WASHINGTON, D.C. – A few weeks ago, I spent three days in Washington, D.C., meeting with congressional staffers and policymakers through Amazon’s Sellers in Your Community program.
Amazon arranged the meetings, but it did not hand us talking points or ask us to push an agenda. That mattered. I was there as a seller—a real one. I have spent more than 15 years building a business on Amazon, hiring people, solving daily problems, and learning how quickly policy decisions can affect operators who are already stretched thin.
Most sellers never get into these rooms. They are managing inventory, ads, cash flow, employees, compliance, and customer issues. Policy feels distant until it suddenly lands on their balance sheet. That is why these conversations matter.
Small business owners need a voice in policy discussions because legislation works better when lawmakers hear from the people who live with the consequences. Sellers bring a practical perspective that lobbyists, platforms, and agencies cannot fully replace.
I am grateful to Amazon’s Public Policy team for making space for that perspective. My relationship with them is not transactional. It is rooted in a shared belief that sellers deserve to be heard.
Amazon is not perfect, and no platform is perfect. However, when there is a chance to speak directly to the people shaping the rules around small business, sellers should take it. Being heard matters—for sellers, for jobs, and for the future of small business.
Charles Chakkalo is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based entrepreneur (JustASeller.News) and frequent contributor to the Prosper Newsletter.
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