Thanks to the team at JBA, we are now fully operational and have launched our first artist lifestyle service catalog via our virtual call center. A steady level of excitement buzzes around the folks we now interact with. In a short span of time, we have gone from just building a bunch of IT systems to establishing an actual business. Thank you, James, Andres, Paola, Luis, and the superb team at JBA 🙌 If anyone in the community wants insight into the system decisions, process, and tips on IT cost optimizations or IT strategy, I am happy to take some DMs and calls to present a general overview of the system architecture that made things work for us. Glad to help where we can!

Been a while since my last post. With the climate getting stricter in regards to compliance for US bank account openings for Non-Residents I wanted to share my recent experience: I now managed to get: - Wise (most recently asked me to re-verify my personal address but not my business address) - Mercury (in good standing) - Relay (by far the hardest to get for me but it worked finally thanks to some new tactics that I came across, more on that below) Planning to get two more Non Fin-techs (likely WF and BOA), plus a personal US bank account, just to be all covered. I had struggled months getting all three accounts, especially in the beginning when I tried to do everything by myself. Also got semi-scammed by a Fiverr freelancer, but got my money back. My goal was to get all three because I wanted security / backup solutions in case one closed down or didn’t work. So far now my main business account is Mercury (as the operational account for my business), I make use of Relay as my business savings account and Wise for transfers (owner distributions) to my personal accounts abroad. I have Belgian, German, Swiss, Czech, Singaporean and Georgian (Multi-Currency) accounts now for personal. Most of them free. This setup works great for me. Mercury rejected me once first. I then tweaked my application and it worked. Relay was the toughest, requesting: - All documents Mercury requested plus special proof of address, plus lease agreement and a lot of back and forth. I had bought a great info-product (playbook and video course and other materials like EIN guide) from a consulting / tax advice niche business called TaxProteX. Was a pier’s recommendation. They basically give all info from start to finish on how to successfully set up a US LLC for foreigners. Not like an agency but much more like an information resource. Highly recommend them. They helped me with Relay in the end, also connecting me with a real address service. I also followed their EIN guide when I set up the LLC and got the EIN. Went pretty lucky for me with the bank accounts sum total, since that (address) was the biggest hurdle for me. After Mercury and Relay WISE was easy (provided them with my Relay and Mercury statements).

There was a time when I felt like nothing I tried ever worked. I’d start something new, get excited, hit a few roadblocks, and then convince myself it wasn’t for me. The cycle repeated over and over again. I saw other people building successful online businesses, making money on their own terms, and I kept thinking, What do they know that I don’t? It felt like maybe I just wasn’t "cut out" for it. Then, I had a conversation that changed everything. Someone told me, “The only difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is that the successful ones kept going when everyone else quit.” That hit me hard. So, instead of quitting, I stuck with it. I gave myself time to learn, to fail, to test, and to improve. And slowly, things started shifting. My Shopify dropshipping store went from no sales to one sale… then two… then a steady stream of orders. Looking back, I realize that quitting was the only thing holding me back. If I had given up one step before my first sale, I would’ve never seen what was possible. So if you’re in that place where you're doubting yourself, remember this: Success doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen for those who keep going.

I struggled to drive traffic to my site and convert visitors into customers. My goal was simple: to generate steady income and grow my brand. But after months of trying to navigate the marketing world on my own, sales were still slow, and I was starting to lose hope. Then, my sister, who is also in the eCommerce business, introduced me to her store manager and shared some of her business secrets. Since working with her, everything began to turn around. In my first month, I made around $5k, and now, five months later, I’ve been consistently hitting $10k in sales for the past three months. My success highlights the impact of a well-executed eCommerce marketing strategy. With the right tools, guidance, and determination, any business can transform its vision into a thriving online empire

Launched in April of this year, my dropshipping store is nearly a year old. The success has been astonishing, both in terms of revenue and the speed of growth. In July, the store generated around $1k, with projections of about $3K for August. With a net profit margin of 35% and zero spent on advertising—relying entirely on SEO and organic traffic—this outcome has exceeded my expectations. I started the store based on my industry expertise and the recognition of a market gap, but I didn’t anticipate gaining such a strong market position so swiftly. Now, the focus is on maintaining consistency and continuing the strategies that led to this success. Additionally, I’m working on two more stores using the same approach, though these will be more challenging due to tougher competition.