Eight years ago, Khun O’s entrepreneurial dream began with the opening of Tee-Phone’s first retail store in a small province in Thailand. It was only a small shop selling mobile telephones, accessories and other electronics items, but this humble beginning was the first step towards realizing his dreams, says Khun O, an earnest and determined entrepreneur.
“We came from small beginnings, but we had big ambitions,” he shared in his Laz It Up 2.0 video. Discovering Lazada as an eCommerce platform was the spark that led to his desire to level up his business.
Learning with Lazada
Lazada’s marketplace has more than 560 million potential buyers online with daily traffic of over 13 million views, and the wide range of product categories, such as home appliances, electronics, fashionwear, and many others was the perfect platform for a budding business like Tee Phone to begin its online journey.
Khun O joined Lazada in 2014. The transition to an online store was initially challenging, and he admits that he initially lacked the know-how on how to run an online store effectively. However, his determination to learn and desire to reach his goals with Lazada saw him immersing himself for the first few months in studying the platform, making adjustments where appropriate for his business and also trying out new tactics to see what worked.
Lazada University courses made the journey easier
Lazada University courses made the journey to entrepreneurship a smoother one, and enabled Khun O and his team to upgrade themselves and to continue learning and better manage every aspect of their business. “With Lazada University, we were able to better understand our customers and how to serve them better.”
Lazada’s free learning platform enables even a complete novice to start their eCommerce journey as they learn essential marketing strategies from experts that provide tips and insights on how to be a great seller. With livestream lectures, courses on building and optimizing your online store, Q&A forums and even testimonies from other successful sellers, all of these classes and live streams are free and accessible for anyone as long as they already have a Lazada account.
By 2020, Tee Phone was selling on Lazada with success. The business started to see fruits of their labor within a year, and expanded by 400% to become a top eCommerce store in the country.
Growth at a time of crisis
Unfortunately, like so many others, Tee Phone’s upward journey hit a roadblock during the pandemic. “With a city-wide shutdown declared, revenue from our physical store was severely affected. We focused our efforts on our eCommerce store to stay afloat,” Khun O explains.
“Utilizing Lazada’s wide range of seller tools was a game-changer for my business, and life changing for our ambitions.” Lazada’s Seller Tools which include Seller Picks, Lorikeet, Chat, Promotional Tools and Store Builder are key tools to help sellers grow their business and increase their sales easily.
Never give up!
Khun O advises aspiring entrepreneurs to be patient and stay ambitious while growing their business. “Focus on your goals. Keep learning and don’t be afraid to try something new. Your opportunities will come if you never lose sight of your dreams! We would never have imagined that one day, our tiny offline electronics shop would level up with Lazada into one of the biggest eCommerce stores in the country,” shares Khun O.
And dreams can indeed come true. Khun O did not let his initial inexperience in the world of eCommerce deter him. He utilized all the tools provided by Lazada to help him to learn how to sell on the platform, and with his ambition and determination, managed to achieve the level of success he has today.
Tee Phone even unveiled a brand new store in 2022, which goes to show that even during a time of crisis, one can still learn and grow, and emerge anew.
If you have a good business idea, why not go for it? You too can bring your family and community to the next level. Sign up with Lazada now as a new seller and enjoy exclusive benefits.
