195: Austin Ecommerce Investor Reveals His Short-Cut To Scaling

Running one company can be a challenge. But what about running 12?

Our guest today is doing just that. Ecommerce investor Shakil Prasla of Pro Click Ventures joins us to talk about how he built his portfolio of ecommerce businesses. He shares what he looks for when acquiring new companies, how to hire CEOs, and what’s possible on the acquisition side of ecommerce.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights:

• 4:38 Shakil Prasla's background and how he got started in the ecommerce space.
• 7:54 From website builder to ecommerce investor.
• 9:57 How Shakil structured his 12 businesses and how they operate together.
• 12:47 SEO and content: the importance of these when considering acquisition and future growth.
• 16:39 Income and age of company: Why these two criteria are essential in evaluating a company to see if it’s worth buying.
• 18:22 How Shakil is able to productively manage 12 businesses at once and the apps that help him to be more efficient.
• 22:42 Shakil’s experience with buying companies with a bank loan and how to go about financing a loan.
• 227:35 How Shakil gives his businesses a competitive advantage: through the lens of an investor.
• 30:02 What Shakil looks for when hiring managers and CEOs.
• 33:43 The incentive structure for the CEOs of Shakil’s businesses, and what he does if they quit.
• 36:54 The other factors Shakil looks for when determining whether a company is a good buy.
• 41:07 The advice Shakil would have given himself when he was just starting out.
• 42:26 Shakil’s biggest mistake when buying a business.
• 43:41 Shakil's structure for reviewing prospective companies, and how many actually make it to the due diligence process.
• 46:12 Why Shakil doesn’t believe you need to focus on one thing at a time to be successful.

Links and Resources:

• Pro Click Ventures
• [e-mail]
• eCommerceFuel
• Klipfolio
• Gantt chart
• Asana
• Foxwell Digital
• Brand Growth Experts
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

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