Lesson #4 of 4
Let's Create Your Amazon FBA Launch Path

Your 10-Step Checklist to Launch Your International Amazon FBA Business From Scratch

If you missed any of the prior lessons, here's where you can check them out:

In Lesson #1, we revealed what your first six months as an Amazon Seller would look like. We also showed you what to do each month.

In Lesson #2, you learned how to generate sales on your first week as an Amazon seller.

In Lesson #3, you discovered three Filipino Amazon Selling Hacks that will position and propel your brand as one of the best in your category.

In this lesson, we're going to put it all together.

How exactly do you execute these in a streamlined manner?

What should go first?

What should go last?

What should you do if something doesn't go according to plan?

That's what you'll learn in this lesson.

But first...

Before we go there, there are a few questions you have to answer.

These questions are designed to determine if you TRULY have what it takes to succeed as an Amazon Seller.

FAM Students Meet-Up

Questions You Have to Answer Before Launching an International Business on Amazon

1. Where are you from?

If you live in the Philippines, great.

However, if you're an OFW who lives in a country where FBA is not allowed...

...you should reconsider.

You can always say you're selling from the Philippines.

But it's going to be tricky.

And once Amazon discovers you lied, you'll be booted from the platform immediately.

2. Are you willing to commit 1-2 hours per day making this work?

If you can't commit at least 1 hour to doing FBA tasks, then you should probably stop reading right now.

You're building an international business.

You're not building a sari-sari store or karenderya (not that there's anything wrong with that).

You're also leveraging Amazon's brand and reputation -- which means you need to understand and follow their rules.

This needs work. This needs dedication. This needs focus.

If you can't commit at least an hour, then you're already doomed before you begin.

3. Are you willing to learn from practitioners and not just teachers?

This is a BIG one.

A lot of people follow sellers who are teaching on Amazon.

But the question is:

Do they practice what they teach?
Are they actively growing their business?
Are they keeping up with the trends and new policies?

Most of what you'll online that's free are probably outdated.

Amazon evolves almost every month.

They introduce new policies, delete new features and add new rules.

So you need to follow a practitioner. Not just a teacher.

4. Are you willing to ask questions, get feedback, and coaching from sellers you look up to?

Feedback is the breakfast of champions.

Always connect with other Amazon sellers who are doing better than you.

Ask for tips. Ask for guidance. Ask for feedback.

This is what I did when I was starting out.

After two embarrassing failures and losing more than P1-million...

...I sought out Filipino experts.

At the time, they were almost non-existent. You couldn't find a Filipino Amazon seller who was thriving.

I was fortunate to find a Filipino-Canadian who was generous with his time and wisdom.

He showed me the way. He helped me see the business side of Amazon, how to scale, and so much more. Thanks to him, I'm now able to make 8-figures per month.

You should find a mentor and a community as well.

Amazon FBA is already hard enough. It's harder if you do it alone.

5. Are you willing to take action? Not just hoard information but actually make us of them?

Information can only do so much.

You need to take action.

So if you're even hesitating to execute what you learned here...

...your success will get delayed.

Success belongs to the bold. It belongs to the risk-takers. It belongs to those who put themselves out there.

Sure, you can prepare, prepare, and prepare before executing.

But it's better to know "just enough" and then execute...

...compared to hoarding info and never executing.

What I showed you in the past 3 lessons are ENOUGH for you to start.

I'm even going to make it MORE SIMPLE for you by giving you a 10-Step Checklist to make this happen faster.

Your 10-Step Process to Launching Your International Business on Amazon

Step #0: Prepare the needed budget

You don't need P500,000 to start an international business.

P100,000 to P150,000 is enough.

At that price, you won't need to rent for space (but you'll have a large warehouse).

You won't need to hire employees (but thousands will work for you).

You won't even need to buy a website (but you'll get hundreds of visitors to view your product daily).

PLUS, you have the option to activate "1-day shipping" and create promos that will be seen by thousands all over the world.

You won't just be a local brand. You'll become an international brand within a year.

Let me ask you...

What type of business can you start with P150,000 that can also give you all these?

Only an Amazon business, right?

So for me, if you had the money, think of investing it in starting an international business on Amazon.

Step #1: Get the necessary papers.

You need government IDs, utility bills, and a reputable bank.

That's all you need.

You'll only get complications IF the names and addresses in those documents do not match.

If even only one letter, one dot, or one space is not the same...

...Amazon will have a reason to disapprove your request.

Step #2: Product Research

Whenever you're choosing a product, make sure it passes the following:

Light Weight
Easy to Sell
Easy to Ship
Not Fragile

Of course, there's more. Like the product must NOT have batteries.

We live in the Philippines. So there are limitations to what we can sell.

So you have to choose within a certain criteria so it passes U.S. Customs and gets accepted into Amazon's warehouseso you can sell it.

A few more tips:

Do NOT fall in love with your product. Be objective.
Do NOT sell seasonal products. It will hurt your ROI.
Do NOT underestimate research. This will save you from a lot of heartaches, unnecessary stress, and future losses.

Step #3: Get 5 suppliers. Pick the best one. Ask for samples.

This is pretty straight forward.

Read reviews, do due diligence, and always trust your gut.

If you feel like the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

In this step, communication is key.

You must work with suppliers you feel good working with.

They must show competence, good behavior, and also (in a way) display the same values as you.

Once you've found that, you're ready for step #4.

Step #4: Product Development

Like what I said in the previous lessons, you must make sure your product...

Solves a BIG PROBLEM
Fills a BIG GAP in the market
Serves a SPECIFIC/NEW sub-niche

There are a ton of examples online.

For example...

The Dollar Shave Club (which is now a $1-billion company) solved a BIG PROBLEM for men.

Companies who sell eco-friendly sanitary napkins filled a BIG GAP for women who care about the environment.

Companies who sell glasses ONLY for gamers are serving a SPECIFIC/NEW sub-niche.

Once you found your product, you need to position yours as one of the three.

Step #5: Pick the best shipping option for you.

Remember, shipping via air is fast but expensive.

Shipping via sea will take 4-6 weeks, but it's more affordable.

Choose the option that's best for you.

A few of my students chose the "ship via air" option on their 2nd or 3rd shipment...

...because their products sold fast. So they needed to make sure they aren't "out of stock" because it might affect their rankings.

Step #6: Find the keywords you want to rank for...

You can use certain tools to help you out.

There are software companies that offer a 7-day free trial for their tools.

You can take advantage of those offers.

If you want to use a paid tool right away, we suggest Helium10.

That's what we use.

But we don't recommend you "share" the access to other amazon sellers.

Helium10 stores historical data of what keywords you've searched in the past and what you're monitoring right now.

It's easy for someone to steal your keyword and use it as their own.

Be careful.

Start with free tools at first.

Step #7: Optimize your product listing

While you're waiting for your products to arrive at Amazon's warehouse, you should start writing your listing.

Remember your keywords. See what sub-category you want to dominate.

Look at what your competitors are doing. Imitate and then writing something better.

We have a guide inside our mentoring program on how to do this.

However...

There are a lot of free guides online. You can search on Google or YouTube and get tons of guides.

BUT...

Remember to filter out the information.

Not all of them are practitioners.
Some articles and guides were written by content writers. Not Amazon sellers.
A few guides are outdated. Make sure you're following guides that were written or updated in 2019. Anything later than that is already outdated.
Lastly, make sure to NOT use trademarked words like "iPhone" or "Nike" or "Facebook" in your product listing.

Alright?

Next...

Step #8: Communicate with Amazon

Once your products arrive at Amazon's warehouse, they're going to verify how many units they received.

They'll also tell you if there were any damaged goods, which are eligible for sale, and other important info.

Simply acknowledge.

Talk to them.

If they need additional papers, give it to them.

Step #9: Start your Sponsored Ads

This can be a separate training on its own.

Starting a PPC campaign on Amazon is easy.

Targeting the right keywords, identifying the ad spend "sweet spot" and optimizing is what's hard.

You need experience. You have to interpret the data Amazon gives you. You must know what are the important metrics you need to hit.

We have an in-depth guide inside FAM, our mentoring program.

But for now, I want to give you a quick guide on how to set this up...

First Step: Sponsored Products Only. Sponsored Brands and Display are for Brand Registered Sellers

Second Step:

Third Step:

Fourth Step:

Step #10: Get Reviews

Your launch is complete once you get 1 review.

Of course, sales is the #1 objective.

You want to sell 1-2 products within the first week.

But one true success metric is when CUSTOMERS LOVE IT.

You'll know once they leave you an unsolicited review.

As soon as you get one, good or bad, expect to get more attention from buyers.

I can't guarantee more sales, though. Each category is different. Each product is different.

And we also don't know what the first review will say.

But more often than not, the first review will bring in more sales.

Buyers always want to try something new. However, they don't want to see if it's safe to try first.

So if you have a review, it lessens the risk (in their eyes) and makes them want to buy.

So that's it...

Those are a lot of steps, right?

If you're new to this...

If you want to do this alone...

If you've already tried (and struggled) but want to try again...

Use our Proven 10-step Checklist

This is a checklist every successful Amazon seller has gone through.

No exception.

Ask anyone who's already earning 6-figures, 7-figures, or 8-figures per month on Amazon.

They will tell you they went through all 10 steps.

Now, if you decide to do it alone, what I shared in the past lesson (including this)...

...is enough to get you started.

But I have to issue a warning:

WARNING

You’ll miss more than what you’re supposed to see and your results will be significantly less than they could or should be.

You need someone to give you feedback, especially when you don't know what to do next.

You need someone to give you insight and wisdom when you encounter something unexpected.

You need someone to cheer you on when the going gets tough --- because it will.

Starting a small local business is stressful enough.

How much more an international business?

But the rewards are great.

It's incredibly fulfilling.

And it will unlock a part of you that you never knew was there.

Personally, I believe this is what separates the thriving from the struggling.

So here's what I suggest

Go through all the lessons...

Lesson #1, I outlined your entire month-by-month activities to become an Amazon Seller.

Lesson #2, you discovered how to generate sales on your first week on Amazon so you get ROI asap.

Lesson #3, you saw what my students did to cement their positioning in their category, get consistent sales, and rank for keywords.

Lesson #4 is a culmination of everything you learned PLUS more. You know what to do first, why each step is important, and how to execute each step excellently.

The four lessons are ENOUGH for you to start selling on Amazon and get sales.

But if you'd like to get more guidance, more support, and more training...

You should attend my Facebook Live on Monday (February 10, 2020) at 8 PM.

I'm going to show you what’s the next step, answer all your questions and tell you how to get a P5,000 to P20,000 gift from me. :)

As usual, if you have any questions, let me know below.