We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alida Thompson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alida below.
Alright, Alida thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later
I wish I started my business sooner. I started Liida’s Shot Creations in 2020, during the lockdown of the pandemic. Back when everyone thought they should have a business or another stream of income. It was started as a way to bring some light or fun to an otherwise uncertain and gloomy time. I always knew I wanted a business but a business in what was always a lingering question. It was a question that held me back for many years. I believe starting sooner would’ve helped me personally and allowed me to break out of my comfort zone. This was during a time when I allowed the opinions of others to dictate my actions. Had I followed my mind, I would’ve started sooner and probably have several businesses by now
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
LiiDa’s Shot Creations is home to delicious jello shots for all occasions. We’re in Brooklyn, NY providing all the vibes to have a great time with family and friends or even just yourself. I started this business during the pandemic, per the advice of my brother, and was shocked (still shocked sometimes) by how well it’s been received. Having this business, my business allows me to be creative and outgoing. As well as connect and network with other amazing business owners.
I’m most proud that I’m learning my business and my products each day. I’m learning what types of events to attend, what content my followers to like see on social media, and who is my ideal customer/target audience, among other things. With all that, I really enjoy creating different flavors, taking trips to different liquor stores, and thinking of new products customers would like. I’m always excited to share the shots with others and visit new places. I’m very excited to expand and excited to continue on this journey.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of my goals for 2023, is to move out and buy a house. After having a conversation with a major bank lender, I learned how far I am from that goal. Also, I have a lot to work on, financially and mentally to achieve this goal. That conversation left me discouraged and thinking I was never going to buy a house and I’d live at home forever. After taking some time to think and reflect, I decided it would happen but I just needed a little more time. So I shifted my focus to spend the remainder of this year and some of next year, working on the things needed to buy a house. Hopefully, in 2025 I’ll be a homeowner.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
Back in 2021, I created an Etsy shop to sell the jello shots. It was awesome. The shots were selling and I connected with people in states outside of New York. I was super excited to have 2 orders from California and Arizona. The shop was open for about 8 months, doing great in sales, frequent orders, and a few returning customers before it was closed. In 2022, Etsy halted my shop as it had prohibited items. Selling products with alcohol is prohibited but I was never informed when the shop was opened. I tried to appeal their decision, but it didn’t work and they insisted I remove the prohibited items. This meant removing the shot listings and having no products available for sale. The shop is still open as I plan to list Shot Creations merch but I haven’t used Etsy since.
Outside of this, I still think Etsy is a good platform for any business to sell their products
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