#738 – From Textile Factory To $1.5M on Amazon

Isa is a Germany-born textile manufacturer who has spent decades in Turkey building his production capacities. After the post-pandemic market shift disrupted his B2B world, he made a bold move into selling direct on Amazon. His edge was clear from day one: sustainable materials, verifiable certifications, and total control over quality.

Instead of launching what his factory could make, Isa used Helium 10 data to decide what his factory should make. With tools like Black Box, Cerebro, and Magnet, he identified a long-term gap in premium, sustainable blankets. That research led him into a surprising niche as well: certified organic blankets. The result was fast traction, including multiple products ranking strongly in Germany and climbing in the US.

Isa shares that 2025 gross sales hit about $1.5M across Europe and the US, with plans to push toward $3M in 2026 and a longer-term goal of $5M. At the same time, he wants to keep the brand positioned as premium and controlled growth, based on production capacity and design standards. He is also expanding beyond Amazon into marketplaces like Otto in Germany, as well as Walmart, Wayfair, and eBay in the US.

The episode does not dodge the challenges. Storage and fulfillment fees became an expensive lesson in 2025. Isa explains how switching to AWD in the US, keeping a backup 3PL option, and moving into Pan-EU with additional VAT registrations reshaped his 2026 strategy. He also credits packaging and presentation as key differentiators, treating the unboxing like a premium experience and building listings that balance compliance with strong visuals.

In episode 738 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Isa discuss:

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 01:23 – Isa Dal’s Backstory
• 02:39 – PhD Textile Manufacturer Spots A Gap In Sustainable Products
• 03:55 – Amazon Selling Timeline
• 05:19 – The Brands Behind His Success
• 07:35 – Growing Beyond Amazon
• 08:03 – Fulfillment Plan: FBA & AWD Infrastructure
• 08:29 – Going All In On Helium 10
• 10:29 – “Completely Data Driven” Product Selection
• 18:13 – Biggest 2025 Challenge
• 27:09 – Focusing on the Unboxing Experience & Main Image Insights

Transcript

Bradley Sutton:

Today, we talk to a newer seller, but has already hit the seven figure mark thanks to using Helium 10 and his top two product testers, his baby daughter and his dog. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think.

Bradley Sutton:

Hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of the Serious Sellers podcast by Helium 10. I am your host, Bradley Sutton, and this is the show that’s a completely BS free organic conversation about serious strategies for serious sellers of any level in the e-commerce world.

Bradley Sutton:

Did you know that in seconds, you can find all the keywords any product on Amazon was ranking for in the last couple of years, or find out where any product got sales from Brand Analytics data from the last five years, or get exclusive private trainings that used to cost $400 a month. All of these plus more is available now on the Helium 10 Diamond Plan. Upgrade with this special 20% off coupon code SSP20. No contract, you can cancel at any time. Once again, use code SSP20 to get the Helium 10 Diamond Plan that helps brand so much it practically pays for itself. And we’ve got somebody who has never been on the show before. So can you go ahead and introduce yourself to the audience real quick here?

Isa:

Hi, I’m Isa. I was born and raised in Germany. And I live in Turkey for 40 years now. And I started with the brand about two years ago. And the first time I found anybody on the space was Helium 10. And you guys, Kevin, Bradley, Shivali, Carrie. And so that’s how I came into the space now for two years.

Bradley Sutton:

I love it. I love it. You don’t have a German nor Turkish accent with your English. Did you go to international schools or?

Isa:

No, actually, I’ve been in the business since I was very young. And I’ve been I’m traveling a lot all around the world. And now next week, I’m in the US again for a show in Las Vegas. And so that’s how I’m multi language. I know lots of languages.

Bradley Sutton:

What do you speak?

Isa:

I speak German is my like my mother tongue, Turkish, French, Spanish, I was fluent in Spanish. And so I studied ancient Greek literature and language. I am archaeologist. But I’m in the business now for over 30 years.

Bradley Sutton:

Before e-commerce, what did you do for employment?

Isa:

I’m actually still a manufacturer of textiles. I’m a product developer. I have my PhD degree in textile and fashion design. So I’m actually designing and producing sustainable products, which is actually the nation in the market, which we found out in the recently, since I was got acquainted with Helium 10, I found out that’s a big gap in sustainable manufacturing products in this marketplaces.

Bradley Sutton:

Is that what moved you to Turkey? I know Turkey is very strong with textiles.

Isa:

Yeah, well, actually, there’s a big advantage of Turkey because everything is registered, everything has a certification, and everything is produced ethically in house locally. So that gives us the possibility to make design sustainable products. And the big advantage of Amazon space is actually that you can prove your certification and it was verified. So that gave us for Turkish manufacturers a big advantage among the competition like the I don’t want to name the all the countries.

Bradley Sutton:

Okay, interesting. At what point did you discover the Amazon opportunity? What year are we talking about? What were you doing at the time? What, you know, made you think about selling on Amazon?

Isa:

I’ve actually started very early in my life, 2009 with some local marketplaces, which was quite premature. Then I tried 2015, I tried Amazon out of Turkey. And that was FBA hasn’t been really established at that time. So we couldn’t get any further. And during the pandemic, I was manufacturing actually for Amazon sellers, especially in the US and also in Europe. And then after the pandemic, actually manufacturing brand and everything shifted. I mean, the world’s got upside down. And as a manufacturer and brand builder, there was a big I saw a big opportunity as I was in 2023. When I got no Helium 10.

Isa:

I saw the opportunity, especially as I said, for sustainable products. And this is how I come into the space. And it’s not a really a choice. It’s a necessity at the moment to go into the Amazon space or any other marketplaces as it’s a huge catalogue. And it’s a big opportunity actually for smaller brands to get carried it worldwide. Now I’m selling in not just in the US, I’m selling EU worldwide. Now in Dubai, I’m setting up an entity and so on. So it’s a whole big opportunity all over.

Bradley Sutton:

So what is your brand called? And what kind of products do you sell?

Isa:

I have actually five brands, but I focus on two brands. One is Little Dedi is named after my two girls. One is three years old. The other is 13.

Bradley Sutton:

How do you spell it?

Isa:

D-E-D-I.

Bradley Sutton:

D-E-D-I. And what kind of products is that?

Isa:

It’s a baby products, sustainable organic cotton, baby products made from 100% organic cotton or from sustainable wood sources. And so we do mainly blankets, baby blankets, giftable blankets in very pretty packaging. And then we have an adult brand, which is called The Lisa is after my name, built about 30 years ago. So we sell organic cotton doll blankets. But what a niche that we also found is about pet blankets, which is there was there’s nobody on the marketplaces selling organic cotton certified, bat, dog, cat blankets. And there we are really the number one in the market now at the moment. And we have top five, top sellers, five products in the top 100 in Germany, and now almost getting to top 50 in the US.

Bradley Sutton:

Awesome, awesome. So, you know, we finished a couple months ago 2025. Across all of your online platforms, what would you say estimate your gross sales was?

Isa:

Well, it was last year, it was around 1.5 million US all around across Europe and the US. I just started pen EU actually, which will help our growth this year for 26. It’s planned to be like 3 million. It’s planned because we out of the figures because we can predict that it’s good, we’ll get to 3 million. And about the next two, three years, the aim is 5 million. And so it will go on like this. But we will just keep our that at that limit because our production capabilities and our design, we will just want to be stay as a good luxurious brand.

Bradley Sutton:

Are you selling on any non Amazon marketplaces?

Isa:

Oh, yes, I just started launched. In Germany, it’s a auto and cow plant. And in the US, it’s Walmart and Wayfair and eBay now. But it’s a Wayfair or Walmart will be our next marketplaces. We already registered there and launched products.

Bradley Sutton:

How are you fulfilling those orders 3PL or through Amazon?

Isa:

It will probably mainly fulfilled through Amazon because their infrastructure, AWD infrastructure is amazing. I mean, I don’t know how these guys are managing all these but FBA and AWD is such amazing tool. And I really appreciate that we have access as a smaller brand in a small country. And that is a big opportunity really.

Bradley Sutton:

What year did you start Helium 10?

Isa:

It was 2023. Actually, there I decided as the market shifted, I was making private label manufacturing B2B. And in 2023, when the market went upside down after the pandemic, I decided I had to find a way out. And then I came across on YouTube with your guys. And then I saw Helium 10. And I sold all the other places and but what appealed to me was Helium 10. And I went all in. So I went to the Diamond Plan. And then I saw..

Bradley Sutton:

You weren’t even set you hadn’t even launched your first product on Amazon. You went straight to the diamond, but you knew the value that..

Isa:

I haven’t had a company even in the US any entity. So I thought if there is, it was out of survival mode, so I had to find something and then I saw really, the only way to learn and to make a good product analysis was to subscribe to the top. And then it was not enough, then I went to Elite, which was fantastic. I mean, just for a small premium getting Elite and having an appointment with you guys one on one and having all the weekly calls that was fantastic. And it was great event, great experience and advantage for me. And then I started my own company, the entity, and then I decided what to launch and where to launch.

Bradley Sutton:

That was my next question, actually, because it’s like, how at the time in 2023, before you started, you didn’t have these blankets necessarily. So what made you I mean, you had the manufacturing capability, but you’re like, alright, what am I going to use my machinery, you know, which will produce? Did Helium 10 play a role in choosing the direction? Or did you have a passion for this? You said it, you know, like you named it after your family and things. How do you decide on this, this, you know, like blanket and other product journey that you’re on now?

Isa:

It was completely data driven, actually, all the data that I have collected from Helium 10. And thanks to the calls, especially which are helped me guided me through in all the tools, I found out that my core manufacturing was actually not blankets, it’s been towels and bathrobes and stuff, and which was exporting to the US for the past 20, 30 years. And I found out there is no opportunity in that niche, actually, despite it was my core.

Isa:

And then I found out is after all the data analysis, and so that there is a big gap, but it was a little bit risky. But with the sustainable concept that I had all the certifications, I said, Oh, that’s the big opportunity that I have to launch now. And I’m probably still one of the only ones there on the one or two other players in but I have a big advantage as a brand and as a sustainable certified factory. So that’s comes all from the data that I have from Black Box, from Cerebro. And then I acquired all the Magnets and then I made analysis the volume of the business that I can drive. And then that’s how I started.

Bradley Sutton:

So you know, some people, they already have products. And then my question is, Oh, how has Helium 10 helped you? And it’s like, Oh, yeah, you know, it’s given me, you know, 10% extra sales, or I found some keywords, but for you, it almost without Helium 10, maybe who knows what business you’d be in, because you’re saying it was it was Helium 10 that actually had you, you know, find the niche that you’re currently doing?

Isa:

Yeah, well, I think it’s not finding the keywords or whatever. It’s finding the right for me, it’s been finding really the right product on the long term. It’s not a short, I’m not a dropshipper or whatever. I’m a private label, and it needs to be consistent. And it needs to be I need to data going back like three, five years, and I need to go look further the next for the next five years, when I plan anything, any launch any products, I plan it for five years. So that’s the data that I can can get out of Helium 10 with all the tools. And plus, of course, the diamond subscription and the elite talks. And that’s that gave me really a wide vision of how I will position my brand.

Bradley Sutton:

How many is on your team that manages ecommerce for you? I assume it’s not just you or do you have partners in your family, VAs, employees? What do you have?

Isa:

I had everything. Then I found out that’s, you know, managing, trying to manage an account and managing also the people is being really very complicated. And I couldn’t get any further with that. And I know currently work with an agency. I don’t call them agent, they are partners for me. And I work with other agencies as well. But these are partners, friends, which I have. They’re also here at WorldEF and came to see. And then I saw your name. So I said it’s worth now short notice to two in two days I came over. And so I currently work with those with those partners, and they provide end to end services for me. And we’re very much happy with them.

Bradley Sutton:

So for you and your team, what are your favorite Helium 10 tools and functions that you that you need for your business?

Isa:

Well, I must say I use everything there, everything out.

Bradley Sutton:

Let’s talk about your like your top five favorite ones.

Isa:

Well, it starts, of course, with the Cerebro, Black Box, then Magnet, Magnet, not just finding keywords, it’s just the finding out the trends, actually. And then on the product research, I found out which is the most relevant to my and where the trends I can find about the trends. It’s not just on the seller central, but it gives me a Helium 10 gives me more and more precise than I can jump from one tool to the other, which is not very easy on seller central. And so it’s now with all your AI tools, insights that you have given us, it became more sophisticated.

Bradley Sutton:

Awesome. Have you used the historical trends?

Isa:

Oh, yeah, yeah. I use the historical I go back a year.

Bradley Sutton:

And under what circumstance would you would you use that? Like, like, like, like, tell me one of the scenarios where that’s coming? Like, is it for a new product launch? And you’re looking at what a competitor was doing, you know, before or you’re looking at your own products? How do you use it?

Isa:

Well, if I wanted to launch new products, and of course, I like as I like data, I always go back and look at the same numbers again and again. So then, at the end of the day, you build up an opinion that gives you guides you through in the future. And there on the data that I have, and going on to historical, I can analyze the periods of time, like how it was on Q4 last year or in the live on the Valentine’s Day and so to change the ad campaign. So actually, my friends, the agencies is doing it for me, but I will always guiding them through I’m all I try to be ahead of them what they’re doing, because they are I keep them quite busy. So and I try to be the innovator in this office.

Bradley Sutton:

Alright, so use Blackbox, Magnet, Cerebro, any other tools you like?

Isa:

Frankenstein. I used a lot.

Bradley Sutton:

Yeah. Now called Keyword Processor. We changed the name.

Isa:

I’m an old guy.

Bradley Sutton:

I like Frankenstein better.

Isa:

Yeah, it got stuck there. And there are some other new tools which I haven’t touched yet. But I really enjoy them. And, of course, if there’s too much going on, and I try to catch it up on you on your podcast and Shivali all the time. I’m regularly sometimes listening twice to all what you’re all your podcasts. So I would really suggest to everyone.

Bradley Sutton:

You’re going to listen to yourself now.

Isa:

It’s unbelievable. Yeah.

Bradley Sutton:

Full circle now.

Isa:

Yeah, thank you for giving me the opportunity.

Bradley Sutton:

Can you remember anything that, you know, unlike one of our Diamond or Elite monthly trainings or maybe the networking calls where you just overhear something and you’re like, wow, I absolutely needed that. Can you anything stick out that you change your strategy because of something you heard? I mean, you’ve talked about how Helium 10 has helped you on the tools. Well, what about the education and networking side?

Isa:

Well, on the networking side is actually there were talks going on, which I didn’t understand. What then at the end, a couple of months later, I said, oh, that’s what they were talking about. I mean, you were the first one talking about TikTok shops and all and you were one of the first having providing tools.

Isa:

So that’s actually helps of expanding. And then then I went back to maybe six months back later, and then I revisit and listen to the podcast or to the calls again. So to the meetings and of course, there are really very experienced people and they share their experience and that gets you really further. You should be if you are on the on the space in the ecosystem, you have to be really in inside there. I’m managing a factory, but I don’t leave it to anybody else because I found it really very much important to be active in this space. That’s why I’m here actually.

Bradley Sutton:

What keeps you up at night? What kind of things in 2026 have you been struggling with? Like what are what are things? What are some issues that that has a business owner, e-commerce brand owner that is you’re struggling with?

Isa:

Well, the thing is, I couldn’t figure out on the long term with the fees that Amazon had. So you were warning us all the time and for the fee increases and so on. But that was my biggest challenge, especially in the last year.

Bradley Sutton:

Like storage fees?

Isa:

Storage fees, yes. So that’s now my strategy for 2026 has been really very clear and I can see the profit which is increasing. And so 2025 has been a big lesson and I paid for it. It’s been really expensive, but 2026 with now the opportunities to be..

Bradley Sutton:

What did you change? What would you do that that’s helping in that regard?

Isa:

Well, first switch early 2025 was AWD. So that’s the fees that we are now I’m paying for AWD is ridiculous in comparison to FBA fees. But the US is completely..

Bradley Sutton:

Ridiculously low or like less?

Isa:

Yeah, less. Yes, yes. And but the game gameplay in Europe is completely different now. What I have changed for 2026 in Europe is I will switch to pan EU and I added Poland and Czech Republic Czechia to with VAT registrations. Now my FBA fees went down, but I had I lost really a tremendous amount of money by misjudging the FBA fees in Europe, especially now it’s in the US. I use mainly AWD, but I also use 3PL just as a reserve because AWD stores can get very congested which happened now in October this October last year, and I had to move one container 140 foot high foot container to a 3PL which cost me a lot of money, of course, but there I therefore I have to be very cautious in terms in the US with balancing AWD with 3PL.

Isa:

But still AWD is the most important. So I’m doing it on the right time. And then for Europe, we need I have to fulfill FBA very conservative and open up the Polish and that’s a very good step forward for having a Polish and Czech VAT registration.

Bradley Sutton:

Okay. What has been one of your biggest wins of the last couple years? You know, we just talked about the struggles and paying fees and losing so much money. But what was something unexpected, something positive that’s that’s happened to your business?

Isa:

Something positive. I mean, I still it warms up my heart and I entered with the brand of my daughters with my family to 30,000-40,000 houses homes and in the US, which gave me their reviews with their five star reviews all the time, that very grateful customers and I’m grateful for them that they have supported me and that’s actually the most important award for me that I have touched so many that I have had the opportunity with my own brand touch such a huge community. And this wouldn’t be possible without this eCommerce space.

Bradley Sutton:

Yeah, yeah. I think that’s that’s a very undervalued aspect that people who aren’t brand owners don’t realize is the feeling you get when you just sit there and think, wait a minute. There’s thousands of households who have a coffin shelf that I made now in their in their in their fireplace, or there’s, you know, 10s of 1000s of parents who are using this blanket or this rug, you know, for their for their pets or their their their sons or daughters or something. It’s kind of like, interesting to think about for that. So what’s your plans for the future of the brand?

Isa:

Well, I will expand the brand, of course, try to be well, first now the next two years, it’s to survive really, to get the brand towards to a level now we are, we are even we are getting we’re growing very, very fast. And I want to launch new new sustainable products and bring more the consciousness of consumers to to go more to the sustainable because the resources in our world is so limited. Now what I’m not nearly going to introduce is more recycled products and 100% cotton organic will still be on but contributing also to the to the environment to the world with less carbon print. This is this is our main objective, less carbon proof footprints, less garbage, but more sustainable products. That’s my goal for my brand.

Bradley Sutton:

If Helium 10 were to go away today, how would that affect your business?

Isa:

Well, I will lose all the data, I presume the overview the insights. If I wouldn’t have Helium 10 I’m using it I have a standard on my extension. I’m using it on daily basis. First thing when I wake up in the morning or just before going to bed, I look at the at Helium 10 our rankings, that’s the easiest and well, of course, I always look at my competitors, I have some targeted competitors and I look look at them. So the extension is very important for me which I get have a glance immediate glance on on what the Chrome extension.

Bradley Sutton:

If there is another brand out there around your size, or maybe smaller, maybe bigger. They haven’t used Helium 10 before, but they’re already fairly successful. So they might think why would I need Helium 10 when I’m already seven figure brand? What would you tell them?

Isa:

Well, we need to be on track all the time. We need we need to be aware awake all the time. Otherwise, some days if you just you know, just saying okay, I’m a brand now everyone is allowing we I’m in top 50. That’s not enough. I mean, you need to just look forward, take the next step. Because there are competitors that are going to copy you replicate you or try to replicate you but we saw the data there needs to be analyzed all the time.

Isa:

I’m not an engineer type of person. But I live I like playing like looking at figures at numbers. And so if they don’t look at the numbers figures and reverse engine and use all the tools and I think at one day the UK you can take them over easily.

Bradley Sutton:

The niches you sell in can be considered competitive. Now one thing one reason you have said for your success is because you have a story a brand story behind it, you know, the sustainability the way you manufacture obviously there’s customers looking for that. But that can’t be the only reason of your success. Probably. There’s other unique things that maybe you’re doing that maybe some of the other competitors aren’t. What do you think that’s unique, like a strategy that you’re using?

Bradley Sutton:

It could be about helium 10, it could be about shipping, it could be about anything. What are some of the things that set you apart that you think have contributed to being so successful in such a short time?

Isa:

Yeah, it’s first of all, my daughter, which was born at the same time. So I we I grew up when she was my testing person. And once she loved the product, I said, Okay, that’s the right product. And then we have a small Maltese dog, our son. And he’s the test person for the pet products. Yeah, this is how we tested this can comes out of experience. And my wife, she is a professor at the university. She’s also textile and fashion designer. And as a mom, she she’s a very conscious mom, very picky. And the first thing when I produce look what I got, I got a new product. So and I throw in the floor, and then my daughter grabs it. Our little Fico grabs it.And then my wife says, Oh, it’s fantastic. I said, then okay, we if we love it, then people will.

Bradley Sutton:

So lesson one, like be a user of your own product, you know, and absolutely, yeah. Don’t just like, hey, let me just put a label on something. And let me run some polls. But actually, if your own family, you know, friends, pets, you know, love it, hey, it’s a good, it’s a good sign. What else? What about on the, like, Amazon strategy, like something you do about your images or listings or anything else that you think might be a little bit unique?

Isa:

Well, we use, we also have a packaging factory. So we use our own packaging, we want to, like if you have an iPhone, opening the package is an experience. So I want to really make the package to be an experience while unboxing it. So that’s, that’s how I have a very cute label, I have a ribbon around printed, it’s organic cotton, and then the shoe box can be reusable. So that’s a complete experience that I have fun with. When I create a new box, I really, I need to, first of all, we need to love it.

Isa:

And then I think then the audience and the buyers, they will love it. What I make, so that’s actually, I try to display it on the main image. Now we just realized that the main images are on Amazon, which we thought is not compliant, there are compliant and you can add more, more to the main image by displaying actually like, okay, it still has to be white background, but then you can add a lifestyle, like a lifestyle, a main image.

Isa:

So Amazon is about numbers, figures, datas, and about images to sell and backhand and keywords. So I have Hekium 10 on one side, and then I have my own experience, my own taste and, and I observed the competition there as well.

Bradley Sutton:

So thank you so much for sharing your story, very inspiring. And we really appreciate, you know, talking about your brand and, you know, sharing your journey. And hopefully, you know, you’ve been inspired by people on the podcast. And now hopefully, you guys are inspired out there by Issa’s and then we’ll bring you on the podcast next time. So congratulations on all your success, and we wish you the success in the future.

Isa:

Fantastic. Thanks so much.

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