This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
>> Batching sales and profit from fulfillment by Amazon. Welcome to Side Hustle School, Chris Guillebeau, your host here. Welcome to episode 2700, in fact, of Side Hustle School, 2700 days in a row. We've been making the show every day since January 1 in 2017. If you ever happen to wonder, "Hey, what day was the first day of the year in 2017, or how many days has it been since then?" You can always track that answer by looking at the number of episodes.
It's really fun. I'm not sure what that information is useful for, but just in case you ever wanted 2700 days since then, thank you so much for being out there. That's the point. In this episode, because I want to make sure I'm always bringing you something interesting and helpful, we're going to catch up with a clever canine entrepreneur who turned a passion for pets into a thriving e-commerce business. This is the Throwback Thursday segment.
Every week on Thursday, we take an in-depth look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them. Last week, we heard from a home baker who went from selling cookies at local farmers markets to landing a nationwide distribution deal with a major grocery chain. Today, as noted, we're going to hear from this canine side hustler. They are selling a product, an e-commerce product that people purchase, I believe, through Amazon, as noted. Maybe also with Shopify as well.
Not sure of all the details, but we're going to hear about it together. Let's hear this story and I'll have a few words of wrap-up at the end. By the way, thank you for being out there, episode 2700. Hey there. It's great to be back on the show.
In this Throwback Thursday segment, I wanted to share an update on my journey as a pet product entrepreneur, and dive into some of the nitty-gritty details of building my e-commerce business. When I first started, I invested about $15,000 of my own savings into product development and initial inventory for the Fetchmaster Pro. It was a risk, but I believed in my idea and I was determined to make it work. I launched my Shopify store with a small selection of products and managed to generate about $5,000 in sales during the first month, mostly through social media posts. As I started to gain traction, I knew I needed to streamline my operations, so I decided to partner with Amazon's fulfillment by Amazon, which they call their FBA service, which required an additional investment of around $2,500 for setup fees and initial inventory storage.
It was a significant expense, but it allowed me to offer faster shipping times and improved customer service, which ultimately led to increased sales and positive reviews. At about three months in, I decided to invest in targeted Facebook and Instagram ads, and I started with a budget of $50 per day, focusing on dog owners interested in pet tech and interactive toys. It took some trial and error to find the right targeting and ad creative, but eventually I was able to generate a three-time return on ad spend. As my customer base grew, I focused on increasing the average order value by offering complimentary products and implementing a loyalty program. I bundled the Fetchmaster Pro with treat refills and toy variations, which increased my average order value from $50 to around $75 within two months.
One of the most effective strategies for growing my business was collaborating with pet influencers on Instagram, so I would send them a free Fetchmaster Pro in exchange for an honest review and a few posts showcasing the product in action. These partnerships usually cost me around $200 per influencer, but the exposure and ad sales they generated were well worth the investment. Fast forward to today, and my e-commerce business is generating an average of about $30,000 in monthly revenue with a 25% profit margin. I've expanded my product line to include five variations, and I'm constantly testing new market strategies and technologies to stay ahead of the curve. Looking back, I realized that building in e-commerce is all about adapting to change, investing in the right tools and partnerships, and staying focused on providing value to your customers.
It's not always easy, but the rewards are well worth the effort. If you're thinking about starting your own business like this, my advice would be to start small and test the market before investing too much money, and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I learned a lot along the way from shows like Side Hustle School, so I want to give back as much as possible. All right, thanks so much to Robbie for sharing those updates with us. Listeners, let me know what you think, who you'd like to see featured from our archives of more than a thousand stories.
If you have a question and update for us about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com, lots of notes, resources page, newsletter, you can sign up for there. It's all completely free just like the podcast itself. I really appreciate you being part of this community. I hope you'll continue to listen wherever is best for you directly on the website, on Spotify, Apple, podcasts, anywhere else. It should be pretty much anywhere, and I'm going to keep making episodes.
All right, that's it for today. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. From the Onward Project.
