I’m Elin Rose, 28-year-old Icelandic sailing enthusiast, ecommerce addict, and Amazon consultant. I sail in the North Atlantic and run my Amazon and eBay business on the mile!
I chose this lifestyle because I wanted to escape from a 9-5 job and not have to answer to a boss. Sacrificing 10 years or more to build someone else’s company, all the while hoping to be promoted, wasn’t really my style. However, I could easily spend those 10 years working for myself and building my own little empire instead.
I’m a millennial that never made a “career” for myself, and I never got comfortable in a traditional workplace. I had this idea of instant gratification… of getting into a workplace and rising to the top within a year. If that wasn’t happening, I was out the door ASAP. Maybe that wasn’t the best reason to leave a job… but now, I’m so glad I did.
I also realized that none of my previous jobs were going to pay my student loan (at least, it may have taken until I was 65 to pay them off!). And finally, most importantly, they weren’t going to give me the freedom I wanted.
One thing led to another and I decided to embark on this sailing and entrepreneurial lifestyle in 2014. I made a commitment to myself: I would figure out how to do this online stuff, sell amazing products, and make a profit rather than a salary. And, I would figure out how to do this while sailing around some gorgeous islands, lounging on beaches, and swimming in the clear blue waters of the North Atlantic.
I began by setting up an Amazon and eBay store. I had already given some thought as to what I wanted to sell, so I sourced the products and added my own branding.
No way was I an overnight success… I had no previous experience in anything. I was just out of college, so no real skills in finance, accounting, business, leadership, or anything other than my own ideas for product design.
To cut a long story short, I now make a consistent 10,000 UK pounds (approximately $13,000 U.S. dollars) a month. It’s a business that keeps growing every month as I acquire repeat buyers, new sales avenues, and more trade customers.
This business is 99% passive, since I don’t have to fulfill my orders or returns myself. Amazon does all that for me, and that’s how it’s been possible for me to sail around almost every island in the Azores, Madeira, and the Canaries archipelago in less than three years.
I now live a life where I get paid when I’m not working, including every day of the week and every holiday of the year!
I can assure you it’s not as hard as you think! I will share my key ingredient with you today…
Key ingredient: Add value to an existing product that is already in high demand.
Take jelly beans, for example…
If someone is selling a 30g bag, could you sell exactly the same beans, branded with a name you create, such as “Jelly Dog,” and offer a 60g bag for the same price?
Could you also offer jelly beans that were a mix of two flavors, such as apple and cinnamon, or chocolate and coconut? What flavors or combinations can you offer that no one else does?
Jelly beans are just one example—there are endless products out there to choose from. But really, it’s as simple as that. Whatever products you choose, just remember to focus on value and on solving a problem for the buyer.
By adding value to your products, you have the chance to become much more niche than the big retailers, with more heart and personal touch. And this in turn will lead to more customers and better profits for you, so you can be free to live the lifestyle you choose.
