Amazon Can Make You a Small Business Owner for $10,000
If you have $10,000 dollars, and dreams of one day starting your own small business, Amazon has some good news for you.
Amazon, the largest and most successful online retail behemoth in existence, announced Wednesday in a press release that they are going to set entrepreneurs up with their very own small delivery businesses for a only $10,000 dollars.
What Will That $10,000 Get You?
Let’s start by listing what Amazon’s $10,000 offer will get you to start your very own small business:
- 5 Leased Amazon-brand Transportation Vans: No, you can absolutely not use your own vehicles to deliver Amazon’s products through this deal. Instead, Amazon will hook you up with 5 delivery vans specialized for delivery purposes, equipped with specialized software that will help drivers get where they need to go, and provide any other special instructions.
- Discounted Auto Insurance: Amazon has been shown to be open to negotiating with entrepreneurs in regards to lowering insurance rates, and have been very open about making insurance costs not a cause for concern.
- Gas Cards: That’s right—the gas cards included in the $10,000 costs means a reduced cost on gas for anyone looking to start their own transportation business.
- Hands-On Training for Employees: If you partner with Amazon, they will supply all the training necessary for any new employees you hire to save you time, money and resources.
- Professional Uniforms: No need to spend extra dough on employee uniforms—Amazon has you covered in that department.
- Cutting-Edge Delivery Devices: Amazon will equip your employees with industrial-grade handheld technology to help them quickly and efficiently manage inventory, and keep deliveries on track.
- The Amazon Brand: This should not be underestimated. The marketing, advertising and reach of a brand like Amazon provides an incredible amount of importance and power to small business owners that would otherwise take years of strategic and expert planning to acquire. Slapping an Amazon logo on your business alone is an extreme advantage that any small business owner would kill for.
How Long Till Your Investment Pays Off?
According to Amazon, not long at all. Of course, every small delivery business owner will manage their company in different ways, and so knowing how long it’ll take to get a full return on your investment is left up to a best-guess.
Amazon estimates that a delivery business with about 20-30 vans, and about 100 employees will be able to make $1M-$4.5M in gross annual income.
However, when you’re just starting out with 5 vans and no employees, chances are it’ll take some time to get to that point if you don’t have a rock solid financing strategy.
Why is Amazon Doing This?
The heads of Amazon argue that because online shopping has overtaken the market, and continues to grow every year, the demand for independent delivery services is also on the rise.
By helping entrepreneurs set up their own delivery services, Amazon hopes to meet the rising demand for more delivery drivers, while helping the small business economy in the US along the way.
Ok, But What’s the Real Reason?
This is a really nice way to think of it, and it’s certainly true that the move will help the small business economy in a big way.
However, business is business, and the real reason is pretty apparent: Amazon wants more control over the way they deliver packages, and customer experience.
There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, providing better care for their enormous customer base by making sure reliable small business owners get their packages delivered more efficiently and with better service is nothing short of noble, right?
So… What’s the Catch?
Depends on what you count as a “catch.” With help from National, these catches can be avoided, and even wind up benefiting new delivery businesses:
- You’re not technically employed by Amazon… but in a way you kind of are: According to Amazon, those who sign up through their service aren’t technically employees of Amazon, but the owners of their own independent transportation businesses. That means management and ownership of the company is largely yours.
However, there are a few
rules that Amazon requires you follow while you use their name-brand services—these rules, described below, allow new business owners the freedom to manage as they please, but require that they take on expenses that would otherwise need to be covered by Amazon itself, if they were under Amazon’s employment. - Drivers under your employment are required to be given benefits, paid time off, employment taxes, and other expenses: Of course, every business owner wants to be able to provide the best possible care for their employees, so to call this a “catch” may come off as rude to non-business owners.
But of course, all these required expenses can really take a toll on business owners—especially those just starting out—if they don’t have a proper financial plan in order.
To help, National is offering employee financing packages to Amazon delivery business owners who need help setting up their own transportation empires.
- Accident damage, auto insurance costs, and liability is entirely in your hands: Of course, being in the delivery business comes with these responsibilities anyway, so to call it a “catch,” again, might be the wrong choice of words.
Amazon is dedicated to
helping their new partners with these costs, as stated before, by helping lower insurance costs. National is also helping by providing business owners with all the funding help they need to cover any damages and pressing insurance costs.
Trump is NOT on Board, But Might Be Proven Wrong
Right now, Amazon packages account for about 40% of all deliveries made by the United States Postal Service.
With the USPS already a major concern, President Trump is not happy about taking so much business away from an already-dying government faction.
Fortunately, Amazon remains optimistic in their relationship with the USPS, saying that its relationship with the USPS will stay intact, and that their new announcement will in no way negatively impact the postal service.
What Else Do You Need to Apply?
The application, which you can view here, only has a few other requirements before setting you up with your own small transportation business:
- $30,000 Saved: Before you get upset, remember, you don’t actually need to have 30,000 of your own money to show for it. In the application, you need to show Amazon that you have at least $30k in the bank—this is extremely easy for National to supply to help launch your business. Contact us today, and we can get you $30k easy in as little as 24 hours.
- Information on Any Past Bankruptcies: If you have any past bankruptcies, you have to fess up about them to Amazon—however, this should not in any way discourage you. Bankruptcies do not automatically result in rejection.
However, there are ways that National and their business development team can help improve your company to i
ncrease your chances of being accepted by Amazon’s plan. - Report of Financial Assets: Before you get approved, you need to provide some information regarding your liquid assets.
This is standard practice, and should be expected—however, if you’d like to beef up your assets before presenting them to Amazon, give a Business Consultant at National—and their spokesperson
Kevin Harrington—a call or check out their website and ask how they can get your financials in great shape in no time at all.
How to Apply for Amazon’s Small Business Program
The Amazon application itself is pretty easy to get through—it should only take you about 5 minutes to get through. Click the link to apply: Apply for Amazon’s Small Business Program
How to Work Around that $10k, and Get Immediately Qualified
Fortunately, National Business Capital has already helped a few Amazon partners start their business by helping with the initial $10,000 cost with a business lines of credit and small business loans, which they pay off at their own pace, with terms that match their needs.
By helping with the initial $10,000 cost, new delivery business owners can concentrate on growing their delivery businesses, without concern of immediately leveraging their own money, and worry over gaps of working capital.
Through financing, National has already helped new partners acquire the extra vans and employees new Amazon partners need to get their profits skyrocketing, eventually getting far beyond their initial return on investment in no time.
Before You Apply, Here’s a Tip:
Those that apply for Amazon’s program after having a solid financial strategy in place have a significantly higher chance of growing their delivery business faster, and more efficiently—not to mention getting approved for the program in the first place.
With help from National, we can help you set up your new Amazon partnership in a way that ensures:
- Easier Approval
- Increased Staff Size
- Immediate Automotive Financing
- Coverage of Insurance Costs
- Offset Payroll and Employment Costs
And more.
Give our Business Financing Advisors a call today at (877) 482-3008 for all the help you need setting up your new business in the best possible way, or fill out our 1-minute application to get approved for any and all business funding and improvement services in as little as 24 hours. Let’s get those wheels in motion!
David Surrusco is a Content Writer at National, best known for his work in creating what has become the best blog regarding business growth known to mankind: The National Advisor.