From Zero to Growth: A €120,000 Loan Fills Prucina's Financing Gap for Amazon Operations.

"The potential for success on Amazon is gigantic!" Founder Philipp Dyczek demonstrated courage and launched his brand Prucina as an Amazon FBA Business (Fulfillment by Amazon). Building a brand like this without significant seed capital is extremely difficult, because high liquidity for the pre-financing of products is essential.

When Philipp approached bank advisors for loans, his idea was merely smiled at. He wasn't deterred and, through tremendous effort, independently built Prucina into a top seller in the kitchen sector. However, to further scale this proven successful growth and finally close the liquidity gap, Prucina needed external expert support.

Prucina

Prucina is the digital brand for high-quality Damascus knives. Through a clear e-commerce strategy, the brand directly reaches ambitious hobby chefs and professionals with visually stunning and qualitatively superior products.

Situation

The greatest obstacle to market success was the financing phase. Banks and investors were stubbornly demanding of the founder.

Solution

Our experts created a detailed business and financial plan that precisely and convincingly presented Prucina's innovative business model—the digital conquest of the traditional kitchen knife market.

About Prucina

Prucina is the digital brand for high-quality Damascus knives. The assortment includes elegant chef's knife sets and accessories, which are made from high-strength, multi-layered Damascus steel. Prucina is breaking with the traditional premium kitchen segment, which has long been dominated by established legacy brands. Through a clear e-commerce strategy, the brand directly reaches ambitious hobby chefs and professionals with visually stunning and qualitatively superior products.

Hello Philipp, how did you come up with the idea for Prucina?

The idea for Prucina actually came during my time as an insurance agent. My daily work routine back then was quite monotonous, often boring, and it simply lacked variety. This monotony and the lack of energy in my everyday life then motivated me to change something, to start something completely new. I subsequently spent a lot of time on YouTube exploring various options, and it quickly became clear to me that an Amazon FBA business would be exactly the right thing for me.

The Situation

The main obstacle to market success wasn't the product, but the financing phase. Banks and investors were stubbornly demanding of the founder. To even secure loan financing, Philipp had to develop a convincing, detailed business and financial plan without the necessary in-house expertise.

The banks laughed at us. It was only with the professional financial concept from nxt milestone that we were taken seriously and received the €120,000 loan. That was the real breakthrough.

What was your biggest challenge?

I see obtaining liquidity as the biggest challenge. Banks and investors were often persistent and demanding towards a founder. Something like that costs you a lot of perseverance, resources, and time. Furthermore, the biggest 'screw-up' for me is when things happen that I have no influence over or can only partially solve. To distract myself from a stressful workday and wind down, I really enjoy reading The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday.

Our Solution

We took on the task and restructured the complex process of external financing. Our experts created a detailed business and financial plan that precisely and convincingly presented Prucina's innovative business model—the digital conquest of the traditional kitchen knife market. Through this clear presentation, we were able to successfully eliminate the initial skepticism of banks and investors.

What tips & tricks would you give others for Amazon FBA?

Fundamental to the Amazon FBA business, in my opinion, is a healthy foundation of knowledge. It doesn't hurt to invest in sensible education for the Amazon FBA business model. For a suitable product, you must not shy away from niches and have to follow through with your plan. After bringing a product to market, you first have to build the brand to advance the product in the market. For me, courses were particularly helpful here, which specifically prepared me to build a connection with the product and the brand.