By the time he turned 22, Cole Turner had generated over $2.1 million in online sales through a homeware-focused ecommerce store that he built and scaled independently, all while continuing his studies as an engineering student and preparing to graduate from college.
His entry into the world of ecommerce came at the age of 18, when, during a casual conversation over the winter break, a friend mentioned that he was on track to earn seven figures through his online business. Until that moment, Cole had not seriously considered entrepreneurship as a path, but the revelation sparked a curiosity that quickly turned into a full-time commitment. He began consuming large amounts of online content about ecommerce and dropshipping, and soon launched his first store, which focused on plants and pottery. The venture failed, but instead of walking away, he doubled down on learning.
Early Failures, Mentorship, and Persistent Learning
His first attempt at dropshipping involved selling plants and pottery through a general store. The store failed to gain traction, and he ended up losing approximately $5,000 on Facebook ads without any significant return. Undeterred, he continued to deepen his knowledge, eventually taking on mentorship roles to help others launch their stores. Despite lacking financial success at that point, he reinvested every dollar he earned and kept refining his approach, confident that he was close to unlocking a model that would work.
The breakthrough came when Cole discovered a piece of jewelry that performed exceptionally well with Facebook ads. He quickly transitioned his general store into a one-product store built around that item, and it brought in $75,000 in revenue. He eventually sold the store for $20,000 and used that momentum to launch a second business with a partner. Together, they built a niche store that generated over $700,000 in revenue. At just 20 years old, Cole had already created and sold two profitable ecommerce ventures.
The only way to be successful in dropshipping nowadays is to have a real identity as a brand, and have a real legitimate business, even if it’s not legit to start with. If you’re still shipping from AliExpress, you still have to be believable. People have to trust you.”
Cole Turner
Product Selection for Broad Appeal
For his third and most successful store, Cole applied everything he had learned and began with a disciplined product research process. Rather than focusing on products that aligned with his personal interests, he selected items that had wide commercial appeal across different types of consumers. He chose a homeware product that could be marketed to a broad audience, set up the store accordingly, and began advertising through Facebook, using structured ad sets and budget scaling to determine which customer segments were most responsive.
The Strategic Approach
As someone studying engineering, Cole approached advertising as a system. He began treating his ecommerce store as a machine, understanding that consistent financial input was necessary to achieve consistent output. Early on, he tested products cautiously with budgets of around $200. Over time, as his confidence in audience targeting and product fit improved, he increased spend significantly, always using data to guide his decisions. Facebook remained the core platform, but he layered on other channels such as Google retargeting, SMS marketing, and email automation to create a well-rounded customer acquisition funnel.
One of the tactics that helped boost revenue was directing all paid traffic to the homepage rather than a product-specific landing page. By doing so, customers were able to view multiple products and bestsellers, which encouraged them to purchase more than one item. This resulted in significantly higher average order values, with some customers spending over $500 per transaction. Cole regularly reviewed site analytics to determine which items performed best, updating the homepage design accordingly to keep conversions strong.
Branding & Building Trust
Cole attributes much of his success to early investment in branding. Rather than relying on default ecommerce themes or unoriginal store names, he carefully created a brand identity that felt trustworthy and distinctive. This included selecting a meaningful name, developing a professional-looking logo, and building a consistent visual theme throughout the store. He advises new ecommerce founders to take branding seriously from day one, even if they are starting with dropshipping, since customers are increasingly aware of what real brands look like.
Another shift in Cole’s approach came in the area of customer service. In the early days, he attempted to minimise refunds and reduce customer interaction, but quickly realised that this approach damaged long-term performance. He revised his policies, added clear customer service hours to the site, and hired his girlfriend Morgan to manage support tickets and inquiries. Most messages are now answered within 30 minutes, which Cole believes significantly improves retention, leads to better reviews, and increases referral-driven growth.
I realized that having good customer service is a mistake a lot of people don’t make at the start. You should have that in place from the very beginning of your business opening
Cole Turner
Lessons Learned from Delegating & Hiring Agencies
At one point, Cole decided to outsource advertising to a professional agency under a six-month contract, paying $5,000 per month. Unfortunately, the agency underperformed and ended up losing $10,000 in ineffective campaigns. He concluded that his own experience and domain knowledge gave him an edge that agencies could not replicate. He now recommends that entrepreneurs develop a deep understanding of advertising themselves, especially if they are building niche brands or using personalised messaging strategies.
While Cole has experimented with various ad formats, including video, image, and carousel ads, he believes that the messaging itself has a greater impact on conversions than the format. His current approach involves strong promotional language, often using flash-sale framing with urgency and scarcity to drive results. He focuses on capturing attention through value-based offers, rather than relying on creative gimmicks or overly complex ad design.
Planning For The Future
Although he briefly paused his studies, Cole has now returned to complete the final semesters of his engineering degree. At the same time, he continues to operate his business and is planning for future growth. He is currently working with a Chinese supplier who offers five to ten day shipping, and he is in the early stages of developing custom packaging and potentially proprietary product lines. His long-term objective is to increase the store’s valuation with the hope of selling the business for several million dollars in the future.
Cole believes that the biggest challenge facing new entrepreneurs is not a lack of resources, but a lack of belief and perseverance. He has seen many peers give up too early, often after a few failed product tests or underwhelming campaigns. In his view, the path to success resembles a fitness journey, visible results only come after consistent effort over a long period. He encourages new founders to treat the process as a long-term project, to keep learning, and to avoid quitting when short-term results are discouraging.
