What it takes to be a thriving Amazon seller making seven figures

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we spotlight some of our top stories and bring you behind the scenes of our newsroom. This week, we put a big question to BI readers: Can millennial dads really have it all?

Many fathers told us they’re feeling burned out trying to excel at work and be fully present at home. I get it. As a dad of two young kids, I do my best to be an active, present, and equal parenting partner. But I also see, every day, just how much of the heavy lifting my wife does.

What’s your take on the millennial dad paradox? Is true balance possible—or just a myth we’re still chasing? We’d love to hear from you.

On the agenda today:

• The Supreme Court won’t stop DOGE cuts. The mood in DC is bleak.
• For today’s elite VCs, controversy can be good for deal flow.
• How Trump’s immigration crackdown is changing Wall Street.
• Federal filings reveal how much Google is paying top talent.

But first: Side hustle tips from the pros.

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This week’s dispatch

Inside an exclusive entrepreneurs’ club

Kathleen Elkins is the kind of journalist who preaches what she covers. She’s been writing for years about real estate investing, e-commerce entrepreneurs, and side hustles. She has taken this coverage and put it to practical use: Last year, she started her own business selling pickleball paddles online.

Kathleen recently profiled an exclusive group of Amazon sellers making seven figures in annual revenue. (No, she’s not a member — maybe one day!) I sat down with Kathleen to learn more about these entrepreneurs and how they achieved their success.

How did you find out about this niche community of thriving Amazon sellers?

A previous source who I keep in touch with is super ingrained in the Amazon seller community and suggested I talk to one of the cofounders of Million Dollar Sellers. She put us in touch, we set up an intro call, and I pretty immediately knew that I wanted to proceed with a story about the community and how one gets into the exclusive club.

What is it like to be a member of this club? How does one get into it, and what are the benefits?

The cofounder I spoke to, Eugene Khayman, told me the two biggest perks of being a member are the Facebook Group and the events. He likened them to “a family reunion, where you’re actually excited to see everybody there.” He knows how difficult and lonely it can feel at times to sell to faceless customers, and the in-person events help him get fired up and gain positive momentum.

What did you learn from these e-commerce sellers that might help you in your own side hustle?

After writing about e-commerce entrepreneurs for years, I decided to give it a go myself, mostly out of curiosity: Can anyone — including a journalist with some savings and a couple of free hours after work — make money selling things online? What does it really take? Turns out, a lot of time and effort. Starting a business, even as a side project, is all-consuming.

I’ll leave you with two takeaways: One, I’m going to have to spend money on Amazon ads. Two, keep talking to people in the e-commerce space who know what they’re doing and get curious. As Eugene told me, “It’s all about putting yourself in a room with people that are smarter than you.”

Fear and denial in DC

For months, mass DOGE layoffs were stalled as a legal battle between the White House and advocacy groups played out. That all changed Tuesday, when the Supreme Court announced it wouldn’t stand in the way of the Trump administration.

BI spoke to 16 employees at federal agencies to gauge the reaction. Most used words like “fear,” “uncertainty,” “disheartening,” and “bleak” to describe the mood within their agencies. Some expressed concern about their livelihoods and financial security, as well as the future of public service.

“I can’t see any of this ending well.”

Also read:

• What we know so far about how federal job cuts could play out

It’s not just Shaun Maguire

When the Sequoia Capital partner called NYC mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani an “Islamist,” it made national news and prompted two open letters. Instead of an apology or deleted tweet, however, Maguire only doubled down on his comments.

The saga might just mark a new era in a post-pandemic tech ecosystem. Top investors have learned they can be loud, bold, and polarizing, and it won’t impact their ability to secure deals.

The venture capital “fame game.”

Also read:

• Read the open letter circulating in support of the Sequoia partner who called Zohran Mamdani an ‘Islamist’
• Who is Shaun Maguire, the VC partner facing backlash over his remarks about Zohran Mamdani

Trump’s border policy hits Wall Street

Though the financial industry isn’t the obvious target of Trump’s immigration crackdown, its effects are still being felt across hiring, travel, and dealmaking.

Lawyers, executives, and business leaders told BI how Trump’s border policy is changing their daily lives, from amending the language they use at the border to scrutinizing immigration compliance in M&A deals.

Wall Street as a border town.

Google salaries revealed

The search and cloud giant keeps salary data confidential. However, publicly available work visa data filed with the US Labor Department offers a glimpse of how much it pays certain roles.

Google has hired thousands of software engineers through this process. The data shows they can command salaries as high as $340,000 before equity and bonuses.

See how much key roles make.

This week’s quote:

“She always made it clear she would walk away when the time was right. She made enough money that she doesn’t need to work.”

— Linda Yaccarino’s friend on Yaccarino leaving her CEO role at X.

More of this week’s top reads:

• Big Four internship season is in full swing. Here’s how to get through the door at KPMG, according to three current interns.
• Grok, the AI chatbot from Elon Musk’s xAI, explained.
• Companies have plans for extreme weather and workplace violence. Now, some are planning for ICE raids, too.
• Is your chatbot judging you? How Big Tech is cracking down on ‘preachy’ AI.
• Law firms’ new competition is small, fast, cheap, and AI-driven — and it’s not a law firm at all.
• These are the most popular AI coding tools among engineers.

• Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino couldn’t turn Elon Musk’s business around — because of Elon Musk.

  The BI Today team: Steve Russolillo, chief news editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

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