Brand Fortress HQ: Amazon FBA Success Strategies

Brand Fortress HQ: Amazon FBA Success Strategies

Welcome to the Brand Fortress HQ Podcast, the ultimate resource for mastering Amazon FBA success. Dive deep into the world of e-commerce with your hosts, Jon Stojan, Mike Kaufman, and Matt Atkins—three seasoned Amazon brand owners who have seen it all and are ready to unveil the secrets of their success. Your hosts each and every week are Jon Stojan, Mike Kaufman, and Matt Atkins. Jon is a former predictive analyst for the Air Force and brings his analytical prowess to the e-commerce battleground. After establishing his own 6-figure brand on Amazon, he founded First North Marketing, a beacon for brands aiming to conquer the Amazon marketplace. Mike Kaufman is an e-commerce pioneer, having been navigating the online sales sphere for over three decades. His expertise has not only led to the creation of a mid 7-figure brand on Amazon but also birthed invaluable tools and resources to bolster other aspiring brands. Matt is the jack-of-all-trades in the e-commerce arena, from building a 7 figure meal prep brand, multiple Amazon brands, coaching new brand builders, to helping brands of all sizes grow at Canopy Management. His passion lies in fostering a community of entrepreneurs, offering them the wisdom and connections needed to thrive. Join us for Tactics Tuesdays, where Jon, Mike, and Matt dissect the real-life strategies propelling their own brands and companies forward. Plus, tune in every Thursday for enlightening interviews with the brightest minds in FBA—transparent leaders and business owners who are shaping the present and future of e-commerce. With two episodes every week, the Brand Fortress HQ Podcast is your stronghold for insider knowledge, innovative tactics, and inspiring stories. Whether you’re an established seller or just starting your FBA journey, our hosts are here to guide you through the intricacies of the Amazon marketplace. Unlock your brand’s potential and build your own fortress with us at Brand Fortress HQ.

Episodes

October 7, 2025 32 mins

The advertising landscape on Amazon is undergoing a radical transformation. Gone are the days when brand owners needed complex campaign structures with thousands of exact match keywords to succeed. Instead, Amazon's algorithm has evolved to become your new PPC manager – and it's proving remarkably effective.

Our latest discoveries reveal that auto campaigns are now receiving substantially more exposure than tradi...

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Ever wished you could clone yourself to handle all the demands of running your Amazon business? That's exactly what our team has accomplished using custom GPTs to create a "Digital Amazon CEO" that thinks like us, responds like us, and dramatically accelerates our workflow.

In this tactics-packed episode, we pull back the curtain on how we've built an AI infrastructure that's transforming our brand...

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When was the last time you questioned whether you're tracking the right metrics for your Amazon business? In this eye-opening episode, we tackle what might be the most dangerous number in your Amazon dashboard: ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale).

Unlike other platforms where return on ad spend makes perfect sense, Amazon creates a unique ecosystem where your advertising directly impacts your organic ranking. This "r...

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Unlock the power of Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) and geo-targeting to transform your advertising strategy! Once available only to high-budget DSP advertisers, these sophisticated tools are now accessible to all Amazon sellers, opening new possibilities for targeted marketing that delivers exceptional returns.

Through a fascinating case study of a pool equipment brand, we explore how strategic geo-targeting solves one of th...

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The moment your Amazon conversion rate drops by half is when true brand resilience is tested. In this tactical deep-dive, we examine a real-world crisis where one premium brand watched their conversion rate collapse virtually overnight, triggering a cascade of mounting problems: skyrocketing ad costs, plummeting impression share, and rapidly declining sales across their entire catalog.

For brands heavily dependent on adver...

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The line between AI hype and reality is blurring for Amazon sellers. What's actually working right now, and what still falls short of the promises?

We're witnessing dramatic improvements in AI image generation tools over the past 6-12 months. ChatGPT and Gemini can now create compelling product images for certain categories and make sophisticated edits that previously required professional Photoshop skills. Need ...

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Launching a new product on Amazon can feel like navigating a minefield—full of potential missteps that could derail your success. In this thought-provoking episode, we flip conventional wisdom on its head by exploring what guarantees a failed product launch.

By inverting the success model, we uncover critical insights that can transform your approach to introducing new products. Our conversation dives deep into the psychol...

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Ever feel like your Amazon business is walking a tightrope without a safety net? You're not alone. In this eye-opening episode of Brand Fortress HQ, we pull back the curtain on the five most devastating mistakes that can silently kill your Amazon brand—mistakes we've painfully witnessed both with our clients and in our own businesses.

The first deadly sin might surprise you: changing your brand name on Amazon. We...

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The costly lesson of mismanaged agency relationships can create quite the hit to your brand. Mike shares a raw account of how trusting an Amazon management agency without proper oversight created a perfect storm of inventory problems that coincided with tariff changes—a mistake that will have a significant cost.

Drawing from both perspectives—Mike as a brand owner who experienced the setback firsthand, and Jon as an agency...

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The business landscape has shifted dramatically with the introduction of new tariffs, creating significant challenges for e-commerce brands selling on Amazon. But beyond the immediate financial strain lies opportunity for those willing to think creatively and act decisively.

Mike from ProTuff shares his brand's raw, unfiltered experience with tariffs, revealing how compounding factors created a perfect storm for their...

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Deciding whether to hire an Amazon agency is a pivotal choice for sellers, and this conversation offers a 360-degree view from people who have lived it. Drawing from experiences as agency owners, agency employees, and brand operators who've hired multiple agencies, we unpack the crucial factors to consider before signing any contracts.

Does hiring an agency even makes sense for your business? We explore how to identif...

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Unlock the secrets of social selling on TikTok and transform your e-commerce strategy. What if the key to skyrocketing your brand's success lies in 15-second videos and the power of micro-influencers? Discover how successful Amazon sellers are pivoting to TikTok, despite the looming shadow of potential bans, to harness its unique social selling capabilities inspired by China’s digital market.

From a former video edito...

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Discover the secret to turning your Amazon venture into a thriving business. We tackle the pressing question: How can U.S. sellers distinguish themselves from robust international competition in 2025? Join us for insights into capitalizing on the changing e-commerce landscape, where customer loyalty and integrity set you apart, and dive into the implications of political shifts and the expanding influence of platforms like TikTok a...

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Merry Christmas from BFHQ! Welcome to our Christmas Tactics Tuesday Episode and our Final  episode of 2024! We explore the increasingly complex world of Amazon sales with fresh perspectives. Join me and Matt as we tackle the pressing challenges of inbound placement fees and growing competition from direct-selling manufacturers. Uncover how these changes impact profit margins and why expanding beyond Amazon could be your next game-c...

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Ever wondered how face-to-face marketing can catapult your brand beyond the constraints of online sales platforms? Join us as we unravel the strategic shift from Amazon’s ad-heavy sales model to the dynamic realm of trade shows. With insights from our guests, Mike and Matt, we'll guide you through their transformative experience at a major trade show, targeting pool professionals and builders. Discover how an interactive booth...

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Unlock the secrets to crafting a powerhouse team that can turbocharge your brand's trajectory! Is it time to stop going it alone and embrace the might of a diverse team? Our latest episode of Brand Fortress HQ Tactics Tuesday promises to reveal why the lone wolf strategy may be holding you back and how embracing specialized skills can lead to unprecedented growth. Drawing from our rich e-commerce and agency experiences, we exp...

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Launch strategies have changed in the last couple of years as Amazon has changed their rules. Ready to understand your product launch strategy and master the art of audience building? Join us as we explore groundbreaking techniques with Matt, an expert in launching new brands. Discover how engaging with trending communities like biohackers and the sober curious can pave the way for a successful product introduction even before it h...

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Ever wondered how to turn a small community into a powerhouse for your brand? Discover the surprising journey behind Gio, a unique non-alcoholic beverage brand, and learn how building an engaged audience before launch can create excitement and momentum. Inspired by Ryan Daniel Moran's innovative approach, we share how sharing weekly updates—even about minor details like flavor tweaks—has fostered a growing community eager to b...

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How do you solve a months-long problem in minutes? Join us as we navigate the Amazon Accelerate conference, where Amazon sellers like you seek immediate solutions to longstanding account issues, all while grappling with the realities of Amazon's priorities. You'll discover how the expanding Seller Cafe has become a beacon for frustrated sellers desperate for effective support and how face-to-face interactions with Amazon&...

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Unlock the potential of trade shows to elevate your brand with insights from our guest, Mike, a seasoned Amazon seller who has shifted gears towards this exciting avenue. Discover how transitioning from the competitive Amazon marketplace to harnessing the power of trade shows can become a game-changer for brands, especially in niche markets like professional pool tools. Mike shares his firsthand experience of entering this arena, w...

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