S3 E3 Building a 7-Figure WFH Reselling Business on Amazon & Walmart

Learn how to build a seven-figure reselling business on Amazon and Walmart   using smart product sourcing and sustainable scaling. Emily Baker from Crazy Flippin Mom joins the Online Hustle podcast  to break down exactly how she turned a side hustle into an e-commerce empire. Beyond the typical hustle mindset , Emily reveals how to balance massive business growth with family life as a mom of four. Get a transparent look at what it really takes to succeed in retail reselling without gatekeeping or sacrificing your personal boundaries. Sponsored by AVASK. 

Key Takeaways:
The difference between retail reselling and online arbitrage. 
Common buying mistakes new resellers make that slow their progress.
Why defining what you do not want in business is crucial for healthy growth. 
The value of authenticity and community over keeping industry secrets.

00:00 - Introduction to Emily Baker and Crazy Flippin Mom 
00:37 - Early entrepreneurial sparks and personal transformation 
04:58 - Getting serious about reselling 
08:55 - Scaling your product sourcing strategy 
12:50 - Top buying mistakes and prioritizing quality 
14:15 - Comparing the Amazon and Walmart platforms 
17:10 - Advice for new part-time resellers 
20:50 - What has stayed the same in reselling over eight years 
23:21 - Balancing a business with family boundaries 
26:12 - Calculated risk-taking and avoiding scaling just to scale 
32:26 - The story behind the Crazy Flippin Mom brand 
35:49 - Building an authentic reseller community 
39:51 - Emily's advice to her first-year self 
41:43 - Defining success beyond revenue

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hello and welcome to another episode of season three of the online hustle podcast, sponsored by Avast. Today we're joined by Emily Baker from Crazy Flippin' Mom. Thank you so much for joining us today, Emily. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. So in this episode, we're diving into how Emily turned reselling into a seven-figure business, her experience selling on Amazon and Walmart, and how she's built a brand and community while staying aligned with her values as a mom and an entrepreneur. So, Emily, you've built a huge presence as Crazy Flippin' Mom. But this journey I know started a while ago with a personal transformation. And I know that entrepreneurial spark started when you were a lot younger. So can you tell us more about how that started and how that shaped your mindset as a business owner today?

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Wow, where to even start? Oh my God. And looking back, I'm like a lot of coffee. I don't even know. It feels like a blur because like launching a business and motherhood feels so similar. Sleepless nights, very stressful. You know, you go through this maturing stage where you're figuring out the business. And I actually have four little kids. And when I started, three of those kids were in diapers. And now my oldest is 16, just got a new car. And that's crazy. But yeah, I've been, I've been documenting my journey for a long time. And actually, some of my followers found me like day one. So they've watched Transform, watched my kids. So it feels like a community, a family. You know, when we get together and network because network being a community is like number one. And I go to events and we host uh get togethers. People bring gifts for my kids, you know, they're like, they feel like your auntie and uncle and your kids are, and I really like that, but my journey does feel in motherhood feel so similar. I'm interested if that's anyone else's take, just just the stress and like, am I gonna be able to do this? Uh, you know, not knowing of, you know, when you have your first kid, is it's all so similar. Last night I had my first whatnot show and ever, life-selling ever. And it was like that. It was like, I don't know if I can do this, I don't know if I'm ready, you know, and then just doing it and messy. I did it. So um, yeah, I don't know what the question was now.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Um, can you share more about how your personal transformation unexpectedly led you into reselling um and how your early days, um, that mindset shaped uh how you are as a business owner today?

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Sure. So I was at home with kids and I really felt like I was losing my identity a little bit and just everything felt like sleepless nights, like I was saying. And I was looking for something that I could develop on my own. And I found reselling really, I found people selling stuff on eBay and Poshmark and those platforms, and I was like, well, I can do that, like with my own stuff here. And I just really started selling with my own stuff, and it really clicked very quickly. Like I was talking about needing more units, like a drug dealer so early on. Like, I need more, more, more. You know, I really jumped quickly in my mindset and not knowing the language or anything from I have stuff around here I can sell to like how do I quickly, you know, duplicate this, get more quantity, and launch on other platforms. So it was like it was great because those are low-risk platforms that I was able to cut my teeth on, figure it out, make mistakes before I launched on Amazon. So I really understood customer service, I understood shipping, I understood how to scale successfully and knowing my net numbers and understanding bookkeeping. And I had an employee before I launched on Amazon. So, you know, all of those things was able to really learn for myself. And I think being a mom, you know how to juggle so many things. And that really helped me. Like sleepless nights was just part of my life, anyways. So I think that really put me in a position to dominate the space. And it's really why once once I started, I was like, why are other more like why aren't women here? You know, I and they are, I just think it's a very male-dominated industry. And women are busy, you know, so we're not always at events and on social media. But once I was like, this could be perfect for women on a small scale, then I just connected the pieces and you know, launched community.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

All right. So when you first started reselling seriously, what was that moment in your life that you were like, okay, I really, I really gotta get serious about this? It's no longer just selling here and there on Poshwork and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

It was really necessity. We needed another stream of income, and my husband's business was affected by COVID. And we could see the writing on the wall like, that's not gonna be around much longer, or there's definitely gonna be a break. So that's when March was shutdowns. I remember this so clear. And I had dabbled on Amazon for maybe a year before that, but my reselling business was pretty successful, pretty large. And it's difficult to learn Amazon and do something else. But with shutdowns, my source for buying sucked. And so with um eBay and PacPrak, my source for buying sucked, and that was March. And that month was my like, I have to focus on Amazon now because I think that's where I can really scale. And that month I was just shy of$10,000 in sales, and then that really changed opened my eyes probably to the possibility. And okay, I can do this, I need to buckle down. And it was just a couple months later that my husband actually left his job then to join me because it was so successful, I needed more help, and and that we really never looked back. Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

That's great to hear. So, you since then have become known for mastering retail, reselling, and online arbitrage. For the beginners listening, how do you explain the difference and how should someone decide which path to start with?

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Right. So this is a very niche sector, I would say, in the Amazon space. A lot of people here have private label and wholesale. So they understand there's so much education around those. But for somebody like me, I've never had the money to jump into wholesale. Honestly, I just from my beginning, I could now, but also now my community is around arbitrage. And I really genuinely like this. I started couponing, like I started my journey in a grocery store with coupons. And looking around, trying to find the best deal, you scan Amazon and you're like, this is 50 cents in my store and it's selling for$9.99 on Amazon. And I just started putting the pieces together. I was like, wow, I wonder if I contacted the grocery store, how much they would let me purchase. You know, those sort of things led to relationships. I have other stores local to me that they love me. They love um letting me come in the back room, look around. And so I really never had that risk of I need$10,000 right now to buy this product and launch and ads. I was selling stuff people already loved. And that's candy. One of the first big breaks for me was Cadbury eggs. They went on clearance after Easter, and our stores were stocked and they were like 90% off. And I'm just in the store scanning, you know, like we do, looking for the deals. And I see Cadbury eggs are two pack, two packs on Amazon for like$60.99 and they were 50 cents, 60 cents in my store. Done. I crushed it for like four days. All I did, I think the rank on those is right after Easter. So the rank is like under a thousand. They were selling like hotcakes. Um, for days, all I did was sell Cadbury eggs. My house smelled like sugar. And I just took advantage of that opportunity. And I think who better than people who are like couponing, the coupon community, the clearance community with a limited budget, limited time, and you can really scale at your pace.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Yeah, definitely. And speaking of uh, you know, scaling and sourcing, how has your sourcing strategy changed as you've scaled from scrappy beginnings to this seven-figure operation?

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Crazy enough, I'm I'm better at sourcing, I'm smarter, you know, year over year. I think this is year eight for me on Amazon. This is year four on Walmart. I still take those beginning principles and am applying them the same. You know, I teach every week in my community, very similar to how I started. When you really understand the numbers and you break down the fees, you're so smart. And uh people look at a small budget and think that's a handicap. And I I've seen so many terms where people with limited budgets make smarter decisions and are more successful long term because you really understand like SKU-level dynamics, your competition, keep a charts.

SPEAKER_01 9:57

Well, your rents are higher.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Right, right. So I really it's evolved, sure. It's changed, but I've really doubled down on clearance in the last two years. Clearance is huge in stores. Stores are always trying to move out old inventory and bring in new, and they are looking more than ever to like liquidate palettes. So that is still such a huge part of my business. And I have friends, I feel my biggest issue right now is time, my budget, and you know, I have a lot of kid activ. My kids, I would be a millionaire if I didn't have kids. The grocery budget alone is insane. But I don't want to scale. I think that's I'm very unique in this space, is I'm not looking to do bigger numbers. I really like where I'm at. So, you know, maybe when my kids get older, I'll be looking for a different avenue. But right now, this is perfect.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Yeah, absolutely. And when you are looking for products, what are the indicators that tell you this product is worth my time and my money versus others, especially in these competitive markets?

unknown 11:09

Right.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

So the beauty of what I do is I'm looking at products people already want. So they already have listings up on Amazon. They have a the brand has a following. Like nobody has a following in this industry like Brock's candy, you know, and and Brock is insane because they will discontinue their most loved flavors. And you just learn these things along the way. And even though I'm I'm not launching my own, nobody loves Brock's candy more than the older population, but those are things that I know. I love confectionery, I love selling like sweets and baking around the holidays. So I'm looking at listings that are obviously drive driving traffic, looking at rank, my competition, making sure that brand, which Brocks is typically never selling their own product. So some of the same things that anybody in wholesale is looking at, um, we are breaking down the listing and doing the same thing. And Walmart is very unique because Walmart knows their buyer. So if it's on a Walmart shelf, they've already done the research to understand their consumer. So when I do a lot of Walmart to Walmart flips, so I'm going into Walmart, buying inventory, selling it back on the Walmart platform as a third-party seller. That stuff, I wouldn't say 100% is a sure thing, but very close because a consumer wants it. They really Walmart does that backend research for you. So it's it's very different than bringing a new product to Walmart and launching and trying to drive traffic because Walmart also prefers their own catalog over somebody who's launching their own. So you also have that dynamic at play too.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Yeah, yeah, definitely. And when you're buying products, you know, I know you emphasize buying smart over buying more, right? On air quality over quantity, right? Uh, what do you think are the top two, three buying mistakes that you see new resellers making that are slowing their progress the most?

SPEAKER_00 13:12

I would say not factoring in all the fees, including like your what is it taking to get it to a Walmart warehouse, Amazon warehouse? It all probably revolves around fees, and I know that's such a basic answer, but Walmart's returns are insane and it crushes business. You know, if you get on the wrong listing, the consumer doesn't understand what they're getting, and you know, 75% of your product is returned. Your business is really dead in the water. So understanding fees, it looks, you know, we we have gotten away from the orange bars on social media where we're like, look, I did$10,000 this week because that what does that mean? You know, that doesn't mean anything. So that's one thing, and also I I think a lot of people in this industry overextend themselves in every possible way, financially, emotionally, mentally, and that just leads to burnout emotionally and mentally, but it financially can lead to so many bigger issues that you can't sustain this business.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of Walmart, you have built impressive success on both Walmart and Amazon. From a seller's perspective, how would you compare the two platforms today?

SPEAKER_00 14:29

They are so different. Walmart is in its beginning stages, really. You know, they're just now going through their first evolution and bringing in policies and brands, and it's very painful for sellers. If you are sticking around on Walmart, you know, you're you're getting hit with so many changes and glitches in the system when they make an update where Amazon is sure a sure thing. You know, it it's there, you you see the scale. I don't think Walmart has this. I know Walmart doesn't have the movement like Amazon does, the sales yet. I also hear people bringing brands over to Walmart very hard time launching over there. Uh their ads are not up, you know, rolling like they should be, like when you look at Amazon and putting money into ads. So it's still in the beginning stages. I think it's perfect for me because so many big sellers don't want to take the risk yet. And I don't mind trying it out, testing it out, and figuring, figuring out all the flaws, but it is it it can be painful at times. So definitely not the same platforms at all. You you need a lot of patience with Walmart, but I I think they're moving in the right direction and they're they they will compete with Amazon at some point, but it's gonna take some time.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Yeah, definitely. I mean, one step at a time, right? Um, you're always talking openly about challenges like this, right? Account health, restrictions, platform differences. Um, what do you think is one misconception that sellers have about both Amazon and Walmart?

SPEAKER_00 16:06

I mean, you know, in my space, people see on social media these quick reels, and I do these six-second reels, seven, and it's really rage bait, honestly. I get that. But then they'll they'll message me and be like, you said it was gonna be easy. You know, I I never said that. But I think uh sellers typically underestimate the amount of time it takes and money it takes in this to really start seeing momentum and the setbacks, you know, how many times have we had to pivot? And you're you're going in a direction like I thought kids' clothes was gonna be my niche on Walmart, and that's how I was gonna make it. And then they they took it away, you know, overnight. So you you pivot and you're like, okay, well, I'm not doing that anymore. That knocks most sellers out, you know, who are already on the fence. We saw so many sellers leave in the last year just because it is a difficult industry to maintain over time. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

And with all of these challenges that you've experienced, I mean, I know that this is your full-time job, and now your husband has joined you. Um, but for new resellers just starting out, if they want to do this, you know, part-time, for example, um, what would be your biggest piece of advice for them to deal with all of these challenges that you're discussing?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

I think it's just patience. You know, we in my community right now, we're talking about understanding like how many SKUs, how many units do you need in your catalog to make X amount of numbers, and then how to maintain that. And that all is just an enormous amount of patience. And then you, you know, half of your catalog gets hit with IPs or suspensions or price suppressions. It just takes time. And unfortunately, you know, how it looked five years ago is so is so much different than today. And I would say it was easier five years ago, you know, six years ago than it is today. Uh, you know, on Amazon, there's more competition, more brands have come to play. And so you just can't even sell that stuff anymore as a third-party seller. But on Walmart, it just takes an enormous amount of patience. The amount of cases I open, the amount of time I take talking to their support, to I'm on the this team where we talk to their like representatives and people who lead, you know, merchant fulfillment, WFS. I've never in my life taken so much time just relaying seller issues. So I think new sellers get in, it's gonna take a lot of patience, you know, to maintain this. And again, such a basic answer, but it's kind of the way it is.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

At the end of the day, it's really with any industry, any job, right? Patience, you have to start somewhere and roll yourself up. You can't just expect to wake up a millionaire the next day.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Right. I think that it's important to there's so many uh paths to take. You know, you can get overwhelmed. Like, what am I supposed to? I can sell so many things. I think the biggest piece of advice is pick one, pick one category and understand that niche. You know, I picked grocery and then I niched into confectionary and I really understood patterns and when people are looking for making for Easter and Thanksgiving and Christmas, all of those things. That really was a foundational principle for me. Then I just started learning other categories and bringing different types of products in. Right, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

And I know you mentioned you just got into that Walmart space about four years ago. What was your biggest lesson uh when transitioning from being mainly Amazon to now making Walmart a strategic part of your brand?

SPEAKER_00 19:58

Man, maintaining multiple platforms is difficult. You know, people always ask me, like, what are you selling where? I don't even know. You know, for a long time we had eBay, and so I had so much product, it's difficult to know what should go where. And then like, oh, because I have a one, I only it's me at home now. I don't have another team coming in, so I have to get shipments out, fulfill orders. And I think for me, when you bring in another marketplace, you you you need to figure out how to maintain it all. So I I have figured that out a little bit, but that's and then the challenges, like I think keeping both accounts healthy and alive, that's another big hurdle. So doing it all is that all that kind of stuff can just be difficult.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Yeah, of course, of course. Um, so you have sold over several platforms, right? Over the last eight or so years, you sold into the seven figures. What do you think has stayed the same no matter what, uh, no matter what platform, no matter what time, pre-COVID, post-COVID, what do you think has stayed the same in this industry?

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Oh my god, what has stayed the same? You know, that's a really good question. I don't know what do you think has stayed the same? I don't know how to answer that. Let me ask you.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

Okay, so what do you think has changed the most then?

SPEAKER_00 21:32

I think the the requirements for sellers, those have evolved and become harsher. I think it's harder to sell, harder to get started. And I find a lot of new sellers jump in and then they're like, I can't sell anything. You know, like it's very difficult to just get that first push. I think that would probably be the biggest. I think it lashed. Year, you know, with gating requirements changing, that has been a huge struggle for new sellers. And I think that's why a lot of sellers moved over to Walmart then, because that gating requirements are completely different over there, a lot easier. But what has stayed the same is, you know, the amount of work I put into it really hasn't changed. You know, I still, this is still a full-time job for me. And I could I could probably make it easier by bringing in help and support, but I I put a lot of effort into this. It's definitely not like, oh, luck, you did it. It's it's a lot of behind the scenes late nights still.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

Absolutely. This is like your fist baby.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

And I think it because I'm not like growing my own brand and I'm gonna sell it at any point. I just have to maintain a balance in my life. You know, this is supposed to work for me. And every month or so I look at jobs and I'm like, I'm just gonna quit, pack it up, and go find a job. And I was like, I could never. In Iowa, I think the base pay is still$725. I could never, you know, and and I'm terrible to work with, I know. I'm I'm way too loud. So I think I'm gonna get fired immediately. So I need to make this work.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

So speaking of that, right? You're a mom of four, you have this full-time uh reselling career now. Um, you know, I'm sure with these kids, I know they're older, but you started when they were little kids, boundaries must be key, right? How do you ensure that your business aligns with your personal values as a mom and the life that you're building for your family?

SPEAKER_00 23:44

I want this business to pay my bills, you know, buy its groceries, pay everything. And that's what I want from it. So I don't I don't need it to go to the moon right now. And that's why I love to talk about this for other women because I think it's perfect. Um, but having my husband here and he does a lot of the kids' stuff is so helpful because at the end of the day, I'm not doing it all. I'm not making every track meet wrestle match, after school activities, and doing this, not even close. And I I think that's important to say because then sometimes women look at me and they're like, you're doing it all. I'm really not. I have a lot of help with him. Thank God he's so supportive, and he's so great in that role. So I love that I can work and do what I love, and he's able to like attend everything. He's like the side parent recording everything, cheering the shorts made. Um, so I feel like we're in our we're in our perfect roles, but I definitely couldn't do it without him.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Yeah, that's great to hear because I feel like, especially here in the States, right? We're all about this hustle mindset, right? Even our this podcast, the online hustle. Um, and and it should be that, but it's also about what you make it, right? Like you are kind of defining the norms, I feel, of what a lot of e-commerce sellers are are doing and thinking. Um, again, especially here in the states, right? So, and and and you may be working and your husband is helping you out. Um, you know, I feel like it's it's not, it's more common now, but it's it's not still the norm. And so I love to see that and that message going out. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

People are always like, what do you do? Like to my husband. And he is a big part of my business, but the that part is really helping the house and kids. And also for women, uh, there are seasons where I go really hard. Like Q4, I don't sleep, I work very hard. And if a man were to do that, we're like, wow, Gary V, what? It's amazing. And if I usually get like, well, who's watching your kids? Who's making them food? You're like, I'm not the only one who I think that's also very different in this culture and how the people we operate with, but it is changing. And I think showing up on social media is important because it changes that dynamic.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Yeah, absolutely. And starting again, you know, with these four kids, and you know, your husband was working, you started this as a stay-at-home mom. Um, obviously, there's a lot of risk involved uh in this business over the years now. Calculator risk taking has definitely played a role in building your brand. How do you personally evaluate these risks before making these big business decisions?

SPEAKER_00 26:39

I uh we are very um timid when it comes to making big business decisions. And it's probably why I haven't jumped into wholesale. I could, I go to trade shows, I understand what it takes, but because we need so much for our family, so much time, emotional support, money, I think that's where we don't want to overextend ourselves. We we want to just like protect what we have. And that's probably a future. So we look at things, we're like, oh, that's a future risk. That's not a today decision we're making right now. We're just gonna protect what we have and maintain it. And that's also something most people don't talk about is just like reaching, sus sustaining and then living there. Um, but I'm thankful that this business can do that.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

That's great. Um, you're always also open about um avoiding that scaling just to scale, right? Which comes hand in hand with different kinds of risk taking. So, how do you um stay grounded and focus on the right kind of growth that works for you?

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Right. It all comes back to numbers. I feel I'm a hundred percent in. If I see, like I just went to buy out to all the Christmas clearance, the Christmas candy. I'm paying pennies, you know, and so that's a risk. I jump in, I fill truckloads, I've done the U-Haul and travel around the country. So I'm okay taking risks that make sense on paper. And so that's where I put a lot of my time into. And um, anything though, that I'm like, I don't understand that category, I don't understand that niche, that product, that's gonna be a hard no. And I say I I find myself saying no a lot more than yes. But the products that make sense to me that just I'm buying them for pennies, I'm I'm really all in. So I guess that it that in itself is a risk that I'm willing to take because not all of it succeeds, but you know, with time, I think that's what it is. It's time every year you learn a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

Absolutely. And it's always important to know when to say no, also, right? Because I think in this space as well, a lot of people you must get a little bit greedy, right? And you're just yes, yes, let's keep going, keep going, keep going, and you know, um, more money, more problems, right?

SPEAKER_00 29:10

And I I try to run my business on cash. We very rarely rely on credit unless there's something that comes out and I'm like, this is insane. I really need to do this. And so I I scale very slow because not only does that profit have to some of it have to go back in the business, but some of it has to cover our bills. And so that's usually what I'm looking at. I'm looking at my bank account and then I'm looking at what's available and then doing the math, breaking down the numbers on the different products and seeing like what's most profitable, how much can I buy, and then I go.

SPEAKER_01 29:45

And you have also said that defining what you don't want in business is just as important, if not more important, right, as defining what you do want in business. So, what does that look like for you today? I know you've talked about uh being in a good place and thinking about future risks, not necessarily right now, the kids growing up and everything. But what does that look like for you today?

SPEAKER_00 30:09

So that really came out of me trying to keep up with the culture and getting super burnt out. You know, I I could scale and I have, but I just was so unhappy that it didn't make sense anymore, not seeing the kids, not being home. Like I I I work from home now, but I had an office space, I had employees, and I worked extremely hard. And I was proud of what I built, but I like slept there, you know, it still felt like I'm missing things. And so that's where even though it it was money, it just didn't feel like good money to me, and where we had to take a step back and you know, figure out what's important, you know, when you bring on employees, and and maybe this is like low-level stuff for a lot of your listeners because you've scaled to the moon, but I think happiness is so important in family. And I missed events and I didn't I didn't love that. So I I will take losses, I will not buy so I can make sure this is still in a spot that I can maintain it and be here for my kids. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Well, I think that's an important uh point and value to mention because as we said, right, people are always trying to just scale, scale, scale, which is great. I mean, whatever works for you works for you, but it is important to keep that in mind, right? Not just business, business, business all the time, but your personal life, your family, and your happiness because you did this so that you can, you know, help your family and spend more time with them. And then you put yourself in a situation where you're no longer doing that, and then you have to think to yourself, okay, wait, why did I really do this?

unknown 31:48

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

And because I'm not launching a product, I'm gonna sell one day, and I'm working towards a payout, I'm maintaining this like a job. So I it needs to be where there's that equilibrium where I'm enjoying my day and this is fitting into the places it fits in in my life, and and that's it. There's no, like at the end of the day, when I close my Amazon account, there's no big payout, you know? So this is more or less like a job, and and I need to have it work for me and also like I'm working from home, I'm gonna enjoy my life and my kids and do what I want to do.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

Absolutely. So, this brand that you built, Crazy Flippin' Mama, first of all, how did that name even come about?

SPEAKER_00 32:31

Yeah, so Crazy Flippin' Mom came from when I was on Poshmark probably nine years ago. That's where Poshmark and eBay where I started. And like I said, I've always attracted community and I love networking. I would do posh events in my town. And I started this email list just out of nowhere. And I was like, give me your emails and we'll talk every week. And so in that email, I would say, tell me, like it would say crazy flippin', and then what crazy flippin' risk, crazy flippin'. So that email list, I would like take that and be like, tell me your crazy flippin' flip from this week, you know, like just stuff. That's how it came. And I again then I was like really into the mom life, you know, my kids were home, I was doing battle service and the whole thing. So that that name kind of stuck. And people to still to this day, I was in another community, and they're like, Do I have to be a mom to join your community? No, there are men there, but I I also like that we carved out a niche for women and for mothers here in this space, so we still protect that.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

I love that. And this brand, Crazy Flippin' Mom, has turned into a true community. I mean, you do YouTube's courses, retreats, QA's, podcasts, course. What inspired you to build this community instead of just content?

unknown 33:58

Right.

SPEAKER_00 33:59

So, like I said, when I started Amazon and I saw the value, I I remember telling my husband, this could change women's lives. Like, if they could have this, they could leave a bad job, leave a bad relationship, get out on their own. You know, like this could supplement so much. You can buy groceries. Like, think if you could make$2,000 net every month, which is very easy to do in this industry. So we he thank God I have him. He believes in me. And he he was like, Yeah, if you think that's we could do it. So we we contacted a company and they built an app for us. So we're in the Apple store. Um, you know, any phone you have, you could download it on your phone and it works like social media. And we we drained our bank account making that. And again, I'm like, that was this is year five of our community. And I I like the risk of that. My husband is like amazing to do that, but he just believed in what it could do. And we launched like January 5th, and really never looks back of creating a home for sellers like us. And yeah, people downloaded the app on their phone, joined. It's like social media. I'm live there, I post my fines, I post the crazy and the risk and the bad and all of it. And I attracted other women and men who are doing the same, you know, and wanna, and it's 50 bucks a month, so it's super attainable for everybody. And you get access to some of the best educators in the space, will come take their time and teach from wholesale and to private label to pricing, all of it. And so it's a way to create resources for for other people like me.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Yeah, you've built your own mini Emily Baker masterclass.

SPEAKER_00 35:53

Yeah, yeah. And I mean, it's five years now. For five years, I've been teaching live twice a week, sometimes three times a week. All of that is there. So crazy amount of resources sitting there in that library. Amazing. See, so you do take risks. I do, that's true. I do take risks. No, that was like I I feel I felt so sure about that. Like, this can really help so many people, and it has. Like, we see people buying cars, buying houses, you know, quitting their job. That's a big one that they are able to launch out on their own. So that's a huge risk, definitely. I'm so glad we took that one.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

Yeah, that you can definitely see the impact among the sellers who are connecting through your community.

SPEAKER_00 36:37

Thank you. It means it means everything. It is like a child to me. And when other people succeed, it's like my it's the community is so tight that it's we all celebrate that. You know, when Sweet leaves their job or does something, it's a celebration. So we do gift exchange. We're actually doing a Valentine's gift exchange, Christmas gift exchanges, and we have such a good time. So it's it's nice because the industry can be lonely, you know, if you're working for yourself, it feels very isolated, even if even with social media, it feels isolated. So it's nice that you can plug in every week to people. And and of course, we started education, but this week our call was like three hours, and by hour two, it's like off in like, what did you buy this week? Your kids drama, you're we're all just sharing the tea. And it's it's nice that you have a space, you can just do that, you know, like upload. And it's it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 37:31

That's amazing. And I know through this community, you're always sharing real results, tips from the trenches. You say, um, why is this level of transparency such an important part of your storytelling and your journey through this community?

SPEAKER_00 37:50

Yeah, so when when I got started eight, nine years ago, I felt like Amazon space was like the mafia. I don't know if you're around, but it was it might still be. I just maybe I'm in my own bubble, but it was like the mafia to get answers. Like, what are you selling? What am I supposed to sell? If you asked somebody what their store name is, they would blackball. They're like blacklisted, you're out. That was crazy to me. And I think actually that's I got very popular quickly because I was sharing everything. I didn't know you weren't supposed to do that. So I think there's so much more transparency now. But I've always I've always shared everything. I'm an open book. If you meet me in person, I'm the like queen of teamai. I'm saying what like I've but yeah, I I kind of brought that same energy to my community too. And also when you're willing to share your losses, you know, it's it then creates a sense of like, oh, it's okay to not succeed all the time. It's okay to fall down. And that doesn't mean you're bad at this, it just means you made a bad decision, you know. So I think it's very important to be transparent just to show that like I'm a human and we're allowed to make mistakes.

SPEAKER_01 39:09

Yes, absolutely. I think that's super important too, especially in social media days where uh social media seems very fake and artificial all around. It's important to show that authenticity, right? And not gatekeep, as they say, all of these things that aren't really secrets, um, but people tend to treat them as secrets.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

Right, right. I it's that was so crazy to me when I started, and I I was really like just looking around for answers, and it was hard to get anybody to talk to me because it's it was like very close circle, tight lip situation. And I don't know if it's still the same way, honestly, but that was that was wild.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

So before we wrap it up, Emily, if you could go back and give your first year reseller self one piece of advice, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 40:07

You know, I probably have told myself to join community a lot, like find a community, find that space a lot sooner because I made so many poor decisions because I was on my own. And I there it was very difficult then to find a a com like a Facebook group or anything, anyways. But I made a lot of decisions just trying it out on my own. So I think if new people are starting, join a community that is moving in a way you want to move. You know, that's number one, because sometimes people get in and they want a new private label, and I'm like, you're in the wrong space, you know, find another group. So I think that's important to if you're gonna take a course, you're getting into a community, do that background work to make sure they're actually doing what they say they're gonna do. Because that's another thing. This business changes quickly. And if you're not in something that's up to date, a course or community, it's not great material anymore. After a year, it's like outdated. So make sure you're in a space that people are actually selling similar to you. I I probably could have done double, you know, just avoiding mistakes. I mean, my biggest mistake when I first got started is I turned off expedited shipping in COVID shutdowns because I was I didn't know how to ship expedited orders, I didn't know how to charge them. So, like that, I could have made so much money shipping expedited, um, but I just didn't know. So I think finding people similar minds and go to meetups, go to events, network, it could change your life.

SPEAKER_01 41:43

Yeah, absolutely. And after years of doing this, right, trial and error, which is part of the process, of course, making mistakes, you've built this successful business and this brand, and it's truly admirable what you have done. Uh, for you personally, what does success mean and look like for you now beyond revenues?

SPEAKER_00 42:04

Sure. I think success for me is to be very micro about it is being at home with all of my kids. Everybody is healthy and happy and being wild, running around, reading a book, you know, going on vacations in the summer with my kids, like those little little small things, maybe. I think that's what success is to me. Like being around for my kids. Because now my oldest is 16, and I realized like that's that was so fast. I value that a lot more. So anytime I can be present, that means everything to me.

SPEAKER_01 42:43

Yeah, absolutely. That's wonderful. Emily, it's been lovely having you with us today. Thank you so much for sharing not just your strategy, but the real stuff, the behind-the-scenes lessons that come with building the sustainable uh reselling e-commerce business. If anyone wants to reach you or join the community, can you share how they can do this?

SPEAKER_00 43:04

Sure. Crazy Flippin' Mom on every social media channel. Um, you'll crazy flip and mom, you'll find a group, you'll find my YouTube channel, social media, a little bit of everything. Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 43:18

If you're watching this and you got value from this episode, please make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share with other e commerce sellers who might need to hear this. Thank you again, Emily, and to Avast for powering the online hustle podcast. And we'll see you in the next episode.