Six times a year, Hey Buddy Hey Pal will take to TV screens, appearing on morning show segments like CBS’ “Deals and Steals,” and when they do, they process upwards of 16,000 orders in a single day without missing a beat. For many small businesses, this kind of sudden demand would be overwhelming. But for Curtis McGill and Scott Houdashell, it’s just another successful day of operations.
“We’ve come a long way since our Shark Tank appearance,” McGill said with a smile. Now the #1 best-selling Easter toy in Amazon’s store for the last five years, Hey Buddy Hey Pal has transformed from a Texas startup into a multi-million dollar brand by mastering what McGill referred to as “the most efficient and effective way to scale on the planet”.
Hey Buddy Hey Pal leverages Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) as their operational engine. Amazon MCF processes orders from all their sales channels—Amazon, their website, other retailers, and seasonal TV promotions—through Amazon’s nationwide fulfillment network. While the boxes look different depending on the retailer, Hey Buddy Hey Pal customers get Amazon’s fast shipping speeds and great customer service no matter where they purchase.
“When the orders come in, we know they’ll be processed properly, shipped on time, and delivered to happy customers,” McGill explained. “That reliability has changed everything about how we grow our business”.
With Amazon MCF as their logistics backbone, Hey Buddy Hey Pal now actively pursues holiday television promotions and influencer partnerships, confidently handling surges of up to 20,000 orders per day, with same-day shipping for more than 95% of their orders.
“We went from dreading large order volumes to actively seeking them out,” McGill said.
With reliable fulfillment in place, Hey Buddy Hey Pal’s growth accelerated. Since starting to use Amazon MCF in 2022, they’ve seen 30% year-over-year growth in sales, helping drive total company revenue to $12 million last year.
The increased revenue coupled with time saved on logistics has allowed the best friends to focus on product development. They’ve expanded from their original Eggmazing decorator to a full line of creative products, including their successful ornament decorator which contributed to a 34% year-over-year growth in holiday sales.
“When you’re not spending hours troubleshooting shipping issues, you can actually innovate,” McGill said. “Since partnering with Amazon for fulfillment, we’ve launched six new products, secured additional patents, and reduced our product development cycle by 60%.” Their latest innovation, the Cake-N-Bake decorator, went from concept to launch in just six months—a process that previously would have taken over a year.
As they scale, Hey Buddy Hey Pal increasingly relies on Amazon’s suite of business solutions. They utilize Brand Registry to protect their intellectual property and maintain brand integrity in Amazon’s store. They use advertising tools to reach new customers, and Brand Analytics to inform product development decisions.
“Each Amazon solution has strengthened our business,” McGill explained. This confidence led them to recently implement Supply Chain by Amazon (SCA), which leverages Amazon’s advanced logistics, warehousing, distribution, fulfillment, and transportation to move products from factories worldwide to customers’ doors.
“The results speak for themselves. Amazon has proven themselves at every step of our growth, and SCA gives us capabilities we never thought possible as a small business.”
With SCA, Hey Buddy Hey Pal has reduced their inventory holding costs by 40% and dropped their average time to restock from 14 days down to five, increasing their inventory efficiency by 25%. These improvements have allowed them to be more responsive to customer demands and capitalize on trends faster than ever.
Looking ahead, Hey Buddy Hey Pal is preparing for their biggest year yet. “We’re committed to over 30,000 units for upcoming national TV appearances,” McGill noted. “The reliability of Amazon’s fulfillment network means we can confidently say yes to these opportunities. We’re competing with the biggest brands in our space.”
“It’s amazing what two guys from West Texas can accomplish with the right support,” McGill reflected. “In the toy industry, you have to be ready when lightning strikes. With Amazon, we’re not just ready—we’re one step ahead.”