Sorry, this is a long one! In my last post, I shared the story behind this event and why my body needed eleven hours of sleep afterward. Here it is if you missed it:https://www.skool.com/multiple-streams-of-income-4358/i-just-finished-breakfast-after-11-hours-of-sleep?p=82faca98 As promised, here is the math behind it! I am sharing this because many of us here are doing this in real time. Launching first products.Spending real money. Learning by moving inventory, not just ideating and creating. And here is the truth that does not get said enough: Your first product costs money. Sometimes more than you expect. Sometimes, in ways you will not repeat once you learn (thank goodness). The core product numbers - Journals sold: 210 - Sale price per journal: $15 - Total journal revenue: $3,150 Now the costs broken down clearly: - Manufacturing plus inbound shipping to Amazon per journal: $3.20 - Amazon MCF fulfillment to the customer per journal, seasonal rate: $10.90 🥲 That means the fully loaded cost per journal for this event was $14.10. Yes. That is basically breaking even. An important disclaimer: When I priced this deal back in September, Amazon MCF fulfillment was $5.62 per journal. By the time the journals shipped, it was $10.90. Same product. Same deal. Different season. I had not seen this level of seasonal pricing before I offered $15 per journal. Amazon’s MCF rates are tiered and increase significantly during peak season, and it appears there was also a major fee increase in 2026. This is a reminder for all of us using Amazon FBA or MCF to keep a close pulse on fees. I honored the original pricing anyway. That is part of learning and part of integrity. This is also why knowing your numbers calmly matters. Panic is where burnout lives. What that looked like in real numbers - Total journal costs for this event: $2,961 - Net journal profit: $219

I want to share a hard lesson for anyone selling on Amazon or thinking about it. Even if you’ve done 10 orders perfectly, it only takes one mistake to cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Here’s what happened to me. My supplier put incorrect UPCs on the boxes. Was it their mistake? Yes. Did it still become my problem? Also yes. And here’s the part I own. I skipped a third party inspection because previous orders had gone smoothly. Everything had always been fine. Until it wasn’t. Once those boxes hit Amazon’s warehouse, the cost of that decision showed up fast. Time. Stress. Fees. Inventory stuck in limbo. Profit gone. So if you’re an Amazon seller, or even just Amazon curious, here’s what I wish I had fully internalized earlier. What to do: 1. Always get an inspection. Even when you trust your supplier. 2. Double check UPCs, labels, and carton details yourself. 3. Never assume. 4. inspection costs into your pricing from day one. It’s not optional. It’s protection. What not to do: 1. Don’t skip steps because things have gone well before. 2. Don’t assume Amazon will fix supplier errors. They won’t. 3. Don’t tell yourself “this one time will be fine.” Why this matters: Amazon is unforgiving. Systems don’t care about good intentions or past success. One oversight can wipe out months of margin. This isn’t meant to scare anyone. It’s meant to be honest. I’ve learned a lot running this business, and some of the biggest lessons came from the most expensive mistakes. If this post saves even one person from making the same call I did, it’s worth sharing. Lesson learned... The hard way!

I’m starting to collaborate with other Skool community owners to bring live workshops into this space, and I’m mapping out March and April now. Here’s what is already in the works: • Tim Adams from the Pinterest Skool community joining us in March https://www.skool.com/pinterest/about?ref=c3e777594643429ab7511fdf2a445587 • A joint session with @Krista Brea and me sharing the real pros and cons of Amazon KDP and Amazon Seller Central https://www.skool.com/kdp-publishing/about?ref=c3e777594643429ab7511fdf2a445587 Now I’d love to build the rest with you. What do you want to learn next? What kind of expert would you be excited to hear from? What topic would genuinely help you move forward right now? Tell us in the comments below. One idea is perfect. Do you want to run a workshop yourself? Tell us in the comments too! This community works best when we shape it together, and I’m really excited about what’s coming. Thanks for being here.

What's the number? Be honest. $3K/month? $5K? $10K? More? And why that specific amount? In tandem with this question; would you want to be more or less busy? Because one thing I've learned is that working for yourself can consume more hours than you think. Let's chat about it 💬 *Post borrowed from Recess Skool group

He is 6 years old today! He is my guardian of presence. I am so grateful! Do you have a pet? Post a picture for us below! Let’s see your guardian of presence!