Insights from Damian Primis, founder of Primis Imports

Before you scale overseas, you have to survive your first shipment.

Importing sounds simple: buy from a supplier, ship it over, and start selling. In reality, your first pallet is a crash course in compliance, freight costs, and customer education.

Get it wrong, and you’re underwater before you’ve sold a single unit. Get it right, and you’ve proven demand without burying yourself in inventory.

<aside>

For founders who are:

• Importing products for the first time
• Navigating freight, duties, and compliance without a background in logistics
• Building consumer trust for a premium product in a crowded market </aside>

Start small and scrappy

A small batch of product (smaller than you think) is enough to prove if your pricing and packaging works. Small runs de-risk the process and give you enough feedback to move to the next step.

What to do:

• Run the smallest possible batch before committing to scale.
• Treat early sales as both revenue and real-time research.
• Use small wins as proof points, not failures.