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Biophase - Introducing My Ecommerce/Amazon Business Coaching Program

Tiger TT

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Yes, this would work. It can be done. You can have samples shipped to wherever you are and have production shipped to the warehouse. You can have everything shipped to an Amazon warehouse directly. But I don't recommend that.

Thank you for the reply. I'm watching this thread, so I'll know when you are available again.
 

Tiger TT

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Ugh...this is such a common misconception! You won't find many articles online about this, but maybe I should write one?

Most of the location independent crowd, in my opinion, gets it a little wrong. They look for services, usually, that they can perform abroad.

I think the smarter way to go about it, is, how do I set up my business in order for me to be able to leave for extended periods of time? What can I do to provide value, and maximize my profits, yet still be location independent.

Biophase is a great example of having a warehouse, employee(s), yet having the freedom to go wherever he wants.

Essentially, in the beginning, yeah, you won't be location independent. However, if location independence is what you want, you can structure your business in such a way where runs with out you.

After all, what are employees for, anyway?

You should definitely write an article about this, because I couldn't find any on Google. Every search result was about services that you could perform abroad as you said.
 

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biophase

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You should definitely write an article about this, because I couldn't find any on Google. Every search result was about services that you could perform abroad as you said.

There aren't any articles about this, because this is what many normal businesses are like. Do you ever hear employees say, the owner of the company is never here. Or he comes in once a week? Guess what? The reason is because the owner set up the business and put people in place for day to day operations. He does not need to actually be in the office because he can do his work from a laptop. So theoretically, he could be anywhere in the world. But he probably isn't because he doens't want to be, he likes his home, he's married, has kids, etc... so he's at home close by his company... but he COULD be location independent if he wanted to.
 

biophase

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I'd like to get on the waiting list for the next round, if that is allowed.

There's already a decent number of people on the waiting list from the first round. I'll open this up for sign ups on this thread when I'm taking submissions again.
 

biophase

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@biophase, how's the group doing so far?

The group is doing pretty well. With many in the group, we've identified and found a product. Surprisingly, many found a product fairly quickly. All it took was a matter of looking elsewhere, or searching in a different direction. For instance, instead of scouring Jungle scout and staring at numbers, I asked them to think about their interests and hobbies and then branch out from there. Once we went in that direction, we were able to find pretty good non-competitive niches.

A couple people are in the sample ordering process right now and it's only been about 10 days!
 
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Tiger TT

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There aren't any articles about this, because this is what many normal businesses are like. Do you ever hear employees say, the owner of the company is never here. Or he comes in once a week? Guess what? The reason is because the owner set up the business and put people in place for day to day operations. He does not need to actually be in the office because he can do his work from a laptop. So theoretically, he could be anywhere in the world. But he probably isn't because he doens't want to be, he likes his home, he's married, has kids, etc... so he's at home close by his company... but he COULD be location independent if he wanted to.

Thanks again. I'm really excited about this. I will be checking out every post in this thread.
 

Dan1el

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Looking forward for more spots to be open @biophase!

If youre serious I believe this is a great investment in not only your business, but in yourself as well.
 

Tiger TT

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@biophase I'm living in Eastern Europe, so I have a question related to added costs of living in Eastern Europe and selling on Amazon USA.

I will have 2 additional costs, which are:

1. Since I will order from China to Eastern Europe and then send the products to USA, I will have additional shipping costs. Will this prevent me from doing this or is it a minor problem?

2. In order to do this I will have to rent a warehouse in a special area called "tax free zone" in my country. The price for a 200m2 warehouse is $1000/month.

Can I still sell on Amazon USA?

Thanks.
 
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biophase

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@biophase I'm living in Eastern Europe, so I have a question related to added costs of living in Eastern Europe and selling on Amazon USA.

I will have 2 additional costs, which are:

1. Since I will order from China to Eastern Europe and then send the products to USA, I will have additional shipping costs. Will this prevent me from doing this or is it a minor problem?

2. In order to do this I will have to rent a warehouse in a special area called "tax free zone" in my country. The price for a 200m2 warehouse is $1000/month.

Can I still sell on Amazon USA?

Thanks.

1) I would have my first order sent to my home in Eastern Europe. This is so you can inspect and verify that your factory is doing a decent job. However, after 1 or 2 orders, if everything is going ok, I would have the orders shipped directly to the USA. I would not ship to an FBA warehouse, but to a third party warehouse and have them open and inspect everything and count everything. Then have them ship to Amazon FBA.

2) You probably won't need this warehouse at all. Also, if your chosen product happens to be small you can store it at home. I think you can get out of VAT if you can show the product is going to be exported.

Two of my clients currently are from Europe. When I was in Australia last year, I met people living there that sold in Amazon USA. People in China are selling on Amazon. So your location is just a small bump in the road.
 

Tiger TT

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1) I would have my first order sent to my home in Eastern Europe. This is so you can inspect and verify that your factory is doing a decent job. However, after 1 or 2 orders, if everything is going ok, I would have the orders shipped directly to the USA. I would not ship to an FBA warehouse, but to a third party warehouse and have them open and inspect everything and count everything. Then have them ship to Amazon FBA.

2) You probably won't need this warehouse at all. Also, if your chosen product happens to be small you can store it at home. I think you can get out of VAT if you can show the product is going to be exported.

Two of my clients currently are from Europe. When I was in Australia last year, I met people living there that sold in Amazon USA. People in China are selling on Amazon. So your location is just a small bump in the road.

Thanks for the detailed response. I appreciate it.

I talked with a consultant from the chamber of commerce that's located in my city, and she told me that I have to rent a warehouse in the "tax free zone" area. Otherwise I will have to pay taxes, but I won't be able to get the tax back from the government. I can get a smaller (100m2) warehouse for $500.

So as far as I understand, having a warehouse in the USA inspect everything is cheaper than shipping to Europe, inspecting the products myself and then sending the products to Amazon USA. Is this correct?

I'm just trying to understand whether this will be profitable or not for someone living in Eastern Europe.

It would be nice if one of your clients from Europe told us how much his or her shipping costs are. I did some research on Google regarding the shipping costs, but could not find reliable information. It looks like the shipping costs are the same, but this may be wrong.
 
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Insaint

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So as far as I understand, having a warehouse in the USA inspect everything is cheaper than shipping to Europe, inspecting the products myself and then sending the products to Amazon USA. Is this correct?

Definitely. Unless you are selling tiny lightweight products shipping will eat you alive. An FBA prepping warehouse will be a lot cheaper and it means less work for you as well.

I'm just trying to understand whether this will be profitable or not for someone living in Eastern Europe.

Of course it can be. It doesn't matter where you live. Would it be easier if you lived in the US? Sure, but not that much easier.

It would be nice if one of your clients from Europe told us how much his or her shipping costs are. I did some research on Google regarding the shipping costs, but could not find reliable information. It looks like the shipping costs are the same, but this may be wrong.

For me the shipping costs from China -> Europe or Europe -> US or China -> US are about the same. So my shipping costs are roughly double that of someone living in the US. But like Biophase said: get the first 1-2 orders delivered to your house for a thorough inspection. Take the extra shipping cost hit and when you are satisfied with the quality and demand of your product find an FBA prepper and ship new orders directly from China to the US.

Note that I have only used express shipping so far. I have no idea about sea/air freight costs, but I imagine they will be pretty similar. I also haven't used an FBA prepper yet, but I expect I will need one in 1-2 months time.

If the warehouse is a deal breaker you can hire a top inspection service for your first orders. If they confirm the quality of the goods you can ship them straight to a US FBA prepper. Though to be honest I would rather see the goods myself first.
 
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Torobaro

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It would be tougher, but not much harder. Many people in AUS sell on Amazon USA. Also, 2 of the clients from the first round are from Europe. Timezone won't be an issue.

@biophase I'm living in Eastern Europe, so I have a question related to added costs of living in Eastern Europe and selling on Amazon USA.

I will have 2 additional costs, which are:

1. Since I will order from China to Eastern Europe and then send the products to USA, I will have additional shipping costs. Will this prevent me from doing this or is it a minor problem?

2. In order to do this I will have to rent a warehouse in a special area called "tax free zone" in my country. The price for a 200m2 warehouse is $1000/month.

Can I still sell on Amazon USA?

Thanks.

Reading these threads an idea just popped into my head. What about doing a course targeted at people living in Europe?

The purpose of the course being selling products that are already working at Amazon USA to sell them in at Amazon Spain, France, Italy etc...

Maybe products that can't be sold from the States due to any given reason.

I don´t know if what I´m proposing is a course, a licensing deal or nothing at all.

Thanks!
 

Insaint

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The purpose of the course being selling products that are already working at Amazon USA to sell them in at Amazon Spain, France, Italy etc...

The main problem with this is that while the combined turnover on these marketplaces is pretty high (though still quite a bit lower than Amazon US) you have to deal with a different language for each country. Providing decent customer support will be very difficult.
 

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@biophase This is such a newbie question, but I really couldn't find the "message" button, to send you a PM.

I am looking for a different kind of mentoring and was wondering if you'll be able to offer it.
I am on track to making 300-350K in revenue on Amazon this year (first full year operating there, second full year in ecommerce),
but am struggling in taking my business to the next level. I think it's a mindset thing, and have always believed in learning from other people, who are already succeeding. Are you (or will you be) offering a program/course/mentoring for people who are already
"up and running"?
 
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Niptuck MD

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@biophase

Hope you are doing well. I am ready for spots to open up! Cant wait best of luck to all!
 

devine

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Hello, Kenric.
Do you still need this ad to be displayed on main page?
Tell me if you need few more days before I post my ad.
 

Tiger TT

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Definitely. Unless you are selling tiny lightweight products shipping will eat you alive. An FBA prepping warehouse will be a lot cheaper and it means less work for you as well.



Of course it can be. It doesn't matter where you live. Would it be easier if you lived in the US? Sure, but not that much easier.



For me the shipping costs from China -> Europe or Europe -> US or China -> US are about the same. So my shipping costs are roughly double that of someone living in the US. But like Biophase said: get the first 1-2 orders delivered to your house for a thorough inspection. Take the extra shipping cost hit and when you are satisfied with the quality and demand of your product find an FBA prepper and ship new orders directly from China to the US.

Note that I have only used express shipping so far. I have no idea about sea/air freight costs, but I imagine they will be pretty similar. I also haven't used an FBA prepper yet, but I expect I will need one in 1-2 months time.

If the warehouse is a deal breaker you can hire a top inspection service for your first orders. If they confirm the quality of the goods you can ship them straight to a US FBA prepper. Though to be honest I would rather see the goods myself first.

@Insaint your reply has been very helpful to me, thank you. I wish you success with your new business.
 
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unorthodox

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Hey @biophase . I hope you do this again in the future.

Is it realistic to assume that a student can rinse &a repeat the skills you tech to make $100k/year?
 

biophase

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@biophase This is such a newbie question, but I really couldn't find the "message" button, to send you a PM.

I am looking for a different kind of mentoring and was wondering if you'll be able to offer it.
I am on track to making 300-350K in revenue on Amazon this year (first full year operating there, second full year in ecommerce),
but am struggling in taking my business to the next level. I think it's a mindset thing, and have always believed in learning from other people, who are already succeeding. Are you (or will you be) offering a program/course/mentoring for people who are already
"up and running"?

Hi Ron,

I'm sorry for the late replies to this thread. Seems that I missed a whole bunch of posts in the middle of this thread. Sure, this offer applies to anyone that I think that I can help. It sounds like you are doing a decent job so far. I have PMs turned off as I was getting too many PMs and questions to respond to. I'll send you a PM.
 
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biophase

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Hello, Kenric.
Do you still need this ad to be displayed on main page?
Tell me if you need few more days before I post my ad.

I'm not sure what you mean by displayed on the main page?
 

biophase

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Hey @biophase . I hope you do this again in the future.

Is it realistic to assume that a student can rinse &a repeat the skills you tech to make $100k/year?

Yes, this is why my focus is on production selection and thinking about how to select a product. But also, you have to think about your second, third and fourth products. For example, if your first product is a water bottle, what would your second product be? It can't be a silicone tray. That would make no sense. So, once you pick your first product, you should already have product 2,3,4 etc mapped out.
 

Niptuck MD

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Yes me too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Mr_Maravish

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Hey Kenric,

When you build your ecommerce store through shopify or bigcommerce do you opt for premium themes as part of the startup costs or only do so when you are profitable.

I'm debating this as I find that I am spending too much time trying to get the site to look the way I want with a free theme, when a premium theme makes it so much easier but they range between $140-180
 

biophase

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Hey Kenric,

When you build your ecommerce store through shopify or bigcommerce do you opt for premium themes as part of the startup costs or only do so when you are profitable.

I'm debating this as I find that I am spending too much time trying to get the site to look the way I want with a free theme, when a premium theme makes it so much easier but they range between $140-180

I usually go with the free theme. I'm at the point where I can take a simple theme and make enough code changes for it to look how I like. If you like and want a premium theme, just go buy it. Would $180 really set you back that much in your business?

I just haven't liked a theme enough to buy it. I like my ecommerce stores to be simple and clean.
 

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You read the title correctly, I am offering coaching and mentoring in Ecommerce. In the past few years a few people on this forum have asked me if I do any mentoring. I’ve always thought about it and eventually declined because I was busy working on my own businesses. But I feel that now I have enough time to successfully offer this. So after careful consideration, I’ve decided to offer this to the forum. I would not be offering this if I felt that I could not deliver massive value.

I am going to keep this very short as I’m not an internet marketer and don’t know how to make a landing page that has all the big fonts, cool colors and testimonials. I won’t make you hit the page down button 20 times to get to the price or offer button.

So here it is, the cost is $6500 for 3 months, then a reduced monthly rate TBD afterwards.

This is a One on One coaching program. There is no set course, no PDFs or ebooks. You get my phone number and email address, skype, etc. and can directly contact me during the day.

Here are some things that will be covered:
  1. Product selection – This is the most important choice you can make as it will shape your business in the month’s to come. We are not picking any AMZ seller products. We will be hand choosing products that have little or no competition and likely will not have many in the future.
  2. Importing your product
  3. Everything Amazon – Everything you need to know about selling on Amazon. We will not be using any review groups to launch.
  4. Everything Ecommerce – I will help you set up your own ecommerce store on Shopify or Bigcommerce. You will need your own store as we are building a real business, not an Amazon business. We will go over inventory management, capital management and use of debt.
  5. Photography – I will teach you how to take photos with your smart phone and edit them with free editing software.
  6. General value add strategy – Changing your thought process to care about value vs. profit
As this is a coaching program, we can talk about anything else you’d like. I will give you my advice based on my years of experience in other fields such as work/life balance, time management, lifestyle design, real estate, etc.

After 3 months, we should be to the point where you will have a product/niche chosen for your new business. You will have gone through the sample/import process to order your product.

You will have learned how to create your ecommerce store, modify the templates, get a payment processor, take product photos, edit product photos, etc.

Your first import order should have arrived or be on its way. We will have prepared your Amazon listing ahead of time and created your ecommerce store and have also identified a strategy to kick start orders without doing giveaways.

3 months is not a lot of time. It may take us one month to find a worthy product. This is not a get rich quick process. It requires steady and consistent hard work.

You should also have at least $2,500 (preferably $5,000) to spend on your first inventory order. So you will need between $9,000 and $11,500 to successfully fund this program.

If you end up with a business that is making $750-$2500 a month with one product on Amazon after 6 months, I would call our time together a huge success. We are not trying to find you a $10,000/mo product. We will find a decent product that is profitable and relatively easy to sell with little or no competition. I want to make your life easier and lower its stress, not help you battle in the trenches of Amazon warfare. If you want to do that, just save your money and start a supplement company. :)

I am trying to teach you skills that you can use to replicate what we’ve done. I am teaching you how to think, not what to think or what to do. Therefore, if you have one decent product, you can find another one.

UPDATE As of September 1, 2016, I have removed the link to signing up as I all the spots are taken. I will update this thread when spots become available.


Hi -

I hate it that I missed out on this offer. I've been reading books and studying about this sector for a while, but there's nothing like getting advice from a professional like yourself. Please let me know once this offer comes back!

Thanks for giving back to the community!
 

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