The goal of Hardly Hustle is to provide inspiration, drive and motivation in a 10 minute read or less. What you see is what you get. This is hot off the press without an editing team.
Karim Noujaim is up.
Who are you and what do you do?
In an attempt to put the story in a way that is not boring. I started as en engineer, realized I wasn’t very good at it, so I decided to pursue business instead. After a good number of years trying and failing at many different ideas, I finally stumbled upon one that worked. Selling products on Amazon using the FBA system.
What did it take / how did you get started?
I sort of back doored into it really. Originally I was trying to grow a website called DatTwenty.com, which is a website concept I have had for years that the impulse buying line for people online is $20 or less. I was trying to make money through affiliate sales and was making video content to drive traffic. I had made a semi-viral video that got over 1 million views. It got the attention of some guys overseas who had a cool product under $20 they wanted me to review, which I did. I also inquired who was doing their selling in the states, they said no one. They offered me the chance to be their first seller in the states (that I know of) so I bought some product and listed it on Amazon using FBA. They sold very well and that was the initial start.
What does the future look like for you and your hustle?
As of right now it looks good. The question of course comes into how long this Amazon game can continue. Will there be a point where Amazon doesn’t even want to deal with third party sellers anymore? Will I still be able to compete with the growing number of new sellers coming in? Only time will tell. For now what I am going is working and I’ll keep on that path until it doesn’t.
What drives / motivates you?
Freedom. Freedom is always the driver for me. I like that I can call my own shots every single day. As long as I can have something that can sustain my freedom on a daily basis, I consider that a success.
What advice would you give someone interested in doing what you do?
You simply have to play. There is no getting around it. You can read all the books, analyze all the angles, and create a near air tight plan. It all means a hill of beans until you get into the game and just go. Nothing is going to go according to plan, you just have to roll with it. Leave yourself in a position where failure won’t kill you. The longer you are in the game the better chance you will have at long term success.
What has been the hardest part of the hustle?
Hardest part is easily the swings. You will have victories and defeats. One moment you’ll have it figured out, the next you are back to square one. The swings suck. You simply have to take the shots and keep going. Once you get something consistent going though, it’s a pretty sweet taste.
What are a few resources that you'd recommend?
Buzzmarketing by Mark Hughes, teaches you how to get people talking. Influence by Robert Cialdini teaches you why people act the way they do. Cashvertising by Drew Whitman tells you what the customers want. If you combine those three things, you are unstoppable.
The STATS
Side or full-time hustle?
Full-time.
List the founders
Myself.
How many hours a week do you work on this hustle?
Not provided.
# of Employees?
1
When did you start?
2009
How much did it cost to launch?
Few thousand.
What were your funding methods and ballpark amount raised?
Not provided.
Annual Revenue?
Not provided.
Projected Revenue?
Not provided.
Any call to action?
If I can do it so can you. Happy to connect on Linkedin.