How We Made Amazon's Top Choice And Sold Out 2 Years In A Row
This is a follow up story for The Christmas Tree Hugger. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published over 7 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
Hi, my name is Ryan and I’m the founder of The Christmas Tree Hugger. We make a One-Of-A-Kind Christmas product that makes artificial Christmas trees look more realistic and beautiful from the bottom up.
These days our niche little holiday product has been treating us pretty well. Covid-19 brought even more people online where we sell our product and we had a sell-out year!
Tell us about what you’ve been up to! Has the business been growing?
In the last year, CTH has seen a huge increase in sales on Amazon due to Covid-19. So many people transitioned from going to store in person and defaulted to Amazon to handle more shopping needs. For us and many other online businesses, that’s really brought in more eyeballs and demand.
The previous year we migrated most of our channels to Amazon so we could have more control over the price of our item and we were concerned about not selling enough volume. But the opposite has happened. We got rated as Amazon's top choice and have sold out 2 years in a row now on Amazon.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
This year, the biggest lesson learned was that Covid-19 did not put a speed bump in front of as many businesses as we thought it might. We tried selling masks this year like so many other people, but the competition was enormous, so we’ll be sticking to our main product now.
As long as you keep moving forward, failure can only make you stronger in the long run.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
Our plan for the next year is to keep pushing on Amazon and explore selling via that platform in other countries too. We’ll start with Canada, but may branch out to Australia or Germany too.
We also plan to fire up the power of paid search via Google Ads and do some real marketing this year! Excited to see how that helps us grow since we’ve had triple-digit growth the last few years with no marketing.
Have you read any good books in the last year?
I’ve been listening to a podcast called “School Of Greatness” Always has valuable information for inspiring entrepreneurs. If you need a way to recharge your passion, this podcast will get you motivated. There’s a topic for everyone and lots of famous success stories.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
If you're struggling to grow your business don’t let it be a result of you being afraid to fail. Failure is one of the most important tools you have to get you ready for the road to success. Try new things, meet new like-minded people, and keep moving. As long as you keep moving forward, failure can only make you stronger in the long run.
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
