When a heat wave hurt crops in the Midwest causing the price per pound of oats to skyrocket 400%, Michelle Pusateri had to relook at her margins on Nana Joes Granola to stay profitable. Instead of passing the cost on to her customer, Pusateri looked internally and with the help of Amazon retooled where she could to keep the 10 jobs she created.
It started with a call, she said. When the numbers came back in 2020 and costs of goods were pushing a 50% increase, Pusateri picked up the phone and called Amazon. Together, with a seller representative, they looked at her margins, the market and options she had to make selling on Amazon work for Nana Joes Granola, as it had been for the last several years.
She retooled her packaging saving 30 cents a bag, and started buying certain products in bulk to reduce costs where she could. Next, was analyzing ‘every extra’ her business was using to find money; from her cell phone bill, to internet to Amazon.
“Amazon wants you to succeed,” said Michelle Pusateri, owner of Nana Joes Granola. For her, the right solution was to go from Fulfillment by Amazon to Fulfillment by Merchant, losing the ‘prime’ button and increasing the time it takes for her products to reach customers. By playing with her margins on fulfilment, taking the bulk of boxing, shipping and labeling back on internally, Pusateri was able to make the right decision for her business and for her employees, keeping everyone employed through the pandemic.
“I think the greatest thing about working with Amazon is there’s not just one way of doing business with Amazon. You can choose the way that works for your business,” said Pusateri “[Amazon] will work with you to make it work for your business, and make it work for your profitability, and your bottom line.”
Having the revenue stream from Amazon gives Pusateri the ability to keep working towards other goals, like nationwide distribution at Whole Foods. For the San Francisco surfer, it hasn’t been all sunshine, but she also knows she’s not alone. She said Amazon is right beside her, willing to help her grow her business on her terms.
“I had no idea I was capable of growing a company to this size,” she said. “Being a woman entrepreneur is difficult in its own right, but it’s also super empowering to know that I can actually grow something and do this.”