I burned through $2,000 on my first store before I figured out what actually works. Here's what I'd tell myself if I could go back:

1. Don't sell what you like — sell what people are already buying.

Scroll TikTok Shop, check Amazon Movers & Shakers, and look at what's trending on AliExpress. Your job isn't to invent demand — it's to ride it.

2. Your ad creative matters more than your product.

I've seen mediocre products do $10K/month because the ad was fire, and amazing products flop because the creative was boring. Spend 80% of your energy on the hook in the first 3 seconds of your video.

3. Margins are everything.

If you're selling a $25 product that costs $8 to source and $10 to acquire a customer, you're making $7 profit. That's real money at scale. But if your acquisition cost creeps to $15? You're dead. Track your numbers from day one.

Dropshipping isn't complicated. It's just execution. If you want the full breakdown of how I build stores from scratch, check out DropShip Academy.