John Accardi started CRAVEBOX in 2014 from his apartment. At the time, he had just dropped out of a Georgetown University PhD program, had no savings, no investors, and no business experience.
Accardi says the decision to start CRAVEBOX was risky and the odds of success didn’t look good. “At the time, I was so excited about starting my own business, I didn’t really recognize all the risk. I just wanted to work for myself and wake up every morning with the freedom to tackle my own to do list instead of someone else’s.”
For the first 3 years, CRAVEBOX operated out of John’s apartment and made no profit. John stayed persistent and had a gut feeling that he was making progress and that success was around the corner.
John said, “Those first few years were frustrating because it felt like every day was a disappointment, but the constant failure motivated me. I got to the point where I told myself I would try forever. I was giving guitar lessons on the side to pay the bills and I decided that I’d work on CRAVEBOX until it either succeeded or I was an old man.” This long-term mentality worked because sure enough, CRAVEBOX started growing. John learned how to optimize his Amazon listings and CRAVEBOX moved into larger and larger warehouse spaces and its staff grew.
Now CRAVEBOX operates out of a 60,000 sqft warehouse space in North Wales, PA with an impressive staff. “I never thought CRAVEBOX would become this successful. It’s been an incredible journey,” says Accardi.
To become a top-selling Amazon brand, John first focused on creating great images. “I realized early on that your product’s main image on Amazon is the most important part of the listing. So I learned photography and most importantly, photoshop, to take and edit fantastic images.” CRAVEBOX products now have the best-quality images in the category which gives the listings an advantage over competitors.
Accardi also focused on price. John says, “To be a top selling Amazon brand, you need to look very closely at your toughest competitors and make sure you are offering a better value. Your product either needs to be better or your price needs to be lower. This will determine your Amazon rank and visibility.” The key to offering great value is of course an efficient business and operation.
Lastly, to build CRAVEBOX into a top-selling Amazon brand, Accardi focused on reviews. “Amazon customers are tough and the only way to build a sustainable product and brand is to sell quality products that naturally collect a high review average. This is challenging but if you can offer a better product than your competitors, you will garner better reviews and rise to the top of the category.”
John is excited to continue growing CRAVEBOX. He is especially excited about their holiday products: Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. He’s also excited about new CRAVEBOX products they’re introducing, for example: CRAVEBOX Kids, CRAVEBOX 110count, and CRAVEBOX Cookies+Crackers.
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