At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur – Kamaljit Singh, to know more about his inspiring journey and the way forward. He is the Founder of AMZ One Step. Let’s read his impressive story and also his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with him:
Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
Well, I came to Canada in 2010 as an international student at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario. Here I graduated in Electronics Engineering and worked for a Telecommunication company.
I started an electronics startup in streaming media boxes that I sold to my partner before I started selling on Amazon in 2015.”
Selling online has always been very intriguing to me. At that time, Not a lot of people were selling on Amazon, I always took pride in helping and teaching others.
I was an active seller on Amazon and used to conduct Meetups as a training program for people with similar interests. As more and more people started joining my seminars, some of them approached me for guidance about how they can improve their listings, or what strategies they could implement to achieve more sales. First, I used to refer them to different experts but later it struck my mind of how I can open an agency that can provide similar services from one platform. Initially, I used to get clients and get their work done by outsourcing. In 2017, I decided to start an agency that helps Amazon sellers and now we have become a one-stop-shop for listing optimization.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
After working for 5 years in a corporate job, I realized that I am just being a small part of a huge organization which will take me nowhere. Always looking at the clock and waiting to go home was draining my energy and motivation. I was doing side hustle while working at a corporate job. After a few side hustles, I found my passion, i.e e-commerce.
Entrepreneurship gives me fulfilment. Working in my own company does not feel like work. I can work 18 hours a day and still feel fresh the next day. Having 30+ employees motivates me even further to work harder. Not just for me, I work hard for my employees, partners, and our customers.”
In short, Fulfillment is why I would choose entrepreneurship over a corporate job.
How does AMZ OneStep compare to other Amazon Agency and what is your unique selling proposition?
As far as comparison is concerned, we believe that we are not diversified in ancillary services as other companies do. We are focused on listing optimization and have complete command on that particular service. We offer these services at very competitively lower prices which are much more reasonable and dedicate most of our efforts in research and development. We are proud to say that our researches are always top-notch that helps us to improve our clients’ sales ranking and profitability.
What advice would you give to new sellers to succeed on Amazon?
The topmost advice would be to consider it as a normal business and that it will take time to grow. Success is never definite and that requires a lot of investment and effort. Be patient, and take the long-term plans into consideration before making any decision. Do not make hazmat mistakes like infringing other trademarks or choosing products that are highly competitive. My advice would be to closely research on profit margins with as many calculations as possible before launching any product.
How can existing power-sellers and brands improve their bottom line on Amazon?
First of all, think like a Brand. You have to show or present yourself as a power-seller. I would suggest focusing on the storefront by making it as attractive as possible. You may see many brands that have been on Amazon for quite a time but lack presentation. People find it hard to believe that they are brands. For instance, A+ Content is a very good opportunity for brands to express themselves and I think the better you use this feature the more it would help you generate sales. Listing videos and display ads are also some great techniques to improve their bottom line on Amazon.
However, I would also recommend them to leverage external markets and do not restrict themselves to Amazon. Facebook marketing, or setting up your own website with Shopify will definitely help in further growth.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
It is quite natural to be stressed when you are in business. I try to meditate and workout 5 times a week. Not to forget, I also take Indian herb Ashwagandha to keep myself stress and anxiety-free.
Amazon is pushing global selling in their strategy to take new markets, what locale do you see having the most potential in 2020?
In my opinion, I would say Canada, UK, and Germany, also Australia to some extent, have great potentials. They have a substantial amount of population and limited competition to establish a strong marketplace.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
I believe that consistency is always the key to success. There are people in the world who are talented and have all the resources but nothing beats being consistent.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Taking action quicker than anyone else has been my mantra so far and it has been working really well. If there is an idea in your mind, implement it asap and worry about making it perfect later on. Sooner you start, sooner you fail, sooner you learn and sooner you succeed.
