Welcome

Welcome to the start of our journey to scale our e-commerce business to $1 million in revenue within a year. This series will document every step of the way—successes, failures, and the innovative ways we’re leveraging AI to automate processes like marketing, customer service, and more. By sharing this journey publicly, we aim to inspire others, learn from our audience, and hold ourselves accountable to this goal.

History of the Business

We purchased the business in 2019 when it was generating roughly $12,000 per year in revenue. The goal was simply to have a side-business or lifestyle business to augment primary W2 income, and over the past four years, we have grown it to $225,000 (2023) in annual revenue. The primary growth early on was through the default marketing capabilities of shopify and adsense in a mostly out-of-the-box configuration.

While we saw growth throughout the first few years, 2023 and 2024 were challenging due to multiple personal family events and lack of time to dedicate to growth. We evaluated selling the business in early 2024, but decided to keep the business, hire an operator, and then continue growing leveraging AI. The chart below highlights the variability in quarterly revenue while we balanced out the family commitments and limited attention available.

Why $1 Million?

Setting a clear, audacious goal pushes us to think strategically and act decisively. Reaching $1 million in revenue isn’t just about the number—it’s about mastering the art of scaling an e-commerce business in a way that’s efficient, replicable, and tech-forward in a way that wasn’t possible before the integration of AI into workflows.

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The Role of AI in Our Strategy

Artificial Intelligence is at the core of our approach. Here’s how we plan to use AI to optimize and grow:

1. Marketing Automation: Personalized ads and email campaigns tailored to customer behavior.
2. Customer Service: Chatbots and AI assistants to enhance response time and satisfaction.
3. Operational Efficiency: Predictive analytics for inventory management and sales forecasting.

We’ll deep dive into each of these areas in future posts.

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Sharing Knowledge Along the Way

This blog series is not just a journal—it’s a resource for anyone looking to scale their business. Expect transparency in numbers, tools, and strategies, along with lessons learned in real time. By sharing our journey, we aim to foster a community of entrepreneurs eager to embrace AI-driven growth.

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What to Expect Next

In the coming weeks, we’ll be diving into:

• Initial strategies and challenges
• Building an AI-powered marketing funnel
• Scaling customer acquisition efficiently

Follow along as we navigate this exciting journey to $1 million!