This article is the first edition of Fud’s Meet the Mentor series, where experienced and proven side hustlers talk about their experiences and share personal advice to start, sustain, and scale your business. 

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From selling video games lying around his home, Elliot Rost now sells just about any item he knows he can flip for a profit!💸💸💸

Elliot’s reselling journey started in December 2020 when he was a sophomore in college. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he lost his part-time job the previous summer and needed to make some extra money by winter.❄️

He wanted to test the waters by selling something he has on hand and is knowledgeable about. ~Video Games. 🎮🕹️🖥️

He figured that because a lot of people were staying indoors🏠 at that time, there may be a demand for these products. Turns out, there is a hot market for these games!🔥Since then, his interest in reselling has grown, and expanded his listings to other products.🛒

During his first year of reselling, he gained a profit of around $1,650 and a lot of learning along the way.

Elliot shares that a major help in navigating his business was watching a YouTuber show the ropes of reselling.📽️

He has made over a THOUSAND sales (and counting) 🙌 and achieved more than 100% return on investment (ROI) and 100% year-to-year growth in 2022 and 2023.💯

Now, Elliot is a vetted Reselling Expert and Mentor on Fud, sharing his experience, advice, and step-by-step guides to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs earn extra income and succeed in the reselling business.

Here, he talks more about his reselling journey and experience as a Fud expert and Mentor.

How has your side hustle impacted your life? 

Since I started reselling, I've had a reliable source of side income that I could count on. Of course, it's not all butterflies and rainbows, but overall, the side hustle is very enjoyable and never felt like traditional work at a 9-5. 

The "treasure hunt" aspect and the fact that you never know what you might find out there has kept me going.🎯

With this, I've been able to fit reselling into my life no matter the circumstance. This side hustle is very scalable, meaning you can sell as little or as much as you want.📈

Because of this, I've been able to focus on reselling full-time in the summer and part-time during the school year while I was in college.

What were some of the major challenges you encountered along the way and how did you overcome them?

My most notable challenge when reselling has been overcoming what I call "bad buys."

When reselling, you are responsible for identifying undervalued products, buying them, listing and selling them online, and shipping them.🛍️📱

But what if you buy an item to resell and it doesn't sell?😔

Whether it's because you overpaid for the item, it turned out to be broken, it turned out to be worth less than expected, it never sold, or whatever it may be, these bad buys often lose you money and hurt your margins overall. The only way to combat these bad buys is through experience. 

In the used goods market, the brand, condition, age, etc. of a product are specifications that impact its value.🏷️ These qualities are unique to each item that you're selling, so naturally there is a lot to learn.🗒️

I have made plenty of bad purchases that have cost me money but given me lessons on how to identify profitability.

Over time, I have become more and more familiar with the items I am selling and have learned to filter a potential "bad buy" from a successful one.💰🔍

What is the best advice you would give to someone starting their own side business or hustle?

When starting a side hustle, I recommend to start small and focus on learning from mistakes. Through starting small, people can master the fundamentals of their side hustle and achieve profitability before expanding. 

Mistakes are inevitable, so this also helps to minimize financial risk and allows one to learn from initial challenges. There is a lot of value that can be gained from realizing what you did wrong and making a plan to improve in the future.🆙

This is an important life skill and is only going to help you as you venture towards being self-employed!🌱

What inspired you to join Fud as a Reselling Expert and Mentor?

I found Fud last summer through a LinkedIn posting looking for a reselling expert. I had never seen a company reach out looking for a reseller, so naturally, I was intrigued. I decided to become a Fud Expert and Mentor because I was inspired by the mission. 

Thinking back on my reselling journey, I wish I had this resource. I wish someone had told me what items to buy🛍️, which items not to buy🙅🏻‍♀️, how to use the shipping system📦, how to properly list an item📲, etc.

Could you share your experience working with Fud?

Working with Fud has been an amazing opportunity. As an early adopter, I've enjoyed seeing the platform grow and overcome challenges and am thankful to be a part of it.🌎

I've learned a lot about mentorship, content creation, building a following, community engagement and more. 

On top of all, however, I have been getting my first membership subscription!🌟This has been great validation and makes me excited to grow in the future!🚀

You too can start making money from reselling. Download the Fud app and subscribe to Elliot’s membership program to start and boost your reselling business.

📢 It’s time to take action and put more 💵💵💵 in your pocket!

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