This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
>> Welcome back to the podcast. Our caller today hails from Mumbai, India. All the way in India, I was just there a couple of months ago, although not in Mumbai. The caller has an interesting business idea. They want to create and sell unique handcrafted musical instruments made from recycled materials.
Excited to hear all about this. He's going to explain how he wants to source and build these instruments and how he plans to market them. Well, actually, now that I'm looking more at the transcript of the question, he needs some help in marketing them. He needs some help in marketing to potential customers. Let's look at that. What can we do to help our caller,
Sagar, source, or at least to market his products around the world? All right. That's part of what he's looking for help with, musical instruments from recycled materials made in India, exported elsewhere. What can we do about it? Let's talk about it in just 30 seconds.
My name is Sagar and I'm calling from Mumbai, India. I'm interested in starting a company that creates and sells unique handcrafted musical instruments made from recycled materials. As someone who is passionate about music and environmental sustainability, I believe this idea could resonate with a wide audience in both India and the West. That said, I have no idea how to market these products. Exporting also seems like a big difficulty in getting started.
What would you suggest? Sagar, thanks for the question. Thanks for listening all the way in Mumbai. Let's break down this question into three categories. Making the instruments, finding the market, also could be creating the market.
We'll talk about that, and the logistics of exporting. Part one, that's going to be all him. I don't know how to make handcrafted instruments, especially those from India, but I presume that Sagar has some idea about that. We're going to focus on parts two and three, finding the market/creating the market and the logistics of exporting. Finding the market, couple things here.
I think Instagram could be useful for market research here. You want to look for some hashtags, follow some hashtags, sustainable music, handcrafted instruments. You probably know more specifically what's best, but follow those hashtags, look and see what is out there, and then start building up an account, commenting on different accounts, using the hashtags that are relevant. That is a little bit of discovery and marketing all in one. I think it's also helpful to participate in forums like Reddit, or groups related to music and sustainability, folk music, again, South Asian music, world music, and so on, on platforms like Reddit or Facebook groups.
Share your ideas and see what people say. Also, as I said, it could be not just finding a market, but creating a market for this. This sounds like a very visual thing. Obviously, it's instruments, so it's auditory, but it seems visual as well. Maybe videos on YouTube, showcasing the making of these instruments and their unique sound.
That could be interesting. Those could also be cross-posted on Instagram, TikTok, and so on. You want to figure out where is that market? How can I reach those people? Then the final part is the logistics of exporting.
Simultaneously, as you are discovering more about the market, how to connect with people. You also want to be doing some research into exporting. Check out the website of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. I noticed for India, they have some basic guidelines in exporting goods, some resources and such. A platform like Shopify may have some resources as well, and you'll probably learn just by doing, right?
So start small. Maybe focus on trying to get your first couple of sales while you fine-tune the process. Maybe even focus on selling within India before you go to the global market. Use that time to gather some customer testimonials and product reviews, and then see where you can go from there. But Sagar, thank you for the question.
I'm cheering you on. Listeners always in your corner as well. I hope this podcast is helpful to you. Let me know how we can improve. sidehustleschool.com.
Some free resources there. New episode tomorrow and every single day after that. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
