Why We Built Forum | Rewarding E-Commerce Entrepreneurs

Rewarding the Entrepreneurs that Fuel E-Commerce

There has never been a better time to be a consumer. Thanks to e-commerce, we now have better products, wider selection, lower prices, and immediate access. Looking around our homes, it’s clear that products we’ve bought on the internet touch every facet of our lives. And we’re better for it.

Prior to founding Forum, we spent our careers operating and investing in the large companies that have shaped our lives as modern consumers. It is these institutions – Fortune 500 retailers, multi-national CPG brands, online marketplaces – that continue to receive all the praise for innovating in e-commerce. Much of that praise is warranted. But who really deserves the credit?

Forum was born from the collective insight that it is the inventive, passionate community of independent entrepreneurs that actually fuels e-commerce. If online marketplaces represent the forest, you third party sellers are the trees. If not for you, “visionary” platforms such as Amazon and Shopify would not be today’s most influential companies in commerce.

Amazon alone boasts over 2 million third party sellers – independent operators, owners, and entrepreneurs. Your products consistently beat out big-name brand offerings that have long dominated retail shelves. Two years ago, Jeff Bezos publicly acknowledged your success: “third party sellers are kicking our first party butt. Badly.”

Why are third-party sellers winning?

In our conversations with e-commerce entrepreneurs, we consistently hear three common themes:

• You solve real needs: you innovate best because you live the problems your products solve.
• You invent by starting from scratch: you out-compete first-party products because you create rather than iterte.
• You know the customer best: you relate and communicate better than corporate brands because you walk in the shoes of your consumer.

We founded Forum Brands to finally give credit where credit is due. We reward e-commerce entrepreneurs who, through these powerful characteristics, have fueled the digital retail revolution.

Here’s how we do it

• We buy outstanding e-commerce brands selling through Amazon FBA and other third-party marketplaces. We pay in cash. And we move quickly, thanks to our exceptional team and investor group, led by NFX.
• We bring together a community of creators: a “forum” for e-commerce entrepreneurs. Our platform also operates as a network for sharing resources and best-practices to support sellers like you as you embark on your next adventure.
• You know the customer best: you relate and communicate better than corporate brands because you walk in the shoes of your consumer.

The term “forum” represents a medium where ideas can be exchanged. That’s why we call ourselves Forum Brands. There is nothing more inspiring to us than hearing founder stories. They illustrate how outstanding ideas evolve into products consumers know and love.

If you are an e-commerce entrepreneur, please reach out using our Contact Form and share your story. We’d be honored to get to know you.