Amazon invests in programs and tools that empower and support small businesses in Amazon’s stores. Whether you are brand new to selling with Amazon or are a tenured seller, these programs are here to support your business and journey as an entrepreneur.
More than 60% of sales in Amazon’s stores come from independent sellers—most of which are small and medium-sized businesses. Amazon continuously invests in programs, tools, and resources for small businesses to learn, reach more customers, meet growth goals, and drive success.
The programs and features in this post are just a few of the ways Amazon empowers small businesses. Many other programs and resources, like Buy with Prime, Amazon Accelerate, Amazon Lending, Brand Services, and Amazon Business help businesses of any size, including small businesses, reach more customers, reduce costs, and protect their brand.
1. Small Business badge
The Small Business badge is designed to help small business products stand out. Not only does the badge improve small business discovery for customers who like to shop small, but it’s also a show of support for small businesses in Amazon’s stores.
Matt Rollins, who is the founder & CEO of Dragon Glassware, shares how the Small Business badge has helped his brand gain exposure and connect with customers:
The Small Business badge gives us extra visibility and exposure in Amazon’s store. Most customers don’t realize how many small businesses there are in the Amazon store, and the badge helps differentiate us from the bigger brands and companies in our category. Customers that want to support small businesses can clearly see when a brand is a small business with the badge.
In order for a product to receive the Small Business badge in the US, sellers must meet Gartner’s definition of a small business, which means small businesses have fewer than 100 employees and less than $50 million in annual revenue across all sales channels. Sellers must also be enrolled in the Brand Registry or be part of the Amazon Handmade program, and their headquarters must be in the US.
Want to learn more about the Small Business badge? Head to this page in Amazon’s store.
2. This is a Small Business podcast
One thing I have learned during the first two seasons of This is Small Business, is that as a small business owner, you can’t work alone.
This is Small Business is an Amazon podcast that dives into small business topics by speaking with small business owners and industry experts. Host Andrea Marquez extracts valuable tools, life lessons, and key takeaways from small business owners for aspiring entrepreneurs to use in their own journey. This is Small Business explores key challenges among entrepreneurs like funding a business, partnering with product suppliers, or parting ways with a co-founder. The podcast is in its second season with Andrea, who compiles all the advice she gets into key lessons at the end of every episode:
We’re finding that aspiring entrepreneurs often don’t know where to start when they have a great idea, and This is Small Business aims to support entrepreneurs by providing them with great stories from other small business owners like themselves and tangible tools they can apply to take the next step. One thing I have learned during the first two seasons of This is Small Business, is that as a small business owner, you can’t work alone. One of the most important decisions you can make is choosing your team, that can make all the difference.
This is Small Business is preparing for another season and a spinoff miniseries that focuses on the ups and downs of business pitch competitions and setting up a business in a way that attracts investors. You can listen and subscribe to This is Small Business anywhere you get your podcasts, and watch the podcast trailer here:
3. Amazon Small Business Academy
Amazon Small Business Academy (ASBA) offers free educational content and resources for all aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners (you don’t need to be an existing Amazon seller to use ASBA). From topics like Small Business Accounting to Product Sourcing, ASBA is designed to be the one-stop resource for entrepreneurs to learn foundational business education through three self-service education tracks—Start, Build, and Launch—based on where they are in their business development. The program was designed in partnership with Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO), the premier entrepreneurship network with over 250 chapters on university campuses across the globe.
You can head to the ASBA “Classroom” to register for both live and on-demand webinars that are hosted by Amazon Business Coaches who will guide you through each topic. You can also register for live “Ask an Expert” Q&As to ask the CEO’s bench of professors and small business owners in residence your business questions. If you can’t make a live webinar, there’s a collection of on-demand webinars and short-form “Key Takeaway” video content you can take advantage of at any time.
Create a free Amazon Small Business Academy account to start learning.
4. Founders Table
When you get that seat at the table, sit down, look back and grab a chair for someone else.
At Amazon’s Founders Table events, everyone has a seat. Founders Table is a free live event series from Amazon Small Business Academy designed for small business owners and entrepreneurs to hear and learn from celebrated business experts and other small business owners just like you. Each Founders Table event focuses on a specific crowd-sourced topic and is explored through fireside chats, case studies, Ask Me Anythings, and networking sessions.
The inaugural live event on February 9, 2023, focused on “Navigating Your Small Business in Economic Uncertainty” and featured a fireside chat with Sarah Friar, CEO of Nextdoor and co-founder of Ladies Who Launch. Amazon seller and small business owner Michelle Pusateri of Nana Joes Granola also shared how she built her business in a live case study for recession-savvy tools and creative techniques for finding success.
Watch the highlights from the first Founders Table event, and sign up for an Amazon Small Business Academy account to receive notifications for future Founders Table events.
More ways Amazon empowers small businesses
Amazon has released its annual Small Business Empowerment Report, which offers insights into how Amazon helped independent sellers increase product sales and create jobs in 2022. According to the report, independent sellers sold more products year after year in Amazon’s stores and continued to broaden their customer reach beyond the U.S. through international export sales.
Leave your comment