Unexpected Shift to Online Education

Amado's path to entrepreneurial success wasn't linear. He began by reselling items on platforms like Offerup and eBay, eventually specializing in apparel. However, a job loss forced him to explore new avenues. Luckily, his experience with online marketplaces proved valuable as he transitioned to selling digital products.

Amado noticed a gap in the market - a lack of resources to help people navigate the complexities of starting an online business. Leveraging his own experience and knowledge, he built a business focused on teaching others how to establish and market their online stores. Amado's journey highlights the importance of perseverance and adaptability in the ever-changing world of online business.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how it led you to where you are now?

I started my journey as a reseller on Offerup and eBay. I started selling books, toys, and games, and eventually found my niche in apparel. I was doing that for three years before I lost my job and no longer had money to buy inventory or drive and find things to sell.

One day, I ran across a video by Thomas Frank and Marie Poulin. I saw they were making money selling Notion templates and making a good living from doing so. I already knew about Notion, because I used it for school. I used it for my school notes and managing assignments. I even created a business manager inside Notion for my eBay business. So Notion was not new to me.

Since it was free to make templates, and all I needed was my laptop and the internet, and I didn’t need to drive anywhere, I felt like God had blessed me with an opportunity to escape the predicament I was in. I had no money, no car, and no job, so I went all in on Notion, and that’s how I became a Notion creator.

What inspired you to start your business?

In 2020, I told my sister and her husband that they could make a lot of money by selling on eBay. I realized they had a talent for bargain shopping, but they didn't want to learn how to do business. It was a hobby for them. So, I decided to start my own eBay store, watched hundreds of hours of videos to learn what they knew, and created a business from it, just so I could lead them by example. After two months, I started making frequent sales every week.

I started my e-commerce journey only to show my sister that she had a skill people would pay to learn. She could also make lots of money from those bargain shopping skills. Instead, I created a business for myself that I fell in love with. I loved the whole idea of creating an online business.

After I had lost my job, and discovered the world of selling digital products, it was easy to switch from one type of online business to another. I already knew how to market products and operate a business, so the change from physical products to digital products was an easy decision to make.

If I never would have lost my job over a year ago, then I wouldn’t have discovered the world of selling digital products and online services. Losing that job became an open door that was previously locked to me.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing. I was learning from many creators, which led me to Twitter (now X), where I discovered the Notion community. This also opened up a whole world of blogging, podcasting, newsletters, design, and many other professions. I was blown away by all the ways people were making money. It was eye-opening.

So, my curiosity led me down every rabbit hole, testing every software, and playing with all the tools. I spent about eight months exploring everything. I wanted to do it all. I loved it all. I tried to tie everything back to Notion somehow, but it wasn’t working out for me. I wasn’t making any meaningful income.

I took a few months off for school, and during the Fall semester of 2023, I realized I loved writing. Particularly doing research, case studies, deep analysis, and writing. It didn’t surprise me much, because I already got plenty of praise from previous professors for my writing.

So, I came up with the idea of teaching others how to start their own online business and going in-depth on every aspect of building an online store and marketing their products.

Were there any particular market trends or gaps you noticed that influenced your decision to start this business?

I didn't do much research to find market gaps. I knew what I struggled with during those eight months while learning every tool out there. I also had similar struggles in my eBay reseller business. Most of it came down to acquiring customers.

I had to learn how to use SEO and product page optimization to market my products. It always comes down to marketing yourself, and the products you’re selling. So, I used my own struggles and questions to build a business that helps people like me.

How did you fund your Digital Business initially?

Since, I wasn’t able to drive around no more, because I no longer had a car, I been using my eBay business money to fund my new digital business. Luckily, I still have lots of inventory for sale on my eBay store, which generates sales every month. I use that money to sustain and now grow my digital business.

Did you face any challenges or obstacles during the early stages, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge I always face is myself. I go through self-doubt and question if what I am doing is the right thing or if I should be doing something else. Maybe I’m wasting my time, and I should go back to only working a day job. Maybe I should pick up extra shifts to save a little more money.

There’s always that internal voice I struggle with. it tells me to give up and tells me that this isn’t for me. That I’m just wasting my time. At times, that voice wins. I’ll just stop for a day, and slow down my work.

The way I overcome this is by giving myself time outdoors, with friends, and family, or just walking alone with calmer thoughts. I always come back to my business after clearing out the doubt. So, now when that voice comes back, I just give myself a bit more time outside before I come back to handle the business with a fresher mind. It helps with my mental health.

What strategies did you use to grow your business?

When I was selling on eBay, I learned a lot about product pricing, and rolling profits to grow the business. “Feed the beast” is what some Amazon sellers would say. It means to constantly feed your business if you want it to grow.

So, as resellers, you have to have a pulse on the market. Constantly adjusting prices, bundling deals, cross-sales. discounts, and X-listing on other platforms.

As a digital product seller now, I learned about the markets I can sell on, which ones are best for certain products, and when it makes sense to market on your own website. Just like resellers, you can’t depend on just one platform, you have to leverage everything you can. This is especially true for new sellers.

So, I always keep a pulse on platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, course platforms, dedicated marketplaces like Notion and Framer, and others. It gives me a good understanding of what is selling, the pricing, and the competition.

What tools do you use for your business?

My favorite tool is Notion. It’s because I can manage everything from one place. Anything I need, I can make with Notion. The app is so much better than competitors too.

The other main tools I use are:

• ConvertKit for email

• Kajabi for courses

• Kajabi for podcast

• Kajabi for coaching

• Canva for design

• Canva for video editing

• Google Docs

• Google Drive

How did you acquire your first customers?

I believe the first customer I had was on Etsy. I ran into a friend IRL, and he was looking for a magazine designer for his clothing brand. I offered to create it for him with Canva, and he agreed. It was free, since he was a friend and I had zero experience doing something like that. I did it mostly for the experience and to build the portfolio.

After working on it for 60+ hours in one week, I delivered it to him. To keep it short, he was happy with the results. I later put that same template no Etsy, and it became the first product I sold. In fact, it became my best seller.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an entrepreneur?

I think my biggest challenge has been social media marketing. I know how to write essays and analysis papers for school, and I been writing a fictional book, but social media was different. The short attention spans make it so hard to get people to stop scrolling. Then the horrendously short life-span of a post makes things worse. Our content doesn’t last long, and it doesn’t matter if your content is good if you can’t get people’s attention.

I would say writing short-form content has been my weakness.

What lessons have you learned from these challenges?

I’m now focusing on long-form content with YouTube, blogging, and podcasting. There’s always a solution for every problem, and short-form is my problem. So, I’ll use my SEO skills to start creating content with longer lifetime value.

I learned that I steered away from video and podcasting because I was too shy or nervous to be seen or heard. It’s why I was on X for so long. But, now I don’t care. I spend a few minutes to look or sound good, and then hit the record button. I have experience to share, and I shouldn’t shy away from sharing it.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could go back and start over?

Yes. I would start on YouTube, and podcasting right away. I would also spend much more time on blogging.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as an entrepreneur?

Take notes. Always take notes on what you are doing and what you are learning. Organization is key. If you can organize your journey into a journal, you can learn from the struggles you are experiencing. These journals can become invaluable to others facing the same problems, and one day, you could be their solution.

And organize your research. If you carefully take notes of the research you are doing now, later you can turn that into a course, or future content.

What are some common misconceptions about starting a business that you'd like to address?

Don’t compare yourself to others. Most of us struggle for a while before finding our niche. Just because someone else started making $10k/mo in their first 30-days, doesn’t mean everyone else should too. Just focus on becoming better each day. Success will come on your time.

Is there any particular mindset or approach that you believe is crucial for entrepreneurial success?

Yes. Just know that bad days will come. Either you get stuck on a problem for a week, you don’t have money for better tools, or you have less time for the side-hustle, you will face some challenges. It’s not just you. We all go through it.

A lot of people say to be consistent, but I believe perseverance is the most important. It’s easy to stay consistent when things are easy, but as soon as you’re on a bumpy road, lots of people quit. You have to persevere through challenging times. Every time it gets tough, you have to keep going. If your progress is slowing down, it’s ok. Sometimes you have to take what you can get. A win is a win.