Lidia Nunez-Yancy underwent a major life transition during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns. A former director on a board of education, she pivoted to become a stay-at-home mom focused on helping her children succeed at homeschooling.
Time away from work led to a lot of introspection and kick-started her desire to start a business of her own. Lidia began selling something she was truly passionate about—greeting cards—and what began as a plan to make passive income while serving as her family’s primary caretaker morphed into a new identity as a “mamapreneur.”
Lidia wasn’t enthusiastic about the variety of greeting cards on the market. She felt many of them were too “soft,” and she knew that she couldn’t be the only one who felt that way. Lidia started Savvy Mom & Co. with one simple goal in mind: to make and sell a wide variety of unconventional cards that promise to make the giver “stand out amongst the others,” as described on her website.
“I love to give people cards on special occasions or just for random reasons,” she says in her website bio. “I got tired of not finding the right greeting cards to meet my needs. They were either way too emotional...or just boring.”
In the cards
Her instinct was spot on. She began to build a community of customers who were just as excited about the cards as she was. Lidia began selling her cards through multiple channels, including Amazon’s store, where she has found the most success. Amazon gives her a way to get her greeting cards out into the world, get reviews, and build trust with her customers. As she says, Amazon “gives me street cred.”
When she was ready to expand her product line, she turned back to Amazon. “I needed $1,500 exactly so that I could order inventory.” Lidia hadn’t considered applying for loans from traditional financial institutions, because she didn’t think it was even an option, and she didn’t want to order inventory using her personal credit card. A well-timed email from Amazon Lending nudged her to apply for a loan.
When Amazon Lending received her application, they saw she’d built an online community and the success she’d already had with ecommerce, and had faith that Lidia would be able to grow her business with a boost. Her $1,500 loan helped free up cash flow, giving Lidia more time to focus on product development and customer engagement without worrying where financing was going to come from.
“As a small business, I have to wait for a portion of my inventory to sell before I can get more,” she says. “Amazon Lending helps me reduce that time and order more, earlier so I don’t run out of stock.” In addition, she’s able to manage funds as well as her store, all within Seller Central.
What is Amazon Lending?
Amazon Lending helps sellers succeed by freeing up cash flow so they can invest in the areas of their business that make sense.
Launched in 2011, Amazon lending has served thousands of sellers worldwide. Sellers qualified for Amazon Lending, can apply for 3-, 6-, 9-, or 12-month financing. Applicants are evaluated across multiple criteria, including sales growth track record and customer satisfaction. There are multiple financing options to choose from, depending on business needs, like a term loan or a business line of credit.
If you think Amazon Lending is right for your business, login to Seller Central. Eligible sellers will find an invitation on the Seller Central homepage.
The lender that grows with you
Lidia researched other lenders and what they offered, but has chosen to stay with Amazon Lending thanks to the benefits it afforded her business. She likes how the funds go directly into her Seller Central account, and the super-short application process. She also recommends Amazon Lending to other Amazon sellers, telling them “they’re a lender that grows with you.”
Lidia recently joined Amazon Handmade, and has begun to donate some of her company’s inventory. Doing business with Amazon has provided her with the time and energy to focus on improving and growing her business, not just in Amazon’s store, but also everywhere she sells. She thinks of Amazon as a big warehouse full of many small stores, a community of small business owners supporting each other’s ventures.
Starting and growing a business in Amazon’s store has helped Lidia share part of her personality with her customers and community. Thanks to Amazon Lending, she’s able to share it with more people than she previously thought possible.