Common Cents

See how we provided the financing Common Cents needed to grow its product portfolio and increase Q4 profits by 22%.

Challenge

Common Cents, started by Sebastian Cwik and Ted Golojuch in 2013, is an Amazon-focused brand agency and brand seller. After hearing stories about family friends making a living on Amazon while working as a bartender in New York, Sebastian Cwik began teaching himself how to identify winning products and sell them on the platform. Within 3 months, he was able to leave his job in hospitality and throw himself into the Amazon ecosystem full-time.

Fast-forward almost a decade, that side hustle has grown into a business with 60 staff and over $70 million in annual revenue. Sebastian’s uncle, Ted, had joined the business early on and brought with him a raft of experience. Together the pair now operate one of the fastest growing Amazon operations on the East Coast, selling anything from cleaning products to candy.

As an Amazon Seller dealing primarily in the reselling of other brands’ goods, building key relationships with these brands and manufacturers is key. Sebastian had identified potentially winning products owned by big conglomerates Hasbro and Nestle. But such was the size of the inventory purchase needed to secure this reseller contract, Common Cents needed outside financing to meet the minimum quantity amount.

“We wanted to push their product line on the Amazon platform. To be able to do that, we knew we needed capital because they don’t play with small numbers” Sebastian Cwik, CEO, Common Cents

Solution

What Common Cents needed was a financing partner that understood the huge potential upside of these relationships and one who was willing to offer the large sums needed to secure the deals.

Wayflyer’s understanding of the Amazon marketplace was integral to helping Sebastian’s company overcome this hurdle. Wayflyer was able to connect to their Seller Central account and quickly make a data-backed decision on the projected revenue of the company. Sebastian was able to secure the capital needed to start bringing in containers of products from Hasbro and Nestle.

“So what Wayflyer did was it allowed us to quickly get the capital needed to lock those brands down and then have seamless communication and customer service so that we can continue to allocate more funds if needed.”

Results

In the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase on bottom line of 22% was attributed directly to these new relationships. Common Cents’ partnership with Wayflyer has also continued into 2024, with the company taking on board more financing to fuel their upwards trajectory.

Given the large quantities of produce the company is bringing into their warehouse in New Jersey every day, having the financing available to fund the stock and free up cash for day-to-day operations has been crucial.

From bartending in the city to 8-figure Amazon Seller, the sky is the limit for Sebastian and Common Cents. With Wayflyer, the company has the backing it needs to continue partnering with global conglomerates and grow its product portfolio.

“It's overwhelming to think that, hey, this kid that had no idea where he was going, was just bartending and waiting in New York City has been able to build something of this magnitude.”