How an idea to combat lockdown boredom became a successful business

Like many people during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, Adem Ozyurt had lots of time on his hands, so he decided to start a business.

With an interest in ecommerce, he teamed up with his cousin in Istanbul to source household products from Turkish suppliers. The duo set up Shopivaa and started selling on Amazon's online store which has resulted in hundreds of sales.

Adem shares his inspiring story and explains how the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is providing useful advice for the next stage of his business' growth.

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in over 200 bitesize videos.

If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log in to your learning dashboard. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.

How did you start your business?

"I have a passion for e-commerce, generating a sale and delivering value to customers. This is a passion developed over many years working in sales and customer service. I also previously launched my own ecommerce store. It wasn’t that successful though, so I dipped out of ’side hustles’ for a while to focus on my studies and my career.

"I had never sold anything on Amazon before, but I had read about people who had done so and achieved impressive results. I really wanted to give it a go, but I didn’t know where to start. However, an opportunity came up and I went for it.

"The opportunity was that my cousin, who is based in Istanbul in Turkey, messaged me out of the blue in July 2020 and asked me if I would be interested in partnering with him on a business. I jumped at the chance. We spent some time planning and then launched on Amazon’s online store in late October 2020. Our first sale was in early November 2020 and the buzz that that it gave us was unreal, even though we made no profit from that item!

"I was not looking to sell trending items, but useful high-quality items that are used day-to-day. My cousin has close business links to suppliers, and we worked together to curate a selection of products to sell.

"We tested the items, assessed the quality, and researched similar items. Once we were confident in our selection, we shipped a small shipment of items over to the UK and created the listings on Amazon. It was trial and error. Some items did very well, and some didn't. But we learned a great deal through this process."

As the business launched during the pandemic, was it a way to earn money?

"The main driver was not money, as I was working full time for the NHS at the time as a project manager. It was more to do with the boredom I was experiencing outside of work during the pandemic.

"Like many other people, I wanted to do something productive with all the free time I had. I had a burning desire to start a new business, and really wanted to have another go at ecommerce."

What start-up challenges have you faced?

"We had some issues registering our brand name, which tended up costing us a lot more than it should have. I recommend speaking to a professional on intellectual property.

"We also had no idea about the complexities and requirements for shipping products into the UK, so this was a steep learning curve. We had to learn about getting an EORI number, registering for VAT, dealing with customs etc. I'd recommend speaking to an expert in this area.

"I didn't know how to maintain business accounts, so I got some help from a relative who is an accountant. I recommend getting a good accountant.

"Brexit has made it complex to sell products in the EU. With Amazon’s help, we have managed to overcome these issues.

"We shipped over some product lines that were extremely low profit and there were too many established competitors selling them on Amazon’s online store. We lost money on these items. For example, we shipped over lunch boxes because we found a great product at a very good price, but it was during a pandemic when most people were working from home! This was a silly mistake. Lesson learned!"

Why did you decide that Amazon was the most appropriate online store for your business?

"The huge amount of traffic on Amazon is undeniable and Fulfilment by Amazon makes it a lot easier to run a business online. Prime is a great way to convert ‘browsers' into customers."

Shopivaa self watering flower pot

What was your marketing strategy for reaching customers during the pandemic?

"We ensured that we had decent copy for our listings. We sourced high quality images and videos of our products, some of which we made ourselves.

"We promoted our best sellers using Amazon advertising and monitored ad performance.

"We also took advantage of the Amazon Early Reviewer Programme, which helped sellers to source reviews and ratings on newly launched items. This was successful for us, but the programme has now ended."

What tips would you offer other entrepreneurs for making a success of selling on Amazon's online store?

"Research products first. Only stock quality products but be cautious about jumping on trending items. Trends go out of fashion very quickly and you’ll find yourself stuck with a lot of stock.

"Use decent images and copy for your listings. Optimise your keywords and explore Amazon advertising but make sure you understand the bidding process."

How has the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme helped you?

"The e-learning videos on building an online presence and building a brand have been particularly useful.

"Examples include tips on writing a blog, visual brand identity, mastering email marketing, brand building for growing companies and search engine optimisation.

"Our focus is continuing to grow our business and build our online presence on social media and our own Shopify store, so the resources related to this are giving us a lot of useful information and advice to implement."

Which other entrepreneurs inspire you and why?

"I am inspired by many entrepreneurs, including:

• Ben Francis, founder of Gymshark

• Julie Deane, founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company

• Oliver Cookson, founder of MyProtein

• Alan and Juliet Barratt, co-founders of Grenade

"All of them started their businesses from home and bootstrapped their way to success, which I find highly inspiring."

What are your top tips for business success?

"Pay for experts. It will save you a lot of time, money and hassle.

"Be realistic with your own time. Starting a business is very demanding and you cannot do it half-heartedly. Set boundaries and stick to a schedule if you can. I came close to burnout several times because I was up late packing stock until the early hours and then working a full day the next day for my day job. I would not recommend this.

"Save as much money as you can before you get started. Things often cost more than you expect and lots of surprise costs pop up. Be prepared with a decent financial cushion. What this looks like depends on your personal situation. I had around £4,000 set aside for the business.

"Focus on delivering value and never cut corners to make a quick buck. It isn’t worth it.

"Only sell quality products. We test everything before placing a large order. It helps that my business partner is based in the country where the suppliers are based, and he physically visits them to see the products first hand before we place an order. If you can do this, I would recommend it."

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in over 200 bitesize videos.

If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log in to your learning dashboard. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.