Starting a Biz? Amazon Has Your Secret Weapon

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."

The entrepreneurial spirit is distinctive. It’s driven by a combo of ingenuity, solutions-seeking, and—well—drive. You’re the type to identify opportunities and solutions in the market and inherently have the drive and savviness needed to execute. Whether you already have a small biz brewing or 2023 is the year to launch, it’s go time.

The idea itself can be almost anything—sweet local bakery, creative agency focused on female-founded companies, a hybrid dentist-office-slash-florist—but there’s one commonality that’s part and parcel of launching: merch. The right physical product broadcasts your brand vibe, gets customers excited, and serves as extra marketing material. (Plus, you know those superfans who will always support everything you do? Best friends, parents, partners? Give them an easy way to buy something that shows their allegiance.)

Since you already have plenty on your business-owner plate, the simplest road to custom merch is key—and enter Amazon Merch on Demand. The program offers an easy way to customize products, so whether you’re into a minimalist logo on sweatshirts and baseball caps or have a bigger vision to include water bottles, mouse pads, and phone cases, it’s a fantastic situation to investigate.

The process is easy. Sign up with your existing Amazon account, upload your artwork, choose a product type, set a price, and draft a description. Amazon then creates a page where customers can shop; they make each item to order as purchases roll in, paying you a royalty on every piece sold. The company handles production, shipping, and customer service—all with no upfront costs, and without the pressure and stress of sitting on a ton of inventory while having products available to hundreds of millions of customers. It’s win, win, win.

Perhaps the best part—aside from the Amazon pièce de résistance of Prime Shipping so your customers can receive orders quickly—is that you can track your success using the Merch by Amazon analysis tools for insights on your best-selling designs and watch your revenue grow. Every business owner knows metrics are life.

So, if you’re even flirting with the idea of getting in on the merch game, this is your sign from the universe to go for it. Not only is it an easy way to kick off some masterful branding, but it frees up more of your team to stay focused on other CEO-type tasks (brainstorms, investor meetings, and cooking up more great ideas).

You Might Also Like

• 15 Can't-Miss Fashion Gift Ideas from Oprah's Favorite Things 2022

• The 15 Best Organic And Clean Shampoos For Any And All Hair Types

• 100 Gifts That Are $50 Or Under (And Look Way More Expensive Than They Actually Are)