Contact
  • HOME
  • / MEDIA /
  • A Life-Changing Decision to Leave Home in Vietnam 8 Years Ago Found Success as an Amazon FBA Seller

Stories

July 11, 2023

SHARE:

Nhut Cao is living proof that with consistency and the right plan, you will get there.

Despite facing numerous challenges while chasing his true calling, Nhut “Justin” Cao refused to be defeated by setbacks and never lost sight of his goals. His story is not simply about winning, but also about not letting the failures hold him back. You may want to grind harder after reading about his life. 

In 2014, Nhut Cao made a life-changing decision to leave his home in Vietnam and move to the United States. Despite being deeply familiar with and accustomed to his old life, he made the difficult decision to leave everything behind and start a brand new life from scratch. He got into a decent college, and earned scholarships, hoping to follow the traditional American dream of getting a stable 9-5 job and settling down. But that kind of path didn’t make him happy.

So he dropped out of school and decided to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. He tried many different businesses – from garage sale hunts, reselling and flipping items, tutoring, nail tech, and selling goods from America to Vietnam.

One day, he decided to take a leap of faith and entered into Amazon FBA. Despite all the negativities circulating on the internet about Amazon FBA that time and his fear of failing, he still risked everything to go for it.

Follow along as we delve into Nhut Cao’s journey towards pursuing his dreams.

I SAW MANY PEOPLE BUILDING AN EMPIRE ONLINE BACK THEN WITH A HIGH 5 TO 6 FIGURES MONTHLY — AM I BEING TOO LATE TO THE PARTY?

I learned about Amazon FBA through a stranger in an online forum, the BrickSeek Deals Group for resellers. I always wondered how he could make money flow into his wallet so easily.

It didn’t take me long before I searched “How to sell on Amazon” on Google and Instagram. I saw many people building an empire online back then with a high 5 to 6 figures monthly. The first thing that came to my mind at that time was “Am I being too late to the party?”

I fell deeper into the rabbit hole and found myself searching Youtube on how to get started. But the more I looked, the more I stumbled upon negative opinions, including:

“Amazon is overly saturated,”

“It’s impossible to make money with Amazon FBA in 2015”

“Don’t try or you’ll dive straight into failure!”

As a young entrepreneur, I was too scared to fail at that time, so I blindly believed them.

I delayed my plan until two years later, after the burnout of being constantly on-the-run sourcing for products through garage sales, going to Walmart at 1 am trying to snatch some discounted laptop BrickSeek deals to only make an insignificant amount of profit, I was mentally and physically exhausted from the reseller hustle and being the one-man team from sourcing to listing, fulfilling orders to customer services. I escaped the rat race with the hope of earning my time back for my family and loved ones, but this life is draining me even more. 

I finally gave in to the idea of risking it all to Amazon FBA. I remembered telling told myself:

“After all, what do I have left to lose as an immigrant? Nothing.”

“I don’t want to keep trading my time for money as a reseller.”

“I don’t want to continue being a one-man team doing all the work myself. If I ever fail, I still have time to make it back with more experience rather than regret not doing it”

Then I scooped up all of my savings and liquidated everything I had to start my Amazon FBA. And the rest was history.  

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IS THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT BEING AN IMMIGRANT? WE DON’T GIVE UP EASILY.

It was not as easy and beautiful as many other Amazon gurus portrayed it to be on social media. I was constantly making a bunch of mistakes as a new seller and sometimes fell into the trap of self-doubting for not being able to make it drift in.

I learned everything I could from Youtube. I bought courses. I signed up for classes. But after all the hard work, there was still no sign of payoff. But you know what is the beautiful thing about being an immigrant? We don’t give up easily.

I paused to rethink all of my problems and tried to seek credible information from books and the internet to solve them. Then it finally hit home to me that maybe I was too invested in the ‘how’ when instead I could start with the ‘who’.

So I started to widen my circle, find more people who were truly making money on Amazon FBA and work for them for free. In exchange, I could build a long-term, win-win relationship with them. I could ask them for help and be always surrounded by experienced sellers.

But certainly, success won’t come overnight. There were days, weeks, and even months of not seeing any progress or result. I couldn’t find a product. I couldn’t make a sale. Being overwhelmed with bad reviews no matter how much I tried to improve the quality.

I applied many methods to overcome the challenges, such as celebrating even the smallest wins every day; or breaking my biggest goal into smaller, more manageable ones. However, the principle that helped me the most during this trying time was the 1% each day approach. 

Even on the most exhausting days, I am committed to spending at least 15 minutes on my business. By consistently dedicating time to my store, I developed a habit of working towards my goals, which can help me stay motivated and focused even during challenging times. And as I made progress, I found that my motivation and momentum increased, making it easier to stay on track and achieve even more.

Finally, in 2019, I was able to bring in close to $500k in revenues by 2019, thankful that I didn’t give up on myself.

STRATEGIES TO STAY COMPETITIVE IN THE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AMAZON, ACCORDING TO NHUT

  • Put data over emotions: When making business decisions, it’s important to rely on data and facts rather than emotions or assumptions. 
  • Surround yourself with experienced sellers: Building a network of experienced sellers can provide you with valuable insights and knowledge that can help you make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.
  • Enhance your social presence: Building a strong social identity can help you connect with your customers, build brand awareness, and enhance trust. 
  • Stay away from selling me-too products: Selling unique or innovative products can help you stand out in the crowded Amazon marketplace. Focus on offering something new and different that solves a problem or fulfills a need for your customers.
  • Do not rush into the game without researching: Never think that you have known it all. There’s always something to learn, especially in the ever-changing environment of e-commerce like Amazon.

MAKING MONEY IS NO LONGER MY PRIORITY

As a seasoned Amazon FBA seller, making money is no longer my priority. Instead, I’m driven to give back to my community. As the saying goes, we attract what we want, and I have been fortunate enough to connect with like-minded individuals who share my passion for helping others.

My team in Vietnam connected me with local authorities to aid those in need and support me in every step of this ‘paying it forward’ journey. I am also proud to say that my mentees have used the financial power they earned by learning from my secrets, to donate to many less fortunate lives. Isn’t it incredible how we can use our skills and resources to make a positive impact on the world around us? 

TAKE A CHANCE

If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to trust in his abilities more. When I was starting, I got scared by all the negative things people were saying about Amazon and ran away in fear of failure. But once I learned to trust in myself, even when things were tough and I wasn’t making money right away, I was able to stay focused and keep pushing forward.

And that’s also what I want to say to anyone who’s still scared to take a chance. The hardest thing to overcome usually isn’t a lack of money or support from others – it’s the doubts and fears in your head. But you have to step outside of your comfort zone to make progress and grow.

So take that chance – believe in yourself, and remember, life starts outside your comfort zone!

CONNECT WITH NHUT

Find more about Nhut’s story at:

Instagram: @justinthehuncho @nhutcao

Website: amzshifu.com

Related Articles

Image Source: Brían Nguyen Instagram

Uncategorized

Vietnamese-American Transgender Model Made History Winning local ‘Miss America’ Pageant

In the 100-year history of Miss America, 19-year-old Brían Nguyen has become the first transgender contestant to win a local Miss America Organization beauty pageant, Miss Greater Derry 2023.

The teenager from New Hampshire won a crown, title, and scholarship. She ecstatically wrote on her Instagram, “No words can describe the feeling of having the opportunity to serve my community and represent my community for the very first time at Miss New Hampshire.” 

Nguyen continued, “I am so honored to be crowned your new Miss Greater Derry 2023, and I am thrilled to show you all what I have up my sleeves. This will be an amazing year.”

Founded in 1986, the Miss Greater Derry Scholarship Program awards scholarships to young women in the Greater Derry area for academic skills, talent, character, community service, and poise.

The Miss Greater Derry Scholarship Pageant is also a preliminary event for the Miss New Hampshire Pageant and, ultimately, the Miss America Pageant.

As the new Miss Greater Derry, she recently attended the annual Best Buddies Champion Gala to support those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. $150,000 was raised over that night to help out their champion nominees. She will be working with Best Buddies New Hampshire throughout her reign.

  • 2 min read
Image Source: Carla Tramullas / MycoWorks

Uncategorized

MycoWorks’ Sustainable Mushroom Leather Raised Over $187M From General Motors and Hollywood A-Listers

“Growing the future has only just started. This industry will continue to surprise people,” says Philip Ross, co-founder of MycoWorks, a mycelium material founder and producer.

As the innovator of high-quality mushroom “leather” for the luxurious Hermes bags, the business acquired $187 million from Natalie Portman, John Legend, and General Motors and will soon cover the latter’s electric car interiors.

Ross unintentionally discovered leather-like material in reishi mushrooms, a fungus he farmed for his cancer and AIDS more than four decades ago. He then became a mycelium artist and featured his fungus-based works at famous museums.

According to Sophia Wang, co-founder of MycoWorks whom Phil met six years before they founded the firm while working together on art ventures, Ross’s discovery marked the “leather’s” birth to the globe.

Wang and Ross continued to discover more about mycelium and later realized that the material is enticing to buyers who don’t like synthesized contaminants and materials which are produced from animals.

Alongside raising their funding source, the company also conducted a groundbreaking at South Carolina Factory with the aim of attaining a sufficient supply of their fancy product.

With about 200 employees, Matt Scullin, the company’s CEO, said that the “Brands are making very significant changes to address what is really a growing demographic of people who want to buy sustainable products that have provenance and traceability and a lower carbon footprint, lower water use—and mycelium does all of those things.”

Compared to animal leather, the mushroom leather-like material is far more environmentally friendly as the former adds up to about a million tons of carbon dioxide which is tantamount to 30 million cars’ yearly emissions.

Despite environmental and animal issues, people prefer biomaterials or “next-gen” materials over the past decade making it in-demand as multi-billion dollars are invested in the industry.

Nonetheless, Hermes’ firm in France is soon to release its $4,200-worth “Victoria” bag made from MycoWorks’ amber-hued exquisite mycelium.

  • 2 min read
Image Source: Ricci Chocolates & Michiko Liquete Facebook

Uncategorized

Mom Without Prior Baking Experience But Through Perseverance Finds Success With Homemade Chocolates

Despite having zero experience in baking, this mom entrepreneur was able to give birth to Ricci Chocolates, now branded as the “Home of the Best Tasting Truffles in Baguio City, Philippines” 

Mitchiko Liquete clarified that she is a dessert lover but never a chocolate fanatic. Initially having no interest in making desserts nor in cooking, she capitalized on believing in herself with the vision of making her products look off-the-peg.

To better her craft, Mitchicko heeded the DTI’s Kapatid Mentor ME (KMME) free online training program in September 2022 to learn about branding and marketing while in a ‘hit and miss’ process in chocolate-making, which she considered as a great help for business-starters like her. 

Mitchiko’s 100% homemade premium chocolates got 20 to 30 boxes of sales per day that eventually reached over and above 2,000 to 3,000 packs weekly and enabled the company to supply more than 100 resellers and distributors nationwide.

The success of Mitchicko’s purely hand-crafted, first-class, and domestically produced chocolates paved the way for opening four stores and actualized $17,000 income in one year alone making Mitchiko more than proud.

She plans to expand her sweet business by making Ricci Chocolates visible in every mall in the Philippines.

  • 1 min read
Image Source: Plant Habitat Facebook

Uncategorized

This Filipino Millennial Started With $20 To Pursue Hydroponics Farming Business

Nothing is impossible for this 21-year-old Filipino who engaged in modern farming with only $20 as a starting capital.

Despite being dissuaded by his grandfather who wanted him to become an engineer, Harold Zapata was determined to uplift farming, recognize farmers, and attest that farmers are the providers of our staple food and without them, it would be challenging for us to live.

As a farmer, his grandfather believed that farming is tantamount to poverty which made him influence his grandson to pursue a different profession.

However, the farmer’s blood runs in Harold’s veins, with Harold’s minimal capital and resourcefulness, he initially started hydroponics farming using used styrofoams which he asked from vendors in their local market.

Unlike traditional farming, hydroponics farming is cheaper as it is a type of farming where plants are grown in water and not in soil and a farmer would spend money only on styro cups, coco peat, feeds, and nutrients.

As a beginner, he only had a miniature greenhouse that could hold 80 pieces of lettuce and made him earn as much as $300 a month, which gradually allowed him to expand his business.

Harold’s hobby-turned-business serves him as a source of income not only from the harvests but from offering for-sale seedlings, building greenhouses, and providing consultations with his customers.

He also exclaimed that pursuing one’s interest unlocks many possibilities and that farming also teaches life lessons.

  • 2 min read