Thought the whole 'customer journey' thing was buzzword nonsense, but it saved my side project

Oscar Craig · 2026-04-23T12:10:05.348297+00:00

I ran a little woodworking side gig out of my garage for 2 years, mostly selling cutting boards and small furniture at local markets. I kept wondering why people would compliment my stuff but never buy. A friend who runs a legit Etsy shop told me to map out their 'customer journey' from first seeing my booth to pulling out their wallet, and I thought it was corporate fluff. After I actually wrote it down, I realized I was missing a clear pricing display and a simple way to take card payments, not Venmo. Adding a Square reader and a big sign with prices tripled my sales at the next market. Has anyone else had a buzzword they hated actually fix a real problem?

pat_park5mo ago

Yeah @noahjenkins nailed it, simple pricing signs literally pay for themselves.

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abbyc335mo ago

Hold on, is a pricing sign and a card reader really the secret sauce to EVERYTHING? It sounds like you just needed better basics, not some deep marketing theory. I mean, I'm glad it worked for you, but calling that a "customer journey" feels like overkill for what amounts to simple business sense.

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noahjenkins5mo ago

The pricing sign is the simplest fix nobody thinks about until they map it out. Most people won't ask how much something costs because it feels awkward, so they just walk away. Adding a Square reader was the move that changed everything for my buddy's BBQ pop-up stand too.

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