We know how difficult it is to imagine that you can start a successful business from scratch. How difficult it is to believe in yourself and take action… But with Amazon, it is more than possible to overcome all your fears and create the lifestyle and income you desire. Do you need confirmation of these words? Followise team is happy to share with you real stories of business success on Amazon from OUR students!
Alexander completed his training with us in November 2019 and started trading almost immediately. We asked him several questions: what sales strategy he chose, what results and what plans for the future.
– What were you doing before you decided to run your business on Amazon?
I worked as a freelance graphic designer, to be honest I always had enough orders and still have been thinking about changing activities for a long time. I didn’t want to go to the office, I’m used to freedom and flexibility. I wanted to create my own brand and started looking for small business ideas without a big investment. Suddenly, a good friend of mine told me a positive review of the business on Amazon. I watched several webinars on this topic, read articles, followed Followise free webinar “Business on Amazon. How to earn from $ 70 to $ 470 daily!”, weighed the risks, and finally decided to try.
– What doubts were there?
I was scared to invest… Invest in my training, in the start, in the promotion of my personal brand. What if I don’t burn out and lose money and time? But here I liked that the Internet is full of success stories of businessmen from scratch and that Amazon itself takes on some of the work – delivery, storage, etc.
One of the deciding factors was that the income would be in dollars. This is important for me – I experienced several unexpected leaps in the course and no longer wanted to depend on political and economic situations.
– What sales strategy did you choose and why?
There are several strategies for getting started selling on Amazon. I refused dropshipping because there is a lot of manual work, and, roughly speaking, you are just an intermediary. I wanted to create my own brand and business for the long term. Therefore, I decided to follow the Private Label strategy. Then I was looking for training on Amazon, but after analyzing the market and reviews, I still settled on Followise. I have never regretted it. Almost everything I know is thanks to Alex and the team of business experts. Well, somewhere in December 2019, I already started selling my first product.
By the way, it is important to say that Amazon takes over some of the work. If the budget allows, then I will recommend to spend a little more time on preparing, and immediately to start to work on this strategy.
The Amazon Intelligence course I took will tells how to choose a good product. I sincerely advise you to understand this topic very well – save time and money. The right product is the foundation for future success. I chose kits for children’s creativity. I liked the product itself and I saw prospects in it.
– What were your first steps?
I started with a job that I already knew and mixed it with some new marketing knowledge from the Amazon Intelligence course – so I came up with a logo, a name, the appearance of the packaging… I’m a designer – it was not difficult and at the same time it saved money on such an important part as branding. In general, if you can do something yourself – do it! DO NOT be afraid or lazy. In the beginning, it’s better to allocate money only to the essentials. Otherwise, big financial investments will quickly kill any motivation.
Taking into account Followise experts’ advices, I also read reviews of similar products and realized that packaging must be very reliable, since such products are often delivered in a terrible state and this all negatively affects the seller’s rating.
– What was the amount of the first investments, can you name it?
I tried to be careful with the first investments. It took me about $4,000 for logistics, purchase of goods and the first advertisement. But again, I did all the branding myself.
As I remember now, since I started before the winter holidays, the season of gifts, etc., I made my first order from the supplier for 500 pieces ($ 4.6 for each set). At the same time, at the start of sales, I set a lower price – $ 19.98, and since July of this year I have been trading at $ 22.99. Including FBA fee, referral fee, advertising costs, etc., my margin is about 30% – I think this is pretty good.
– And what were your first sales results on Amazon?
After 1 month, I already ordered a second batch of 500 units. So I – well done, I calculated everything correctly. By the way, a piece of advice that I would give to all beginners: study well the Followise topic of “negotiation rules”. This will help reduce the price from the supplier and, of course, then earn more.
Well, then my third batch was already twice as large. On average, under normal circumstances, without taking into account the seasonality, my sales are somewhere between 500-700 units/month.
Compared to a graphic designer’s salary, of course my income has increased and it continues to grow.
– What advice would you give to those starting their own business on Amazon? For those who have already been inspired by the example of your successful business?
My advice for those starting out is to find a good source of information. Amazon is a real and serious business, but it is also a job. In my opinion, for an all-encompassing introduction to Amazon FBA, the course provided by Followise is hard to beat. Here you plan your schedule yourself, make decisions yourself, choose products and suppliers yourself. Yes, of course, then you yourself deserve a profit, and the best part is that it is in foreign currency! But you yourself bear responsibility for all the losses, if that. Better prepare properly.
– What are your plans for the future of your business?
I got excited and, despite such good results, I still plan to scale. Now I am adding new products, working on expanding the product line.
I am also a member of various Amazon entrepreneurial societies, Facebook groups. Exchange of experience is also very important! But I think I will still seek advice from the Followise experts. I have big plans for my business and I’m not going to waste time on trial and error.
If my experience was useful to someone and inspired to do business, I will be very glad!
