How Adam Melenkivitz Turned Product Feedback Into a Secret Weapon for Amazon Sellers

From a family legacy of self-starters to a hard-won lesson in sustainable scaling, Adam Melenkivitz's journey to entrepreneurship was forged through experience and refined by intentionality. His company, TestSquared, connects Amazon sellers with real product testers, delivering actionable insights that elevate quality and compliance. In this edition of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight series, Adam shares how one full-price sale became the spark that shifted him from doubting viability to designing for scale and how previous missteps taught him to build not just fast, but wisely.

Hi, Adam! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

TestSquared helps Amazon sellers get honest, actionable feedback from real product testers. We serve e-commerce brands that need to improve product quality, optimize listings, and stay compliant. With this connection, TestSquared ensures they gain insights that lead to better products, stronger customer trust and long-term growth. Our work empowers sellers to launch with confidence and scale responsibly.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

The moment I felt the shift from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur was when the first customer paid for a TestSquared without needing a discount or a long explanation. Up until that point, conversations, but that payment and happy client was real validation. It meant someone saw enough value in what I built to invest in it. I stopped thinking about whether the business might work and started focusing on how to make it scale.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

The motivation to make the entrepreneurial leap was shaped by both family and professional experience. My grandfather ran a catering business while working full time as a firefighter. My uncle built a vending machine business from the ground up. My dad started a finance and accounting practice serving biotech companies. I didn’t think that path was for me at first but throughout my career, I watched small, unconventional companies grow rapidly, even go public. Seeing that firsthand made it clear I had to give it a shot.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

AI, of course, and one game-changing tool for TestSquared has been Firebase. It allows us to move quickly while staying secure and scalable. From authentication to real-time databases and serverless functions, it gives us the flexibility to build and adapt our platform without getting bogged down.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

One of the most important lessons came from a previous startup  (Alpine Dam) I built in the retail space. We expanded fast, 15 stores in Northern California and multiple Amazon warehouses (while working full-time with young kids), but the growth outpaced the infrastructure (me). I learned that scale without systems (bookkeeping, accounting, a secondary supplier) eventually breaks down. That experience taught me to focus not just on momentum, but on building processes that can support it. With TestSquared, I took a different approach, starting lean, validating early, and building tech that could scale from day one. The earlier lessons reshaped how I think about growth and gave me the discipline to do it differently this time.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

Our $100 per SKU referral affiliate program is more than just a payout. It is a true reward built on real partnerships. We focus on deep, long-term relationships with our affiliates, ensuring they’re not just sending referrals but also deepening the connection they provide to their partners, bringing additional value with TestSqaured.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

You don’t need to have everything figured out, you just need to keep moving.

Want to dive deeper into Adam's work? Learn more in the links below:

• Visit TestSquared's website testsquared.com
• Follow TestSquared on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to TestSquared YouTube Channel