I love my daily dose of social media. It’s my quick fix of knowing what my friends are up to. But recently, I stumbled upon something that caught my attention: a post by an Amazon seller about how they delivered smiles in 2020. I thought to myself, “Really! smiles in 2020?” 🤔
With all the memes floating on Twitter about 2020 being the worst year ever, someone claiming to deliver ‘smiles’ got me intrigued.
The Sherlock in me finally discovered a unique film by Amazon featuring bounce-back dolls.
Yes, bounce-back dolls! We see these dolls popping up with the sellers’ faces on them in various shops and storefronts across India. This refreshing metaphor depicts the sellers’ indomitable spirit, as they bounced back up after the lockdown after many businesses ran dry due to the pandemic.
It actually reminded me of the colorful bounce-back doll I had as a kid, and how fascinated I always was with how it recovered back so quickly after every punch. Watch the film below:
The film production, shot angles, stirring background score, all uniquely convey the story of our country’s sellers, and paid some much-needed respect to their unbeatable spirit. 
It instantly lit a spark of hope in me, and I wish it gives you an extra jolt of inspiration today.
Here are the lines of the poem from the video that especially moved me the most:
“Haan thoda andhera tha, yeh maana
Dhoop ka hai ab aana, jaana
Ab door khada andhera, subah shaam savera
Har taale ki chaabi hai banana…”
There might be times when you think that your work isn’t good enough. However, there will always be a place where your work will be valued and appreciated. In the case of the sellers, it was Amazon’s special programs that created a space for everybody.
Start small but think big – While there might have been limited items for sellers to sell online, their reach was widened as Amazon delivered to 100% of all the deliverable pincodes across the country. For instance, Ahmedabad’s Dhrupal sold self-paced educational kits for school children who were struggling with online classes. He completely relied on Amazon to handle all the transportation and other logistical needs of his company during Covid-19.
Have faith in your work – Whether it is handicraft makers carrying forward their traditions through Amazon Karigar or women starting a business for the first time from home with Amazon Saheli, the support and visibility sellers received in each and every online listing was valuable. For example, entrepreneurs Shweta, Nehal, and Avni took the opportunity alongside their karigars to provide an essential commodity – upcycled face masks.
From Amazon Local Shops to Amazon Launchpad for startups and emerging brands, ‘smiles’ were indeed delivered everywhere across the country in 2020.😊
If 1.35 lakh sellers can launch their businesses on Amazon after Unlock 1.0, so can you. The bounce-back doll is a symbol of formidable human spirit and strength. The bounce-back doll is You!
Share this with someone who needs to be inspired today.