The Ecommerce Influence Podcast

Thinking about starting a software company? This week’s guest is giving you a behind-the-scenes look at exactly what to expect.

Michael Facchin is the ultimate bootstrapper. His digital marketing career started in freelance, then he built an agency, Search Scientists, but soon came to a daunting realization: His business wasn’t future proof.

With the rise of AI and Facebook Ads becoming more intuitive, he knew manually pulling the levers for his clients’ ad spend wasn’t going to last forever. Thus, Ad Badger - a software tool designed to optimize Amazon PPC - was born. 

It’s been over two years since Michael was last on the show and I’m so excited to have him back. Not only is Michael one of my closest friends, but he’s an expert at PPC and in today’s episode he’s sharing the ins and outs of starting a software company, the pros & cons of bootstrapping vs joining an accelerator, having VC funding, and a few key insights he’s learned on his entrepreneurial journey.

If you’ve ever considered starting a software company, this episode is for you.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 5:38 Mike’s journey from biology teacher to ads agency owner
  • 8:03 Growing a business as a result of the rise of AI
  • 12:11 Why Amazon has the best ad platform for direct response marketing
  • 15:12 A bootstrappers mentality vs the accelerator mentality 
  • 18:45 How to determine if an accelerator is a good idea for you
  • 21:05 The metrics Michael focuses on most to move his business forward
  • 23:23 Mike’s unique perspective on retirement
  • 26:19 How Michael is evolving his workhorse mentality and detangling himself from entrepreneurship
  • 31:27 The motivation behind diving into entrepreneurship
  • 34:55 The hardest part about starting a software company
  • 41:01 How Michael and his team use the scrum methodology and why they are moving away from Slack
  • 46:27 What Michael wishes he could tell his younger self
  • 48:28 The number 1 thing every entrepreneur should have on their entrepreneurial journey
  • 50:54 Michael's favorite book on entrepreneurship that changed his leadership style for the better
  • 53:14 Is Ad Badger right for you?

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_279_MikeFaccin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

If you primarily rely on pixels or cookies for conversion tracking, you need to know about Facebook's new Conversions API, or else you'll be facing some serious data tracking challenges every soon.

With the increasing pressure to provide more privacy to consumers, businesses like Apple are making strides to limit consumer information and Google has announced they'll be removing the ability to use 3rd party browser cookies by 2022.  This means that eCommerce business owners who rely on pixels for conversion tracking are going to need to find new ways to stay ahead.  

In today's episode, Andrew Foxwell and I talk about Facebook's new Conversions API, why you need to install it on your site, how it's been shown to increase conversion reporting by 30% and what you can do with that new information. 

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 3:09 Why you need to install Facebook's Conversions API on your Shopify site
  • 6:23 Common mistakes that prevent pixels from properly tracking
  • 7:32 The impact of tracking all conversion events 
  • 10:39 What a 30% increase in conversion reporting can do for your business
  • 13:49 The direction of conversion tracking and customer information
  • 17:15 How to implement Facebook’s Conversion API onto your site

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_278_ConversionsAPI.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Feeling discouraged by a slow start to your business? Mister Jones Health was in the same boat until they unlocked explosive growth that grew the business by 800% in one year.

Jason Daemar spent ten years climbing the corporate ladder only to realize one day that he had enough. Since then, Jason and his wife created Mister Jones Health - an ecommerce brand that has hit an astonishing inflection point over the last year even after having a not-so-glamorous start.

In this episode, Jason talks about finding their first 1,000 customers, a few marketing and Facebook advertising secrets you should know about, being a customer-centric business, and building a team.

If you’re an ecommerce business owner or work in the marketing space, you are going to get a lot out of this episode.

Enjoy! 

Episode Highlights

  • 6:08 The idea behind Mister Jones Health
  • 12:32 Experimenting with marketing channels to find their first 1,000 customers
  • 14:28 The #1 overlooked thing by Facebook advertisers 
  • 16:29 Mindsets for having a customer-centric business and building empathy
  • 20:28 The insight Jason unlocked to grow Mister Jones Health by 800% in one year
  • 24:49 Two mindset shifts for continued growth and a strong culture
  • 26:27 Why you should spend time learning the language of your industry
  • 30:02 The problem with a founder being in the present
  • 31:22 Jason’s resources for becoming a leader in your organization
  • 33:29 Mister Jones Health is hiring!
  • 37:00 One thing Jason wishes he knew prior to starting his business and his advice to new entrepreneurs

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_277_Jase.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

The reality is most entrepreneurs won't reach the singular exit that retires them for life. So why is their strategy to build wealth rooted 100% in their business?

It's common for entrepreneurs to feel the urge to go all in and invest 100% in their business. But spoiler alert: Running a business is hard and selling your business for enough to spend your retirement at the Four Seasons with a pina colada in hand is even harder.

In today's episode, Andrew Foxwell and I talk about how entrepreneurs can build wealth outside of their business by focusing on three different buckets of investments, why a diversification strategy is something to consider, and how we are preparing for looming financial issues that are on many people's minds. 

Episode Highlights

  • 6:27 Establishing what financial freedom looks like for you
  • 9:27 The three buckets of investments
  • 10:38 How Austin and his wife got into real estate investing
  • 16:08 Austin and Andrew's stock market strategy to build wealth
  • 19:18 Protecting yourself from an inflation event
  • 22:09 Views on cryptocurrency and how to create a hedge for yourself
  • 24:12 Austin's business strategy to build wealth
  • 2840 How to build a $100M asset without having a $100M business
  • 30:48 Leveraging the skills you have to create outsized returns
  • 34:04 The importance of having a net worth progress tracking system

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_276_BuildingWealth_Postscript.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

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