MyPaintedShoes
About the Company
Smieon Mo is the founder of MyPaintedShoes, a custom shoe painting business based in Hong Kong. Launched over a decade ago, MyPaintedShoes was one of the first online platforms for selling hand-painted shoes. Smieon collaborates with a team of three skilled artists to create unique, stylish, and personalized custom-painted shoes.
MyPaintedShoes generates about $4K in monthly revenue, with Smieon handling the artistic and operational aspects of the business. The company has evolved its offerings from hand-painted canvas shoes to include hand-painted leather shoes, adapting to market trends and customer preferences.
Idea Behind Company
Smieon's passion for painting canvas shoes began during his student years, leading to the creation of MyPaintedShoes in 2013. With a background in e-commerce, setting up the online store using Zen-cart was straightforward. The website, though simple, was designed to ensure secure payments, prompt order processing, and clear product presentation.
Smieon continuously seeks suggestions for improving his website, offering a free pair of custom shoes for valuable feedback. His focus has always been on the art itself, which has driven the development and growth of MyPaintedShoes.
Creating the Company
In the niche market of hand-painted shoes, Smieon leveraged his e-commerce knowledge to quickly gain visibility online. Shortly after launching, Google indexed the website, and image-sharing strategies on platforms like Pinterest and Flickr helped attract traffic. This approach led to receiving the first customer order within a month and a steady flow of daily orders thereafter.
Smieon emphasizes the importance of having like-minded friends to learn and grow together when starting a business. Despite the initial low order volume, his passion for drawing and continuous promotional efforts kept the business afloat and growing over the years.
Launching the Business
The launch process involved optimizing the website for search engines and creating a user-friendly experience. Smieon focused on SEO, generating external links through image sharing, social media, and blog posts. Despite periods of low order volume and thoughts of giving up, his passion for drawing kept him going.
By 2020, the keyword "hand-painted shoes" reached the first page of Google search results, significantly increasing daily order volumes. However, handling the surge in orders required long hours of drawing and eventually hiring an assistant to help meet demand.
Earnings
MyPaintedShoes generates $48K annually, with revenue coming primarily from custom orders. The business faced challenges in scaling due to the handmade nature of the products, requiring Smieon to work long hours to meet demand. The introduction of hand-painted leather shoes in 2021 helped adapt to changing market trends and maintain business growth.
Despite increased competition and fluctuating natural search rankings, MyPaintedShoes remains profitable. Smieon’s dedication to creating unique, high-quality custom shoes and managing an effective online presence continues to attract and retain customers.
