How do vibrant businesses thrive amidst the complexities of international trade and team management? In this episode, I’m joined by Liza Roeser, founder of FiftyFlowers, a company that has mastered the art of importing premium flowers from Ecuador to the U.S. Liza shares her journey from starting in the Peace Corps to building a successful international business that directly impacts the floral industry. Listen in as she unveils the secrets behind managing international logistics, her innovative approach to team-building through personality testing, and her dynamic leadership style that eschews traditional C-suite titles for more integrated roles. You'll learn how FiftyFlowers navigates customer relations, maintains quality, and handles the challenges of a global supply chain. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/401So5I Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how insights from top market analysts can reshape our understanding of global economic shifts? In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Ed Elson, co-host of Prof G Markets, renowned for his sharp analysis and dynamic presentation on crucial socio-economic topics. Ed dives into thought-provoking discussions on "the war on the young," the cultural divides between the UK and the US and the evolving role of big tech in our society. Listen as Ed shares his nuanced perspectives on the interconnectedness of global markets, the necessity for a political pivot and the power of media in shaping public opinion. We also explore the challenges and implications of modern economic policies and Ed's unique approach to dissecting complex issues with a blend of humor and deep insight. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4gRvjJ1 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about how a brand rapidly scales to a $60 million powerhouse in the eCommerce health sector? In this episode, I’m joined by Dean Brennan, CEO, and Dillon Randolph, Chief Research Officer, at Heart & Soil, a health and wellness company that offers nutrient-dense supplements. Their unique approach involves fanatical branding and innovative community-building strategies that propel their direct-to-consumer operations beyond traditional models. Listen in as Dean and Dillon dive deep into the specifics of building a robust community that genuinely connects with their brand and leveraging content as a pivotal growth lever. We also discuss their strategic decision to focus on direct sales over platforms like Amazon, the surprising effectiveness of traditional media in their marketing mix, and their personal insights into maintaining balance and health as entrepreneurs. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3TEjGeA Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to manage a vibrant community of eCommerce entrepreneurs? In this episode, I'm thrilled to chat with Dana Eriksson, the Director of Community and Connection at eCommerceFuel. Dana brings her unique perspective on fostering connections and ensuring that every member of the community feels valued and understood. Listen in as Dana shares some of the complexities of community management, discussing the challenges and rewards of her role. We also talk about her journey to eCommerceFuel, her strategies for engaging with members, and her personal mission to make everyone feel included. You'll gain insights on the power of appreciation in building a supportive environment, as well as how this can transform professional relationships and enhance personal satisfaction. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3MTKOCD Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered what secrets serial entrepreneurs use to keep their businesses thriving? In today's episode, I’m sitting down with Dimitri Vorona, a multifaceted entrepreneur who has made significant waves across various sectors, from software development to eCommerce. Dimitri shares his journey from early internet days to becoming a seasoned entrepreneur, including insights from his diverse experiences such as selling a company to Earthlink and working with the Department of Defense. Listen in as Dimitri discusses his approach to eCommerce, focusing on essential strategies for product development and marketing that cater to changing consumer behaviors. We look at his tactics for leveraging Amazon and other digital platforms to maximize business growth, highlighting the 80/20 rule he applies to enhance his strategies. Dimitri also shares insights from his recent visit to Amazon headquarters, revealing some surprising and counterintuitive lessons learned. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/4v52xv4d  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to navigate through both personal and professional crises as an entrepreneur? In this episode, I sit down with Ronnie Teja, the founder of Branzio Watches and TrulyOffice.com. Ronnie shares his profound experiences dealing with significant business challenges, from severe staff cuts to navigating through Google penalties, and how his personal health journey has intertwined with his entrepreneurial spirit. Listen as Ronnie dives deep into the realities of reshaping a business amid economic downturns and personal transformations, where he unpacks his innovative strategies for developing a leaner business model that includes renegotiating vendor contracts and significantly reducing overhead. We also explore how maintaining physical and mental health has been pivotal in his ability to lead and inspire in the face of adversity, providing unique insights into the integral role of well-being in sustainable entrepreneurship. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4cZ5hjM Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Wondering how a subscription-based business thrives by focusing on community and membership rather than just products? In this episode, I chat with John Roman, co-founder of BattlBox.com, a leader in the survival and outdoor gear space. John shares his unique business journey, including the challenges and strategic moves involved in buying back his company at an incredible discount after selling it for a substantial profit. Listen as John dives into the significance of community engagement and content-driven strategies that have propelled the success of BattlBox. We also explore how the company navigates advertising restrictions on platforms like Facebook, the innovative use of membership benefits to enhance customer loyalty, and John’s approach to maintaining a high-value subscription model in a niche market. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3TfYVWj Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about the cutting-edge applications of AI in eCommerce? In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Williams from MadBrains AI, who brings a wealth of experience from both struggling eCommerce environments and a deep dive into AI innovations. We explore a broad array of topics including the future of search, the implications of AI on child-rearing, and the technicalities of fine-tuning AI models for business use. Listen as Kevin discusses the potential and challenges of AI in transforming eCommerce operations, from improving customer service to optimizing operational efficiency. He also touches on the exciting possibilities opened by expanding context windows in AI models, making them more effective partners in strategic business planning. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3AQOWAc Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of eCommerce and digital platforms effectively? In this episode, I sit down with Johnathan Solorzano, owner of Solo Media Group and an expert in Shopify development. Johnathan shares his insights from managing high-traffic sites like Kanye West’s Yeezy brand and how these experiences have shaped his approach to eCommerce strategy and team building. Listen as Johnathan dives into the nuances of creating a robust digital presence, from optimizing Shopify operations to leveraging global resources for team expansion. We also explore his strategies for managing international teams, the advantages of U.S.-based manufacturing, and his insights into Shopify's latest features that are transforming international sales and operational efficiencies. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3WN8HQv Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What happens when you blend deep dives into the eCommerce sector with insights into artificial intelligence? In this episode, I'm joined by Bill D'Alessandro, a longtime friend of the show and CEO of ElementsBrands.com, and we’re exploring a range of topics, from the state of the public and private eCommerce markets to the latest trends in AI tools.  Listen in as Bill shares his firsthand experiences and observations on market dynamics, including the impact of AI on business operations and customer interactions. We also discuss the evolving challenges and opportunities within eCommerce, the nuances of acquisitions, the shifting landscape of eCommerce platforms, and how AI is influencing it all. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3WHZZDs Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how a former dishwasher could build a multi-million dollar eCommerce business? In this episode, I sit down with Santiago Roa, the founder of Culiau.com, as he shares his incredible journey. From humble beginnings and learning English while washing dishes to innovating a unique engraving pen that completely revolutionized his sector, Santiago has an amazing story you don't want to miss. Listen in as he discusses the challenges and milestones of scaling a business from scratch, his commitment to world-class mentorship at all costs, and the strategies that led to his explosive annual growth. He also dives into the pivotal failures and lessons learned along the way, particularly in managing people and setting objectives that align with ambitious business goals. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3WrBxG5 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How do seasoned entrepreneurs navigate the intense competition from Chinese manufacturers on platforms like Amazon? In this episode, I'm joined by Bernie Thompson, the mind behind Pluggable and PPC Ninja, who has thrived in the challenging environment of sourcing electronics from China for over 15 years. Bernie shares his insights on adapting to the evolving landscape where Chinese competition has intensified, offering a deep dive into the strategic maneuvers necessary for Western businesses to remain competitive. Listen in as Bernie discusses the critical aspects of competing against Chinese sellers, including the advantages they possess and the unique challenges they present. We also discuss the effectiveness of Amazon’s Patent Evaluation Express program, the significance of intellectual property in safeguarding innovations, and how diversifying manufacturing processes across multiple factories can protect product uniqueness. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3WgJyO6 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to retire early, only to jump back into the entrepreneurship game? Join me as I sit down with Greg Shugar, CEO of Beau Ties of Vermont, as he shares his unique journey of early retirement at 40, the challenges that prompted his return to entrepreneurship, and his ongoing passion for business innovation. Listen in as Greg explores the dynamics of managing his Vermont-based business remotely from Florida, the benefits of domestic manufacturing, and how teaching entrepreneurship has become a rewarding part of his life. We also discuss why manufacturing in the USA is integral to his brand, the intricacies of running a business with a remote-first approach, and the impact of his personal teaching experiences on aspiring entrepreneurs. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4bPzzVE Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how a small brand can harness the power of TikTok to skyrocket its growth? In this episode, I chat with Paul Jauregui from BK Beauty, who, along with his wife Lisa, has transformed their beauty and cosmetics brand into a sensation on TikTok. Paul shares their journey over the last five years, emphasizing the explosive growth they've experienced in just the past 12 to 18 months. Listen in as Paul reveals the strategies behind their success on TikTok, including key insights on SKU selection, leveraging the halo effect, and the critical balance between commissions and discounts. He also discusses how they manage a booming business while maintaining an enriching family life, including frequent travels and adventures. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3WeZdyy Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How can understanding taxes transform the way you operate and invest in your business? In this episode, I tackle the often misunderstood topic of taxes and their substantial impact on business operations. Diving into the psychology of taxation, I share how a shift in perspective can lead to more strategic decisions in both personal and business finances, and emphasize the importance of focusing on after-tax implications to truly understand the cost or benefit of every business decision. Listen in as I break down the nuances between effective and marginal tax rates, discuss the influence of tax considerations on business investment decisions, and explore strategic approaches to maximizing tax efficiency. I also touch on how leveraging tax strategies can enhance the way you manage business growth, investment, and personal income, helping entrepreneurs make more informed decisions that align with both their immediate financial goals and long-term visions. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3L4Vw8m Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How do you turn a struggling eCommerce business into a booming success? In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Huie, founder of VIM & VIGR, as she shares her journey from facing financial challenges to significantly improving her business’s profitability and reveals her strategies for restructuring operations. Listen in as Michelle explains the pivotal changes she made to her business model, from reducing reliance on trade shows to increasing direct consumer interactions. We also discuss the impact of leveraging SEO and content creation to drive substantial eCommerce revenue, emphasizing the importance of focusing on more lucrative market segments and streamlining expenses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3VM97Xa Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How often do entrepreneurs get a second chance with their first love? In this episode, join me as I converse with Cathryn Lavery, the founder of BestSelf Co., who navigated the unusual path of selling her business to a private equity firm, only to buy it back after seeing its potential falter under new management. Cathryn shares her initial reasons for selling, the insights from stepping away, and what drove her to reclaim control and re-inject her vision into the brand. Listen in as Cathryn discusses the strategic maneuvers and negotiations involved in reacquiring her company, how she leveraged AI technology to streamline operations, and the lessons learned from viewing her business through the analytical lens of her buyers. She also dives into the tactical changes implemented post-acquisition to revitalize the brand, ensuring its alignment with her entrepreneurial spirit and long-term objectives. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3VwTEd9 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious how health-focused products carve out success in today's bustling retail scene? Join me in this episode as I sit down with Justin Mares, founder of Kettle & Fire and Perfect Keto, venture partner at Long Journey Ventures, and CEO at Truemed. Justin shares his journey through evolving marketing strategies and investment insights that aim to reshape America's eating habits. Tune in as Justin delves into the importance of strategic branding and packaging design in influencing consumer buying behaviors, especially in the health sector. He'll also discuss the evolution of his marketing tactics over the years, the significant role of his newsletter in building customer relationships, and his proactive views on investing in health and wellness startups. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4cqhdLv Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How can taking a gap year transform personal and professional life? In this episode, I’m sharing my plans to take a family and business gap year, as well as the motivations behind this decision. From wanting to invest deeply in family time to reshaping my business operations to support long-term sustainability and personal fulfillment, this decision wasn’t made lightly. Listen in as I dive into the logistics of preparing for a gap year, covering everything from educational plans for my children to strategies for managing business responsibilities remotely. I’ll also discuss the potential challenges and opportunities that arise when stepping back from day-to-day operations to focus on strategic growth and personal well-being. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4bPvPUS Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How can executive assistants revolutionize your workflow and dramatically increase your productivity? In this episode, I dive into the transformative impact of hiring and effectively integrating an executive assistant into your business operations. From managing emails to handling critical administrative tasks, discover how an EA can free up your time and allow you to focus on what truly moves your business forward. Listen in as I share my personal journey from overwhelm to high efficiency through executive assistance and discuss practical steps for hiring, the importance of creating detailed processes, and the tools that make delegation seamless. I also outline some strategies for training and managing an executive assistant that aligns perfectly with your business ethos and operational needs. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4bBajD7 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How can entrepreneurs achieve extraordinary success without sacrificing their personal happiness or integrity? In this episode, I'm joined by Codie Sanchez, the mind behind Contrarian Thinking and an experienced investor in diverse businesses. We’re exploring the significant impact of having a purpose-driven approach in both business and personal realms, strategies for maintaining well-being amidst business success, and more. Listen in as Codie discusses the importance of continuous engagement in work—even after achieving financial freedom—and how to leverage personal experiences and challenges into growth opportunities. You'll learn about the concept of contrarian thinking in investments and the potential of acquisitions to transform business growth and sustainability. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QT53T1 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How can businesses harness the power of AI to revolutionize product photography and brand assets? In this episode, I'm joined by Salma Aboukar, co-founder of Qreates.com, who shares insights into leveraging AI for creating stunning visual content efficiently. We explore the transformation of brand identity creation, as well as where AI accelerates the process, reduces costs, and enhances quality. Listen in as Salma shares how to build a complete brand identity using AI tools, discussing the processes and platforms that allow brands to produce photorealistic images that would typically require a significant investment. We also dive into the technical aspects of AI platforms like MidJourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion, understanding their strengths and how to best utilize them for eCommerce success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QHhv8z Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How can a business blend substantial growth with a robust culture of generosity? Today on the show, I’m joined by Mike Beckham, CEO and co-founder of Simple Modern, a nine-figure drinkware company nearly a decade old. Mike is also a well-known podcaster, hosting the Operators podcast and Scaling for Good. He is not only steering a thriving business, but also shaping a workplace culture rich in generosity and intention, and we’re diving into his perspective on merging commercial success with meaningful corporate values. Listen in as Mike shares the intricacies of building a successful company while nurturing a positive company culture, the strategies behind Simple Modern's impressive growth, and how aligning business practices with personal values contributes to both employee satisfaction and company performance. Mike also opens up about the challenges of scaling a business without compromising on the foundational principles that make a company great, and the significance of cultivating a supportive and challenging work environment. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3UwfKw5 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how a small family business can evolve into the world’s largest supplier of its kind? In this episode, I’m joined by Al Doan, co-founder of Missouri Star Quilt Co, and we’re diving into how his journey from California to a small town in Missouri with his family set the foundation for creating a quilting empire that resonates with communities around the globe. Listen in as Al shares the story behind the Missouri Star Quilt Co., from its humble beginnings to becoming a major economic force in its hometown. We also discuss the innovative business strategies that propelled their growth, the impact of community involvement, the challenges of scaling a family business, and how maintaining a sense of adventure can lead to profound success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3WmXyHD Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Is it possible for entrepreneurs to find a real balance between demanding business goals and personal well-being? In this episode, I sit down with Chris Kresser, a renowned functional medicine expert and the visionary behind Adapt Naturals. We dive into his personal transformation, detailing his shift from managing a high-stress digital training business to pursuing a lifestyle that prioritizes personal fulfillment without sacrificing professional success. Listen as Chris shares insights on the practical application of balance in everyday life, the strategic importance of nurturing personal interests to offset work pressures, and his journey in restructuring his professional life to support his well-being. We also discuss the inception of Adapt Naturals and how he designed the business to ensure sustainable growth, minimal staffing, and alignment with his personal values. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/352ckf56  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered how to build a media and eCommerce empire centered around your passions? In today’s episode, I’m sitting down with Kevin Espiritu, the founder and CEO of EpicGardening.com, the world’s most followed gardening brand with nearly 3 million subscribers on YouTube. We'll dive into his journey of turning a deep-rooted passion for gardening into a global media powerhouse. Listen in as we discuss the strategic choices that have fueled Epic Gardening's success, highlighting the role of platforms that drive sustained organic traffic and enhance community engagement. We also explore the complexities of scaling content creation and managing a detailed supply chain for seeds—a critical component of Kevin’s business model. Lastly, we dive into the seed management process, underscoring the operational challenges involved in maintaining a thriving eCommerce platform. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3U1iQHZ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about the intersection of passion and business in the digital age? In this episode, I sit down with Brian Goulet, the co-founder of The Goulet Pen Co., who has turned a deep appreciation for the art of fountain pens into a successful online business. We’re breaking down how a blend of passion, dedication, and savvy business tactics can lead to remarkable success in eCommerce. Listen in as Brian shares his journey through the challenges and victories of launching his company with scarce resources amid a financial crisis, and how a commitment to gradual growth, strategic patience, and organic development shaped their path to success. We also discuss the crucial role of maintaining a unique brand identity, the benefits of forming exclusive supplier partnerships, and the effectiveness of YouTube as a sales channel, despite platform changes. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/mw4e7jwh  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you navigating the choppy waters of entrepreneurship while trying to maintain your health? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Alexis Shields, and we're looking at the silent signals your body sends about sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle choices that directly impact your energy, focus, and longevity. Listen in as we dive into my own personal health expedition, reveal unexpected navigational aids like salt and vitamin D, and highlight the supplements that are the lifeboats for sustaining health and enhancing productivity. We also discuss how understanding and acting on biomarkers can be the game-changer for a healthier life and a more successful entrepreneurial journey. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/43NVRol Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you struggling to scale your eCommerce business in a market that feels more like a battleground with every passing day? Today on the show, I’m joined by Leo Caracas, Partner at Jump Ventures and Managing Director & Co-Founder at GoCase.com. Leo shares his profound insights gleaned from coaching nearly 100 different stores, offering a unique perspective on the pivotal moves necessary for scaling an eCommerce business in today’s competitive market. Discover Leo's expert strategies on optimizing profit margins, the importance of a commercial calendar, and the role of product-market fit in achieving business success. We also discuss how to leverage AI for content creation and the significant impact of pricing and bundling on your business's bottom line. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3vkqEwh Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about the groundbreaking strategies and insights unveiled at this year's ECF Live event? In this episode, I’m joined by Bill D'Alessandro, a seasoned entrepreneur and CEO of Elements Brands, and we’re diving into the highlights and takeaways from our 2024 event, including the pivotal role of cash flow, the impact of social media platforms, and the importance of embracing long-term strategies over quick exits. Tune in as we explore the insights from ECF Live, diving into the art of building a business that balances personal cash flow with increasing its market value (and why it’s important to increase these simultaneously). We'll also dissect TikTok's influence on eCommerce, examining everything from looming bans to its untapped potential for boosting sales, and highlight the crucial role of authentic messaging and branding in paid media strategies.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ITzoMZ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant flood of content online? In this episode, I’m joined by Tracey Wallace, the Director of Content Strategy at Klaviyo and the mastermind behind the Contentment newsletter, and we are peeling back the layers of the content marketing world to look at the challenges and opportunities for businesses online. Listen in as Tracey shares her insights on the evolving landscape of content marketing, from the resurgence of webinars to the power of authenticity in building customer engagement. You'll learn how traditional SEO tactics are adapting to new digital norms, strategies for avoiding burnout while staying creative, and why you might not be seeing the same impact with your SEO today. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4ca5gul Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to navigate the unpredictable world of eCommerce investments? Today I sit down with Bill D'Alessandro, a veteran entrepreneur and investor, to explore the highs and lows of putting your money into online businesses. Listen in as we discuss how to best navigate the eCommerce investment landscape, the importance of trust when it comes to partnerships, the nuts and bolts of acquiring businesses, and the strategies for handling unforeseen hurdles. We also talk about the financial and tax considerations of investments, the importance of due diligence and stress-testing deals, and the dynamics of investing with friends and family. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/42PZRnJ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about how AI is changing the eCommerce industry? Today I’m joined by Charlie Guo, ECF member and the visionary behind Crowdmade.com. We’re diving into the role of AI in modern online businesses, from enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business operations. Listen in as Charlie shares how AI can be used to boost customer engagement and improve operational efficiencies, as well as the role and impact of influencers in the eCommerce space. We also discuss AI’s current capabilities, forecast the direction of AI in eCommerce, dive into tech advancements and limitations, and look at the upcoming opportunities that AI offers. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3P75tEF Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how to cultivate a thriving eCommerce community that's both connected and supportive? In this episode, I sit down with Diana Hawk, the new Director of Connection and Community at eCommerceFuel, to uncover the secrets behind fostering meaningful interactions and a sense of belonging in the eCommerce world. Listen in as we dive into Diana's personal journey from overcoming social anxiety to establishing a vibrant network in New York City, along with her tactics for orchestrating impactful small meetups. We also discuss the crucial role of inclusivity within community building and peek into Diana's literary passion through her new book. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/49RBiJI Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How do you turn your eCommerce brand into a beloved icon? In this episode, I sit down with Jessica Strelioff and Danielle LaRoy, the co-founders behind Goodside Studio, to unpack the mysteries of effective branding and design in the digital space. We’ll be chatting not only about what makes a brand stand out, but also how design works to forge meaningful connections with customers.  Listen in as we discuss the critical elements of creating a strong brand identity, integrating design thinking for superior customer experiences, and the power of AI in pushing the boundaries of branding. We'll also cover the importance of aligning your brand with core values to foster lasting customer relationships and the art of communicating your brand's story and values through impactful design and visual elements. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/48gSg2I Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how you can unlock your brain's full potential? In this episode, we will be discussing the secrets of brain efficiency and performance enhancement with Paola Telfer, CEO & Founder of Sens.ai. She will explain the brain states, from hyper-focus to relaxation, and how training your brain can unlock a multitude of benefits, such as improved sleep, enhanced creativity, and improved reaction time. Listen in to discover the inspiring story behind Sens.ai's inception, stemming from Paola's motor vehicle accident, and explore the innovative strategies she employed to convince investors of the power of brain training technology. Paola also shares her thoughts on the implications of brain training for education—particularly in a future dominated by AI—and offers insights into the critical skills needed for the next generation. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/4a9vwwm2  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you ready to transform your business by building a stellar in-house team? In this solo episode, I’m unveiling the secrets to leveraging the hiring process, and providing tips and advice on how to attract and retain top talent. Listen in as I share how to write compelling job descriptions, create a robust hiring funnel, and align your recruitment efforts with your company's core values. I also discuss the key strategies for conducting effective interviews, the significance of work projects in the assessment process, and tips for an impactful onboarding experience to keep your team members engaged and motivated. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3w1it8c Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you curious about the current state and future of eCommerce mergers and acquisitions? Today I’m joined by Emmett Kilduff, co-founder and CEO of The Fortia Group, and we’re diving into the mergers and acquisitions landscape, looking at the ins and outs of successful M&A. Listen in as Emmett shares his expert insights on the current trends shaping the world of M&A, including factors that influence company valuations. We also discuss strategic approaches for achieving successful acquisitions, the impact of market dynamics on business valuations, and the role of planning in navigating mergers.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3SCQJiM Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how to blend a successful entrepreneurial career with a fulfilling personal life? In today’s episode, Steve Chou, the founder of Bumblebee Linens and a beacon of entrepreneurial success and personal balance, joins me to dive into the art of managing a thriving business while prioritizing family and self-care. Listen in as Steve shares his journey from engineer to eCommerce mogul, revealing his strategies for frugality, staying fit after 40, and mastering the eCommerce game. He also provides invaluable insights into how he has successfully navigated the challenging terrain of online business, all while keeping his family and personal health at the forefront. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4bjfsjR Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about the ever-changing world of SEO and affiliate marketing—and how one entrepreneur successfully navigated these dynamic industries? In this episode, I'm joined by Matt Diggity, the founder of Diggity Marketing and a seasoned SEO expert, to explore the realm of SEO and affiliate marketing. If you've ever wondered how to ride the waves of these industries, dive into our conversation! Matt shares his journey from biochemistry to becoming a leading SEO expert through affiliate marketing. You'll discover the critical role of content and authority in SEO success, and gain insights into affiliate marketing strategies, including branding and traffic source selection. We'll also discuss Matt’s approach to content creation for diverse YouTube audiences, his efficient video production process, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/47G9lCS Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about the future of paid traffic and what it holds for online businesses? Today I’m joined by David Herrmann, a recognized figure in the world of paid traffic with a somewhat mysterious online presence. Despite his low-key profile, David has been making waves, and I’m excited to have him share his insights on the ever-evolving landscape of paid traffic, along with some unexpected topics like homelessness and even a discussion about his favorite car chases. Listen in as we dive into the landscape of paid traffic, discuss the role of Google in digital marketing amidst ongoing platform changes, and share emerging trends in eCommerce. We also cover acquisition costs, the significance of measuring KPIs (and best practices to do it), and how to leverage Google Analytics 4 for data analysis. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3tLZq0J Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you ready to glimpse into the future of eCommerce and global events? In this episode, I’m joined by the insightful Bill D'Alessandro to explore our bold predictions for 2024. With a year of unpredictability behind us, we dive into what's next, discussing everything from the shifting landscape of eCommerce jobs to geopolitical tensions. Listen in as Bill kicks off with his prediction on the continued rise of offshoring, suggesting a significant shift in the structure of eCommerce employment, and we discuss the potential impacts on domestic job markets and how businesses might adapt. We also dive into the world of retail and venture-backed DTC companies, discuss the implications of AI in marketing and content creation, and raise some interesting questions about the future of personal branding and the authenticity of online influencers. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3NEkltd Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how focusing on business processes can transform not just your business, but also your life? In this episode replay, I’m joined by Layla Pomper, CEO of ProcessDriven.co, a company that takes geeking out on business processes to a whole new level. Layla and her team offer deep insights on how to structure and implement processes in your business—everything you need to grow, scale, and avoid catastrophic failure. Listen in as Layla shares her secrets for maintaining an email-free company culture, garnering team buy-in for new processes, and understanding why SOPs are crucial for both scaling businesses and established companies. She also reveals how she leverages automation bots and AI to streamline operations and offers advice on avoiding common mistakes in business processes. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3S1bbKg  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

It's that magical time again! Bill D’Alessandro and I are back with our annual ritual of reminiscing over last year's predictions and daring to forecast what the next year has in store for us in the world of eCommerce.  Listen in as we reflect on our predictions from the previous year, ranging from the state of the labor market, the fate of Twitter post-Elon Musk's acquisition, the trajectory of Shopify and the impact of interest rates on the economy. We also discuss the fascinating world of AI, examining its integration into customer service and the broader tech landscape. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/485mRB3 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you curious about the intersection of entrepreneurship, investing, and SEO expertise? In today’s episode, I’m joined by Travis Jamison, a man of many talents and ventures. Travis is not only the force behind SmashDigital.com—a long-standing, experienced SEO agency—but also the founder of Smash.vc and Investing.io, both platforms that guide entrepreneurs in their investment journeys and provide capital for business growth. Listen in as Travis shares personal systems for managing daily life, his reasons for choosing Interactive Brokers for investment management, and his strategy for allocating investments, focusing on his impressive return rates from the markets and private investments. We also dive into Travis’ criteria for investment decisions, his most notable successes and learning experiences in investing, and his perspectives on the current SEO and Bitcoin landscapes. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/47T4pvx Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Do you know how powerful analytics can be in transforming a brand? In this episode, I'm excited to introduce Celina Wong, the Senior Director of Analytics and Strategic Insight at TULA Skincare. We dive into how Celina’s expertise in data analytics not only shaped the growth of TULA Skincare into a significant player in the beauty industry, but also played a pivotal role in attracting Procter & Gamble’s acquisition interest. Listen in as Celina shares insights on leveraging data analysis for substantial business growth, as well as effective strategies for hiring data analysts and engineers tailored to specific business needs for businesses of all sizes. You'll learn practical options for companies with limited resources to harness data insights for operational improvements, the impact that data analysis can have on eCommerce businesses, the ideal tech stacks for eCommerce brands of varying sizes, and the pros and cons of using AI in data analysis. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3t1vAF8 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to bootstrap a brand to eight figures in just over a year? In this episode, I’m joined by Harel Levy, who shares his unique journey and strategies for achieving this remarkable feat in a mere 16 months—all while maintaining the mystery of his brand amidst a sea of potential copycats. Listen in as Harel shares his experience, including the challenges of business setbacks and the development of a successful marketing department. He also provides detailed insights into leveraging Amazon and Etsy for business growth, optimizing ad campaigns on Etsy, and strategically choosing not to drive external traffic to the platform. You'll learn about the distinct roles of a media buyer versus a creative strategist, the intricate process of content creation and hiring, and the critical importance of using assessments to avoid costly hiring mistakes. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/49LKAHM Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you curious about unique marketing methods beyond the digital realm? Join me today as I talk with Christie Mims, owner of CoachPony.com and TheRevolutionaryClub.com. While Christie might not be your typical eCommerce entrepreneur, her insights into the “Sphere of Influence Marketing Method” and strategies for building a business offline are invaluable, and in this episode, we're diving into how to foster real-life connections and grow a business beyond social media. Listen in as Christie dives into the intricacies of her businesses, the process of identifying a suitable coach, and navigating the coaching industry's potential pitfalls. You'll hear about strategies for addressing objections with real-life examples, specific web pages for the "Sphere of Influence," and the marketing nuances for engaging clients at various commitment levels—all while emphasizing the power of building a business independently of social media. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3SOtPpp  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Can the key to an amazing life be found at the intersection of health, relationships and personal fulfillment? Ryan Kennedy is the owner and founder of RyanKennedyHealth.com, and he joins the show to share his comprehensive approach to optimizing wellness through diet, fitness and the cultivation of a rich life.  Listen in as we dive into the pivotal moment that propelled Ryan into the realm of health and wellness, as well as the case for and against meat consumption. You'll hear practical tips for actually sticking to a health and wellness program, the impact that stress can have on the body, the transformative potential of holotropic breathwork and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/49l6Yr5 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever considered moving parts of your business to another country? In this episode, I am joined by Mehtab Bhogal, a long-time ECF member and the brains behind KartaVentures.com and SolaWoodFlowers.com. Mehtab recently embarked on an audacious journey, relocating significant portions of his enterprise to Mexico, and he joins me today to share the highs, lows, and everything in between. Listen in as Mehtab sheds light on why he made the bold decision to move to Mexico, the logistical challenges he faced during the transition, and some of the unexpected perks of working there. We also discuss supply chain logistics, Mehtab’s personal experiences in his new environment, and the global future of the workforce. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/40lndQR  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How does a modern clothing brand captivate its audience and make genuine connections in today's digital age? Nasrin Jafri, the creative mind behind Mixed, a vibrant and bold clothing line based out of Brooklyn, unveils her unique strategy of using live, in-person events to attract customers and get to know them better. Listen in as Nasrin dives deep into the essence of her brand, discussing the distinct recognizable design elements that make Mixed stand out, both online and in the streets. She also opens up about the exhilarating experience of seeing her creations being worn "in the wild" (and her spontaneous idea of holding flash sales whenever she spots someone donning her designs), as well as the challenges and intricacies of organizing in-person events, the balance her team brings in detailing and execution, and her intrinsic need to own and shape every aspect of Mixed—from the music played at events to the content and prints. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QnuGKC  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Is leadership truly the hardest part of running a business? In this episode, we explore this topic with Dave Kline, the owner of MgmtAccelerator.com who honed his leadership insights at one of the world’s largest hedge funds. Listen in as Dave shares the “radical candor” model used at Bridgewater that helps to retain top talent, as well as whether this same approach is applicable for most companies. We also look at common pitfalls when it comes to hiring, the art of nurturing leadership within teams, and how leaders can be more intentional about developing their people. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3FrE0rP Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how the perfect blend of email marketing and operations can elevate an eCommerce business? In this episode, I'm joined by Karly Craig, author of Email is Not Dead, COO of MiniKatana.com, and Co-Founder of email marketing agency TequilaSunrise.co. Karly has been on my radar for quite some time, and I’m excited to dive deep into email marketing, operations, and systems building today. Listen in as she shares her unique journey into the eCommerce world, as well as the processes that were most instrumental when she was onboarded as COO of MiniKatana.com. We also discuss the most important thing any business owner can do before bringing on a COO, the toughest challenges of systematizing (and how to tackle them), and her experience transitioning to 3PL. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3PKmJ25 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

As Amazon faces groundbreaking legal challenges, what does it mean for the broader eCommerce landscape? In this special episode, I'm thrilled to be joined once again by Bill D’Alessandro, owner of NaturalDogCompany.co, one of the voices behind the Acquisitions Anonymous podcast, and undeniably one of our most cherished co-hosts. Together, we’re diving into the ongoing buzz around Amazon and its monumental recent lawsuit, trying to make sense of what it really means. Listen in as we discuss some of the looming questions surrounding Amazon: Is it truly a monopoly? Should the behemoth be either broken up or regulated? We also delve into what it means to be classified as a monopoly, the current happenings with Amazon in light of the lawsuit, and whether such legal actions are ultimately in the best interest of consumers. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/46GXHYv Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered about the highs and lows of being in the eCommerce game? In this episode, I’m joined by the one and only Bill D’Alessandro, arguably our most frequent co-host, for a candid conversation on our biggest wins and losses in the business world. Together, we dive into the significance of strategy, size, and timing when thinking of buying and the critical role of having a niche. Listen in as we share our three biggest wins and our three biggest losses, including one of the biggest misses of Bill’s eCommerce career. He also shares what it’s like to sell seven brands at once (and the approach he took to manage the sales), how to use personality profiles to hack your hiring process, and why sometimes timing is everything. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/mpyn2wze  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered what it's like to create 500 podcast episodes over a decade? Embarking on this adventure in 2013, our journey from episode #1 has been filled with continuous learning, growth, and invaluable insights about people and dynamics. In this milestone 500th episode, join me as I share the most significant lessons learned, the biggest mistake I wish to redo, and the essential takeaways from this extensive experience. Listen in as I dive into the real worth of having a personal brand and all the lessons learned from 500 episodes of podcasting. I also discuss the cool perks of direct media, why you don't need to interject to sound smart, the importance of digging into what makes people tick, and why zeroing in on your niche audience is key. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3tc2rqE Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered how focusing on business processes can transform not just your business, but also your life? In this episode, I’m joined by Layla Pomper, CEO of ProcessDriven.co, a company that takes geeking out on business processes to a whole new level. Layla and her team offer deep insights on how to structure and implement processes in your business—everything you need to grow, scale, and avoid catastrophic failure. Listen in as Layla shares her secrets for maintaining an email-free company culture, garnering team buy-in for new processes, and understanding why SOPs are crucial for both scaling businesses and established companies. She also reveals how she leverages automation bots and AI to streamline operations and offers advice on avoiding common mistakes in business processes. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/m7fy2vun  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered how the right SEO and website design can elevate your eCommerce game? Today, I'm joined by Ilana Davis, the mastermind behind IlanaDavis.com, who specializes in JSON for Shopify, CRO, and all things technical SEO. Join us as we dive deep into the nuances of SEO, the power of effective website redesigns, and the interesting world of markup and schema. Listen in as Ilana breaks down the evolution of SEO over recent years, demystifies JSON and schema markups, and shares valuable insights on structured data. We also discuss the top elements to focus on for your site, when to really consider a comprehensive website redesign, and why it’s okay if you don’t rank on the first page of Google. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3ED76nT Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Running an eCommerce business? In this episode, I'm diving into the tech stack behind financial management for businesses, highlighting the game-changing tools that make life easier for seven- and eight-figure brand owners. I also delve into the strengths and weaknesses of accounting software like Xero and talk about how Expensify has been a game-changer for expense reporting. Listen in as I share my journey from traditional banking to embracing Mercury, financial software that has dramatically improved how I manage my eCommerce finances. You'll learn my credit card strategies for categorizing recurring and one-time expenses, the importance of managing cash reserves, and the specific financial statements you need to be watching in your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3YUDrzW Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Do you dream of scaling your business to 8 figures—but feel intimidated by the competition in your niche? Today on the show, I’m joined by Leo Caracas, Managing Director & Co-Founder at GoCase.com, who has achieved massive success in the highly competitive phone and media cases market. Get ready to learn his strategies for scaling a business and standing out in a crowded market. Listen in as Leo shares why he chose to focus on the phone case market, the challenges he faced as the company grew, and the most fun part of scaling a company. We also discuss the importance of having a solid team, what Leo looks for most in new hires, and the three attributes that Leo looks for when evaluating the viability of a company’s growth.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/4af3n5zy  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Want to know the secret behind building an 8-figure brand in just two years? Today I’m joined by Isaac Medoris, the owner and founder of MiniKatana.com. If you're a listener of podcasts in the eCommerce space, chances are you've already heard of Isaac's success. In just two years, he has taken his business from nothing to an 8-figure brand, all through the power of short-form video.  Listen in as Isaac shares why video is the most powerful online sales medium available, how it fueled his brand growth, and how he spends his short-form video budget (and why it’s worth every penny). We also discuss the most important metrics when measuring video success, where the current opportunities are with video as a medium, and whether it’s worth throwing time and money into Instagram Reels. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3se8OJv  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Looking for innovative ways to grow your brand? In this episode, I’m sitting down with Alicia Reynoso, the owner of ChallengeMakers.com, a unique service that propels brand growth through community-driven challenges. Alicia isn't just an expert in this field; she honed her skills by scaling her brand, LiveInfinitely.com, to eight figures using an approach to marketing and community-building that every eCommerce owner should consider. Listen in as we discuss the importance of deeply understanding customers and what their needs and desires are, as well as the shifting views on the adage “follow your passion.” Alicia also shares insights on leveraging Facebook groups for community engagement, her experience with community challenges, and the value of personal interactions within a community. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3rTLHDJ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

When should you invest money in your business, and when should you pull it out? In this solo episode, I’m building a case for why you may want to consider withdrawing a bit more money from your business than you currently do. If you've been questioning your own financial moves within your business, this episode could be an eye-opener. Listen in as I dive into the specifics of who should think about drawing money from their business, as well as the three compelling reasons to seriously contemplate this move. Plus, I'll share some advice on making your money work harder for you, along with a glimpse into my own personal investment strategy. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3DVDT7v Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you one of the lucky ones who is on the rollercoaster ride of running a seasonal business? Susan Cooper is the co-founder of BrightStarKids.com.au, and she joins the show to share her insights, challenges, and successes in running a global seasonal business specializing in personalized school supplies, as well as how she has leveraged systematizing paid ads to make life so much easier. Listen in as Susan shares how she has rolled with the punches of having a seasonal business, why she is so passionate about process optimization, and how an efficient system can enable anyone to take over business operations with ease. We also discuss Facebook advertising, how Susan leverages systematization to make the paid ads process easier, and what she focuses on to make her ads stand out. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3pY3p8J Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ever wondered why you’re willing to pay a premium for certain brands? In the world of eCommerce, we often find ourselves engrossed in the nitty-gritty details like paid ads, customer lifetime value, and agency hiring. While these elements are crucial, they don’t always capture the true essence of what eCommerce is, and in this episode, I’m exploring one of the most important aspects of any successful business: brand loyalty and what creates it. Listen in as I take you on a journey through my personal experience with Santa Cruz Bicycles, a brand that has won my loyalty despite their premium price point. I’ll dive into the elements that have contributed to my loyalty to the brand, exploring the power of a brand's roots and the impact of consistent, engaging content. We'll also take a look at the importance of excellent customer service, as well as the role of sleek and attractive design in creating an appealing product. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3rk8zw6 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you struggling to understand the intricacies of SEO and how it can impact your eCommerce business? Today we pull back the curtain on our own SEO journey, revealing the highs, the lows, and the strategies we're implementing to regain our organic traffic as we sit down with SEO expert Jeff Oxford from 180marketing.com. Be sure to tune in as we dive deep into the world of search engine optimization. We discuss new strategies for internal linking, how a page's journey from being indexed to appearing on the first or second page of Google's search results varies, and the concept of viewing each page of your website as either a liability or an asset. We also delve into how Google is adapting its ranking methods in today's world—where attention spans are shrinking to the length of TikTok videos—and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/44jeBf0 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

The conversation surrounding eCommerce is typically dominated by subjects like paid ads, customer lifetime value, and agency hiring—among other tactical details. While these elements are undoubtedly significant in the eCommerce world, they don't always resonate with every individual's understanding of the true essence of what eCommerce is. Phillip Jackson is the Co-Founder of FutureCommerce.com, which is on a mission to reshape our comprehension of how culture and commerce intertwine, challenge the conventional narrative, and present a revitalized viewpoint on eCommerce that we dive into in this episode. Listen in as we explore Philip's unique perspective on eCommerce and discuss some of the most important skill sets of the future. We also examine the resurgence of traditional media, the influence of niche critics, the role of nostalgia in shaping commerce, and the future of commerce in light of technological, political, and cultural shifts. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/43fg58C Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

In this episode, we reveal the often-neglected, yet crucial aspects of running a successful eCommerce business. David Moore is the owner and founder of HolidayCoro.com, and the undisputed authority on business automation. With a unique perspective on processes and automation, he has transformed his own business in ways that few can imagine. So today, we’re geeking out about how David streamlines, automates, and operates his business. Listen in as he shares the secrets behind his business operations, starting from the integration of processes into his business model to leveraging queries for business decisions. We also discuss the tech stack David employs for automation, where he has managed to incorporate newer technologies into his operations, how he gets buy-in from his team to use SOPs effectively, and what he loves most about ClickUp. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3r6k6yU Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered how someone can successfully juggle leading roles in multiple companies, excel in the eCommerce and SaaS industry, and still find the time to uncover the next big investment opportunity? Jason Wong is a powerhouse in the eCommerce and SaaS space as the Managing Director at Pug.Haus, the Founder of Doe Lashes, and Co-Founder of SauceHaus.co, and he joins the show today to talk processes, building eCommerce companies, investing, and so much more. In today’s episode, we dive into Jason’s approach to processes, the immense benefits of automation, and how he leverages ClickUp and AI in his business to save hours every week. We also discuss what matters most in a world that is more AI-centric every week, the pitfalls Jason experienced when he expanded his product assortment too quickly, and we also answer the question: will AI eventually replace humans, or can we find a harmonious balance? You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3XBTdPH Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves looking outside the box for unconventional ideas and unexplored territories, and one of the missions of eCommerceFuel is not only to help entrepreneurs build great businesses, but also to help them build incredible lives. That’s why today on the show we’re diving into the topic of atypical real estate with Isaac French, owner of LiveOakLake.com, a beautiful modern resort nestled in the heart of Texas. Isaac joins us to share his insights from his unique journey, revealing how an unconventional real estate portfolio can pave the way to an incredible life. In this episode, we kick things off by discussing everything about LiveOakLake.com, understanding Isaac's motivations for choosing this unorthodox path with his real estate portfolio, and how he managed to finance the business. We also discuss the strategies he employed to market the business online, the advantages to choosing direct booking over other booking platforms, and what the technology stack operating behind the scenes look like. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3Nsj5d2 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you ever wondered how to build a successful brand while leading a nomadic lifestyle? Elizabeth Mercer is the Owner and Founder of Sleekform.com, a company that makes beautiful ergonomic furniture designed to make the work environment healthier and more comfortable. She is also the official women’s ambassador for ECF and joins the show today to dive into the really cool business and life she has built in the process. In this episode, we dive into Elizabeth’s experience in building her brand, including her transition from a very data-driven method of curating a catalogue to a mission-based approach that fully embodies the brand. We also talk about she redesigned the packaging for her furniture and the unexpected but massive impact that it had on her business, how she hires a remote team (including the specific questions she uses to attract exceptional team members), and how she manages to balance work while on the road with her husband. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: bit.ly/3oUMQtO Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

We often hear the story of someone selling their business and then deeply regretting it, and for today’s guest that is certainly not the case. Dana Jaunzemis is the founder of PictureHangSolutions.com and HomeHealthTesting.com, one of the earliest members of eCommerceFuel, and an incredible entrepreneur who has a ton of experience in mergers and acquisitions. She joins the show to dive into the whole experience of buying, selling, and what life after business is really like. Listen in as we explore Dana's motivations for selling her business, her journey in navigating post-sale life, and elements from her entrepreneurial days that she still longs for. Dana also shares her strategies for keeping ties with the entrepreneurial community and sheds light on aspects of business ownership that she's relieved to have left behind. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/43u2fjm Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

While considering various strategies for attracting website traffic, you might be exploring numerous possibilities, particularly those requiring paid advertising. However, I'd be willing to bet that LinkedIn Ads isn't one of the tools you're utilizing. AJ Wilcox is the host of the LinkedIn Ads Show, an expert in the field, and the owner of B2Linked, a LinkedIn Ads agency that has $150 million in ad spend under its belt. He joins the show today to discuss some of the surprising growth opportunities on the dark horse of social media platforms. Listen in as AJ shares what you need to know in order to understand LinkedIn better, whether there is anything worth exploring for your eCommerce business, and why it is the easiest platform to go viral on. We also discuss best practices for LinkedIn Ads and organic content, what you need to know about running paid ads on the platform, and some of the ways entrepreneurs of all kinds can leverage LinkedIn for their businesses. So tune in, get ready to take some notes, and prepare to elevate your LinkedIn game to a whole new level. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3BJomGr Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you overlooking the untapped potential of cold outbound emails? Meet returning guest Danny Kirk, the owner and founder of Kirk & Co, a company that specializes in outbound cold emails, and the host of PromptPod, a podcast focused on prompt engineering. In this episode, Danny sheds light on how eCommerce store owners may be missing out on leveraging cold emails to their full potential.  Listen in as he shares lessons and insights he has learned through his cold outbound email experience, the key factors that contribute to successful email campaigns, and the significance of personalization, targeting strategies, and crafting powerful copy. We also discuss how Danny uses AI, whether links actually hurt your deliverability, and what metrics you should be monitoring in your email strategy to optimize your efforts. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3pvDzYU Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you tired of hearing about work-life balance and feeling like it's an impossible feat? Steve Chou is the founder of MyWifeQuitHerJob.com and Bumblebee Linens, as well as the author of The Family-First Entrepreneur: How to Achieve Financial Freedom Without Sacrificing What Matters Most, and he has successfully built a business that serves his life and family. In this episode, we’re diving into the work-life balance fallacy in a completely off-the-cuff and unplugged conversation. Listen in as we discuss the myth of "having it all" and why it's simply not possible, how to optimize for less stress in life, and how Steve manages to work only 20 hours per week on average. Steve also shares how he determines what he should be working on every day and tips for staying productive while maintaining balance in your own personal and professional life. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3p7H5bZ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you haven't yet hopped on the short-form video bandwagon, now might be the time to start. Savannah Sanchez is the founder of TheSocialSavannah.com, a TikTok expert, and an official TikTok Agency Partner who helps top eCommerce brands elevate their business with creative content on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. In this episode, we dive into her insights and tips on short-form video, TikTok, and the content-creation process. Listen in as Savannah discusses the power of short-form video, why it’s become such a popular format for brands, and how short-form video can help businesses engage with their audience and build brand awareness. We also discuss the different platforms for short-form videos, tips for creating engaging short-form content, what Savannah’s content creation process looks like, and the power of a good hook. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3AKtqKc Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Toni Herrbach is a long-time eCommerce Fuel member and email marketer who has been in the eCommerce game for a long time. Having increased the email list for NotConsumed.com by a whopping 100,000 subscribers—which in turn helped to 5X the revenue generated from that email list—Toni has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to marketing. In this episode, we’re diving into what she has been up to in the trenches of marketing for NotConsumed.com, including how she grew subscribers and revenue, how often they email the list, and how often they clean the list. We also discuss SMS marketing strategies, the jewelry business and related partnership that Toni started, and what she has learned along the way. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/41zW8JC Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you curious about the challenges and rewards of building a holding company with multiple eCommerce businesses? Kelcey Lehrich is a longtime member of eCommerceFuel and one of the masterminds behind 365-Holdings.com, a company that has several eCommerce businesses and generates a colossal eight figures in revenue.  In this episode, Kelcey shares his journey of building his business and his approach to durable capital, why he chose the holding company model, and the challenges that come with it. Plus, Kelcey will tell us all about what it was like hosting a conference last year for other holding company operators, how he ended up with his own bobblehead, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/41hWmoJ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

As eCommerce owners, we often get caught up in our own perspectives and forget what it's like to be a customer. So today, we're going to shift our mindset and take a fresh look from the other side of the coin: the customer's perspective. Listen in as I share a personal experience of how I discovered a brand I was previously unfamiliar with and made a purchase from them in just 25 minutes—quite unusual for someone who is typically a non-impulsive buyer. You'll hear about the customer journey as it played out in real life, exploring what this brand did really well and what they could have improved, and gain insights into why it's essential to view your funnel from the customer's perspective and create a purchasing journey that resonates with them to create lifelong fans. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3KCnJm3 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

In this episode, we’re continuing our chat with Adii Pienaar, who has established successful companies like WooThemes and WooCommerce, and is presently involved in a new enterprise called Cogsy. In addition to his business ventures, Adii is the author of Life Profitably and the host of the Life Profitably podcast, and his unique perspective on Shopify is undoubtedly unmatched. Listen in as we continue to dive into the world of eCommerce and discuss the benefits of using WooCommerce versus Shopify, as well as what it was like building a shopping cart from scratch. Adii also shares how Cogsy is helping merchants and solving a major pain point for eCommerce owners, and we wrap up the episode with a lightning round of questions. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3zRAFQp 

How can you achieve a successful exit in your business without selling your soul or burning out until you're barely more than a burnt crisp? I'm excited to chat with Adii Pienaar, a successful entrepreneur who has founded multiple companies, including WooThemes and WooCommerce, and is currently working on a new venture called Cogsy. He's also the author of the Life Profitably book and hosts the Life Profitably podcast, and through the rollercoaster ride of his entrepreneurial journey, he has learned some valuable lessons that he shares today. Listen in as Adii shares his approach to balancing life and business, his experiences of burnout, and the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial journey, including leaving WooCommerce. We also discuss finding balance as a tightrope act—where you invest deeply in your business while also investing in other areas of your life—and Adii shares his motivation for continuing despite the fear of failure. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/40wCPAE Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Earlier this month, the eCommerceFuel community came together for ECF Live, an event filled with three and a half days of adventure, learning, and connection with smart and interesting entrepreneurs. In this episode, we’re recapping the event with Katrina McKinnon, an ECF Live keynote speaker on AI in eCommerce and owner of CopySmiths.com, a high-end content agency and production group for eCommerce. Listen in as we recap the event, reminisce about our experiences, and dive into our overall takeaways from ECF Live, including some intriguing insights on the future of AI in business and its potential implications. Additionally, we share some of the major takeaways from the event, including Katrina's perspective on the AI session, the power and benefits of Wise.com, and how AI has actually made content creation more challenging. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3LK756c Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Do you dream of scaling your business to 8 figures—but feel intimidated by the competition in your niche? Today on the show, I’m joined by Leo Caracas, Managing Director & Co-Founder at GoCase.com, who has achieved massive success in the highly competitive phone and media cases market. Get ready to learn his strategies for scaling a business and standing out in a crowded market. Listen in as Leo shares why he chose to focus on the phone case market, the challenges he faced as the company grew, and the most fun part of scaling a company. We also discuss the importance of having a solid team, what Leo looks for most in new hires, and the three attributes that Leo looks for when evaluating the viability of a company’s growth. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3J8K7nN Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Do you struggle to get traffic to your website and increase your revenue? Marc Poirier is the Owner and CEO of RougeCare.ca, which specializes in selling red light therapy products, and he has a phenomenal story of shifting marketing investment and energy toward SEO from paid ads—and, in only a few years, has been able to accrue $25k-$30k per month in free traffic. In this episode, we dive deep into the specifics of Marc’s SEO strategy, including why he chose to start investing in SEO, how it has paid off for his business, and how he has built out his content team. We also geek out about long posts versus short, punchy posts, tips for link building, and what to think about for anyone thinking of expanding into other countries. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3IFrRks Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Running an eCommerce business can be a wild ride, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. One major hurdle that many online store owners face is figuring out how to finance their businesses. So today, I have Bill D’Alessandro, perpetual repeat guest and Founder and CEO at Elements Brands, joining the show again to dive into financing and—more specifically—revenue-based loans, also known as merchant cash advances. In the episode, Bill drops some serious knowledge bombs about financing your business and the importance of going into it with your eyes wide open and knowing all of your options. Listen in to hear why he’s not a fan of revenue-based loans, the alternatives to look at, and tools for planning your cash flow to avoid falling into the debt cycle in the first place. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3xLswMh Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we're diving into the story of Kira Karmazin, a former VP of Merchandising for Carter's, Gap, and Victoria's Secret who took her knowledge of working at really high levels of fashion and the garment industry and started her own business, KiraGrace.com. Not only has she been able to gain a better work-life balance through entrepreneurship, but she’s also built something incredibly cool at the same time. Listen in as Kira discusses how she optimized for work-life balance through entrepreneurship, what might surprise you about the inner workings of fashion retail, and what she learned from her time at Victoria’s Secret. We also dive into what her small but mighty team looks like, how she has positioned and leveraged KiraGrace.com as a lifestyle brand, and where the opportunities lie in the fashion industry. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ZeqVKp Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Who said making more money had to be boring? Sharoon Thomas is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fulfil.io, an ERP built for larger 7-figure, 8-figure, and 9-figure brands that helps them scale by leveraging efficiencies and automations. He joins the show today to geek out about all things ERP and not just why you should have one, but also how it could completely transform your business. Sharoon's experience in building Fulfil.io has given him valuable insight into what it takes to develop and implement such complex technology, and he shares the lessons he has learned throughout the process, including what it was like bootstrapping the company. We also delve into the unique strengths and capabilities of Fulfil.io, how it can help businesses reach their goals, and the cost and timeline involved in implementing an ERP. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/40TRiqA Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Want to know the secret behind building an 8-figure brand in just two years? Today I’m joined by Isaac Medoris, the owner and founder of MiniKatana.com. If you're a listener of podcasts in the eCommerce space, chances are you've already heard of Isaac's success. In just two years, he has taken his business from nothing to an 8-figure brand, all through the power of short-form video.  Listen in as Isaac shares why video is the most powerful online sales medium available, how it fueled his brand growth, and how he spends his short-form video budget (and why it’s worth every penny). We also discuss the most important metrics when measuring video success, where the current opportunities are with video as a medium, and whether it’s worth throwing time and money into Instagram Reels. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3XYWJmm Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you own a business, you know that one of the hardest parts is the people part. Whether it’s leading people, developing people, or retaining people, it can be a major challenge, and having a solid team in place becomes more important as you grow—and even more important as you look to sell. Byron McFarland is a Succession and Equity Compensation Strategist with The McFarland Group who has helped countless firms design compensation plans to incentivize and retain key people, and in this episode, we’re diving into the nuts and bolts of building a team that will help take your business to the next level. Listen in as we discuss the critical topic of how to structure retention plans for your business, the key to keeping valuable team members, and plans that reward future performance to drive results. We also share insights on how to approach retention planning when recruiting new talent so you can attract and retain top performers and ensure the success of your business for the long term. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3XOnBFy Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Curious about the latest trends in digital marketing? Andrew Foxwell, Co-Founder of Foxwell Digital, joins me today to uncover some of the trends happening in the digital marketing landscape, including, of course, what you might be able to expect from Facebook advertising in the near future. In this episode, we’re diving into the rumors circulating about Facebook's performance, how advertising on Facebook has become easier in some ways (and much harder in other ways), and what is driving overall trends in digital marketing. We also discuss tools that can help streamline your paid advertising workflow, whether TikTok ads are worth the time and money, and an interesting approach to finding influencers for your eCommerce brand. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3R0081y Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today I’m joined by Ron Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Obvi, a protein powder specifically designed for women. He has a super cool story of how he’s grown the company to over $30 million in size in just three years, and his insight is invaluable for anyone looking to start a business and grow it quickly. Listen in as we dive into the marketing strategies that have worked best for Obvi, how Ron built his rockstar team, and how he overcame the challenges of financing and hiring that team. He also shares insights on financing growth quickly (and continuing to power it), how they leverage community and subscriptions, and the challenges and benefits of marketing to somebody on the opposite side of the consumer spectrum. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3IOjLHO Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

This is part two of my discussion with Matthew Bertulli, co-founder and CEO of Pela, a company that produces eco-friendly products such as the Lomi food disposal device and the PelaCase phone case. In this episode, we are diving into all things business moats—including what they are—and talking about what makes a business really and truly defensible. Listen in as we take a deep dive into the areas of business that are often used to create a competitive advantage and explore the many different ways that businesses can protect their market share from competitors. You'll hear how to use software to your advantage psychologically, how to leverage word-of-mouth and community, and why it’s important to understand how humans make decisions when thinking about how to safeguard your market position. Matthew also shares some really interesting insights and tips from the trenches of building his own defensible businesses, so this is an episode you won’t want to miss! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3vRHYW4 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Matthew Bertulli is the co-founder and CEO of Pela, a company that produces eco-friendly products, such as the Lomi food disposal device and the PelaCase phone case. He is super passionate about environmental and waste issues, and his journey to finding a way to both reduce waste and make money with some really cool products is impressive, to say the least! Listen in as Matthew shares what it was like once upon a time being two weeks to Christmas with 100 employees and no payroll, as well as how he came up with the idea for (and then developed) the Lomi food disposal machine. We also get into some of the nitty-gritty of branding and marketing and discuss not only what the competitive advantage for brands will be in the near future, but also why word-of-mouth can be such a powerful tool for any business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3Qa9pDZ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

In this episode, we have an in-depth conversation with Jesse Pujji, a well-known entrepreneur and investor who has previously appeared on the show. Jesse is the Founder of Gateway X, Executive Chairman of Ampush and GrowthAssistant, and most recently, the CEO and Founder of KahaniApp.com, a software company that enhances eCommerce store websites into engaging mobile experiences. Listen in as we dive into various topics in this episode, including how many people are on Jesse’s various teams, how he was able to get his time back, and what his leadership style is. We also talk about his experience working with an Executive Coach, the benefits he found from working with a coach, and how he balances work and family life. Finally, he shares details about KahaniApp.com and how it is changing the online shopping experience. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3YVqaH0 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What do you get when you combine TikTok with DTC and eCommerce? You may just get Dulma Altan, the founder of Makelane.com, creator, and commentator on all things DTC and eCommerce on TikTok. Dulma has been on the up-and-up in the eCommerce space, and I’m excited to chat with her about so many different things, including Silicon Valley, capitalism, community, and more. Listen in as she shares what it was like moving from Mongolia to the U.S., the lessons she learned from her first business, and what it was like working at Google. We also dive into TikTok and discuss how the platform has evolved as we come out of the pandemic, as well as what the future of short-form video looks like. To make things even more interesting, we also discuss a little bit about capitalism, what it’s like building a really amazing community, and the biggest roadblock for many women in the eCommerce and DTC space. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3uR0EVr Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

It is the most wonderful time of the year! Not only is it a time to get together with friends and family and enjoy each other’s company, but it’s also the time of year when Bill D’Alessandro and I look back on our predictions from a year ago, see where we were massively off, and make even more predictions for the coming year. So get comfortable, grab your holiday favorite drink, and get ready to see how egregious our predictions were from last year, and speculate with us on what 2023 will bring. We’ll be talking about where we think the markets will be headed, what we expect to see from the labor market and domestic sourcing, and what’s up with Shopify in the coming year. We also share our AI-related predictions for the new year and chat about some really cool tools that may just change how we all run and manage our businesses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3FsNgMf Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Do you know where your best customers are coming from? Sara Livingston is the Head of Customer Solutions at Rockerbox.com, and she joins the show today to geek out about all things traffic. From trends to new channels, we’re getting into all of it today and answering the question: how do you determine where you should be spending your marketing budget? Get ready to dip into the weeds as Sara shares where the traffic trends currently sit when it comes to where brands are spending their ad money, how marketing spend is changing on different platforms, and how budgets differ between large and small brands. We also get into attribution and discuss how to think about it, how to test new channels, and how to find out where your best customers are coming from—and get them to spend more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3isEB4o Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Dalia Rojas is the owner of Sixty61.com, an incredible brand and eCommerce store that carries custom sport bike parts and accessories. Dalia is also a newer member to the eCommerceFuel community, and she’s been an incredible member in the short time she’s been part of the community, so I wanted to get her on the podcast to learn more about her, what she’s up to in eCommerce, and her interesting journey to owning Sixty61.com. Listen in as Dalia shares how she first acquired the brand after coming from a background in tech, how that background has benefitted the business and growth, and how she has been able to leverage multiple platforms to sell her product. We also discuss the exclusive distributor agreement she has with an Italian exhaust company, how she went about securing that agreement, and whether it has lived up to the hype. If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like selling on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, or how to get into an exclusive distributor agreement in your industry, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3AVmcUq Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I was recently looking through the new members to the eCommerce Fuel community and there was one company that caught my eye: Mountain Gazette. Mike Rogge, founder and owner, joins me today to talk about his journey re-launching and breathing new life into the beautiful oversized magazine that celebrates all things mountain sports, adventure sports, and the outdoors. Listen in as Mike shares what it’s like to buy something from the past and revive it, how he is marketing the magazine, and how he has built a team of in-house and freelance contributors. We also discuss the economics of print media and content, and geek out about all things sports and the outdoors in general. Mike has a truly interesting story and has built something super cool, so this is an episode you won’t want to miss! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3EBEpYe Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you’ve been out and about on a Sunday, you have probably come across the product created by today’s guest. Chris Ruder is the Founder of Spikeball.com and he has a really cool story about how he started the company and ran it as a side hustle for five years before taking it full-time and growing it to where it is today. Listen in as Chris shares what it was like raising the initial $100k he needed to launch the business from friends and family, why he never considered using third-party investors, and the lessons he learned mixing business and personal. We also dive into the marketing strategies that Chris has employed, why he has never relied on paid advertising, and how he has leveraged community, connection, and word of mouth to scale his business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3tp0WlK Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How do you build a great routine in your life as an entrepreneur? Is it possible to have a schedule that allows you to have flexibility, get things done, see your family—and is also efficient so that you’re not working 80 hours a week? This episode is for all the hyper-efficiency and optimization geeks out there because I'm answering these questions and more. I’ve experimented with a lot of different methods and hacks over the years to get the most out of my day, and today I’m talking through the things I have tried. Listen in to hear what has worked to optimize my routine, what has not worked for me, and a quick and dirty overview of my current daily schedule. I also share why I almost always push back on phone call requests, what I’m doing to optimize efficiency in the long term, and why I make deep work blocks a priority to really dig into meaningful work every week. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3UJ2kv3 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Even a decade into eCommerce, I am still often amazed by the variety of things that people make a living from selling online. From high-end toilet seats to live chickens, it never ceases to blow my mind, and it’s so cool to see people build really niche, and really interesting, businesses. In today’s episode, I’m flying solo and diving into the nitty-gritty of our Charlotte event. I'll be sharing some of the more interesting and unique takeaways that came out of the event and giving you a flavor of what you can expect at a regional event. Listen in as I go over interesting takeaways from not only a tactical perspective, but also from a fun and personal perspective. You'll hear examples of amazing brand and customer experiences, what it was like walking through a FedEx facility (I highly recommend everyone do this at some point in their life), and one of the most popular facets of the event. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3Nt9y3K Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What is the future of Amazon? That’s what we’re diving into today with Bill D’Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com. Bill is a repeat guest on the show and someone who has very different views on the current—and future—state of Amazon. Listen in as we debate whether Amazon is dying like some believe, whether brands should be leaving the platform for greener pastures, and Amazon’s biggest weakness. Whether you sell on Amazon or not, the behemoth is hard to ignore if you’re in eCommerce, so this is an episode you won’t want to miss! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3F8izgN Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

It’s been a tough few years for many eCommerce brands, and in this episode, we’re chatting with Brenden Marquardt, owner of LoriBeds.com, a brand of really beautiful murphy beds that are functional, affordable, and made in the U.S. Brenden has built an amazing business that has also faced a pretty challenging period, over the last six months in particular, and we’re diving into some of the challenges they’ve faced, as well as what they’ve done to weather the storm. Listen in as Brenden shares how the brand came to be, how raising prices led to a rebrand, and the importance of finding the right value proposition. We also get into the supply chain challenges that Brenden has faced, what he’s done to overcome them, and how a website redesign turned out to be a game-changer. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3TgFBWT Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

We all know that great customer service is a cornerstone of any successful eCommerce business, but finding a truly great customer service hire is not always easy. Aaron Powell from BunchBikes.com joins me today to share how he was able to find and hire someone who is above and beyond your average run-of-the-mill team member and how that hire has revealed the true definition of what it means to be an “A-Player.” Listen in as Aaron discloses how he found his unicorn customer service hire, as well as how this hire has been a game-changer and pushed the business forward in unexpectedly positive ways. We also dive into some bike geekery and discuss the bike market, infrastructure building, and how Aaron has found a niche within a niche that has allowed him to build a really amazing business.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3Mn6fuA Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What does it take to build a brand in this day and age, and how has the branding experience changed from even a decade ago? David Segal is not only a tea veteran, having founded David’s Tea and now Owner and Co-Founder of FirebellyTea.com, but he also has a ton of branding experience that spans years. He joins the show today to talk all things branding and so much more. Listen in as we dive into David’s retail experience, what it’s like starting a brand today versus years ago, and how he is weaving really unique branding elements into his new website. We also discuss the investment that went into the current brand and find out what Firebelly Tea is looking for in their next eCommerce Marketing Manager. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3rrxQkt Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

In this episode, we’re deep diving into all things leadership with Jesse Pujji, whose name you might be familiar with as a second-time guest on the show. He’s an entrepreneur and investor who is also the Founder of Gateway X, Executive Chairman of Ampush and GrowthAssistant, and more recently, CEO and Founder of Kahani, a software that transforms eCommerce stores from boring websites into engaging mobile experiences. Listen in as we talk about a bunch of different stuff, including what it means to be a leader, what it’s like working with an Executive Coach, and how Jesse balances family and kids with a very ambitious work schedule. We’re also discussing how the online shopping experience today is, in a lot of ways, identical to a decade ago, and whether or not people are really buying off of social platforms. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3dYU8Hf Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

By far, the thing that has made the biggest impact in terms of financial results in my own business—while doing the least amount of work—has been pricing, and it’s something that I’ve always wished I had done so much sooner. Joining me on the show today is Drew Marconi, co-founder of Intelligems.io, which helps eCommerce brands scientifically test their pricing to find the right one for their brand, and we’re geeking out together on all things pricing. Take a listen as we discuss the current pricing landscape and find out what Drew learned during their recent Shopify pricing experiments. We also discuss whether it’s better to include shipping in your pricing, whether you should let your customer base know if you’re raising your prices before you pull the lever, and what to expect in the near future when it comes to pricing trends. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3xpei3H Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What do you get when you take a discontinued National Geographic catalogue and 12 years of experience in the print catalogue sector? If your name is Allan Shiffrin, you may just get an 8-figure business. If you’re an eCommerce brand, you’re definitely going to want to listen to this episode to find out how you can make direct mail a major source of sales for your brand. Listen in as we geek out about catalogs, direct mail, and how to be able to make what is equivalent to a Facebook lookalike audience for direct mail contacts. Allan also shares some of the tools and co-ops that you can use to get started, how to lay out a great catalog, and the magic number of products to include in a direct mail catalog. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3BaxlQn Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Search for “side hustle ideas” in Google and you’ll get a million and one results. In fact, side hustles have trended upward over the last couple years as people worked them to supplement their income during the pandemic—and many even used their side hustle as an exit path during the “Great Resignation.” Spencer Jan is the co-founder of SoloStove.com, and he is one of the side hustle success stories, having bootstrapped his way to a $2-billion valuation in only 8 years while working a full-time job for much of that time. Listen in as he shares Solo Stove’s journey from being a side hustle to a highly profitable and valuable company. You’ll hear why he and his co-founder and brother, Jeff, obsessed over margins from the very beginning, as well as the painful reality they faced when they first went to sell. We also discuss the importance of profitable margins, how to stay lean as a company, and why it’s important to get out of the default mode of working more and instead spend more time on what matters most. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3wEIh7C Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Do you understand why your customers buy? This week, we’re running a replay of one of the more interesting episodes from the last year with Charles Burdett of PipDecks.com, which is a suite of card decks that helps people do anything from brainstorming creative workshop ideas and improving their storytelling to designing more innovative products. What makes PipDecks.com particularly interesting is how Charles was able to take a product that has a very low cost of goods and sell it at incredibly high prices. You’ll learn how his positioning and his branding have been the secret to selling the decks based on their value rather than on their physical worth. He also shares the one question we should all be asking our customers to understand why they buy, as well as how to overcome the mindset block that most entrepreneurs will grapple with at some point. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QVnnce Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Email has to be one of the biggest pain points that entrepreneurs face, and it’s also something that is an inevitability in today’s world if you’re in eCommerce. I’m happy to say that I finally feel like I’ve gotten to a good place when it comes to my inbox—I no longer feel a sense of chaos when I open my email, and what used to take me over 2 hours now takes me half the time it used to.  In this last solo episode of the summer, I’m discussing how I managed to wrangle my email and cleared out most of the junk, made the important stuff easy to spot, and overall made it possible for me to move through my inbox quickly and efficiently. I’ll also be sharing the game-changer that helped me control the chaos much more easily and why I let go of a lot of hangups I had when it came to email (that you may also have and not even be aware of!). You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ADmpf4 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Welcome to another episode in the summer mini-series where we're diving into topics related to creating an amazing life—something that I know applies to all the entrepreneurs listening. Today we're jumping into something that all the finance geeks will love: tracking your net worth and spending. I'm sharing not only why you should be doing it, but also the best ways I’ve found to pull the info together in a way that makes sense and doesn’t have you sharing your financial info with third-party apps. Listen in as I break down the high-level reasons why you absolutely should be tracking your net worth and your household spending, the method I love for tracking spending, and what I include (and exclude) when looking at my net worth. I also discuss my 4% rule, benchmarking, and the cool freedom chart that tracks your monthly burn rate against your earnings and shows you real-life progress over time. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QgSPkR Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you’ve noticed recently that your emails are not being read or clicked through as often as usual, you are not alone. Today on the show I have Daniel Reifenberger, our resident ECF email marketing expert and the Founder and Chief Strategist at YourLoyalTribe.com, to walk us through what has been going on in the world of email marketing—and of course, how you can improve your email deliverability metrics. Listen in as Daniel breaks down the audit he did on eCommerceFuel’s email deliverability, and hear my raw, unscripted reaction to the data as I hear it for the first time. We also discuss what the auditing process was like, what the overall email marketing landscape looks like today, and tips for improving your email deliverability. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3oXDOsi Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you’re in the eCommerce world and have any kind of inventory-based business, you know how growth can be a double-edged sword: the faster you grow, the larger the POs that you have to place and the more likely you are to slip into a negative cash flow. Ben Tregoe is the CEO and Co-Founder at BainbridgeGrowth.com, a company that helps eCommerce businesses with advanced financial modelling and evaluating different options for financing their growth. He joins me today to talk through some of the options and the pitfalls that eComm businesses can face as they grow. Listen in as Ben shares some of the biggest mistakes that brands make when it comes to financing, as well as the importance of thinking well into the future when looking at all the options available. We also discuss the best financing options for every stage of the eCommerce business (including PO factoring, mezzanine debt, and the Kickfurther model) and the one area where many don’t focus enough when it comes to financing options. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3PY7Fgd Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

We've all heard the phrase “work on it, not in it” in relation to business—otherwise known as “the owner’s trap.” But what if I could make the case for why there actually is a time and a place to get back to working in the trenches, talking to your customers, and diving right into the nitty-gritty of your business? In this mini solo episode, I share the top reasons why you should consider periodically diving back into the details of your business, including how you can get some really valuable feedback from not only your customers, but also your team members. Then tune in to the end for a bonus mini-episode with Allan Fisch of Moonshot Brands, an organization that buys Amazon and Shopify businesses and gives eCommerce founders financial freedom, as we discuss what’s happening right now in the eCommerce landscape and how A2X plays into Allan’s acquisition process. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3PQmpgA Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

So how are entrepreneurs doing lately? Dr. Sherry Walling joins the show for the second time around to give some insight into the state of entrepreneurship today, including whether entrepreneurs are re-evaluating their lives and businesses as the world emerges from the pandemic. As a Clinical Psychologist that specializes in helping entrepreneurs with their mental health, and the founder of the ZenFounder.com podcast, she has a unique finger on the pulse of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in the world today. Listen in as we talk about some of the most common myths that entrepreneurs tell themselves, what it can look like to balance work and personal life successfully as an entrepreneur, and whether it is actually more stressful to be an entrepreneur today than at any other time. We also explore grief and psychedelics, including the strategies that Sherry personally used to grieve and how she uses psychedelics therapeutically in her practice. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3RLT4Wo Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

It’s been a wild few years in eCommerce, so I was super excited to sit down and go over the results of our fourth-ever eCommerce Trends Report for 2022. The results were eye-opening, and there were some pretty interesting takeaways about what is working in eCommerce, what’s not working, what trends are emerging, and what the general lay of the eCommerce land looks like. In this episode, I’m going over four of the most surprising takeaways, including the best model when it comes to having a strong competitive advantage, pricing tactics that almost always work, and why ROAS is less important than we think. I also discuss something that we saw for the first time ever with Amazon and how really effective branding and marketing played out in the numbers. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3uyQCbX Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

A lot has happened in the last 24 months when it comes to shipping and logistics due to the pandemic, and you might be wondering what the immediate future holds. Here to give us his take is Dhruv Saxena, Co-Founder and CEO of ShipBob.com, one of the largest global 3PL providers that is trusted by over 7,000 brands and fulfills orders all around the world. We’re deep-diving into all things logistics, warehousing, and international shipping as Dhruv shares his perspective on the status of international logistics and what you can expect if you’re trying to move goods from one point to another. We’re also talking about the biggest changes he’s seen on the fulfillment side, where popular freight carriers stand after COVID, and what the availability of warehouse space looks like across the U.S. You'll learn some of the best and worst logistics stories Dhruv has ever heard and get the low-down on the demand for same-day shipping for anyone whose name is not “Amazon.” You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3OVLUx4 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

There’s no doubt that one of the areas that COVID impacted the most was in the way we work, and specifically, in how the pandemic pushed remote work into the mainstream. Dan Andrews is the Co-Founder of Tropical MBA and Dynamite Jobs, and he’s been beating the remote work drum for over a decade. He joins the show today to talk all things remote work, including whether it’s here to stay. Listen in as we dive into how the narrative of remote work has changed over the past few years, what the optimal structure for organizations going forward will likely be, and whether offering the option to work remotely is still considered a perk for most employees. We also discuss when you should—and shouldn’t—post a salary in your job description, what you can do instead to manage expectations and maintain interest, and how to find and vet great remote team members.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3y6kdvf Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What does the future of eCommerce look like? Fan Bi is the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of TheHedgeHogCompany.com, an eCommerce holding company that acquires and grows brands, and he has a really unique perspective on some of the trends happening in the eCommerce marketplace today—which is what we’re geeking out on in this episode. Listen in to find out whether the M&A party is coming to an end, what Fan is seeing in his portfolio when it comes to eCommerce, and why it might be another rough year for eCommerce store owners. We also talk about why now is the best time for getting lean and focusing on your branding and story-telling, and Fan shares the mindset shift that allowed him to sleep at night during the rough ride that COVID brought many in eCommerce. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/39F7mXD Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Launching in the turbulent time that was February 2020, Leah McHenry, Founder & CEO of Mythologie Candles, has successfully grown her business to over $6 million in sales in just 24 months. Today Leah joins the show to describe her “secret sauce” to successful marketing—including her advice for anyone just starting their business from the ground up—and how she uses influencers to not only cut down on marketing costs, but also create more content for the brand. Listen in as she shares how the positioning and branding of her products have been so critical to the growth of her business, as well as why she believes it is essential to have your audience dialed in before you create your product. You’ll learn the role her Facebook community has played in her business, how much paid traffic her company uses, and her tips for market research. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QoKNqP  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

One of the core values of the eCommerceFuel community is reciprocity: members giving as much as they are taking. With that, we ask that all new members share a case study with the community, and new member Sarah Douglass, Founder of WiseOwlOutfitters.com, recently shared one of the best case studies on buying and selling a business. It was super detailed, really thoughtful, and offered a ton of insight—so of course, I had to have her on the show to share it. Listen in as Sarah shares the backstory to Wise Owl Outfitters, including the very honest reason why she decided to sell it, even though she loved the brand and the business that she had built. We also dive into what the selling process was like, the lessons Sarah learned along the way (including the big mistake she made with her CPA), and the importance of doing thorough due diligence on your buyer. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3GDNeRG Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How does your investment portfolio look these days? I’ve been doing some investing over the past couple of years, running a very small investment syndicate that has taught me a ton, and I’m excited to have someone on the show who has been doing similar things. Andrew Gluck is the Founder of Irrvrnt.com, an investment fund that invests in DTC operations companies and emerging eCommerce tech (among other things), and we’re going to be geeking out on all things investing—and so much more. Tune in as we share the lessons we’ve learned, as well as the mistakes we’ve made in our respective investment journeys. You'll hear us deep dive into angel investing, including what to consider before becoming an angel yourself. We also talk about rolling funds, the current investment landscape, and whether having a solid network to tap into is an important pillar of successful investing. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3yXLv86 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you are running events in the eCommerce space, you know what a lonely world it can be. Today, I’m excited to be joined by Nick Shackelford, Co-Founder of GeekOut Events, which puts on high-intentional no-fluff events all over the world. In this episode, we’re talking event planning, but we’re also talking about so much more related to eCommerce, including marketing, branding, and even copywriting. Listen in as we dive into the reasons behind why Nick (or anyone, really) puts on events (hint: it’s definitely not for the money), how he leverages a built-in FOMO effect with his pricing strategy, and his hack for getting critical information to his customers without relying on email or SMS. We also talk about the current digital marketing landscape, why Nick is not going all-in with TikTok (yet), and the core philosophies that he sticks to when it comes to creating a killer brand presence. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3sYnWbj  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Kurt Elster is the man behind Ethercycle.com, a Shopify agency that specializes exclusively—and very successfully—in helping Shopify store owners generate massive revenue growth. Not only does he put out some really amazing websites on Shopify, but he also hosts The Unofficial Shopify Podcast and has a bunch of really cool apps that we talk about in this episode. Listen in as we dive into all things Shopify, including what store owners need to stop asking for on their sites, the one thing that Kurt has done that has really moved the needle for his clients, and the must-haves on any Shopify site that increase conversion and engagement. Kurt also shares the top three apps that get put on every site he builds to reduce friction for consumers, and in turn, increase revenue for store owners. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3NnObQ6 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Most eCommerce owners struggle with hiring, let alone trying to hire when they’re scaling at a rapid pace. Roc Pilon is a successful entrepreneur in business, real estate, and the fitness industry. He has a really interesting story coming from a trailer in Boise, Idaho dealing with the effects of the 2008 recession and going all in with $5,000 and an idea to innovate better powerlifting gear.  Listen in as we dive into how Roc managed to successfully hire 30 people over the span of two years using LinkedIn as his hiring tool and how he has approached compensation with the team members he has hired, including how he handles performance incentives. Roc also shares how to best get your team to model the core values of your business, what the downsides are to having a remote team, and how hiring an Operations Manager has been a game changer for him. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3LU3EY9 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How do you invest in innovation to stay relevant in the marketplace without starving the products that are the bread and butter of your business? Joel Heath is the co-founder of FluidStance.com and he joins me to talk all about innovation - how to think about it in a way that can keep your business relevant without sacrificing what made it successful to begin with. Tune in as we explore Joel’s experience with innovating to the point of alienation and the lessons he learned through that process, what the golden ratio for innovation is, and the importance of taking care of the base first. We also discuss the challenges of selling your business and watching somebody else run and raise it and what the three boxes to check are when you’re thinking of selling your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3KnSzwV Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Adam Craft is the founder of ElevatedCraft.com, a mixology and drink product brand that is focused on designing bar tools that improve the home bar experience. He has built a pretty cool business and community on Facebook, and in this episode, we’re diving into the role that community has played in growing the brand and exploring where Adam intends to take his community in the future. Tune in as we geek out about the strategy that comes into play with growing and maintaining a really great community, including when to consider hiring a full-time community manager and whether to stay on Facebook or move to another platform. Adam also shares how instrumental his Facebook group has been to growing his brand, how Kickstarter helped with his initial launch, and all the things to consider when you’re thinking through how to brand your community. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3LmAGzE Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

You know him as the founder of SmartMarketer.com and the co-founder and CEO of BOOM!, but Ezra Firestone recently added another brand to his portfolio: oVertone Haircare. In this episode, we talk about how he took an established but struggling brand and turned it around in only 90 days.  Listen in as we discuss the details of Ezra’s oVertone takeover and optimization, which included massive cost-cutting, team re-structuring, and overhauling the marketing strategy to really focus on upsells and great content. You'll hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to subscriptions, as well as how Ezra sets boundaries in his business and schedules his days to make life enjoyment a priority. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3vsg7uR Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Many of us have been in the position where we have an interesting opportunity in front of us to purchase another eCommerce business - maybe it has a complementary product line or it would make a good strategic addition to your existing business - and we’re on the fence about whether we should actually pull the trigger. In this solo episode, I’m sharing the top things you should consider before committing the time, effort, and money that it takes to follow through on such a huge decision, all based on my own experience closing deals. Listen in as I dive into what you need to consider before buying that shiny new object, including whether you have the skills to diligence the deal well and the time to follow through on the deal. (Spoiler alert: It will take longer to close than you think it will!) I also discuss the financial aspects to consider, how to identify the micro and macro leverage you might have to move the deal in your favor, and why sometimes the better decision is to put a little TLC into your existing business rather than spread your energy (and capital) too thin. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3EbudEY Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

We were thrilled to hold eCommerceFuel Live at Chesapeake Bay, a place rich in history and great food. This year was especially unique, as it was the first large live event we have held since the beginning of the pandemic, and coming back together as a community was very rewarding. In this episode, we will be reviewing everything that happened during eCF Live. To help us discuss this is Bill D’Alessandro, CEO of Elements Brands. Listen in as Bill and I share how this year’s event was different from the eCF Live events we have had in the past, as well as the importance of making time to do the things that make you happy. You will learn where growing companies often fail, how to build a rich company culture, and how to effectively sort your social media accounts by engagement levels to create a sales funnel. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3xckqx1  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you wondering where to put your money this year when it comes to paid traffic? Jesse Pujji is the founder of Gateway X, a holding company that invests in DTC brands, and the co-founder of Ampush, a growth marketing company that connects the right consumers with the right brands, and he knows his stuff when it comes to the growth space and running a business. In this episode, we get right into why Facebook might not be the devil that it is often made out to be, why TikTok might actually be the second coming of Facebook, and all the weird and wonderful ways that businesses can leverage the platform to grow their business. We also talk about why Jesse is a huge fan of affiliate marketing, how he manages his affiliates, and the details of hiring and balancing being in the business with leading the business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3NvPeib Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Charles Burdett is the founder of PipDecks.com, a suite of card decks that helps people do anything from brainstorming creative workshop ideas and telling better stories to designing more innovative products. It's an amazing case study on how to sell the value and the transformation as opposed to the physical product, and I’m super excited to sit down with Charles today to talk about how he scaled to a 7-figure card deck business. Tune in as we dive into the unintentional birth of PipDecks.com, as well as Charles’ secret to selling his decks based on their value rather than their physical worth. You'll learn the question we should all be asking our customers to understand why they buy, what it means to have freedom, how to not lose sight of what is most important in life, and the mindset block that most entrepreneurs will grapple with at some point. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3tWT5vr Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

There’s running a business, and then there’s running a business when you have small kids, which is a totally different ballgame—and one that I’m talking about today with my good friend, Bill D’Alessandro. Bill is right in the thick of it with this two-year-old and five-month-old, and we’re going to be keeping it real and dishing about the struggles of trying to balance parenthood and entrepreneurship. Listen in as we give our honest thoughts on what it’s like trying to run a business while raising young kids, how to maintain some level of productivity, and how to find a balance between family and business that works for you. We also share one of the best investments that you can make to balance work and family life, as well as some of the things anyone who has kids (but especially entrepreneurs!) should consider doing financially for their children while they’re young.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3pX83Ai Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Michael Epstein, my good friend and partner in crime, has served as the CMO for multiple eCommerce brands and has a ton of great experience in the online marketing space. I got to know him over the course of an intense 6-month period, watching him conceptualize and build a brand, and I thought it would be fun to have him come on the show and talk about his eCommerce adventures. Listen in as we unpack so much in this episode, including Michael’s insights into the eCommerce market as it stands today, his experience conceptualizing and launching brands, and his advice for eCommerce business owners who are leading their own marketing and design departments. We also talk about hiring, whether it’s better to develop your in-house talent or hire externally, and what you can expect in terms of compensation for eCommerce marketing talent today. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/34p2VNW Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Paul DeJoe, Co-Founder and COO of MUD:WTR, a coffee alternative that came to be in an almost unintentional way. He’s a really interesting, fun, and smart guy and we talked about a lot, including podcasting, content creation, and how MUD:WTR is trying to convince people to give up their morning coffee—which is certainly no small feat. Tune in to hear the incredible story behind MUD:WTR, from how they got started to where they are now—and how they made it all happen. We also dive into the nitty-gritty of their marketing (such as why they are building an in-house content studio), how podcasting has helped them build great brand awareness, how they are building a community centred around the idea of health and self-improvement, and so much more! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3heWO1G Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

The real magic of the eCommerceFuel community happens when we get together in person, and we had the opportunity to do that late last month in Los Angeles. If you missed it, you’re in luck because today I’m flying solo and giving you the big takeaways and a recap of what I learned during the incredibly cool L.A. Regional Event. Listen in as I share some of the biggest lessons I learned during the event from other ECF members, including what is working in terms of client acquisitions for many, as well as why a marketing mindset is critical in the highly competitive hiring landscape. I also share my thoughts on why I believe that it will be harder to scale quickly for businesses just starting out and divulge some of the trends that you’re most likely to see emerge in the next 12-24 months in the eCommerce stratosphere. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3v2vko0 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

You can’t build anything interesting without some level of sacrifice, but if you’re an entrepreneur that is years into the hustle and you still can’t seem to get freedom from your business regularly, there’s a problem. Dale Majors, founder of VentureAnyway.com, joins me today to talk about something that so many of us struggle with: our businesses becoming all-consuming while our personal and family lives slowly disappear. Listen in as Dale shares how to scale your business without becoming a slave to it, what he wishes he would have done before selling his first business, and how he took what he learned through his own entrepreneurial journey and now uses it to help other business owners build amazing lives. We also talk about the importance of building habits versus chasing goals and what Dale did to bring more control—and happiness—into his life. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3LA4UQt Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Cost of goods sold: love it or hate it, it’s a big deal in the eCommerce world. To wrap up our three-part series on accounting and finances, we’re diving into all things COGS: the value of it, the implications it can have on your business, and how to figure it out without losing your mind. Joining me today are Jamie McDonald, CEO of A2X Accounting, Scott Scharf of CatchingClouds.net and previous eCommerceFuel financial expert, and Brittany Brown, founder of LedgerGurus.com, who also specializes in eCommerce accounting for Quickbooks and Xero. No matter what phase of business you are in, this is an episode you literally can’t afford to miss. So listen in as we break down the good, the bad, and the ugly about your cost of goods sold. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3HFR3Wq Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today I am joined by Tyler Jefcoat, the CEO of Seller Accountant, an accounting firm that specializes in accounting and bookkeeping for online sellers. Tyler has a ton of experience in the eCommerce field, and today we’re diving deep into due diligence and how you can get your business ready for sale from a financial and accountant standpoint. Take a listen as Tyler walks us through some of the things that have completely killed deals on the table, how to build trust with potential buyers (and maximize the money in your pocket), and when you need to start getting really obsessive about tracking your inventory. If you think due diligence is the opposite of a super sexy topic, you might think differently if it means you’ll be making an extra 6 figures on a deal! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ADjf9q Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I’m flying solo and kicking off the first of a series of episodes talking all about everyone’s favorite topics: finances, accounting, and bookkeeping in the eCommerce world. If you’re anything like me, you’ll love this episode as we geek out about numbers—and if the word “bookkeeping” makes you want to cry, I promise this episode will leave you with some tangible tips and insights into how to make it work for you. Listen in as I share eight rules to keep you profitable in your business (and sane while you’re getting it all done!). You'll learn about some great resources to refer to if you need to fine-tune your accounting skills, why I prefer to do my own bookkeeping, and the biggest metric that you need to be tracking in your eCommerce business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3GZnoXI Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that it’s been a rough year for eCommerce. After the debacle that was the Apple and Facebook divorce, you are definitely not alone if you found the ax being taken to your ad account ROI. Joining me today are Austin Harrison and Grant Margerum, founders of Northbeam.io, the new standard for eCommerce intelligence and attribution. Listen in as we talk all about data, tracking, and what the heck happened between Apple and Facebook. You'll learn what you need to know about the different types of data, what the future of tracking looks like, and how Northbeam.io helps clients grow their revenue by an average of 44%—and allows them to make smarter, faster decisions. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3zZxJQU Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Spencer Jan is the co-founder of Solo Stove, along with his brother, Jeff, and they have a phenomenal story of bootstrapping their way to a $2-billion valuation in only 8 years. Within the last 24 months alone, they’ve had two private equity deals and three major 8-figure acquisitions! Spencer joins me today to talk all about that and so much more. Listen in as he shares Solo Stove’s journey from being a side hustle to a highly profitable and valuable company. You'll hear why they obsessed over margins from the very beginning, as well as the painful reality they faced when they first went to sell. We also discuss the importance of profitable margins, how to stay lean as a company, and why it’s important to get out of the default mode of working more and instead spend more time on what matters most. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3tood8J Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ramon van Meer is the owner of AlphaPaw.com, an entrepreneur, and a self-described bootstrap founder of numerous businesses. He has a really cool story of immigrating from the Netherlands 12 years ago and pivoting to the internet marketing space, where he has self-financed his ventures and built some really amazing communities.  We dive into so much in this episode, including how Ramon has been so successful doing something that very few have done in the eCommerce space: buying and selling websites. We also talk about how he has built communities (and then monetized those communities), how he is pivoting to overcome the challenges the pandemic has thrown his way, and what he would do differently if he ever decides to acquire another community. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3mczp3B Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

As entrepreneurs, we often have busy and packed lives—and as a result, friendships often get pushed to the side. Cultivating friendships is something that I think is really important, especially as we go into the new year and start to think about how we’re going to invest our time in 2022. That’s why I’m bringing back one of my favorite episodes all about friendships and entrepreneurship, where I talked about the importance of friendship not only on our mental health, but also on our physical well-being. I also shared why I’m so intentional with my own friendships and have been able to nurture them, despite the busyness that tends to come with entrepreneurial life. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3qjeBbY Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

One of my favorite episodes from the past year is one I did with my accountant, Mario Lucibello, and I’m excited to share it with you again as we head into the ever-so-fun tax season. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: accounting doesn’t sound very festive. But what if I told you that Mario has some tips for how to give yourself a last-minute bonus before we get to the end of the year? Not only does he give insights into entrepreneurship, taxes, and finances in this episode, but he also has a really unique perspective on happiness and wealth that I think everyone should keep in mind as we go through the holiday season. Mario has been fortunate to see the finances of hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years, which has helped to shape his perspective on money and wealth. So kick back and enjoy this interesting and refreshing replay. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3J1UEiq Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Josh Cauley is the owner of ShipHaven.com and a long-time ECF member who I just recently had the opportunity to meet in person. Josh currently resides in Puerto Rico, and he joins me today to talk about how living there benefits him financially, how he has built a true adventure business, and how he utilizes headhunters to help him grow and scale. Listen in as we talk about the difference between a headhunter and a recruiter, how Josh has used both to earn a 95% staff retention rate, and the questions he uses during the hiring process to vet candidates. You'll learn why he moved to Puerto Rico, how he manages to stay productive while also traveling, and key insight into why he doesn’t believe that selling on Amazon is sustainable long-term for most eCommerce businesses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3058ejo Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Thanks to the pandemic, the last two years have seen incredible growth and change for the eCommerce space. Some of which we predicted, and some things seem to have come completely out of nowhere. As we near the end of the year, it's always fun to look back at the predictions we made, as well as what we believe we can expect to see in the coming year. To help us reflect on these predictions is Bill D’Alessandro, CEO of ElementsBrands.com. Will Facebook advertising be fixed by the end of next year? Will there be a new web browser on the horizon? Could this be the largest year we have ever seen for eCommerce M&A? Tune in as we share our thoughts on these questions and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3y29nF9  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I’m excited to have my good friend and returning guest Mr. Eric Bandholz joining me on the show today. Eric is the man behind Beardbrand.com, an eCommerce store that is dedicated to building a community of like-minded beardsmen. We caught up to talk about so many things, including his new project, the reason behind it, why he is choosing to stay away from Facebook and Google tracking, and what he is doing instead to create brand awareness and buzz. Listen in to hear Eric’s philosophy around freedom, why he chooses to live a debt-free life, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3G8dSAz  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Darnell Jackson is the Chief Operations Officer at VIPHaircare.com, a 100% black-owned luxury beauty brand that focuses on the growth and maintenance of strong, healthy hair. Darnell has a really interesting story, having grown up without access to a lot of resources and overcoming all of that to build a successful beauty brand with his wife. Listen in as Darnell shares his journey as a young entrepreneur, how he pivoted from illicit pursuits to business pursuits, and what it’s like bootstrapping your way to the top without a safety net to fall back on. We also discuss why his next focus is on growing a personal brand instead of a business, and how he and his wife are approaching influencer marketing to make that happen. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3x09aBU Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.  

Sean Frank is the COO at Ridge Wallets, an everyday essentials brand that started on Kickstarter in 2013 and blew well past its goals in the first and second campaigns. Since then, they have bootstrapped their way to $100 million in sales without any investors or credit (until recently!). In this episode, we’re diving into how Ridge Wallets grew to the size they are today in an industry that is notorious for sucking up cash, as well as the unique influencer strategy that helps Sean get the most exposure for the brand with the least amount of work. Sean also shares the one key metric that he uses to dial in his headcount to keep the business lean without overloading his team, and we talk about why the next two years may be the hardest for those in the eCommerce game. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3qORDvg Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

A lot has changed over the last year when it comes to online marketing, with increased competition, changing dynamics, and major platform changes. If you feel like your head is spinning, you are definitely not alone. Steve Chou joins me today to dive into the current state of eCommerce, including what we’re ignoring and where we’re really doubling down in our marketing efforts. Listen in as we talk about all the changes that have happened over the past few years that are informing strategy in Steve’s business and in my own. You'll learn what we are doing to get the most bang for our buck, as well as why Steve is moving away from third-party platforms in favor of those that he has some measure of control over. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3BLKlKK Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Usually when I invite a guest on the show, it’s to learn all the trade secrets of what they do really well, but today’s guest joins me because he’s an incredible human being that also happens to be really good at running an eCommerce store. Meet Josh Willard, the founder of Josh’s Frogs, an 8-figure business and the largest producer of captive-bred poison dart frogs in the United States—and possibly the world! Listen in as we dive into Josh’s interesting approach to building a values-based business, where he gets the most bang for his buck when it comes to marketing, and why he decided to only sell frogs that are raised in-house. We also talk about why Josh shares the company’s financials with his team (including revenue, profit, and even his own salary) and the benefits and risks of opening the books in this way. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2ZHfRMq Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I could probably count on one hand the number of people who have landed on the website through a cold pitch email, but today’s guest is one of those people. Jason Lee is the founder of TheFBAFlipper.com, and he joins me today to talk about the ins and outs of the Chinese FBA market. Listen in as we dive into what the FBA market is like in China, who is typically building FBA businesses, and how these businesses differ from those found in the West. We also dive into some of the fraud tactics you’ll find in the Chinese market and why Western merchants have a significant advantage over their Chinese counterparts despite government support for FBA businesses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3FQbFKK Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you asked yourself lately what the heck is going on with hiring? It’s a great time to be an employee, but a rough time to be an employer, and unless you’re a business of one, you have likely experienced the pain of finding the right people to join your team over the last year. In this episode, I’m joined by three wonderful ECF community members, Andy Hayes of PlumDeluxe.com, Meredith Erin from BoredwalkTshirts.com, and Mehtab Bhogal from KartaVentures.com, to discuss all things hiring. Listen in as we talk about what has happened with the job market, including the trends Andy, Meredith, and Mehtab are each seeing in their respective markets around the country. You'll learn the factors that have played into the difficulty finding the right people to fill open roles, how they are trying to get people through the door, and what to expect for hiring as government benefits begin to expire. We also dive into some of the egregious things that job applicants have asked for in their job search. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3mtN1XM Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How many of you have considered buying a business, swooping in to fix all the problems, and making a boatload of money from the experience? Sounds great, right? The fantasy is rarely the reality though when it comes to buying a business, and today Mike Jackness of EcomCrew joins me to talk about his transition into buying a business and managing it post-acquisition. Listen in as we dive into what it was like for Mike to purchase a business and become a remote CEO, why he’s looking for somebody to take over his role as CEO of the business, and what he’s looking for in that rockstar replacement. You’ll definitely want to listen to this episode if you’re looking for a really amazing opportunity to work for an eCommerce company in a high-level capacity. And even if you’re not looking for a new gig, hopefully you’ll get a few insights into what it’s like to buy and manage a business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3FDVDUe Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 18 months, you are probably aware that container prices are stupidly high right now. Our ECF importing expert, David Bryant of eComCrew, joins me today to discuss what has caused these ridiculously high prices and what you can do to mitigate the pain. Take a listen and get insight into how we got to where we are when it comes to global shipping, what the near-future holds for lead times and pricing, and what you can do now to help lessen the blow. There are some valuable lessons I learned from my conversation with David, so make you don’t miss this episode—especially with holiday shopping just around the corner! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ipjdtW Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

It’s been a rough year for many of us. Shipping rates have gone through the roof, supplier prices are increasing, and margins are getting tighter. My good friend and regular guest Bill D’Alessandro joins me today to discuss one piece of the profitability puzzle: the sad world of supplier price increases. We’re diving into what’s been going on in the world with supplier price increases, if the levels we’re hearing about are in line with what the official numbers say, and whether or not you can expect even more price increases in the near future. We’re also looking at different ways you can protect your business and your personal investments, and mitigate price increases without impacting your sales and profitability. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3kGMAcS Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I’m joined today by a past guest on this podcast, Danny Robertson of House&Hold.com, who at the time was running five different businesses and had a ton on his plate. Since then he’s faced some major challenges, come out the other side intact, and has an absolutely incredible story about what can happen when you’re chasing too much and trying to do all the things. We’re picking up where we left off and diving into how Danny’s journey has transpired since we last talked, from his financial challenges to living a more intentional life, and what it was like living in a 160 sq. ft tiny house with six people. Danny’s story is a lesson for all entrepreneurs on what can happen when we try to bite off more than we can chew, so make sure you don’t miss this episode! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ALzfW5  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

The real magic of the ECF community is when you get together in person. It’s where stories are born, memories are made, and friendships are created. For the last 2 years, we have wanted to bring someone into the team who could focus on the magic of bringing people together, and I’m happy to announce that Audrey Smith, event planner extraordinaire, has joined the ECF team to up-level our post-pandemic live event game plan. In this episode, we’re diving into Audrey’s background in event planning, what made her apply for ECF, and what her favorite planning has been so far. We’re also talking about what is coming down the pipeline for ECF, including a sneak peek of the upcoming ECF Live, and what you can expect in the near future when it comes to regional events. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3lsOYmB Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Corey Nicholson is the 20-year-old co-founder of Peachy Shapewear, a line of women’s shapewear that leveraged the power of TikTok to scale to 7 figures. Today we’re diving into the details behind their success, as well as Corey’s own personal journey from McDonald’s to eCommerce. Listen in as he shares how Peachy Shapewear has leveraged TikTok influencers to scale, his recommendations for partnering with them, and the details to optimize TikTok ads, content, and workflows. If you’ve been considering up-leveling your TikTok game, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3hhFSYH Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

For the first 12 years of my entrepreneurial career, I was the only shareholder in my business, and I didn’t fully appreciate how much that fact really streamlined decision-making, finances, and governance until I brought on shareholders. The truth is that bringing on shareholders opens up a whole new world in terms of possibilities and opportunities, but it also opens up a whole new set of considerations. So, in this episode, I’m jumping into all the things that you should be considering if you’re thinking about starting—or investing in—a multi-owner business so you don’t shoot yourself in the foot. I’ll be sharing how you can set up governance, what to think about when it comes to compensation, some of the different ways boards can be structured, and even what to consider when it comes to selling the business or its shares.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3BKuj4f Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Could you really unplug from your business for an extended period? What would that look like? How could you make it happen? What would happen to your business in your absence? These are all questions we’re answering today with my guest, Greg Howlett. Greg is the CEO of CaringSunshine.com and Cobblestone Trade, and he recently went off-grid, completely unplugged, for five weeks with his family. As business owners, we all struggle with the work-life balance, so I brought Greg on today to discuss how he is able to step away from his business without things falling apart. Listen in as he shares how you can make it work in your business, the lessons he has learned from years of making unplugged time a priority, and the first step to actually making it happen for yourself.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/382xLdi Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today I am joined by Andrew Faris, the CEO and man behind 4×400, a holding company that launches and grows eCommerce brands. He is also the voice behind The eCommerce Playbook podcast, and one of the things I love most about him is his super candid thoughts about the good, the bad, and the ugly of eCommerce businesses. Listen in as Andrew dives into the businesses he has purchased, what went well, what didn’t go well, and some of the hard knocks he experienced along the way. We also talk about the difficulties of protecting cash flow without relatable revenue streams to forecast from, and Andrew shares some of his favorite pieces of eCommerce tech. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2UigWrS Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Oftentimes, a large portion of an entrepreneur’s wealth comes from the exit, and in this episode, I’m sitting down with Joe Valley to get geeky about the highs and lows of selling businesses. Joe is not only the author of The EXITpreneur’s Playbook and a long-time business broker with Quiet Light Brokerage, but he has also helped a lot of ECF members exit their own businesses. Listen in as we dive into the art of buying and selling from Joe’s perspective, having handled hundreds of transactions over his career, including how you can set up your business to sell for top dollar right from the beginning. We also talk about where the market is right now in terms of buying and selling eCommerce stores, as well as some of the specifics surrounding FBA businesses, addbacks, and what the perfect-sized business really is. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2VxNj6A Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

We all know there are two things that are certain in life: death and taxes. I’m excited to have my accountant, Mario Lucibello, join me today to talk about saving on taxes and tax strategies specific for entrepreneurs and business owners. We also chatted about something I wasn’t expecting that really opened my eyes to how we view and think about our money. Listen in as we dive into how to save on your taxes in many different circumstances, including some of the best ways to sell assets without losing your profit to taxes. You'll learn why you might want to consider paying yourself more through your payroll, why having an accountant who understands your unique situation is the best way to save money, and the psychology behind how we think about our money. Mario has seen the finances of hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years, and he has a really interesting perspective on wealth and well-being that you won't want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jfFFpb Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

You probably spend anywhere from 6 to 10 hours every day sitting in front of your computer screen, and your ability to use that machine well dictates not only how productive you are, but how well your business does. But how often do we really sit and think about how well our computer is set up, how well it’s optimized, and how efficient we are at using it? In this short and sweet episode, I’m sharing my tips for mastering your computer so you can shave time off your work week and get more done in less time. Something as simple as leveling up your computer skills can have massive implications on your productivity and business success, so make sure you don’t miss this episode! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3iBW5aO Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Cressida Granger is the owner of Mathmos.com, a name you might actually remember as being the original creator and inventor of the famed lava lamp. She is a more recent member of the ECF community, and I wanted to get her on to talk about her story and her business because it is so incredibly interesting. Listen in as Cressida shares how she manufactured a back-of-the-napkin deal for the iconic lava lamp brand, what happened when people found out that her patent on the lava lamp had expired, and why the business chose to move away from wholesale. We also discuss the Brexit challenges that have become part of the territory of shipping from Britain, as well as why Mathmos is making the move to a new e-commerce platform (and which one it is). You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3rjd2ep Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Building an amazing life is just as important as building a thriving e-commerce store, and today we’re talking about something that has made a huge impact in my life: splitting time between two different places. I was hesitant about doing an episode on this topic for a long time, but I decided to share for three reasons: the impact it has had, the questions I get asked about it, and the challenges that sometimes come along with it. So in this episode, I’m joined by two friends who also split their time, Danny and Pete, and we’re talking about how to make living in two places work. You'll learn why they chose the cities they did, how to build a community, how to make it work when you have kids, and—of course—how to structure your finances to make it feasible. If you’ve ever dreamed of living in a new place and wonder what that could possibly look like, this is an episode you don't want to miss! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3e5zIJx Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I have long been a huge advocate for testing your pricing. Why? Because if you have never tested, there is potentially money you are leaving on the table. So in this episode, we’re taking the discussion a step further and talking about split testing your pricing with the founders of IntelliGems, an analytics and optimization platform for mobile developers to run A/B tests and ultimately drive monetization. Adam Kitain and Drew Marconi both have a lot of experience with product pricing and split testing, and they're in the trenches helping e-commerce store owners test pricing. Listen in as we discuss how to test your prices—with the goal of raising those prices to increase profitability—including some not-so-obvious ways that you can test without actually changing your prices. We’re also diving into the science behind price testing, how to optimize your testing, and ways that you can DIY price testing and mitigate any potential customer service risk. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Vir0kI Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we’re picking things back up with Tal Moore, and this time, we're covering all things investments—the good, the bad, and the high-returning. In case you missed the last episode, Tal is a born entrepreneur and founder of Franklin’s Popcorn, Softy Wipes, and Guardline Security. He believes that the key to financial freedom is found in your passive income opportunities. Listen in as we dive into some of the best and worst investments that Tal has made over the years and discuss why he prefers to invest in what others may consider unorthodox ventures. You'll learn his number one secret to getting above-average returns and the three rules of investing that he lives (and invests) by. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2UjAcEO Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Tal Moore discovered his knack for business at the ripe young age of 12 years old. Selling gumballs to his friends ultimately led him to launch Gumballs.com, one of the largest online vending machine retailers. Tal is also the founder of many other businesses, including Franklin’s Popcorn, Guardline Security, and Softy Wipes. He has given so much to the ECF community over the years and I’m excited to have him here. Listen in as Tal shares his story through entrepreneurship, including how he managed to have the conviction to turn down a sales offer for Guardline, the personal toll it took on him, and how he decided to stay the course with the business. We also talk about how the downturn in his business actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise when the pandemic hit, as well as how COVID played a role in the subsequent upturn. This is part one of a two-part episode, so make sure to check out the next episode to hear more from Tal! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3gNJm5n Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you’re running a business, you undoubtedly have a million and one things vying for your time: family, health, religion, your business, and your friends. What most often gets pushed aside are friendships, which is especially true for entrepreneurs who tend to jam-pack their lives with as much as they can possibly fit in it—and then add some more on top of that for good measure! That’s why in this episode, I'm talking about how to cultivate friendships as an entrepreneur. Friendships are not just good for us as social beings, but they’re also good for our overall physical and mental health, so I’ll be giving you my thoughts on friendships, how they have worked in my life, and how I’ve been intentional with them. I also talk about how I’ve been able to nurture my friendships despite the craziness that is entrepreneurial life. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3zfcCct Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Josh Zhang is the Founder and CEO of Gainfluence.com, an influencer marketing agency that is home to some of the best-looking and smartest creators and entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. In this episode, we talk about where the influencer market is going (particularly after the pandemic), the best use of a $50,000 marketing spend in 2021, and why it’s more important than ever to look at what is converting customers in real-time when it comes to advertising. We also talk about some of the more under-utilized platforms that are not only giving creators more control, but also allowing them to have a bigger piece of the viewer pie. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3p8ITNH Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Allen Walton is the CEO and Founder of SpyGuy, an e-commerce store devoted to all sorts of surveillance and counter-surveillance equipment. More recently, he launched FlyGuy, a travel agency and membership that helps business owners unlock the secret of getting tons of travel paid for using credit card rewards. Listen in as Allen shares his knowledge from researching and using credit card rewards to travel, including how to optimize your credit card spend to be able to jet set around the world in business class. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2RATEfn Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Skye Chilton is the owner of RealMushrooms.com, a family-owned and operated company that supplies top-quality herbal and medicinal mushroom products online. Skye partnered with his father, Jeff Chilton, a well-renowned expert in mushrooms, and leveraged his expertise and credibility in the industry to grow the brand. What is particularly interesting about Skye is how he leveraged podcasting and social media to grow consumer awareness without throwing money at advertising, which as we all know is getting harder and more expensive. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2QUNUwJ Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Nikhil Krishnan is the founder and author of Out of Pocket Health, a newsletter featuring in-depth analysis and clever memes about the state of the healthcare system in the United States today. Listen in as we discuss the two biggest problems in the US system today, the dichotomy between the US being a leader in cutting edge technology while also having an issue with access to basic healthcare for many, and we dive into the options for small businesses who want to provide health insurance for their employees. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3uEFJDb Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Scott Scharf is co-founder of Catching Clouds, the leaders in e-commerce accounting that offer a solution for entrepreneurs who struggle with understanding - or even getting - accurate financial information about their business. Listen in as we discuss all things ERP, including a review and overview of the main platforms available, what the advantages and disadvantages are of each, and why it’s a good thing that we’re starting to see consolidation among the platforms. Scott also shares his advice for implementing ERP once you’ve made the leap and discusses why you may want to start making a transition to a different platform if you’re on a particular operations management platform. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3h5sTKy Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Chuckie Gregory is the founder of Club EarlyBird, a morning cocktail that makes it easy to wake up early and that has grown from $0 to $1-million in sales in less than a year. In this episode, Chuckie details the SMS messaging strategy that they use at Club EarlyBird, including why they collect phone numbers with a post-purchase opt-in rather than at checkout, how he justifies the cost of SMS messaging over other forms of marketing, and why he implemented “Get Sh*t Done Tuesday.” You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/330rPzh Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Garret and Deeanne Akerson are the co-founders of Kindred Bravely, which creates maternity and nursing clothes that are beautiful, comfortable, and most importantly, useful. They have an incredibly successful business story, but in this episode we’re talking about something that doesn’t get discussed a lot: how do you build a meaningful and successful business while also raising kids? We’re getting candid on the parenting front and are talking about what Garret and Deeanne did well, what they didn’t do well, and what they learned from their experience. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3nnLhz4 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

This is a somewhat selfish episode because this guest makes my absolute favorite shirts in the entire world, and I wanted to learn more about the inner workings of the business. Ryan Light is the CEO of Pistol Lake, a men’s apparel company that was founded in 2012 with the goal to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. at a reasonable price—and with really amazing quality. Ryan is not the founder of Pistol Lake, but he was brought in by the founders to run the company, and he has lots to share about the challenges and benefits of hiring a CEO and what he has learned in the role. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2OUZEhD Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Conor Lewis has a really cool story. He is the Founder of GetTheFort.com, a magnetic pillow fort that he designed, crowdfunded, and brought to market in under a year. What’s really cool about Conor though is that he is entirely self-taught on eCommerce, but still managed to build a huge audience through social channels by tapping into his previous branding, design, and video experience. In this episode, we dive into how Conor was able to pull off a super-successful $2.8 million Kickstarter campaign, how he built his 80,000 subscriber email list, and what he learned about Facebook groups through this launch. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3sYkUBU Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we are going to be talking about selling and acquiring businesses with a couple of people who have recently been through the process themselves. Chris Carey recently sold his business, MAPerformance.com, to David Rauch’s team over at AnthemWheels.com. In this episode, they will be sharing the story of their unique transaction, as well as the power of trust and rapport in existing relationships. Listen in to learn what it's like working with private equity firms (or deciding not to) and how valuable the terms of a deal are because it’s not just about the price.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Q8P336  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you are an entrepreneur, you have probably come across a business being sold so cheaply that you considered purchasing it. However, being business savvy enough to differentiate between fantastic buying opportunities and energy-destroying lemons can be very tricky. So in this episode, we have Brian Lejeune and Janine Do, owners of VirginiaBoysKitchens.com, joining the show to discuss how they purchased a business that had not made a profit in over half a decade and turned it into a profitable, growing company. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3fvkak3  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you are not quite sure what asset based lending is in relation to other types of lending, you are definitely not alone. David Golob is CEO of Microcom.us, a high-volume Amazon seller, and an expert on asset based lending, and he’s here to give us the goods on this unique lending type. Listen in as David shares why you might consider asset based lending over other types of financing, as well as what you can expect the process to look like. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/312svCY Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you love geeking out on the finance side as much as we do, this is an episode you definitely don't want to miss! I'm going down the rabbit hole of banking, lending, and financing with Bill D’Alessandro, founder and CEO at Elements Brands and frequent co-host of this podcast. Consider this episode a master cheat sheet for all entrepreneurs who want to get their finances in order and get the most out of their banking relationships. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3cqqups Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we are joined by Sujay Kapadia, Founder of Hospitology Products. Sujay left his job as a doctor to pursue a career in the eCommerce world, and he has been selling on Amazon since 2012. In this episode, we discuss his time on Amazon and how he has seen the online marketplace change over the years. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3t1wk7L  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

We updated our site about nine months ago with more of a holistic message in mind for eCommerceFuel, wanting to focus not only on the community, but also on ECF Capital and the podcast. Unfortunately, it did not end up performing as well as we hoped. So we decided to bring in Quinn Zeda and her team at Conversion Crimes to perform an audit, and they came back with some pretty painful results, which we will be diving into today. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3qYegdQ  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

With Apple rolling out iOS 14 in the spring, users will be able to opt out of being tracked by apps. So where will this leave Facebook ads or other online marketing services? Today Miracle Wanzo of DiscoveryMarketing.io joins the show to discuss this topic, diving into the serious implications this will have for marketing in the digital world. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2MivRyc  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Where do you even start when you are wanting to grow your brand's revenue? Especially when it is extremely niche? Today Ben Jenkins, owner of Warstic.com, joins the show to discuss how he grew his high-quality baseball bat brand to over $8 million in the past four years alone. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3tPFIwe  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Closing on a deal can feel incredibly intimidating and scary. How do you know if this is the right fit for your company? What is the paperwork involved? Today my friends and colleagues, Bill D'Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com and Michael Jackness of EcomCrew.com, join the show to help me explain how the team at ECF Capital finally ended up choosing a deal to close on and the work that went into it. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Msxjyd  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Everyone always says how hard it is to work through deals and figure out what is good and what is not, but you never truly understand until you are in it. Today I will be talking about everything that went into searching for ECF Capital investments, including how I kept track of them all and the importance of doing your due diligence on the owners of companies. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/39u4KZU  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Last year I announced ECF Capital, an eCommerce fund investment group that looks to invest in promising eCommerce companies with a group of experienced investors. Over the course of the last 12 months, we have been setting everything up, looking for deals, and finally culminating and closing on our first deal in December. So in this episode, I will be running you through the process of getting a fund like this started and what exactly goes on behind the scenes. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2LX3ZQ6  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

There are so many challenges and aspects to think about when launching a new project. Last week we touched on the eCommerce and business sides of launching Overlander.com, and today I want to shift the conversation to focus more on the management and team building lessons I learned while working on this project. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ssENBl  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Are you searching for a way to explore remote and untouched areas? Overlanding is essentially a vehicle-based exploration in travel, a fusion of off-roading and camping, and something I have been incredibly interested in. Today I will be walking you through a website that I spent the last six months of 2020 working on, Overlander.com, and I’ll explain the lessons I learned while spearheading this project. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2LQnZU4  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

The second half of 2020 was an especially busy and stressful time for me personally.  In today's episode I reflect back on the period, consider how too much work impacted my personal life and share  a few takeaways and lessons.

This is a replay of the episode with Dafina Smith of CovetAndMane.com where we discuss the benefit of not selling on your website. Listen in as Dafina shares how her products are promoted, how she got started in the eCommerce world, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3pl0e51  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

This is a replay of the episode with Will Roman from Chisos.com. We debate if it's possible to scale a brand voice beyond the founder, highly effective SMS techniques for cart abandonment, pop-up shops, and – of course – why they only offer free shipping to Texans. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3mMdz4u  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you have an idea to try to create an electronic consumer good, is it worth it? Today Adam Leeb, the maker of Astrohaus.com, joins the show to discuss whether it is possible to break into the market, whether it’s something you can do if you don’t have an electrical engineering degree, and how he went about chip manufacturing. Adam also shares his thoughts on Apple and what he thinks about when he sees an iPhone. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3g52dHg  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

As tradition would have it, Bill D’Alessandro from ElementsBrands.com and I are back with our predictions for 2021. Although neither of us predicted a global pandemic ravaging the eCommerce world as we knew it, we go over the predictions we did have from last year and whether they came true or not. Did Amazon profit and grow as much as we predicted in 2020? Listen in to find out! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3lBBSBP  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

How can we arm the “rebel force” or smaller merchants with the similar AI and data sets that Amazon has? In this episode, Jake Cook, co-owner of Tadpull.com, explains this and more. Listen in as we cover topics such as the benefit of creating an index, what metrics an index tracks, and how this can help the community going forward. Jake also shares what it was like cruising around the USA in a van over the summer during a pandemic. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Hyk3pd  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

If you own an eCommerce business, I am guessing you have tried to outsource your content at some point. Generally speaking, once you begin outsourcing this content that you were so passionate about, the quality of the copy goes down. So is it possible to have someone create content for you—while maintaining your standards? Here with me to answer this question and more is Katrina McKinnon, the owner of CopySmiths.com. Listen in as we discuss how Katrina is “killing it with cold outreach,” the best pitch I have ever received, and Katrina’s thoughts on short versus long posts. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3nbpklB  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we are joined by Will Critcher, who is the Director of eCommerce for DeathWishCoffee.com. In this episode, we talk about the brand and how they've had their coffee endorsed by astronauts, as well as how they are thinking about email newsletters differently and what they have done to improve the results they’ve seen with them. Will also discusses how he got a product to the #5 position in all of the grocery category on Amazon. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3oU8lG6  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we are picking up with the second half of the discussion we started last week with Ezra Firestone of SmartMarketer.com. In this episode, we talk about building backyard home offices, including what we are putting in our own home offices and creative ways to solve plumbing issues (without breaking the bank!). We also dive deep into Shopify checkout and explore what these changes could mean for the eCommerce ecosystem. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jCpVe7  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today’s episode is a little less structured, as I'm talking with my good friend Ezra Firestone of SmartMarketer.com about everything from what makes a strong relationship to what it's like growing up on a hippie commune. Listen in as we dive into what Ezra's been up to and how he's creating a communal living space, as well as the importance of networking and so much more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2FRFNvf  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

After spending years in the software space owning non-eCommerce businesses, Lee Lichlyter went on the search for the perfect business. Lee is now the owner of CameraReadyCosmetics.com, and today he joins the show to discuss the process of buying and taking over the business, including the criteria he stuck to and the length of time it took to find a business that fit within that criteria. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/347oBeH  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Brian Anderson is the CEO and founder of GetNacelle.com, a headless eCommerce solution for Shopify Plus. Today he joins the show to discuss the benefits of using headless commerce, what a progressive web app is (and how it’s related to headless), and the kind of investment you may want to consider before committing to headless. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/30LaqcW  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Why would you stop selling on your website when direct-to-consumer is all the rage? That is exactly what I will be discussing today with my guest, Dafina Smith of CovetAndMane.com. Listen in as Dafina shares how her products are promoted, how she got started in the eCommerce world, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3cBbdBT  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ronnie Teja is the owner of Branzio.com, an 8-figure watch company that he runs entirely remotely. In this episode, we discuss what it’s like running a sizeable business while living in three places (Berlin, Vancouver, and Bangkok), Ronnie's thoughts on mindfulness, and his best advice for hiring the right members for your team. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here:  https://bit.ly/2SvXQtL  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

With over $25 million in product and service sales online, you could say Jared Mitchell is a successful entrepreneur. Today he joins the show to discuss how he became the director of eCommerce for Neil Patel, what he has learned from working with such a big name, how to build top of the line sales funnels, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3krbTwv  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

We all want our business to go well, but what happens if business goes too well? Today Kaevon Khoozani, founder of BellsOfSteel.com joins the show to discuss how he handled a 10x growth spurt in a short period of time, how to think about pricing when demand is soaring, and what to do when you hit peak madness in your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2FqE4MV  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Have you been hoping to boost productivity in your business? Maybe you are looking for some help executing a project? Today I have my project manager (PM), Jessie, joining the show to discuss what a good project manager does, how a PM can help you boost productivity and free up your time, and how you can bring one into your company. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3gUz9Ri  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Do you have a clear idea of what success looks like for your business? For Rob Walling, co-founder of TinySeed and founder of Drip, it was not as simple as he first thought. Today he joins the show to discuss the sacrifices he made for success, as well as what went on behind the scenes of selling his business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3lG3GWT  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Casey Cutsail of OnSchedge.com has been in the eCommerce game since he was 16, and he has a lot of knowledge to share about selling online through multiple platforms. In this episode, he opens up about his experience using crowdfunding to launch his product, how he came up with the idea for Schedge, and lots more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YQF9Ve  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

This summer the eCommerceFuel team did something we've been planning for over a year:  we all took a month-long sabbatical.  In today's episode we talk about how we made it work from a logistical standpoint, what we learned from our month away and how we'll do things differently next time.

Lindsay Hagerman discusses how she was able to build a thriving B2B business at RainCaper.com through tradeshows, geographical reps who work on commission and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2ERbR1z  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Bryan Croft shares how he buys brick and mortar businesses exclusively for their loyal customers and transitions the revenue to his 100% online business, HCBrands.com. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/33coLBa   Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Bryan Croft shares how he's hired, incentivized and grown a leadership team that allows him to focus exclusively on culture and vision for his $20+ million company, HCBrands.com You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3hsKSaw  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Hilary Halstead Scott shares how their grant program has helped Halstead Bead build inbound links, traffic, industry authority and more. We also chat about her sales tax advocacy efforts and where reform progress stands today. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2VBHim0  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Web Smith of 2PM joins me to discuss founding Mizzen + Main, dealing with burnout, how Community is the future of eCommerce, why Nike is FAR superior to Reebok and how he curates one of the top newsletters in the space. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2CEZrZi  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we have Michael Jamin's top-rated talk from ECF Live on how to tell your brand story in an entertaining and compelling way that will make you more money. Michael has a lot of experience writing in Hollywood—most notably for King of the Hill—and he is incredibly hilarious and well-spoken. Listen in to hear his take on what it takes to up your marketing game. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YkMUTv  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Terrell and Penny Miller are the founders of CattleMax.com, a company designed to cut record-keeping time for farmers and ranchers. Today they join the show to discuss how they have created a lifestyle that allows them to snowbird between Texas and Colorado, depending on the weather. Listen in as they share how they manage their real estate when migrating between the two states, their pro tips on dealing with home-schooling, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2TThXD3   Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Shopify Partners Up with Walmart, Facebook Tests Email Marketing Tools for Business Pages, Support for Magento 1.x Expiring This Month, J.P. Morgan Predicts 35-40% “long-term” eCommerce penetration, Jeff Bezos May Testify Before Congress For The First Time This Summer, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-19-2020/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Will Roman discusses how he's growing Chisos.com through in-person, grassroots marketing. We debate if it's possible to scale brand voice beyond the founder, highly effective SMS techniques for cart abandonment, pop-up shops, and – of course – why they only offer free shipping to Texans. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3bSwZz7  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

U.S. small firms leave $150 billion in coronavirus stimulus untapped, ‘Digital by default’: Shopify is letting employees work from home permanently, Social media giants take different approaches to presidential messages, Amazon plans summer sale for June 22 to ‘jumpstart sales’ after coronavirus crunch, Slack partners up with Amazon, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-5-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Derek Dodds is the CEO of Wave Tribe, a business on a mission to create an important relationship between sport and planet. Today he joins the show to discuss how he has managed to combine his passion for surfing with his work—something that doesn’t always go over well. Derek is an inspiring person and someone who has a lot of knowledge to give on the subject of standing by your values, so listen in to learn how to structure your weeks so you have a more balanced lifestyle between work and play. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3cezpch  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Shopify Announces Merchant Banking, Product Financing & More, Facebook and Instagram Roll Out Shops, Turning Business Profiles into Storefronts, Amazon Is Said To Be In Talks To Buy J.C. Penney, AMC’s stock soars after report Amazon held merger talks, Pepsi Launches DTC Sites for Pandemic Shoppers, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/may-22-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

One of the most widely installed, yet underutilized pieces of software in the online world is Google Analytics. As business owners, we all have it installed, but how often do you check that data and use it to make informed decisions in your business? Today I am going to be sharing the cringe-worthy mistakes I found in my Google Analytics account in the hopes that hearing this will inspire you to have a look into your account to tidy things up. Listen in if you want to avoid these easy-to-make mistakes so you can improve your business and ultimately make more money. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2xmuzdY  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Shopify Launches New Mobile Shopping App Dubbed ‘Shop’, Shopify Announces Strong Q1 Financial Results, House Judiciary Committee asks Jeff Bezos to testify about whether Amazon misled Congress, Amazon reports earnings, plans to spend all Q2 profits on coronavirus response, Alphabet stock rises more than 7% as ad slowdown turns out to be less than feared, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/may-8-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

It is becoming increasingly popular for food brands to sell directly to the consumer through online companies they have built from the ground up. But how do you continue to grow your independent food company without in-person advertisements? To help me dissect all the logistics of this complicated business, from distribution to advertisement, is the co-founder of MissionMeats.co, Peter Awad. If you have been curious about building a food brand online, be sure to tune in! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2VO0Hkj  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Shopify Reports Surging Volume for Stores via Twitter, Many Merchants Report Biggest Day EVER as Stimulus Checks Hit Accounts, Amazon Slashes Commission Rates for Affiliates, Amazon Reportedly Leveraging Seller Data to Launch Competing Products, Google Makes Their Shopping Ads Free, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/april-24-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Alcoholism is something that is a lot more prevalent than people realize or want to admit. It is something that most people shy away from talking about because there is still such a stigma around it, but today I want to open up the discussion. To help me cover this important topic, as well as the common link between entrepreneurship and alcohol dependence, is my good friend Paul Churchill of RecoveryElevator.com. As a recovering alcoholic himself, Paul has a lot of knowledge on the subject, so if you have ever had a dependency on alcohol or know someone who does, this episode is not to be missed. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2K1Gcd8  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

I'm joined by Taylor Holiday to discuss the strange things happening with paid traffic in our current environment.  Traffic is relatively cheap but with plunging conversion rates is it actually a good time to double down on your ad spend?  We also discuss the encouraging top-line revenue trends we've seen over the last few weeks.

Today on the show I'm joined by good friends Drew Sanocki and Michael Jackness who open up about how COVID has impacted their lives and businesses, where we see areas of opportunity and more. We discuss: How badly our businesses have been hit Thoughts on how COVID will permanently change eCommerce Where we're seeing opportunities, both now and in the intermediate future

How do you keep orders shipping during a global pandemic, possibly amid shelter-in-place orders from the government?  Today we discuss stats on how revenues have been affected, how to determine if your business is a "critical business" and can operate during a lock down, diversifying your fulfillment chain and more.  

This week the United States passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.  While it provides some much-needed support to workers it also has some scary cashflow implications for small businesses.  We discuss: How employers are responsible for paying for up to 14 weeks of paid leave for workers The mechanics behind getting reimbursed by the government Why this could cause a huge strain on your company's cashflow and what to do about it

Coronavirus Concerns Prompt Widespread Cancellations, U.S. Limits Travel From Europe, Taps SBA and Tax Deferrals to Stimulate Economy, Amazon Blocks New Listings for Coronavirus Safety Gear Amid Price Gouging, New Bill Could Make Amazon, eBay Liable for Counterfeits, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/march-13-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today I am going to be doing something I have not done in years; a round up of all the books I have been reading. Books can be extremely helpful in business, whether it is helping you to plan your next move or calm your mind after a long day of work. In this episode, I will be explaining my favorite educational books as well as fiction or just plain interesting books. If you want to find out my favorite books over the past few years or you are just a bookworm yourself, this is the episode for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/39in59H  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Coronavirus Hits Supply Chains and Deliveries, Congressional Hearing to Examine Wayfair‘s Effects on Small Businesses, DTC Brands Hit Rough Patch, Shopify Launches App Store Ads, Target Breaks Into Top 10 List of U.S. E-Commerce Retailers, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/february-28-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today on the show, I am going to be sharing a pretty big announcement for something I have been working on for quite a while now: eCommerceFuel Capital, a group that will be making investments in eCommerce companies. To help me discuss this exciting news is my good friend Bill D’Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com. Listen in to learn how eCF Capital came to be, who we are looking for to join, and how you can be involved in it. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/39RURCB  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

eCommerceFuel Live 2020 is in the books! Now that we've had a few days to recover, I sit down with Bill D'Alessandro to recap the highlights of the event and our major takeaways from our 6th Annual Community Gathering. Listen in as we touch on the importance of investing in companies you truly understand, the ways Facebook marketing has changed over the last year, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2SDmkB0 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Adam Callinan is the co-Founder and CEO of BottleKeeper, a specialty beverage accessory company on a mission to keep your drinks the perfect temperature. Adam grew his business to more than $8 million in sales before hiring his first employee, and now BottleKeeper is one of the leading retailers of beverage accessories on the market. In this episode, we discuss how he was able to grow so quickly without any employees, why he is obsessed with automation, and what it takes to scale your business incredibly fast—without using Facebook ads. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2GTVP4N  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Shopify Will No Longer Refund Processing Fees for Return Payments, Trump Administration Cracks Down on Counterfeits, Chinese Outnumber U.S. Sellers on Amazon, Yotpo Acquires SMSBump, Amazon Smashes 4th Quarter Earnings Expectations, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/january-31-2020/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Greg Mercer is the founder and CEO of Jungle Scout, a company that provides various tools and resources to Amazon sellers. Today he joins the show to help me discuss the state of Amazon as we head into 2020. We talk about how to launch a product today, how that looks in comparison to several years ago, and more. If you’re thinking about getting on Amazon or you are selling on the site already, make sure to tune in. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/30KrY7V  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Google Plans to Nix Third-Party Cookies in Chrome by 2022, Google Introduces New Shopping Section in Search Results, Amazon Stopped Featuring Its Own Brands in Search Results, U.S., China Sign Trade Agreement, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/january-17-2020/  . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Kristi Soomer is the founder and CEO of Encircled.co, an ethical fashion brand designed to help women travel lighter. Today she joins the show to talk about the concept of a B-corporation, which is something I have been wanting to learn more about for a while. Listen in as she shares what it's like to own a B-corporation, what that actually means for the business, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2N10Qf4   Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

TOMS Shoes Creditors to Take Over the Company, California’s Landmark Gig-Work Law Takes Effect Amid Controversy, California Consumer Privacy Act Officially Takes Effect, Fedex and UPS Raise Fees on Oversized Packages, Volusion Debuts SMB Financing, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/january-3-2020/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today's episode is a replay of one of our most well-received episodes from 2019, where Kevin Stecko from 80sTees.com joins the show to discuss how he improved his business by making it smaller. Kevin has undergone the evolution from having a massive warehouse with a huge amount of inventory to scaling back and pricing his products at a premium. Listen in as he shares how he managed that change and how downsizing can help save a business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here:  https://bit.ly/2Q9z3dn  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today we are doing a replay of one of my favorite episodes from 2019 with Eric Bandholz from Beardbrand.com. Eric won the ECF 5 award for the most upvoted thread of 2018, and in this episode, he shares what made that year such a great one for his company. He talks about what made them decide to leave Amazon, how they’ve changed up their strategy, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2stIxrH  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Amazon Vine Rolls Out to Third-Party Sellers, ‘Jingle Bots’ Jam Online Shopping Carts to Use Up Stock and Frustrate Customers, What Is Actually in the U.S.-China ‘Phase One’ Trade Deal?, Amazon Blocks Sellers From Using FedEx Ground for Prime Shipments, Craigslist Launches App for iPhone, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/december-19-2019/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today we have Bill D’Alessandro from ElementsBrands.com joining the show to discuss our eCommerce predictions for the coming year. We will be sharing how our predictions for 2019 held up now that we are approaching the end of the year, as well as if any of our ideas came to fruition. You’ll learn whether we think America is heading toward a recession in 2020, our thoughts on the coming election, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Lysgbz  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today on the show, I am joined by Alex Banys, the man behind Specialized mountain bikes. We discuss how to sell a brand worldwide, including places as far as Africa or Latin America, as well as why you need to create country-specific websites. Listen in to learn how to sell direct to consumers while not alienating your retailers, how to nurture your relationship with customers, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YbcmJx    Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

E-commerce Killed It on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Mastercard Bans Automatic Billing After Free Trials, Amazon Adds ‘Request a Review’ Button, Allbirds Calls Out Amazon for Mimicking $95 Wool Sneaker, Tesla Rolls Out Electric ‘Cybertruck’, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/december-4-2019/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today Steve Chou from MyWifeQuitHerJob.com joins the show to help me discuss how to do an audit for your website or blog, as well as the benefits you will see if you take some time to clear out old content. Steve and I share how we keep our sites up to date to guarantee that new listeners and viewers are seeing our best work and so much more. Listen in to learn the importance of unique and secure links, focused keywords, and post consolidation. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2OcyL5G  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Joining me on the show today is one of the top new members of our private online community, Dustin Chaffin from ProluxCleaners.com. In this episode, he and I discuss the amazing framework he uses in his business, as well as where he spends time examining problems he's having and trying to isolate and identify the core symptoms of the issues. Listen in to learn why you should also be setting aside time every day to take a look at problems in your business, how to make your web page more appealing, and how to run your business like a pro. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2NWyTpL      Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Nike Pulling Its Products From Amazon, Alibaba Has a Record-Breaking Singles Day, Facebook Launches Facebook Pay, TikTok Tests an eCommerce Feature, Tidying Guru Marie Kondo Launches eCommerce Site, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/november-21-2019/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today Drew Sanocki of NerdMarketing.com is back on the show, this time to discuss a company he has recently become the owner of called PostPilot. Designed to help eCommerce businesses sell more products through post card marketing, PostPilot helps users create automated post card campaigns to build up loyalty and sales. Listen in as Drew explains how to leverage post cards in your business, how his companies are gearing up for Black Friday, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/33EqU6k   Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Penalty Box is a private Facebook group that was created completely from word of mouth, with no paid advertisements or paid marketing. Here to discuss the fascinating story of how this community came to be is founder Drew Laine. Listen in as he shares interesting aspects of the business, including the metrics they track, how they are successfully using SMS-based marketing, and the tactics they used to grow to where they are today. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/33pow30  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Google’s BERT Update Improves Search Results, Impacts 10% of Rankings, Shopify Announces “Shopify Email”, Seller Labs Acquires X-Cart, Amazon Adds New Pickup Locations and Makes Grocery Delivery Free With Prime, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/november-6-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today I am going to be talking about something I have been trying to grow in recently: leadership. Over time, I have realized that if you want to do anything meaningful, you really have to invest in and lead a team well. So in this episode, I will be sharing four books on the topic that stood out to me and explaining some of the key concepts I was able to incorporate into my company and culture. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/36j2W1V  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What’s the difference between a $5 mug and a $15 mug? Generally, it’s all about the branding and packaging. Today Miriam Brafman, founder and CEO of Packlane.com, joins the show to give us a crash course on custom packaging and how it impacts customer experience. Listen in as she explains how her company customizes packaging for ecommerce sellers and how you can get started on improving your own packaging. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2pOMBBq  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Hackers Breach Volusion and Start Collecting Card Details From Thousands of Sites, UPS Partners With Stamps.com, Snapchat Introduces Dynamic Ads, Walmart Spending at a Loss to Buy Grocery, e-Commerce Market Share, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/october-23-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today I've got our community manager, Padraic Ryan, back on the show to talk about everything we learned while at the Klaviyo:BOS event. We discuss how switching out imagery and text can make a massive difference in the number of people that buy from your site and all kinds of other good stuff. Listen in to hear our key takeaways, from the importance of getting to know your customers to what you should not do at a conference. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2OFNJ4F  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today our not-so-new community manager, Patrick Ryan, joins me at the Klaviyo:BOS event to give us an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes of our private online community. He explains what it was like going from a community member to joining the team and what surprised him most about the transition. Listen in as he shares why we have an ‘online community guide’, how we choose who is right for our online community, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/320nSbs  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

U.S. Avoids Postal ‘Brexit’ as Universal Postal Union Reaches a Deal, Supreme Court Rejects Domino’s Bid to Avoid Disabilities Lawsuit, Amazon Rolls Out A/B Testing Tool to Some Sellers, Toys R Us Relaunches Website, Powered by Target, Walmart Sells ModCloth, Bonobos Trims Job in Effort to Cut E-commerce Losses, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/october-9-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today I am going to be talking about phone calls—specifically how phone calls are one of the most misused forms of business communication known to mankind. So what is the appropriate way to approach telephone calls as an entrepreneur in 2019? In this episode, I share my ground rules for scheduling a call, the importance of deciding what you’re trying to accomplish before making a call, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2nLX0Ng  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

What do you do when you’re audited by the IRS? Today, Alisha Navarro from 2HoundsDesign.com joins the show to share her recent experience with being audited and how she handled it. Listen in as she discusses what happened to her when she couldn’t produce certain receipts for meals and smaller purchases, what she will be doing differently moving forward, and what to expect if you ever get that terrifying letter in the mail. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2kWi9TN Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Google Announces New ‘Sponsored’ and ‘UGC’ Links, Google Changes Algorithm to Highlight Original Reporting, Amazon Expands Attribution Beta Program, Microsoft’s Launches Advanced New Ecommerce Tools, Shopify Opens Platform to CBD Retailers, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/september-25-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today Chris Nelson from MCARBO.com joins the show to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to manufacturing in the USA. Unlike most American businesses, almost everything MCARBO sells is manufactured here in the United States, so Chris has tons of insight to share on the subject. Listen in as he explains pricing differences, the number of suppliers he needs to keep things running smoothly, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2lZ2zH7  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.  

Today Kevin Stecko from 80sTees.com joins the show to discuss how he improved his business by making it smaller and taking a different approach to pricing. Kevin has undergone the evolution from having a massive warehouse with a huge amount of inventory to scaling back and pricing his products at a premium. Listen in as he shares how he managed that change and how downsizing can help save a business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2kvJITI  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Shopify Buys 6 River Systems for $450 Million, tripe Gets Into Lending and Launches Corporate Card, Apple Announces iPhone 11, Takes on Netflix, Hulu With Low Streaming Price, Senators Ask Jeff Bezos to Crack Down Unsafe Products on Amazon, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at  https://www.ecommercefuel.com/september-11-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Today Jason Feinberg, CEO and creative director at FCTRY.com, joins the show to discuss all things Kickstarter and crowdsourcing. Jason is an expert on this topic, and he opens up about how his business has evolved over the years from starting on Kickstarter until now. You’ll learn how his team manages pre-sales, tips for building a self-sustaining brand out of crowdsourcing campaigns, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2ZCKHjM  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today Marshall Haas from NeedWant.com joins the show to share how he managed to free up an insane amount of time by hiring a personal assistant. Marshall is an incredibly interesting entrepreneur, and we discuss the difficulties of finding the right personal assistant for your business, as well as what drove him to want to work remotely. We also cover some of his other businesses and a few of his excellent articles. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2MrqlI5  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today Ilana Wechsler from TeachTraffic.com joins the show to give us a crash course on Google Display Network. This platform is a very important piece of the marketing pie that more people should utilize, and Ilana breaks down why we should all be paying attention to it. Listen in as we cover what you need to know about Google Display Network and tips for implementing it in your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2TG2J2Z  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today Mark Thomas of WildhornOutfitters.com joins the show to help shed some light on profit sharing. Who is eligible? How much do people get? Does profit sharing truly work to motivate people to work harder? While implementing profit sharing into his business, Mark has found the answers to these questions and more. Listen in as he shares them in this episode. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/31u9MP0  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Trump Delays Some China Tariffs on Chinese Imports, FedEx Ends U.S. Ground-Delivery Contract With Amazon, Verizon to Sell Tumblr to Automattic, The Company Behind WordPress, Amazon Is Killing Off the Dash Button, Scout Delivery Robots Roll Into Southern California, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at  https://www.ecommercefuel.com/august-14-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

After running businesses in multiple countries, Joonas Gebhard of Blippo.com has settled in Hong Kong. Today he joins the show to discuss why he thinks HK is the best place to start a business, as well as all the logistics of setting up shop there. Listen in as he shares his knowledge about selling products from all over the world, including how taxes work and what it’s like working with suppliers and dealing with shipping. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YC829H Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today I am talking to Alex La-Do and May-Tab Bogel of the micro private equity firm KartaVentures.com. Alex and May-Tab have a fascinating story, and both of them are entrepreneurs turned investors with a lot to share. Listen in as we talk about the sweet spot to maximize returns, how not to be taken advantage of by P.E. firms, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2K6a5Zq  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Facebook Fined $5B for Privacy Violations, DOJ Opens Antitrust Investigation Into Big Tech,eBay to Offer Amazon Shipping Competitor Next Year, Walmart E-commerce Is Losing $1B as It Tries to Catch Amazon, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-31-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Bill D’Alessandro of ElementsBrands is back on the show today to discuss all the ins and outs of due diligence. Due diligence is the process that you go through when you are purchasing a company, from sending an LOI (letter of intent) to signing the closing paperwork. Bill has bought many companies and knows this topic well, so listen in if you're looking to buy or sell a company and want to make sure your money is safe.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2SqxtEJ  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Drew Sanocki from Nerd Marketing joined the show nine months ago when he was involved in the purchase of three companies over the course of a month. Today he joins us again to share how things are going with these companies and what he has learned over that time. Listen in to hear Drew’s tips on leadership and how to track your company's success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YU81Ki  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Prime Day Boosts Sales for Retail Rivals, Early Data Show, Amazon Can Be Held Liable for Faulty Third-Party Products, Court Rules, Shopify Increasing Its Card-Processing Rates, Big Tech Execs in Antitrust Hot Seat, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-17-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Today Lianna Patch of Punchline Copy joins the show to discuss how not to be boring with your website and how to sell through humor. It's hard to do well—which is why not many people do it—but if you can pull it off, you have a huge advantage in the marketplace. Listen in to hear Lianna give her best tips on writing hilarious copy, ideas for sprucing things up on your website, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Xqmc8d  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Good hiring takes a lot of time and effort. You want to be sure you find someone who is going to ease your workload, not make it more complicated. I recently went through the hiring process myself, and today I'm sharing the important lessons I learned from my most recent hire. Listen in to hear how I narrowed down 300 applicants to one new superstar employee. You can find show notes and more by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2LwY6q7  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Shopify Unite 2019: Multisite, Smart Shipping Rules, Fulfillment Network & More, Amazon, the New King of Shipping, FedEx Lures Online Sellers With Two-Day Air Shipping at Ground Rates, Cloudflare Update Causes a Number of Sites to Go Down, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-3-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Aaron Orendorff, founder of iconiContent, joins the show to school us—myself included—on all things content marketing. We dissect the process of researching, writing, and optimizing Aaron’s article “What Is the Future of Ecommerce?”, and he shares his tips on how I can revamp my 2019 State of the Merchant Report. Listen in as Aaron explains how to save your business and your audience from terrible content. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2ZDObTk  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today, we're jumping into a very important (albeit not too fun) topic: sales tax. Michael Fleming has over a decade of experience in this area, specializing in state sales tax related issues, and he joins the show to discuss what kind of enforcement abilities states actually have to come after you and how to stay out of audits. If you are living or selling in the United States, make sure to tune in. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2WPpS86  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.  

Facebook Unveils Ambitious New Cryptocurrency, Libra, Former Snap and Quidsi Execs Launch E-Commerce Startup to Rival Amazon, FedEx Ends Express Delivery Contract With Amazon, Walmart to Launch InHome Grocery Delivery in 3 Cities, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-19-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Austin Brawner is the host of the Ecommerce Influence Podcast and Chief Fixer at Brand Growth Experts. After working with multiple companies that have approached 9 figures, Austin knows a lot about how to grow businesses at a rapid rate, and he joins the show today to discuss his thoughts on how to scale your business in 2019. He sheds light on why the old formula may not be as relevant now, when the right time to hire an agency is (and their role in scaling a business), and lots more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2F2yL3l  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Ben Parr is an entrepreneur, investor, journalist, and the author of Captivology: The Science of Capturing People’s Attention, and he joins the show today to discuss all things press. We dive into where he thinks the future of communication is headed and why he started his own company in the field, as well as his thoughts on PR firms and if he thinks they are truly effective. After years in the business, Ben has a lot of knowledge on how to get your business noticed online and how to market like a pro. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2QwzPAR  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Antitrust Troubles Snowball for Tech Giants, PayPal Expands Access to E-commerce Platform to Small Businesses, Shopify Down: Google Cloud Out(r)age, E-commerce Groups Sound Alarm Over EU Security Rules, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-5-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Codie Sanchez, a former journalist who is currently a managing director at Cresco Capital Partners, joins the show today to discuss all things investing. We discuss her drive to make a big impact and why she thinks money is the best way to create change. Codie also shares her experience with angel investments and the process her team undergoes when making investments in companies. Listen in to find out her best and worst investments, her thoughts on the legalized cannabis space, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2JxohfX  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

Today Chris Lema, vice president of LiquidWeb, joins the show to discuss all things Wordpress and WooCommerce. With 20 years of consistent success, Chris has a lot of information to share with us about how to successfully set up an event. We’ll talk about public speaking and how people can improve their ability to effectively hold a room. Listen in to find out if it’s worth spending the extra money on premium plug-ins for your website and Chris’ tips for using your insecurities to propel you forward instead of holding you back. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2W4XwWg   Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.  

Adobe Partnering With Amazon to Build "Branded Stores for Sellers", Mailchimp Expands From Email to Full Marketing Platform, Walmart Enters High-Stakes Next-Day Delivery Game, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/may-23-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

John Chen, CEO of Ad Llama and owner of Blush and Bar, joins the show today to share the five lessons he learned from working at a hedge fund and why he says it was one of the best experiences of his life. We will discuss how to use market segmentation to expand your business and why we should be focusing on just a few specific KPIs and forgetting about the rest. Listen in to discover what John’s advice is on beating the market and how he has managed to consistently grow his companies.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2LqYNTn  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups?  Subscribe via email.

In today’s episode, I am sharing the major takeaways from the 2019 State of the Merchant Report. It is a bit of a tradition for me to survey several hundred merchants to discover what is happening in the eCommerce realm, and this report reveals if ad costs are going up, the state of drop shipping, how much growth Amazon is seeing and much more. Listen in to find out the results! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2JwJ5DR 

Amazon to Offer Free One-Day Prime Shipping, Trump Threatens to Hike Tariffs on $200B of Chinese Goods, Amazon to Collect Calif. Sales Tax for Small Online Retailers, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/may-8-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Taylor Holiday is a managing partner at Common Thread Collective, which was rated the best place to work by Glassdoor. Taylor is well-versed on how to run a business and keep your employees and clients happy, and today he is going to share with us his tips and tricks. We talk about what TMYD stands for and how you can implement it into your business to ensure your clients' needs are aligned with your work. Listen in to discover how Common Thread Collective is growing so quickly and the steps you can take to help your business do the same. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2vqc0RA  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.  

Two years ago, my family had three massive, life-changing decisions to make, and we didn’t know which way to go on any of them. Thankfully, we were able to work through a framework that helped us make definitive choices that we’re happy with today, and in this episode, I'm sharing the key steps that helped us get to the point where we felt comfortable and confident that we made the right call. Listen in to hear the strategy we used and how you can apply a similar process in your own life the next time you find yourself at a major crossroads. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IP7IuX  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

Amazon Is Shutting Down China Marketplace Business, Many States Moving Away from Transaction Thresholds for Sales Tax, Facebook Revamps Ads Manager and Business Manager, Amazon Opens Key Delivery to Garages, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/april-24-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Bryce Adams is the founder of Metorik, a company that is best described as the Swiss Army Knife of WooCommerce. Not only does Bryce know a ton about WooCommerce, but he also bootstrapped an extremely profitable business with himself as the only employee—and managed to do so in a way that didn’t sacrifice customer service or the quality of the product. I brought him on the show today to ask him how he did it, what helped him decide where to put his time and money to make his company such a success, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Z7MC0B 

Today I’m bringing you a bit of a shorter episode between full-length shows to give you an update on the eCommerceFuel Job Boards. It’s time to come full-circle on the series I began last summer when I started this project and keep my commitment to giving you a transparent, non-polished look at what it’s like launching a new venture. In this episode, you’ll hear the final update as I share the messy, slightly embarrassing story behind what’s going on with our job boards. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2WTKXtC 

Carson McComas of FuelMade.com knows Shopify better than just about anyone, and he joins me on the show today to do a deep dive into what’s going on with this platform. We cover the recent features they’ve rolled out, how they're using augmented reality on their website, how things are going with their virtual employee, Kit, and more. Listen in to hear updates on Shopify today and what's coming in the future. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2D3MFkJ 

Amazon Quietly Scales Back Promos for Private Brands, Before Shopify Breakup, Mailchimp Quietly ‘Acqui-Hired’ LemonStand, Klaviyo Raises $150M in Funding, Online Sales Beat Brick-and-Mortar for First Time, Adobe Launches Commerce Cloud, Built on Magento Acquisition, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/april-10-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Beardbrand had an amazing 2018. They’re up over 50% and their founder, Eric Bandholz, won the ECF 5 award for the most upvoted thread of 2018. Today I’ve got Eric on the show to share what made last year such a great one for his company. He talks about what made them decide to leave Amazon, how they’ve changed up their strategy, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2OHbIPe 

Welcome to the second episode of our two-part series with Nate Lipton from Growers House. In last week’s show, we went live on the mic as I got a full, behind-the-scenes tour of the warehouse, and this time, we’re headed into town to grab some pizza and drinks to talk even more about how he does things. We cover the online community he has created and its impact on his business, how he gets his employees excited to do good work, his approach to delegating, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Fu8I4w 

Mailchimp Pulls Shopify Integration App, Instagram Launches Shopping Checkout, Charging Sellers a Fee, PayPal Now Lets U.S. Users Instantly Transfer Funds to Bank Accounts, Apple Rolls Out TV Plus and Other Subscription Services, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/march-27-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Today’s episode is going to be a bit different from the usual format. I recently headed over to the Growers House warehouse with the company’s co-founder Nate Lipton to get a behind-the-scenes look at how they run things on the backend, and you’ll get to hear us live on the mic as I get the tour. Listen in to hear Nate break down how things are running in his business and what he's doing to keep it all going smoothly. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2UNnHwz 

Today I’d thought we’d talk about something that’s been in the news recently: Amazon’s growing PPC business. Their PPC division has nearly doubled over the last year, and I’ve got Marshall Hayes of Amplio Digital here to talk about what’s been going on. Marshall knows the Amazon PPC world really well, and he explains what’s changing, what this means for sellers, and what we can expect in the future. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2H9mmNG 

Amazon Cracks Down on Counterfeit Products and sues the operators of five businesses allegedly selling fake reviews, Criticized as Anti-Competitive as they lift restrictions on sellers, Target's curated third-party marketplace, Negotiating rules on global e-Commerce, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at  https://www.ecommercefuel.com/march-13-2019/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

For the last year, Kevin Williams of Brush Hero has been dealing with the nightmarish implications of having his product ripped off. Not only have the knockoffs cost him more than half a million dollars in lost sales and out-of-pocket fees, but the whole ordeal has also halted his company’s growth as they try to fight back. In this episode, Kevin gives us a candid look at what happened, what he’s doing to fight for his company, and what business owners should be doing to protect themselves from counterfeiters.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2EMsnxa 

When it comes to finances, a lot of eCommerce store owners tend to struggle. So today, I’ve got Cyndi Thomason of Bookskeep.com on the show to shed light on how to make your business profitable using the Profit First methodology. Cyndi is an eCommerce accountant and bookkeeper specifically focused on this methodology, and she shares how to set it up in your own business, advice for allocating funds, and lots more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IGxOSB 

In this episode, my good friend Bill D'Alessandro and I are diving in to talk about last month’s event, eCommerceFuel Live 2019. It was the most ambitious event we’ve put on yet, and we both learned a bunch and had a ton of fun. Listen in to hear how it all went, our big takeaways, and thoughts on how we’ll do things next year. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NiWuiG 

It’s easy to forget that people in positions of influence and thought leadership face challenges just like the rest of us—especially because it’s rare for them to open up about hardships they face. But today, Ezra Firestone of SmartMarketer.com joins the show to give us all a look at the struggles he has had while getting his software business, Zipify Apps, off the ground. Listen in to hear him paint a more accurate picture of the problems entrepreneurs face and what it really takes to get a business up and running. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2DfyMz4 

Today I’ve got my good friend Bill D’Alessandro on the show to share how his business has been going over the last year. He has been working on his vision of buying up a lot of different brands in the consumer goods space to bring them under one roof and build a bunch of small consumer brands, so I wanted to talk with him to see how that’s going. He shares a lot of great stuff about challenges he’s faced, what’s gone well, the technology tools he’s using to keep everything straight, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2ENYe2A 

This year Hurricane Florence hit Dana Jaunzemis' business headquartered in North Carolina. She lost power for more than a week and wasn't able to ship for close to two weeks. Business came to a screeching halt. In this episode, I chat with her about the experience, what they learned and how to minimize the impact of a natural disaster if/when something similar happens to your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2RRtoMy  

Richard Jalichandra (or RJ as he’s commonly known) is the founder of 101 Commerce, a company with the goal of acquiring 101 FBA businesses. We chat about if the risks of being so dependent on Amazon terrify him, how he plans to manage such a massive portfolio, the rise of single-person 8-figure businesses, and more.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CFuTDa  

Mark Hanratty launched SwankyBadger.com exclusively on Etsy and used the momentum to build his business. Today, Swanky Badger is a 7-figure business, and they sell more than half a million dollars each year on the bohemian marketplace. I sat down with Mark to understand how to succeed on the platform and what's changed in the years since he started, especially since Etsy has become a public company. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2FoNIhM 

Ben Arneberg has done some impressive things. He's jumped out of airplanes for the Air Force, met Jeff Bezos and even done work for the Department of Defense and CIA. But what's perhaps most impressive is how he's built a near 8-figure business with only one employee. In this episode we discuss the tactics he's used to grow so significantly with nearly no overhead. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Ry6edi  

Alex Cranmer is a really interesting guy. When he's not acting in movies or TV shows, he runs International Military Antiques, the largest supplier of military antiques in the U.S. In this wide-ranging podcast we discuss the benefits of selling one-of-a-kind items, how to write an email newsletter that gets 20% CTRs, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2EW3M9N 

Wrapping up the holiday season here and coming to the end of 2018, I’m bringing back another of my favorite episodes from this past year. As anyone who’s had any meaningful success knows, relationships are crucial in business, so today I’m revisiting a show I did back in July that covers 15 critical habits to master in order to build better business relationships. Listen in to learn what it takes to create genuine, long-lasting, and meaningful connections with people. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2V5kHMT 

As we’re getting to the end of the year and reaching that point of reflection, I wanted to revisit a couple of episodes that I had a lot of fun with in 2018. The one I’m bringing back today is a show I did back in April with Tadpull co-founder Jake Cook that covers hiring fresh—if a little green—marketing talent right out of college. Listen in to hear him share the tactics he uses to find, hire, and keep great talent. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2RSi1Qy

This week Bill D'Alessandro and I revisit our predictions for 2018 to see how many we nailed and (more likely) how many just seem silly in retrospect. We also serve up a fresh batch of predictions for 2019 on topics ranging from Amazon delivery to trending marketing tactics to likely acquisitions in the coming year. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2QF3g6u 

Arman Assadi has worked on copywriting projects for well-known entrepreneurs such as Neil Patel, Timothy Sykes, and others. He also has experience running a 7-figure eCommerce store, so I asked him to come on to talk about the 80/20 of eCommerce copywriting. We also discuss how to work more productively by understanding your brain type, as well as differences among crowdfunding platforms. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2DVsw1i 

With Amazon cracking down on illegitimate reviews, unscrupulous players have a new weapon in their toolkit: attacking a listing by posting loads of fake, positive reviews. The worst part is it can be effective, as Zac Plansky unfortunately discovered. In this episode, I talk with Zac about the attack and how he was finally able to get his account reinstated after a stressful suspension. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2FH65iV 

Today’s episode is a follow-up to one I did back in June about the eCommerceFuel Job Boards. It’s been a while since I launched that project, and I wanted to share some updates to document the journey so you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to launching something from scratch. Listen in to hear what went well, what didn’t go so well, how things are going with the budget, and some key stats of the business so far. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2qXt1Ai

If you’re involved in the ecommerce space, you’ve surely noticed that it’s becoming harder and harder to stay 100% compliant when it comes to sales tax. Between the recent Supreme Court case and Amazon tax issues, quite honestly, it’s getting to be a real pain. So today I have Michael Jackness of EcomCrew.com here to share how a new organization he helped launch called the Online Merchants Guild is fighting against these sales tax hurdles. Listen in to learn what they’re doing, as well as how you can get involved to help make sure our online selling environment doesn’t become a nightmare from a compliance standpoint. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2AVxzgr 

Today I’ve got LemonStand’s Ross Paul on the show to talk about subscriptions—namely in the e-commerce space. LemonStand is a shopping cart company based in Vancouver, Canada, and as the company’s VP of Growth, Ross knows his stuff when it comes to building a successful subscription model. We dive right in to talk about which businesses can benefit from this model, billing issues people run into, and how to make sure you retain as many customers as possible. Tune in to hear it all now! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2PyWtKY 

In this episode, I’m going to share my experience designing a product from scratch. I’ve touched on this topic in passing on the show before, but today you’ll get a real, behind-the-scenes look at everything, from designing and manufacturing to unit economics and selling on Amazon. And most importantly, I’ll share all the mistakes I made along the way. Listen in to hear how everything went, and what I’d do differently if I had it to do all over again. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CxFr8S 

Today’s episode is all about an important topic that rarely gets discussed among entrepreneurs: mental health. Being an entrepreneur can be really hard at times; you’ve got super high highs and really low lows, and that can take a major toll. So I’ve got Sherry Walling of ZenFounder.com on the show to talk about how to take care of ourselves while running our businesses. In addition to being an entrepreneur herself—and being married to one—Sherry has a long background in clinical psychology. Listen in to hear her advice for maintaining your mental health as a founder, what to keep in mind about working with a spouse, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CIvUgr 

Today we’re going to talk about transparency and open companies, specifically the idea of sharing financials with employees. We recently discussed this in our private forum, and the overwhelming response was that it’s a bad idea, but my guests today disagree. Lee and Jake Cook—cofounders of Tadpull—and Hannah Jerome—a Tadpull leadership team member—strongly believe that sharing the key financial results of their business with their team has helped the business. Listen in to hear why they say that allowing staff to see exactly what’s going on financially can increase the buy-in and cohesion of a team. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pFwYck 

Today I’m joined by a longtime member of our eCommerceFuel Private Forum, a top contributor, and an all-around stand-up guy, Patrick Barnhill. Patrick is the founder of SpecialistID.com, and on a recent Mastermind call with him, I heard his presentation on how he’s using custom software to streamline his processes, reduce errors, and handle more inventory and order flow. He also shared what he was doing with his business in terms of hacking and prepping his products—especially products that he kitted together for FBA—and I just knew I had to have him on the show. Thankfully, he graciously agreed to come on the podcast to share these things with all of you. So if you’re interested in using custom software to streamline your business—especially on the operations and warehouse side—listen in to hear all the cool things Patrick is doing to run his business much more smoothly. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2DIW2sW 

Today on the show, I’ve got a guest who’s long overdue: Scott Voelker of TheAmazingSeller.com. Scott is a well-known guy in the Amazon space, he knows a tremendous amount about the platform, and he has sold tons and tons of products, so today we’re doing a deep dive with someone who knows Amazon inside and out. We cover where there’s still opportunity left within the platform, common mistakes sellers make, the state of reviews in the second half of 2018, some of his favorite tools, and a bunch of other things that you don’t want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2zr7G7k 

Today’s show is all about retargeting. I’m joined by the co-founder of Shoelace, Reza Khadjavi, who is here to share what makes a great retargeting ad, advice for managing your budget, and much more. Since his company specializes in retargeting—especially for Shopify stores—we cover a lot of ground today. Listen in to learn how to optimize your campaigns if you’re already running them, and if you’re not, you’ll hear lots of great tips for getting started the right way. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2QD2HqP 

Today I’m joined by Kristina Kurcink, a friend of mine who has spent over a decade working at Nike in roles ranging from design all the way to manufacturing. Being responsible for a lot of the production in Asia, Kristina has seen the whole process leading up to the famous footwear coming off the line. In this episode, she shares key lessons she learned during her ten years working for Nike, particularly some of the manufacturing lessons she learned from being on the ground in Asia. So if you’re doing your own manufacturing—or thinking about getting into it soon—you don’t want to miss hearing what Kristina has to say, as it could help you avoid mistakes and save money. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NjjksH 

Today’s episode is going to be slightly different than usual. I recently lost a bet and had to take Steve Chou of MyWifeQuitHerJob.com on a three-day road trip around Montana, and during that trip, we recorded a few episodes that we wanted to share. (You can find the other two on his podcast.) While we were on the road, we talked about tons of stuff, so this is kind of a free-ranging episode that covers email deliverability hacks, raising kids as entrepreneurs, and more. Listen in to hear it all now! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2MF14dU 

When it comes to collaborating with overseas factories, there are certain things any ecommerce store owner should know. So today I’ve got Nathan Resnick from Sourcify—a company that helps store owners pick the right factories for their design products and streamline their sourcing, design, and development—on the show to discuss how things work in China. Nathan has had tons of experience over there learning the language and culture, and he travels there six or more times per year, so he has a great understanding of the country. In this episode, he shares the logistics of selling and exporting goods to China, environmental policies being enacted over there, and some of the misunderstandings Westerners tend to have. Listen in to get a unique perspective on China from someone who knows the country really well. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NDV4i3 

Facebook is one of the biggest traffic channels out there right now, and I’m sure plenty of you listening are running ads on that platform, or at least thinking about it. Admittedly, I’ve only gotten into Facebook ads in the last few months, and it turns out I made some pretty big mistakes along the way. Thankfully, I had Michael Jackness of Terran.com and Miracle Wanzo of HipUndies.com take a peek at what I was doing and give me some pointers, which I'm going to share with you today. If you’re brand new to Facebook ads, or even if you’re already running some, take a listen and learn from the blunders I made so you can optimize your ads and increase your ROI—without learning the hard way like I did. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2wsKB1C 

So often, when we think about ecommerce, we think about putting a physical item into a box and shipping it somewhere, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can run an ecommerce store or a business without any inventory at all. Just ask today's guest, Niall O’Malley of eTrainToday.com. Niall started his digital products business back in 2011, and he’s here to share how it all works, some of the downsides of selling digital products (because of course, like anything, there are some downsides), and everything in between. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2P27Esh 

Shopify bans the sales of guns and accessories, even those legal in the U.S., Kroger Gets Into Online Grocery with “Kroger Ship”, Amazon rumored to be in the running to acquire Landmark Theatres, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at  https://www.ecommercefuel.com/august-21-2018/. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Over the last decade or so, I’ve managed a bunch of big, stressful projects with a ton of moving pieces, so I know how tricky it can be to keep things running smoothly. That’s why today’s episode is all about how to manage major projects without all the headaches. I’m going to share what I’ve learned from my experience, the strategy I employ, and more to help save you some agony and anguish in your next major project. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2LZUzkH

What comes to mind when you think of Wal-Mart? What about Target? It’s amazing how the two massive retailers can be perceived so differently. Perhaps even more amazing is that Target is the more profitable of the two, despite the fact that Wal-Mart is about six times as big. How is Target able to do that with less scale? What are they doing right? Here to answer those questions are Carrie McAleer of D.a. Davidson & Company and eCommercefuel’s own copywriter extraordinaire, Laura Serino. Listen in to learn what Target can teach us about building better, more profitable ecommerce stores. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2AejVXg 

Drew Sanocki is back on the show to share some very interesting things he’s been up to lately. Not only has he had exciting adventures traveling the world with his family, but he's also had some cool adventures in the private equity space. Today he dives into the details about different deals he’s involved with, compensation, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2LncK3C 

Today we’re continuing our series on building relationships, but instead of advice for creating stronger connections, this episode is all about what not to do. After all, if we’re working hard to expand our professional networks, we can’t let these simple mistakes negate our efforts. So listen in to hear the 14 faux pas that are sure to sabotage your connections before you have a chance to make them. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NKX48D 

Amazon's Prime Day is once again the biggest Sales Day in its History, Shopify will roll out augmented reality this fall, Apple introces new Macbook Pro features, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-24-2018/. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Today I want to talk about something that I think is one of the most important elements of long-term business success: building relationships. How you connect—or fail to connect—with other people has a tremendous impact on your business, so being mindful of the impression you're making is crucial. In this episode, I share 15 habits you should master in order to improve your networking and build better professional relationships. Listen in to hear them all now. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2KRHnuk 

With voice search becoming more and more prevalent these days, is it only a matter of time before it bleeds over into ecommerce and becomes the way people shop in the future? Joining me today to discuss this possibility are Miracle Wanzo of HipUndies.com and Bill D'Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com. We each share our predictions for how voice search will impact the future of ecommerce, as well as possibilities for how this technology could evolve moving forward. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2MAVTXI 

Amazon Jumps into the pharmacy business with $1 Billion Pillpack acquisition, Shopify acquires Return Magic, Paypal Checkout introduces a new feature, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-10-2018/. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Today's topic is one that's near and dear to my heart: remote work. I’m a little bit of a vagabond, and I love not being tied down, so the idea of being able to build a remote team is something that I think is really important. It gets a little tricky when you get into physical products, but today I have Fred Perrotta from Tortuga.com to share how the company he co-founded handles this challenge. Fred shares the potential issues that can arise from working with an entirely remote team, as well as how Tortuga overcomes them to maintain a physical products business with a team of people located all around the world. Tune in to hear it all now. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2K5piN1 

To celebrate the eCommerceFuel Job Board going live, I thought it’d be fun to have a couple episodes about employees, management, and all things workplace. So joining me today is Alison Green, the writer behind workplace advice blog AskAManager.org. She’s also the author of multiple books on managing people, as well as an advice column for New York magazine. Alison joins me today to discuss everything from having hard conversations with employees to appropriate interview questions to crazy and hilarious workplace stories you don't want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2JEahlk 

The Supreme Court clears the way for states to charge sales tax, President Trump introduces a new, lean type of health care plan and more.   You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-26-2018. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Today I’m flying solo on the mic to share something that we’ve been working on for a while now (and just launched this month): the eCommerceFuel Job Board. In addition to explaining what it is, I thought it’d be fun to give you an inside look at what's going on behind the scenes. People tend to reflect after the fact when something works, but rarely do you get to see a play-by-play of what’s happening, the strategies people are using, how much time and money they put into things, etc. In this episode, I'm giving you just that.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Mn0Q7d 

Today is part two of my interview with Adam Saraceno, the Chief Marketing Officer of Peak Design. We’re picking up the conversation we started last week on leveraging Kickstarter, but we shift gears to talk about how Adam's company has cultivated and maintained such an awesome culture (while still managing to create super high-quality products), which marketing tactics are giving them the best ROI, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2x90Bcw  

The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and thoughts on life from Andrew Youderian.    This week in the news:  Amazon's new Echo Look, how your Android phone will soon make phone calls on your behalf and potential GDPR fines on the horizon.   You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-12-2018.  

Today is part one of a deep dive I’m excited to do with Adam Saraceno, the Chief Marketing Officer of a company that has done a phenomenal job leveraging Kickstarter to grow their brand and their business. I think it’s safe to say Peak Design is the most successful crowdfunded company today that’s still active and thriving in 2018. How did they do it? Adam shares that and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rXdwIX 

Ashley Schroder of A2XAccounting.com joins the show today to talk about a very important (and often neglected) topic: accounting. Now, before your eyes glaze over, there’s a good chance that what you’ll learn in this episode can save you a lot of money, especially if you know you’re not doing all you should to keep up with your accounting on Amazon. So listen in and get Ashley’s expert take on a subject that too many merchants don’t take seriously enough. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IaZqKB 

Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com is back for the third and final part of our series on legal issues. So far, we’ve covered trademarks and patents, and today we’re wrapping up with a grab bag of legal questions to round out our series. Listen in to hear John’s insight and advice on a whole random host of legal issues that affect ecommerce entrepreneurs. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2JNV2St 

Today we’re going to talk about something you’ve probably heard about by now—and quite possibly are sick of hearing about—but it’s going to change the way we market in many ecommerce businesses. That’s right, I’m talking about the GDPR. I’ve brought John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com back on the show to discuss what the law covers, what your liability is, and what could potentially happen if you don’t comply. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rLKoEi 

Today we are continuing our legal series with Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com. John specializes in both IP and businesses on the web—both subjects that a lot of lawyers don’t know much about—so it’s great to have him back on the show. Last week we talked about all things patents, and today we’re going to do the same with trademarks. This is an interesting and relevant topic, especially given that Amazon Brand Registry 2.0 requires you to file a trademark if you want to have any kind of brand protection. Listen in to hear the crucial things you need to know when it comes to trademarks. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2rsA9EH

Today we’re going to kick off a three-part legal series with Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com. John has been a phenomenal member of the eCommerceFuel Private Community, offering loads of expertise on everything to patents to trademarks to copyright infringement, and I knew I had to get him on the show to share his knowledge with podcast listeners, as well. In this first episode of the series, we’ll be focusing on patents. There’s so much to know about the different types, costs, etc.—including whether getting a patent is worth it for stores in the $2 - $10 million range—and John’s here to straighten it all out for us. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IYxkSO 

In the last couple of years, I’ve really been noticing more and more that people are feeling the pinch of wanting to hire a Director of eCommerce/COO for their businesses. And it makes sense, given the relief that can come from handing off the small details and logistics of running an ecommerce business so you can focus on high-level tasks. So today I have my good friend Michael Jackness of EcomCrew.com back for another episode to share the details of his recent experience hiring a Director/COO and how it changed his business for the better. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2GQfzc5 

Building an audience can be tough, especially when you’re starting from scratch. So today, I thought it’d be fun to share the mic with Michael Jackness of EcomCrew so we can both give our perspectives on the subject, including what worked for us and what mistakes we made along the way. Michael has done such an incredible job building up EcomCrew.com over the last couple years, and today you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look into exactly how he did it. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2GO35k5 

The CEO of The Goulet Pen Company shares how engaging with his customers took his company to the next level. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IuDwTc 

Jake Cook is a professor, founder of Tadpull and a fellow Bozeman resident. Today we get together over a glass of bourbon to talk about how Jake finds top talent right from his classroom. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2tGeH3A 

As store owner, we can lose sleep over lots of little things, from ornery employees to inventory issues. But there's one fear that can really upset a good night's sleep: a suspension email from Amazon. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Hd41LJ 

Today I’m going to share the major takeaways from a report I just released called The State of the Merchant Report. It has become an annual tradition for me to survey a bunch of store owners to figure out what’s going on in the ecommerce world, and this report covers everything from revenue growth, conversion rates, happiness levels, how much profit (and pain) Amazon is causing, and more. Listen in to hear the results—some of them may surprise you! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pMd0fu 

Normally I turn to Steve Chou and Bill D'Alessandro for advice on what to do in business. Not today. Instead, we're chatting about the biggest mistakes we've made investing in the markets and real estate. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2F9sa9q

When it comes to online advertising, I know it can be a challenge to keep up with the various options on different, ever-changing platforms. So today, I've brought Brett Curry from OMGCommerce.com on to discuss traffic with Google and Amazon in 2018. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Hr5nU1 

As you know, Amazon has been cracking down on reviews. It used to be that you could get incentived reviews, but that's no longer the case. What's a seller to do then? You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2szABor

A few years back I caught up with Clayton Chrismas who purchased TrollingMotors.net from me. I learned how much better the business was doing once it was freed from the shackles and constraints of it's incompetent previous owner (much better, it turned out). You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CpINY9

Learn how Kris Cody generated $300K+ on Kickstarter without any paid traffic. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2DMaxaT

This is the last episode of shopping cart month, where we talk about some other contenders, even if they're not the biggest ones on the scene. We cover Bigcommerce, Volusion, and Americommerce and compare and contrast their various strengths and weaknesses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2mTNDap

What I've noticed is that WooCommerce has been like an underdog, but it seems like it's about to change. This week, we're talking with Brian from PostStatus.com and Zach Stepek from MindSize.me to chat about the potential and pitfalls of WooCommerce. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2F9aYfH

Listen to Bill D'Alessandro from Rebel CEO and I doing a recap on my favorite event of the year, the eCommerceFuel Live conference. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2FDGz9w  

This week, we're talking with Alan Merrick who is a Magento expert in our community and Kalen Jordan from the podcast Mage Talk about Magento and who it's best suited for. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CXuQVB

If you like to nerd out on shopping cart software as much as I do, then stay tuned. This week, we're going to dive in talking about Shopify with Carson McComas from Fuel Made. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CdLJrn

Learn from Jayson Gaignard on how to meaningfully connect with someone busy and well­-known like Seth Godin. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2or4KEl

  Learn from Raphael Schneider, YouTube Wizard who has built a channel with more than 125,000 subscribers. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2AFgy7J

This is a followup conversation with Dave McGeady to see the results of a marketing experiment is going and what the results were. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2o4J8uT

Learn highly effective direct mail marketing tips and print catalog ideas to make your store. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2jsBs2l

Today I sit down with Bill D'Alessandro to make some bold ecommerce predictions for 2018. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2B7ccJF

Anastasia leveraged the readership of her popular blog to jump­start the business. So she knows a thing or two about building and connecting with an audience via the written word. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2B9ZLdz  

Andy Hayes from PlumDeluxe.com talks about how to grow a blog and how they've used the platform to generate close to two-thirds of their sales. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2zCIrzw 

The founder of the popular Leadpages software is getting into cryptocurrency. Let's geek out together talking cryptocurrency with Clay Collins. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2nuPs0U

Learn how to build a highly profitable portfolio of eCommerce businesses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2iUN11X

Hiring a business manager can free up your time if done correctly. Learn the strategies to find, hire and incentivize the right person. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2y4IP6d

This Fall we hosted "ECF Week", where community members in 20+ cities across the globe got together to connect. I couldn't make all the events but I did my best and joined 8 meetups in 9 days. It was a roadtrip and the likes of which I've never attempted before.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2zBZimU 

Learn how to calculate your customer lifetime value and how to use it to grow and improve your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2lx8t1E

Andrew Egenes and Phillip Naples from Unbrokerage.com join me to talk what types of eCommerce insurance store owners need to protect themselves. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2lAnzDI  

Earlier this year I came close to buying a mid 7-figure business with a team of 15 people. At first, it looked like a diamond in the rough.  A business I could purchase relatively cheaply, spend a short time improving and systemizing and then step back to enjoy significantly improved profitability.  But after doing my diligence and talking with others I realized it ultimately wasn't the right opportunity for me.    How could I have initially been so excited about something that clearly wasn't the right move?    Today I share the 7 questions that prevented me from making a very, very expensive mistake... ...and perhaps will help you at some point, too.   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2gG7Z80

Our discussion recorded while camping covers his time working with Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, travel, and (of course) lessons learned from making numerous investments in the eCommerce space. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here:  http://bit.ly/2hLQAHt

John Cavendish joins me today to share his experience growing an FBA Amazon Europe business and discuss the ins-and-outs of what you need to consider if you want to be successful. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hA9gtI

We dive deep about the ins-and-outs of raising money, building company culture and how to screen for pro-active employees when hiring.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2y3Byql

Over the last nine months I've been a total slacker. The previously weekly podcast got cut back to one flimsy episode a month while I took a sabbatical to take a little time off and figure out what I wanted to do next. Well I'm thrilled to announce that the podcast is returning to its weekly schedule and I've finally figured out what I want to do with my life.   (Spoiler: Decided against the full-time mime gig.  Turns out it wasn't as lucrative as I thought.) Today on the show I'm excited to bring back the podcast full-tilt, share what I've been up to and what I see ahead for eCommerceFuel. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2y8p7Kn

In the second episode of our SEO series, SEO expert and founder of 180Marketing Jeff Oxford explains how to optimize your internal links to generate more traffic. While internal linking is not the most important SEO factor, solid internal structure will make it easier for Google’s crawlers to index your pages. Jeff explains whether old SEO strategies like PageRank, sitemaps, and domain authority are still relevant in 2017. Separating fact from myth is the most important lesson from this episode and will ensure you’re using your time effectively. Jeff also walks us through a step-by-step process for helping pages rank better and how to get the right traffic. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2vQguzP

You can boost your on-page SEO with some simple fixes that together create big results, and our eCommerce Fuel Forum expert Jeff Oxford can tell you how. Jeff talks about recent improvements to search engine algorithms that have changed the SEO factors you should be focusing on. We talk about branding, how to handle meta tags, headings, and paragraphs, and why content is still king. Jeff also ranks each on-page SEO factor out of ten, so you know just which elements to polish up to boost your clickthroughs, traffic, and engagement.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2twcm6I 

Andy Bedell joins us to share some inside knowledge and tips for using Facebook, Amazon, and other resellers to sell and market products effectively. He also shares his own captivating copywriting process and some investment ideas and inspiration. We also talk about CRAP products, Amazon leakage, how Facebook ads work, how to properly vet a reseller, and plenty more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2sMarv5

Amazon’s BOOST Event was the first annual FBA (Fulfilled By Amazon) conference for sellers on the platform. Long overdue guest Bill D'Alessandro joins us to give us his five biggest takeaways from BOOST, including new developments in international selling, protecting your brand on Amazon, multichannel fulfillment, and much more. Bill learned that Amazon is focusing on international expansion and making Amazon even more attractive to sell with. Seller-Fulfilled Prime is also growing rapidly, and we discuss whether that's a good thing for sellers, or just a smart play by Amazon. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2toOUY9

With several Hong Kong exhibitions coming up, it's important to make the most out of the opportunity to meet with factories and directly source products. Cameron Walker is the President of Gifts, Home, and Hardware Group at Global Sources and explains how to get what you want out of these massive events.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2sffbL1 

It can be tricky to write copy that's both funny and effective. I thought I'd ask Dave Munson of Saddleback Leather, who's a pro at striking this particular balance, for his tips. Dave also talks about how he harnesses video in his business, and what he's learned from running an eCommerce business.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rtgaVV 

On the show today, our resident Importing and China expert Dave Bryant shares what he learned from his experience working in an Amazon warehouse.  Dave kicks off the episode by talking about the recent sale of his business, which opened up the chance for him to do a temporary stint at an Amazon warehouse for oversize products. We talk about what it looks like on the floor, how they track productivity, and potential problems Amazon may have with staffing as they continue to grow. Dave also talks about what he'll do differently in his next business now that he has insight into how Amazon's facilities work on a day-to-day level. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rPWkDx 

We're trying something a little different on this episode of eCommerce Fuel: instead of our normal interview, I've invited Noah Kagan and Dave McGeady to talk about Dave's business Wyldsson.  Dave, Noah and I talk about the inexpensive, quick, and impactful changes that Wyldsson could make in the next thirty days to boost its sales and improve its conversion rate. We also discuss why Dave should start collecting emails from his customers, how to encourage them to become subscribers, and the small tweak he can make to his product photos to move even more inventory. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pw55RK 

Entrepreneurs that make money off of intellectual property - like artists and eCommerce storeowners Meredith Keller and Matt Snow - know that protecting your IP is an uphill battle. Meredith and Matt join us to talk about how they've dealt with counterfeiters stealing their ideas, and ways we could improve IP and international shipping policy to better support small businesses in the US. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2nfvHJs 

100xing your business in three years might sound impossible, but one of our best new eCommerce Fuel contributors - Daniel Parker - is here to share the story of how his company did just that. After being recruited to MyChoiceSoftware in 2013, Daniel and his partner used clever marketing and stellar customer service to drive their business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2kejPDg 

Welcome to the first episode of 2017! Today I'm chatting with Brad Bernhart, a fellow Montana business owner and the craftsman behind the awesome tools over at Earlywood Designs.   Brad talks about his recent experience handling an unexpected rush of orders, thanks to a press release over the holiday season that depleted his inventory and left him shorthanded in the workshop. An unanticipated shortage of product is not an uncommon problem for eCommerce business owners to confront, so I thought it would be good to hear how Brad handled the experience. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2jAb0FQ 

If you've been listening for the past few weeks, you already know I'm stepping away from the podcast in 2017 to focus on some new projects. Today I'm filling you in on those plans, which include getting back to writing fresh blog content for you all. The last three years of podcasting have been an awesome experience, and I'll still be recording new episodes every month or so. And, the eCommerceFuel community will still be just as active as ever and now is an excellent time to join us.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hoXfdk 

X and I dig into some specifics about email deliverability best practices, including what makes up your email reputation. We talk about how to come back from being put on a blacklist and if it's possible to make it past Google's "Updates" tab into your customer's main inbox. X also shares several tools for managing email lists and avoiding spam traps that can immobilize your business email. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hCiwPG 

Drew Sanocki of Nerd Marketing shares an episode of his podcast with us, all about how to utilize discount ladders in your business. Drew then answers some of my questions, including how to know a customer's average time to purchase and how to develop an even more nuanced approach to discounts. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hqIxBT 

In this episode, Taylor Pearson and I talk about knowing where to invest your time, and how to choose the right area of expertise for your skillset. Taylor also shares his thoughts on the popular publishing platform Medium, as well as his top 3 must-read books for entrepreneurs.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fwOpYj 

Stephan Jacob is the co-founder of Cotopaxi, a high-end outdoor apparel manufacturer. Backed by ventured capital, he's creating a larger operation that genuinely incorporates social initiatives into all aspects of their business operation. Stephan shares the challenges he's faced managing a company that has experienced rapid growth. We also discuss how to cultivate fierce brand loyalty, locate and hire top talent, and foster a company culture that empowers team members and supports sustainable growth. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fLOwxa

We've got a quick but extensive accounting lesson for you today from Catching Clouds co-founder Scott Scharf.  As an eCommerce accounting expert, Scott gets to see the inner workings of dozens of eCommerce businesses -- and he's here to tell us what separates the good from the great. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fLg7BN 

Building a brand through a proprietary product may very well be the future of eCommerce for small businesses. Dave Bayless, of Human Scale Business, knows firsthand what it takes to grow and scale early-stage companies or inventions. He has a wealth of experience both on the private equity side and as a consultant helping entrepreneurs build their brands. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2frg8HL

On this episode, Bill and I talk about the keynote speakers, panel discussions, and overall takeaways from this year's excellent eCommerceFuel Live in Savannah, GA. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2einpg6 

In this episode, Chad talks about how he got into selling gun parts, as well as some of the things he's learned about business and marketing over the years as an entrepreneurial jack-of-all-trades. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fbomYs 

In this final episode from our beach mastermind group, Andrew moderates a discussion between Bill D'Alessandro and Zack Kanter about how Amazon will change in the coming years. Will they consider buying out either UPS or FedEx? Will they simply drive them out of business? We attempt to answer these questions, but we also talk drone-delivery and discuss the future of eCommerce as a whole. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2enQ6cy 

It seems like every über-successful entrepreneur has a special daily routine that sets them up to dominate the day. In this episode, we talk frankly about our own positive and negative habits and how they impact our work and personal lives. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2e9XtUJ 

Mastermind groups are a familiar topic in the eCommerce community. In the kickoff episode of this three-part series, we take a peek inside the recent entrepreneurs' retreat I attended, hosted by our frequent guest and good friend Bill D'Alessandro. Together with Will Nathan of Homepolish, Zack Kanter of Proforged, and Marshall Hayes and Alex Herndon of Amplio Digital, we discuss many benefits of spending time with like-minded and highly motivated fellow entrepreneurs. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2e9TGFz 

Eric Bandholz  returns to eCommerceFuel to take about the benefits and challenges of scaling your team in a way that leads to productivity, why he decided against selling on Amazon, and how launching another company, UrbanBeardsman.com, is taking his business in a new direction. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2dvhVKc

Virtual reality is the talk of the town right now, and not just in tech circles. Today we're chatting with Daniel Beauchamp, head of VR at Shopify, to understand how virtual reality might change the face of eCommerce in the not-so-distant future. We start with a basic overview of VR and headsets. We then dive into the fascinating potential of virtual reality as it could benefit eCommerce merchants and customers, and what it will take to generate a virtual store with 3D depictions of your products. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2cXLOI7 

There's a lot to keep track of when you have a growing small business, and managing cash flow can be tricky. Bill and Andrew have had their own encounters with cash flow issues in the past, so today they share those lessons. They talk about why you might be strapped for cash even if your revenue is booming, legitimate reasons for having cash flow issues, and the best ways for small businesses to raise more funds. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/2bZF0GR 

You've probably heard that 2016 is the year messaging apps and bots really take off. We're joined this week by Paul Gray of Kik, who enlightens us about the popularity of messaging apps, the possibilities of bots, and how he would respond to naysayers of these up and coming technologies. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2ceJo6j 

Recently, we did a roundup of the eCommerce conferences you should have on your radar. This week, we're talking about getting the most out of whichever conferences you do attend. We discuss why networking should be your primary objective, and how to absorb as much as possible from each conference. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2ccyIpY 

Earlier this year, we kicked off a series with Kyle Goguen of PawStruck.com and began by looking at his goals. We wanted to follow Kyle throughout the year to see how things went – what were some of his successes and challenges on his eCommerce journey. On this episode, we have an update on Kyle's story, specifically, in the area of warehousing and how he’s managing that aspect of his business from over a 1,000 miles away. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/2bmHwUi

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Running a brick and mortar store has its challenges. Today's guest has figured out how to create both an open and warm store environment with an innovative and successful online presence. For this episode, Andrew heads down the street from his office to sit down with Paul Decker of Musicvilla who's at the helm of a musical institution here in Bozeman, MT. He shares how he navigates the challenges of keeping a brick and mortar business running, his approach to managing an effective team, and how Musicvilla leverages an eCommerce site to generate additional income. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Paul Decker of Musicvilla.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. I'm Andrew Youderian. Today on the show, I wanna bring you a company that's been on my radar for a long time. I live in Bozeman, Montana as you may know, and actually went to college here, and in college when I was playing a lot more guitar, I was a frequent visitor of the store called Music Villa right on Main Street. I spent way more than I probably should have on guitar equipment, and over the years, I've just kind of followed them and they've really impressed me, especially as I kinda get more into e-commerce, because they've built out, not just a great eCommerce presence online, which they have done well but, the way in which they've built the business. Paul specifically the owner, who I'll be chatting with, created such a interesting, fun, dynamic, open culture for his company. A lot of people talk about building company culture, but most of the time, it's just that, just talk. But what he's been able to do in Music Villa, both in the brick and mortar store, the feeling you get when you go in there, as well as the presence online with their videos that are funny, they're interesting, they've got a lot of uniqueness and character to them, it's just really...It's really impressive. So, I wanted to sit down with Paul, and understand how he was able to do that. So, left my office, walked down the street a block or two, and had a chance to sit down with Paul over a beer, and find out exactly how he did it. In our bed fast asleep. Andrew: Paul, thanks for coming on. Paul: Any time. No problem. Thank you. Andrew: We got the 87 mic, the beer that you graciously offered me. Paul: We're doing good. Paul's Background in Music Andrew: You've had the store since '97, right? Paul: Yes, '97 is when I came back. I was living out in Seattle, and I kind of moved back. My dad had the store, and so I kind of came back and started there. He was done and I walked in and took it from there. Andrew: Perfect. And so were you doing the music thing in Seattle or what were you doing there? Paul: I was, yes, I was playing in bands, and just left high school in '89. Right after high school, traveled with some bands for a while, ended up in Seattle. And one day, I'm like, "I think I'm ready to go home." So, I came back to Bozeman. Andrew: And what was the name of the band that you were playing at when you were in Seattle? Paul: Oh, gosh. Many bands, who knows. I got to play with the Jimi Hendrix cover band, and, you know, all kinds of stuff, but yeah. Andrew: And did you...You didn't have a business background coming in to run the store, did you? Paul: No, I didn't. I had... After high school and I never went to college and I didn't have any business background necessarily, but I did work for a corporate company, Musicland Group which was CD's and, you know, and that definitely taught me a lot about some business stuff. And then I just remember before I left Seattle, I went to a guitar center grand opening, and it was pretty eye opening too. I was like, "Wow." So, you know, I always kind of was in this marketing, you know, that... I enjoyed that aspect of it,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Could there be benefits to going old school and connecting with people out of a physical store? Tony Rodono of City Prints Map Art and, more recently, MapShop.com did just that. Tony transitioned to working out of a brick-and-mortar shop, and shares his ups and downs of the shift, including interacting face to face with customers and managing a brand new team. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Tony Rodono of MapShop.com and City Prints Map Art) The Full Transcript Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey, hey, guys, Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Today on the show, bringing you a discussion with community member, Tony Rodono, who is the longtime owner of City Maps, an online site selling beautiful map art, and who recently purchased a brick and mortar store in Charlotte, North Carolina with 8 to 10 employees, a pretty big acquisition for him. And I think in our space, we definitely have people that have those storefronts, but I'd say the majority of myself, the majority of our members in our community are probably online only. And so just a fascinating acquisition from my perspective. I wanted to talk to Tony about how it went, what was the rationale behind doing that, how's it been going, what are some of the challenges and some of the benefits of getting that brick and mortar business. Interesting discussion, so I hope you'll enjoy it and we'll go ahead and dive right in. Tony, so congratulations on closing your first brick-and-mortar purchase. April 1st, right? Tony You got it. Now, thanks so much, Andrew. Andrew: Yeah, that's fantastic. And the name of the brick and mortar that you purchased was mapshop.com, or at least that's the website, but it also has a corresponding physical building, correct? Tony: Correct. Yeah, everyone in town just refers to it as "The Map Shop". Andrew: The Map Shop, that's so cool. But before that, you were running a business called City Prints, right? Tony: That's correct. Andrew: Okay. And can you give us just a real...obviously both deal with...or The Map Shop deals with maps, but can you give just a quick overview of what both of those businesses kinda do? Background of Tony's Businesses Tony: Yeah, so City Prints, we launched that about four years ago and we make map art. So our pieces kinda look like modern, abstract art, but represent the places that you're most passionate about. The Map Shop is more on the traditional map space, so wall maps, folded maps and then we do, you know, a lotta custom maps too for businesses. Andrew: Got you. And you've been running it for four years and that was a lot of print-on-demand, you didn't necessarily have a storefront, it sounded like it was a pretty lean operation, right? Tony: Absolutely. That was kinda, you know, what my mentality was at the time, you know, really lean staff, mostly outsourced, no people problems, you know, work from home, no commute and hang out with the fam whenever I want. You know, complete freedom, low overhead, t-shirts and jeans everyday, you know, like you said, print-on-demand 100%, carried no inventory. So yeah, The Map Shop is none of those things. So it's definitely been a transition, but I'm having a ball with it. Andrew: So it begs the question for a lot of people, it sounds like their ideal situation. And it's not like you did...I mean, it's not like, you know, the reason I got into drop shipping was because it's not proprietary. It's got some great benefits of a lot of the things that you had where you don't have to deal with inventory, these kinda things,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Bill and Andrew resume last week's conversation to finish looking at how current trends in technology will have an impact on the future of our economy. Although these shifts may be a few years away, understanding the how these change can impact your business will help you prepare and not be caught off guard. This week, we speculate on what will disappear and just how these shifts impact the economy and thus your livelihood. The predictions we propose have the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with the economy. Tune into this final segment of our two-part conversation to find out how you can get prepared. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Bill D'Alessandro of Rebel CEO.) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey, guys. It's Andrew here. Welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. And today, we're going to be continuing our discussion that Bill D'Alessandro and I...that we started last week, specifically talking about the massive world-shifting changes that are going to be headed your way in the coming years. And last week, specifically, we talked about robots and artificial intelligence. We talked about widespread virtual reality. We talked about negative interest rates and an extremely low-interest-rate environment for the coming future. And that's where we left it off. So what to dive in today is particularly about things that are going to be disappearing in the future that are going to have a big change on your life. So I'll go ahead and we'll pick it up right from where we left off last week. Enjoy! The Two Party System So moving into things that will be disappearing, the first one on here, and this is something that's really interesting, Bill, because we have different opinions on this. The two-party system. You and I were prepping, and we were like, "We've got to make sure that we do not turn this into just a political mock-fest," because I think you and I could go off for hours about what a nightmare elections... And apologies to people outside the U.S. This will be U.S.-centric. But most people would agree it's been a very unorthodox election campaign season. And I think this could be the final straw to break the two-party system, but you don't. And I'll let you maybe make the argument first. Bill: I would like you to make the argument first, and then I will rebut because I think... Andrew: Oh. Bill: Well, because I have not heard your angle on this, so I would like to hear it. Andrew: I think the two-party system in the U.S., of course, Democrats and Republicans, I feel like has been... It's kind of anachronism. And you have, I think, a lot of people our age, Bill. Not just like, you know, late 20s or early 30s. But going out 10 plus years in both sides, you have a very large portion of the population that is far more centrist, people that are maybe economically conservative but socially liberal, people that don't identify with the very extreme fringes of the Democratic and the Republican Parties. And for a long time, I think, traditionally, the two-party systems, they weren't quite as extreme, and so maybe that larger or kind of social norms were a little bit more divided. But I think that the parties historically weren't as extreme, and so people were able to relate to them more. But I think in the last 10 to 15 years, they've gotten so extreme on both sides. You have a lot of people that don't feel like they don't belong to any party at all. And I think this is the first election where you have just open rebellion in the Republican Party, and to a much lesser degree, in the Democratic Party.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Bill and Andrew pull out their crystal balls to peer into the future and predict how technology will usher in massive shifts in the economy. These shifts may be 5 - 20 or more years away, but they can potentially have a huge impact on your business. From self-driving cars to negative interest rates, large pools of employment sectors could face the chopping block as our society embraces the next generation of technological advances. Tune in to join the conversation so you can prepare your business for a future that may already be upon us in this two part series. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Bill D'Alessandro of Rebel CEO.) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow ecommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey guys, it's Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today's episode. Today on the show, gonna be...do something a little bit different. Obviously, we focus on ecommerce and business here but from time to time, like to mix things up, and want to talk about massive world shifting changes headed your way from kind of a macrolevel, both because it's an interesting to talk about and also potentially because, you know, could have an impact on your business. So here to kinda peer into the crystal ball with me, mister Bill D'Alessandro. Bill, how you doing buddy? Bill: I'm doing very well and I did bring my crystal ball today. I'm excited. Andrew: Oh yeah, you got one of those crystal ball, or are we talking, like, the magic eight ball you shake and look into it? Bill: Yup, yup, exactly. After every question you ask me, I'm just gonna tell you what the eight ball says. Andrew: It's interesting, the original notes that we put together here, we had to par down because we had so many different things that we're like, "This is gonna be, like, an hour and a half discussion." Not that that necessarily means that we'd be any more accurate. I don't know, I think it's pretty safe to say, maybe everyone throughout history's already said this, but I feel like there's like a lotta change on the horizon. Bill: I think there is too and the topics you have picked for us today are all topics upon which I have very strong opinions. So this should be a good, good episode. Andrew: And there's a couple that I thought we'd be in agreement on and was not the case. So hopefully we can keep it civil for people, what do you think? Bill: I think we can try, yes. We're just screaming at each other by the end. Robots Will Run the World Andrew: Yeah. All right, let's dive into it. So Bill, the first prediction that we have, thing that's coming, and I'm gonna break these down into things that are coming and things that are disappearing in terms of massive shifts and kinda the world in general. And the first one is a pretty broad category and it encompassed a lot things that I thought about, that you thought about, and we kinda talked about it. It's really what I'm gonna call it, the robot in AI revolution in terms of just robots, but smart computers, so much automation. Automation has been a big part of the last, you know, 100 years one way or another, but just the rate at which it's gonna accelerate, the rate at which it's going to really make a lot of jobs and occupations that we have now completely unfeasible. It's got some really huge implications on in terms of just the convenience side of things, the efficiency side, but also in terms of social aspects of what do you do in a world where, you know, a good percentage of people, they don't have the skills to be meaningfully employed. So that's kind of a high level thing, a lot that we can unpack about that,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Continuing with our series on Amazon, this week we're talking about research tools available to help those selling in niche markets. Greg Mercer, the founder of Jungle Scout, a popular Amazon market research tool for sellers, discusses how sellers can weed out saturated segments to find profits.  Jungle Scout uses Amazon's Best Sellers rankings to help you make educated decisions on what to buy and sell on Amazon. Greg dives in about the pros and cons of developing products vs reselling on the Amazon platform. He also provides an in-depth review of the tools he uses to conduct market research, which helps him to identify products that are in demand. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Greg Mercer of Jungle Scout.) Andrew: Hey guys, it's Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. And today we're continuing on with our podcast series about Amazon. Specifically, we're gonna be talking about niche research today in 2016. A lot has changed over the last couple of years, but we wanna find out what's working, what you should be thinking about if you're gonna be launching a product or products on the platform today. And joining me to talk about this is Greg Mercer who is the founder of Jungle Scout which is extremely popular market analysis and research tool for Amazon. It lets you go in and you can see, you know, really it gives you like a sense how much revenue certain products are making on Amazon as well as a slew of other information. And Greg's got a lot of experience working with Amazon, running his own Amazon business, and understands the analytics and the market research side extremely well. So hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun chatting with Greg about this as I'm a bit of a Amazon newbie myself, and hope you find it useful as well. We'll get right into it. Greg, great to have you on. Thanks for coming. Greg: Absolutely, I appreciate you having me on, Andrew. What is Jungle Scout? Andrew: For those that may not be familiar with you, can you give us a quick overview of what Jungle Scout, which is kind of your primary product, what it is and how it works? Greg: Yeah, absolutely. So it's before that you know, like just a few years ago, I used to work in a corporate job. I wasn't really happy with it. I escaped that by starting to sell on Amazon. That kind of led into Jungle Scout which is a product research tool for Amazon sellers, so it's a software product. And what we've done with this, we've gathered a whole bunch of data, analyzed different data points, and so forth to help sellers make educated purchasing decisions, and I help them find good products to sell on Amazon. Andrew: And the data, so you can actually go to a product, press the button and then it will give you a bunch of data, but included in that is the number that are sold per month as a well as the revenue generated by that product for the seller, correct? Greg: Yes, that's correct. So that's a little bit of like our secret sauce is the sales estimate. And a lot of your listeners probably know Amazon doesn't personally release that data. What they do release is something they call a Best Sellers Rank, and from that we've developed algorithms by tracking a few hundred thousand different products on how that Best Sellers Rank correlates to the unit sales on a monthly basis, We've developed those algorithms, we update them each month, and from there, you can get pretty darn accurate estimates of how much any product sells on Amazon. Using Spitly and Review Kick Andrew: And you also have a couple of other things as well, Splitly and Review Kick. Can you just touch briefly on what both of those are? Greg: Yeah. Sure thing. So Review Kick is a review acquisition management platform. So if you're looking to get reviews on your Amazon produc...

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: One of the most crucial factors to having a successful product on Amazon is the quality of your customer reviews. This week, Jeffrey Cohen, Director of Business Development at SellerLabs, joins us to explain how to garner better reviews for your products and the strategies to create incentivized reviews. Jeff also shares up-to-date tools that bring organic reviews to your product listings and can boost the number of reviews your products get.  Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Jeffrey Cohen of SellerLabs) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast. The show dedicated to helping high six and seven figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur Andrew Youderian. Hey guys. It's Andrew here, and welcome to the eCommerce Fuel Podcast. Thanks so much for joining me on the episode. Today, we're gonna be continuing our series on Amazon, and specifically talking about reviews. You know, getting reviews, how they impact, you know, the search algorithm, how important they are, some of the implications behind incentivized reviews. All this kind of stuff we'll be tackling today. And joining me to talk about it is Jeff Cohen from Seller Labs, and you may not have heard of Seller Labs, but there's a good chance you've heard of the products that they put out. Their most popular one is called Feedback Genius, and it's a tool that allows you to affectively set up automated email campaigns to communicate with your Amazon customers. I get feedback from 'em and drive reviews to Amazon. They also run a site called Snagshout, where they help facilitate getting reviews for your products on Amazon through, a lot of times, giving away products or discounting products, things like that. So those are the two businesses that Jeff is involved with. He knows a tremendous amount about Amazon, but particularly, how reviews impact everything. So without further ado, let's go ahead and dive into my chat with Jeff about reviews on Amazon. I think its interesting understanding Vine a little bit better now. You know, there's been a lot of press about non-legitimate, like paid reviews, which is against Amazon's terms of service. I know, you know, about Snagshout totally doesn't plan those at all. But it'll be interesting knowing that Amazon is very heavily in creating reviews through free products as well. I didn't know that they were so entrenched in that, especially with only offering it to people who sold directly to them. All that being said, what are Amazon's terms of service about generating reviews in terms of payments, giveaways? What can you do, what can't you do? Generating Reviews for Payment or Giveaways Jeff: Yeah, so here's kind of the easiest way to say it. Amazon allows you to sell products at a discount. Amazon allows you to give products away for free. Amazon does not allow you to sell products at a discount, or give them away for free, and require a review. You can encourage your review, but you cannot require it. And so Snagshout does not require a review when the product is given away. But we do ask our buyers to leave reviews once the product has been received, and so it is semantics. But it does make a big difference, and so what Amazon is going after are sites. So there are some sites out there who will say, "Our reviewers understand their obligation to leave reviews." Well, your buyer cannot have an obligation to leave a review. They cannot be provided an incentive to leave a review. You cannot provide the product to a family member, and ask them for review. And you cannot sell a product, never ship a product, and then have somebody write a review. And those are the main things Amazon has been going after. So Fiverr, there were literally people on Fiverr who were running deals,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Fahim Naim is a former Senior Category Manager at Amazon and founder of eShopportunity. Over the course of his time at Amazon, Fahim did P&L management for a multi-hundred million dollar category, managed relationships with vendors, and negotiated terms and costs with vendors and his team. We take a deep dive into the ways to make your Amazon listings fully optimized, as well as the common mistakes sellers make using Amazon's platform. If you are an Amazon seller, you definitely don't want to miss the vendor advice that Fahim has to offer. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Fahim Naim of eShopportunity) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow ecommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey guys. It's Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Today on the show I'm joined by Fahim Naim who is the cofounder of eShopportunity.com and a previous category manager at Amazon. So Fahim's got a ton of experience in this space with Amazon. We will talk about Amazon mistakes which was originally the intended focus of this discussion but we branched out a lot more. Particularly of interest to myself was the difference between FBA, Vendor Central, Vendor Express, how to negotiate with Amazon if they're buying product directly from you, which model, selling to third party or first party makes the most sense in different circumstances. So interesting discussion. I hope you enjoy it. But first, before we dive in, I want to do something I haven't done in quite a while and that is do a first sale shout out. I'm really excited to do this one for Laura Serino who...if the name sounds familiar it's because she's our community manager, she's the podcast producer here. I'm sure you've heard her or one of her episodes she's produced here on the show. So Laura, congrats on the first sale and her business is nhislandapothecary.com. Laura's been into the natural skin care space for quite a while and she's created her own proprietary line of skin care products with a little bit of island flare mixed in there. She lives on an island in Maine. So help Laura ramp up her business enough to where she can quit her job with eCommerceFuel. Check out nhislandapothecary.com. If that ever happens I'll be very sad to lose such an incredibly team member but thrilled for her and her business but yeah. So regardless, check it out, congrats to Laura and with that being said, let's go ahead and get in to today's episode with Fahim. So Fahim, before eShopportunity you actually worked at Amazon. What was your role there? Fahim's Amazon Background Fahim: I was a category manager. Managed one of the largest categories on the retail side of Amazon. Andrew: And what does that mean, to be a category manager? Fahim: Manage the first party so the direct part of the business. Anything that you would sell wholesale to Amazon. I was in the consumer electronics world under the PC components and peripherals part of Amazon. So essentially, manage all relationships with vendors, pricing, marketing, P&L ownership, forecasting, etc. Andrew: Do you miss it and why did you leave? Fahim: I do miss it although my consulting role and agency helps us stay in the game. The major reason I left was to move to San Francisco because of my wife who had to transfer for her work. At the same time, while everything was going well and could've happily stayed at Amazon, wanted to get out and do my own thing and get my skin in the game a little bit. So found a perfect balance with coming down to Bay Area, staying in the ecommerce space and still talking about going on Amazon as well as overall ecommerce. Andrew: Yeah,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Amazon and the eCommerce merchant. It's a Shakespearean tale where love and hate is often a blurred line. There's no doubt that for many merchants, Amazon is a huge source of revenue for their product. But there's also plenty of pitfalls when you decide to sell on Amazon. To kick off our month-long series about all things Amazon, we've got a reality check about the potential problems with selling on Amazon. While it presents many opportunities for increasing your products' reach, it's important to be aware of the company's policies that have undermined many eCommerce businesses. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Bill D'Alessandro of Rebel CEO) Andrew: Hey guys, Andrew here and a quick note before we get into that official theme music. Today is going to kick off a four part month-long series on Amazon. If you're in eCommerce, which you probably are, obviously that's a huge aspect of what we're doing these days. So over the next month we'll be covering all sorts of different topics Amazon-related, and I want to kick off this series with just an episode just to make you think a little bit more carefully about some of the things you should be considering from a downfall perspective on Amazon. Obviously a lot of opportunity there, but given when we're focusing on it and given the fact that some people make Amazon sound like, you know, just a money machine, I wanted to kind of have a reality check to launch us into this series. So hope it's useful, hope you make a bunch of money on Amazon, and hope you enjoy. Thanks. Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey guys, it's Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Today, talking about the dangers of Amazon and the FBA business model. You know, Amazon is the talked-about game in eCommerce these days. Big courses coming out, you know money seemingly just falling freely from the skies, it's incredible, right? It's like the old, old days of AdWords when they were three cents a click. There's no downside! But there definitely are some pitfalls that we want to talk about today as a reality check, hat tip to David Heacock for the inspiration and some of the finer points on this episode. Thank you, David. And joining me to really dive into it, a man who knows a ton about Amazon, Mr. Bill D'Alessandro. Bill, welcome sir. Bill: Yup! Glad to be here. This is the topic I love to talk about. Andrew: Yeah, it's interesting, and you've been on, like I said, I mean you've been on Amazon for years. I have very little experience with it. It'll be interesting to kind of take the opposite approach of what I think has been a lot of ra-ra-ra cheering over the last, you know, two years or so. Bill: Yeah, and some of it well-deserved, but not without potential other sides of the coin. Beware the Hijacked Niches Andrew: Bill, I think the biggest thing that stands out as a potential danger of going onto Amazon is that building your core business on Amazon is, ultimately, is going to lead to heartbreak. A lot of people, I'm not sure if they realize, Amazon is not your friend at all. They've got a long track record of hijacking niches, of selling directly out from under merchants, and if you don't own the platform off Amazon somewhere, you're gonna get hosed eventually. Bill: Yeah, I think talk to anybody who used to sell any of the products now covered under the Amazon Basics program. You know, all the cables, all the SD cards, you know Amazon is more than willing to private-label their own stuff and compete with you directly, you know, obviously at much lower cost and with preferential algorithmic ra...

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: It's been eight years since Right Channel Radios first opened its eCommerce doors. After a cart migration, major website overhaul and lots of lessons learned over the years, the business has officially been sold. Today we're talking about the biggest takeaways Drew and Andrew walked away with after selling eCommerce businesses. It takes more planning, strategizing and moments of doubt than one might think. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Drew Sanocki of Nerdmarketing.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey guys, it's Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, thanks so much for tuning in today. Joined by Mr. Drew Sanocki, the man from New York City consultant and business owner extraordinaire. Drew, how are you doing buddy? Drew: Good, how are you doing? Andrew: Good, I was looking at Nerd Marketing and things are looking sharp over there man, you've got a pretty beautiful brand and site with some awesome content. Drew: It's getting there. I read some book on design for founders, I think it's called "Design for Founders," taught me a lot about typography which I got into, you can sink a lot of time into that but I love it now, it's really interesting, I recommend it for anybody who is looking to brand a site or a blog. Andrew: Yeah, it looks super sharp, I was jotting a bunch of notes down and stuff that I'm totally going to swipe for the eCommerceFuel site, yeah it looks sharp man. Drew: Oh fun, good. Andrew: But yeah, today talking about some kind of crazy, crazy news. I sold the business. Drew: I know. Congratulations. Andrew: Yeah thank you. Sold Right Channel Radios which is the business I've had for, man, I guess where it all started back in 2008 so owned it for eight years and just this last couple of weeks ended up closing on the sale. Drew: So is this the first official announcement? Andrew: Publicly it is, I've been chatting with people in the community about it, the private community but in terms of public announcement, yeah, this is where it's getting broken. Drew: Well that's great, well congratulations, this is your second exit. Andrew: Yeah. Drew: Isn't it? Andrew: Yeah, thank you, this is my second one, sold TrollingMotors.net a couple of years ago and this is number two. Drew: That's great, got all sorts of questions for you. Andrew: Yeah, hit me man, it's kind of strange doing a podcast about selling your own business but you were kind enough to come on and help me do it so it wasn't just me talking to people. Drew: Well I'm happy to be here, I sold my first business, it seems like ancient history now, but back in 2011, 2012. Andrew: Yeah, Design Public, right? Drew: Yup and then we sold a business where I was the CMO, Karmaloop, we sold that about a month ago. Andrew: You're partnered up with a private equity group for that, right? Drew: Yes, I mean they did the deal, I did the diligence on the deal, came on board, helped return the company to profitability and we sold, they made most of the money off of the deal unfortunately, but yeah. Andrew: Probably it's safe to say they probably brought most of the money to the deal, right? Drew: Yeah, I was a mere pawn. Andrew: Yeah so I thought it would be kind of fun to just kind of talk quickly about why I sold, who I sold it to and then get into some lessons, both kind of some lessons I learned from the sale and also get your kind of thoughts on it. Drew: Sounds good. Long-Term Prepping Before Putting Up a "For Sale" Sign Andrew: So probably the biggest takeaway for me, and this is something I realized after the fact,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: A team of 40 virtual employees across multiple brands. Sounds like a dream team, but a lot goes into managing a large virtual team. Ezra Firestone of Smart Marketer shows us how he currently manages his businesses and builds his teams virtually, including how he determines who he needs to hire and how he keeps his employees productive and organized. Ezra weighs in with the current tools and strategies he uses to keep his team efficient and highly-successful.   Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Ezra Firestone of Smart Marketer)  Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey guys, Andrew here and welcome to eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. And today, I have a returning guest on the show. He sort of hasn't been on for a while. I've been just relentlessly going after his PR man. I keep getting turned down over and over and over again. And finally got through, and have the pleasure of introducing Mr. Ezra Firestone back as a guest. Ezra, how you doing man? Ezra: I'm doing great man, happy to be here. I can be difficult to get a hold of. I'm kind of a hermit. But no, I'm super excited to be back on your show. I think you've got the best show in the game so, happy to be here. eCommerce All-Stars Andrew: Thanks, man. Your gate keepers are brutal, dude, you know. I'm just kidding. You've got an event coming up which I want to talk about off the bat, eCommerce All-Stars? Ezra: Right off the bat, all right. Thanks, man. Andrew: Yeah. Ezra: Yeah. So you know, obviously, we do eCommerce and we love to share what works for us. And so our community has been asking for a long time for us to put together an event where everyone could kind of get together, get to know each other, and we could go in-depth over the course of a couple of days. And my experience has been that there's really no better way to experience, sort of, a jolt, a boost. What's that stuff in when they put in cars, like in the movies, and you press the button and you go really fast? Andrew: Nitro. Ezra: Yeah. There's no better way to have that experience in your business, to nitro it, I don't know if that's what you call it, but then to kind of let... Andrew: Maybe that's probably not nitro. That's actually probably not the right term. Ezra: Okay, whatever it is. It's like... Andrew: But yeah, all right. Ezra: We're internet nerds. We're not, you know, pop-culturally literate. But to sort of let go of the rest of your world for a little bit, step out of your routine in life and step into a couple of days where you just really focus on your business and the connections that you make and the people that you meet. And it's just been really beneficial to me over the years. And so we've always kind of done events. This is our first one in a while. We're going to make it a yearly thing. We're really excited about it. Andrew: Yeah, and in eCommerce All Stars, you're doing it in San Diego, I think, and it's in August. I actually...kind of ironic we're talking about it because it is already sold out, but you're doing a live stream of it for people who are interested in just catching the information, right? Ezra: Yeah. You know, if you want to have that same experience but from home, you can join the live stream which I think is cool. You know, I always love when I can't make it out to an event or an event sells out, to be able to get the live stream and get access to the content. So we will be doing that. You can check that out at smartmarketer.com/allstars and we'll do it every year, in San Diego at this time. So hopefully, I'll catch you at next year's, live.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: You can buy anything online, but that doesn't mean every niche is a profitable one. Today we spoke to three different pioneering niche merchants from our community to talk about their seemingly impossible niches and how they've managed to turn them into full-time enterprises. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your hosts Andrew Youderian and Laura Serino of eCommerceFuel.com, Chris Bosdal of TastyWorms.com, Josh Manley of IronFenceShop.com, and Will Samuels of EveryNappy.co.uk) The Full Transcript Will: I was worried about putting myself out there. You know, being the nappy guy. I actually have that on my business card for Every Nappy. It says, "Will, nappy guru." And that's fine. I think you can just sort of own it. Laura: Dried meal worms. It's a niche within a niche within a very popular niche online, the pet industry. Chris Bosdal is the owner of TastyWorms.com where he sells dried mealworms. Here's Chris. Meal Worms as a Viable Niche Chris: I started to grow these meal worms myself in our garage basically. And we quickly ended up with more than we could possibly use. So at that point in time, I kind of realized, hey, you know, this could be a business. These things grow pretty darn fast and we were spending hundreds of dollars on them, and now we have hundreds of dollars' worth of worms. So let's try to sell them to some people. Laura: Tasty Worms originally went after animal rehabbers for potential clients, but they quickly found out that despite having the need, they didn't have the money to purchase from them. Dried meal worms aren't cheap. A 10-pound bag costs around $90, so around the same per pound price you'd pay for a really good steak. Chris: We didn't really know who the customers would be, I guess is the problem. So yeah, we started up an eCommerce site with a product called Drupal and we started buying some Google AdWords and yeah, we quickly learned that that was also bad. We were basically, you know, paying money to not get any customers. Laura: eBay helped them find customers. They started to build their base simply by slipping in paper into orders that reminded them to visit their website instead of just their eBay store. Chris: I remember saying that when we got started, if we could make one sale per day, I would be happy, right? Because, you know, it's an extra $5 or $10 in my pocket or what have you, right, that $150 a month, I'd be happy with that. Now if we got one sale a day, it would be a complete disaster. Laura: After two years, Chris was able to quit his full-time job to work on the business. Chris: The problem with insects, even if they're dead, they have or had eggs. And insect eggs are notoriously hard to destroy. So there's always that possibility that there's something alive in there, you know. And sometimes you'll even find that with like if you purchase flour, or wheat bran, or oatmeal at the store, sometimes it will develop moths or beetles. And that's the same type of problems that we could run into. So yes and no. They're not considered alive but they are, you know, you can't just ship them to any old country you feel like. You Really Can Find Anything on Amazon Laura: There are definitely restrictions when you're dealing with selling insects online. For instance, their model can only ship to the US, but not overseas where customs are strict. One place they can ship to, an Amazon warehouse. Chris: I would say that they restrict dried insects less than they restrict chocolate. Laura: Their original commitment to welfare and rehabilitation for animals sets them apart from other sites in their niche. Setting Themselves Apart From Other Sites Chris: What makes us stand out is that first of all, we offer discounts to anybody who's like an AZA accredited member. That's the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. If you're a licensed animal rehabber,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Wondering what it's like to sell your business? Or how much you can actually make through passive investments? Both are more complex than you might think, and it pays to hear from someone who knows both. Ian Schoen of TropicalMBA.com and the Dynamite Circle answers questions about recently selling his own small business, the idea that passive investments can build substantial wealth, and building entrepreneurship communities. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Ian Schoen of TropicalMBA.com) Andrew: Hey guys, Andrew here, and welcome to the eCommerce Fuel Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in. Today on the show, I’m joined by Ian Schoen from the TropicalMBA blog and podcast. He’s also one of the men behind the Dynamite Circle, which is a private community for location-independent entrepreneurs. I really always enjoy talking with Ian, and our conversation today covers a lot of different topics. We talk about his recent business sale, we talk about how to invest money. Both of those topics are a couple of episodes that I really enjoyed from his podcast recently, and we can get into those. And then finally, we talk about running private communities. We both run private communities for entrepreneurs and talk about some of the challenges, some of the things we really enjoy, get a little bit inside baseball on that. It’s not eCommerce specific per se, but if you're in the community or it’s something you’re interested in, hopefully it’s something that you enjoy. Ian, you and your partner Dan recently sold the business, congratulations sir! Ian: Thank you. Yeah. Andrew: Are you sick of talking about it yet? Ian: No, I’m not, I’m not actually. Andrew: What caused you guys to sell? Ian: Oh man. Well, I think essentially what happened was we started the business in 2008 – at the time I think I was about twenty-five, twenty-six years old, and you know that was a long time ago. I feel like I’m a different person than I was then. You know, I felt like I wanted different things out of my business and my life, and we just kind of reached an interesting point. I think one of the feelings, one of the emotions that I had at the time when we decided to sell was that it’s all been like high-fives and good times, essentially. I mean, there was some growing pains and whatnot, but we never missed payroll, there was always plenty of cashflow, it was just really good times. And I thought, "let’s just leave this on a high note, ‘cause I’m not super passionate about the business anymore, and I don’t wanna fake it to my employees anymore that I’m not into this business, so let’s just leave it on a high note." Ian's Insight Into Selling His Business Andrew: And you said you wanted different things out of your life and your business – what specifically were you looking for in terms of change, things that the business wasn’t fulfilling, apart from the passion aspect and selling at the top – which makes a lot of sense – what was that underlying thing you kind of alluded to? Ian: I think just change in general, you know? Like I said, I started the business when I was in like my mid-twenties and quite some time had gone by, so I just wanted to see kind of what other options were out there, you know? I felt like I had conquered that business in a way, or at least the skill set, and for me and I think a lot of small business owners, that’s kind of what you do, right? I mean we were selling like hospitality equipment and although I was passionate about that in the beginning, it became more about the process of doing business. So through the process learned SEO, learned ad words, learned how to manufacture products in China, learned how to build a team of fifteen. So kind of all these things that I wanted to learn in that business I learned; I just didn’t feel like there was much...

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: The dynamic duo returns to help answer listener questions. Today we tackle a wide range of topics from how to structure your business joint ventures to what the best sources are for buying and selling eCommerce sites. If you've got questions, Andrew and Drew have the answers. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Drew Sanocki of Nerdmarketing.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six- and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow e-commerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey guys, it's Andrew here, and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in to the show. Today on the show, going back and doing a round of your questions, reader questions from the blog and online, just doing a random grab bag of questions we thought were interesting to tackle. And joining me to really answer all these... Drew: The tough ones. Andrew: The tough ones. I'm going to take all the softballs, Drew, and hand you off all the really, the ones I have been stressing out about. The men, all the hard answers, Mr. Sanocki, how are you doing, sir? Drew: Good. How are you? Andrew: Good, good. Drew, things in New York well? Drew: Things in New York are great. It's getting warmer and spring is just around the corner. Andrew: And you recently sold Karmaloop, correct? Drew: We did. I did not, we did, but yeah, that was a quick turnaround. We bought it out of bankruptcy last summer and just sold it a week ago to a sneaker retailer on the West Coast. Andrew: That's fantastic. Congratulations, sir. Drew: Thanks. It was a great chance to really try out a lot of the things that I preach on my blog, and they work so it was a good case study. Andrew: Yeah, well, you mentioned that a lot of the tactics and things you talked about at your talk at ECF Live which we'll link, well, it's available to all eCommerceFuel members in the community, but a lot of the things from that talk are the things you used to really turn that retailer around. Drew: Yeah, that's right. One of the first things I did was I talk a lot about figuring out who your best customers are and then building the business around that group of customers. And I spent about a month doing that at Karmaloop, and once I figured out who that group was, the next step was really developing the marketing campaigns that kept those customers around, acquired more of them and kept them buying. So that took about a year to implement and it worked. We brought it from a money-losing company, month-over-month losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, to about break even and that's when we sold it. Andrew: That's awesome. Well, congratulations, sir. That's a pretty big accomplishment. Nice little cap in the feather, that's really cool. Drew: Thanks. Andrew: All right, sir. Should we get into some questions? Drew: Let's do it. "In skincare, do you start in-house and small or go straight to China?" Andrew: So the first question we've got is from Matt, and Matt says, "Hey guys, listen to the podcast and love it. I'm looking at starting a store with beauty and face care products similar to Nurture My Body which is Bill's store, but in a different vertical. If you were starting a business like this, would you immediately try to set things up with a Chinese supplier and have them develop formulas for you, or would you do everything small in-house to perfect the formulas first? A little stuck on which avenue is the best to try and pursue." Drew, what are your thoughts? Drew: I don't really know a lot about this kind of production, but it seems like you'd want to do something like this domestically just to figure out the formulation before you deal with sourcing anything from overseas.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: User experience. This phrase has been tossed around a lot in the last few years, but few have actually mastered applying it in all aspects of their business. Most businesses focus on the wire-framing and usability testing, but there are some even easier ways to reel in customers and keep them coming back. Jason Broughton, head of UX for Zappos, weighs in on how to make your website useful, usable, and an experience that will ensure customers will keep coming back for more.   Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Jason Broughton of Zappos.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey, you guys, it's Andrew here, and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Today on the show, talking about UX, otherwise known as user experience, and joined by Jason Broughton, who's the head of UX at Zappos. Zappos, of course, is the very well-known shoe and apparel retailer. Jason's got an incredible depth of experience doing this both at Zappos and a number of other companies. And we dive into what UX is. UX is one of those issues that is a little bit ambiguous, sometimes. What it is, the process at Zappos for improving UX, how data-driven they are, some of his favorite tools. We talk about the future of site usability and what's coming down the pipe in terms of changes, things that are coming down the road, a lot of different ground. So I came away with a pretty substantial to-do list for my own site, and I hope it's something that you find applicable as well. We'll go ahead and dive right in. Jason, UX is a term that gets thrown around a lot online, and I think people are very familiar with what paid advertising is, what web design is, what programming is. But UX is a little fuzzier for a lot of people in terms of what it actually means. Can you give us a sense of what it means to you and what it encompasses? What Exactly Is UX? Jason: Yeah, it's a good question. To me, UX is a lot of the things that you just mentioned, plus it has a lot to do with the usability of your site, the accessibility of the site, and the overall pleasure a customer has interacting with your site. It needs to be both useful, usable, and delightful, and not necessarily in that order, but we try to encapsulate all three of those. If your site isn't useful, no one is going to come to it. If it's not usable, people have a hard time interacting with it. And lastly, if it's not delightful, the loyalty of your product is not going to be what it could be. Andrew: That puts a lot of weight on your shoulders, it sounds like. Jason: It can. Yeah, it does. But we have a great team. And it is a lot of stress at some times. The Most Important Thing to the Zappos Customer Andrew: What is most important to the Zappos customer in terms of user experience? Obviously, Zappos is a brand, is immensely focused on customer service, that's what you guys have built your brand on. But how does that translate into the actual user experience of the web experience, of the website? Jason: Yeah. I think that customer experiences encapsulates all of your customers' touch-points, whether it's over the phone or on the website, or when they un-box to package. User experience is more about the interaction touch-point on the website. So it's when someone's interacting with the website, specifically. And so a lot of the things that we have to worry about, and our users care a lot about, is accurate information from pricing, to being sure that there's trust when they're going through the checkout process, so the usefulness, the usability is quick. And then also,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Trying to drum up some press for your brand or business can be a full-time job. And with all the effort that goes into trying to get media coverage, how worth it does it end up being for your brand? Today, we're looking at three success stories of landing major press and how each business was affected differently. Join us as we dive into how you can get press for your business and your eCommerce store and what you need to do in order to woo reporters. Even more importantly, we uncover whether expensive PR firms are worth the price and whether you can build a business with one big press mention. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian and Laura Serino of eCommerceFuel.com, Kirby Allison of HangerProject.com, Mac Bishop of WoolAndPrince.com, Allen Walton of SpyGuySecurity.com) and Elaine Pofeldt of ElainePofeldt.com Andrew: Hey guys, Andrew here with a quick message before we get started. If you remember from last week we are running an experiment with one of our community members David Heacock to help him decide if he should advertise on the podcast for the Tim Ferriss Show. So we gave him a couple spots on the eCommerceFuel podcast and we're going to follow up and let you know how this pans out, what the response was, what it a success or a flop. Stay tuned for that. David owns FilterBuy.com where he sells high-quality air filters for your home or office furnace that he manufactures and here's three reasons why you should pick one up. First, the air quality in your home or office is probably pretty terrible. Think about it. When was the last time you changed your filter? I know I can't remember either. It's probably been years and years and you've got filthy air floating around giving everyone you love asthma, like I mentioned last time, potentially allergies. Get a new filter. The second reason you should is that David makes this incredibly easy. Go to FilterBuy.com, sign up for a subscription, you get a new filter on a regular basis right to your door. And finally, it keeps away these crazy expensive HVAC repair guys. I had one come to my house, it's astronomical what they charge. He left $500 later and it's money well spent to invest in the longevity of your heating system. So check them out at filterbuy.com/ecommercefuel. You'll get 15%-20% off everything he offers. We'll be following up with the results of this experiment in the coming weeks so stay tuned on how it all turns out. Mac: He said he hadn't washed his suit for an entire year. That got worldwide media attention. So something about not washing your clothes freaks people out, and people want to read it. Andrew: Earlier this year I was starting my morning with a cup of coffee and a copy of the Wall Street Journal when a familiar name jumped out at me. One of our community members Kirby Allison and his business The Hanger Project were profiled in a page one story, right on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. My first reaction was excitement as it's so cool to see someone you're rooting for get major press like this. And my second reaction was one of immediate curiosity. How in the world had Kirby managed to pull off press of this magnitude? Well thats what we're gong to talk about today. How to get press for your business? How do you woo reporters? Are expensive PR firms worth the price and can you really build a business with one big piece of press? Our podcast producer and community manager Laura Serino talks with three of our community members about how they did it and how you can too. Laura: Kirby Allison runs the Hanger Project, a luxury clothing and shoe care line. Kirby has always taken a traditional approach to getting press. He started out by mailing Hanger samples to fashion reporters, and it landed him his very first big break in a column in the Wall Street Journal called "The Catalog Critic,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: The art of sorting out your customers, weeding out the qualified from the non-qualified, is one of the most important skills you can develop in business. There are hundreds of tools out there that claim to help you to weed out these customers, but none as effective as the 80/20 rule. This week AdWords guru Perry Marshall is here to discuss the 80/20 rule of marketing strategies. We discuss everything you need to know about predicting what your market will be spending, getting those higher-ticket sales, and making your mark in your industry. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Perry Marshall of PerryMarshall.com) Andrew: Before we dive into the episode, I want to tell you about an experiment we're going to run over the next couple of weeks. One of our private community members David Heacock posted a discussion about asking for advice about if he should advertise his eCommerce store on the Tim Ferriss podcast. And its really expensive to do that given Tim's reach and before he made the plunge and made a huge investment we said well hey, tell you what, what if we use the eCommerceFuel podcast as a little experiment to gauge if potentially it would be a good idea based on the reaction of our podcast listeners, the percentage that listen to the episode and take action and compare to Tim Ferriss' rates and get an idea if this is a good investment. So thats what we're going to do. And we're going to follow up on this after they run to let you know if they worked. Did you guys actually respond? Was it useful? If you have an eCommerce store, should this be something that you consider? Should be kinda interesting. At this point you're wondering what does David sell. David is the owner of Filterbuy.com where he manufactures high efficiency quality air filters for your home furnace. And if you're listening I could tell you to buy one of these filters because it's going to increase the life of your furnace and keep away the $500/hour HVAC guys. I could try to scare you with that. I could also try to scare you by saying hey you've probably got a nasty filter in your home right now, the air quality in your home is terrible and more than likely it's giving all of your family, everyone you love, your young children, chronic asthma and allergies. I have asthma and I'm fairly certain it's because my parents didn't change their furnace filter as much as they should. I could try to scare you about all these things and those things are all true. But I think the most compelling reason for me is that you don't have to make those terrible trips to the home hardware store, where you waste an entire morning or afternoon, you drive across town, you wander around a store, you run into a couple of acquaintances and before you know it, it's been a few hours and $200 later you're finally home. You don't have to do that. David will ship these filters right to your door. And if you sign up with one of his really convenient subscriptions services ever year, or however often you need them, a filter magically appears on your doorstep. No home depot run required. So check him out at filterbuy.com/ecommercefuel. David is going to give you 15% off all his stuff or 20% off all his filters if you sign up for a subscription. That's filterbuy.com/ecommercefuel. Check them out, grab a filter for your home and make it a better environment and be a part of the experiment. We're going to follow up in upcoming episodes and let you know how it worked out. Alright. On with the show. Today on the podcast joined by Perry Marshall who is a fairly familiar name online, and in the eCommerce world, most notably for AdWords. He quite literally wrote the book on AdWords, "The Ultimate Guide to AdWords," which has been one of, if not the definitive guide in the space, and so we do, we definitely talk about AdWords.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Knowing how to read a financial statement and a few other basics of accounting is vital in an eCommerce business. Without basic knowledge of accounting, you may think you're raking in the cash when you're actually in the red. We're covering everything from the basics of reading an income statement to the ins and outs of your store revenue. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (Wth your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Bill D'Alessandro of RebelCEO.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur Andrew Youderian. Hey guys, it's Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast, thanks so much for tuning in today. Today on the show, extremely gripping topic we've been wanting to cover for a long time. The absolute bare minimum you need to know about accounting. And joining me, an ex-finance guy who is the perfect man to geek out about this. Bill, I'm sorry we don't have whiskey this time to chat but hopefully you'll still stick around until the end of the episode. Bill: I really should have put that in my contract, shouldn't I have? Andrew: Top shelf, $400 a bottle whiskey otherwise I'm not coming back to the show. Bill: That's right, I need whiskey or we'll not record this stuff. I won't hang out with you if we don't have any whiskey. Andrew: To keep things interesting without the whiskey and also, let's be honest, accounting unless you're Bill may not be the world's sexiest topic, we've inserted a couple fun little secondary scenes shall we say throughout the episode. You'll have to listen real carefully to hear them but yeah, just keep your ears perked for those. And Bill, should we get into it? Bill: Yeah, we should get into it. We should call this episode "Front Lines Accounting." The Function of Your Income Statement Andrew: "Front Lines Accounting," I love it, I love it. So Bill there's really three crucial financial statements that you need to know. The income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement. And we're going to tackle each of those individually and we'll go ahead and start with the income statement. So Bill, how do you describe the income statement in a nutshell? What is its function and how do you look at it? Bill: The easy way to think about an income statement really is, this is the amount of money that your business made over a certain period. Most income statements you'll see are kind of yearly or monthly. And you in theory could do a daily income statement but I don't think it would be very instructive. So most people will do monthly, will do an income statement and it will show a total for the year and then broken down by month. At the top you'll see revenue and then you will subtract from revenue your cost of goods sold, which is basically the amount of money it cost you to make that revenue. Then you'll have a gross margin, and that's basically the amount of money you have after selling your stuff, the amount of money you have available to use to pay overhead. And then you'll have a section called expenses or sometimes you'll see it called SGNA or selling general and administrative expenses and those are all the overhead expenses of your business, salaries, rent, your subscription to the eCommerce Fuel private members forum, all sorts of things like that go in the SGNA expenses section and then at the bottom you have a number called net income, also or hopefully known as profit and not loss. Andrew: Yeah and it's kind of important to clarify that revenue is equal to sales, revenue is at the very top. It's not how much you make, it's just the gross amount of money you collect from your customers before you pay any expenses. Sometimes you might hear that called top line,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: There are tons of conferences being offered in the world of eCommerce and marketing today, so it can be difficult to choose which one is the best fit for your individual situation. We're a bit biased when it comes to talking up our favorite conference (eCommerceFuelLive of course), but there are a lot of other great options out there as well. Whether you are a big store or looking into selling on Amazon, we break down the biggest and best conferences to help you make the best choice for your business and growth. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your hosts Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Drew Sanocki of NerdMarketing.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow e-commerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Andrew: Hey guys, it's Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Today on the show, we want to talk specifically about events, conferences. There's a ton of different conferences in e-commerce and also just in the online space in general that you can go to. Which ones should be on your radar? Which ones make sense to attend? We want to do a round-up for you and talk about our personal experiences. Joining me to talk about it is a man who's become quite the hot commodity on the conference ticket recently, Mr. Drew Sanocki. Drew, welcome, sir. Drew: Hello, Andrew. How are you doing? Andrew: Good, thanks. You've got all sorts of conference talks coming up. You spoke of course at ECF Live. You're talking at Sellers Summits. You're talking at WooConf. We'll get into all these... Drew: All the big ones. All the big ones. Andrew: Yeah, man. What's the secret to becoming a much-desired name out there? Drew: There's no secret, Andrew. It really is just...it started when I was a kid and just, this was the goal. To speak at ECF Live. Andrew: Are you going to be putting out a course, in addition to your fantastic analytics work, on.... Drew: How to get an amazing speaking gigs? Andrew: Or just how to generate raw charisma, how to develop that. That could be useful. Drew: The great thing about all these is that they make me a ton of money. Speaking fees. A speaking gig can give you, what? Like 10, 20K per gig. Andrew: It can. Is that where you landed on these? Drew: That's what I plan to ask for, for the next ECF Live. Andrew: Nice, nice. Well, we'll see what we can do there. We'll negotiate offline. Drew: Or a free dinner. Andrew: Or free dinner. Free dinner, yeah. We'll land on one of those two, I promise. How are things over at nerdmarketing.com? Drew: We are doing great over at nerdmarketing.com. We're holding down the fort. Keeping the site up. We're in month three now of operation, so it's been a good three months. Andrew: Nice and the podcast has been great so far. I know I've mentioned it, but nerdmarketing.com, the podcast that you've been putting out every week, some really good stuff. Drew: Thanks. Yeah, being on this podcast really helped me get used to talking into a mic. So thank you, Andrew. I owe my podcast to you and I love it. The podcast approach has been great for me, because back when I was trying to write long-form blog posts, they were just killing me. They would take me down for a week and I usually was happy with the final result, but I just couldn't do it because I'd have to make it my full-time job and it wasn't paying me any money. So it was a labor of love and the podcast has just enabled me to get stuff out there easier. Andrew: We'll have to...we were talking about this...hopefully we can bring maybe one of your episodes onto this show in the future. But if you're not listening, really good stuff.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Crowdfunding is a popular topic and it's one that continues to pick up steam as bigger companies and cooler products get launched on platforms like Kickstarter. And we've finally discovered the secret sauce of crafting a killer Kickstarter marketing plan from start to finish. Jason Feinberg, founder of FCTRY, is here to talk about the Kickstarter Holy Grail: getting funded in under a day. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (Wth your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Jason Feinberg of FCTRY.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six- and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey guys, it's Andrew here, and welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Today on the show I'm joined by Jason Feinberg, a friend of mine and the founder of FCTRY.com, which is a brand that sells a bunch of really unique toys, interesting products, like Unicorn Snot, and is really well known for their line of political action figures. Jason and the team has released, I think, a McCain action figure, an Obama action figure, Hillary Clinton, and most recently the Bernie Sanders action figure which was funded incredibly quickly, in like eight hours. It has raised more than $200,000 on Kickstarter. It's done really well and Jason knows this stuff, having done three campaigns, seeing a lot of success with Kickstarter. He actually built a custom template cheat sheet for our private forum members on how to do this stuff. He's an expert, and that's what we're going to be talking about today, how to build a Kickstarter marketing plan that gets you funded quickly. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Jason. I hope you enjoy. Jason, so what's the quick and dirty about how FCTRY came to be? Jason: FCTRY started in 2006. Actually Jailbreak Toys was the original name. At the time I was working as an English teacher and trying to figure out what I could do with my life, and I had studied sculpture in college, and I came up with this idea where I was like, I don't want to try to sell sculptures to people, but instead of trying to sell one sculpture for $5,000, I was like, what if I could sell $5,000 sculptures for $1? That was sort of the epiphany moment that led me to starting the company. Andrew: So it's like the Costco model for sculptures. Just sculptures in bulk. Jason: More or less, yeah. It was this different idea. Everyone thinks art has to be expensive and inaccessible, and I was like, I think I can do this differently. That was just sort of a jumping off point for making cheap art. Creating Action Figures for Adults Andrew: FCTRY sells a ton of really cool stuff, very interesting, fun, creative items, but what you've had a lot of success with as well is the action figures, the Obama action figure, the Clinton, Bernie Sanders. Was that what it started with? Or did you start doing other toys and then kind of the action figure thing came out of that? Jason: It started with a line that preceded the Obama action figures. I'll take you back through it. It's a fun story. I had the idea for the company in about 2003 or 2004 initially. That was when I started, "Hey, I'm going to do this," but then as I'm sure plenty of people can relate to, it took me about four years until I actually got to the doing part. So I knew I wanted to make an action figure for sort of a niche market, and that I couldn't afford to pay any licenses, and those were sort of my criteria. I had to find something that people would be into that I didn't have to pay for. Andrew: One of the things I really want to do a deep dive on is Kickstarter marketing, because it's something you've had a lot of success with, but last question before we get into the core topic,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: Today's episode comes to you from the road. As eCommerce entrepreneurs, flexibility is one of the biggest perks of the job. But how easy is it to pack up the family into an RV and head south while trying to stay on top of your business? Hop into the passenger seat as we dive into what it takes to hit the road, spend time with family and turn an RV into a mobile office. Today, I share my personal experience on the road, away from Montana, while trying to get meaningful work done, as well as the biggest lessons I’ve learned from this incredible experience. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com) Andrew: When I sat down in January to plan out my year, one of the first things to make the list was not to be in Montana on March 15th. It's a great state but the springs can be a little cold and miserable, and so our family decided to get out of town and spend a month in Morro Bay, California. Today on the eCommerceFuel podcast, I want to take you along on that road trip for a number of reasons. I want to take you down to our eCommerceFuel meet-up that we had in southern California, take you inside the recently Shopify Unite conference that I went to and give you some of the takeaways from there and some of the please I met, but ultimately I want to answer the question: can you get real meaningful work done on your business from the road, even if you have a family in tow? Let's find out. Hitting the Road in the VW Van Andrew: We decided to drive down and the vehicle for the trip is my 1990 VW van. You may have heard me mention it before. It's a little house on wheels I bought probably for like a quarter-life crisis when we had our second daughter and I was convinced that we'd never leave home again. But a vehicle I've always loved. It's a little van that seats four people. It sleeps four people with a couple of beds. It's got a fridge, stove, sink, a couple tables, a heater to stay warm at night, and a sliding door that sounds like a guillotine from the French Revolution. The drive from Bozeman to Morro Bay was almost 1,300 miles, which is really equivalent to 10,000 miles if you're traveling with kids, as anyone with kids will know. You've got bathroom breaks and other miscellaneous stop required every 20 miles. And in a van, you try to stick to the side roads because the interstate just isn't that fun. The van's already noisy. You usually max out at about 65 miles per hour or 50 miles per hour if you're going up hills. So on the interstate when people are screaming by you, it's not that fun. So we slated five days to travel down. We stayed with friends the first night and camped in Utah, Nevada, and California the next three nights. And I think my first lesson takeaway from being on the road is that you've got to have a core team in place for the times that you aren't going to be able to work operationally. I can't imagine trying to get away. We were camping, which is a little bit tougher, no cell service, but even just in transit, driving and airports, it's really hard to meaningfully run the operations of your business. So lesson number one, if you want to do this kind of thing, you've got to have a core team in place, which I've been blessed to be able to have some great people come on board that I can trust. Getting close to California, we of course had to go through Nevada which beautiful but incredibly lonely place. We went hundreds of miles sometimes without seeing really any other meaningful signs of civilization. Fortunately, we had DJ Claire to get us through some of those lonely stretches of road. Claire: [club music] Andrew: What do you think about the desert out here? Claire: I love the desert. Andrew: Should we camp out here like gypsies forever? Or should we go to the beach? Claire: Go see the beach. Andrew: All right.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: eCommerce entrepreneurs can be a misunderstood bunch. Sometimes it's the people that know us better than anyone else who can't figure us out – our parents. Today on the show, we talk to a few eCommerce entrepreneurs and their mothers to really dig into how well their parents really know their kid's business. What they say might surprise you! Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher With your hosts Andrew Youderian and Laura Serino of eCommerceFuel.com, Freddy Lanksy of iChess.net, Nathan Rothstein of ProjectRepat.com, Kevin Stecko of 80sTees.com (and their Mothers) Lucy: My technical knowledge is, let's say making a graph, is still below zero, but is going higher. Freddy: I think it's better than some of our customers. She can figure out how to open applications or send an email. It's not that bad. Lucy: Hey, come on, I'm far more advanced than that. At least partly. Freddy: Okay. Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel Podcast, I'm Andrew Youderian. We e-commerce entrepreneurs can be a misunderstood bunch and sometimes most so surprisingly among a few of the people that know us best in the whole world, our parents. If you asked your parents to describe what you do, how close or perhaps comically off the mark would their answer be? Some of them would have no problem describing what you do fairly accurately while others probably couldn't find your store's website online if they had to. So today on the show, how well do parents of e-commerce entrepreneurs really know their kid's business? And it's brought to you by our podcast producer here, Laura Serino. One quick note, despite my handing the reins to Laura much more frequently over the last two to three weeks, not planning an early retirement on my side. You will definitely be hearing more from Laura in the future. But I've been on the road the last couple of weeks and we'll be back in full force next week and hopefully with an upcoming episode about I've been up to on the trail. Here's Laura with today's episode. Freddy Lansky of iChess.net and his Mom Lucy Lucy: This is Lucy Lansky. I'm Freddy's mom, I'm originally from Argentina after 36 years I'm still talking...I sound like a newcomer. Laura: Freddy Lansky is the co-founder of iChess.net, a chess enthusiast website that specializes in digital chess products and videos. His mom Lucy is not surprised that he ended up running an online business. Laura: Does he ever talk to you about work and what he's doing? And when he does, do you understand what he's talking about? Lucy: Well, the first question as far as sharing with me what he's doing, the answer is not too much. And as far as understanding what he's doing, the answer is again partially. I used to know more about or understand more what he was doing. Right now, I know very little as far as what he actually does. Freddy: I think as business grows, there's more aspects and elements and things that I'm doing that, if you're not a marketer or an online business owner, it's kind of hard to explain. So I'll have to just say it in general terms like, "Business is good," "Business is not so good this month." I don't get into marketing nerd talk with my mom because I don't think she'd really know what I'm talking about. Lucy: Why don't you try? Freddy: Okay, I can try. Lucy: Just to see how stupid I can be. Freddy: Okay. Laura: I have a feeling you'd catch on quickly, Lucy. Freddy: Yeah, maybe we'll train her. [laughter] Lucy: I still hope that eventually he'll settle somewhere. That's all I have to say about that. Nathan Rothstein of Project Repat & His Mom Ana Ana: When he started Project Repat, he told us he starting to help this guy he met at graduate school. It was, "Oh, okay, fine." We just listened and learned pretty quickly that we needed to just listen. And now yes, of course, we ask questions,

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: After almost 150 episodes of the eCommerceFuel podcast, our topics have run the gamut. But one very obvious topic we've yet to tackle? The story behind why Andrew Youderian and frequent co-host Bill D'Alessandro got into eCommerce in the first place. The path to success in eCommerce can be a long and bumpy one. Sadly, many people give up before they bring their visions of starting an eCommerce business to reality. Hopefully, this episode will inspire any of you with thoughts of giving up, to understand that starting an eCommerce business doesn't happen overnight. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Bill D'Alessandro of RebelCEO.com) Andrew: Hey guys. A quick note before we get started about one of our private community members. Jason Feinberg from FCTRY is releasing a follow-up to his highly successful Bernie Sanders action figure over at TrumpVader.us. I think the domain pretty much says it all but if you enjoy creative, interesting eCommerce projects or the media spectacle about the U.S. election so far I think you'll get a kick out of it. Again, check it out at TrumpVader.us and stay tuned for more from Jason in a future episode. Alright, onto the show! Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hello and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. I'm your host Andrew Youderian, and a special edition of the podcast today. Normally I do this with a guest, and very frequently one of my favorites guests, Mr. Bill D'Alessandro, but normally he is across the entire country from me, not sitting right across the table from me sipping some whiskey here in Bozeman, Montana. Bill: Yup. So I made a flight out and we are doing eCommerceFuel podcast live from Bozeman, Montana from eCommerceFuel headquarters. Andrew: And we were both commenting just before we started how we both look like 70s-style talk-show hosts with the super cool microphones and the headphones. We do not look very cool in this. Bill: I don't know, we'll leave that up to the listeners to decide. So we just took some stupid pictures, so we'll post them in the show notes for everybody to laugh at us. Andrew: But hey, cheers! Bill: Cheers, man! Thanks for having me. Andrew: Yeah, good to have you here in Bozeman, and you're in town...we hit up Big Sky to do some skiing over the weekend. Bill: Yeah, it was awesome! Came out for some skiing at Big Sky. I've not only never been to Big Sky, but never been to Montana. So this is my first time in Montana. I'd heard awesome things, so flew in on Friday and then we headed up to Big Sky to talk business, ski, it was awesome. Had a hell of a day skiing on Saturday. I hung out at the house on Sunday, talked some business, and now we're back in Bozeman to do our podcast, and Andrew has provided me with some delicious 100 proof whiskey that I hear we have his brother to thank for. Andrew: Yeah, thank you, Chris. This is good stuff. Man, you're a great skier yourself, man. Bill: Six years in Colorado helps. Andrew: Yeah, helps a lot. So we were thinking it'd be fun in our first in-person podcast...we've never really talked about how we got into business. Like how did we end up here? The paths and the stories that brought us to eCommerce, to where we are today. And thought it'd be kind of fun to explore those, and want to try and be a little bit tactful and considerate of people not wanting to hear our entire life story over the course of six hours, but it'd be kind of cool to share because I don't know if we've ever done it on the show. Bill: Yeah, we've been talking about all kinds of specific things but we never really talked about how you can go from...

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: We were inspired by one of our favorite podcasts, Start-Up, to kick off a new series this week. Over the course of the next year, we'll be following Kyle Goguen, founder of Pawstruck, to see what it's like for a successful business to try and take their company to the next level. We'll be checking in with Kyle every few months to see if he's ticking all the boxes off his 2016 "to do" list. Today Kyle lays out his key goals for 2016 along with his worries about the coming year. Join us as we chronicle both the highs (and hopefully very little lows) over the next twelve months. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your hosts Andrew Youderian and Laura Serino of eCommerceFuel.com and guest, Kyle Goguen of Pawstruck) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, I'm Andrew Youderian. A lot of time on this show, and in the business world in general, we tend to look at businesses in the rear view mirror, at their past and their successes. But there's something really interesting and exciting about following a business in real-time when you're not sure what's going to happen. Take for example Start-Up by Alex Blumberg, one of my favorite podcasts. There's something I really respect about someone who's willing to put their goals on the line publicly as they chase them. I think that's really admirable. In today's episode brought to you by Laura Serino, our producer here, we've got something that combines a little bit of both of those, so I hope you enjoy. Kyle: Hi, everyone. My name is Kyle Goguen, and I own Pawstruck.com. Pawstruck.com sells healthy, natural dog treats and chews and food online direct to consumers. We've been in business about a year and a half now, started in June 2014. Laura: Kyle's a member of our eCommerceFuel community, and I first met him last year at our live event in Nashville. Kyle's motivated, successful, driven, and he's only 25 years old. He first got his start selling online where lots of people from his generation did, on eBay. When he was 16, he responded to an ad on Craigslist from a guy looking to hire someone to help him list items from his garage. Kyle's Story Kyle: So I found the job, I responded to the guy, we set up an interview, and then I told my parents. And as you might imagine, my parents were questioning exactly what I would be doing and where this was and who this person was that was hiring me to basically sell stuff on the internet. So my dad in a very parental, embarrassing way, kind of forced me to let him come with me to the interview, and he forced his way there, I guess, and he made me let him meet my boss, I guess. So it was a very awkward interview, having my dad there asking questions as well. But once we got through all of that, yeah, basically I would go out this guy's...he kind of had a warehouse, and we would just look through all the electronics, and I would pick and choose what I wanted to list for that day, and I would take out a camera which happened to be a camera that we pulled from the inventory, take photos, upload them, and list anything I wanted, and whatever I sold, I would make commission on it. It was definitely an interesting first job, very different than anything any of my friends were going through, but it was really nice kind of learning this skill, and also it was very flexible. As much as I listed was as much as I was going to make, and if I didn't want to work I didn't have to, or if I wanted to work more, I could. So it was really up to me as to how much I was listing and selling. Laura: Kyle continued to sell on eBay into college to make money. In his graduate program, he was taking an entrepreneurship course, and for his project, he decided to use the pet industry as a model. As a dog owner, he was hearing more and more backlash about products that were making animals sick, and he saw the need for more U.S.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: It's everyone's new favorite social media platform and for some business owners, it's a gold mine. Lily Jade is a multi-million dollar diaper bag business and they've generated seven figures alone through Instagram. eCommerceFuel community members and founders of Lily Jade, Landon and Meggan Wood, along  with their Instagram manager, Ashley McGleary, share the secrets behind using influencers and creating engagement to create buzz (and lots of sales) using Instagram. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and guests, Landon & Meggan Wood and Ashley McGleary of Lily Jade ) Andrew: Hey, hey, guys, it's Andrew here. And welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in to the show today. And on the show, we're talking Instagram today, and specifically, how do you generate seven figures in sales from Instagram? And my guests have done that. Not only do that they have a multi-million dollar business, and have done well with Instagram, but they've generated seven figures in sales just from the Instagram channel itself, by their own estimates. A really impressive story. And the owners, who are eCommerceFuel community members, I had the chance to meet them at ECF Live last year in Nashville, Landon and Meggan Wood, and they've got a really incredible story. And we're...we have them on, and we're also joined by their, kind of a Instagram manager. She heads up their Instagram team at the company, Ashley McClearyan. And talk tactics. How do you make this work? We talk about the early days, how they got going, how they got their 1,000 followers. We talk how much you should expect to spend when you paying for influencers to share your things, based on how many followers and how much engagement we have. We talk about how you should put together an engagement letter when you have people that you're paying sponsored posts for, to make sure they present your brand in a way that actually gets engagement and represents you the way that you want to be seen. And we talk about that, and a lot of other things in today's interview. So, I'm going to go ahead and get the intros brief as possible, and let's go ahead and jump right in to discussion with Landon, Meggan, and Ashley from Lily Jade. In Search of a Great Diaper Bag Andrew: So, Meggan, you were mentioning that you've only been doing this for a couple years. I think like, October of 2013, you and Landon and the team there, and...which, really surprised me, given the quality of the business of your line of products, and what you've been able to accomplish since then. So, was LilyJade born out of just, your need for a good diaper bag? Meggan: Yeah, actually it was. I'm a mom of two little girls, and when I had my second daughter, I looked at my husband and said that one day I wanted to design a diaper bag line that did not look anything like a diaper bag, and that had multiple functions, just as a great coat, and that had an organizational component that would help keep moms and women and business women just organized. Help their lives run a little bit more efficiently. So, yeah. Andrew: I think this is the kind of thing where you don't really realize how valuable that is until you have kids. Because we have a couple girls now, and when we had our first, my wife got a...she got something...not a...she didn't know about Lily Jade, but she kind of got a nicer, higher end designer bag, because she uses it so much. Meggan and Landon, of course, you guys are married, for people who may not be aware of that, just listening. But, have you been working together since the beginning of the company, and what are your different, respective roles within Lily Jade? Landon: Yes, we have been working since the beginning of the company. I think that we work well together as a team.

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog: If you can't beat them, join them. Amazon FBA is a natural next step to help you grow your business. But sending out your first shipment can be ripe with potential problems. On today's episode, we've got a novice and a pro weighing in on the intricacies behind FBA, including the differences between a UPC, FNSKU, and an ASIN, along with expert tips for optimizing your FBA experience and nailing it right from the get go. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Bill D'Alessandro of RebelCEO.com) Andrew: Welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast, the show dedicated to helping high six and seven-figure entrepreneurs build amazing online companies and incredible lives. I'm your host and fellow eCommerce entrepreneur, Andrew Youderian. Hey, hey, guys, Andrew here and welcome to the eCommerceFuel podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in today. And today on the show, talking about how to not screw up your first inbound shipment to FBA, something I don't have any experience with. I've got a shipment of goods coming in that I'm going to be sending to FBA for the first time and figured who better else to grow with questions about this, for my own benefit and hopefully yours as well, other than Mr. Bill Dalessandro, the man behind Rebelceo.com and Elements Brands. Bill, how's it going? Bill: It's going well, man. It's great to be back on the show, as always. Andrew: Yeah. I feel like it's been...I don't know if it was just the holidays or the New Year, but I feel like it's been a while. Bill: Yeah, the ECF Live and holiday hangover. It kind of all ran together. Big Goals for 2016 Andrew: Quickly before we jump into this one, any big plans for 2016? Or did you like sit down and have a big kind of pow wow with yourself to really plan out the year? Are you big on the New Year's resolutions things? I know we're talking about this much after the New Year, but... Bill: So I'm not big on the New Year's resolution thing, but I am big on planning for the year and setting goals. So I sat down with all my employees. We're trying something new this year, and we're doing bonus programs. So we sat down with all the employees, and I set six goals for each of them for the year. I set up a bonus pool of 12% of each of their salaries, and each goal was worth 2% of their salary as a bonus. So everybody has sort of six goals for the year for 2016 hanging above their desk, and if they hit all six goals they get a 12% bonus at the end of the year. So as a way, something new I'm trying this year to...and I made some of the goals were monetary. They were hit a certain number. For my salesperson like a certain number in wholesale sales, or for my eCommerce marketing manager a certain amount of website sales or a certain number of new accounts, new products in stores, or getting a new website launched. So some were monetary, some were more kind of projects that needed to be done. Like we're implementing a new shipping and inventory system. Things like that. So like getting that launched was a goal for my warehouse manager. I basically looked at this list of all these things and said, "Man, if all like 20-something of these things are done by the end of the year, I'll feel really good, and it'll be easily worth me paying everybody a 12% bonus." Andrew: Nice, very cool. One thing we did this year, at least on the eCommerceFuel site was tried to focus more. I mean, we've got kind of this dashboard across all of our businesses with a myriad of different metrics. You could come up with 100 probably metrics you could track for a business, if not more. We tried to focus in on three metrics this year. One that was like the overall king metric, and two other kind of secondary ones, but be able to... Bill: What are they? Andrew: For eCommerceFuel, they are the biggest one that we're focusing on is new mem...

The Affordable Care Act has been in effect for five years now. We decided to check in with small business owners to see how well it's worked for their families and employees. Today we're hoping to answer this question: is it possible to find affordable heath insurance for your small business under ObamaCare? Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1LIzKjr

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about Kickstarter, Amazon, creating proprietary products, as well as a plethora of other eCommerce-related topics. We wrap up the show with some trivia to see how well Lars can remember some of the things that he may or may not have shed light on in terms of funny stories and comments in the forum. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1QdUNLL

Jason brings a unique perspective to our tribe of independent 6 and 7-figure merchants and shares some takeaways that we can glean from some of those bigger organizations. He shares a lot of great insights on the future of eCommerce and talks about some of the innovative things that retailers are doing today. Jason also shares some predictions about what may happen with mobile, messaging commerce, and Amazon. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1SxkugX

This episode is a prime run of all things storytelling for your business from a guy who has the background and authority to speak on the topic. Michael and I chat about how you can use storytelling to grow your business, build your brand, and connect with customers. Don’t miss Michael’s gems about what goes into building a good story and the exact formula for writing compelling stories to help you promote your brand and your products. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1ny7ha8

Jeff is here today to talk about how he created Ugmonk and infused it with his personality and style. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1KwEKqG

Today, we take a slightly opposite approach to an often-discussed topic - instead of talking about how to find a mentor we dig into the ins and outs of being a good mentor in business. Tune in to check out our reflection on our experiences with mentorship as well as our best tips for being a great mentor. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1SWJxbW

The author of the New York Times bestselling book, Essentialism (one of my top book picks for 2015), Gregory McKeown, joins me on this episode to help answer those questions. Greg shares some key concepts outlined in his book and imparts some game-changing advice that you can start applying today to become more productive and efficient in your life and business. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1OjdlKv

If you’re in the eCommerce field, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Peep Laja from ConversionXL.com, one of the most respected conversion blogs online. I invited Peep to join us on the eCommerce Fuel podcast to discuss some of the best practices for increasing your eCommerce conversion. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1RheCGh

On this follow-up, Clayton and I chat about how things panned out – did everything go well, did things fall apart and so on. We dive into what it’s like to buy your first eCommerce business, as well as how TrollingMotors.net is doing now, what has changed since Clay’s purchase of the store and the biggest “a-ha” moments of the process. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1QSOJh8

Apart from being a great eCommerce writer on Medium.com, Andy is the founder of Bonobos.com, a menswear clothing online store that he’s grown into a highly-respected company over the past few years. We chat about how Andy got started and his experience in men’s clothing space. And, he also shares some stories from his own experience. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1mtA4MV

If you haven’t heard this interview with Michael before, or even if you have, then you are in for a real treat. While I first aired this interview over two years ago, the incredible knowledge and lessons that Michael shared with me is still something I know all of us can learn from and use in our businesses today. Enjoy! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1Z9c3Zu

Joining me to talk about our top 10 favorite (or perhaps only) books from 2015 is the man behind NerdMarketing.com, Drew Sanocki. This year we have a good mix of business, personal development, diet and fiction books that you might want to check out if you’re looking for a next good read. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1OmlLjJ

The man who’s currently recovering from frostbite after standing in line all night looking for Pokémon deals on Black Friday, Bill D’Allesandro of RebelCEO.com, is here today to help answer those questions. Here are some tips for optimizing your eCommerce business for Black Friday and Cyber Monday and, ultimately, making them the best sales days of the year. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1Nc8ryd

Joining me on this Q & A episode is none other than the Oracle of Time Square, the man with all of the answers, Drew Sanocki of NerdMarketing.com. We dive into a wide range of topics from why certain markets aren't great for eCommerce and what the best Shopify apps for analytics are, to whether Drew's dreamy salt-and-peppered look is natural. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1MDiXSi

This episode features Mr. Drew Sanocki’s talk from the recent eCommerce Fuel Live event. He talks about the best practices for finding and attracting those customers that can drive a huge part of your business and really growing by focusing on and delivering value to those folks. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1X57dPg

Bill joins me today to discuss which shipping carriers will save your business the most money. We look at the strengths and weaknesses of each carrier and what you need to do to negotiate the best possible deals. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1LZ5fYo

Finding the answers to those questions can be considerably overwhelming for entrepreneurs, so today, joining me to tackle the salary topic is Bill D'Alessandro from Rebel CEO. We cover everything you need to know about the topic from paying yourself a salary without starving your business to separating your business and personal financials, as well as the rule of thumb for reinvesting your profits. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/1kf0Rf3

Today, we are diving into the anatomy of a perfect business... The business you would create in an ideal world where you were you able to wave a magic wand and anything you wished would come true. What would it look like? What would be the different components of your business that would maximize profitability, minimize the headaches and create a continuous stream of customers. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1Q244KK

In today’s day and age, the previous option of being able to thrive in ecommerce based solely on reselling items is quickly coming to an end. As eCommerce is becoming more and more competitive, the need for new and unique products is becoming an absolute necessity. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1MSTDUC

This week, as we are just recovering from ECF Live, Bill and I recap our favorite moments from the event. If you didn’t get the chance to go, or even if you did, this episode covers some of the highlights that made the event an incredible success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1ZOVsv9

Fraud prevention can be a tricky road to travel. So how do determine which order is a possible fraudulent order? Listen in as we talk fraud prevention techniques. And while they are never 100% foolproof, they can surely help you make decisions that could save you thousands You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1L5ppke

Growing the marketing plan of your eCommerce business can be a difficult task, especially if you are a first-time entrepreneur. Knowing the right steps to take can be daunting even for an experienced business owner, but, with help, you can navigate the tricky steps to marketing success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1FyJcIg

Growing your business alone can be a daunting task; one thing that entrepreneurs can do to alleviate the stress of the workload is outsource different aspects of their operation. From hiring freelancers to hiring a warehouse to store and ship your products, outsourcing can become a huge part of your business.  While I outsource a large amount of my business, I have learned, as most entrepreneurs will over time, that some things just have to be kept in-house. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1JfYBIk

Ben Camerota joins me today to share his experiences with the B2B sales world, both in the traditional, corporate world and in his own businesses. We take a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of B2B sales and get an inside look at how to set up your business and your team for business-to-business sales. In today’s episode, Ben shares his methods of harnessing the potential that B2B brings to ramp up your order size, overall volume and profits. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1UOwmHw

Debt. As an eCommerce business, that word can either be singularly the most terrifying word or a powerful business tool. Depending on your beliefs and willingness to take on extra debt, you can learn to harness it to grow your business faster than ever before. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1LbAxrM

Drew Sanocki joins me to talk about how to pick a service agency to help you run and expand your business. We have both had the good, the bad and the downright ugly experiences in the past and have learned some hard lessons. We share our methods of finding, evaluate and hiring an agency that will become one of the greatest investments you have ever made in your eCommerce business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1JsBP3z

I knew that I had to talk with David after hearing his story in the forum, not only as a vagabond but as a formidable eCommerce entrepreneur. He was able to create a huge Facebook following, along with several successful eCommerce stores. David shares his tips for creating a strong, engaged audience and talks about how he runs his businesses while seeing the world has to offer. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1PssRot

In the world of Amazon Prime, free shipping has become an expected standard for most online shoppers. For most of the bigger retailers, this does not pose any significant threat to their bottom line. But how can the smaller eCommerce owners compete in that environment? Shipping has been a topic that we've discussed briefly in the past, but today, we are talking about how you can offer free shipping as a merchant, without absolutely murdering your profitability. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1gKQgGa

China... Just the mention of China can bring up varied reactions from most people. A lot of people may think of China as over-populated where most of their products comes from and culturally, as a bit of an enigma. But to those of us in the eCommerce world, China is incredibly relevant, with boundless opportunities for growth in your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1W34LFY

If you are a part of our private forum or have been thinking about joining up, then you may have wondered just how we review and accept new members. Also, if you are a fan of our community and blog and have been wondering just how to emulate our copy, then this episode is for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1Jxawqt

Drew Sanocki joins me to talk about our experiences with making decisions based on our intuition, as well as both of the instances where we got it right and wrong. Find out why you need to pay attention to the little things, get outside perspective and take your time before jumping into any significant decisions. With our help, you can learn to use your intuition to make judgement calls that will help you reach your long and short-term goals with ease.   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1IfiLC4

Every entrepreneur, at one time or another, has thought about transitioning to working full-time on their business. Coming up with the right strategy for this transition, for you and your business, can be a daunting task. Do you quit your job to work on your business, or do you work on your business as a side project while still working full-time? And, if you take the latter route, when do you finally make the leap, if ever? Bill D'Alessandro, and I answer these and other related questions as we share our experiences with making the leap to full-time entrepreneurship.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1dUBfzZ

Regardless if you are new to eCommerce or have been running a successful online business for a few years, most entrepreneurs worry about how to continue growing their business once they plateau. For many companies, this happens once they hit the high six to low seven figures. If your business has plateaued and you can't seem to move the needle and experience growth, there are six questions you need to ask yourself to determine your next step. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1eIT85E  

eCommerceFuel veteran Ezra Firestone, of SmartMarketer.com, returns to talk about social media and paid traffic. Ezra has become a paid traffic guru, focusing on the multitude of ways to drive traffic to your website using different channels available today. Ezra explains the best method to determine your strategy specific to your business and budget. With our help, you will be armed with the information you need to finish 2015 with a plan that will drive traffic to your site through the roof. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1QH70cy

Today, Drew Sanocki and I share our experiences with coupons, our successes, and our horror stories. Find out the best ways of offering coupons to entice your customers to come back time and time again, without losing money in the process.   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1fipSDa

Hopefully, you were able to make it to the IRCE (Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition) this past month in Chicago with us. But if you weren’t able to attend, then you are in luck! Bill D’Alessandro joins me today to discuss the events of the conference. We talk about our biggest takeaways, the challenges and some surprising insights we gained from the world’s largest eCommerce conference and exhibition. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1NrCovF

If you are like me and many other entrepreneurs, one of the biggest perks of owning your own business is being able to be completely mobile. You may have an office that you work out of, but if you need to, you can unplug and work on your laptop from anywhere in the world with ease. But did you know, that that convenience can come at a price to your health? You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1IbO1qy

Joining me to explain the differences in mastermind experiences, is Taylor Pearson. Taylor shares his expertise and talks about why so many masterminds fail the entrepreneurs within the group. From the structure to member selection, we dive into how to create an efficient and impactful mastermind that will revolutionize your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1KO4piv

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine” at least once in your life. But did you also know that laughter can also help your business grow and prosper? In the world where a majority of entrepreneurs are constantly fearful of offending their customers (or potential customers), there is one man who is successfully blazing the trail of using comedy to sell. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1RmyWVf

Finding the right domain for your business can be a long process and one that you should create a strategy for. Should you find an exact match domain? If that domain is already claimed, should you try and buy it? What is the best method to search for and purchase a domain? Is there a difference between spammy domain names and exact match domain names? You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1EZ7nsz

As an entrepreneur, it is very easy to get caught in the trap of saying yes too often in an effort to chase down opportunities and the desire to help everyone who asks for it. However, if you are honest with yourself, you know that by adding another task or responsibility to your plate, you are postponing more important tasks and burning yourself out.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1KHG9Lk

Most entrepreneurs, at one time or another, have faced ups and downs that come with living in their area. From networking opportunities and potential investors to income tax rates, entrepreneurs should be thinking about what their business needs to optimize their success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1JRHh26

eCommerceFuel Forum alumni, Miracle Wanzo, joins me today to discuss the process of building a fashion brand. We talk everything fashion from how she created her own line of lingerie, to how she has been able to combine her own line with brand name fashions. Miracle also discusses the methods she found to harness Facebook ads to increase traffic to her site without spending tons of money. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1DD4Nrm

Traditionally, most eCommerce owners have thought that creating original content is what is needed to improve their search engine optimization (SEO) and increase their Google rankings. But what if that is not entirely correct? In this data-driven world, innovative content alone is not enough to ensure the success of your brand. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1Ou9teO  

So you decided to make the jump and own your own warehouse. You found the ideal location, built it out according to your specifications, finished stocking it, and your first order just came in. Uh oh, now what do you do? How do you accurately keep track of your stock, your employees, and know what the status of ALL of your orders is at any given time? You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1HsDKok

Warehouse guru Aaron Rubin joins me in a two-part series about warehouses. From how to determine the right time for acquiring your own warehouse, to the necessary addition to your lease contract, we cover everything you need to know to set up and run a successful, efficient warehouse. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1G9Gsk6

Taxes. The one word that most entrepreneurs dread even thinking about, let alone going through the process of filing. If unprepared, a business owner can feel like taxes are this huge, monstrous cloud looming over them. However, there are multiple, completely legal ways that entrepreneurs have found to not only reduce the amount of taxes they need to pay, but also the time spent organizing and preparing them You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1JNxGXo

Often, eCommerce business owners get caught in the trap of considering Amazon to be one of their biggest competitors; they spend too much time and money fighting against the tide of loyal and secure Amazon customers. However, what many business owners don’t realize is what an incredible resource Amazon can be to get your brand and products known. So, instead of fighting the powerhouse that Amazon is, entrepreneurs everywhere are learning to harness the name and reputation of the billion dollar company. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1HJWcY1

On this episode of The eCommerceFuel Podcast, Drew Sanocki joins me on the show to talk exits. After selling a business he built from the ground up, Drew now helps others to buy and sell businesses. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1yqOFIi

This time, on the eCommercefuel podcast, eCommerce guru Bill D’Alessandro is back to discuss different metrics that you, as a business owner, should be tracking. These metrics can be anything from how much traffic you actually get from mobile vs browser, how many people who visit your site come back, and how much each one of those clicks are worth. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1FKMTJG  

Today, we are talking about how to run your business and still be a good parent and spouse. One of the biggest hurdles for entrepreneurs when they have kids, is transitioning from the 24/7 entrepreneur, working whenever you would like, to a parent AND an entrepreneur. So Drew and I are here to help! We discuss the big hacks we have found for good fathers and keeping our businesses running, along with several reality changes we have come to understand as fathers. If you have small children, or have planning on having one soon, you do not want to miss this episode! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1Cv3a4S

Listen in as Bill and I analyze the big predictions that Scott made in his video and in turn share our own predictions. We tackle everything from Amazon and Apple, to Facebook and Uber, talking about the changes that have happened and what we see on the horizon. You do not want to miss this informative and insightful look at the future of eCommerce! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1EBaMTA     

On this episode, I am talking about why I decided to do our site redesign, the huge changes you will find (one of which you will have to order something to receive), and the results we are already experiencing after these changes. Listen in to learn about the possible results that you can expect from a site redesign, as well as any hiccups and issues I experienced along the way. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1aMbelr

Listen in as Bill and I share not only what we feel was our biggest successes are, but how we were able to achieve them and how you too can achieve similar wins in your business. From finally utilizing email marketing, to raising prices and getting your products on Amazon Prime, you do not want to miss this episode’s tips and tricks that can help you double your profits (in some cases, within days).  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1Fr0Zfo

Here, on The eCommerceFuel podcast, we have often discussed exporting goods from other parts of the world and even running our businesses from anywhere with an internet connection. From episode 57 with Andrew Henderson of NomadCapitalist.com to episode 47 with Austin Brawner of eCommerceInfluence.com, this is a topic we have explored thoroughly. My guest today, however, is one that has acted upon these ideas and made them a reality.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1E4s0XT

Bill D’Alessandro is joining me this week to review the biggest stories of the past month in the eCommerce world. Bill and I also spend some times discussing how OrderCircle is progressing and Bill’s latest eCommerce acquisition.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1uH9en7

Returning to the eCommerce Fuel Podcast for the first time since Episode 4 (way back in August of 2013 - wow!), is Steve Chou. Steve is one of those rare entrepreneurs who, through a ton of hard work from both him and his wife, was able to replace her salary of $100K within one year, making it possible for her to quit her job to stay home and raise their kids. Since then, Steve has branched into just about everything, from a course to a podcast and affiliate marketing, all while running his eCommerce store AND working his 9-5 job.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1zT7VUw

Once again, flying solo, I am talking about what I have learned since starting my first eCommerce business and my biggest regrets along the way. Anytime a new venture is started, there are bound to be mistakes and regrets, but moving forward and learning from past mistakes is how great companies are created. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/15RyZX0

Listen in as I talk about 10 of the best books I have read in 2014, what I have learned from each one, and why you should read them as well. Also, I dive into how I am able to go through so many books (Audible is definitely something you should check out!) and one of my New Year’s resolutions that I hope to use to help me to drive home the incredible lessons I learn from each book I read. Before we get started though, please comment below or Tweet me your favorite fiction reads that I can check out! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1GsuNgC   

  Are you a business owner who is working hard to get your business off the ground, but keep thinking about starting new one? Is your plan to split your days between two businesses and have your staff do the same? Well listen up, because this episode is all about when it is the right time is to start a second or even third business and still experience incredible success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1swrdeV

Xiaohui Wang or X, as he is more commonly known as, is an email marketing genius. He burst on to the eCommerceFuel forum not too long ago and through his informative and actionable content, quickly earned a reputation for being the expert, the go-to email guy. Listen in to learn how X makes email work for you, regardless of the size of your business and your budget. With tips on platforms and the simple changes you can make that can drastically improve your revenue, this episode is one you can’t afford to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1tI91KG

Drew Sanocki joins me today to talk about one of the hardest parts of owning a business - managing people. We discuss the 5 big problems that we have encountered and how we strive every day to walk the tightrope of management to ensure both our and our employees' success. If you have employees, or are thinking about hiring, you need to listen up!   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1AbCYro

Bill D’Alessandro of Rebel CEO is back on the show to delve into just how to increase your productivity and decrease the distractions that seem to constantly pop up. Bill and I share our tips and tricks that we have developed over the past few years from working mostly solo, and we learn some new ones from each other! If you use these, or have found other tactics that work for you, please comment and share them below!  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1x9JqxY

This week, I am flying solo, for the first time in a while, to continue our discussion about site redesigns and adding my own spin on it. Currently, with my Right Channel Radio site, we are undergoing a massive overhaul to completely redesign the website. Drawing on some of the information in my past episodes, I break down all of the steps I have taken to prepare for this time (and money) consuming project. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1wJ42wK 

Drew and I discuss three of the most interesting threads from the eCommerceFuel forum as well as share some of your opinions and our take on each of the topics. Listen in to learn how you can take advantage of our breakdowns of what has happened and what we foresee happening in the next month.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1ID6HOQ    

Justin Cook is the co-founder and owner of EmpireFlippers, a safe and fast way to buy and sell profitable businesses of any size. Together with his business partner Jon, Justin relaunched their website in August of 2014 after a five figure, multi-month site update achieving incredible success! Listen in as Justin shares valuable insight that will help you plan, design and execute a website redesign that will help you streamline the process and get it right the first time. You do not want to miss this episode!  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1vkfTSS    

On this episode of the eCommerceFuel podcast, Bill D’Alessandro and I discuss all of our favorite tools that we use to make our lives as eCommerce entrepreneurs easier. We share the apps, websites and tools that we have found to help increase our productivity and reduce the time spent on daily tasks. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/15aAtLk

I invited Drew Sanocki back to the show to talk about how the lessons we have learned from our collective experiences in the corporate and military world. We talk about how what we have learned has shaped who we are as entrepreneurs and how you too can take those lessons and apply them to your business. You do not want to miss this episode's easy-to-follow steps for setting your business up for success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1uCE9iu

Today, Bill D’Alessandro and I dive into how we have sold our products wholesale in the past, drawing upon Bill’s expansive experience in setting up those types of deals. We share our hacks on how to find potential retailers, set up profitable deals and give your product and business greater exposure than ever before!   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1tRxCyG

Drew Sanocki is back on the eCommerceFuel podcast today to talk about the insecurities that most business owners experience. We talk about each of our own personal insecurities and how we strive every day to overcome them. Listen in as Drew and I share our tricks and tactics we have found to work for us and countless other business owners for overcoming these insecurities and experiencing incredible success.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1y6D4yb

This week on the eCommerce Fuel podcast Bill and I talk about how we deal with competition, from starting a new business to buying an existing one. We dive into many different constructive and destructive ways that competition can affect you and your online venture. You do not want to miss this episode's time and money-saving advice that will give you a good understanding of how to harness competition to your benefit.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1wEtX7o

This week, Drew and I examine the multiple options available to you that can help you ensure that you, like us, never pay for personal travel again. We explain each of our unique approaches to using credit cards to rack up miles and how we calculate just how much our miles are worth. Listen in, as Drew and I give our tips, tricks and hacks that have helped us not only not pay for flights but much more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1wjnsYz

Alibaba has currently been making history as becoming the largest IPO in history. Together, Bill and I talk about everything from Alibaba's history, their mission statement, and how they are positioning themselves to taking over the world of eCommerce. We also delve into Bill’s exciting new SASS app that will revolutionize and simplify the business-to-business wholesale orders process. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1udVrOx

This week, I welcome back Drew Sanocki to the eCommerceFuel podcast as my co-host for the October News Roundup to look at the new and notable stories in the eCommerce world. This week, we are exploring Apple Pay, Facebook’s advertising changes, and the world of Alibaba, what we believe their potential is here in the states and how they differ from their biggest competitor, Amazon. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1sjUGqz

Carson McComas is a top-ranked Shopify expert and the founder and designer at ShopifyCustom.com. He has been developing, launching and marketing eCommerce sites since 1998 and currently works with a small number of clients a year to ensure personal attention for each of his clients. Listen in as Carson shares his knowledge and expertise to help you find the right designer on your first try, before spending thousands. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1yzYOHh

This week, Bill D’Alessandro is back on the show to demonstrate his eCommerce prowess, by diving into the pros and cons of hosted and self-hosted carts. We discuss topics like carts we have used in the past, the perks and downsides to each one and the questions we believe every eCommerce owner needs to ask before choosing. We also give examples of our own past successes and failures with each cart. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1u1ye5Z

Drew Sanocki returns to the show again this week, and this time, we are discussing the importance of coding skills in online solo entrepreneurship. As more resources like oDesk are popping up, it is creating a situation where it is incredibly inexpensive to outsource programming to great coders. While the urgency to learn in order to be successful seems to be fading, we argue that this knowledge will be absolutely vital to your success.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1qe9q4h

The eCommerce guru, Bill D’Alessandro, is back on the show this week to discuss the best methods of handling customer support and phone calls. We have an open discussion about everything from what software and services we have tried, what we liked and disliked about each one and where we have completely fallen short on customer service. We also discuss several options for getting started with manufacturers and suppliers when starting a new drop shipping business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1uwSriQ

Drew Sanocki is back again on the eCommerceFuel podcast to delve into the top news stories in the eCommerce world from the past month. This week, we dive into the changes that Google has made and is expected to make, and introduce Drew’s exciting new eCommerce venture. You do not want to miss our breakdown down of the important changes and our advice that can save you valuable time and money. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1oFWVhv

This week’s episode is a special treat for anyone who was not able to make it to last weekends’ eCommerceFuel Live Event. Welcome Brandon Eley, founder and owner of 2BigFeet.com. Brandon is a 15-year eCommerce veteran, speaker, blogger and author of Online Marketing Inside Out. Brandon shares his incredible entrepreneurial journey, from blowing all of his start-up money, to being near bankruptcy, and turning it all around to making over 7 figures. You do not want to miss this informative and inspiring session from the eCommerceFuel Live event.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1q9QgRS

This week, I welcome back Ezra Firestone to discuss the 5 questions all eCommerce owners need to consider before starting a site redesign. We debate the reasons behind why an eCommerce store owner would start a site redesign and where to begin. We also get into the different tools that you can use to determine what needs to be changed on your site vs what should stay the same. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1pP1rPv

Drew Sanocki is back again on the show, and this week we dive into one of the most vital, but often overlooked aspects of entrepreneurship -supportive spouses. Regardless of your financial situation, having a supportive life partner is detrimental to the success of your business, and the health of your relationship. This week, we discuss several ways to earn and keep your significant others support and trust. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1l4ttXw

My guest, Andrew Henderson, is the founder of NomadCapitalist.com and The Nomad Society. Andrew is an international entrepreneur and perpetual traveler, searching the globe for the best places to live, invest, and start a business. With his private online club, The Nomad Society, his members receive access to valuable training and contacts that can help them internationalize their lives and their businesses You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1mnHNoK

Drew Sanocki is back on the show this week to dive into what has been going on in the world of eCommerce during the month of July. We are hoping to make this a regular occurrence on the show, where we discuss the many fast-paced changes that happen each month. This week, we tackle everything from Google’s authorship photo changes to a possible addition to the Internet Sales Tax Bill. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here:http://bit.ly/1zxUB3S

This week, Ezra Firestone is back to discuss how to provide excellent customer service with an eCommerce store. We discuss how the key to success, and one of the cheapest marketing tools available, is consistent, great customer service. On this episode, Ezra and I use our experiences with our eCommerce stores, along with valuable advice to help turn anyone into a repeat buyer. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1sVzmse

Josh Caba, the founder and developer of CortexCommerce.com, has came up with a solution to the one-site-fits-all eCommerce store. A majority of eCommerce owners have been led to believe that self-learning platforms are only available to those whose revenue is in the millions. While it is true that self-learning platforms are generally more expensive than typical platforms, they more than make up for their cost by dramatically increasing sales.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1qj8H8w

eCommerce guru, Bill D’Alessandro is back on the show this week to join me in a review of hiring our first employees. We discuss everything from what we did right, where we were able to mix it up, and what we completely missed the mark on.  You don’t want to miss this episode’s beneficial tips that will save you countless wasted hours and reduce your risk of hiring the wrong person. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1mEqWBg

Ezra Firestone is back for another round this week with 5 tips for A/B testing eCommerce stores. We discuss everything from why you should perform testing on your site to what you should be looking for when setting up a test. You won’t want to miss this episodes valuable advice that can save you months of work!  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1lVdxFl

Sam Mallikarjunan, head of eCommerce & Marketing at HubSpot and author of How to Sell Better Than Amazon, is an expert getting your brand and store in front of potential customers. As ecommerce is quickly becoming the shopping method of choice for consumers, there is more competition than ever for driving traffic. The cost of being able to target consumers who are ready to buy is creeping higher and higher. Listen in, as Sam shares some valuable tips, success stories and his path to converting your traffic to customers and keeping them coming back time after time!   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1jRt4kE

On my landmark 50th episode, I am flying solo. I am discussing where you should be looking to invest your money as an eCommerce entrepreneur. I show you how I allocate my financial resources across my businesses, personal investments, and other outside opportunities. If you are thinking about investing, or looking to diversify, you do not want to miss this show!   You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1uEzHfk  

Drew Sanocki, a 3-time show regular, is back to have an open discussion about where we believe the world of eCommerce is headed. Drew has been involved in eCommerce since 2003 when he created his company, DesignPublic.com. Since then, he has created and ran several companies including Mineral.io and Empire Growth Group.This week, based on our prior experience, Drew and I will make educated predictions about the future of eCommerce. We will cover topics ranging from taxes and drop shipping to the fate of suburban malls. If you own an eCommerce business or plan to create one, you do not want to miss this show!  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1lrJioG

Nate Ginsberg of Boards for Business has figured out the secrets to using Pinterest to drive that traffic to his and his clients’ sites. Through much trial and error, Nate has developed an incredible new system to teach his clients how to leverage Pinterest’s over 70 million users to benefit their business. Nate shares some amazing statistics, success stories and his tips to getting started with Pinterest. Don’t miss this episode!  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1nn6eFv  

This incredible marathon trade show lasts almost an entire month and spans over 3.7 million square feet (that’s 5.5 times the size of the Superdome!). Today, Austin shares his tips on why every eCommerce owner should make this trip, and how to make it an undeniably (and affordable!) success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/SSCXYM

Ezra Firestone is back on the show this week with a behind-the-scenes look at his life and business. We discuss all about the differences in how he staffs versus outsources with his companies Boom by Cindy Joseph and SmartMarketer.com.

On this week’s episode, Morgen Newman shares the strategy his company, MixedMade, used when developing and launching in such a short time frame. With the goal of demystifying the start-up process, transparency is very important to Morgen. He also dives into the company's current growth, as well as ideas he hopes to execute in the near future.

Packed into this episode, you'll hear how Jimmy and Doug designed, manufactured, and launched a campaign with the goal of raising $30,000, but ended up with $340,000 in support of their vision. 

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EP 14 ECOMMERCEFUEL

New post from eCommerceFuel:Michael Dubin has built a business to over 200,000 customers utilizing, among other things, a viral video on YouTube. Now, after generating ten million dollars in funding, Dollar Shave Club has continued to grow and expand. Michael is on the show to discuss how he was able to come up with the idea behind the […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Rob Walling may not be an eCommerce entrepreneur, but he has built massively successful businesses using techniques that would apply to just about any business. He posts valuable content on his blog at Software By Rob, and has grown a very successful podcast at Startups For The Rest Of Us. On this episode, he’s here […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Katrina McKinnon is a true eCommerce mogul. She’s an Australia based entrepreneur who has focused her strategy on building multiple stores leveraging the power of remote teams. On this episode, Katrina shares some of her favorite strategies for finding, hiring, and firing remote team members. It’s one of the most in depth episodes on outsourcing […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Greg Ciotti is the head of marketing at Help Scout, an incredibly personalized help desk company. One of his chief responsibilities there is to ensure that every customer, whether they start out satisfied or not, ends up with a happy face and a positive feeling regarding their experience. Greg is on the show this week […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Pat Haggerty is a part of the team at Right Channel Radios and Trolling Motors. In fact, he runs much of the behind the scenes business in his role as Sales Manager. On this episode, Pat talks with us about what he’s learned about eCommerce in his three years on the team, as well as […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Bill D’Alessandro is a former investment banker (sound familiar?) who has made the full time transition into eCommerce. He found his niche almost by accident and now generates almost seven figures in revenue per year. On this episode, he gets into his experience buying and selling eCommerce sites and the best way to work this […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Ezra Firestone is a man of many businesses, and one who is incredibly passionate about eCommerce. He runs Boom By Cindy Joseph, SmartMarketer.com, and cohosts Think Act Get with James Schramko. On this episode, Ezra brings a ton of value regarding building a strong community surrounding your brand. He discusses everything from the power of […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Dan Andrews is a man of many machines. He runs two eCommerce stores – Modern Cat Designs and The Portable Bar Company – and runs several other successful businesses. He has put together one of the most highly touted business shows in iTunes called The Tropical MBA Podcast, which is a staple in Andrew’s weekly […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Billy Murphy is an eCommerce professional, amongst many other things. He has had success in business with Blue Fire Poker, his blog, Forever Jobless, and now he shares his knowledge on his training site called eComLab. Billy’s on the show today to talk about all things eCommerce, from how to get great deals buying sites […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Steve Chou eats, sleeps, and breathes eCommerce. His store, Bumblebee Linens, earns six figures per year and he blogs about his pursuits of eCommerce success at MyWifeQuitHerJob.com… and earns six figures per year there too. Today, Steve is here to share with us a number of insights from increasing your website’s speed to closing more […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Gary Vaynerchuk is this week’s guest, and as usual, he delivers. Gary is the founder of WineLibrary.tv, writer of Crush It!, The Thank You Economy, and the upcoming Jab Jab Jab Right Hook, and a social media expert who got started turning his family’s wine store into an ecommerce powerhouse. He’s got some incredible recommendations […]

New post from eCommerceFuel: Andrew Bleakley comes on the show today to discuss shopping carts and getting your ecommerce store set up for success.  Mr. Bleakly is a developer who specializes in ecommerce and shopping carts with over 1,000 websites under his belt, and he talks to Andrew about the best options in shopping cart software today. Whether you […]

New post from eCommerceFuel:Dave Huckabay joins Andrew in today’s episode to bring you some real-life advice he’s learned from being in the ecommerce game for nearly 10 years.  His online stores in various industrial and consumer markets bring in a hefty $750,000 to $1,000,000 sales per year. Tune in to hear his personal experience in getting his own […]