The Vak Shack

Your expenses could be as minimal as you'd like...I pay for a newsletter service, domain, shopify site, phone system, marketing, sales tax, accounting.

You must be able to purchase mininum $20k orders to secure discounted pricing. There is a secondary supplier who has even better margins but you will need to place orders at minimum $65k. I stock inventory in a warehouse on my property...they are shipped in boxes on pallets. I drop-ship (do NOT stock) machines and have access to a wide line of machines.

This store can be run from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a space for inventory and shipping capabilities. There is so much potential re marketing, such as FBA (fulfillment by Amazon) and using all of the Shopify Apps. I have run this business while in college, living in apartments, raising children, working full-time. Customers are very loyal and you'll enjoy the word of mouth recommendations.

I would strongly suggest becoming affiliated with Amazon - particularly Fulfillment by Amazon. This is something I had looked into, and the margins are there, however it was something I was unable to do on my own due to time constraints. Also, take advantage of the Shopify apps and market the store better with more videos, pictures, product reviews, active social media campaigns. Also, securing better shipping rates would be helpful to improve margins.

I have uploaded all of the inventory (a great deal is "hidden" currently because I am low on inventory, as I did not want to make a large purchase order in the event the business sells). There is a lot of SEO already established in the store. Customers are familiar with the website. I've added videos and product reviews. There is a ton of social media following. It's been a labor of love that now runs itself, however I have started a new business and would like to cash out the effort I've invested over the past ten years.