Setting up your own Instagram Business in Jamaica 2024

To setup an online/ IG business you’ll need just 3 things.

1. A business idea
2. Smart phone with a good or better camera
3. Bank account and able to access your
   account online
4. Delivery system

So before we dig into the what steps to take here is something useful to know..

Starting an online business has more advantages than you think. The first and most important is that it allows you to setup what is called an M.V.P. which stands for minimal viable product.

So the short version is this; an M.V.P. is a great way to test your business ideas with little to no cost to you. In fact, you can just post pictures of the product or services online and see how your potential customers respond.

To give you more detail, that means is this you can setup a business with limited to no resources and see if people buy your product or service.

This means you wouldn’t have to go through all the trouble of registering your business, getting a TCC(Tax Compliant Certificate), and doing all that just to find out that nobody wants to buy your product or service, to buy or that the idea wasn’t as great as you thought. Only end up stuck with all the expenses that come with that process.

So now that you understand the advantages let’s get into what you came here for.

Step 1.The Name Of Your Porduct Or Service

When picking a name for your business, especially for online business its needs to be searchable. What do I mean? What products or services you provide should be in the business name. Example Keisha’s_ hair&nails , clothingtags_ja , party&events_Armbands, just to name a few.

With this your business will pop up in the search bar when people are searching for those types of business on social media like Instagram or tiktok and using Hashtags will also help when posting.

Hashtags basically word you would use when searching for things only examples of this are (motivation) #motivation #facesoap ( facesoap) #yonicare( yoni care)only difference is hashtags don’t have spaces between one or more words.

Step 2. Receiving Payment

It is common practice going to sell a product or service to receive proper payment in quick and efficient manner, and with additional technology in the banking section it is better than ever to transact business with just the touch of your fingertips.

For us here in Jamaica the most popular banks are;

-National Commercial Bank ( NCB)

-Bank of nova scotia ( BNS)

-First Caribbean

Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB)

Just to name a few

Now most people would use NCB since its the most popular the choice is up to you really. Just make sure that bank you choose have a reliable only platform that makes it easy for you to check your account when customers make purchases.

Each and has their own signing-up process but for me JMMB is the easiest to join since they are a new bank they let you sign up with the least possible effort when compared to other banks.

Step 3.1

Create a Instagram and Tiktok account if you don’t know how to use either you can go on YouTube and learn. It may take some doing but we’ll worth it or if you have someone who can help you then that’s an option too.

Now that you have the social media page

Find videos, and images if your product/ service so people can see it.

For TikTok post at least one a day this will grow your following and help you to grows faster. Now if you are looking for more results faster then its ideal to post 5 time daily for every platform.

Setp 3.2

For your minimum viable product (MVP) keep in mind you only need to show people its available and price it accordingly to make a profit. I say if you get 10 people to buy then you have a business.

If you are wondering what to do with your new found customers then its simple fill the orders you have using the system you created and set delivery dates that allow you enough time to catch up if things go wrong and still deliver on time.

Step 4. Delivery system

Here in Jamaica, we have quite a few delivery systems the most popular being Knutsford Express and Zipmail ( Post office)

The main difference being time and finding a delivery location nearest to the customer.

Knustford Express deliveries in anywhere from 1 day to 2 days max depending on which side of the island your are. This makes it a faster but isn’t everywhere yet.

As such it may be easier for someone customer to find a post office so Zipmail would be easier for them since every parish has a post office or postal agency, however, the post office has its own issues.

Some days where those lines cost you a whole day to send off your pages though it may be cheaper for you and your customer the it might also be an hassel at times.

Or use a delivery service like Doorway Express, Velocity Courier or some other private delivery service. Try out a few then see which works best for you as private services may cost more money to use.

With all this done you finally have you own online business setup and you can focus on learning and building your business.