6 Inspiring Entrepreneur Stories: How these Entrepreneurs are Turning their Ideas into Online Stores

Every online store starts with a simple idea, but sometimes you need a bit of a push to turn that idea into a reality.

In 15 Ways to Come Up With an Idea for Your Online Store, we mentioned the #IdeaToStore contest that the folks over at .Store Domains created to inspire wantrepreneurs, and help them share their ideas for a chance to win great prizes and get social validation from other users on Instagram.

Over 5000 submissions for the #IdeaToStore contest rolled in (check out some of them on .Store Domain’s Instagram page) but we’re going to cover 6 great ones in this article.

So, Let’s Recap…

The #IdeaToStore contest was all about encouraging inspiring entrepreneurs to get started — and it did exactly that. It hoped to get wantrepreneurs talking about their ideas and sharing them online, so their followers could get excited for them and support them.

Plus, with .Store sharing these ideas on their own Instagram page and other social platforms, their community helped build up these inspiring entrepreneurs too.

How the #IdeaToStore Contest Encouraged These Entrepreneurs to Get Started With an Idea

Sometimes all it takes, as an aspiring entrepreneur, is to have someone else believe in your idea. Many aspiring entrepreneurs already have great ideas — in fact, some sit on their ideas for years — and a push like the #IdeaToStore contest, with its valuable prizes and high-quality mentors, gives wantrepreneurs the courage they need to pursue their buried ideas. .Store’s platform gave entrants the opportunity to get their idea out in front of an audience so others could discover them.

Here’s an example of two participants who shared their store ideas because of the #IdeaToStore contest:

And of course, every online store needs a domain name to help customers find them online. Because of the #IdeaToStore contest, every person that submitted an idea got a 99% discount on a .Store domain name, and could create their own identity for the online store they were dreaming up.

By giving aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to share their ideas through.Store’s platform, plus giving them an identity online with a domain name, .Store helped aspiring entrepreneurs take the first step towards getting started — which is often the hardest step to take.

Think of it this way: Your store’s domain name is one of the most important parts of starting your online business. Just like a brick-and-mortar business has an address for its physical location, an online store has a domain name. Without an address (or in your case, a domain name) customers can’t visit your store at all. They can’t come to browse your products, window shop, ask you questions, read customer reviews, or more importantly — make a purchase.

So, a domain name is absolutely essential for your online store. When you get one, you’ll have one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. And it’s what will help you turn your online store from just a dream, to a reality.

When you choose the .Store domain extension, you’re immediately letting customers know that you’re an online store that’s open and ready for business; so customers can come right over and shop. It also helps that .Store domain names are a lot less saturated than some other domain name providers. Making it easier to zero-in on the perfect domain name for your business.

6 Inspiring #IdeaToStore Submissions

Thanks to the #IdeaToStore contest and .Store Domains, we’ve been able to see the inspiring human stories that have been made available to everyone on .Store Domain’s Instagram page.

Out of the thousands of passionate entries, the difficult choice of narrowing down the grand prize winner and runner-up was made, and you can see the finalists here.

Amongst other prizes, the grand prize winner received:

• A $20,000 cash prize
• 1-on-1 mentorship with BossBabe and John Lee Dumas
• And a 1-on-1 Q&A with Seth Godin

The grand prize was .Store’s way of helping and enabling the winner to actually take their idea to store!

Beyond the grand prize winner and runner-up, there were so many other great store ideas shared, like…

This aspiring entrepreneur wants to create a CBD-infused period health and wellness brand for anyone who suffers from painful periods or painful sex. A self-described proud endometriosis warrior herself, she’s done being told that the only solution for her pain is to “suck it up” and wants to create a real solution instead. Her dream is to make an internationally-recognized brand that changes society’s views on period and sex health.

Ideal Domain Name: www.maryjanesflo.store

This aspiring entrepreneur has a concept to collaborate with up-and-coming artists to create unique homeware products. She wants to create homewares that are conversation starters and will add value to a person’s space. She highlights that making a house a home has a lot more to do than just having four walls and a window — pieces like the homewares she plans to make with artist collaborators will make personal spaces much more special.

Ideal Domain Name: www.whitakerandbull.store

This aspiring entrepreneur (and runner-up of the contest!) wants to make learning a new language functional and affordable. As an immigrant herself, she’s experienced first-hand the challenges that come with learning a new language in a new country — and she wants to help solve that problem! With her idea, she hopes to make learning English more easily accessible for hardworking immigrants.

Ideal Domain Name: www.inglespamigente.store

This aspiring entrepreneur has a simple “sew-lution” to a problem that many women face. Like many women, she’s experienced the unfortunate circumstance of having a small wardrobe malfunction like a tear in a skirt or a lost button on a blouse, and her simple idea will help women fix the issue easily so they can go on with their day.

Ideal Domain Name: www.sewsustainable.store

This aspiring entrepreneur wants to bring non-traditional gifts for girls to the market. She was teased as a young girl for loving toys, games, and shows that “only boys like”. With her idea, she wants to shine a light on an industry of toys and games that aren’t just for boys, and provide products that aren’t gatekept by any gender.

Ideal Domain Name: www.nerdygifts.store

This aspiring entrepreneur wants to solve feminine health issues with natural ingredients commonly used in her culture. She’s experienced feminine health issues like many other women have, and as she went through the process of trying to solve them, she came across natural healing techniques that are widely used in her culture. With this knowledge, she plans to produce products that will help women manage recurring feminine health issues better.

Ideal Domain Name: www.cupidandeve.store

Follow .Store’s Instagram page to see the video entries received from each of the participants!

Conclusion

As longtime supporters and cheerleaders of all entrepreneurs no matter what stage they’re at — whether their store is simply an idea or it’s been launched and growing — it has been heartwarming to see all of the #IdeaToStore contest entries and the participants’ willingness to put themselves and their ideas, thoughts, and aspirations out in the public domain.

Check out .Store Domains on Instagram to catch up with the contest entries, find out who the grand prize winner and runner-up were (who are now enjoying the benefits of the prizes they won, courtesy of .Store!), and follow for more great entrepreneurial content.