a portion of all sales from Dicey’s will be donated to them.
Clayton's Final Thoughts
I'd like to thank Charles for sharing his story. I'm sure you will go great with this business. Never give up and go after what you want in life.
When times get hard financially if you need a second income starting a business on the side is a great way to do this. I also did this and the sales I made helped to buy the house I own now. Its hard work at first. When you build up some momentum you can crush it online.
I also love when business owners give back to charities. I encourage anyone thinking about this to just do it.
I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below and if you wanted to start your very own website Shopify has a 14 day free trial CLICK HERE