Welcome to Money Making Story,

Today, we’re thrilled to share the story of Elena, who started sourcing products during her maternity leave and scaled her business to $200K in just one year.

In this discussion, we’ll discuss her:

• Top Advice

• A Dream to Take Her Family on a Trip

• The First Steps

• A Strategic Pivot to Online Arbitrage

• Master the Art of Negotiation

• Delegation and Automation

• Adapting to Seasonality and New Strategies

• First-Year Results

• Future Plans

• Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• A Story Worth Reading

Top Advice:

"From zero to $200,000 in revenue, this Amazon FBA entrepreneur proved that persistence, adaptability, and strategic scaling can transform a side hustle into a thriving business—all while juggling a full-time job and new motherhood."

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Starting and scaling a business is a challenging but rewarding journey. Elena, an entrepreneur, shared her incredible story of building an Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) business from scratch, achieving $200,000 in revenue within a year—all while working full-time and navigating the challenges of being a new parent. Here’s a detailed look into her process, key strategies, and lessons learned.

The Beginning: A Dream to Take Her Family on a Trip

In 2022, Elena had a heartfelt goal: take her family, including her parents, grandmother, and aunts, on a dream trip to Europe. An avid travel hacker, she was active in the 10x Travel Facebook Group, where she noticed others leveraging business expenses to rack up travel points. Inspired, she began researching side hustles that could generate substantial monthly expenses.

Her search led her to Amazon FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon), an e-commerce model offering several strategies for success:

• Retail Arbitrage (RA): Buying discounted items from physical stores to resell on Amazon.

• Online Arbitrage (OA): Buying products online at lower prices for resale.

• Wholesale: Purchasing bulk inventory from distributors.

• Brand Direct: Partnering directly with brands to resell their products.

• Private Label: Creating and selling a personal brand’s products.

Despite being just weeks away from giving birth, Elena decided to start with

The First Steps

Despite being at the end of her third trimester, Elena quickly set up her business:

1. Registered a DBA (Doing Business As) and obtained a **tax ID (EIN)*.

2. Opened a business bank account and secured a business credit card.

3. Used apps like SellerAmp to identify profitable products in local retail stores.

Remarkably, she shipped her first box of products to Amazon’s warehouse the day she went into labor. Her first month of RA brought in $1,000 in revenue, though profit margins were slim. By the third month, revenue grew to $7,800 with $1,500 in profit, demonstrating the potential of this model.

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A Strategic Pivot to Online Arbitrage

Elena realized that Retail Arbitrage wasn’t scalable and reinvested her profits in an Amazon FBA course. This course taught her how to transition to Online Arbitrage (OA), where she could source products online from the comfort of her home.

This pivot transformed her business:

• First OA month: $8,325 in revenue and $975 in profit.

• Second OA month: $19,373 in revenue and $4,450 in profit.

• Sixth month: $20,000 in revenue and $4,400 in profit.

Master the Art of Negotiation

Scaling Operations: Delegation and Automation

As her business grew, Elena focused on improving efficiency by:

1. Outsourcing Prep Work:
   Partnering with a prep center to handle inventory preparation and shipping.

2. Hiring Virtual Assistants (VAs):
   Delegating tasks such as product sourcing and email management to VAs in the Philippines.

3. Refining Strategies:
   Concentrating on sourcing high-profit products and building relationships with suppliers.

Despite high expenses in October 2023, these investments paid off. In November, Elena reached $31,000 in revenue with $5,000 in net profit. By December, she achieved $34,000 in revenue and $5,700 in profit, with a peak $51,000 in revenue during Black Friday and the holiday season.

Adapting to Seasonality and New Strategies

One key insight was the seasonality of e-commerce, with most sales occurring during Q3 and Q4. Elena adjusted her efforts accordingly, focusing on sourcing during high-demand periods and diversifying strategies in slower months.

Looking ahead, she plans to transition to Wholesale and Brand Direct models. These approaches offer benefits such as:

• Larger order volumes.

• Reduced sourcing time after initial brand relationships are established.

• Consistent monthly purchases through established vendor agreements.

First-Year Results: Over $200,000 in Revenue

In her first year, Elena’s Amazon FBA business brought in $203,000 in revenue and $34,000 in profit, with much of it reinvested into the business for growth. While not all profits were cash in hand due to expenses like conferences and equipment, the financial success validated her approach.

Future Plans: Scaling to $1 Million in Revenue

To take her business to the next level, Elena is shifting her focus to wholesale and brand direct strategies:

• Wholesale: Purchasing inventory in bulk to secure better pricing and more predictable revenue.

• Brand Direct: Building relationships with brands for exclusive deals.

Her VAs have already contacted over 1,000 brands, opening 20-30 accounts. While the initial setup requires significant effort, these strategies promise long-term scalability and reduced time investment.

Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

1. Consistency is Key:
   "There will be ups and downs, but staying consistent is essential to long-term success."

2. Adaptability Drives Growth:
   "Switching to OA allowed me to scale my business while improving efficiency and profitability."

3. Seasonality Matters:
   "Most sales occur during Q3 and Q4. I now focus on other ventures during slower months to maximize my time."

4. Networking Pays Off:
   "Connecting with others in the industry not only provided valuable insights but also reinforced my belief in the business."

Learn More About Elena

Elena uses business credit cards to access 0% APR promotional periods, effectively turning credit limits into interest-free loans. This strategy enables her to scale her business without tying up personal funds.

Elena’s journey proves that with determination, strategic pivots, and a willingness to invest in education, it’s possible to build a thriving Amazon FBA business—even with a full-time job and a family.

As she looks ahead to her goal of $1 million in annual revenue, Elena’s story serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.

A Story Worth Reading

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