Seller Spotlight: Q&A with Amazon FBA Rockstar Shawn Michael
Shawn Michael and his partner Becky first started selling on Amazon in the spring of 2015. Both had pioneering spirits and wanted more out of life. So they set out to start a private label business. It turns out that Shawn and Becky’s entrepreneurial instincts were spot on. Their private label products took off so quickly that after nine months, they both quit their jobs and began working for themselves full time.
Their current business model is incredibly unique and diverse. While Shawn and Becky continue to grow their private label business on Amazon, they also oversee the product and distribution of 80 other products through their Private Label Automated program. In addition to their private label ventures, they help fellow sellers leverage their valuable time with AMZ Staffing Solutions.
Shawn and Becky’s latest pursuit brought them into wholesale. Since this aspect of their business is heavily dependent on continuous cash flow, they use daily payments from Payability to scale their wholesale business faster.
What’s your favorite part of the selling process?
My favorite part of the selling process is the reward received from being able to create a winning scenario for everyone involved. It’s important that my suppliers make money, I make money, Amazon makes money, and that customers receive a valued product that they appreciate.
What advice do you have for sellers looking to grow their business?
It is important to leverage both your time and money for you to grow and scale your business. Too many sellers work in their business and not on their business.
How do you put your Payability money to work?
Payability allows us to maximize our cash flow within our grocery store, so we can put our money to work for us faster.
Do you have any other tricks to maximize your money?
It’s our goal as we continue to expand, that we spend every penny of our working capital on a daily basis. Utilizing credit cards with points and cash back is very rewarding as well. We cash flow anything we can through an American Express Gold card and that allows us to pretty much be able to fly for free whenever we need to.
How did you know you made it as a seller?
I knew I made it as a seller the moment I saw and understood the opportunity I had before me.
What’s your next big goal as a seller?
We have a goal to build out our wholesale grocery business to a million dollars in sales to rival our private label business.
How have you prepared for Q4 and the holiday shopping season?
There’s nothing extraordinary that we did to prep for Q4. Our game plan is always to expand and concentrate on replenishing products. Q4 is more or less a bonus for us, but our business is designed to be structurally sound and profitable 365 days a year.
Shawn and Becky have big goals for 2018. By strategically aligning themselves with services such as Payability, they’ve been able to achieve their dreams, grow rapidly and put their profits to work right away. They look forward to their continued growth in the coming year and beyond.
