TAS 303: How Sophie Howard Built and SOLD her Amazon Business for 7 Figures

Everybody has a story. And every person who has an Amazon success story has a lot to share that can help the rest of us move forward. If you’re looking for an inspiring story to show you what’s possible in Amazon private label sales you want to hear this episode. It features Sophie Howard, an international seller who built her Amazon business over her maternity leave and recently sold it for 7 figures. Her goal was to build a hobby business and it swelled into so much more. Find out how Sophie did it and how her story could help you build your business, on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

The amazing true story of a hobby business turned 7 figures within 2 years.

What is your goal for your Amazon business? In other words, what is the REASON you are doing it? It’s got to be about more than just making money. Today’s guest is Sophie Howard, a resident of New Zealand who started her Amazon private label business in order to provide for the lifestyle she and her family wanted. She had two years in which to do it and the results were phenomenal. This episode is going to take you inside Sophie’s product selection, product launch, sales funnel, and so much more. You’re going to be inspired by her tenacity and drive and see how her success could be yours as well.

How Sophie researched her niche - it was an intense process.

As you’ve learned from previous episodes of The Amazing Seller, product and market research is a very necessary part of the private label sales process. If you don’t make a good choice at the beginning you may be stuck with a struggle for the lifetime of the product. Sophie Howard took that very seriously because she not only wanted to have a successful product, she also wanted to be confident that success was around the corner. And successful is exactly what she was, selling her business for 7 figures in just two years. You can hear what Sophie did to research her products and find the very best fit for her products in her market, on this episode.

The power of joining Facebook groups surrounding your product niche.

One of the ways that Sophie did product and market research was to join a number of Facebook groups that were centered around her product niche. She became a familiar face in the groups, asked questions, listened and took part in the conversations going on, and discovered what people who were already highly interested in that market were naturally interested in. She discovered through those relationships where there were gaps in the market that she could fill. If you want to hear the specifics, you can by listening to this great episode.

eCommerce is changing so fast if you don’t enjoy learning you won’t enjoy eCommerce.

Sophie Howard is a great example of the kind of person who does well in the eCommerce space. She’s an avid learner and isn’t afraid to jump in and find out how things work. She believes that you have to be eager to learn or else the eCommerce world will be a source of constant frustration for you - because it’s always changing and will continue to do so. On this episode, you’re going to hear the story of a tenacious, everyday mom who wanted to build a business on Amazon. And you’ll hear how she did it to the tune of 7 figures.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [1:35] A few announcements for you to get some free help! [3:44] How Sophie got started in private label sales. [6:01] How Sophie got the offer for her business and why she took it. [10:10] The ideas Sophie had about her business when she started. [12:49] What Sophie did to launch and build her product sales. [16:54] Sophie’s thoughts about creating an open brand. [19:24] The approach to market research Sophie follows to build a new product. [24:08] Sophie’s approach to writing emails to her list and following. [28:25] Advice for the person just starting out - finding your sweet spot. [34:00] How the recent review policies impact Sophie’s approach. [37:34] The importance of getting off Amazon and building your own email list. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.AspiringEntrepreneurs.org - Sophie’s website and coaching www.TheAmazingSeller.com/300 - Chris’ interview of Scott www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop Jungle Scout BOOK: Influence