Meet Erin Shine<\/h2>\n\n\n\nI grew up in Puerto Rico and Florida, playing soccer, sailing, and doing a bunch of other fun activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nichepursuits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/508BB879-772A-49A1-880A-FA04DD041B69-1024x774.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom high school on, I was always somehow interested in, and gravitated towards, the win-win between environmental, business, and financial savings in energy efficiency and renewable energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many entrepreneurs in my family, so business and real estate<\/a> was also something I tuned into early on.
In college, I changed my major four times, but really honed in on my love for finance and real estate when I took Finance 101. It was hard for most people, but I felt right at home and naturally loved it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After college, I wanted to get right into solar energy, so I packed the car in Florida, drove out to Colorado, and chased down a solar company<\/a> that I found for two months until they hired me. That started my career in sustainability.
While I sold solar energy for a while, I discovered energy-efficient lighting at the time (2009). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I got a bit burned out after the whole venture, so I took some time off, traveled the world, and tried many small businesses<\/a> in between.
Lately, I have been building Attainable Home![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nichepursuits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screen-Shot-2024-03-10-at-5.17.12-PM-1024x542.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Why He Created His Company<\/h2>\n\n\n\nI started it kind of as a side project after being laid off in 2010, as mentioned. While I didn\u2019t know what to do, I had this real faith that I could make a much better version of a commercial energy-efficient lighting supplier than what was out there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only that, but I thought I could make it ultralean and efficient. That meant working from home, never having an office, and dropshipping only, among other things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These things are well-known strategies now, but they were fairly new back then. It just seemed to make sense.
Otherwise, the bar was and still is so low sometimes in the lighting industry. Distributors play pricing games, play favorites, change prices weekly, won\u2019t call back, and play gatekeepers with whom they sell to, among other things.
As basic as it seems, the idea started out of frustration and the business model was to 1) pick up the phone, 2) do what you say you\u2019re going to do, 3) be good to people, and 4) be transparent with pricing (line item pricing).
I sat at my kitchen table for six months while on unemployment and just built the website and added products daily for 8 to 10 hours per day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slowly, the phone started ringing and the orders started coming in. I still remember my first phone sale like it was yesterday. I was over the moon about it and had the \u201csales high,\u201d because I had just made in profit what I worked for two full days to make at my old job.
I came up with the ideas by just keeping my eyes open, being a sponge in the lighting industry, and focusing on what people really needed. It\u2019s that simple.
Other businesses I have started and that have failed or I have walked away from are many:
– I bought two Toyota SUVs to rent out on Turo, thinking that I\u2019d make great cash flow in the winter season in Denver for the families flying in to go skiing. It turned out fine in the beginning, but the wear and tear on the car, depreciation, and ultimately the vacancy meant nearly no profit was made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone crashed the brand new 4 Runner on the highway and put it out of commission for four months. I sold both cars. It\u2019s like running a terrible Airbnb business, with the (house\/car) losing value instead of gaining value like real estate does.
– I had an electric wire distribution company startup that failed. One of my best friends wanted to get into e-commerce, so we talked about it and became partners. In the end, we did business way differently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From my end, he didn\u2019t put in near the work it takes to grow a company. The whole thing failed, and so did our friendship. Be VERY careful working with good friends early on. It\u2019s like a business-marriage that can end in a nasty divorce.
– After selling the lighting company, I thought lighting was easy and was riding high. I started a private label<\/a> lighting manufacturing business for commercial lighting, thinking it would be a walk in the park given my previous success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the website built, the logo done, and all the other basics, I started ordering containers from China, and selling on eBay<\/a>, Amazon, my own site, etc. I did it pretty much part-time, honestly not putting in my full effort. This was a huge mistake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom high school on, I was always somehow interested in, and gravitated towards, the win-win between environmental, business, and financial savings in energy efficiency and renewable energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many entrepreneurs in my family, so business and real estate<\/a> was also something I tuned into early on.
In college, I changed my major four times, but really honed in on my love for finance and real estate when I took Finance 101. It was hard for most people, but I felt right at home and naturally loved it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After college, I wanted to get right into solar energy, so I packed the car in Florida, drove out to Colorado, and chased down a solar company<\/a> that I found for two months until they hired me. That started my career in sustainability.
While I sold solar energy for a while, I discovered energy-efficient lighting at the time (2009). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I got a bit burned out after the whole venture, so I took some time off, traveled the world, and tried many small businesses<\/a> in between.
Lately, I have been building Attainable Home<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Why He Created His Company<\/h2>\n\n\n\nI started it kind of as a side project after being laid off in 2010, as mentioned. While I didn\u2019t know what to do, I had this real faith that I could make a much better version of a commercial energy-efficient lighting supplier than what was out there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only that, but I thought I could make it ultralean and efficient. That meant working from home, never having an office, and dropshipping only, among other things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These things are well-known strategies now, but they were fairly new back then. It just seemed to make sense.
Otherwise, the bar was and still is so low sometimes in the lighting industry. Distributors play pricing games, play favorites, change prices weekly, won\u2019t call back, and play gatekeepers with whom they sell to, among other things.
As basic as it seems, the idea started out of frustration and the business model was to 1) pick up the phone, 2) do what you say you\u2019re going to do, 3) be good to people, and 4) be transparent with pricing (line item pricing).
I sat at my kitchen table for six months while on unemployment and just built the website and added products daily for 8 to 10 hours per day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slowly, the phone started ringing and the orders started coming in. I still remember my first phone sale like it was yesterday. I was over the moon about it and had the \u201csales high,\u201d because I had just made in profit what I worked for two full days to make at my old job.
I came up with the ideas by just keeping my eyes open, being a sponge in the lighting industry, and focusing on what people really needed. It\u2019s that simple.
Other businesses I have started and that have failed or I have walked away from are many:
– I bought two Toyota SUVs to rent out on Turo, thinking that I\u2019d make great cash flow in the winter season in Denver for the families flying in to go skiing. It turned out fine in the beginning, but the wear and tear on the car, depreciation, and ultimately the vacancy meant nearly no profit was made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone crashed the brand new 4 Runner on the highway and put it out of commission for four months. I sold both cars. It\u2019s like running a terrible Airbnb business, with the (house\/car) losing value instead of gaining value like real estate does.
– I had an electric wire distribution company startup that failed. One of my best friends wanted to get into e-commerce, so we talked about it and became partners. In the end, we did business way differently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Otherwise, the bar was and still is so low sometimes in the lighting industry. Distributors play pricing games, play favorites, change prices weekly, won\u2019t call back, and play gatekeepers with whom they sell to, among other things.
As basic as it seems, the idea started out of frustration and the business model was to 1) pick up the phone, 2) do what you say you\u2019re going to do, 3) be good to people, and 4) be transparent with pricing (line item pricing).
I sat at my kitchen table for six months while on unemployment and just built the website and added products daily for 8 to 10 hours per day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I came up with the ideas by just keeping my eyes open, being a sponge in the lighting industry, and focusing on what people really needed. It\u2019s that simple.
Other businesses I have started and that have failed or I have walked away from are many:
– I bought two Toyota SUVs to rent out on Turo, thinking that I\u2019d make great cash flow in the winter season in Denver for the families flying in to go skiing. It turned out fine in the beginning, but the wear and tear on the car, depreciation, and ultimately the vacancy meant nearly no profit was made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
– I had an electric wire distribution company startup that failed. One of my best friends wanted to get into e-commerce, so we talked about it and became partners. In the end, we did business way differently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From my end, he didn\u2019t put in near the work it takes to grow a company. The whole thing failed, and so did our friendship. Be VERY careful working with good friends early on. It\u2019s like a business-marriage that can end in a nasty divorce.
– After selling the lighting company, I thought lighting was easy and was riding high. I started a private label<\/a> lighting manufacturing business for commercial lighting, thinking it would be a walk in the park given my previous success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the website built, the logo done, and all the other basics, I started ordering containers from China, and selling on eBay<\/a>, Amazon, my own site, etc. I did it pretty much part-time, honestly not putting in my full effort. This was a huge mistake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Much He Was Earning<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWith regard to the e-commerce business, my earnings varied and I can\u2019t give full details due to having an NDA with the new owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beginning, I was thrilled to be making mid-to-high five figures. It quickly grew to low-to-mid six figures in profit per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would say it took 2 to 3 years to really ramp up to where I was very excited about the growth. Everything takes time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was low-to-mid six figures, about 4x yearly net income due to the process and team I had put in place.
I decided to sell it after seven years because I had always wanted to get into real estate investment projects, so I could use the funds for that. I was always burned out at the time and had lost interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I heard this quote along the way which rang true: \u201cA business fails due to one of two things: Either the business runs out of money, or the founder runs out of energy.\u201d
I was feeling the latter, and my attention was being taken elsewhere. I knew it was dangerous for me to stay on and not sell it, because it\u2019s so hard to run a company, and it will fail if you\u2019re not focused. So I decided to sell.
I love how I found a buyer. I asked myself who would want an e-commerce lighting distribution company in my local area of Denver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I decided to sell it after seven years because I had always wanted to get into real estate investment projects, so I could use the funds for that. I was always burned out at the time and had lost interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was feeling the latter, and my attention was being taken elsewhere. I knew it was dangerous for me to stay on and not sell it, because it\u2019s so hard to run a company, and it will fail if you\u2019re not focused. So I decided to sell.
I love how I found a buyer. I asked myself who would want an e-commerce lighting distribution company in my local area of Denver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I cold-called three local companies that had no online presence and no e-commerce site. This could be a nice addition to their business model<\/a>. Out of the three, only one called me back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nichepursuits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Erin-Shine-Colorado-Homebuilding-Academy-Graduate-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen I sold the e-commerce lighting business, I was only working 5 to 10 hours per week. There were 11 employees and we had a great system in place, much of it automated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is what really helps create business value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erin\u2019s Main Marketing Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Our best strategy was writing helpful descriptions for the products. I had been in the field, installed these lights myself, and knew how to describe the energy savings and other benefits.
Just this one thing had us ranking above the manufacturers themselves much of the time, so we got the #1 spot on many, many products.
If I could recommend one thing\u2014this would be it.
Beyond this, just be good to people. On inbound calls, we had a friendly staff that went over the top. They were salary and commission. They knew if they were hard-selling I would let them go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That wasn\u2019t the brand or vibe I wanted to create. We picked up the phone, were nice, and followed through. Much of the work starts after that first sale or phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of SEO, we provided detailed and personalized product descriptions, and also blog posts, and other helpful content.
I personally have been hit by the Helpful Content Update and many others, getting caught up in trying to rank for SEO and not people.
What\u2019s true now was true 10 to 15 years ago: do right by people and the algorithms and people will eventually sort it out and bring the traffic and revenue to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keyword Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We went after the best lighting brands to work with and then built the content from there. It was about taking their line-up of products and then making the pictures, descriptions, and everything else on the site as helpful as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not just copying and pasting stuff from the manufacturer. That\u2019ll put you in a sea of hundreds of duplicate e-commerce sites where you provide no original value.
I can\u2019t remember actually using many keyword or SEO tools at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Link Building<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We did not link build at all. Maybe it could have helped. But by writing up a lot of custom content, much of it ranked first anyway.
Since then I have started three blogs, and they were all doing well before the HCU. I haven\u2019t done much link building except HARO, but used to follow the Income School method (now obsolete, in my opinion).
I have used many content, affiliate, and keyword tools with my recent blogs, including Keywords Everywhere, Link Whisper
Nothing is working lately and it\u2019s incredibly disheartening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His Content Creation Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I originally started 2-3 years ago with the Income School online course and method. That worked, and my recent blogs quickly got to 100k or 200k views per month, qualifying for Mediavine and\/or Raptive\/Adthrive.
I hired many writers<\/a>, had a team of editors, and published maybe 150 to 200 articles per month. I did the keyword research, came up with topic clusters and the rest, and the team created the content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These were the days before AI. Now everything has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His Favorite Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\nNow, I\u2019m not just saying this, but the Niche Pursuits podcast has been the best for interviewing bloggers and content business owners. It gets into the details like few others do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For YouTube, I like UpFlip (small business), Income School, Doug Cunnington, and the Empire Flippers Podcast and The Blogging Millionaire are some others I listen to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve now been out of e-commerce specifically for years, so these are more blogging-related ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His Indispensable \u201cTools\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\nMy tools are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intuition:<\/strong> Look around and be a sponge. Notice what people need help with. Equally, take note of what doesn\u2019t work, and do the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Efficiency and systems:<\/strong> Creating systems and automation is the key to time freedom and value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The core team:<\/strong> You need a key group of people to help run the day-to-day and to have your back. The last part is important. Half the team is still at the e-commerce business I sold because it was a team that was well-put together and because the business was set up nicely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nichepursuits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/49426944_10108866398563052_595750571416223744_n.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHis Biggest Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
That would probably be managing people, but also managing time. There\u2019s so much to do and it\u2019s easy to get into your head about all of it, without switching off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would also add that finding good people is also very hard. Keep the good ones around too.
When it comes to finding good people, listing the jobs on multiple sites seemed to help. The biggest advice I could give is to look for people who actually show up for you and your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I mean is that they look at the website, they do research on you, they follow up multiple times during the interview process, they seem eager, and they are humble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve hired people with very little experience or education in the space but they turned out to be rockstars because of their good attitude and willingness to learn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to managing time, I didn\u2019t\/don\u2019t have a very strict schedule. Tackle the most critical\/not fun items first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, it's important to create systems: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) Learn it yourself first
2) Create procedures and SOPs around it, and
3) Find software, people, or other tools to fill in this work and automate it<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His Greatest Accomplishment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
My best accomplishment is making new concepts work. It\u2019s more risky to go after something that hasn\u2019t really been done before, like in my case, taking an old, tired industry of commercial lighting online, or attempting to do the most affordable net zero homes
My tools are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intuition:<\/strong> Look around and be a sponge. Notice what people need help with. Equally, take note of what doesn\u2019t work, and do the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Efficiency and systems:<\/strong> Creating systems and automation is the key to time freedom and value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The core team:<\/strong> You need a key group of people to help run the day-to-day and to have your back. The last part is important. Half the team is still at the e-commerce business I sold because it was a team that was well-put together and because the business was set up nicely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHis Biggest Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
That would probably be managing people, but also managing time. There\u2019s so much to do and it\u2019s easy to get into your head about all of it, without switching off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would also add that finding good people is also very hard. Keep the good ones around too.
When it comes to finding good people, listing the jobs on multiple sites seemed to help. The biggest advice I could give is to look for people who actually show up for you and your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I mean is that they look at the website, they do research on you, they follow up multiple times during the interview process, they seem eager, and they are humble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve hired people with very little experience or education in the space but they turned out to be rockstars because of their good attitude and willingness to learn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to managing time, I didn\u2019t\/don\u2019t have a very strict schedule. Tackle the most critical\/not fun items first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, it's important to create systems: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) Learn it yourself first
2) Create procedures and SOPs around it, and
3) Find software, people, or other tools to fill in this work and automate it<\/p>\n\n\n\n