When you’re staring at a product listing page on Amazon, have you wondered about what it takes to actually get it there? I’m not talking about viewing it as an opportunity to make money, but as a way of turning a product idea into a reality that’s actually getting bought by real consumers. Amazon FBA has eased this journey for many, making some of the more painful fulfillment aspects of running an online business much simpler to manage.

Yes — the goal of a business is to generate income. But have you ever wanted to solve a problem? To be the one that’s creating and selling a physical product that solves a problem for a group of people. If you have — you’ve probably noticed the information available online to help entrepreneurs be more successful selling products online is either — not super tactical or simply trying to sell you something.

If you’re a new seller on Amazon or have been selling for some time; this post is for you: we’ll break down on how to approach starting an Amazon FBA business and launching a product on Amazon. This guide is designed to be a high level resource to approaching launching a product using Amazon FBA; for a deep dive into the actionable steps, be sure to read this checklist.

Leverage Reliable Expertise

There have been thousands of successful product launches. Learning from others sellers experiences is one of the best ways to avoid mistakes, learn tips, and ensure success. Unfortunately, the internet can be a confusing place for a seller which is why it is important to implement insights from reliable sources.

Amazon is obsessed two things: delighting consumers and optimizing for its own profitability via Amazon advertising and Amazon Web Services. That is why Amazon is fundamentally not best positioned to provide small business owners insights, knowledge, or expertise on how to launch successfully launch products and scale growth.

Subsequently, there is a thirst for useful information and it is frequently filled by content designed to sell digital products in the form of course offerings, training packages, or online-consulting. The eLearning industry is expected to grow to $325B by 2025; and unlike Amazon businesses predicated on selling physical products, entrepreneurs with knowledge and authority on a subject can create online courses and sell their expertise as a digital product.

The best first step you can take in the process is to exercise caution when evaluating what Amazon knowledge you choose to absorb and apply to your business. There is an ocean of unreliable resources on the topic of Amazon FBA available today.

Typically if an investment is required, it is a good indicator that it may not be worth your time. However there are plenty of helpful, impactful, and truly valuable online resources that are worth considering, if you’re willing to spend money to accelerate your knowledge.

The Key Is To Start

The fact of the matter is that everyone has to start somewhere. When a topic seems too big it can become daunting and paralyze action. The truth is: the key to starting on Amazon and launching a product is to just start the process – otherwise, you’ll keep spinning your wheels and wishing you started months ago. The framework for a successful Amazon FBA business is simple and should not be complicated.

You need to have:
• A product
• You need to have somewhere to sell that product
• And you need someone to buy that product

Everything past this barebones structure is an opportunity to improve over time. Staying focused on the simplicity of launching a product helps ensure that the specific details don’t slow you down or prevent you from starting in the first place.

Finding Your Product

A lot of the brands you see online are creating products in an astonishingly simple way because they understand one fundamental concept of product development that makes launching a product so much easier.

Specifically, white labeling is the process of sourcing manufacturers that specialize in a particular product category, purchasing it, and rebranding it under your own brand to market and sell. The Amazon Basics line is a great example of this. Amazon doesn’t have a team of engineers that are designing iPhone cables and batteries. They have a team of people who are sourcing manufacturers that already make those products and then apply Amazon branding to it. As a customer, you would never see the difference between Amazon designing the product on their own or them simply purchasing it from someone else.

When you identify a good manufacturer and build a strong relationship, you can rely on their expertise to remove the roadblocks of bringing your product to life. This unlocks the ability to effectively get your products into Amazon FBA to launch your product and begin scaling.

Conclusion

There are a number of considerations to think through before investing in inventory. Complexities, challenges, and setbacks are part of the process; however, the core component to successfully launching products and scaling an Amazon FBA business is to start selling. Starting small is the best way to ensure success during launch and over time there is an opportunity to build a brand. After all — this is exactly how some of the world’s most notable businesses like Nike, Dollar Shave Club, Away, and numerous others established their brands.

If you’re interested in an on-demand video course specifically designed to teach starting Amazon businesses, launching products, and establishing a brand in 2019 and beyond. There is completely free course created by a seller named Ryan Goldstein, who started his own brand called Air Vinyl, where he lifts the hood on his business available. Get full course access to learn exactly how Ryan grew his business at various stages to start, grow, and scale a successful Amazon FBA business.