25 truths about operating on Amazon

Author

Irina Balyurko
February 02, 2025

We all have beliefs that shape how we see the world. They form the framework for how we approach decisions—both personal and professional. When we teach our kids, we call them values. In business, they become our expertise, methodologies, operating style.

Defining these beliefs matters because they govern our thinking, often subconsciously. And when faced with tough decisions, uncertainty, or ambiguity, we default to them as our compass.

Amazon is no exception—it's a business ecosystem where tactics change fast, every decision has a trade-off, and there is only so much amount of control.

Below are 25 strong points of view (POVs) I have evolved to hold as true based on my experience working with brands and operating businesses on Amazon.

  1. Amazon to serve your business, not the other way around

  2. Honing on fundamentals gets you further than layer complexity

  3. Amazon is a transactional platform first, a brand building platform second

  4. You’re either in a season of growth or a season of optimization. Choose one at a time

  5. Sales can fix many sins

  6. The only sin sales cannot fix is scaling from zero profit to profit

  7. Ecommerce MO of success is to navigate it, not to prototype (re-invent) it

  8. Always seek simplicity. Amazon pushes complexity

  9. Flexibility in actions and adjustments. Solid clarity and steadiness on fundamentals

  10. Know the difference between gambling and managing uncertainty

  11. Delineate who you pay for thinking and who, or what, you pay for execution

  12. Seek results by strengthening fundamentals and focusing on what you control

  13. The traditional agency model is outdated and marginally useful at best

  14. You can be bored and profitable, or busy and broke—simplicity in strategy, agility in action

  15. Marketing is an ongoing necessity on Amazon

  16. Service models based on % of sales or % of ad spend can hurt your business

  17. Free Amazon audits are a sales pitch and thus give you no objective assessment

  18. Unit economics always trumps customer LTV

  19. When hiring for Amazon, an intrapreneurial mindset is more valuable than an ex-Amazonian price tag

  20. Operating mode by sales level: under $100K - learn, to $1M - add and perform, $1M+ - subtract before add

  21. Traffic and conversion are the only two problems to solve for in online sales

  22. Optimize for constraints, not for potential—it makes growth easier

  23. AI is the new middleman between the customer and the brand

  24. Data informed, but not data blinded

  25. Your Amazon strategy is only as good as your operational backbone

You may not agree with some of POVs, but I encourage you to develop yours for operating within Amazon space. When you combine beliefs that function as fundamentals, with tactical and operational might you will be ahead of majority of Amazon sellers.

If these points resonate, let’s connect—I help brands operate with clarity and momentum.

Saludos,

Irina