How Stephen Somers Went From Copywriting to Earning $4.5M on Amazon

Dec 8

I think one of the biggest challenges with writing is monetizing it. I've addressed this by learning how to self-promote, turning my writing into something people will pay to get, and teaching others how to do what I do. But there is another path. I'm super excited to have had the chance to interview Stephen Somers who went from being a copywriter to earning enough (well, actually millions) by selling products on Amazon to fund his hobbies.

This is relevant for everyone, but I think especially for writers.

First, it's great to have an option to take the financial pressure off your writing and focus on what you want to write, not what you think will earn you money.

Secondly, it demonstrates all the skills you need to build a side hustle, which is a valuable skill no matter what that side hustle is - in my case, my writing business. If you want to get a seat to his masterclass where he explains exactly how to build a 5-7 figure business on Amazon, here's my link: marketplacesuperheroes.com/zulie. You can also read on to get his take!

Here’s the live interview we did:

How did you go from copywriting to making millions on Amazon and selling courses?

Back in 2012, I started my very first copywriting business called CopyRay. That was the ‘Side Hustle’ I worked on in the evenings, weekends, and lunch breaks while at my government data processing job. I always loved to write and so it was a natural progression for me to turn it into a side hustle.

Over a little time, I found my first few clients, and things grew to the point where I didn’t have much time for anything else, so I realized I needed something where I could separate my time from my income. I could then get back to writing for the joy of it without feeling this intense pressure to make it successful.
At that point, I dabbled in a handful of other online businesses, looking for the holy grail of income streams. And weirdly, I then met Robert (who was my first mentor and still my business partner to this day) through my Aunt who introduced me to selling physical products online.

I actually decided to take a chance, quit my job and worked with him in his (freezing cold!) Belfast warehouse where he taught me everything - and boy was that interesting! Talk about a steep learning curve!

But with perseverance and focus, I became more and more obsessed with ECommerce / selling physical products online and that business quickly grew more than I ever imagined it could.

After hitting multiple 7-figures in our Amazon business, together we went on to build multiple businesses together and created our own method for finding and selling simple, everyday items, globally on Amazon.

That naturally led to the creation of Marketplace SuperHeroes, where we now share our knowledge and experience through our programs, softwares and services for people just like us.

Why Should We Listen to You?

I feel my previous 10 years of online marketing and Amazon FBA experience is highly valuable for anybody looking for more time and income freedom. It’s been my life’s mission to live life on my terms without boundaries or financial restraints.

I feel I’ve got something valuable to share with anybody who feels stuck and wants to move towards their dream lifestyle and income level.

I can also really relate to where you likely are right now in your journey, as I was there myself - trying to figure it all out and not really knowing what the “right” answer is or who to trust.

What’s Your Advice For Anyone Trying to Build Their Own Side Hustle?

A Side Hustle by nature is something you can do ‘on the side.’ That means it needs to be something that:

You can do in your spare time (on evenings and weekends)
Doesn’t require you to quit your day job to go ‘all in’
You can start without a huge investment.

An Amazon-based business ticks all those boxes. It’s beginner-friendly and anyone can get started with zero experience in just a couple of hours per week.

Then over time as your Amazon business continues to grow, you’re able to transition, go full-time, and turn your new side hustle into a fully-fledged, highly profitable online business.

(and you can reach this stage even faster by bolting on a simple service-based side hustle to bring in extra cash to invest in your first - or first few products!)

What’s The Best Part of Having Your Own Amazon Sales Income?

I’d have to say the freedom the income provides. An online business — especially one on Amazon — is a great vehicle to true lifestyle freedom. I mean, what other business model out there can give you the scale and automation like an Amazon-based business can? I’d argue not many!

For me, lifestyle freedom means having the financial means to live the life I want to live. That means having the time to enjoy the things I want on my terms.

Of course, freedom means different things to different people. But for many I’ve spoken to, lifestyle freedom tends to have a financial and flexibility component.

You need a vehicle that can make you enough money, and it needs to lend itself to location independence (ie you don’t need to be in a certain place at a certain time for the business to generate income.

What’s The Hardest Ongoing Part?

Treating the business like a REAL business. I know a lot of people feel a business like one on Amazon is ‘just a hobby.’ But once things start to exponentially grow, you quickly realise that this is far from ‘just a hobby’ and in fact a fully-fledged business!

Biggest Mistake You Made Along The Way?

Tony Robbins once said that “80% of success is down to psychology mindset, beliefs, and emotions - and only 20% is due to strategy - the specific steps needed to accomplish a result”.

And when it comes to starting a new business, this is something I wish I’d known from the word go. Sure, all of the strategies, logic, and tactics DO matter. But they only account for 20% of your results.

The other 80% comes from your mind. In other words; Mindset is more important than skills. Your mind has the power to connect a dream/possibility and turn it into reality. And when it comes to doing something new - like starting our own business, we tend to wreak havoc and sabotage ourselves.

Why?

Because everything we need to do in order to succeed is outside our comfort zone - so it feels strange. The people who succeed and win in business know how to get rid of their limiting identities, break the habit of being themselves, and rewire their mind to create the reality they choose.

And the ‘hack’ to do this is by doing something you’d NEVER do. Like something you’re terrified of. Doing this actually PROVES to yourself that the obstacles are all just nonsense. They’re not real.

And when you do this, you start a chain reaction in your brain where you start to think ‘okay, what other nonsense things are holding me back?’

If you want to change, and grow into the NEW YOU - someone who is 100% capable of achieving their business and life dreams, you need to find someone who can help you break those ‘nonsense’ limiting beliefs holding you back to actually start moving you towards the lifestyle and business YOU want.

And for me, Robert was that person who started the ‘chain reaction’ in my life.

Highlight Of Your Journey So Far?

The thousands of people we’ve helped and the community of Heroes we’ve built. Sure, money is cool, building the Marketplace SuperHeroes ‘mini empire’ is great, but at the end of the day, we’re helping people reach their life and income goals.

Whether somebody shares that they’ve just hit their first 6-figure month, or their very first sale - - that to me is why I do what I do. I simply love helping people!

If you want to learn more from Stephen, go ahead and sign up to his masterclass where he’ll teach you how exactly to make a very good living by selling products on Amazon:

Marketplacesuperheroes.com/Zulie

It was very, very cool to have the chance to interview him. The value for writers couldn’t be clearer: you can use this information both to build a business to lessen the financial pressure on your writing, and you can use these insights to help you build your writing business, if that’s the direction you want to go.

Zulie Rane