Across America, entrepreneurs are growing their businesses outside of ‘the big city’ with help from Amazon’s tools and programs. Whether it’s rural Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Texas, these small business owners say Amazon is making it easier than ever to do business, wherever, and their sales growth stands as proof.
In 2023, sellers in rural areas across the United States — including parts of North Dakota, Kansas, Alaska, Utah, and Florida — collectively achieved more than 60% year-over-year sales growth in Amazon’s store, outpacing the average growth rate of 22% for all brand owners.
It’s true for Kayla Rodgers, who in 2021 decided to relocate from New Jersey to the small town of Mountaintop, Pennsylvania to be closer to family. “It was a simple decision,” she said, because with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), she knew she could bring her budding dog enrichment small business, The Nosey Nose, anywhere.
FBA is a program that lets sellers, like Rodgers, outsource order fulfillment to Amazon and offer customers free, two-day shipping through Prime. By enrolling in FBA, Rodgers is able to send her Nosey Nose kits from her kitchen table into Amazon’s global network of fulfillment centers, and Amazon associates pick, pack, and ship orders, as well as handle customer service and returns. And it comes with a savings. On average, shipping with FBA costs 70% less per unit than comparable premium options offered by other US fulfillment services.
“Amazon was a great draw for us just because of their loyal customers and robust seller programs,” said Rodgers. “We can send all the inventory to Amazon and then it’s really hands off just working on the marketing and the other sides of the business.”
No longer burdened by the logistics of shipping orders herself, Rodgers was able to focus on product development, marketing, and growing the brand. While now considered rural, Rodgers business has continued to grow. Between 2021 and 2023, Nosey Nose’s Amazon revenues increased 70% by harnessing Amazon’s tools and programs.
In the heart of rural cattle country, just outside the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, Sean and Erin Gaudet are quietly running a million-dollar business, Ranch Junkie, from their 1,300-person hometown.
The Gaudets’ journey began when Erin started selling her handcrafted wooden signs, woven rugs, and other farmhouse-inspired pieces for the home. They both called it a hobby until “Amazon,” they said, “made it a business.”
Initial reservations that handcrafted wouldn’t perform well with Amazon customers went out the window in the first few months. “It was explosive growth,” said Sean. “I was building [windows] 16 hours a day, it became too big for us to build at the rate we were selling.”
By leveraging Amazon’s loyal customer base and FBA, the Gaudets were able to scale their business faster than what they said they could have achieved on their own. In 12 months, the couple moved operations from their home to a 2,000-square-foot warehouse — and then expanded again to 5,000-square-feet, while hiring two craftspeople along the way to support the demand.
In 2015, Ben Wolfgram and his father began experimenting with embedding objects into hand-blown glass to create distinctive barware pieces. With a background in art and woodworking, they saw an opportunity to capitalize on the popularity of hunting and whiskey culture in their rural community.
“When we started in my dad’s garage, we were not intending it to be a business,” said Wolfgram. “But it took off, and now it’s a full-time job for both of us.”
Now BenShot is a thriving small business in Appleton, Wisconsin, with 45 employees and $7 million in annual revenue. Wolfgram uses FBA for his highly-coveted gift sets and best-selling bullet and sports glasses he sells in the Amazon store. His own direct-to-consumer website has their full line of products from guitar pick decanters to limited edition patriotic glasses.
“Amazon helped us a lot with building brand trust,” Wolfgram said. “We started doing $500 a day at our first art show and right now we’re doing $25,000 a day because one of our creations just went viral.”
Thanks to Fulfillment by Amazon, Wolfgram said they’re able to capitalize on every click.
“As an employer, I believe it’s crucial to look out for our staff’s well-being and manage their workload, especially during unexpected surges in business. FBA allowed us to scale quickly without burning out our team, which was a win-win for everyone involved,” said Wolfgram.