My $120K Dropshipping Journey 2025: $0 to $85K Profit in 10 Months

My $120K Dropshipping Journey 2025: $0 to $85K Profit in 10 Months. Real diary. No hype.

Name: Alex Turner
Age: 29
Started: February 2025
Store: glowvibe.co
Niche: Glow-in-the-dark accessories
Total Revenue: $120,000
Total Profit: $85,000
Best Month: $18,500 (July 2025)
ROAS Peak: 7.8x

Month 0: The $500 Start (February 2025)

Action	Cost	Result
Shopify 14-day trial	$0	Store live in 2h
Domain (glowvibe.co)	$12	GoDaddy
7 product samples	$238	Zendrop
First Meta Reels ads	$250	0 sales

First 7 Days: I lost $1,200 testing static images. No clicks. Almost quit.

Lesson: UGC + AI Voice = 90% of success.

Month 1: First $1,880 (March 2025)

The Winner Product: Glow Headphones

• Cost: $3.20 (Zendrop)
• Sell Price: $49.99
• Margin: 1,462%
• Supplier: Zendrop USA (3-5 day shipping)
• Sales: 49 units = $1,880 revenue

How I Found It

1. Snapchat Trends - “Glow gadgets” - 1.2M views
2. Zendrop - search “glow headphones” - 4.6/5 rating
3. Ordered sample - glows 6+ hours

First Winning Reel (Copy-Paste)

• 0-3s: “Can’t find my music in the dark…”
• UGC: puts on headphones - GLOW
• 4-8s: “Now I dance anywhere!“
• 9-12s: “50k+ sold. Safe.”
• 13-15s: “Tap - $49.99”

Ad Spend: $200
Revenue: $1,880
ROAS: 7.5x

Month 3-5: Scaling 3 Products to $18,500 Revenue

Product	Cost	Sell	Margin	Units	Revenue
Glow Headphones	$3.20	$49.99	1,462%	1,200	$59,988
LED Necklace	$2.90	$39.99	1,279%	800	$31,992
Glow Lip Gloss	$1.80	$24.99	1,288%	700	$17,493

UGC + AI Setup

• Hired 3 creators - Upwork ($50 each)
• Script: Before - Problem - After - CTA
• CapCut - 10 Reels in 2h
• ElevenLabs - “Rachel - Excited” (1.1x speed)

Ad Structure

Phase	Budget	Action
Days 1-7	$50/day	Test 8 hooks
Days 8+	Scale winner	Only
Retargeting	7-day view	+1-day click

Total Spend: $2,100
ROAS: 8.1x

Month 8: $18,500 Peak Month (August 2025)

Metric	Value
Ad Spend	$1,800
Revenue	$18,500
ROAS	7.8x
Orders	420
AOV	$44

Scaling Triggers

• Dynamic Creative: 4 UGC + 2 CTAs
• Lookalike 1%: Purchasers only
• Bundle: Headphones + Necklace - $74.99
• Klaviyo: Abandoned cart + post-purchase - +28% LTV
• Zendrop Auto-Fulfill: 4-day delivery

Final $120K Breakdown (January-October 2025)

Metric	Total
Revenue	$120,000
Ad Spend	$10,200
Product Cost	$16,000
Apps/Fees	$13,800
Profit	$85,000

Top Sellers

Product	Units	Revenue
Glow Headphones	1,800	$89,982
LED Necklace	1,200	$47,988
Glow Lip Gloss	1,050	$26,240

My $6.2K Mistakes (And Fixes)

Mistake	Cost	Fix
No AR Lens	$2,000	Lens Studio template
China shipping	$1,800	Zendrop USA
No retargeting	$1,200	7-day pixel
Static ads	$1,200	UGC + AI Voice

My 5 Golden Rules

1. Test 10. Scale 1.
2. UGC + AI Voice = 90% of ROAS.
3. Never scale before 72h of ROAS over 7x.
4. Zendrop USA = under 4 day delivery = under 3% refund.
5. Klaviyo = your silent $20K/month engine.

FAQ - My Journey

How much to start?

$500. I lost $1,200 first week.

Best product?

Glow Headphones - $89K revenue.

ROAS realistic?

7.8x with UGC + AI + 72h rule.

Biggest mistake?

Scaling without 72h data.

What’s next?

Hiring VA. Launching POD in Q1 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Started with $500, lost $1,200 in first week
• Found winning product through Snapchat Trends + Zendrop
• UGC + AI Voice = 90% of success
• 72h rule: Never scale before ROAS over 7x for 72 hours
• Final result: $120K revenue, $85K profit in 10 months

I did this from a laptop. You can too. Start with $500.

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