In the heart of rural cattle country, just outside the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, Shawn and Erin Gaudet are quietly running a million-dollar business that’s challenging perceptions of what’s possible for small-town entrepreneurs.
The husband-wife duo behind the brand Ranch Junkie have built a thriving business selling beautifully crafted leather bags, home decor, and other rustic-chic items — all from their 1,300-person hometown.
“We live in a very rural horse and cattle country area,” says Erin, the daughter of a Texas rancher. “Our products are inspired by the world around us.”
The Gaudets’ journey began simply, with Erin starting a side hustle on Etsy crafting 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.”
“Everybody thinks you can start a website and it just blows up, and that’s not the case,” said Shawn. “People don’t realize how much money it takes to get eyes, to go from page 55 of a home décor web search to page one.”
The husband-wife duo behind the brand Ranch Junkie have built a thriving business — all from their 1,300-person hometown.
“Amazon is investing in marketing and advertising on our behalf,” explained Shawn, “and Ranch Junkie is able to take advantage of their investment.”
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 Shawn. “I was building 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 programs like Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), the Gaudets were able to scale their business faster than what they said they could have achieved on their own. Not only does FBA provide Ranch Junkie’s Prime customers free, two-day shipping, it costs the Gaudets and other independent sellers 70% less per unit than comparable premium options offered by other US fulfillment services.
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.
And while their products are bespoke, Ranch Junkie’s growth is not unique. In 2023, sellers in rural areas, including parts of North Dakota, Kansas, Alaska, Utah, and Florida, collectively achieved more than 60% year-over-year sales growth in Amazon’s store.
“My favorite thing that Amazon has done is A+ Content. We now have our own store within Amazon. Our store page has our complete brand story and what we’re doing. Since we’ve had that, our sales have increased tremendously,” said Erin.
Amazon’s A+ Content helps bring a brand’s story to life by adding videos, enhanced images, shoppable product-comparison charts, and more to their product detail pages. According to Amazon internal data, Basic A+ Content can increase sales by up to 8%, and well-implemented Premium A+ Content, like that utilized by Ranch Junkie, can increase sales by up to 20%.
The Gaudets are an important part of their rural economy and committed to using their success to lift up the next generation in their community. With each handcrafted leather bag or rustic home accent sold, the Gaudets are reinvesting in the youth programs like Future Farmers of America and 4-H, that shaped their own upbringing.
“It’s a way for us to give back to the community and the way of life that has given us so much,” said Erin.