Remember when you were young and dreamed of opening up that store one day or starting that business? For many retirees, there is no time like the present. Many retired people still like to keep themselves active and busy, and what better way to do that than realizing a passion you’ve always had? For some people, this may seem like a daunting task, but the internet has made it much easier to open up shop from the comfort of your home. And the start-up costs are also much more affordable than doing it the brick-and-mortar way.

Still, opening a store online, whether you’d describe yourself as tech-savvy or not, can be challenging if you don’t know the correct steps to take. The good news is that today, we’re going to walk you through it all in this beginner’s guide to building an online presence and finally pursuing that post-retirement passion project (that could also earn you some bucks).

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1) Choose your passion project

Deciding what to sell is the first step in setting up an online store. Perhaps you’ve already known the answer to this for a long time, and that’s what inspired the store in the first place. But if you’re not quite sure, consider your expertise, interests and what’s in demand in the market.

For retirees, it’s often beneficial to choose products or services that align with your passions or past experiences, as it’s not just something you’re interested in but, by now, you’re likely already an expert in it, too. And, being an expert in your niche will help you establish yourself as a trusted authority in the industry, which is something that potential customers look for.

And, it’s not just products you can sell; you can also sell services like coaching or consulting or even create a blog that can be monetized. The options are endless, but it’s important to have some direction before you get started.

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A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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2) Identify your target audience

Knowing what you want to sell is one thing, but knowing who to sell it to is another. Understanding who your potential customers are is essential for effective marketing and product development. Therefore, take some time to research and understand your target demographic. Consider factors such as age, gender, location, interests and purchasing behavior. A good idea is to start off in your own community.

If you know anyone who would be interested, talk to them and see who they can connect you with. You can even create a research survey to get feedback on your audience and what they are looking for. In fact, some people do this step first if they are not sure what to sell but are certain they want to start an online store.

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3) Ideas for online stores and businesses you can create

When it comes to doing your passion project online, the options are endless. But if you’re not sure, there are various types of online stores you can establish to cater to diverse needs and preferences. Start with an idea that you are passionate about. Below are some examples:

E-commerce store: This is the most common type of online store, where you can sell physical products ranging from clothing and electronics to groceries and furniture.

Digital products store: If you specialize in creating digital goods such as e-books, software, music or online courses, you can set up a digital products store to distribute your creations.

Subscription box service: Subscription-based businesses are gaining popularity, offering curated boxes of products delivered to customers’ doorstep on a recurring basis. Examples include beauty boxes, snack boxes and pet subscription services.

Marketplace platform: Instead of selling your own products, you can create a marketplace platform where multiple vendors can list and sell their items. Etsy and eBay are prime examples of successful marketplace platforms.

Service-based store: Beyond physical and digital products, you can offer various services through an online store, such as consulting, tutoring, freelance services or event planning.

Dropshipping store: With dropshipping, you can sell products without holding inventory. When a customer makes a purchase, the order is fulfilled by a third-party supplier who ships the product directly to the customer.

Print-on-demand store: This model allows you to sell custom-designed merchandise, such as T-shirts, mugs and phone cases, without the need for inventory. Products are created and shipped on demand.

Membership-based store: Create a store where customers pay a membership fee to access exclusive products, discounts or content. This model fosters customer loyalty and recurring revenue.

Blog: Combine content creation with e-commerce by creating a blog where you share valuable information or insights related to your niche, such as health and exercise, and integrate it with an online store to sell related products or services.

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4) Choose a website builder

Selecting the right website builder is crucial if you are looking to set up an online store. A good website builder should have a user-friendly interface and customizable templates, making it accessible even to those who aren’t tech-savvy. Look for a platform that requires no coding knowledge and offers a variety of professionally designed templates that can be easily customized to create a unique and visually appealing website for your online store.

Additionally, the website builder should offer built-in e-commerce features, making it easy to manage inventory, process payments and track orders all in one place. Before you start building your online store, you’ll need to select a plan that best suits your needs and budget. Many website builders offer a range of plans, from free options with basic features to premium plans with advanced e-commerce capabilities.

Consider factors such as storage, bandwidth and the number of products you plan to sell when choosing a plan. If you’re just starting out, you may want to start with a basic plan and upgrade as your business grows. With flexible pricing options, you can easily scale up your plan as needed to accommodate your growing online store.

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Father and son looking at tablet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

5) Pick a website name, domain name, hosting provider

Choosing the right name and domain for your online store is crucial as it’s the first thing customers will see and remember about your brand. Your name should be catchy, memorable and reflective of your brand identity. When selecting a domain, try to keep it simple and easy to spell to ensure that potential customers can easily find and remember your website.

You can use various domain search tools to check the availability of your desired domain name and explore different options until you find the perfect match for your online store. While some platforms offer free domains, upgrading to a premium plan often allows you to connect your own domain and remove any platform-specific branding from your URL.

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6) Design your website for success

Now, it’s time to start designing your website. There are many platforms that offer a wide range of professionally designed templates that you can customize to create a unique and visually appealing online store. Choose a template that best fits your brand identity and industry, then use the platform’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor to customize it to your liking. 

Add your logo, change colors and fonts and rearrange elements to create a website that reflects your brand personality and effectively showcases your products or services. A good tip is to start off simple; you can always add to your design as you go.

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7) Decide on what pages to include on your site

When building your online store, blog or business, you’ll want to have useful pages on your website. This not only helps people find your website, but once they are there, it gives them all the information they need.

Common pages for an online store include a home page, product or service pages, an “about us” page, a contact page and a blog (unless, of course, this is the focus of your site, in which case the blog page may be the home page). Generally speaking, the fewer steps it takes for someone to engage in a call to action the better.

You may also want to consider adding pages for shipping and return policies, FAQs and customer testimonials to build trust and credibility with your audience, as well as a privacy policy, disclaimer, regulatory compliance and other legal notices.

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Illustration of various pages to use on your site (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

8) Familiarize yourself with SEO to stand out

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a buzzword that you may have heard going around. SEO is essential for driving organic traffic to your online store and improving your visibility in search engine results. You can optimize your website for search engines by adding relevant keywords to your content, optimizing your meta tags and descriptions, and improving your site’s loading speed and mobile responsiveness. Many website builders offer built-in SEO tools and guides to help you optimize your website for search engines and improve your chances of ranking higher in search results.

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9) Consider email marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience, promoting your products or services and driving sales for your online store. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you already have email contacts, consider reaching out to them to tell them about your project. Most people want to support their friends and family with their pursuits, even if it’s just by spreading the word.

Otherwise, in order to collect more emails, consider offering a discount or incentive in exchange for signing up for your email list to encourage visitors to subscribe, like an e-book or a downloadable such as a brochure. Then use an email marketing platform to design and send professional-looking emails that direct them to products, services or blog posts on your website.

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What else to consider

The above are some of the most common steps to opening an online store, but it will look different for everyone. There may be steps you skip and steps you add, and some good advice is to perhaps talk to other retirees you know who have already done it. Maybe they have some suggestions, especially if there’s anything they can share that they wish they had known before they started down that path.

When launching a website, you have a variety of choices to suit your specific needs, whether you’re seeking simplicity, customization or advanced features. Explore these top website builders to find the perfect fit for your online presence: Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify and WordPress. Learn more about these options by clicking here.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Starting an online shop or launching a website for your passion project might seem a little overwhelming, but many of these sites have wizards, resources and customer support teams that can help. Once you get started, you’ll be on your way to running your online store or project while enjoying your retirement.

Have you started an online store or blog? What was your experience? If you haven’t, is it something you would consider? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed a groundbreaking method to cover robotic surfaces with genuine, living skin tissue. The idea of robots with skin isn’t just about creating a more lifelike appearance. This innovation opens up a world of possibilities, from more realistic prosthetics to robots that can seamlessly blend into human spaces. 

As we delve into the details of this research, we’ll uncover how these scientists are bridging the gap between artificial and biological systems, potentially revolutionizing fields ranging from health care to human-robot interaction.

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What’s the big deal?

We’re talking about robots that not only look human-like but also have skin that can heal, sweat and even tan. This isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about creating robots that can interact more naturally with humans and their environment.

Illustration of the tissue-fixation method (Shoji Takeuchi’s research group at the University of Tokyo) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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How does it work?

The secret lies in something called “perforation-type anchors.” These clever little structures are inspired by the way our own skin attaches to the tissues underneath. Essentially, they allow living tissue to grow into and around the robot’s surface, creating a secure bond.

The researchers used a combination of human dermal fibroblasts and human epidermal keratinocytes to create this living skin. They cultured these cells in a carefully prepared mixture of collagen and growth media, allowing the tissue to mature and form a structure similar to human skin.

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Evaluation of the perforation-type anchors to hold tissue (Shoji Takeuchi’s research group at the University of Tokyo) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The minds behind the innovation

This groundbreaking research was conducted at the Biohybrid Systems Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi. The team’s work is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in robotics and bioengineering.

Demonstration of the perforation-type anchors to cover the facial device (Shoji Takeuchi’s research group at the University of Tokyo) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Building a face that can smile

One of the coolest demonstrations of this technology is a robotic face covered with living tissue that can actually smile. The researchers created a system where the skin-covered surface can be moved to mimic facial expressions.

To achieve this, they designed a robotic face with multiple parts, including a base with perforation-type anchors for both a silicone layer and the dermis equivalent. This silicone layer mimics subcutaneous tissue, contributing to a more realistic smiling expression.

The smiling robotic face (Shoji Takeuchi’s research group at the University of Tokyo) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Challenges and solutions

Getting living tissue to stick to a robot isn’t as easy as it sounds. The team had to overcome issues like making sure the tissue could grow into the anchor points properly. They even used plasma treatment to make the surface more “tissue-friendly.”

The researchers also had to consider the size and arrangement of the anchors. Through finite element method simulations, they found that larger anchors provided more tensile strength, but there was a trade-off with the area they occupied.

Engineered skin tissue (Shoji Takeuchi’s research group at the University of Tokyo) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Why this matters

This technology could be a game-changer for fields like prosthetics and humanoid robotics. Imagine prosthetic limbs that look and feel just like real skin or robots that can interact with humans in more natural ways.

The ability to create skin that can move and express emotions opens up new possibilities for human-robot interaction. It could lead to more empathetic and relatable robotic assistants in various fields, from health care to customer service.

The smiling robotic face (Shoji Takeuchi’s research group at the University of Tokyo) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Kurt’s key takeaways

While we’re still a long way from seeing robots with fully functional living skin walking among us, this research from the University of Tokyo opens up exciting possibilities. It’s a step towards creating robots that blur the line between machines and living organisms.

As we continue to advance in this field, we’ll need to grapple with the technical challenges and ethical implications of creating increasingly lifelike machines. Future research might focus on improving the durability of living skin, enhancing its ability to heal or even incorporating sensory capabilities. One thing’s for sure: The future of robotics is looking more human than ever.

How do you think society will react to robots that look and feel more human-like? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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