Stay at Home dad: mission be great father/husband and create fastlane business

[LittleJohn]

Haha, yup. There's several people here who have crossed over here. Like I said, the Fastlane is the next step for those that want more...

Boom - so glad i am here.

5+ years is more realistic, unless you've already got some skills under your belt. The last 2 years were my "overnight success". The previous 3 or 4 years were a slow evolution of side hustles, failed business attempts, and falling victims to scams. I started from nothing.

Were you also trying to bring products to market via FBA private label during these first 3-4 years? in other words was it trial and error with fba PL before you hit or was your success there a culmination of those things before that?

Surround yourself with smart people who are doing what you're trying to do. It will shortcut your learning by more than half. My success started when I did this. I learned more in that first month with that group than I had in the previous 4 by myself.

So far forums seem to be the best I got in this regard. MMM and now FLF. MMM more frugal not business oriented but here seems like a whole new world (Disney singing voice )
What group are you referring to? Is that group open for me to join? what other options are you aware of I should know about to continue surrounding myself with smart people doing what im trying to do?

Peers and mentors like people who are taking action. When you execute someone's advice, and you do it immediately, that's the biggest thank you you can give, and it keeps that positive cycle going. As you go, you'll begin to have experience and value to reciprocate and then it's just a big positive feedback loop for everyone involved. You want to wear someone out? Ask their advice repeatedly, and then never do anything with it.

Absolutely man.

This has never happened to me. I don't know anyone else who has ever had this happen to them. It is not common. You seem to be dwelling on it. Move on. You said you reached out to 15? Surely another one responded?

I read this and light bulb went off telling me to check the spam on the email im using to source product. Bam! my supplier has been trying to reach me. Im a moron!
Actually, quite odd for emails to suddenly be deposited in spam from existing address i have been corresponding with but now i know. wont happen again.
The pictures of samples look good. I asked him to send them asap as he suggested yesterday in his most recent message while i sort out how to print whatever is going on the box template he sent me. Im reading about branding now in the MFL book and so Im thinking maybe get this sku in the market with generic white packaging and no logo on box/product etc. and see the traction. Move on branding later, etc. But what the hell do i know for sure now anyway. At least one other seller listing is using pretty generic packaging and they are getting a lot of the sales..

Oddly enough Jungle scout extension not sourcing sales and revenue at this moment for newest sku validation. Ill attribute this as a temporary issue. Combing through the existing listings i still don't see my variation..



@Walter Hay

You got some nerve coming to this forum talking about how you're bootlegging one of the most prominent forum member's stuff. Just buy the damn book.

@Walter Hay
Thank you for your contributions Walter and I hope you are doing well these years after your heart surgery. My FIL went through heart surgery like 14 years ago and had stints about 5 years ago. It scares my wife. I sincerely wish you the best.

It is probably of little value of you for me to tell you that for many books I first google search their title followed by PDF. I would say i have a about a 10-20% success rate doing this. I do apologize for bootlegging but I cant imagine this is an uncommon practice.
Have you found this to be a significant issue? Maybe here lays some opportunity for a new business to stop this stuff form happening.

thank you,
John

 

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[LittleJohn]

LittleJohn: The pictures of samples look good. I asked him to send them asap as he suggested yesterday in his most recent message while i sort out how to print whatever is going on the box template he sent me. Im reading about branding now in the MFL book and so Im thinking maybe get this sku in the market with generic white packaging and no logo on box/product etc. and see the traction. Move on branding later, etc. But what the hell do i know for sure now anyway. At least one other seller listing is using pretty generic packaging and they are getting a lot of the sales..

It's Amazon. You don't even see the packaging until it shows up at your house. People aren't buying based on the packaging, they're buying based on the perceived value of your product compared to the perceived value of similar products. Unless... the niche is so saturated, and your product is no different than anyone else's, and the only way to differentiate is to put a fancy box on it. In which case you probably don't need to be selling that product.

@LittleJohn No need to send the $97 unless you want the latest 2018 edition. If you want to see what you are missing with your obsolete copy, have a look at my post announcing the release: GOLD! - Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

On reading your posts I see someone who needs my labeling book. See link in my signature below.
Walter[/QUOTE]
This seems very contradictory. I WANT to trust Walter May and buy the book now but I dont make decisions without understanding what I am doing and why. I think this is a case of I don't know what I don't know. I also think i am confusing the intent of the word 'labeling' here from 'doing private label' and also 'labeling' as in packaging. Either way im sure its clear i have a lot to learn. It would be great to get clarity on what appears to be contradicting suggestions from two successful private labelers.

On the flip side I need to learn whatever is in Walters labeling book now. I will go buy it after this post and download it and read it today as my supplier is wants to know if I want the sample as it is (with the logo on the product where i very strongly believe the customer will not want the logo) and also I need to figure out how i should treat the packaging. Again, both sets of suggestion as noted above conflict my thought process now. I guess i do make decisions sometimes without knowing the full what and why

I am also thinking my logo and brand name might be shit and have to rethink it to make a strong differentiated brand, etc.

I also feel it is in good conscience to purchase this product since admittedly i didn't do so before with the sourcing book. I am very much in tune with my conscience and I like sleeping good.

 

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[LittleJohn]

Question on getting UPC bar codes. My gut says going 100% legit through GS 1 is the way to go vs. these cheap options on eBay or whatever for 1/100th the price. Agree?

My thought is to invest in 1-10 UPC's through GS1 due to the cost factor now. I figure if I need more I can buy more and the fact that my GS1 'prefix' will be different for the additional bar codes shouldn't impact me negatively or limit me in some way. I also figure starting or changing brand names shouldn't be an issue either in the future going this route.

Also, my current amazon seller name / business is setup as a sole proprietor which based on my research is no problem for getting UPC's but I have to imagine in the future if I do indeed to set up a 'real' business and brand than i would most likely change my seller name to match the brand and still have the ability to use my UPC's even though my brand name is different. (It does kind of seem weird to me that if an AMZ FBA seller created like 2 -3 different brands in different niches there might not be a way to distinguish seller names and brands. Unless I just haven't learned this fully yet)

I realize i am only sharing my thought process on this but I am curious if anyone reading this sees any red flags or can advise me against possible future constraints or limitations i may be setting myself up for.

thank you.
John

 

[LittleJohn]

I'm in a group now, because I went to Scottsdale in February and met some folks.

I see the new thread for early planning of next years meetup...
So crazy as I pointed out there that I just relocated from Chandler, AZ to PA to be near family. Would definitely love to go next year though. Glad to hear it was beneficial for you.

Thank you for your suggestion on the other gal looking for a bi weekly zoom meetup. Engaged..

 

[LittleJohn]

Literally no one will care about your seller name.

Cant people click into a seller name and see all the products sold by that seller? If so, and i had 2 different / unrelated niche brands i dont think that is something i would want.

The only red flags is that you're posting paragraphs about stuff that doesn't matter, and posting almost nothing about your product, your plans to improve it, how you plan to launch on amazon to gain traction, how you're going to market it... i.e. everything that has to do with creating a product and selling it.

The tiny logistical details can all be changed or redone later if it's not exactly right. But if you don't have the product right and you don't have a marketing plan, then you don't have a business at all.

Im not posting about my product and my plan to improve it because that is my end of the business.. As far as launching it my belief is maybe some Amazon PPC if any. I purposely sought a niche / sub niche that is not very competitive and has relatively few sellers to start out. My value skew is a better product that makes installation much more simple and eliminates additional trips to the hardware store once they have the product. I also am offering a color / finish variation that is not only trending in the world but at least one reviewer stated they wanted or created after they bought a competitors. My listing copy will be better because it will address problems people have had vs generic product details and i seek to create the listing so folks can easily compare the value array of 'mine and theirs'.

So at the end of the day the incremental improvement i am doing is pretty easy for someone to do but no one is doing it now that i can tell plus there is relatively low competition in the sub niche.

I figure the worst case is i sell at a break even to liquidate or best case over 100% ROI. Estimated 86% ROI. Of course this is the theory we will see the actual soon enough. Might have to get smacked over the head a few times before i get it right

I ask about the UPC because ill have the sample by Monday and depending on how it checks out i may want to send that in to amazon or at least get the listing up.

 

[LittleJohn]

You're trying to figure out how to manage multiple brands and businesses when you don't even have one product yet. Do you see how backwards that is?

I will say that this is fair enough.
What I am really hearing and taking away is (and this goes for entrepreneurship) is tackle whats in front of you. There will always be problems to solve and dont let the fear of the future and unknown become an obstacle today. In essence - still start with the end in mind but have faith and belief that each problem can be overcome and the likelihood of being permanently screwed because of some trivial logistical decision in the past is usually not something to be concerned with today.

 

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[LittleJohn]

Or maybe that potential is there, and you just haven't figured out how to do it yet.

Thank you. Definitely at least some of this. I think its possible there may be some limiting beliefs at play within me. I say this because as I consider different product niches/categories I could enter of course I find there is already competitors and brands so I see that mine will be just another 'me too' product company barring some creative branding that can distinguish my products from others and create a valuable perception. (This happens most of the time I set out to go through categories and seek product markets I could build a business around)

I think back to the concept of skewing product value attributes to create value in which should create sales but it seems I am looking at products/categories that there either isn't away to skew the value or I just haven't figured out how that can be done.

Building a unique brand that people can resonate with, enjoy, get behind, support, whatever that gets sales where the product is essentially the same as others seems more like money chasing than creating value. Am I missing something here?

I anticipate the answer to what I just asked is that in the case above yes it would be money chasing but what if someone found a category that they could add certainly add value in the product for their customers and then also create a brand ^like above to further differentiate themselves would be the way to go.

I am starting to believe the trouble is finding a category that you can do both in is the hard part?

 

[LightHouse]

The only red flags is that you're posting paragraphs about stuff that doesn't matter, and posting almost nothing about your product, your plans to improve it, how you plan to launch on amazon to gain traction, how you're going to market it... i.e. everything that has to do with creating a product and selling it.

The tiny logistical details can all be changed or redone later if it's not exactly right. But if you don't have the product right and you don't have a marketing plan, then you don't have a business at all.

Ditto on this!

 

[amp0193]

Thanks, @amp0193 This dad-to-be lives and breathes logic, routine & process and you just murdered the "Will I have enough time with an infant?" excuse.

Dude, infants are easy. They just sleep. All the time.

Get a standing desk, and you can work while the kid naps in the baby carrier.

I started my first business on paternity leave.

 

[jcvlds]

The products for my first business "revealed" themselves to me after I spent 40 hours looking for products to sell.

No products revealed themselves in the 3 previous years I spent reading about other people who sell products.

I see. Good point.

Just to add though. I feel that by you actively looking for products to sell, you were thinking about the customers (the market).

Whereas just practicing copywriting, while valuable and necessary to do so, in my mind can be viewed as passive. He wouldn’t be talking to customers to see which market is most keen to buying a good copywriting service. How will the market be aware of one’s offering if one is just secluded practicing?


You mentioned your products revealed themselves to you while you were actively looking, but the product is the solution, and not the same as the market.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jcvlds]

My post was agreeing with your point by sharing a related anecdote.

*embarrassed*


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[LittleJohn]

The “market” will never just ‘reveal’ itself.. as if by magic..

But maybe I’m not understanding what you’re saying.. what do you mean it will reveal itself just because you practice copywriting daily?

How would it reveal itself?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great question and aside from the obvious thing (selling) we know having copywriting skills can help us with it was what your asking that that has me focused on learning copy.

Basically, IceCreamKid has a couple threads on here that seem to have been wildly popular overtime that talk about the value that copywriting skills can bring. I'll paste some snippets from each of them below to illustrate. Also, while down that rabbit hole someone posted to check out the Dane Maxwell (founder of The Foundation and very successful entrepreneur) reddit AMA and in there he too was very recommending of learning the copywriting skill as a way to position needs within markets. Although Danes' admittedly (after reviewing my notes) seems to be saying copy is good once have a market in mind and are trying to figure out how best to position your service/solution to that market vs. copywriting can help you find a market or business to pursue. But like ICK, the sentiment I took from Dane was that copywriting is one of the most valuable skills to learn in his opinion.

Feel free to correct/challenge my interpretation to what these guys are saying or share your perspective. You wouldn't be the first person who suggested (read: insulted) me by telling me they think I would blindly follow people without using my own thought process. But that's a different topic

FWIW I think I can start to see how copywriting might be able in fact to help identify a good market to evaluate and then position yourself advantageously in the limited study in copywriting I have done thus far.

ICK: I didn't sell my copies. I only used my copywriting knowledge as a way for me to help filter what separates good businesses from the bad. Good copy is likely to include elements of instant gratification, social proofing, addressing concerns of the customer, and many more things. Too many to list out on here.

I basically used a lot of those elements in determining what business to start. The real work begins after learning copy. Copy is the easy part. That's why I was telling people to take action simultaneously while doing the Gary Halbert 30 day challenge. There's no point in spending 30 days to learn copy if you're not likely to do the work to get the ice cream afterwards. This is where most people get stuck, bro. They get stuck in the constant learning loop and never take action. Don't be that guy.

put another (similar) way ICK says: Learning copy will help me create mental filters that will help me decide which businesses will work and which ones won't. Some are more scalable than others. Copy will help you figure that out.


Dane: When I started to learn the patterns of great copywriting and marketing. The world became infinite potential for me. Here's an example pattern I learned from a great book by Eugene Schwartz: "Tap into existing desires of a market and channeling it into your product."

When I learned nuggets like this, I then asked myself what are the desires of my target market?

Does this answer your question? What are your thoughts?

 

[LittleJohn]

The products for my first business "revealed" themselves to me after I spent 40 hours looking for products to sell.

No products revealed themselves in the 3 previous years I spent reading about other people who sell products.

My choice of wording most likely wasn't the best. Im thinking that while actively looking/considering markets to enter the copywriting skills would be helpful by increasing the likelihood of selecting a market with good probabilities for success.

I mean c'mon I believe in the law of attraction but shit isn't going to manifest magically out of thin air

But after going through my notes when responding to the question posed by jcvlds I think maybe what ICK and Dane Maxwell may be really talking about his how copywriting can help one choose the right business to enter in a particular market.

 

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[LittleJohn]

When you understand copy, you understand positioning and competitive advantages.

Then, when you see markets, you are able to think about how you could create a target that would be uniquely positioned in that market to skew the value in your favor.

Ok - so understanding copy most likely won't help in finding markets but pursuing those markets competitively.

How well do you rate yourself to understand copy?

 

[amp0193]

Ok - so understanding copy most likely won't help in finding markets but pursuing those markets competitively.

Right. You just look at a bunch of different markets that interest you, and search for a gap. Somewhere you can add value.

How well do you rate yourself to understand copy?

7/10

 

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[LittleJohn]

Right. You just look at a bunch of different markets that interest you, and search for a gap. Somewhere you can add value.



7/10

You make it sound so easy. (Maybe this is part of my block - if I have a block) Search for a gap...

FYI I didn't pull the trigger for first order on my first product idea (after 2 samples) because:
1.) the hook wasn't going to work in drywall like I planned. (biggest differentiator)
2.) the only difference was the finish compared to the other products on amazon and I was scared I would outlay additional $1-2K more for a flop. (I created a listing and it was on page like 7 and I thought because there was a few sellers it would be on first 2)

There I said it - FEAR.

Hindsight maybe I should have done it for the experience and the stuff I would have learned going through with it.

Would like to share that product idea and sample images with you if you are still open to it (maybe DM to avoid being publicly laughed at) as I am curious what your reaction and thoughts would be.

Also, I have to tell you I was reading your emails from this summer when you 'took me over the shoulder' as you looked for products on amazon. When I do it it doesn't seem as straight forward as when you do it.

But, FWIW I like the idea of a product/brand based business online. I think it fits my temperament. Or maybe I like the how the model separates me from time. (sales while sleeping kind of thing)

For some reason I think deep down my mind and soul says having this product based business and brand is way beyond little John. like wtf?