Hi Everyone!
In the past posts, I’ve interviewed Maurice Shaw (RxComedy), Kevin Yee (Rufugee Hustle), The Uber Pharmacist, and Mario Hoyos. In celebration of women’s history month, I wanted to change it up and recognize women pharmacists. This post will feature a pharmacist who I first learned about through a YouTube video. For those who are interested in e-commerce, read on to learn more.
1) For those who don’t know who you are, tell me a little about yourself.
Sure! My name is Amy Hoang. I was a former retail pharmacist before I started my own company selling online, particularly on Amazon. During the height of the pandemic, my husband lost his job while I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd child. I was so scared to go to work some days fearing that I might catch something and bring it home to my kids. Some days, I would have to work 12 hours shifts and be exhausted when I get home, just to find out that my kids are asleep, and I can’t even put them to bed.
While my husband was looking for a job, he focused on our side hustle, which we have been doing for the last 5 years. We started to see exponential growth as I also helped him with the business during my maternity leave. Once we determined that this business could sustain itself to the point where it replaced both of our income, I made the tough decision to leave my job.
We’ve been doing this full-time for the last year, and we love what we do! Now, we inspire and help other people to get started with reselling on Amazon.
2) How did you learn about e-commerce? This is not something that is learned in pharmacy school.
I learned about e-commerce through listening to a few podcasts. The one that resonated with me the most was “Smart Passive Income” by Pat Flynn. I remember listening to another couple talk about how they were able to sell on Amazon by just going to clearance aisle of big box stores, buy the products for cheap, sell it to make a profit on Amazon. That week, I went out to the stores and picked up a few items myself. I made a sale within a few days and that validated that this actually works!
Back in college, I resell on eBay a lot too, so I’ve always been a reseller. I just love the idea of making money online by selling the things you already have or bought in local stores.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make this work. You just have to put in the effort and continue doing it, even when it doesn’t seem like you’re making any sales. We had our ups and downs, but we persisted and made it through those times. Now, looking back, all of those “mistakes and failures” were great lessons, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
3) What are your tips for beginners who want to start an ecommerce business on Amazon with no or little upfront cost/risk? I know you mentioned in an interview about AliExpress.
I would say, go to your local big box stores, like Walmart or Target, or thrift stores, and start scanning items with your Amazon Seller App.
The first thing you need to do is open an Amazon seller account. Nowadays, Amazon is requiring a little bit more steps to get verified as a seller, but people are still able to get their account up and running within a short amount of time.
Once you have the account, then you can download the seller app on your phone. With that, you’re able to do product research and sometimes make money within a week or so.
The important thing is that you need to connect and align yourself with the right people. Join Facebook groups or listen to podcasts about this subject. Ask the right questions, and you will be surprised how far you’ll get 🙂
4) Is there anything else you wanted to add?
I would like to advise anyone who wants to get started to just do it. Sometimes we think too hard about something, and it cripples us for taking action.
I know myself, as a pharmacist, I used to analyze everything. But I noticed that when I take a chance and trust my instincts, that’s when I get the best results.
Sometimes in life, we think that a certain path is meant for us and we have to continue down that path. For me, I thought I had to be a pharmacist for the rest of my life. But I quickly realized that there was another path that I can take.
What I’m trying to get at is that you need to explore your options. Choose the one that is best suited for you, and run with it. I tried a bunch of things before I settled with reselling on Amazon. I did Uber, DogVacay (well, my husband did), blogging, affiliate marketing, podcasting, you name it. If I hadn’t tried these things, I wouldn’t have known that e-commerce is my jam.
So I encourage anyone who’s trying to start something on the side, to just find the right thing and do it. It might not be the most obvious answer right away, but at least you’ll quickly know what you DON’T want to do.
The worst part of life is to go through it and realize it was an entire waste.
I hope this helps someone out! 🙂
5) Thanks so much for sharing and taking the time to answer all of my questions. If anyone is interested in reaching out to you, where can people find you (e.g., social media handles)?
I can be reached at hello@womensellers.com or you can join my Facebook group of other sellers (www.facebook.com/groups/womensellers). I’m also on IG @amytranhoang.
Feel free to reach out to Amy or join the facebook group if you have any questions. I hope you find this post helpful. Please consider following this blog for more content like this.
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Thank you!
HelloCatherine.PharmD | Pharmacist Blogger 