If you’ve been reading my posts, thank you. You’ve seen a lot of philosophical stuff about happiness, time, courage and more.
But now I’m going to get specific. I’m getting into how I made my money: selling products on Amazon. We won’t start with tips, strategies or action plans.
We’re starting with philosophy.
That’s my style. I need to get inside things and understand how they work. So I won’t give you shallow information like “do this, do that” without first helping you understand why you’re doing it.
Your First Product
We’re not talking about your first product yet. That’s a topic for another post. We won’t talk about the market, branding or advertising or any of that.
I want to know where your head is.
Where are you personally? What’s going on between your ears? Are you prepared for hard work and a big challenge? If not, go no further.
The first months will be hard, but they’ll get easier.
Launching an Amazon business is like launching a plane. At first, it takes maximum power to push the plane down the runway to takeoff speed. The engines roar. Passengers are shoved to the backs of their seats. Timid fliers dread this moment.
But once the plane has reached cruising altitude, everything quiets. The engines maintain a steady hum. The plane glides along smoothly. The pilot relaxes.
You’ll have the same experience, provided you don’t crash and burn. Your first weeks and months will involve tough decisions, long hours and anxiety. But if you stay strong and power through, you’ll have the best job in the world.
Your products will make regular money. Your business will need maintenance but not a major repair. You’ll spend your energy diversifying into new products.
Head, Heart, and Stomach
In addition to having your head in the right place, you need to have your heart ready.
This will take passion and pride. It will be an expression of who you are. You will do it out of love for your family, friends and yourself. Otherwise, you’ll never accomplish what’s big and difficult.
And your stomach had better be tough. Gut checks will be plentiful. Ask yourself if you’re prepared for the worst case scenario.
What if your product fails to sell? What if you get ripped off? What if you make a mistake and have to pay for it?
I’ll give you every tool I can, but even I stumble sometimes. That’s business and life. Is your stomach ready for some adversity?
If you’re prepared for the worst case scenario, you won’t fail. It can’t get worse than what you imagined, and it should be better.
Time and Money
Don’t we all need more of those two things?
You need to check your budget and your calendar. Your Amazon business will become something that pays you steadily, but you’ll be paying it first.
It won’t take as much as other businesses. You don’t need a building, furniture, signs or employees. You will need to buy the product and advertise.
Don’t expect income right away. Be ready to live off what you’re making now minus business expenses for at least three months. If you can’t afford to do that, your plane won’t reach cruising altitude.
It will also take your time. I worked 12-14 hours a day to start, but I did it the hard way. I had no road map and took every wrong turn I could until I found the right way. I beat my head against a brick wall until I broke through. The wall, that is.
If you work eight hours a day, be ready to spend another four when you get home. This will be your life for a while. Keep in mind an image of what success will look like during those long days.
Shortly you’ll have control over your income, schedule, and workplace. But for now, you’re grunt labor.
Do you think you have your head, heart and stomach in the right state to get your Amazon business off the ground? Let’s do this thing, then.
If you never give up, you’ll never lose.
Photo: Getty Images
John this was a lot of good advice. For such a young man you are very insightful