From Zero to $540 Million: The Amazon Playbook You’ve Never Heard with Yoon Kim

Ecomm Breakthrough

Yoon Kim, Yoon is an anti-social hermit that's been grinding away for the last 17 years working as the president of Nutricost. Yoon joined Nutricost during his 3rd year of law school, going to classes in the morning and working until 2 am at Nutricost. He joined the Nutricost team as the 4th employee and joined the founders. Nutricost has since grown to over 540 million dollars in annual revenue and over 900 employees working across 14 warehouses and offices through 3 different states. In the last 3 years, Nutricost has had 9 figure growth each and every year.

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> Here’s a glimpse of what you would learn….

• Building a sustainable e-commerce business with a long-term operational mindset.
• Strategies for scaling a business to nine figures in revenue.
• The importance of focusing on quality and customer feedback in product development.
• Navigating the challenges of cash flow management and inventory control.
• The significance of maintaining a strong company culture and team dynamics.
• Ethical practices in e-commerce, particularly on platforms like Amazon.
• The role of data-driven decision-making in optimizing business operations.
• Timing and strategic decisions in capitalizing on market trends.
• The balance between short-term gains and long-term growth strategies.
• Insights on personal development and effective communication within teams.
  

In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley interviews Yoon Kim, president of NutriCost, who shares his journey of scaling the company to over $540 million in annual revenue. Yoon emphasizes the importance of a long-term operational mindset over short-term exit strategies. He discusses the significance of product quality, customer feedback, and ethical practices in building a sustainable business. The conversation also highlights the necessity of focusing on core operations before diversifying, effective cash flow management, and the value of a strong, dedicated team. This episode provides actionable insights for entrepreneurs aiming for substantial growth.

Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:

1. Prioritize Long-Term Growth Over Quick Wins – Instead of focusing on an exit strategy, build a business designed for sustainability. Invest in quality, avoid shortcuts, and develop efficient systems that support long-term operations.

2. Strengthen Your Company Culture for Retention & Growth – Retaining a dedicated team is crucial for scaling. Create a positive work environment, offer professional development, and establish core values that guide decision-making and foster loyalty.

3. Master Cash Flow & Inventory Management for Scaling – Sustainable growth requires strong financial oversight. Assign a team member to monitor financial metrics, optimize inventory to prevent stockouts, and ensure sufficient cash flow to support expansion.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Josh Hadley on LinkedIn
• eComm Breakthrough Consulting
• eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• Email Josh Hadley: [email protected]
• Amazon
• Market Pulse
• eBay
• ChatGPT
• Profit First
• Crucial Conversations
• Ezra Firestone on LinkedIn

Special Mention(s):

• Adam “Heist” Runquist on LinkedIn
• Kevin King on LinkedIn
• Michael E. Gerber on LinkedIn

Related Episode(s):

• “Cracking the Amazon Code: Learn From Adam Heist’s Brand Scaling Secrets” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• “Kevin King’s Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• “Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-myth Author Michael Gerber” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast

Episode Sponsor

Sponsor for this episode...
This episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures.

I started Hadley Designs in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.

I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.

If you’ve hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then go to www.EcommBreakthrough.com (that’s Ecomm with two M’s) to learn more.

Transcript Area

Josh Hadley 00:00:00 Welcome to the Ecomm Breakthrough podcast. I'm your host, Josh Hadley, where I interview the top business leaders in e-commerce. Past guests include Kevin King, Aaron Cordovez and Michael E Gerber, author of the E-myth. Today I'm speaking with Jung Kim, and he is going to be talking about building a business to run and not to sell. We're going to be diving deeper because this guy is selling nine figures on Amazon. Last year they did over 500 million itself. So this is turn up the volume. Make sure you dive in because he's going to be sharing some wicked smart strategies with all of us to help us understand what does it take to really build a business that is generating nine figures in annual revenue? This episode is brought to you by Ecomm Breakthrough, where I specialize in investing in and scaling seven figure e-commerce brands to eight figures and beyond. If you're an ambitious e-commerce entrepreneur looking for a coach or a consultant who can help you take your business to the next level. My team and I bring hands on exper...