- 10 months ago
The video you've shared, titled "Passive Income: How I Started Dropshipping From Scratch (STEP BY STEP)", is presented by Mark Tilbury. In this 19-minute tutorial, Mark outlines a comprehensive, beginner-friendly approach to launching a dropshipping business using AI tools and Shopify
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00:00People are making thousands of dollars each month in passive income by dropshipping products from
00:05AI-built Shopify stores.
00:20Apparently, anyone can do this from anywhere in the world.
00:24But is this too good to be true?
00:26Well, today, I want to put it to the test by only using free tools to make a Shopify store
00:31and see how many products I can sell online.
00:35But I'm setting myself three rules.
00:37Number one, I must use free AI tools and keep the total cost of the shop creation to under $1.
00:44Number two, I have to be able to do it all from my laptop.
00:48And number three, I need to finish it in less than an hour.
00:51Okay, start the timer.
00:53Right, I've got a list of steps to complete.
00:58The first thing on my plan is to find a free AI tool to create our Shopify store.
01:03Now, I've done quite a lot of searching around and the best one I found is Build Your Store.
01:09It claims to be able to build a Shopify store for us and lets us sell other people's products without needing our own inventory or doing any of the work ourselves.
01:18The idea is when the store receives an order, the product is shipped directly to the customer, which allows us to make a profit without any more work on our end.
01:27If you want to follow along, feel free to head down to the description of the video and click the top link.
01:32So, I've loaded up the page and now I'm going to click this button here that says Build My Free Store because that's exactly what we want it to do.
01:42Now, they're asking for my full name, which is, of course, Mark Tilbury.
01:46And they want an email address.
01:48And to pick a password.
01:53Right, that's done.
01:54And then just click Next.
01:56Now, it's asking me to choose a niche.
01:58You have six options here to choose from.
02:01Fashion and apparel, pets, electronics and gadgets, home and garden, sports and fitness, and finally, an option for I'm not sure.
02:09Lots of people would just pick something they're interested in.
02:12However, it's best to approach this with a business mind and think to yourself, what do you confidently know that has a large market?
02:19Honestly, all of these options are pretty good.
02:22However, I'm just going to go for sport and fitness because my son is always at boxing or running or in the gym.
02:30So, I'm pretty sure there's a big demand for these types of products, especially amongst younger people.
02:35I've even heard that Gen Z are now meeting people at running clubs instead of nightclubs.
02:39That's very different from back in my day, that's for sure.
02:42Right, that's the first one off my list.
02:45The next thing on my list is to customize the store and make it appealing to our customers.
02:50Now, there are six banners on here to choose from.
02:53So, let's go through them and find out what suits our store best.
02:57The first one has a lot of different sporting items, which may seem good.
03:01But if we don't end up selling those products, it could confuse our customers.
03:05So, we'll skip that one.
03:07Then there's this one with just a woman on her own.
03:09While it's a nice design, it doesn't really represent our entire audience.
03:14And we want our store to appeal to both men and women.
03:17So, using this logic, the bottom right one also feels, well, a bit too female only.
03:24So, we'll pass on that.
03:25So, I have these remaining three.
03:26I think the bottom left one works great.
03:28And the middle right one pops really nicely with the sunset, which could help grab attention and create a positive first impression.
03:35Remember, the banners are the first thing our customers will see when they land on our store.
03:40So, it's important they reflect what we're about and what we're offering.
03:44If you don't feel like any of these work for you, then don't worry, as you can always change them later on.
03:49Now that we've chosen our banners, let's hit continue and move on to the next step.
03:54To let the AI build our store, we need to set up a free Shopify account.
03:58So, that's the next thing on my list.
04:01The first thing I'm going to do is click on Access Shopify, which opens up in a new tab.
04:06Now, I'm going to type in my email address and then hit start free trial.
04:14Then, I just need to pick a password and click create Shopify account.
04:21Now, as you can see, Shopify is now asking us a few setup questions.
04:26But since AI is going to handle most of the work for us, we can just select, I don't want help setting up to save us time.
04:33Now, it's asking us to choose a plan for when the free trial ends.
04:37The basic plan looks good enough for what we're building as it's designed for solo entrepreneurs.
04:42And it's also the most popular option.
04:45So, I'm just going to go ahead and select that one.
04:47Then, I'll quickly add in my payment details.
04:50So, we're all ready when the trial ends.
04:52But don't worry right now because it's completely free.
04:56And after the trial, it's just one pound or one dollar per month for the first three months.
05:00As we're not paying anything right now, this doesn't count towards our one dollar budget.
05:05I know we'll probably have to pay it before we get some sales in.
05:07But technically, I haven't paid it yet.
05:10So, I think you can let me off with this one.
05:12Once that's all set up, Shopify takes us to this dashboard for our new store where we can manage everything.
05:18Now, it does look pretty confusing.
05:21But that's fine as we won't have too much to do in here ourselves.
05:24Because soon, the AI will be taking control.
05:27That sounded pretty scary.
05:29I hope this AI stuff doesn't lead us into a Terminator situation.
05:33Now, we need to install the Build Your Store app.
05:35This might seem like it's getting a bit confusing.
05:38But after this, it gets a whole lot easier.
05:40So, I'm going to click Access Shopify again, which opens another tab.
05:45On this page, I'm going to click the Install button to add the app to our Shopify account.
05:51With this done, I can click Create My Custom Store.
05:55Now, we just need to give the AI a bit of time to work its magic and build the store website for us in the background.
06:01We'll check out the results later to see what it's created.
06:04But for now, let's keep things moving and jump onto the next step.
06:08Right, the next thing on my list is to find some winning products for our store.
06:12This is so important because the right products can make or break the store.
06:16They attract customers, drive sales, and ultimately set us apart from our competition.
06:22To make this as easy and efficient as possible, we're going to register for AutoDS.
06:27This tool does the heavy lifting for us by selecting products that are proven to sell.
06:32It also takes care of pricing, uploading professional photos, and once we start making sales,
06:38it will also ship the products directly to our customers.
06:41I'm going to go back to the Build Your Store website and select Register to AutoDS.
06:47This gives us the option to either sign up with a Google account or to enter your details manually.
06:53Just make sure that you use the same email address you use for Shopify and Build Your Store to keep everything linked.
07:00Okay, so now it's asking me where will we be selling?
07:03So, of course, I'm choosing Shopify.
07:07Now we need to pick the right plan.
07:09AutoDS offers the first 30 days for just 99 cents on any plan.
07:14This gives us a chance to test everything out and see how well it works.
07:17In my opinion, the basic plan doesn't have enough features to make this truly passive,
07:22but we don't need the advanced plan yet either.
07:24The starter 500 plan looks perfect for what we need,
07:28so I'm selecting Start Now for 99 cents.
07:31There are a few different payment methods available.
07:34I'm going to go with PayPal as I always use it.
07:38Right, so there we go.
07:40All sorted and just like that, that's my $1 budget officially spent.
07:46Hopefully, there's nothing else left to pay for while setting up this store
07:49because at this point, I've only got one cent left.
07:51Now it's finally time to publish our store.
07:54I'm actually quite excited to see everything come together.
07:56The last thing we need to do here is to click Access Shopify and then uncheck the box that says
08:02Restrict Access to Visitors with a Password.
08:05Now that's done.
08:07I'm going to press Continue and boom!
08:10Our store is officially live with winning products.
08:14Now that our Shopify store is live,
08:16the next thing on my list is to take a proper look and make any tweaks we might need before sending
08:21customers over there.
08:22This actually looks a lot better than I thought it would.
08:25Our two banners are in place and the AI has set up buttons that lead straight to the new product
08:30arrivals page, which should make it easy for customers to get around the site.
08:35Down here are some of the winning products that AutoDS has added for us.
08:39First, we have what looks like some kind of breathing trainer.
08:43Actually, I have seen my son use one of these before.
08:46It works kind of like high altitude training by limiting the amount of oxygen you can take in.
08:52Here is that when you're in a competition, your body can carry more oxygen in your blood,
08:56which should make you perform better, to be honest.
08:59The more I'm talking about it, the more I want one for myself.
09:02So I think this will sell really, really well.
09:04Next, we've got bag clips for your golf club.
09:07Now, I personally use these all the time because they stop the clubs rattling together and getting
09:11damaged.
09:12And if you've ever had to replace a carbon shaft, you know how expensive that can be.
09:16Then we have the classic resistance band, which I imagine is always a good seller and a warm
09:22jogging hat to round things off as it's getting a little bit chilly this time of year.
09:27So honestly, I'm pretty impressed with the items it's picked.
09:30But if we did want to pick more, then it's pretty simple to do that too.
09:34I just have to head over to AutoDS, click marketplace and then trending products.
09:40Now, this brings up a page with all the products that are selling very, very well.
09:46And we could pick any of these, even if they don't necessarily fit with our niche.
09:50To be honest, though, it's probably not a good idea to be too random with it,
09:54as your customers need to know what your store is about.
09:57So I'm going to click on this filter for sports and fitness, and it pulls up some products that
10:02would fit really well into our store.
10:04Now, if I wanted to add one of these, then all I'd have to do is click import draft,
10:09and then wait for the import of the product.
10:12Then it gives me the option to adjust all the information and photos before publishing it
10:17onto the store.
10:18Now, I'm pretty impressed so far, but let's dive a bit deeper and check out what our product
10:23page looks like and see if we can spot any mistakes we need to fix.
10:27Let's click on the golf club clips.
10:29Now, there is a decent selection of product photos, and to be fair, they do look quite professional.
10:35There's also quite a wide range of different shots, which is important because when I'm
10:40buying something, I always like to look at a few different photos.
10:44According to AutoDS, these golf clips cost me $6.84, and drop shippers normally sell their
10:51items for two to two and a half times their cost.
10:54So, I should be able to sell these for at least $13.68, which would give us $6.84 profit per
11:02sell, not taking into account any marketing costs.
11:05Now, I'll be honest, that's not a crazy amount of money, but when you're selling at scale,
11:10it could definitely start to add up.
11:12Plus, if I think these clips could sell for more than $13, I can always bump up the price
11:17manually and see how it goes.
11:19One small detail I really like on here is the little animation on the PayPal button.
11:24Now, I've always found that having PayPal payments available on my website adds a bit
11:29more trust and often improves sales.
11:32The AI has even written the product descriptions for us and thrown in some emojis.
11:36I'll admit, that is handy and saves a lot of time, which I am a bit short of right now.
11:41It's also included related product suggestions at the bottom of each page, which could help
11:47with upselling.
11:47I admit, it's fairly basic, but I found that basic websites often perform better.
11:53This footer is actually a bit of a surprise.
11:56I wasn't expecting much here because, let's be honest, footers are usually an afterthought,
12:01but the AI has done a decent job with it.
12:04All the important pages are already set up, like the shipping policies and terms and conditions.
12:09These little details might not seem like a big deal, but they do make the store look a lot
12:14more professional.
12:14Now, let me click into the terms and conditions page and take a look.
12:19Yep, most of the heavy lifting has already been done.
12:22All I need to do is drop in a store name, our location, and some contact details to finish
12:27off.
12:27Now, the only thing letting the store down right now is the domain name.
12:31It's just a random jumble of characters.
12:33And honestly, it doesn't scream professional.
12:36A good domain name is so important because it's the first thing customers see.
12:41So I'm going to head back to Build Your Store AI to sort that out.
12:45I'm going to set up a .store domain instead of a .com because it's specifically designed
12:50for online stores.
12:51There has actually been studies that show websites with a .store domain get 87% more traffic and
12:57rank two times higher on Google.
12:59So using a domain like this should actually help us sell more.
13:03When you think about it, this makes sense because when someone sees a .store domain,
13:08they know right away they're visiting a shop.
13:11Luckily, we can get a .store domain for free as we're using the Build Your Store AI tool.
13:17However, if you aren't using this, then you can also buy one from sites like GoDaddy and
13:21Namecheap.
13:22Let's go with something simple like Tilbury Fitness because let's face it, I have the body
13:29of a Greek god and obviously everyone wants to look like me.
13:33Now, I've got to link the domain name to the store.
13:36So I'm going to press connect now and enter the new domain name here.
13:41Now, it will take a few moments to verify and then we're ready to go.
13:45Before we officially start selling, I'm going to spend my last bit of time left on the clock
13:49to tweak the website.
13:51Stuff like filling in the footer details, linking some social media accounts and making sure
13:55everything looks polished.
13:59There we go.
14:00All done and just in time.
14:02Now, it's time to move on to the exciting part, promoting the store and getting those
14:07first sales in.
14:09Okay, so it's a couple of days later now as I needed some time to order a couple of the
14:14products.
14:14The next thing on my list is to advertise our store.
14:18So to get some eyeballs on our store, I've decided to work with some influencers.
14:22Now, Gymshark has proved this strategy works very well in the fitness niche and it's great
14:27because I'll get a positive endorsement from a trusted figure and traffic to my store.
14:32So it's essentially killing two birds with one stone.
14:35But don't worry, I'm not going to be spending thousands of dollars working with huge influencers.
14:40I've got a much better plan.
14:42I'm going to use micro-influencers.
14:45These are accounts with anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 followers, whereas macro-influencers
14:51are accounts with 500,000 to a million followers.
14:54So what does that make me then, super macro?
14:58That is terrible.
14:59I'm not doing this just to save costs.
15:04According to Social Bakers, micro-influencers boast up to a 60% increased engagement rate
15:09compared to macro-influencers.
15:11Micro-influencers also have a 20% plus higher conversion rate.
15:16This can help brands boost their e-commerce sales.
15:19That sounds perfect for what we need.
15:21So I've reached out to a couple of lads I know called the Graze Brothers.
15:25They've been making short videos for a couple of years now and have around 14.5,000 followers
15:30on Instagram.
15:32They do have more on other platforms, but I'm more interested in Instagram because I want
15:36them to post a story with a link.
15:38I could also get them to promote the other products.
15:41But first, I want to test out if their audience will actually buy before risking any more money.
15:46And who knows, people might even explore the shop and buy other items without me having to promote them directly.
15:53I approved their script yesterday and they've just sent me the final video.
15:56But before we have a look, let's do a bit of quality check on the items I ordered.
16:01This is the breathing trainer and it feels pretty damn good and built to last.
16:06I think my son might even take it for himself.
16:09But seriously, it's always good to know that the quality is good
16:12because the last thing we want is unhappy customers wanting refunds.
16:16Okay, so we also have the hat.
16:19Nice and woolly.
16:20That should keep nice and warm.
16:21I like the fact it's got a peak on it.
16:23Very stylish.
16:25Can't be bad.
16:26And the gold clips.
16:29Do you know what?
16:30They are really good.
16:31They are better quality.
16:33Because my ones slip off and they've got a lot more power behind them.
16:36So I think I'll be having those for myself.
16:39And then the resistance band.
16:41They're always popular.
16:42So I think we should be on to a winner with those.
16:45Right, let's take a look at the video.
16:47What are you doing?
16:48I'm just wearing my respirator.
16:51Respirator?
16:51You're in a gym.
16:52Not a hospital, mate.
16:53But it's improving my cardio.
16:56What are you on about?
16:57The breathing training respirator restricts your breathing,
16:59which increases your red blood cell count,
17:01helping you improve your cardio.
17:03Buy it today using the link in the bio.
17:04Well, that's definitely a bit wacky.
17:07But that's part of the charm.
17:08It's quick, attention grabbing,
17:10and shows off the breathing trainer in action,
17:13which is exactly what we needed.
17:14That high energy, slightly off-the-wall style,
17:17works really well on Instagram stories.
17:19Because it stops people from skipping and pulls them in.
17:22Even though it's not the most traditional approach,
17:24it fits the Graze Brothers audience perfectly.
17:27Their followers love this kind of content.
17:30And it feels so natural coming from them.
17:32I'm going to get them to put this story up
17:34with a link to the product page
17:35and check back tomorrow.
17:37So let's hope we make some sales.
17:40So it's been 24 hours,
17:42and I've got some exciting news.
17:44We've made some sales.
17:45Now, it doesn't seem like my approach
17:47of only promoting one product really worked,
17:50as people didn't buy anything else.
17:52But as of today,
17:53we've sold 12 of these breathing trainers.
17:56Okay, two of those sales were technically me
17:58for testing, of course.
17:59But the other 10 were legit.
18:01So not counting my two orders,
18:0310 genuine purchases for 13 pounds and 42 pence
18:06is 134 pounds and 20 pence.
18:10And converted to US dollars is $170 and 85 cents.
18:14But of course, not all of that is profit.
18:17The items cost me an average of $3 and 95 cents each.
18:21So $39 and 50 cents went towards product costs and shipping.
18:26As AutoDS shipped all the orders for us,
18:28we didn't need to worry about anything.
18:30After factoring in the $50 I paid the Graves Brothers
18:33and the $1 Shopify fee after our three-day trial ran out,
18:38our total cost came to $90 and 50 cents.
18:42That leaves us with a profit of $80 and 35 cents.
18:47Now, I know $80 might not sound life-changing,
18:50but let's put this into perspective.
18:52This was all done with minimal effort using AI tools and a budget of just $1 to set everything up and $50 for marketing.
19:00Now, imagine scaling this.
19:02If we promoted 20 products and they kept ticking along making regular sales,
19:07this could easily turn into thousands of dollars in profit every month.
19:12If you'd like to see a follow-up video in the future,
19:14be sure to give this one a thumbs up.
19:16Of course, before I post this,
19:18I'll need to change the name of the store to make sure no one stumbles across the site
19:22and starts buying products as that wouldn't make it a fair test.
19:26If you want to see more ideas for making passive income,
19:29I've got another video right up there,
19:30but don't click on it just yet.
19:32Make sure to subscribe if you want to grow your wealth, okay?
19:35I'll see you over there.
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