A Founder’s Playbook for Selling in Amazon’s Store

In 2000, Amazon welcomed independent sellers to sell in its store alongside its own retail business. Today, Amazon reports that more than 60% of the sales in its store come from independent sellers—most of which are small and medium-sized businesses.

Making the decision to sell in Amazon’s store is unique for every business, and there are different factors for each company to consider. Check out our blog post “Should You Sell Your Product on Amazon?” for more information.

This Girl Walks into a Bar, co-founded by sisters Jordan Catapano and Jocelyn Dunn, is one of those small businesses.

Jordan joined Diana Mungu, Program Manager, Amazon Seller External Relations, for a conversation about selling in Amazon’s store and the impact it’s made on This Girl Walks into a Bar. Here’s a condensed transcript. Click here for the full conversation.

Diana Mungu (DM): Jordan, can you share a bit about your personal background and what inspired you to jump into entrepreneurship and start This Girl Walks Into a Bar?

Jordan Catapano (JC): Absolutely. My sister and I started our company back in 2010. Before that, I was a teacher and loved it, but I felt a creative pull to build something of my own.

Jocelyn and I started with a blog, which led to a bartending company servicing Southern California. Over time, we scaled that business from one city to nine cities across four states, doing about 450 events a year. At those events, we made mixers by hand, and guests kept telling us, ‘I can’t find a good margarita mix that isn’t sugary and full of junk.’ So, Jocelyn and I decided to bottle what we were already making. We launched our first product in 2022 and added two more mixers in early 2025.

In 2025, our bartending company was hit hard by the Palisades Fire, which destroyed my home and business, including inventory, equipment, uniforms, and tools. In the middle of that recovery, we launched This Girl Walks into a Bar in Amazon’s store. Having that channel gave me something to build while we put the rest of our business back together.

Editor’s note: Jordan shared her story, “The Only Way Out Is Through: A Founder’s Reflection, One Year After the Palisades Fire,” with our community.

DM: The beverage aisle is crowded, and fundraising can be especially tough for women founders. How did you approach funding?

JC: We self-funded in the beginning using revenue from our bartending company. That business was successful, so we could use those profits to get the CPG side off the ground. CPG is very different from a service business; it eats cash. We’re in the middle of another raise now. You’re constantly fundraising at this stage, but that initial friends-and-family round carried us farther than you’d expect.

DM: Let’s get into Amazon. Why did you choose Amazon as a sales channel, and what made you switch to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)?

JC: I’ve been an Amazon customer and Prime member for years. So when we launched a CPG brand, putting our product in Amazon’s store felt natural.

We started as a FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) seller, shipping orders ourselves. Honestly, we didn’t initially consider FBA. But after taking an Amazon webinar with the Enthuse Foundation in 2024, we decided to try it because we know, as shoppers, if it’s Prime, you’re more likely to buy it. Most people aren’t planning weeks ahead, they need a mixer for a party this weekend.

For January 2025, our last month as FBM, we sold about three bottles. When we transitioned to FBA and enabled Prime in February 2025, our sales grew by 1,000%. Prime puts your product in front of more people and makes it much easier for them to say “yes.”

Amazon Seller’s Tip: FBA means Amazon warehouses store your inventory and handle all shipping logistics. Your listings earn the Prime badge, giving you access to over 200 million Prime customers who expect delivery within a couple of days (or faster). There’s also a free FBA Revenue Calculator you can use to compare your own shipping costs to FBA for the same SKU and understand your margins before you jump in.

DM: What’s been the most challenging or unpredictable part of selling on Amazon?

JC: For any new seller, fees are the first hurdle. You can read about them and use the calculator, but you don’t fully understand until you’re in motion. Our product is heavy and breakable. That puts us in a different fee scenario from someone shipping a light, non-fragile item. We need bubble wrap and extra packaging, and that adds cost.

The key is tinkering with your numbers:

• Understand your FBA fees

• Make sure your cost of goods (COGS) is as low as you can reasonably get it

• Decide whether you’re optimizing for maximum profit per unit or maximum reach and exposure

We started with a higher price point on Amazon to protect margins, then had to step back and ask: ‘What’s our real goal?’ That led us to adjust pricing to better align with our brick-and-mortar price and increase accessibility.

DM: You recently shared a LinkedIn post breaking down your Amazon performance. What surprised you when you dug into the data?

JC: Our Amazon sales grew 93% from 2024 to 2025, largely because of switching to FBA. Seeing that quantified was huge. California was our #1 state, which makes sense given our bartending roots there. But #2 was Florida. We wouldn’t necessarily have guessed that. That data now shapes our strategy. For Instagram ads, I can target zip codes where we already have fans.

When we pitch retailers, we can say, ‘we already know there’s demand in your state, and we have Amazon data to prove it.’ The analytics alone are worth a lot. It’s not just a sale. It’s insight.

Rachel Robins, Enthuse Foundation (RR): Some founders are hesitant about working with Amazon due to its size and reputation. How do you handle?

JC: It comes up. Some people tell us flat-out they won’t shop on Amazon. I get it; everyone has their own values.

For us, we try to focus on what we can control: our store, our story, and our impact. There are real humans behind these brands’ small teams, fair wages, sustainable choices, and people trying to do good work. Buying a small brand on Amazon can still be a values-aligned choice. I’d also say: be on offense, not defense, with your story. Instead of apologizing for being on

Amazon, explain why you’re there and how it helps you reach more customers, employ more people, and give back more.

DM: And from Amazon’s side, that’s why my team spends so much time amplifying seller stories. We want customers to see the real entrepreneurs behind the products, not just a giant logo.

RR: Thank you, Diana and Jordan, for being here and sharing these insights with our community! 

Here are a few tips that both Diana and Jordan shared with the audience.

• Take advantage of your first 90 days. Enroll in programs like Vine for reviews while the window is open.

• Use Amazon ads thoughtfully. You don’t have to spend thousands. Start with low-cost keyword ads and learned as you go.

• Leave reviews for other small businesses.

• Understand your margins before you list.

• Use the free tools available for Amazon sellers.

• Treat Amazon as part of an omnichannel strategy. Brands should still encourage sales on their website, explore traditional retail options, and sell at markets.

  
  

Bottom Line: Amazon can be an extremely valuable channel for small businesses, but it does require effort and time, especially in the first 90 days, to achieve the biggest impact for your investment. Make sure to review “Amazon Small Business Guide: How to Get Started,” as part of your preparation. With the right resources, emerging brands can achieve tremendous success on Amazon.