He Built a $100K Store at 21

Sol started his ecommerce journey with no prior business experience at all.

At just 21 years old, this was his first attempt at building an online business.

Like many new entrepreneurs, the early stages were both exciting and challenging.

Building the store itself felt manageable.

Tasks like researching niches, designing the website, and setting up the product pages could all be done at his own pace.

But one part of the process felt completely different.

Contacting suppliers.

Calling established companies and asking to become an authorized retailer pushed Sol far outside his comfort zone.

At the beginning, those conversations felt intimidating.

Many of these suppliers had been in business for decades, and Sol worried they might judge his age or lack of experience.

But over time, something interesting happened.

The more calls he made, the more comfortable he became.

What once felt stressful eventually became second nature.

As the business grew, Sol even took things a step further.

To build stronger relationships with suppliers, he flew to Germany to attend an industry trade show and meet companies face-to-face.

Those efforts helped build trust and opened doors with some of the most selective suppliers in his niche.

Like many new store owners, Sol also experienced early learning curves.

His very first sale was exciting — but it actually resulted in a loss because the shipping cost had been calculated incorrectly.

Moments like that are part of the learning process.

Once pricing and margins were optimized, the business began generating profitable sales.

Today Sol continues to grow the business while working on reducing reliance on paid ads and increasing organic traffic and email marketing.

His biggest lesson for new entrepreneurs?

Pick up the phone and build real relationships.

Those conversations with suppliers and customers are what turn an online project into a real business.