Introduction
In this interview, we sit down with Brandon Payton, a 20-year-old entrepreneur who managed to scale his ecommerce business significantly in just three months. We discuss exactly how to scale ecommerce business from a modest start to hitting the $100,000 mark. Brandon shares his strategies on hiring, content creation, and leveraging platforms like TikTok Shop to achieve rapid growth.
Founder Success Story QnA
What has happened in those three months Brandon?
A lot has happened. Yesterday was actually my birthday, and we crossed the $100,000 Mark, which is a pretty good gift. We have plans to cross 300,000 by the end of this month.
How would you have expected that a year ago that at 20 years old you’ll be at 100K?
Honestly, about a year ago I was doing the same kind of work, it just wasn’t going to plan yet. I have pretty big goals, so I honestly would have said I wouldn’t hit it. I expected maybe a million or knew I wasn’t going to hit it.
How did you end up scaling to 100,000 in those three months?
Lots of work, getting the right people in the right places, and just learning. Most of the time I was looking at the people that were doing better than me, making more money—the top brands. I was just dissecting what they were doing, applying it to what we could do, and then getting the right people in the right spots.
Explain that some more. What’s your hiring process, what did you outsource, and what is it that you’re actually all doing?
I’m in e-commerce, which is really just a content game at the end of the day. If you have a good marketing angle and are selling to the right emotions, it’s about getting eyeballs on the product. When you start hiring, you want to get rid of the stuff that takes away your energy. We got someone for customer service and someone in charge of doing outreach for TikTok Shop. After that, it was figuring out how to get as many creatives or creators as possible. We started outreaching on TikTok, sending out tons of free product, and hiring creators to make content once or twice a day.
Are those creators doing it for free, or do you pay some kind of commission to them?
For the UGC creators we have directly, we pay them a monthly retainer. They make a minimum of seven videos, and if they go over a set amount, they get an incentive like a percentage bonus. For the TikTok Shop, we offer extremely good commissions. Everyone usually gives out a 20% commission; it’s a win-win, and we send them free product.
Have you considered implementing AI automation into your business?
Yes, I have a friend in the AI campus who handles that. We are going to be completely AI automating the affiliate outreach. The only thing our current person will have to do is data entry, and the AI will send emails, follow-ups, and handle other tasks. We are continuing to look into other ways to implement AI.
Is that part of your strategy to scale to the 300K by the end of the month?
I think TikTok Shop will be the massive lever, especially because of how quickly it can scale. You get all of these creatives essentially for no upfront payment since it’s all commission. Then, we take the ones doing very well and run them as ads on different platforms. Implementing AI will also give us more free time to put into important things. All of that will come together to be huge.
Have you invested the money you earned into anything else?
I honestly haven’t even thought about it at all. My mind is completely on the fact that once we crossed 100,000, it felt pretty easy. Now I’m thinking we need to do a million. I’m reinvesting into e-commerce—getting more creators, more stock to lower unit costs, and more mentors. I haven’t invested in anything outside of e-commerce.
Have there been any kind of lifestyle changes in those three months?
Mentally, my stress tolerance is insanely high compared to where it was. I don’t give away free time at all anymore because there are so many things I could be getting done. I’m very strict with my time. For working out, I do pushups and pull-ups at home because I don’t have time to go to the gym.
How did you build up that stress tolerance?
I think that’s the only way to really do it. You can read books and learn concepts, but until you actually have to put it into action, you’re never going to know if it works. For me, I can be stressed, but unless I get it done, it just sits there. So I try to get things done quickly.
Where did the mentality you have come from?
I just flooded my whole environment with this sort of mindset. On my phone, it was nothing but Tate and those sorts of guys. My friends think the exact same way now. I’m trying to get the friends who don’t into this area. Environment is really key, though it can be hard to implement if people are used to comfort.
What plans do you actually have for the future?
I love e-commerce and seeing the numbers people can do. My goal is for my friend and me to cross a million by his 20th birthday in February. After that, million dollar months. I also like MMA training and would want to do that amateur or professionally.
What about location? Are you planning on staying in America?
It really depends. Over the summer, I plan to relocate somewhere with a large group for a mastermind where we all work together. Then I’ll probably travel for a good amount of time before settling down. My family is here, so I’ll probably end up living in the US but be decentralized enough where I don’t have to.
What do your parents think about what you’re doing?
I don’t really talk about it much. I mentioned it to my dad casually, and he started talking about making sure I’m prepared for taxes. My mom hasn’t really talked about it. It hasn’t been a huge change in my life besides the fact that I just work a lot more.
Before you joined the real world, what plans did you have?
I was in e-commerce but doing a completely different niche—high ticket e-commerce with no money coming in. It was illogical and never going to work. I thought one day it would just click, but I realized it wouldn’t. I joined the Real World, saw the results, and realized I needed to switch strategies.
Where did you find mentors?
I found a couple in the Real World and through Twitter. Twitter is a massive source of information if you get your algorithm right. I found my CFO mentor and a high ticket group there. I plan to join as many groups as I can.
What advice do you have for people unsure about joining the real world?
If you’re too scared to invest $50 into yourself, you’re honestly never going to win. You’re going to have to take massive risks. If you can’t risk $50 on something you can get a refund on, you won’t have what it takes to invest the large amounts needed to hit massive numbers.
Brandon Payton Business Stats
Brandon has achieved impressive growth in a very short period. By focusing on high-leverage activities like content creation and strategic outsourcing, he was able to scale his revenue significantly. Below are some key statistics from his journey.
- Age: 20 Years Old
- Timeframe to 100k: 3 Months
- Primary Strategy: TikTok Shop & UGC
- Next Goal: $300k by end of month
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Starting Revenue | $12,000 |
| Current Revenue | $100,000 |
| Growth Time | 3 Months |
| Team Size | 2 Founders + Contractors |
Brandon Payton Method
Brandon’s success comes down to treating e-commerce as a content game. He focused on removing himself from low-leverage tasks and doubling down on what drives sales. Here is how he did it:
- Dissected top brands to see what they were doing.
- Hired staff for customer service to save time.
- Outreached to creators on TikTok for user-generated content.
- Leveraged TikTok Shop for affiliate sales with no upfront cost.
- Reinvested all profits back into the business.
Brandon Payton Tools
To manage his growing business, Brandon utilizes specific platforms to handle sales, content, and automation. These tools allow him to maintain efficiency while scaling.
- TikTok Shop: Used as the primary sales channel and for finding creators.
- AI Automation: Used for automating affiliate outreach and email follow-ups.
- UGC Creators: Hired on a retainer basis to produce daily video content.
Key Notes
Throughout the interview, Brandon emphasized the importance of mindset and environment in achieving success. Here are the key takeaways from his experience.
- Surround yourself with people who have the same mindset.
- Stress tolerance is built by taking action, not just reading books.
- E-commerce is a content game; focus on marketing and emotions.
- Outsource tasks that drain your energy.
- Reinvest profits to achieve higher goals.
Get Started in Just 5 Steps
If you want to replicate Brandon’s success, here is a simplified 5-step guide to starting your own ecommerce journey.
- Identify a niche or product with a strong marketing angle.
- Set up your store on a platform like TikTok Shop.
- Start outreaching to creators for UGC or affiliate partnerships.
- Test content and reinvest in the best performing videos as ads.
- Automate outreach and customer service to scale your time.
Conclusion
Brandon Payton’s story shows how quickly you can scale ecommerce business with the right strategy and mindset. By leveraging TikTok Shop, hiring the right people, and focusing relentlessly on growth, he turned $12k into $100k in just three months. His journey highlights that age is just a number when you are dedicated to executing a proven plan.