Surviving Success is for entrepreneurs preparing to launch an e-commerce business, as well as operators who are experiencing growth and want to ensure their business is prepared for what comes next.
(Coming soon)
Why Surviving success?
E-commerce businesses don't usually stall out or even fail because their founders lack ambition, talent, or good products. They do so because they haven't built structures designed for sustainability.
Without that structure, a growing business becomes vulnerable to weaknesses in cash flow, inventory management, advertising discipline, and financial control. Those weaknesses, in turn, can lead to poor or stress-based decision-making precisely when sound judgment matters most.
Surviving Success is designed to help founders build that structure. Through practical frameworks, real-world examples, and lessons drawn from decades of experience building and operating businesses, it shows you how to create a strong operational foundation, make disciplined advertising decisions, understand the financial drivers of profitability, manage inventory and cash flow, and build systems that support sustainable growth.
Rather than relying on formulas or one-size-fits-all answers, Surviving Success helps you develop the judgment to make better decisions, the discipline to execute them consistently, and the financial clarity to understand their long-term impact.
What You’ll Find Inside
Building the right foundation. How business structure, financial systems, operational processes, and clearly defined responsibilities create the framework an e-commerce business needs before growth begins testing it.
Understanding what your business is actually earning. Practical explanations of unit economics, COGS, operating expenses, EBIT, margins, and the financial relationships that determine whether revenue is translating into profit.
Managing cash flow and inventory together. How purchasing decisions, inventory levels, reorder timing, payment obligations, and cash reserves interact, and how to plan for those demands before they become problems.
Advertising with financial discipline. How to evaluate advertising through the economics of the business, understand measures such as ROAS and ACOS in context, and make spending decisions based on profitability rather than revenue alone.
Making better decisions as the business grows. Frameworks for separating data from emotion, evaluating tradeoffs, allocating resources, and recognizing when short-term opportunities may create longer-term problems.
Building for sustainable growth. How systems, financial visibility, operational discipline, trust, and sound judgment work together to create a business capable of absorbing growth rather than being destabilized by it.
Tools you can put to work in your own business. Companion resources include EBIT and cash-flow templates, a unit economics calculator, an inventory reorder planner, a balance sheet template, and implementation checklists for e-commerce operations, along with additional worksheets and planning tools.
Praise for Surviving Success
"Surviving Success” is a comprehensive guide to launching and growing an e-commerce business. Andy brings the material to life through his own real-world experiences. It is an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs looking to build a sustainable business." –
— Karen Silver, President, Sales & Strategy, NOOD NY
"If we had had Andy's book and the benefit of his expertise on our corporate bookshelf, we would have made it. Not only does the book provide strategic guidance from the 20,000-foot view, it also offers a practical, step-by-step framework for turning a terrific idea into a profitable business and a fulfilling career. In addition, the resources appended to each chapter provide the support and expertise needed to efficiently complete the infrastructure, regulatory, and protection requirements every business should have in place."
— Jeff Jenest, Former Sr. EVP and COO, Playboy Entertainment Group
“Surviving Success” offers genuine educational value. Readers are not simply told what to do. They are shown how to think. The sections discussing product selection, sourcing models, financial statements, EBIT, cash flow management, growth planning, and performance metrics provide actionable information that readers can apply immediately. The inclusion of worksheets, templates, examples, and resource materials further enhances the book's usefulness.”
— Mike Mathers, The Times Publishers
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Selected Excerpts
Excerpt 01
In the previous chapter, I made the point that profitability is the goal, but sustainability is the requirement. And sustainability depends not only on whether your business is profitable, but on whether you have the cash necessary to survive the time it takes for those profits to materialize. Planning your cash flow is the key to remaining solvent.
Imagine a business sells a product for $50 that costs $30 to produce. On paper, the economics look excellent:
Sale price: $50
Cost of goods: $30
Gross profit: $20
The business appears profitable. But now consider the timing of the cash.
Day 1: Pay manufacturer $30
Day 45: Inventory arrives
Day 60: Product sells for $50
Day 75: Cash lands in your account
For more than two months, the business has $30 in cash going out before $50 comes in.
If the company sells 1,000 units, it must spend $30,000 before collecting $50,000. And if sales double the following month, the business must now spend $60,000 before receiving the cash from the previous sales.
Excerpt 02
Easier access does not mean EASY access.
To launch or build a successful e-commerce business, you still need the discipline to understand what you are selling, why there is a place for it in the market, why you are the right person to sell it, who will want to buy it, why they should trust you to do so, and how to reach them. Whether you’re just starting to figure out what product to launch, or are already running an early- to mid-stage e-commerce business and trying to scale it, this book will help you answer those questions, and avoid making some of the mistakes that kill businesses before they’ve even gotten off the ground, or keep it stalled and in “maintenance” mode.
ExCerpt 03
So how do you know when to order product, and at what levels? For this you need to use an Inventory Reorder Planner. This will guide you at any given moment based on how much stock you have on hand, how quickly you normally go through that stock, how long it will take your new stock to arrive, how much cushion you need to allow yourself, and what that stock will cost you. To keep on top of your inventory planning, update your Current Stock at least once per week. Following is a sample of that planner.
Copacabana Tropical Provisions – Inventory Reorder Planner
About Andy Schreiber
Andy Schreiber is an e-commerce operator, advertising strategist, and writer with more than two decades of experience building businesses, developing brands, and leading growth initiatives in digital commerce and international media.
He co-created and built several successful e-commerce businesses, including Pure Vitamin Club, Pure Coffee Club, and NSNG Foods, which have collectively generated more than $30 million in revenue since 2014.
His advisory work has included Amazon marketplace strategy and catalogue architecture, advertising management, operational structure, financial discipline, and long-term business development, with a focus on helping e-commerce businesses build the structure needed for sustainable growth.
Earlier in his career, Andy worked in international film and television licensing for major brands including Playboy, Showtime, and Power Television, generating more than $50 million in revenue through global media distribution and licensing agreements.
Andy Schreiber Advisory
The principles in Surviving Success also inform Andy's work with e-commerce founders and operators through Andy Schreiber Advisory, where he provides practical guidance on Amazon, advertising, financial management, operational structure, and sustainable growth.
Build A Business That Lasts
Surviving Success: Using Judgment and Discipline to Build an E-Commerce Business That Lasts is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions.
(Coming Soon)