“I Crashed Three Brands in Three Years”—Pasha Knish on Learning the Hard Way

Cut The Tie Podcast with Pasha Knish

What does it take to walk away from a traditional path—college degree, steady career—and instead double down on entrepreneurship? In this episode of Cut The Tie, host Thomas Helfrich sits down with Amazon seller and agency founder Pasha Knish to explore what it means to define success for yourself and keep going no matter how many times you fail.

From hustling in Brooklyn as a teenager to building seven-figure Amazon brands to launching his own full-service agency, Pasha shares the raw truths of e-commerce, resilience, and why confidence is the ultimate skill every entrepreneur needs.

About Pasha Knish

Pasha Knish is a serial entrepreneur, Amazon seller, and founder of AMS Optimized, a full-service agency that helps brands launch, scale, and thrive on Amazon. Having built and exited his own seven-figure Amazon business, Pasha brings real-world experience—successes and failures alike—to his work with clients. Born in Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, he grew up with a hustle mindset and a relentless drive to carve his own path. Beyond Amazon, Pasha is passionate about cryptocurrency, investing, and mentoring e-commerce entrepreneurs.

In this episode, Thomas and Pasha discuss:

• Dropping out to bet on business
  Pasha left college in his final semester to pursue e-commerce full-time, choosing uncertainty over comfort—and never looking back.
• Building (and crashing) brands
  From a seven-figure electronics brand to three failed launches, Pasha explains why failure taught him more than success ever could.
• The reality of Amazon today
  With competition fiercer than ever, Pasha shares why experience, adaptability, and a full-service approach separate the pros from the scammers.
• Why success is surviving failure
  For Pasha, success isn’t flashy cars or viral posts—it’s the ability to fail a thousand times and keep getting up every single time.
• Confidence as the game-changer
  Whether in jiujitsu, consulting, or business deals, confidence determines whether you execute or hesitate—and it’s the skill he’s most intent on passing to his son.

Key Takeaways

• Failure is part of the path
  Success isn’t about avoiding failure—it’s about refusing to quit when it happens.
• E-commerce is constant change
  Amazon shifts fast; winning means adapting faster than your competition.
• Trust is non-negotiable in business
  When trust breaks down with partners, it’s time to cut the tie and move on.
• Confidence builds results
  The difference between winning and losing is often the courage to commit fully.
• Define your own success
  If you don’t set the standard, someone else will—and you’ll be chasing their dream, not yours.

Connect with Pasha Knish

📎 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pasha-knish/
🌐 Website: http://www.amzoptimized.com

Connect with Thomas Helfrich

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
📎 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfich
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
🚀 Instantly Relevant: https://instantlyrelevant.com

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