Tired of Selling Other People’s Stuff? Here’s How to Market Your Own Products (and Actually Stand Out)
- Susanna Ninomiya
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
Why Relying on Commission Products Isn’t Sustainable
One of the most common traps new business owners fall into—especially in mail order or affiliate marketing—is selling other people’s products exclusively. The result? Pages and pages packed with commission deals, with little to no originality. It becomes harder to stand out, harder to build brand loyalty, and frankly, harder to stay profitable.
Commission dealerships can be useful as a supplement to your business if they align with your core offering—but they shouldn’t be the whole show. If you're serious about growing a sustainable income, it's essential to learn how to market your own products.
The Case for Creating Your Own Product
Developing your own product allows you to control your brand, pricing, customer experience, and profit margins. Plus, you’re building something with long-term value. While commission deals can feel like an easy starting point, they rarely lead to meaningful growth.
Let’s stop the cycle of dependency and instead embrace what makes you unique. Becoming a “prime source” (aka the originator of a product or service) gives you credibility, authority, and the potential to scale.
Start with What You Love (Your Skills, Talents & Hobbies)
Finding your niche takes some time—but your starting point is already within you.
Ask yourself:
What are your hobbies?
What would you do even if you weren’t getting paid?
What talents or skills do you have that others struggle with?
For example, if you love writing, editing, organizing, or design, think about how that can translate into a marketable product. Dorothy Christian once explained the thrill she got from prepping mass mailings—labeling envelopes, folding inserts, sealing each one with care. That passion could evolve into a personalized mailing service or copywriting business.
Real Examples of People Who Did It Their Way
Dorothy could’ve continued stuffing envelopes for others, but she took it a step further—offering a targeted mail service that sent product circulars to niche-specific audiences, using buyer lists and carefully curated content.
Another mail-order pro, Helen VanAllen, created a “Design-Your-Own Big Mail Package.” She offered customers a checklist of available circulars so they could build their own mailer. The product wasn’t the circulars—it was the customization experience. That little twist made it her own.
Easy Ways to Add Your Own Spin to Existing Products
Let’s say you sell vitamins from a company you don’t own. How can you make it yours?
Package them in daily packs labeled for each day of the week.
Add a personalized supplement guide.
Bundle it with a mini health journal.
Boom—now you’ve created a unique customer experience that no one else is offering, even if the core product comes from somewhere else.
These little touches give you the right to say “This is my product,” which opens doors for better branding, better margins, and long-term loyalty.
Your Business Should Reflect You
You are unique. Your business should reflect that.
Mail order, e-commerce, direct sales—whatever your space, the only way to truly succeed is to show up as yourself. Your business should be an extension of your ideas, your voice, your creativity.
So the next time you ask yourself how to get ahead in a crowded space, start by asking: What can I make mine?
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