When it comes to e-commerce startups, it boils down to two things: choosing products that can make money and boosting your marketing skills. Seems simple, right? But why do so many people still fail?

In our ten-year journey in China supply chain management, collaborating with over 1,000 mostly ordinary e-commerce entrepreneurs, we’ve discovered that success comes from paying attention to details and mastering a lot of crucial soft skills.

Let’s dive into what these key soft skills are.

Rationality: Smart Decisions Come from a Clear Mind

First, starting an online business is like driving; you need a clear mind. You should filter and learn practical e-commerce models, and strategies. Don’t be fooled by flashy success stories. Stay calm and think critically.

Someone might share how they made $50,000 in one month, but they didn't tell you:

• They spent the previous 10 months making mistakes and earning nothing.

• They have a strong team behind them, but you think they did it all alone.

• They got lucky and don't even know why they succeeded.

• They make $500,000 a month but work 16 hours a day, constantly tweaking and optimizing.

Practicality: Finding the Right Path for You

Be practical and grounded; that's key. Based on your own conditions, choose a path that suits you instead of blindly following trends. What works for others may not work for you. Practicality is important not only when choosing selling platforms and products but also in your daily operations where continuous optimization is necessary.

For us ordinary people, time and money are limited. Be sure to start with your strengths and skills. We often have Amazon sellers asking us to recommend winning products. We always honestly tell them that we can't make such recommendations. We tell them that some of our clients excel in social media marketing, while others have ample funds. Their product selection and marketing strategies differ greatly. Anyway, the approach for a $30,000 budget is very different from a $300,000 budget. There is no single path to success.

Systematic Learning: Start From Scratch, Move Forward Steadily

When starting in e-commerce, systematic learning is crucial. From registering your store and understanding platform rules to daily marketing, promotion, and data analysis, you need to learn each step methodically. Systematic operations help you clear your thoughts, know what to do at each stage, and move forward in an organized manner.

Otherwise, it's easy to get sidetracked by others, learning one “skill” today and another tomorrow, without developing your own strategy, which makes it hard to achieve results.

Some people don't even familiarize the platform rules. We often see our Amazon sellers who begin sourcing from factories without checking if their products infringe any rights or if the supplier can provide the necessary brand authorization required by Amazon. This oversight often leads to their products being taken down after a period of being sold.

Patience and Caution: Details Determine Success

Don't expect to get rich overnight; e-commerce is a long-term game. Your greatest advantages are attention to detail and patience. Every successful e-commerce entrepreneur operates cautiously in every step—product selection, listing, promotion, and customer service.

They continuously refine and optimize each process, ensuring everything is done meticulously and steadily. Remember, e-commerce is a marathon, not a sprint, and patience and attention to detail are your biggest assets.

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Theory Meets Practice: Start Boldly and Continually Adjust

We often see many people who are very diligent, learning a lot of e-commerce knowledge online and attending various training sessions with mentors. However, they hesitate to start, thinking they haven't learned everything yet or waiting for the perfect moment. They even keep searching for some magic formula.

I have to say, practice tests theoretical knowledge. Every failure brings lessons and reflections, allowing you to correct unrealistic ideas and gradually develop your own strategies and methods.

Doing is always more important than imagining. Many of the Amazon startups we work with had no initial concept of products or marketing. They started by testing products and learning marketing skills simultaneously, gradually building up their store sales through continuous effort.

Persistence: Enduring the Long and Lonely Road

For beginners, the journey from 0 to 1 is destined to be tedious, exhausting, and mentally draining. After all, it's an unfamiliar territory beyond your comfort zone. You need time to learn, test your theories, and continuously experiment until you see results.

No matter how big the challenge, you must grit your teeth and persevere. Every successful e-commerce entrepreneur has faced countless challenges and setbacks. It's their persistence that leads them to eventual success. Important things need to be said three times: Persist, persist, persist!

Only those who seriously commit to their endeavors can understand the hardships involved. There are countless moments when you might feel like giving up.

Don’t Use Up All Your Ammunition at Once: Steady and Strategic Wins the Long Game

Funds are the foundation of any startup, and risk management is your safety net. Unlike large companies with vast budgets, we must ensure every penny is spent wisely. We often say, don’t go all in from the start. Learn to make small investments to test the waters. Give yourself multiple opportunities to experiment and make mistakes. This way, you increase your chances of finding that winning product.

For example, you can start with dropshipping to test products or choose cheaper niche products instead of high-ticket items. Once you get a feel for e-commerce or identify successful products, you can transition to bulk wholesale for inventory. Never rush to buy a large stock just because someone claims it’s profitable; you might end up unable to sell it.

Continuous Learning, Never Stop

The world of e-commerce is constantly changing, and learning is your only constant task. Maintain a proactive attitude towards learning, engage with peers, share resources, and draw valuable insights from their experiences.

Always stay updated with platform rule changes and continuously develop new products. When one product becomes popular, competitors will inevitably follow. Every product has a lifecycle and won't sustain you forever. Always be developing new products as your plan B.

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Final Words

These are heartfelt words that might sound like clichés, but they truly are the simplest qualities for success. From you and me to greats like Buffett and Musk, they all possess these exceptional traits.

Even now, e-commerce remains one of the most cost-effective ways for ordinary people to make it big. Small investments can lead to unlimited possibilities. I hope those who read this article find success and stay ahead of the game.

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