From Double Shifts to CEO – Haroon Usman’s Journey in the eCommerce World

Welcome to CohortMax’s exclusive interview. We’re genuinely excited to have Haroon Usman join us today. Let’s learn a bit about his personal and professional journey. 

In the interview, Haroon Usman, the visionary founder of AMZ DOC, opens up about his remarkable journey in the eCommerce world. Despite starting with an intermediate-level education, it was Haroon’s relentless dedication, hands-on experience, and willingness to work double full-time shifts across various roles that set him on the path to success. 

His initial exposure to the industry sparked a passion for eCommerce service providing, driving him to establish AMZ DOC. Today, Haroon leads a dynamic team united by a shared commitment to innovation and client satisfaction, embodying resilience and strategic leadership to overcome challenges in the business landscape. 

Let’s explore Haroon’s challenges and the leadership lessons he learned along the way.

1. Can you take us back to the moment the idea for your business first sparked? What was happening at the time, and how did you turn that initial inspiration into reality? 

The idea for my business, AMZ DOC Consultants, began during my time as an Amazon services provider freelancer. I noticed that companies were struggling to find skilled, prevetted talent for eCommerce roles. Recognizing this gap, I realized that if I could train individuals in eCommerce, especially graduates, I could help businesses scale without the financial burden of hiring experienced employees. In 2017, I invested all my freelancer earnings to train 125 individuals, offering them free training and paying them to learn. While many dropped out, 17 individuals remained, forming the foundation of AMZ DOC Consultants. 

On March 26, 2018, I officially launched the business, providing eCommerce services to companies and helping physical businesses transition online. This initiative was driven by the need for affordable, skilled talent in a rapidly growing digital marketplace.

2. Explain the vision behind your company. What is its main value proposition, and how do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

The vision behind **AMZ DOC Consultants** is to bridge the talent gap in eCommerce by providing businesses with skilled, adaptable professionals who can help them scale in the digital marketplace. Our value proposition focuses on offering practical, hands-on training that prepares individuals—particularly youth and women—with the skills they need to succeed in eCommerce, especially in platforms like Amazon. 

What sets us apart is our commitment to both business success and social impact. We specialize in developing talent for small-to-medium-sized businesses and physical stores transitioning online. Our ultimate goal is to provide businesses with the right talent while creating meaningful job opportunities that empower individuals to thrive in the digital economy.  

3. When facing an unexpected setback, what’s the first thought that crosses your mind, and what’s your next action?

When facing an unexpected setback, my first thought is always, How can I learn from this and move forward? I focus on finding solutions, assessing the problem, and taking immediate action to address it. For example, early in our training program, many participants didn’t fully grasp the value of the eCommerce skills we were teaching, and several dropped out. Instead of being discouraged, I used this setback to refine our approach—adjusting the training format, adding more hands-on experience, and improving engagement. 

4. If you could relive a pivotal moment in your career and make a different choice, which one would it be, and why?

If I could relive a pivotal moment, it would be the development of my freelancer platform in 2017. I envisioned creating an enhanced platform that would serve both online professionals and local workers, bridging the gap between remote work and domestic taskers. 

However, my focus shifted toward building AMZ DOC Consultants, which required balancing both ventures. In hindsight, I would have prioritized the freelancer platform and developed 247Tasker.com earlier. That said, I’m now working on 247Tasker.com, alongside AMZ DOC Consultants, to bring this vision to life. While I couldn’t fully dedicate myself to it at the time, I believe the experience and timing have allowed me to move forward with both projects in a more refined way.

5. If you could design a business course to teach the next generation of CEOs, what would be its title, and what’s the most unconventional lesson you’d include?

If I could design a business course for the next generation of CEOs, I would title it, “The Digital Leadership Blueprint: Building Scalable Businesses for the Future.” The course would focus on equipping CEOs with the skills needed to lead in an increasingly digital, globalized economy—emphasizing the importance of adaptability, innovation, and leveraging technology to scale. 

The most unconventional lesson I’d include is “Fail Fast, Learn Faster: The Art of Embracing Setbacks.” While most business courses focus on risk management and avoiding failure, I believe the next generation of leaders needs to understand that failure is often the fastest route to learning and growth. 

Incorporating this mindset would help future CEOs foster a culture of resilience and continuous improvement, preparing them to navigate the inevitable challenges they will face in their leadership journey.

6. What were the most significant challenges you faced in the early stages, and how did you overcome them?

In the early stages of building AMZ DOC Consultants, the challenges I faced were finding the right talent, overcoming language barriers, and gaining client trust. To address this, I focused on mentoring my team, creating a culture of growth, and providing continuous learning opportunities. 

Further, I hired English professors to ensure that my team could communicate effectively and clearly with clients, which helped improve both internal collaboration and customer relations. 

Finally, gaining client trust in the early days was difficult. To overcome this, I made sure to deliver exceptional service to the few clients we secured, which helped build a strong reputation for reliability and expertise. Through persistence, adaptability, and a focus on building a dedicated, skilled team, we were able to overcome these early challenges and establish a solid foundation for the growth of AMZ DOC Consultants.

7. Can you share a failure that taught you a critical lesson in your journey, and what did you learn from it?

A critical failure in my journey occurred with the training program I launched in 2017, where I invested a significant amount of time and money to train individuals in eCommerce skills. While the vision was strong—developing a skilled workforce for businesses—many of the trainees didn’t fully understand the value of the program, leading to a high dropout rate. This created a major financial strain and forced me to reconsider my approach. 

This experience taught me a valuable lesson about scalability and preparation. I realized that while passion is important, you must have a clear, structured plan and set realistic expectations for both participants and businesses. I understood the importance of starting smaller and smarter, testing and refining the process before scaling. 

I shifted focus toward building a more sustainable foundation for AMZ DOC Consultants, ensuring we were focused on quality over quantity and aligning both trainees and businesses with our goals. This failure ultimately helped me build a more efficient, strategic, and sustainable business model.

8. What are your future goals for the company? What are some steps you are taking today to shape your vision for the future?

Our future goals for AMZ DOC Consultants focus on expanding our impact in eCommerce and becoming the go-to partner for businesses scaling on Amazon. To shape this vision, we are creating internal management tools to streamline operations and improve efficiency across teams and client projects. 

Additionally, we are developing a new Amazon PPC management tool that automates the optimization process, saving time and improving ad campaign performance for clients.

9. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs about cultivating a strong personal foundation for success?

My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs about cultivating a strong personal foundation for success is to focus on developing resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset from the start. Entrepreneurship is a journey filled with challenges, setbacks, and uncertainties, and having the mental and emotional strength to keep going is crucial. 

1. Expect failures and setbacks—they’re part of the process. What matters is how you respond to them. Learn to embrace failure as a lesson, not a defeat. 

2. Success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built on small, consistent actions taken every day. Work on creating self-discipline by developing habits that support your goals. 

3. Build a network of mentors, advisors, and peers who will challenge you, support you, and keep you accountable. 

4. Entrepreneurship can be all-consuming, but you must prioritize your physical and mental health. A strong foundation isn’t just about business strategy—it’s about ensuring you’re in a healthy, balanced place personally. 

5. The ability to understand and manage your emotions and to empathize with others is essential in building relationships with customers, clients, and your team.

Ultimately, the key to long-term success is not just about business skills or technical knowledge—it’s about building a strong, adaptable, and resilient personal foundation. Focus on developing these traits early on, and you’ll be better equipped to face the inevitable challenges that come with entrepreneurship.

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