Dropshipping vs Lancer Une Marque : Lequel Choisir ?

Givan, with over two years of e-commerce experience, has generated more than 15 million in revenue, primarily in the American market. Before that, he spent over a decade in traditional businesses in France, including construction, restoration, and architectural firms. In 2025, he decided to transition entirely to online businesses. This video aims to share valuable insights, drawing from his own success, to demonstrate what it takes to succeed in e-commerce and to encourage viewers, even those currently struggling, that they too can achieve success. The core message of this video revolves around the importance of adopting a long-term vision in e-commerce, specifically by building a genuine brand rather than just a temporary dropshipping site. Givan intends to detail the step-by-step process, outlining the advantages, disadvantages, necessary actions, and underlying reasons for this approach. He urges viewers to watch until the end, believing that his advice could shift their mindset and work methodology. Many people are drawn to e-commerce, particularly dropshipping, with the promise of quick money. While it's true that dropshipping can offer rapid success and generate cash flow quickly, Givan advocates for creating long-term projects and brands. Dropshipping, where products are shipped directly from a supplier (often in China) to the customer without the seller holding inventory, is an accessible model for those with limited initial capital. It has enabled many to achieve significant revenue quickly, establishing an initial treasury and cash flow. Givan acknowledges this as a viable starting point for accumulating capital. However, he stresses that if one has successfully operated dropshipping stores, the next step should be to transition to building long-term projects with a clear vision. This involves creating a brand, especially within the e-commerce industry. For those engaged in mass testing dropshipping, where numerous products are tested without prior validation, Givan advises using this method primarily to generate initial capital. Once this capital is secured, or if one already possesses sufficient funds, it's crucial to switch to a brand-building mindset. The fundamental difference between dropshipping and brand creation lies in their time horizons: dropshipping is short-term, while brand building is long-term. While dropshipping can be a legitimate way for beginners to acquire initial funds, once comfortable with investing money to build a real company and brand, the focus should shift. Although short-term earnings might be lower, the long-term benefits are substantial. Givan suggests that instead of simply replicating successful products or ads found on platforms like Train Track, entrepreneurs should consider how to improve existing products and build an ecosystem around them. This involves taking basic products, often found on platforms like Alibaba, and enhancing them. It means actively seeking customer feedback, engaging with clients to understand their needs, and identifying complementary products or solutions to their problems. He contrasts this with the common dropshipping approach where entrepreneurs constantly search for "winning products" that quickly become saturated and "die." Instead, Givan encourages capitalizing on a successful product by improving it, potentially by collaborating with product designers and factories in China, and building a long-term vision around it to create a true brand. He provides examples of brands that started with dropshipping but evolved into established entities, such as Icon Amsterdam and Comfort. These brands initially sold basic products but improved them, expanded their product lines, and built strong brand identities. Similarly, brands like "de ouies" followed a similar trajectory. These examples illustrate that many successful brands originated from basic products, but their founders capitalized on their initial success by improving them and developing a long-term strategy. The brand-building process can involve improving an existing product once it gains traction, or it can start by identifying a problem and developing a new product to solve it. For instance, addressing acne problems by creating a specialized product through collaboration with laboratories in various countries. The core distinction between a brand and a dropshipping operation is vision. A brand-focused entrepreneur aims for a long-term project, accepting that it might take longer to gain momentum and generate cash initially. However, this approach leads to creating a solid structure with tangible assets, such as an e-commerce store, potentially physical offices, or even software-as-a-service (SaaS) components. This concrete foundation also offers the possibility of an "exit" or sale, although Givan notes that actual exits are rare. Nevertheless, a brand holds tangible value, unlike a mere money-generating website. A brand, in this context, implies a branded site, proprietary stock, and an improved product. While some might argue this isn't a "true" brand, Givan views it as a timeline: one starts by improving an existing product, then potentially creates a product from scratch, and educates the market. Perfection isn't immediate, and adjustments are always necessary, akin to any business journey. The key is the long-term vision versus the pursuit of quick cash. Givan emphasizes that many successful brands, despite their size, often did not "reinvent the wheel." They took existing products and improved them. In his own methodology, he advises identifying products that can serve as the foundation for a brand and an ecosystem. He admits that he initially engaged in mass testing dropshipping, but his first breakthrough brand involved improving an existing product. More recently, his brand launches have involved slower, more deliberate processes, including research and development, product refinement through multiple iterations, and problem-solving. He highlights that while the first shop or brand might be basic, aiming to scale it while simultaneously improving the product, the ultimate goal is to leverage initial capital, skills, and teams to build more meaningful, capitalizable projects. Creating a product from scratch, even if it takes six months to launch, offers significant advantages. Once it gains traction, with aggressive scaling strategies, one can become a market leader, leveraging financial resources and skills to implement comprehensive marketing strategies across various social media platforms. Givan shares his personal experience: his first two brands involved improving existing products from Chinese marketplaces, focusing on scaling and social media presence. However, his last three projects involved a more intensive approach, including contacting laboratories, identifying problems, requesting samples, selecting manufacturers, and iteratively refining products before launching with proprietary stock. This different approach, though more demanding, leads to more profound, gratifying, and ultimately more profitable results due to cumulative effects. He challenges the notion that brand building is "too complicated," arguing that while it requires more thought and effort than simply mass-testing products, the increased investment leads to greater returns. He likens it to financial investment: greater investment yields greater gains. He also stresses the importance of continuous learning and training, comparing it to a doctor's education. With proper training and a supportive network, building a brand is not inherently more complex than other endeavors. Many successful e-commerce entrepreneurs started with quick wins before building lasting brands. The process involves a deep analysis to find a central product for a brand, then building an entire ecosystem around it, or starting with a problem to solve. This entails managing stock, developing comprehensive branding (website, packaging, social media presence, influencer collaborations), and understanding the cumulative effects. A strong brand presence, especially during peak seasons like Black Friday or Christmas, can lead to massive sales due to accumulated brand recognition and customer engagement. Givan reiterates the importance of a long-term vision, emphasizing that cumulative effects will yield far greater returns than a short-term, quick-cash approach. While acknowledging that initial cash flow problems are valid, and dropshipping or other quick cash methods can be used to build initial capital, he asserts that investing in a brand, even with a modest initial investment, is the path to substantial and sustainable success. For those who enjoy the process of building something tangible and solid, a brand-centric vision is ideal. Givan's own methods prioritize teaching how to build brands from the ground up, from product research to scaling. He sees dropshipping as an excellent entry point to gain experience and initial capital. However, to achieve significant financial success and break through ceilings, brand building is essential. He claims not to know anyone who has made millions solely through dropshipping, though he knows those who have accumulated a million or two and reinvested it. True, massive figures and the ability to sell or leverage a brand for other ventures are, in his experience, exclusive to brand owners. Therefore, the advice is to embrace a long-term vision. It's acceptable to start with dropshipping to generate cash. Once comfortable and financially stable (e.g., enough to quit a job or expatriate), the focus should shift to building a brand. This involves specific research methods and systems to manage treasury concerns. The goal is to rapidly build an ecosystem that offers protection against platform dependency. Relying solely on one platform, like Meta or TikTok, makes a business vulnerable to platform issues. A diversified ecosystem provides resilience and safeguards capital. Finally, Givan emphasizes the mindset required for brand building: managing frustration and not being overly anxious about cash flow. Financial stress can lead to poor decisions. Therefore, it's crucial to be financially comfortable, well-trained, and have some experience (perhaps from smaller dropshipping ventures) before embarking on brand creation. With the right skills, network, vision, and product passion, success is attainable. He concludes by stating that while brand building might take longer, the potential gains are "completely insane" compared to dropshipping. For those ready to take the next step, he offers further guidance through his "nos limites" program, which covers systems, methods, and access to his network of professionals in email marketing, creative, and media buying.